Five Towns Jewish Home 10.07.22

erhaps the coziest sukkahs are the ones without all the glitz and glamor. They’re the sukkahs with the well-worn posters, the homemade Ko sel etchings on the wall, the shiny tinsel bouncing in the wind. They’re the suk kahs of folding chairs smushed together, of elbows jostling, of choruses of voices singing through the night. They’re the sukkahs of sweatshirts and hot bowls of soup and puffs of breaths in the cold air.

Those are perhaps the coziest sukkahs around.

I was thinking about this when I realized that, for most of us, baruch Hashem, our sukkahs are not the cramped, cob bled-together structures of yesteryear. Some people nowadays adorn their suk kahs with chandeliers and carpets and color-coordinated napkins and glasses and floral arrangements down the middle of the tables. For many of us, decorating the sukkah – our abode for eight days –is a way to highlight the festivities of the yom tov.

Our directive on Sukkos is “v’samech ta b’chagecha,” we should rejoice on our holiday. Truly, commanding someone to be happy is quite awkward and perhaps even counterintuitive. And so, we try to

increase our happiness on yom tov with fine foods and beautiful clothing. And decorating our sukkahs adds to the joy.

On Sukkos, we are commanded to leave our beautiful homes and spend more than a week in a temporary struc ture. Our tables in the sukkah are some times less than sturdy, there are precarious trips from the kitchen to the table, and the cold is sometimes a little less than balmy. And so, regardless of how beautiful it is in our sukkah, it really is temporary and that is what we’re com manded to be happy with. A house with out all the trappings, away from our ex travagant window treatments and ornate paintings adorning the walls.

Perhaps the lesson that we can learn from sitting in our sukkahs is that despite all the abundance we have been gifted in our lives, there is a quiet beauty and a sublime pleasure in rejoicing in the “sim ple” things in life: our family and friends joining together to celebrate a yom tov with our Creator.

Nothing can make us happier than that.

Wishing you a beautiful yom tov, Shoshana

Yitzy Halpern, PUBLISHER publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com

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Dear Editor,

Etti Siegel’s article, “What Kind of Adult Will They Grow Up To Be?” rang true. There are so many times when I see adults reacting or behaving towards chil dren in a way that they would never dare to speak to adults. Adults are there to help mentor or discipline children, if that’s war ranted, but what’s never warranted is do ing it in a condescending manner.

When children see adults acting to wards them hurtfully, they will either behave in that way towards others and/ or they will see themselves as “less than” or insecurely. How can we be responsible for those reactions? Either one is horrible and has repercussions for the future.

We need to see children as impres sionable “pre-adults.” How we behave to wards them will help mold them into the adults of tomorrow.

Sincerely, Chaya Rosenberg, Woodmere, NY

Dear Editor,

I am a teenager and live in the community.

I like reading your Teen Talk column.

I would like to comment on your re cent column addressing rules in schools. I agree with the person who wrote in. There are way too many rules given to teens. And many of us feel constrict ed by the rules. I feel that if we had less rules, people wouldn’t feel the need to “rebel” as much. It’s the rules that make them feel as if they are choking and don’t have room to express themselves and be themselves.

Sincerely, A Teen Who Tries to Follow the Rules

Dear Editor,

As elections are coming soon, it’s im portant for people in our community to think long and hard about the important issues in their lives. The world is no lon ger what it used to be. We need to make sure that the politicians who represent our community align themselves with the values we hold dear.

It’s obvious that those in charge will ultimately shape the state and communi ty in which we live. Look around. Are you happy with the status quo? Are you com fortable with where this state is heading? Are you scared at what the future may bring? Can your children live here com fortably in this same community in 20 years from now?

These are questions you need to ask yourself.

Al Repter, Jr.

Dear Editor,

I almost though that the dating col umn over the weekend was a joke. This woman sounds like a toneless nosy body. I am happy she is not my neighbor.

She is busy with her family and all her married children. Baruch Hashem for that! And she has neighbors whose children are not married. That is upset ting. But that is not their fault. It is not their pickiness that is keeping them un married.

art, Jaffa Gate, by Mira Eisen

Sterling, 572 Central Avenue, Cedarhurst,

Rolnick

HUMOR

POLITICAL CROSSFIRE

If she is so concerned about her neigh bors’ children, she should daven for them sincerely. And perhaps pay a shadchan to have them in mind.

Making hurtful, toneless comments is not helpful.

A Reader

Dear Editor,

The following dawned on me, actual ly this past Purim 5782, and I’d love to share these thoughts with you as we are in the Yomim Noraim.

On Purim, notice how it’s always a mass “rush” of everyone to get to shul in time for Megillah reading.

On Yom Kippur, notice how it’s always a mass “rush” of everyone to get to shul in time for Kol Nidre…. Doesn’t one remind one of the other, and these are the ONLY two days of the year that you’ll find this “rush” to an evening shul event.

On Purim, we fast, then we eat.

On Yom Kippur, we eat, then we fast.

On Purim, we enter into the eve/ day in trepidation, hunger, humili ty and fear of an imminent evil de cree with very little hope for the future, and 24 hours later, it’s l’Ye hudim haysa orah v’simcha v’sassun v’ykar and the Megillah goes out of its way to emphasize the concept of ish l’rayahu (as in the giving of mish loach manot) and how it apparently occurred automatically and joyfully AFTER the evil decree was over turned.

On Yom Kippur, we enter into the eve/ day in a state of satiation, bloat, with the “expectation” that Yom Kippur will for give our sins – only 24 hours later to be worn down from inisem es nofshoseyhem. We are strongly encouraged before enter ing into the day, to engage into practicing ish l’rayahu as a way to forgive and make peace between our own as a prerequisite to an evil decree being wiped clean.

On Purim, we “beat” the ground when we hear Haman’s name, he being evil.

On Yom Kippur, we beat our chests in Vidui of our sins, which are evil.

On Yom Kippur eve, it’s Kol Nidre, the “all-community” event which does not have Hashem’s name but it’s deeply im plied beneath in this iconic prayer and we are fully aware that Hashem’s presence is with us as we are compared to angels on this day.

On Purim eve, it’s the Megillah, the “all-community” event much like Kol Nidre of Yom Kippur eve, which does not have Hashem’s name but depicts el ements of hester panim that make us

fully aware of Hashem’s handiwork being “hidden” within the story.

The deeper one digs into the insights of Yiddishkeit, the deeper the “well” of knowledge and fascinating ideas one finds.

G’mar chasima tova to all!

Jerry Stulberger

Dear Editor,

I keep hearing that we need to “save democracy,” but too many people think saving democracy means “our side wins.” That’s why both parties have incumbent politicians who are refusing to debate their challengers.

If New York Democratic leaders like Kathy Hochul and Gregory Meeks truly want to protect our democracy, then they should deign to debate the people chal lenging them for office. As the saying goes, an informed citizenry is the bul wark of a democracy. Wouldn’t the clash of ideas in a debate help our citizens cast an informed vote. Isn’t that what’s best for democracy in America?

Sadly, these politicians are ducking debates. Why? Because winning is more important to many politicians than de mocracy. What do too many politicians want? Long careers and more power.

Most Congressmen get the long career without much effort. On average, 94% of Congressmen got reelected this century despite the fact that Congress has an ap proval rating below 20%. (Term limits, anyone?) The people in power see no rea son to put their jobs at risk by answering pesky questions from voters, journalists, and civic leaders. Congressman Meeks declined a debate invitation, claiming he is “available and accessible” to his con stituents. It was a hollow dodge.

In the end, our democracy is what “we the people” make of it. Too many of us are discouraged and have chosen to dis card their right to vote. If you insist that nothing can change, then nothing will change. I believe American citizens still have power. I ask you to demand better.

This year, we can make a huge state ment here in Queens. Let’s force our elect ed officials – who work for us – to respect democracy by participating in at least one public debate. Let’s talk with our neigh bors about the issues that are most im portant to our families. And let’s turn out in great numbers on November 8.

America is our country. Politicians serve at the pleasure of the citizens. It’s past time we demand better.

Paul King

Runoff in Brazil Elections

Sunday’s elections in Brazil saw Pres ident Jair Bolsonaro nabbing 43.3% of the vote to rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Sil va’s 48.4%. As neither of them garnered a majority of support, the country is head ed to a runoff election set to be held on October 30.

Several opinion surveys had shown the leftist Lula, who was president from 2003 to 2010, leading the far-right Bol sonaro by 10-15 percentage points ahead of Sunday’s elections. The much tighter result dashed hopes of a quick resolu tion to a deeply polarized election in the world’s fourth-largest democracy.

“The extreme right is very strong across Brazil,” noted Carlos Melo, a po litical scientist at the Insper business school. “Lula’s second-round victory is now less likely. Bolsonaro will arrive with a lot of strength for re-election.”

Meanwhile, Lula put an optimistic spin on the result, saying that it would only postpone his victory and that he looked forward to going head-to-head with Bolsonaro in a debate.

“We can compare the Brazil he has built to the one we built,” he told report ers.

Bolsonaro was also calm and con fident in his post-election remarks, disparaging polling firms for failing to gauge his support.

“I plan to make the right political al liances to win this election,” he told jour nalists, pointing to significant advances his party made in Congress in Sunday’s general election.

His right-wing allies won 19 of the 27 seats that were up from grabs in the Senate, and initial returns suggested a strong showing for his base in the lower house.

Although Lula left the presidency 12

years ago with record popularity, he is now disliked by many Brazilians after he was convicted of accepting bribes and jailed during the last election. His con viction was later overturned by the Su preme Court, allowing him to run again for president this year, along with nine other candidates from an array of small er parties.

A career lawmaker turned self-styled outsider, Bolsonaro rode a backlash against Lula’s Workers Party to victory in 2018, uniting strands of Brazil’s right, from evangelical Christians to farming interests and pro-gun advocates.

He has dismantled environmental and indigenous protections to the delight of commercial farmers and wildcat min ers, while appealing to social conserva tives. Still, the pandemic has soured his image in Brazilians’ eyes.

125 Dead After Soccer Match

It was supposed to be a joyous occa sion for fans of Arema FC, the most be loved soccer team in Malang, Indonesia.

Tens of thousands of young people — who call themselves “Aremania” — had packed the Kanjuruhan Stadium on Sat urday night, hoping to watch their team beat Persebaya Surabaya, a club it had defeated for 23 years running.

But Arema lost, 3-2, and angry fans began rushing the field. What unfolded next became one of the deadliest sports stadium disasters in history: Police of ficers began shooting tear gas canisters into the crowd and beating fans with ba tons, witnesses said, and in a rush to flee the stadium fans piled up against narrow exits, crushing each other. At least 125 people were reported dead as of Sunday night.

The disaster has focused attention on the use of tear gas by local police in such a tightly packed stadium. On Twitter, one of the top trending topics in Indonesia was “National Police Chief,” with many Indonesians calling for his removal. A spokesperson for the national police said that in addition to the huge death toll, there were reports that at least 300 peo ple had been injured.

Violent, often deadly rivalries be tween major teams are common in In donesia. But Indonesia has never before seen a sports stadium disaster on this scale. Saturday’s tragedy appeared to be a perfect storm of everything that could go wrong at a soccer match.

Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo, has asked the police chief for a thorough investigation into the cause of the inci dent. In a televised speech to the nation, he said he had also ordered the minister of youth and sports and the chair of In donesia’s football association to evaluate security at soccer matches.

Police defended their use of tear gas, which they said was necessary to subdue aggrieved fans. East Java’s police chief, Inspector General Nico Afinta, said the gas was deployed “because there was an archy.” He said the fans “were about to attack the officers and had damaged the cars.”

But witnesses dispute Afinta’s ac count, saying that police officers fired tear gas indiscriminately into the stands, causing a stampede and many people to suffocate. Videos circulating on Twitter showed fans scaling a fence as they tried to flee the clouds of tear gas. Other videos showed security forces with shields and batons kicking and hitting fans who had

Iran: U.S. to Blame for Protests

Mahsa Amini in police custody, calling it a “sad incident.” However, he sharply condemned the protests as a foreign plot to destabilize Iran, echoing authorities’ previous comments.

“This rioting was planned,” he assert ed. “These riots and insecurities were designed by America and the Zionist re gime and their employees.”

given higher death counts, with Lon don-based Amnesty International saying it has identified 52 victims, including five women and at least five children.

Hundreds have been arrested.

Khamenei warned that those who foment unrest to “sabotage” the country deserve “harsh prosecution and punish ment.”

Mass protests have been rocking Iran for the past few weeks, despite govern ment efforts to suppress them. The pro tests stem from the incarceration and death of a young woman who had been taken into custody by Iran’s morality po lice three weeks ago.

This week, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei broke silence on the mat ter, responding publicly to what he called “rioting” and accusing the U.S. and Israel of planning the unrest.

Speaking to a cadre of police students in Tehran, Khamenei said he was “heart broken” by the death of 22-year-old

Meanwhile, Sharif University of Technology in Tehran announced that only doctoral students would be allowed on campus until further notice following hours of protests Sunday evening, when witnesses said anti-government protest ers clashed with hard-line pro-estab lishment students. Hundreds of students were arrested.

In his remarks on Monday, Khame nei condemned scenes of protesters rip ping off their hijabs and setting fire to mosques, banks and police cars as “ac tions that are not normal, that are unnat ural.”

Security forces have responded to protesters with tear gas, metal pellets, and, in some cases, live ammunition, ac cording to rights groups.

Iran’s state TV has reported that the death toll from violent clashes between protesters and the security officers could be as high as 41. Rights groups have

Young people who “come to the streets after excitement after watching something on the internet,” he added, should be “disciplined.”

UK Axes Tax Cut

The British government on Monday dropped plans to cut income tax for top earners, part of a package of unfunded cuts unveiled only days ago that sparked turmoil on financial markets and sent the pound to record lows.

Fears that the bank will soon hike in terest rates caused mortgage lenders to withdraw their cheapest deals, causing turmoil for homebuyers.

Opposition parties said the govern ment should scrap its whole economic plan.

“UK gov U-turns on top tax rate ab olition because it’s a ‘distraction,’” Scot tish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of the Scottish National Party wrote on Twitter.

“Morally wrong and hugely costly for millions is a better description. Utter in eptitude.”

A Coup – Again –in Burkina Faso

In a dramatic about-face, Treasury chief Kwasi Kwarteng abandoned plans to scrap the top 45% rate of income tax paid on earnings above 150,000 pounds ($167,000) a year.

He and Prime Minister Liz Truss have spent the last 10 days defending the cut in the face of market mayhem and increasing alarm among the governing Conservative Party.

“We get it, and we have listened,” Kwarteng said in a statement. “It is clear

that the abolition of the 45p tax rate has become a distraction from our overrid ing mission to tackle the challenges fac ing our country.”

The U-turn came after a growing number of Conservative lawmakers, in cluding former ministers with broad in fluence, turned on the government’s tax plans.

“I can’t support the 45p tax removal when nurses are struggling to pay their bills,” Tory lawmaker Maria Caulfield

said.

Truss took office less than a month ago, promising to radically reshape Brit ain’s economy to end years of sluggish growth. But the government’s announce ment of a stimulus package that includes 45 billion pounds ($50 billion) in tax cuts, to be paid for by government bor rowing, sent the pound tumbling to a re cord low against the dollar.

The Bank of England was forced to intervene to prop up the bond market.

The army officer who seized power over Burkina Faso in a coup in January conceded Sunday that he, too, had been ousted by mutinying soldiers, capping two days of unrest and plunging the West African country again into uncertainty about its political future.

Lt.-Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Da miba, who has led the junta ruling the country since the January coup, officially resigned Sunday after the military as sured his security, religious and commu nity leaders acting as mediators said in a statement.

The resignation appeared to end two days of tensions in the capital, Ouaga dougou, between factions loyal to Dami ba and the man who has now replaced him, Capt. Ibrahim Traoré.

Traoré was designated as presi dent until a transitional leader could be named, according to a statement read on national television. No timeline was pro vided.

A poor, landlocked West African na tion of 21 million, Burkina Faso has faced a mounting insurgency led by extremists affiliated with Islamist groups that has displaced nearly 10% of its population and killed scores of civilians.

This weekend’s coup began Friday when military officers accused Damiba of failing to sufficiently contain the Islamist insurgency. Damiba initially refused to relinquish power and, in a post to Face book on Friday, warned of a “fratricidal

war” if Traoré did not back down.

The military has also committed widespread human rights abuses against civilians, according to rights groups, casting doubts on its popularity through out the country and, in turn, filled the ranks of extremists.

The post left many confused over who was actually in charge, but by Sunday the message had been deleted and Traoré de clared that the situation was “under con trol.” As he left the headquarters of the national television network on Sunday, protesters shouting “Merci” and “Our President” urged Traoré to seek a new in ternational partner in the country’s fight against Islamist insurgents: Russia.

“No to France, and Traoré should travel to Russia soon,” said Roland Oue draogo, a protester who was demonstrat ing in front of the French Embassy on Sunday.

Traoré had accused France, the coun try’s former colonial power, of helping Damiba stage a comeback and protecting him at the embassy or at a base where French special forces are posted. The French Foreign Ministry denied it was hosting Damiba in any of those locations, and Traoré later retracted his comments. (© The New York Times Company)

52 People Killed in Kabul Blast

Most of those who were killed in the blast were women and girls, including 31 students between the ages of 17 and 20. The youngest victim was a 14-yearold girl called Nasrin, who was visiting the center with her 19-year-old cousin Layeqa, who also died in the blast.

Since the Taliban takeover of Afghan istan in August 2021, the Islamic State group, a rival of the Taliban, has carried out a series of attacks, including suicide bombings in crowded mosques.

Afghanistan’s minority Hazaras have been a frequent target of the violence. Most Hazaras are Shiite Muslims, de spised by Sunni Muslim radicals like the Islamic State group, and discriminated against by many in the Sunni majority country.

The education center targeted Friday is in the Kabul neighborhood of Dashti Barchi, where many of the residents are Hazaras.

American Prisoners Released From Venezuela and Iran

Last week’s suicide bombing at a Ka bul education center killed as many as 52 people, more than twice the death toll ac knowledged by Taliban officials, accord ing to a tally compiled by The Associated Press on Monday.

Dozens more were wounded in Fri day’s blast, making it one of the bloodiest attacks since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan more than a year ago. There was no claim of responsibility; Islamic State group extremists have carried out a series of attacks against Taliban targets and ethnic minorities, although the ter ror group has yet to admit responsibility.

The blast struck at a time when hun dreds of teenage students were taking practice exams at the Kaaj Higher Educa tional Center in the Afghan capital. The explosion blew the roof off the building.

Seven Americans held in Venezuela for years were on their way home Satur day after President Joe Biden agreed to grant clemency to two nephews of Cilia Flores, Venezuela’s first lady, who were sentenced in 2017 to 18 years in prison for conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the United States, officials said.

At the same time, Iran on Saturday released Siamak Namazi, a 51-year-old dual-national Iranian American busi nessman who has been jailed since 2015, on a renewable furlough and lifted the travel ban on his father, Baquer Namazi, an 85-year-old former official for the United Nations, according to the family’s lawyer.

A senior official in the Biden admin istration said the timing of the two an nouncements was coincidental.

American officials said the two Vene zuelans known as the “narco nephews” — Efrain Antonio Campo Flores and Fran qui Francisco Flores de Freitas — were

flown to a third country on Saturday at the same time that a plane carrying the Americans landed in the same country, which officials would not name.

A senior administration official called the president’s action to grant clemency “a tough decision and a painful decision,” but said it was the only way to persuade Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to release the Americans.

Officials declined to say whether the prisoner swap represented a thaw in the

relationship between the United States and the government in Venezuela. The United States has imposed sanctions on Maduro’s government as it presses for negotiations between Maduro and Juan Guaidó, the former National Assembly leader, whom the United States considers Venezuela’s legitimate interim president.

The release of the Namazis comes as negotiations over returning to a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear capabilities have bogged down. American officials have

long insisted that prisoner talks are not connected to the talks to revive the 2015 deal.

The White House made no official mention of the actions by Iran on Satur day. In a statement, Biden did not men tion the release of the Venezuelan drug smugglers. But he welcomed home the Americans: Jorge Toledo, Tomeu Vadell, Alirio Zambrano, Jose Luis Zambrano, Jose Pereira, Matthew Heath, and Os man Khan.

The announcement is likely to be another flash point in the debate about whether it is a good idea to release crimi nals convicted of significant crimes in ex change for detained Americans. (© The New York Times Company)

War in Ukraine Drags On

It’s been more than seven months since Vladimir Putin’s troops marched into Ukraine. The Russian leader thought that Ukraine would capitulate to his strong-armed tactics and that he would be able to declare victory in a mat ter of days, or even weeks. But Ukraine has proven itself to be a formidable ad versary.

Just this week, Ukrainian Pres ident Volodymur Zelensky declared that Ukraine had “fully cleared” Rus sian forces from the key eastern city of Lyman, a day after Moscow admit ted its troops had pulled out after they were encircled. Lyman’s recapture by Ukrainian troops is Russia’s largest battlefield loss since Ukraine’s lightning counteroffensive in the north-eastern Kharkiv region in September. Russian forces had captured Lyman from Ukraine in May and had been using it as a logistics and transport hub for its operations in the north of the Donetsk region.

Along with Lyman, Ukraine forces have liberated the small Arkhan helske and Myrolyubivka settlements in the Kherson region as well, Zelensky said.

In Kherson, Russian troops occupy the Ukrainian city, although the head of the Russian-imposed authority in the re gion admits that Ukrainians had gained some ground.

Meanwhile, the lower house of Rus sia’s parliament, the state Duma, has ap proved laws on annexing four Ukrainian territories into Russia. No lawmakers in the lower house voted against Pres ident Vladimir Putin’s bill and con stitutional changes to incorporate the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions into Russia. Russia’s constitutional court has already rec

ognised the annexation of four key Ukrainian territories as lawful, effectively rubber stamping the annexation accords signed by Putin with the Moscow-backed leaders of the regions, despite widespread condemnation by the West.

In a sham gesture of democracy, the Kremlin said on Monday that it will con sult with residents living in two of the Ukrainian regions it moved to annex last week – Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – on how their borders should be defined.

Still No Power in Puerto Rico

Poland Wants $1.3T from Germany in Reparations

Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico on September 18, knocking out power to the 3.3 million people who live in the territo ry. As of Monday, an estimated 120,000 homes and businesses were still without power, two weeks after the storm.

After hitting Puerto Rico and the Do minican Republic, Fiona turned north and slammed into eastern Canada on September 24, leaving more than a third of Nova Scotia without power.

Nova Scotia Power, a unit of Cana dian energy company Emera Inc, said about 24,500 customers were still with out power in the province early Monday, down from about 59,900 early Friday.

PowerOutage.us said about 120,000 customers were without service in Puer to Rico on Monday, down from around 233,000 on Friday, based on informa tion from LUMA Energy, which operates its grid.

Despite the many who are still in the dark, energy companies have been work ing faster than they did five years ago, when Hurricane Maria left 1.5 million customers in Puerto Rico without pow er for a week. It took Puerto Rico Elec tric Power Authority (PREPA) about 11 months to restore power to all customers at the time.

Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017 as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 155 miles per hour, while Fiona hit as a Cate gory 1 storm with winds of 85 mph.

Poland’s foreign minister on Monday signed an official note to Germany re questing the payment of some $1.3 tril lion in reparations for the damage inflict ed by occupying Nazi Germans during World War II. Poland’s reparations de mand includes cases of Jews killed by Poles during the Holocaust.

Zbigniew Rau said the note will be handed to Germany’s Foreign Ministry. The signing comes on the eve of Rau’s meeting in Warsaw with Germany For eign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who is attending a security conference.

Rau said the note expresses his view that the two sides should take action “without delay” to address the effects of Germany’s 1939-45 occupation in a “last ing and complex, legally binding as well as material way.”

He said that would include German reparations as well as solving the issue of looted artworks and archives.

Baerbock said in Berlin before de parting for Poland that the two European neighbors and partners have a “responsi bility to preserve the trust we have built together over the past 30 years.”

Baerbock stressed that “this includes that coming to terms with and remem bering the immeasurable suffering that Germany brought upon the people of Po land.”

“There cannot and will not be a line drawn here,” Baerbock added.

Poland’s right-wing government in sists that Poland is owed reparations for extensive war damage, while Berlin says it has paid compensation to the affected countries, including Poland, and consid ers the matter closed.

On the war’s 83rd anniversary, Sep tember 1, Poland’s government present ed an extensive report on the damages, estimating it at $1.3 trillion.

Included in the list of atrocities are villages that were the sites of Pol ish pogroms against Jews — perhaps most infamously the village of Jed

Finland Bars Russians from

Entering as Tourists

The decision leaves open some ave nues for Russian nationals to enter Fin land — including for work, studies and what an official described as “human itarian reasons” — but is expected to sharply reduce the number of Russians arriving.

Finland was the last European Union nation to allow Russians to enter as tour ists, after Poland and the Baltic States, which also share a land border with Rus sia, enacted their own bans last week. As a member of the Schengen area, which allows free travel within 26 countries in Europe, Finland has been a key en try point for Russians into the EU; last week, two-thirds of the 66,000 Russians entering the EU via land borders came through Finland, according to Frontex, the EU border agency.

Approximately 80% of Russians en tering Finland on tourist visas go on to other countries.

an exodus of Russian men escaping possible deployment to the war in Ukraine.

Living in the shadow of Russia, a large and powerful neighbor, has shaped Finland’s foreign policy, and Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted fast changes. In June, NATO leaders formally invited Finland and Sweden to join the military alliance, as both Nordic nations abandoned decades of neutrality and military nonalignment in order to but tress their security.

The numbers of Russians entering Finland have dipped since reaching a peak over the weekend. On Tuesday, 7,052 Russians entered the country, twice as many as the number that returned to Russia, according to government figures. The number of arrivals dropped to 4,707 on Wednesday, as Russia began restrict ing access to the border for men eligible for military service.

OPEC, Russia Aim to Raise Oil Prices

Finland announced on Thursday that it would bar Russians from entering as tourists, closing off the last land route into the European Union for people fleeing the Kremlin’s military mobilization effort.

The policy takes effect at midnight on Friday, Finland’s government an nounced.

Finland’s government had long discussed barring Russian tourists, but President Vladimir Putin’s callup this month of hundreds of thou sands of civilians for military ser vice “had a significant effect” on the decision, Finland’s foreign minister, Pekka Haavisto, told a news confer ence. Russia’s mobilization prompted

Finland had already this month cut the number of tourist visas it issues to Russians by 90%, to only 100 a day.

“Our government’s view is clear: Tourism and transit through Finland must end,” Prime Minister Sanna Marin told reporters last week. (© The New York Times Company)

Saudi Arabia and Russia, acting as leaders of the OPEC+ energy cartel, agreed on Wednesday to their biggest cuts in production in more than two years in a bid to raise prices, countering efforts by the United States and Europe to choke off the massive revenue Moscow reaps from the sale of crude.

President Joe Biden and European leaders have urged more oil production to ease gasoline prices and punish Mos cow for its aggression in Ukraine. Rus sia has been accused of using energy as a weapon against countries opposing its invasion of Ukraine, and the optics of the decision could not be missed.

“This is completely not what the White House wants, and it is exactly what

Russia wants,” said Bill Farren-Price, the head of macro oil and gas analysis at En verus, a research firm. It also puts Saudi Arabia on a diplomatic “collision course” with the United States, he said.

The cut of 2 million barrels a day rep resents about 2% of global oil production.

By reducing output, OPEC+ was also seeking to make a statement to ener gy markets about the group’s cohesion during the Ukraine war and its willing ness to act quickly to defend prices, an alysts say.

The Saudi oil minister, Prince Ab dulaziz bin Salman, said OPEC+ was acting amid signs of a downturn in the world economy that might cause demand for oil to weaken and prices to fall.

It appeared to have had the desired result: The price of Brent crude, which had slumped during the summer, rose more than 1.5% after the meeting.

In response, Biden administration officials said that the president would direct the Energy Department to release 10 million additional barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in No vember.

Hours before the OPEC+ meeting, the European Union pushed ahead with a plan to cap the price of Russian oil, in coordination with Group of 7 nations and others.

Wednesday’s meeting was in person, at OPEC’s headquarters in Vienna, for the first time since March 2020. Among those attending was Russia’s deputy prime min ister, Alexander Novak, who has played a key role in fostering cooperation with oth er major oil-producing countries. (© The New York Times Company)

with an impressive straight-sets victory over Marin Cilic in the Tel Aviv final on Sunday.

The 35-year-old Djokovic triumphed 6-3, 6-4 to add the Israeli trophy to victo ries in Rome and Wimbledon this season.

It was Djokovic’s 19th win over Cilic in 21 meetings, in a rivalry stretching back to 2008.

Djokovic was playing his first singles tournament since wrapping up a seventh Wimbledon crown and 21st Grand Slam title in July.

He was banned from the U.S. Open and the entire North American hard court swing over his refusal to be vacci nated before returning for Roger Feder er’s farewell in the Laver Cup team event in London last month.

Djokovic, who did not drop a set all week, now heads to the Astana ATP tour nament, where world number one Carlos Alcaraz takes the top seeding.

Israel Rejects Maritime Deal

Djokovic Wins Tel Aviv Tournament

On Thursday, Prime Minister Yair Lapid rejected Lebanon’s requested mod ifications to a proposed maritime border deal, according to a senior Israeli official

Lapid emphasized that he would not compromise on Israel’s economic and security interests even if it meant that there would be no deal in the near term, according to the official.

The official also warned the Leb anon-based Hezbollah terror group against trying to strike the Karish off shore gas field or threaten Israel, saying the talks would “end permanently, and [the terror group’s leader] Hassan Nas rallah will have to explain to Lebanese civilians why they don’t have gas rigs or an economic future.”

The maritime dispute relates to some 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea that in clude lucrative offshore gas fields. Leb anon claims that the Karish gas field is in disputed territory, while Israel says it lies within its internationally recognized economic waters.

Over the weekend, the Biden admin istration’s energy envoy Amos Hochstein

Novak Djokovic claimed his third title of 2022 and the 89th of his career

presented what was seen as the final proposal aimed at addressing compet ing claims over offshore gas fields in the Mediterranean Sea, which initially seemed to be welcomed by both sides.

Earlier Thursday, Lebanon’s caretak er prime minister said the deal with Isra el would avert a war in the Middle East.

“We are avoiding a definite war in the region,” Najib Mikati said he told Ma ronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Ra hi during a meeting in Bkerké. “When we unite and our decision is one, we can reach what we all want.”

Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu claimed credit for Lapid rejecting Leba non’s requested modifications to the pro posed maritime border deal.

“Only intense pressure from myself and my friends has caused him to back away from this surrender agreement, for now,” tweeted Netanyahu, the opposition leader. Bibi had strongly criticized the deal, labeling it “illegal”; Lapid had said previously that Bibi’s criticisms were against the interests of the state.

Citing unnamed government officials on Tuesday, the pro-Hezbollah daily Al-Akhbar reported that Beirut did not agree to recognize Israel’s buoy-marked boundary — which Jerusalem unilateral ly placed five kilometers off of the coast

of the northern town of Rosh Hanikra in 2000 — as an international border.

The report claimed Beirut was also against the idea of demarcating a land border as part of the agreement and in sisted that the issue must instead be re served for discussions with the United Nations.

Furthermore, it said Beirut wants the French Total Energy company to work with Lebanon independently from its work with Israel, likely taking issue with the reported compensation Israel will receive from energy companies in ex change for giving up rights to the Qana offshore gas field.

Although full details of the agreement have not been made public, diplomats fa miliar with the matter say that the pro posal recognizes Israel’s buoy-marked border, and after that, the border will follow the southern edge of the disputed area known as Line 23.

The deal is said to allow Lebanon to enjoy the economic benefits of the area north of Line 23, including the Qana gas field, while Israel will remain in control of the Karish gas field.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz had ex pressed concern over the emerging deal, after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah hailed Israeli concessions as a sign of

Lebanese victory.

“I am deeply troubled that Biden offi cials pressured our Israeli allies to hand over their territory to the Iran-controlled terrorist group Hezbollah,” Cruz tweeted earlier this week. “Another topic for the next Republican Congress to investigate.”

Former U.S. Ambassador to Isra el David Friedman also weighed in on the deal, lambasting the agreement and claiming it marks a complete capitulation of Israel’s interests in favor of Lebanon’s.

In a series of tweets Monday morn ing, Friedman, wrote, “We spent years trying to broker a deal between Israel and Lebanon on the disputed maritime gas fields. Got very close with proposed splits of 55-60% for Lebanon and 45-40% for Israel. No one then imagined 100% to Lebanon and 0% to Israel. Would love to understand how we got here.”

He added, “I could be wrong, but I think Israel does get zero. My under standing is that Israel gets royalties only on drilling within its own sovereign ter ritory — that’s beyond the scope of the maritime dispute with Lebanon. As to the disputed territory, I understand Leb anon gets it all.”

Attacks on the Rise

There has been a significant rise in shooting attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem over the past month, an in crease of around 47 percent, according to new data released by the Shin Bet inter nal security agency.

The numbers released by the agency showed that in the month of September there were a total of 34 shooting attacks, which comes out to more than once per day. The data marked an increase from the 23 shooting attacks in August and a signifi cant increase from 15 in July – 126%.

cocktails – a total of 139. In addition, there were also 53 pipe bombs compared to 39 in August vs. 27 in the previous month. September also saw four stabbing attacks. There were also four assaults and four vehicular ramming attacks.

Fourteen Israelis were injured in Sep tember in attacks; two were killed.

On Monday morning, two Palestinians were shot dead and another injured by IDF troops in the Jalazone ref ugee camp near Ramallah after the ter rorists attempted to run over the troops during an arrest raid in the area. They were identified by Palestinian media as Basel Basbous and Khalid Anbar.

“During the activity, a ramming at tack was attempted against the forces, who responded by firing and neutralized the two suspects,” the IDF said.

The rise in attacks comes as the IDF continues to carry out regular operations in the West Bank, focusing on cities like Jenin and Nablus as well as their refugee camps, as part of Operation Break the Wave in order to put an end to terror at tacks against Israelis.

Over 100 Palestinians have been killed and over 1,500 have been arrest ed. But despite the high number of ar rests, the increase in shooting attacks has become a major source of concern for the IDF.

Despite the military attempting to crack down on weapons smuggling, sources told The Jerusalem Post that the many years without a strong barrier be tween Israel and the West Bank allowed for a significant amount of weapons to flow into the hands of gunmen.

A Restart to EUIsrael Association

According to the Shin Bet, there were a total of 212 attacks compared to 172 in August, a rise of 23 percent. Meanwhile, July saw 113, and June had a total of 147 attacks.

The majority of attacks were Molotov

Lapid, speaking by videolink from Jerusalem, stressed what the two sides

On Monday, Prime Minister Yair Lapid and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell spoke at the start of the long-fro zen EU-Israel Association Council meet ing in Brussels.

common, including “liberal and democratic values.”

“We are all united in our desire to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weap on,” he said.

Lapid highlighted both Israeli and EU support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the need to “defend freedom of ex pression, freedom of religion, and free dom of the press around the world.”

Borrell, on the other hand, touched on areas of disagreement, particular ly Israel’s policies toward the Pales tinians.

“We will discuss frankly and openly about some specific issues which are of our mutual concern,” he said in regards to the council meeting, the first since July 2012. “I am talking about the situ ation in the Palestinian territories and the Middle East peace process which is stalled.”

The Spanish diplomat and economist added that the Europeans are concerned about “continued violence and tensions on the ground, and the continuation of unilateral measures such as the expan sion of settlements.”

In his remarks, Lapid emphasized Is raeli support for the Palestinian Authori ty and his backing of a two-state solution.

“We are working with them and help

ing their economy develop,” he said, be fore adding that “the Palestinians need to put an end to terrorism and incitement.”

The prime minister asserted, “Israel wants peace that will lead to security, not peace that will destabilize the Middle East.”

He invited the EU to become part of the Negev Forum, the regional cooper ation framework launched this summer in Sde Boker, while also touting the po tential to expand cooperation on energy security, cost of living, research, and trade.

According to a statement released Monday afternoon by the Prime Min ister’s Office, the specific goals of the meeting included accessing EU funds for Israeli companies; signing a cellular coverage agreement to reduce the cost of roaming charges; concluding an export agreement for Israeli organic produce; and a deal allowing Israel to adopt Euro pean food standards to reduce the cost of living.

Israel signed an Association Agree ment that defined its relationship with the EU in 1995 and ratified it in 2000. The Association Council, a meeting to cover matters of mutual concern, is meant to occur annually between Israel and the EU.

Israel canceled the Council in 2013, when the EU angered Jerusalem by issu ing new regulations according to which no Israeli body that operates or has links beyond the Green Line can receive EU funding or have any cooperation with the EU.

Gantz Visits Azerbaijan

Biden Signs Stopgap Spending Bill

On Monday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz completed an official visit to Azer baijan, which was dedicated to security and policy issues and aimed at fostering defense cooperation between the coun tries.

During the visit, Gantz met with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. He was also welcomed to the Ministry of De fense with an honor guard ceremony and met with his counterpart, Minister of Defense Colonel General Hasanov Zakir Asgar oglu. Gantz also met with the Chief of State Border Service, Colonel General Elchin Guliyev, and visited a State Bor der Service headquarters.

During the visit, Gantz emphasized the importance of maintaining strate gic relations between the State of Israel and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as the importance of continuing to work towards regional and global peace and stability. During his meetings, Gantz reflected on the changes in the Middle East region following the signing of the Abraham Accords and discussed Israel’s developing ties with Turkey and addi tional countries in the region and the world.

Minister Gantz was joined by the MOD Director General Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amir Eshel, Director of the Policy and POL-MIL Bureau Dror Shalom, and Mil itary Secretary Brig. Gen. Yaki Dolf.

Due to security reasons, the visit was not reported until Gantz departed back to Israel.

Azerbaijan is located on the border between Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It borders the countries of Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, and Iran. Ninety-seven percent of its population are Muslim.

Congress gave final approval Friday to a short-term spending package to keep the government open through mid-De cember and President Joe Biden signed it soon afterward, staving off a midnight shutdown and sending about $12.3 bil lion in military and economic aid to Ukraine.

The House passed the measure less than 12 hours before funding was set to lapse. It will keep the government open through Dec. 16, giving lawmakers time to iron out their considerable differences over the dozen annual spending bills.

The package included a third tranche of aid to Ukraine for its battle with Rus sia, on top of a total of about $54 billion approved earlier this year. With Friday’s vote, Congress has now committed more military aid to Ukraine than it has to any country in a single year since the Viet nam War, reflecting a remarkable bipar tisan consensus in favor of pouring huge amounts of U.S. resources into the fight as the nation seeks to reclaim more of its territory from Russia.

Still, most House Republicans op posed the measure, which passed on a largely party-line vote of 230-201. Ten Republicans joined every present Demo crat in voting for the legislation.

Passage of the bill met the last legisla tive deadline facing Congress before the November midterm elections. Lawmak ers, eager to return the campaign trail, vowed to address outstanding disputes in the annual legislation as part of an in creasingly packed to-do list for when the House and Senate return in November.

“The investments included in this bill are urgent and necessary to avoid disruptions to vital federal agencies, to help communities get back on their feet,

have the time needed to ne gotiate a final funding agreement that meets the needs of hardworking people,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., chair of the Appropriations Committee.

Republican leaders, however, coun seled their conference to oppose the package. Although several Senate Re publicans supported the package when it passed that chamber Thursday, House Republicans argued that it did little to address their priorities, including pro viding a substantial increase for the military and shoring up resources at the southern border.

Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, the top GOP member on the Appropriations Committee, chastised Democrats for a bill she said was being “rushed through the House today, with just hours to spare to avoid a government shutdown.” (© The New York Times Company)

The Dangers of Ultra-Processed Food

According to a study published recent ly in the British medical journal The BMJ,

eating a lot of ultra-processed foods sig nificantly increases men’s risk of colorec tal cancer and can lead to heart disease and early death in both men and women.

The research included two new, largescale studies of people in the United States and Italy.

The U.S.-based study examined the diets of over 200,000 men and women for up to 28 years and found a link between ultra-processed foods and colorectal cancer – the third most diagnosed can cer in the U.S. – in men, but not women.

Processed and ultra-processed meats, such as ham, bacon, salami, hotdogs, beef jerky and corned beef, have long been as sociated with a higher risk of bowel can cer in both men and women, according to the World Health Organization, Amer ican Cancer Society and the American Institute for Cancer Research.

the same risk for colorectal cancer for men and women.

Why are ultraprocessed foods so bad for us? For one, they are “ready-to-eator-heat industrial formulations that are made with ingredients extracted from foods or synthesized in laboratories, with little or no whole foods,” Zhang noted.

These overly processed foods are of ten high in added sugars and salt, low in dietary fiber, and full of chemical addi tives, such as artificial colors, flavors or stabilizers.

Ultra-processed foods include pre packaged soups, sauces, frozen pizza, ready-to-eat meals and other foods such as hot dogs, sausages, French fries, so das, store-bought cookies, cakes, can dies, doughnuts, and ice cream.

“Literally hundreds of studies link ultra-processed foods to obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and overall mor tality,” said Marion Nestle, the Paulette Goddard professor emerita of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University and author of numerous books on food politics and marketing, in cluding 2015’s “Soda Politics: Taking on Big Soda (and Winning).”

The new study, however, found that all types of ultra-processed foods played a role to some degree.

“We found that men in the highest quintile of ultra-processed food con sumption, compared those in the lowest quintile, had a 29% higher risk of devel oping colorectal cancer,” said co-senior author Fang Fang Zhang, a cancer epi demiologist and chair of the division of nutrition epidemiology and data science at the Friedman School of Nutrition Sci ence and Policy at Tufts University in Boston.

That association remained even after researchers took into account a person’s body mass index or dietary quality.

Interestingly, the study did not find

In 2019, the National Institute of Health (NIH) published the results of a controlled clinical trial comparing a processed and unprocessed diet. Researchers found those on the ultrap rocessed diet ate at a faster rate – and ate an additional 500 calories more per day than people who were eating unpro cessed foods.

Hurricane Ian’s Staggering Scale of Wreckage in FL

The extent of Hurricane Ian’s de struction became clearer last Thursday

as people across southwestern Florida — left without electricity, drinking wa ter or inhabitable homes — began to as sess the damage and gird for what Gov. Ron DeSantis said would be a yearslong recovery.

The scale of the wreckage was stag gering, even to Florida residents who had survived and rebuilt after other powerful hurricanes. The storm pulverized roads, toppled trees, gutted downtown store fronts and set cars afloat, leaving a sog gy scar of ruined homes and businesses from the coastal cities of Naples and Fort Myers to inland communities around Or lando.

the most devastated neighborhoods.

More than 500 people in Charlotte and Lee Counties, the hardest hit, had been rescued Thursday, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said; the small town of Fort Myers Beach, on a barrier island just off the coast, ap peared decimated.

Although Ian left Florida on Thurs day afternoon as a tropical storm, South Carolina residents were bracing for lash ing winds and heavy rain as it quickly be came a hurricane again at sea.

Photos from several areas of the state showed homes crunched together in a chaotic jumble or smashed into what looked like toothpicks. Fishing boats and pleasure cruisers had been hurled onto the ground as if they were bathtub toys. The streets were a perilous obsta cle course of toppled trees and downed wires.

was coming in just like waves in here.”

Mayors, sheriffs, and other officials surveying the damage struggled to even describe its scope.

“The damage that was done has been historic,” DeSantis said in a brief ing Thursday. “We’ve never seen a flood event like this. We’ve never seen storm surge of this magnitude.”

(© The New York Times Company)

United to Leave JFK

ule there is too small to remain com petitive. The departure will take place on October 29.

The airline noted that the start of the winter season, when more airlines re sume flying to and from JFK, contribut ed to its “difficult decision.”

“The significance of JFK to our op eration hasn’t changed — we think New York customers deserve more choic es, and robust United service to JFK is good for our customers, our employees and our airline,” United said in the let ter. “As a result, we will continue our pursuit of a bigger and more desirable schedule for our customers and be ready to seize those opportunities if and when they surface.”

Although state officials had not re leased a death toll by late in the day, DeSantis said Thursday night that “we absolutely expect” to learn of storm-re lated fatalities as rescuers work through a backlog of 911 calls and scour

In North Fort Myers, where Marion Burkholder, 84, survived the storm by clambering into a dinghy inside a neigh bor’s screened-in porch and floating up with the rising waters, Thursday brought dreaded news. Her carpets were sopping, and her floors were covered with a darkbrown liquid. Her fridge lay on its side.

“Everything floated,” said Marvis Long, 96, who lives nearby. “The water

United Airlines had begun to fly out of JFK Airport in March 2021 after a five-year hiatus. Now, the airline is once again leaving the NYC airport.

This week, the airline announced that it is temporarily halting service at New York’s busiest airport, saying its sched

United has been negotiating with the FAA to acquire additional slots, or takeoff and landing authorizations, at JFK and advocating for the agency to update its assessment of the airport’s capacity. Unit ed said its discussions with the regulator have been “constructive” and that it is clear the FAA is serious about operational improvements in the New York region.

But United said these improvements would take time.

Earlier this month, United threatened to pull service from the airport if the FAA did not give it additional slots.

Lives Lost in Hurricane Ian

Ian deaths in tallies from medical exam iner offices across Florida. Those reports show floodwaters were the greatest dan ger from the storm. Of the official fatal ities in those reports, all but five listed drowning as a cause of death.

Gov. Ron DeSantis called Lee County “ground zero” for Ian destruction given the severe flooding in an area that includes the islands of Ft. Myers Beach and Sanibel.

Ian made landfall in Charlotte, a county that includes Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte. So far, 23 people have been reported dead from the storm there.

Joe Biden from wiping away billions of dollars in student loan debt, even as the administration tried to avoid a court challenge by reducing the number of peo ple eligible for relief.

As of now, the death toll from Hurri cane Ian tops 70 people, whose cause of death mainly came from drowning.

Fatality numbers are likely to rise in the coming days. Rescue teams also ha ven’t been able to reach all areas hit by Ian, with an unknown number of people still missing from the storm.

On Saturday, Lee County’s sheriff an nounced 35 deaths from Hurricane Ian in that hard-hit jurisdiction alone, nearly triple the official count for Lee released the same day by the Florida Medical Ex aminers Commission.

“It is with a heavy heart that I say that number,” Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in a Facebook video post.

Lee County accounts for half of the

States Sue Over Student Loan Debt Program

A lawsuit filed in federal court by Leslie Rutledge, the Republican attor ney general of Arkansas, accuses Biden of vastly overstepping his authority last month when he announced the govern ment would forgive as much as $20,000 per person in student loan debt, a far-reaching move that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated could cost $400 billion over the course of the next three decades.

“President Biden’s unlawful political play puts the self-wrought college-loan debt on the backs of millions of hard working Americans who are struggling to pay their utility bills and home loans in the midst of Biden’s inflation,” Rut ledge said in a statement Thursday. “President Biden does not have the pow er to arbitrarily erase the college debt of adults who chose to take out those loans.”

and fighting to stop relief for borrowers buried under mountains of debt,” Hasan said. “The president and his adminis tration are lawfully giving working- and middle-class families breathing room as they recover from the pandemic and pre pare to resume loan payments in Janu ary.”

Appeals Court: DACA Illegal

Six Republican-led states took legal action last Thursday to block President

The legal challenge could delay one of Biden’s signature achievements just weeks before midterm elections that will determine who controls Congress for the balance of the president’s term. Near ly 40 million people with outstanding college loans stand to benefit under the president’s plans, even after the admin istration cut about 700,000 borrowers from the program Thursday in an at tempt to ward off lawsuits.

The states of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, South Carolina and Nebraska joined the lawsuit, which attacks Biden’s claim that the debt relief is justified by a federal law authorizing actions during a health emergency like the coronavirus pandem ic.

The Republican officials in those states note that Biden recently declared the pandemic to be over in an interview with “60 Minutes” on CBS.

White House spokesperson Abdullah Hasan said the lawsuit is attempting to stop Biden from providing much-needed relief to people who are struggling in the wake of the pandemic.

“Republican officials from these six states are standing with special interests

Did you know?

A federal appeals court panel ruled Wednesday that a program that protects nearly 600,000 young immigrants from deportation is illegal but allowed those already enrolled to renew their status — in essence keeping the status of the pro gram unchanged but its future uncertain.

The decision from the 5th U.S. Cir cuit Court of Appeals — one of the coun try’s most conservative federal appellate courts — affirmed a 2021 lower court decision. The Biden administration will need to continue its legal fight to enroll new applicants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

The judges sent the case back to U.S. District Court in Houston to consider a new administration policy issued in Au gust to protect the program. The new regulation was intended to go into effect at the end of the month.

Immigration advocates said the rul ing signaled that the only chance for DACA to survive was for Congress to pass a law to protect young immigrants, something it has been unable to do for more than two decades.

“This decision makes 100% clear that the options for preserving DACA in the courts are dwindling and essentially nonexistent at this point,” said Jess Han son, a staff lawyer at the National Immi

There are around 100 million date trees around the world, with the most existing in Asia.

gration Law Center. “We really need Con gress to step up.”

President Barack Obama created DACA through executive action in 2012 after years of inaction in Congress to pro vide permanent protection to immigrants who were brought to the country as chil dren, a group referred to as “Dreamers.”

It was intended as a stopgap mea sure to provide hundreds of thousands of young immigrants protection from de portation. The protection lasts two years at a time and is renewable, but it does not offer a path to citizenship.

In June 2020, the Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administra tion’s decision to terminate the pro gram. The court did not rule, however, on whether the program had been legal ly adopted. One of President Joe Biden’s first actions in office was to strengthen the DACA program. But the 2021 Texas court ruling renewed the uncertainty surrounding it.

On Wednesday, the judges wrote that while they agree with the lower court that the DACA program is not le gal, they “also recognize that DACA has had profound significance to recipients and many others in the 10 years since its adoption.”

The Justice Department was working

the Department of Homeland Secu rity on a response to the ruling.

mustachioed mascot. The company un veiled the huge statue as part of their 40th birthday celebration.

Ollie’s had a stiff mountain to climb to claim the bobblehead title. The bobble head record was previously held by Ap plied Underwriters, who created a 15foot replica of their St. Bernard mascot in 2016.

minutes and 25 seconds, was the third fastest time ever in the women’s race, the fastest debut time in history, and an Ethiopian record.

Yehualaw, who ran her first compet itive marathon in April, made her break with four miles to go and clocked a re markable 4:43 mile split on mile 24.

A Behemoth Bobblehead

Guinness’s guidelines stipulate that the bobblehead must be fully functioning and must be a replica of an existing item – like the smaller Ollie bobblehead that Ollie’s already sold.

Making such a huge figurine takes time. It took the company four months to hand-sculpt the doll with foam. Over 10.5 gallons of paint were used.

Giant Ollie weighs more than 600 pounds.

The bobblehead was revealed at the company’s flagship store in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

2021 champion Joyciline Jepkos gei finished 41 seconds back in second, while Ethiopia’s Alemu Megertu was third.

Sounds like Yehualaw won the race against time.

Something Fishy

A fishing tournament turned out to not be too much fun after judges found that professional fishermen about to win a prize had stuffed their fish with weights and fillets.

This bobblehead can’t sit on your dashboard.

Last week, bargain retailer Ollie’s said it broke a world record with a 16.5 foot tall, 600-pound bobblehead replica of their mascot.

The massive, fully-functioning bob blehead depicts Ollie, the company’s

“For 40 years, we’ve been committed to offering huge deals on brand name merchandise, so we wanted to create something big to help honor our anni versary, and what better than a 16-foot bobblehead?” John Swygert, Ollie’s pres ident and CEO, said.

Sounds like a big deal.

A Young Inspiration

Jason Fischer, the director of the Lake Erie Walleye Trail, became suspi cious of foul play when the five fish he guessed to weigh not more than four pounds each came to a total of 34 pounds on the scales.

“I thought, there’s just no way,” he said. “I could also hear the crowd grum bling, like ‘no way, there’s no way.’

Yalemzerf Yehualaw did not let a major fall get in her way.

The 23-year-old became the young est winner of the London Marathon on Sunday – despite falling in middle of the race after stumbling over a speed bump.

The incident caused her to lose time over her rivals, and later she admitted the faceplant “hurt.”

Yehualaw’s victory, in two hours, 17

Did you know?

“I physically felt the fish, I could feel hard objects inside the fish,” he said. “It’s not like they’re eating rocks.”

Fischer then sliced open the bellies of the fish caught by Jake Runyan and his partner Chase Cominsky. Lead weights and fillets from other fish were found in the fish’s bellies.

The crowd was outraged by Runyan and Cominsky’s blatant cheating, many of them wondering if they cheated in pre vious tournaments.

The would-be winners were set to take home a $28,760 prize.

Sounds really fishy.

The word “date” comes from the Greek word for finger, dáktulos, because of the fruit’s elongated shape.

Around the Community

YOSS Trip to Tashlich

Led by our new Pre 1A Rebbe, Rabbi Faivish Rotbard, the children at Yeshiva of South Shore Pre-1A threw their aveiros away during tashlich at North Woodmere Park and learned the story of Yonah and the concept of teshuva.

Then the boys climbed and played at the park, while being reminded about the mitzvos of v’nishmartem meod es nafshosechem, taking care of our bodies, and the importance of making a Kiddush Hashem by behaving wherever we go.

YOSS talmidim in Rabbi Greenberg’s shiur exhibited the different opinions in the Acharonim about the size and limitations for a sukkah to be kosher

YCQ Students Prepare for Yom Kippur

This week, in preparation for Yom Kippur, the grade 5 students at Ye shiva of Central Queens headed to Flushing Meadow Park to participate in the tashlich ceremony and grades 1-5 stu dents symbolically performed kapparos.

Rabbi Rohr, the elementary school Judaic studies AP, shared a story with

the students about a villager who went to the big city to learn how they put out fires and misunderstood that it was not the alarms and sirens that put out the fires, but rather the alarms alerted the people to action. He compared this to the shofar on Rosh Hashanah and how its sounds alert us and wakes us up, but each of

us must actually perform the actions of teshuva. After learning the meaning of tashlich and hearing the story, the stu dents said the tashlich prayer by the wa ter and cast of their sins.

During Friday Oneg, students in grades 1-5 listened to an explanation of why we do kapparos. Rabbi Mark Lands

man said that the chicken that we are saying kapparos with will be shechted and killed, and we are thinking that this really should be happening to us because of all the bad deeds we’ve done, and Hashem is giving us mercy for our teshu va. Students each brough in money that they used to perfom kapparos

Operation Ezra

The excitement in the air was palpa ble. Operation Ezra was revving up for another year. The chessed committee of Ezra Academy, run this year under senior chair Shirel Davoudi, was organizing to build sukkot for people all around the Queens community. Orig inally divided into several groups with different faculty members volunteering their time as well, the Operation Ezra crowd of students geared up to go. When the groups arrived in each home, they got to work immediately. The mission was so successful that Shirel was able to fit in a n additional home last minute. Boys ran from home to be home to help as many families as possible. The members of the chessed committee were building until after dark, singing and dancing as they completed their work in each location.

Ezra Academy is excited for a whole host of new projects this year to be facil itated through Operation Ezra under the direction of Shirel Davoudi, with the help

of excited and committed students and with the oversight of Ezra’s dedicated staff. Special thank you to Rabbi Pinchas Fink and to Mr. Chaim Moskowitz who worked with the sukkah building troop on Thursday night, September 29. Op eration Ezra sends best wishes that the sukkot built that night as well as all the sukkot of klal Yisrael are filled with sim cha and song the entire holiday.

Blended Learning at HALB: Classrooms are busy with rotations and small group learning which helps students reach their potential and helps teachers understand each child’s specific skills and needs.

5 Towns Flag Football League Update

This past Friday was week 4 of FM Home Loans Five Towns Flag Football! We had an excellent, intense, and competitive week of games. We are at the half-point of the season, and the teams are so close in the stand ings – it will be neck and neck to see who makes the playoffs.

All 1st and Pre 1A players received a Fm Home Loans Flag Football Blanket. In the Pre 1A division under the direction of Rabbi Jeremy Fine, the boys practiced what to do in the situation of having your flags pulled.

In the 1st grade division, the Jets tied with the Patriots. And the Broncos de feated the Giants with Theo Goldgrabs all-star touchdown.

In the 2nd grade division, the Bron cos defeated the Patriots. The Eagles defeated the Jets with Chanoch Langer’s amazing flag pulls. And the Vikings de feated the Giants. In the 3rd and 4th grade division, the Seahawks defeat ed the Commanders with Tzvi Frand’s amazing consistent short plays. The Pan

thers defeated the Vikings. The Packers tied with the Saints. The Patriots tied with the Steelers. The Dolphins defeated the Texans with Isac Bernstein’s all-star defense. The Raiders defeated the Bron cos. The Jets tied with the Giants. And the Eagles tied with the Falcons.

In the 5th and 6th grade division, the Steelers defeated the Falcons. The Saints defeated the Raiders with Nech mia Langer’s amazing 2 touchdowns. The Seahawks defeated the Jets. The Vikings tied with the Broncos. The Giants defeat ed the Eagles. The Panthers defeated the Packers with Jonah Cohen’s insane TDP. And the Patriots defeated the Dolphins.

In the 7th and 8th grade division, the Broncos tied with the Eagles. The Jets defeated the Patriots with Yitzi Dewick’s consistent flag pulls and short catches. The Vikings defeated the Texans. And the Commanders defeated the Giants with Meir Zrihen’s insane far catches.

Can’t week for week 5 and the upcom ing playoffs.

Lev Chana students learned about the shofar with Rabbi Oppen

Club Fair at Central

Ask any Central student still in the halls past tenth period, or busily prepping for a Wednesday after noon plus period: extracurriculars are vital to the Central experience, an aspect of student life that transcends the class room and contributes to Central’s iden tity.

Central held its annual Club Fair on Tuesday, September 20, marking the new school year and a chance for the new freshman class, as well as returning stu dents, to get involved. Publications such as Central’s longtime newspaper, The Central Courier, as well as competitive clubs such as Torah Bowl, the Debate Team, Model UN, Mock Trial, and Model Congress, presented and canvassed for new members. ACE (Architecture, Con struction, and Engineering) presented an opportunity for Central students to study engineering with guest speakers and mentors. For students interested in the performing arts, the Drama Club, Envision Shakespeare, the Central Choir,

and the Dance Team also presented.

For many students, Club Fair is a time to explore new activities.

Senior Abby Abayev said, “Something that I like to do during club fair is to sign up for clubs I wouldn’t normally see my self in, to try and get out of my comfort zone. An example is the podcast club, which records ‘The Central Voice.’ I’ve always been a little shy, so I signed up in hopes of gaining experience in some thing that involves a lot of talking. While I was a little uncomfortable at first, by the end of the year, I had learned and grown so much.”

For others, the Club Fair offers new opportunities for fun -- and the chance to start new clubs. One example: senior Sara Feldman started Central’s very first Pi Club. “I created this club with (senior) Naomi Wolff to make pi fun. In Pi Club, we eat pie while also learning the digits of pi. This is a fun and interactive club where we get to bond and make learning fun!”

Scenes from Kotel Connections IPO events in Cedarhurst, Lawrence, and Brooklyn.

Rabbi Klatzko came as a guest to inspire and encourage this new project led by Rabbi Avi Zaitschek.

Kohanim Can Now Travel On Road Along Cemeteries in Brooklyn

For many years, overhanging branches along streets bordering Washington Cemetery and Green wood Cemetery, located on the outskirts of Boro Park and Midwood, have pre vented Kohanim from traveling along these roads. They were forced to use alternate routes because of the halachic issue of tumah.

Creating well-balanced mobiles to hang in the sukkah was the perfect STEAM project for the children in Shulamith ECC

Due to the persistent and staunch ad vocacy of Assemblyman Simcha Eichen stein, and under the strict guidance of Rabbi Yitzchok Stein Shlita, supervisor of Va’ad Mishmeres Kahuna and Rosh Bais Din of Foltichen, we are pleased to announce that the trees were recently trimmed, and Kohanim will now be able to travel on the following street lanes along the cemeteries:

Washington Cemetery: -Bay Parkway between East 3rd Street and McDonald Avenue: Outside lane (cemetery side) only -Bay Parkway between McDonald Avenue and 57 th Street: Outside lanes in both directions -20th Avenue between 54th and 57 th Streets: Both directions -Ocean Parkway between Avenue J and Avenue: Southbound service lane

Greenwood Cemetery: -McDonald Avenue between 20th Av enue and Fort Hamilton Parkway: Both driving lanes (not parking lane) along the cemetery

-Fort Hamilton Parkway between McDonald Avenue and 37 th Street: Both lanes

SKA’s Tefillah On the Beach

One of the most meaningful of SKA programs during Aseret Yimei Teshuva is the annual Te fillah on the Beach, held each year on the Atlantic Beach boardwalk.

An overflowing two buses of SKA stu dents – more than ever before – left the Gourmet Glatt parking lot at 6:30am on both Thursday and Friday, September 29 and 30, excited to have a meaningful te fillah experience. The beautiful clear day and the tranquil beach heightened the davening and recitation of Selichot.

After davening, the girls went to the Atlantic Beach Jewish Center for a love ly breakfast. They also had the oppor tunity to write their reflections on the morning’s prayer session and share their thoughts with Mrs. Elisheva Kaminetsky, Principal, Judaic Studies, Mrs. Shira En glander, Dean of Students, and the facul ty members and madrichot who joined.

SKA’s Tefillah on the Beach and the Teshuva workshops back in school pro vided much inspiration for Yom Kippur and the month of Tishrei.

to New

By Miri Bohensky

For a group of social teenage girls, the best part of a school trip will always be the bus rides there and back, when nothing can distract you from talking to your friends, but on the Shulamith High School Senior Retreat, the actual activities came pretty close. The whole day – from teamwork games to an aerial ropes course – was centered around working together with our class mates and building each other up. And while I, baruch Hashem, have an awe some grade, it’s nevertheless hard to work together with so many other peo ple. After a lot of strategizing and a lot of failed attempts at balancing tennis balls on a board attached to twelve ropes held by various seniors in a particularly inter esting (read: difficult) game, I realized that greatest sense of accomplishment

can come from the craziest, most ran dom things, if you work on it with your friends.

At the very end of the trip, we gave shout-outs to different people who pushed themselves and helped others. That moment felt particularly mean ingful, as a reminder to always keep an eye out for the greatness of other people, even as you try to work on yourself.

Thank you Shulamith, and thank you Class of 2023!

Seventh grade students at HALB built their own molecular models using clay as atoms and toothpicks as bonds

Rabbi Usher Anschel Jungreis, son of the Niklesburg Rebbe, doing tashlich with his Yeshiva Ketana of Queens Pre1A class last week

Preparing for the Yomim Tovim at TAG

The talmidos of the Ganger Early Childhood Division of TAG got off to a great start and immediately started learning and preparing for the yomim tovim. TAG’s Executive Director, Rabbi Moshe Zimberg, blew shofar for the talmidos

Ari Goldwag at HANC

Each week in HANC’s Samuel and Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementa ry School in West Hempstead, the students and staff gather for the “Rabbi Kelemer Shabbat Assembly” to usher in the joy of Shabbat. While this past week’s assembly had a special purpose, per forming the mitzvah of collecting money for kapparot, the students were in for a big surprise. After singing the opening song, Rabbi Ouriel Hazan, Director of HANC’s West Hempstead campuses, an nounced to the entire school that there was a special guest who had come to visit. Suddenly, from behind the white curtain, the world-famous singer and teacher of Torah, Rabbi Ari Goldwag, came onto the stage and began to sing. Not only is he the brother of HANC’s beloved and inim itable Morah Elana Jacobs, but he grew up in West Hempstead and also went to HANC as a child. The entire auditorium

erupted in singing and dancing as the children and staff sang enthusiastically with Rabbi Goldwag.

During the concert, he also shared a story about a shy little eight-year-old boy who attended a Miami Boys Choir con cert with his mother. He was always very musical, and his mother suggested that he audition. He was too embarrassed to go up and sing, but the following year, with extra encouragement from his fam ily, he auditioned and was selected to join the choir. It didn’t take long for the au dience to discover that Rabbi Goldwag was describing himself. At the conclu sion of the story, he left the children with an important message: “Everyone has a matanah (gift) from Hashem. Some peo ple paint well; some play an instrument. Hashem gave me a singing voice. You don’t have to be afraid to use the gift that Hashem gave you.”

Lulav Lessons at Rambam

One of the exciting experiences that we look forward to this time of year is choosing the right Arba Min im. Everyone wants the most beautiful es rog and wants it for the best available price. Oftentimes, people shop around and may in fact go back to the venue that they chose in years past. Rambam Mesivta is happy to have its own local expert, Rab bi Binyamin Cohen. Rabbi Cohen, who is also a famous magician and enter tainer, doesn’t just sell Arba Minim; he spends time with students to help them understand the fundamental halachos

and criteria that make the Arba Minim kosher or pasul. In addition to the usual halachos, this year requires deeper un derstanding since one has to consider the laws of Shmitah.

Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman’s ninth grade shiur was treated to a handson seminar of what to look for and what to avoid when picking out Arba Min im. The talmidim had the opportunity to ask many questions and saw firsthand various types of Hiddurim and Pesulim of all four Minim. Regarding the Pe sulim, Rabbi Friedman jokingly said,

Rabbi Hazan added: “At HANC, we sing the song of Torah all day every day. It begins with our morning tefilla, con tinues in our Judaic studies and is high lighted by our benching after meals. The staff encourages our students to look for

and find their personal song and to share their portion of Torah with the world.

Hosting Rabbi Ari Goldwag at HANC was the perfect way to bring the dual message of Torah as song, home to our students during the Yamim Nora’im!”

“The defects that Rabbi Cohen is point ing out are serious, and even a magician like him cannot make them go away.”

For those interested, Rabbi Cohen will be available to answer questions and pro vide Arba Minim at Rambam on Thurs day, October 6, 5PM – 10PM; October 7, 9AM – 12PM; Motzei Shabbos, October 8, 8PM – 11PM. Or alternatively one can or der online at lulavnesrog@aol.com.

The time spent by Rabbi Cohen was greatly appreciated by the boys, and he plans to speak to other shiurim as well before Succos.

In preparation for Sukkos, talmidim of Ateres Eitz Chaim learned the halachos of how to properly inspect the arbeh minim

Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva, in conversation with maggidei shiur of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo

Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato

has been supportive of our Yeshivas throughout her service in Albany. She has been the most consistent and loudest voice opposing the state’s effort to regulate our schools. She has been there for us from day one, loudly proclaiming that “her schools” are far more than substantially equivalent to public schools in her district . On behalf of the entire community, we thank you and look forward to working with you for many years to come !

Thank You,

HANC ECC Prepares for Yom Tov

Gesher Celebrates Rosh Hashana

The children at HANC ECC were very busy with yom tov prepa rations. For Yom Kippur, they twirled chickens above their heads for kapparot and “wrote” apology letters to each other asking for forgiveness. They also were busy coloring and crafting their own lulavim and etrogim as well as designing beautiful Sukkot decorations to bring home.

The entire school gathered togeth er last week and enjoyed the first assembly of the year in honor of Rosh Hashana. The students were treat ed to a hilarious and informative video presentation by Senter Honey Bee Farm and learned how honey is made as well as many interesting facts about honey bees. Everyone had a good laugh when Morah Stephanie came out dressed up like a real beekeeper! Afterwards, the children took

turns going to different stations for some super special honey activities. At one station they made their own honeycomb bracelets, at another they filled their own mini honey jars to use on Rosh Hashana, and at a third they got their pictures taken with special Rosh Hashana Photo props. The event culminated in lively dancing to the beat of the Gesher theme song. We look forward to many more suc cessful assemblies!

HANC High School Days of Inspiration

HANC High School welcomed Rabbi Eytan Feiner on Thurs day, September 29, during the Aseret Yimei Teshuva. It was wonderful for the HANC talmidim/ot to be exposed to a Torah personality whose scholarship was on full display while simultaneously exuding an ahavas Yisrael that is so fa miliar to all at HANC High School. In ad dition to the students learning from their wonderful rabbeim and morot, these mo ments allow them to be exposed to the diversity of Torah personalities.

The day before Yom Kippur, Monday, October 3, was packed with opportuni ties of chesed and growth for HANC stu dents. Senior boys volunteered to build sukkot for West Hempstead residents who signed up through Rabbi Daniel Me

Kapparos at JCCI

zei, Director of Student Life.

Each group of students, accompanied by a rebbe, worked diligently for a few hours to expertly build a sukkah. Home owners were delighted that HANC stu dents provided this chesed, and HANC students were thrilled to do this mitzvah.

The junior and senior girls traveled to the Atlantic Beach Boardwalk where they said Tashlich and heard divrei Torah from their mechanechot, Mrs. Adina Waldman (‘02) and Mrs. Leora Feder (‘15). While hearts were warmed, students were treated to hot coffee and doughnuts on a cold and windy morning.

Students continued on to Central Avenue for Judaica shopping and lunch before heading to hear an inspiration al pre-Yom Kippur shiur by HANC par

ent and renowned speaker Mrs. Michal Horowitz. Students return to school in high spirits feeling prepared for the up coming chagim.

In the evening, boys and their fathers, alumni and HANC rabbeim joined in the Rahmani home in West Hempstead for an evening of pre-Yom Kippur inspi ration of divrei Torah by HANC Rebbe,

Rabbi Yisroel Weingot, kumzitz, and Se lichot. This standing room event was or ganized by the Student Life department and was an AWEsome way to prepare for Yom Kippur.

May the spirituality that we experi enced during the Yomim Noraim contin ue to grow as we strive for true Simchat HaChag.

Just a year ago, if you would have asked many people around the Five Towns community, “what is the JCCI and where is it located?” many would have not known the answer. B”H, over this past year, we were zocheh to re vive a shul that was without mispallelim

and a community for many years. Under the leadership of Rabbi Moshe Katz, this year was an extremely formative year and the first of many more Iy”H.

Following the successful full house Rosh Hashana davening, a kapporos (with chickens) event took place with

the attendance of the choshuve Inwood rabbonim, servicing tens of families and a few hundred nefashos. Rabbi Katz preformed shechitas for those who follow the minhag of kisui ha’dam . We are very grateful to the Siyata Dishma ya we had in servicing the local com

munity and look forward to doing so in the years to come. A big shout-out to those who took the time and effort to arrange this event.

May this year bring continued suc cess in spreading Yiddishkeit in the local communities.

In preparation for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, YOSS 8th graders were inspired by Yossi Hecht (“Asher to the Yotzer”) with words of chizuk and songs of inspiration. Yossi reminded them to recognize the endless chessed Hashem does for us and the importance of thanking Hashem every single day of our lives

Teshuva: Know Yourself and Know What You Can Become

Students of Rambam Mesivta were excited to hear words of inspi ration from Rabbi Shalom Axelrod, rav of the Young Israel the Woodmere, this week. Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman, Rosh Mesivta of Rambam, introduced Rabbi Axelrod as not only a friend but also a former Rebbe at Rambam many years ago. Rabbi Axelrod mentioned how happy he was to be back, especially in Rambam’s big, beautiful, new building.

The theme of the talk was how one can take steps to do teshuva and focused on the Rambam’s statement in the Mishna Torah where he says that it is the way of people who want to repent “change their names.” Changing one’s name, according to Rabbi Axelrod, is a concrete commit ment that one is ready to abandon his path and embark on a new derech, the Derech Hashem. He cited the famous Gemara in Kiddushin that says the mar riage is valid if the groom, who has a bad

Torah L’Kulanu

Here at Torah L’Kulanu (TLK), we started off the yom tov season with a true blast! Students en gaged in many meaningful and exciting activities to prepare for Rosh Hashana. Shofar decorating, while reviewing the sounds of the Shofar, as well as simanim placemat-making was incredibly excit ing. Our Rosh Hashana trivia game and a Simanim Chopped competition brought out a friendly rivalry. TLK students com peted to make the best Simanim salad which was then voted on by our judges. We also utilized culinary skills by mak ing an apple kugel and carrot cake.

We look forward to more programs here at Torah L’Kulanu as we continue through our exciting yom tov season!

reputation and is known for iniquities, marries a woman stating, “I do so on the condition that I am a tzaddik.” Of course, we know that based upon past history the groom is nowhere near being a righteous person. However, the Gemara explains, that by issuing the statement one can in terpret it as a likelihood that the person has in fact repented and has rejected his past failings.

The power to take on a new image is doable, explained Rabbi Axelrod, en couraging all of the talmidim at Ram bam to begin the process which the Torah outlines for us during this time of year. Rabbi Axelrod’s talk was heart felt, instructive, and an effective blue print for all to follow.

Rabbi Friedman thanked Rabbi Axelrod for taking time out of his ex tremely busy schedule to share these important thoughts with the boys at Rambam.

YSZ Sunrise Inspiration YOSS Boys Work Together During STEM

Freddy the worm needed help, and Mrs. Lloyd’s fourth grade boys at YOSS were there to rescue him!

The talmidot at YSZ High School for Girls began Friday morning, September 30 at 5:30 a.m. when the world was quiet and the sky still dark, as a bus waited in front of the cam pus for something spectacular. Within a few minutes, the girls, huddled in sweat ers and ready for an adventure, were on their way. After some words of inspira tion shared by Mrs. Rina Zerykier, men ahelet, about the power of the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah, sunrise, and Tehillim, students found a spot on the vast beach to daven and feel the grandeur of Hash em’s creation. Enveloped in nature, and immersed in the tefillah, the girls con nected to the precious time and unique ness of the moment. A delightful break

fast of muffins and hot chocolate followed with pre-Shabbat music and ruach that energized the girls for the day.

The girls enjoyed camaraderie and scenic views and took advantage of the photo-op collectively as a school. Mag nificence is the word that captured the moment, feeling, and impact that YSZ Girls High School shared on this spe cial erev Shabbat of Shabbat Shuvah.

Freddy’s boat capsized, and the students had to work collaboratively to figure out how to save him. The students used their STEM skills to save Freddy. Some groups created a life preserver using paper clips and candy mentos and were able to pull Freddy out just in time!

To make the project a bit more chal lenging, the students were not allowed to touch the worm or the life preserv er. This challenge did not deter them from accomplishing the task. All the boys know that a big part of working together is listening and respecting others’ ideas and opinions. We are so

Did you know?

proud of the boys for working together and saving Freddy. The boys are look ing forward to solving more challenges in STEM.

Egypt is the top date-producing country in the world.

At a pre-Yom Kippur assembly for the tamidos of TAG’s kitos 3-5, Rabbi Yehuda Deutsch, Assistant Dean, discussed the incredible power of speech and its impact on others even years later

JSL boys enjoyed a Week 3 packed with nonstop action and multiple overtime and shootout games

Preparing for Sukkos at Siach Yitzchok

Supervisor Clavin, Town Board Recognize Police Officer Calling Out Hate

Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin, Councilman An thony D’Esposito, Councilman Dennis Dunne, Sr., Councilman Tom Muscarella and Councilman Chris Cari ni presented the Town of Hempstead Po lice Service Award to Detective Michael McEntee of the Nassau County Police

Fourth Squad. Officers Detective McEn tee was recognized for a case in which he analyzed video surveillance and GPS data from a stolen vehicle to connect the dots on six cases in North Lawrence in volving stolen cars and store burglaries. Councilmen D’Esposito and Carini are former police officers.

Hours after Yom Kippur, Queens Borough Safety Patrol - Shmira reported an incident of hate in Kew Gardens Hills to Assemblymember Daniel Rosenthal who called out the con tinued stream of antisemitism. This time it appeared in swastikas and epitaphs against Jews on Jewish newspaper boxes outside of Aron’s Kissena Farms at Kisse na Blvd. and Aguilar Ave. Deputy Inspector Kevin Chan,

commanding officer at the 107, had his officers immediately respond and take a report from Shabsie Sa phirstein. Chaverim of Queens came to help clean the offensive markings. With teamwork, Shemira and Chaver im prevented thousands of customers at the major Jewish supermarket from having their Shabbos and yom tov shopping experience marred by such vile hatred.

Gedolei Yisrael Give Guidance and Inspiration at Dirshu Yom Limud and Tefillah Marking the Chofetz Chaim’s Yahrzeit

By Chaim Gold

R

av Nissan Kaplan’s voice echoed in the forest around the 7 th Fort in Kovno, where Rav Elchonon Wasserman had been murdered al kid dush Hashem. Whoever was present and whoever saw or heard the Dirshu Video cast this year on the first night of selichos shuddered. A shudder of inspiration was felt as Rav Kaplan, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Daas Aharon, exclaimed, “We are a people who, on the one hand, are ready to die al kiddush Hashem should we be forced, and that is wonderful. On the other hand, that same person who is ready to die al kiddush Hashem may not be ready to wake up on time for zeman kriyas Shema!

“As we gather in the makom kadosh where Rav Elchonon was murdered al kiddush Hashem, let us accept upon ourselves to have mesiras nefesh for Yid dishkeit, not only for the big things but for the small things as well.”

Rav Kaplan’s drasha was seen by untold multitudes throughout the globe on Dirshu’s groundbreaking pre-Rosh Hashana videocast in conjunction with Dirshu’s eighth annual Yom Limud and Tefilla, designed to bring chizuk and his rorerus to Klal Yisroel, in advance of the Yamim Noraim, through the message of the Chofetz Chaim on his yahrzei

On this year’s Yom Limud and Te filla, hundreds of thousands of Yidden throughout the world said perakim of Te hillim for Klal Yisrael and learned hala chos from the Mishnah Berurah and the mussar sefarim of the Chofetz Chaim to mark the yahrtzeit

In addition to the compelling dra sha of Rav Nissan Kaplan, the videocast featured never-before-seen footage of the venerated Gaon, HaRav Michel Ye huda Lefkowitz, zt”l , Rosh Yeshiva of the Ponovezh Yeshiva L’Tzeirim, who served as the first Nasi of Acheinu, giving over a pre-Yom Kippur message to talmidim of Yeshivas Acheinu, Dir shu’s kiruv arm; HaGaon HaRav Moshe Sternbuch, shlita , Raavad of the Eidah Hachareidis; HaGaon HaRav Shimon Galei, shlita , well-known mashpia and Rosh Kollel; HaGaon HaRav Re uven Elbaz, shlita , Rosh Yeshivat Ohr Hachaim; HaGaon HaRav Yosef Biny omin Pincus, shlita , Rosh Yeshiva, Be’er Hamelech; and Rav Dovid Hofstedter, shlita , Nasi, Dirshu. The chairman of

the event was Rav Zev Smith, shlita , Maggid Shiur Daf HaYomi B’Halacha and Irgun Shiurei Torah.

The Loving Aseres Yemei Teshuva Message

One of the most moving, inspiring moments on the videocast was the spe cial footage from the home of Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz.

Rav Lefkowitz, who was well into his nineties at the time, slowly addressed the bachurim with great love. He told them that an important kabbalah that they can make before Yom Kippur would be to not talk “street talk” in the unrefined way that people in the street talk.

Another thing the Rosh Yeshiva, said in his sweet yet serious way, is that often so much time is wasted by bachurim who while away their time at night schmooz ing in the dorm. “If you want to really succeed in learning,” Rav Michel Yehuda stressed, “decide now that you will go to sleep on time. When you do this, your entire day the next day will be different. These are small kabbalos that you can make in advance of Yom Kippur that will have a transformative impact on your en tire year,” the Rosh Yeshiva concluded.

Rav Moshe Sternbuch

Rav Moshe Sternbuch’s powerful words provided a sobering perspective on what the focus for the upcoming Yam im Noraim should be. He said, “It has been said about the Vilna Gaon, zt”l that he davened with a minyan in his home. There were times, however, when he would go to the shul to daven Mincha. On those occasions he walked a roundabout, much longer route. He was asked why he took the circuitous route rather than the direct route through the town square? He explained that he took the long route as it is difficult for him to see people sit ting around storefronts chatting idly.

“How can one give up precious mo ments to be a ben Olam Haba and engage instead in nonsense?!”

Rav Dovid Hofstedter

Rav Dovid Hofstedter, in his poignant remarks, spoke about the deep impres sion made on the Dirshu delegation of es teemed rabbanim from around the world who travelled to Vilna earlier in the year to celebrate the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha Siyum. Rav Dovid spoke about the emo tional impact of his visit to the 7 th fort in

Kovno where Rav Elchonon Wasserman was murdered al kiddush Hashem and to the Punar forest, just outside Vilna, where most of Vilna Jewry was murdered.

“In the forest of Punar, we saw trees that were still red from the blood of the Yiddishe kedoshim who were brutally killed there. When we saw the pit where Rav Elchonon and the Kovno Yidden were mowed down, we could almost hear the Shema Yisrael of the kedoshim.

“We should not think,” Rav Hofst edter cautioned, “that the battle with Amalek and all the other battles and bloody wars in the past are just part of ancient history. The Chofetz Chaim and Rav Elchonon have taught us that this battle continues into our times. How do we know when Amalek is strong? When there is a milchama against Torah! When they fight against Torah and shemiras hamitzvos, we know the Satan and Ama lek are out to get us. The only way to fight him is with mesiras nefesh!”

Captivating Program with the Message of the Chofetz Chaim

Another component of the Yom Lim ud and Tefilla was the special program ming featured in many hundreds of schools that impacted countless children across the globe.

Dirshu distributed the extremely compelling, artfully designed booklets in both English and Yiddish for three differ ent age groups: grades 1-3, 4-5 and 6-8.

The captivating stories and graphics motivated the children in each age group to read and be inspired. In addition, the combination of riveting graphics and clarity of the lessons was hailed by lead ing menahelim and mechanchim as a tremendously successful way of bringing alive the lessons of the Chofetz Chaim.

Along with the booklet, all children were gifted a professionally produced CD containing inspiring stories and lessons from the Chofetz Chaim. The English-speaking students received a CD by Rabbi Yoel Ferber, while the Yid

dish speakers were entertained by Rav Leibish Lish.

Throughout the diverse communi ties across the United States and Cana da, a wide range of more than 160 boys’ and girls’ schools, chadorim and Bais Yaakovs that truly represent the entire panoply of Orthodox Jewry participat ed in the Yom Limud and Tefilla school programs. That is aside from more than 500 schools, chadorim and Bais Yaakovs throughout Eretz Yisrael and both West ern Europe and Eastern Europe.

Dirshu Made the Chofetz Chaim Real!

Rabbi Tuvia Steinharter, menahel of Cheder Tiferes Yisroel of Lakewood, re lated, “The program was extremely well received and deeply inspiring for our talmidim. We gathered the entire school for an assembly and two of our rebbeim told stories of the Chofetz Chaim. What was special about the event was that al though of course everyone had heard of the Chofetz Chaim, they hear about him in a very abstract way. ‘He was a big tzad dik, etc.’ What the Dirshu programming did was bring the Chofetz Chaim alive for the children in a way that they could re late to him. He became ‘real.” Another of our rebbeim explained what the Mishnah Berurah is and how this sefer written by the Chofetz Chaim still today guides us in our everyday life.

“Then, the entire school said Tehil lim together followed by the tefillah of Acheinu. It was so beautiful! The pure voices of the children davening for Klal Yisrael right before Rosh Hashanah in the merit of the Chofetz Chaim, left us all very moved.”

Rav Reuven Elbaz, concluded with a parting message on how one can invoke rachmei shomayim before Rosh Hasha nah, “Learn the holy sefarim of the holy Chofetz Chaim, and you will see how to be sweeter than honey, how to be people of halacha, how to be mevater just like the Chofetz Chaim was mevater

HaRav Nissan Kaplan’s inspirational Drasha at the 7th Fort, Kovno, Lithuania

The Other Side of The Cork Shiloh, Wines Living Up To Divine Promise

By Yael E. Geller, MPH

If there was ever a winery making wines that pair perfectly with Shab bos or Yom Tov-worthy dishes, it’s Shiloh winery. If you have not heard of Shiloh winery and its winemaker Ami chai Lourie I am not sure if you are one of the tribe at all! This winery is a unique expression of the trials and tribulations of the Jewish people in ancient Israel and a testament to the destiny of this parcel of land to produce fine wines both in modern and ancient times.

Shiloh winery was founded in the Shomron part of Israel in the village of Shiloh in 2005. The logo of an ox embel lishes the labels on the wine representing the land that was designated and distrib uted by G-d to the tribe of Joseph, whose symbol was an ox. The Torah is quoted as saying about the tribe of Joseph, “In maj esty, he is like a firstborn bull, his horns are the horns of a wild ox.”

Dr. Mayer Chomer of Mexico City is the owner and founder of this winery. He is as much a lover of Israel as he is a lover of fine wines. He has traveled the world and, by chance, met Amichai Lou rie on one of his trips to Israel. Amichai has always been passionate about his winemaking, and it was obvious to Dr. Chomer that Amichai was a very talented winemaking hobbyist. Dr. Chomer saw an opportunity and grabbed the ox by the horns and offered Amichai the position of winemaker at his winery.

Amichai Lourie and his wife Yael live in Ma’aleh Levona near the Ariel region of Israel. When Amichai was only four years old, his family made Aliyah and settled in Jerusalem. Amichai is the face and powerhouse behind this winery. His passion for fine dining, wine, and cook ing is firmly embedded in his family traditions. His father was a chef as well as a chazzan (cantor). Amichai draws his inspiration from both his father’s professional career and his mother’s en thusiasm for cooking and creating as a homemaker and excellent hostess and culinary adventurer in her own right. This upbringing was the perfect fusion of passions for Amichai and explains how he became an internationally recognized and successful winemaker in Israel. He is very modest, but his home cooking and preparation of succulent meats and stews

changed Amichai’s path forever. Lucki ly, Amichai was taking a break from his usual work schedule due to an injured wrist. This eventuality led to a life-alter ing change in career for the Lourie fam ily, and many people are thrilled that it happened.

are not too shabby!

Amichai did not start out as a winemaker but instead worked in the construction business as a con tractor. This line of work requires excel lent organizational skills and attention to detail. Amichai’s meticulous focused nature serves him well as a winemaker and face of what is one of the best-selling wineries in Israel today.

Amichai is not a one-man show in all his endeavors; his wife and partner in ev erything, Yael also has a hand in his culi nary exploration and winemaking. When the two were exploring winemaking as a hobby together back in 2000, they decid ed if they were going to make wine, they would learn to do it correctly. They en rolled in the Soreq Winemaking school in the early 2000s and haven’t looked back ever since. He has a pretty simple yet meaningful philosophy in making wine. If it is worth doing, it is worth doing well.

Amichai and Yael’s home is one of delicious food and hospitality. Yael is in charge of choosing the seeds and planting the vegetable garden. Amichai is the chef baking the bread, making the matzah for Pesach, and preparing delicious meals. Amichai often includes freshly slaugh tered beef and lamb in most of his dishes which he acquires from his neighbor. All of his guests greatly enjoy his cooking with a few bottles of Shiloh wines at his table.

This story is really one of the mazal if we examine it closer. The stars aligned for Amichai to take the helm of Dr. Cho mer’s Dreamchild winery in Shiloh. Am ichai’s passion certainly oozes through his enthusiasm when he talks about the logistics of making excellent wines and improving his skills with every harvest that passes. He has an infectious person ality that no one can avoid nor pass up an enlightening conversation with him on a variety of topics. It is no wonder that the chance the meeting with Dr. Chomer

Whenever I interview winemakers about their passion, perfectionism, and their goals for their wineries, their re sponse about what their dream is is al most always the same: to grow and pro cure the best grapes and make the most exceptional kosher wines. From Shiloh’s inception, the winery’s goal has been just that, sparing no expense or resource available in the world.

Shiloh is extremely popular, espe cially in the United States, among the most orthodox communities. The wines are made with the highest Kashrut stan dards and boast the best kosher certifi cations recognized in Israel, the Unit ed States, and beyond. Producing over 250,000 bottles of wine yearly and ex porting more than half of the production is a major accomplishment for both Ami chai and the rest of the Shiloh team. The flagship wines are the Mosaic and Mosa ic Exclusive Edition. The labels continue through the Secret Reserve series down to the budget-friendly Privilege series. No label disappoints in the Shiloh line, and there is a wine that can pair with ev ery dish, every simcha, and special occa sion at any price point.

The terroir and region where the grapes for Shiloh wines are grown is a unique microclimate. They are planted high above sea level at about 850 meters. This climate allows Amichai to have a later harvest than is natural for Israeli vineyards since the microclimate allows for cooler nights. The grapes have a lon

ger time to develop to their peak ripe ness, giving them the flavor and texture that Shiloh wines are renowned for. The Shomron region has been classified as the Judean Hills appellation. Many of the most prestigious and most awarded wines coming from Israel today are made from grapes grown in this region. This area also has a very holy history since it is where the Mishkan was located. The service in the Mishkan always required wines, so naturally, this region is a per fect area to produce some of the best and most delicious wines.

Shiloh wines continue to win many awards and medals from wine competi tions not only in Israel but also around the world! Amichai’s wines constantly re ceive awards and high scores in the 90s and beyond by Decanter, Wine Enthusi ast, Wine Spectator, etc. It is clear that Shiloh wines have and will remain one of the most prestigious and tastiest wines coming out of Israel, and I will certainly drink to that! L’chaim.

In Me M ory of Dr. Steven Krauss, a”h

The Man Behind the Desk

By The Gollers of Woodmere

How many dentists know all of your kids’ names by heart, their history to the smallest detail, saw all of your kids at once, had an office that felt like going to Disney, had the softest and sweetest staff, and is

available 24-7 – and I mean 7?

Injuries in sleep-away camp, school trips, family vaca tions, and simply accidents at home. Nothing ever stopped Dr. Krauss. If you called on a Sunday, “after hours” (like he really had any hours!), or pretty much any time of day, Dr. Krauss would pick up the phone, “Hello, Dr. Krauss’s office. How can I help you?”

Nothing was too big or too small for him. The myriads of calls through Hatzalah never stopped him. A five-min ute break in the office – if he actually had any – just meant a call to his girls who he kvelled over or a fast Hatzalah

call nearby. The smile on Dr. Krauss’s face never left him.

I loved shmoozing about medicine with him while he checked my kids’ teeth. He worried about the community like his own family. He loved his family to no end, and he would talk all about their successes so proudly. Dr. Krauss, a true tzaddik, embodied chessed, anivus, and true selflessness. His classic phrase, “Just come right over” was always so comforting. A simple, sweet and kind eved Hashem, Dr. Krauss was THE fatherly dentist that we all adored so much.

Yehi zichro baruch.

In Memory of Dr. Krauss, a”h

By Sara Rayvych

Like many, I was devastated to read the news Mot zei Shabbos announcing the unexpected petirah of Dr. Steven Krauss, a beloved dentist in our community. I was fortunate for many, many years to have my children call Dr. Krauss their dentist. Not only was he a special person, he was extraordi nary in his field. Twenty years ago, I, like many others, had the experience of a dentist eager to do unneces sary work, at a cost of thousands of dollars. Dr. Krauss carefully evaluated each patient and only did work

when it was truly necessary. I recall many occasions when he would tell me, “I think we can hold off on this one; it’s a baby tooth.” He didn’t make money an issue, as many will testify.

Many children and adults have intense fears of den tists, willing to avoid seeing a dental professional at all costs. Dr. Krauss’s office was exceptional, and his young patients were given top-of-the-line dental care without pain or fear. His staff were phenomenal and understood their young patients. I was amazed at how quickly Dr. Krauss could fill cavities, all while asking questions that distracted the child. When telling my daughter that some kids are afraid of dentists, she just laughed; she couldn’t imagine why someone would be fearful.

Before one appointment, my young daughter was nervous about going in. Out comes a hygienist, bear ing bottles of colorful nail polish, asking if my daugh ter was ready for her manicure. Well, that little girl

was ready, and she happily walked in to get her nails done. Only once her polish had been completed did her dental exam begin. At some point, she was starting to squirm, but she stayed very still once we reminded her that her nails hadn’t finished drying yet. He knew his patients well.

My little guy heard about his dentist’s passing and was trying to make sure he remembered the correct physician. “The prize doctor?” he asked. It was known that children returned from their appointments bear ing prizes galore. The kids would dump out their pekel bag, full of stickers, toothbrushes, and small toys. Rather than be scared prior to their appointments, the children were eagerly anticipating their expected goody bags.

His loss will be felt by many of us in the commu nity, but certainly by the generations of children that called him their dentist. Thank you, Dr. Krauss.

N

f T

b

TJH Centerfold

You Might Just Be a Jewish Redneck If…

Your home is mobile and your sukkah isn’t

You have a gun rack in your sukkah

Your standard is “Ad d’lo yadda”….every day

The only plant in your home is your lulav

Your siddur lists the Shabbos greeting as: “Shabbot Shalom y’all”

Your yom tov suit was purchased at Walmart

Your tallis is made from camouflage cloth

Your local sofer shoots his own parchment

Your belt buckle is bigger than your yarmulke

You’ve used the song “Rawhide” for kedusha

You’ve fired a shotgun at the sound of Haman’s name

Your shul used to have wheels, but now it’s up on blocks.

You’ve ever called the “psychic hotline” to answer a halachic question

You know what bracha to make when you see a UFO

Your rabbi yells “Yee-Haw” during his drasha

You keep a can of spray paint in your Tallis bag

You know which brand of grits have an acceptable kashrut supervision

Your Omer counting calendar has come up with three cherries in a row

Gefilte fish is the most solid thing you can eat with your tooth

You Gotta Be Kidding Me!

Lucy is having a bad day at roulette tables. Down to her last $100, completely exasperated, she cries, “What horrible luck! What in the world should I do now?”

A gentleman next to her, trying to calm her down a bit, calmly suggests, “I don’t know... Why don’t you play your age?”

He walks away. Moments later, he is intrigued to hear a great commotion at the roulette table. Maybe she won!

Rushing back to the table and pushing his way through the crowd, he is stunned to see Lucy lying limp on the floor, with the table operator kneeling over her.

He asks, “What happened? Is she all right?”

The operator replies, “I don’t know, buddy.... She put all her money on 45. When 67 came up, she fainted!”

Think You Can Work at Google?

The following are a sample of the type of questions you will be asked during the interview process, according to William Poundstone’s book titled “Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?” Good luck!

1. When there’s a wind blowing, does a round-trip by plane take more time, less time, or the same time?

a. More time b. Less time c. The same time d. It depends on the airplane

2. You put a glass of water on a record turntable and begin increasing the speed slowly. What will happen first: will the glass slide off, will it tip over, or will the water splash out?

a. Fall b. Tip over c. Have water splash out d. Depends on the shape of the glass and how full it is

3. Using only a 4-minute hourglass and a 7-minute hourglass, measure exactly nine minutes. You must use both.

a. Start both hourglasses, flip over the 4-minute glass when it’s done, flip both glasses over when the 7-minute glass is done, then flip over the 7-minute glass when the 4-minute glass is done

b. Start both hourglasses, flip over the 4-minute glass when it’s done, flip over the 7-minute glass when it’s done, let it run 1 minute, then flip it again for the 9th minute

c. Start the 7-minute hourglass, flip the 4-minute hourglass when the 7-minute glass is done, measure 2 minutes using the 4-minute hourglass

d. Start the 4-minute glass, flip it when it’s done to measure another 4 minutes, then flip the 7-minute hourglass to measure 1 minute

4. You’re given a cube of cheese and a knife. How many straight cuts of the knife do you need to divide the cheese into twentyseven little cubes?

a. 10

b. 12

c. 8 d. 6

5. You’re in a car with a helium balloon tied to the floor. The windows are closed. When you step on the gas pedal, what happens to the balloon – does it move forward, move backward,

or stay put?

a. Moves forward

b. Moves backward

c. Stays put

6. At 3:15, what is the angle between the minute and hour hands on an analog clock?

a. 0

b. 7.5 degrees

c. 6 degrees d. 5.5 degrees

e.

Answers:

1-A

2-D

3-B

4-D

5-A 6-B

Wisdom Key:

5-6 correct: Congrats!! You should actually fly out to Silicon Valley right after Sukkos for an interview at Google! (Maybe we could fly together.)

3-4 correct: You won’t get the Google job, but you can become CEO of AOL if you want.

1-2 correct: You won’t get the Google job, but you can work at a pizza shop if you want.

0 correct: When you Google your name, does a “nobody home” sign come up?

Torah Thought

Parshas Haazinu

By Rabbi Berel Wein

The special nature and all of the events of Jewish history are out lined for us in this week’s parsha. Ramban in the 13 th century comments that anyone who can, so many centuries earlier, accurately foretell the later fate of a people is an exceptional prophet. Moshe certainly fits that description and test. And what more can we add to this

phenomenon, now seven hundred-fifty years after Ramban?!

The rabbis of the Talmud attribut ed the crown of wisdom to the one who has a vision of the future. Even though Moshe is the greatest of all prophets, his title amongst the Jewish people is Moshe the teacher, indicating his wisdom and knowledge are translated into his ability

to view the future.

Moshe lays down the basic pattern of all of Jewish history – the struggle to remain Jewish and not succumb to the blandishments of current cultures and beliefs, the illogical and almost patho logical enmity of the world to Judaism and the Jewish people, the awful price paid by Jews throughout history and the eventual realization of Jews, and the non-Jewish world as well, of G-d’s guidance in history and human life.

This entire, very complex story is foretold to us in this week’s most re markable parsha. It is no wonder that

timony, and even though current video technology attempts to correct this defi ciency, much of the personal nuance and force, which colors all human testimony, is lost.

So we rely on heaven and earth to reinforce our belief and commitment to the eternal covenant. It is the very wonders and mysteries of nature itself that point to the Creator. And it is all of human history that rises to testify as to the uniqueness of the Jewish story and the special role that the Jewish people played and continue to play in human events.

Within it is recorded the entire essence of Jewish history.

Jewish tradition dictated that Jewish children should commit this parsha to memory, for within it is recorded the en tire essence of Jewish history.

Though we never really know the exact details of the future of the Jewish people, the broad outlines of the story have been known to us for millennia. Just read and study the words of this parsha.

Moshe establishes heaven and earth as witnesses to the covenant and the his torical fate of the Jewish people. Rashi explains that not only are they honest and objective witnesses but most impor tantly they are eternal witnesses. Hu man witnesses are mortal and passing. Later generations cannot hear their tes

The witness testimony of heaven is found in the wonders of the natural world. The witness testimony of earth is found in the history of humankind and of the role of the Jewish people in that amazing, exhilarating, and yet depress ing story. Moshe begs of us to listen to these two witnesses for it is within their and our ability to know our past and fu ture through their testimony.

Much of their testimony is frighten ing and worrisome, but it is even more frightening to be unaware of our past and future. We should listen carefully to the parsha. It has much to teach us about our world and ourselves.

Shabbat shalom.

From the Fire

Simchas Torah Everything for Our Sake

By Rav Moshe Weinberger

Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

According to the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 668:2), the Torah reading for Shemini Atzeres is Parshas V’zos Habracha, the last parsha in the Torah. Ostensibly, this is because on Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah, we complete the reading of the Torah. So V’zos Habracha is conceptually the same as any other weekly Torah reading, such that we would have to read the parsha twice with the Aramaic translation of On kelus like any other parsha. This would be different from all other yomim tovim when we do not read the parsha of the week, but instead read the parshios which relate to that particular yom tov.

The Meshech Chochma on Parshas V’zos Habracha, however, holds that this is not the case. He holds that even if the completion of the Torah reading cycle of the year does not take place on Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah, one still reads V’zos Habracha. He points out that this would have been the case with the Jew ish communities in Eretz Yisroel who only completed the reading of the Torah once every three years (Megillah 29b). According to the Meshech Chochma, they would have still read V’zos Habracha on Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah. Accord ing to this, Parshas V’zos Habracha is not read merely as part of the cycle of reading the Torah but is actually like the Torah readings of all of the other yomim tovim of the year when we read sections of the Torah which are apropos to that yom tov. What is the connection between Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah to Parshas V’zos Habracha?

On a certain level, Sukkos is a yom tov which we share with all of the other nations of the world. Because we sacrifice seventy bulls for the benefit of the seven ty nations during Sukkos, Hashem gives us Shemini Atzeres as a special yom tov

just for Hashem and the Jewish people. Therefore, to reflect the special nature of Shemini Atzeres, which is our private rendezvous with Hashem, we read V’zos Habracha, which contains the pasuk (De varim 33:2), “He appeared from Mount Paran and came with the holy multi tudes.” According to Rashi, this pasuk teaches that although Hashem offered the Torah to the other nations, they re jected it, and the Torah is a special cov enant between Hashem and the Jewish people which is not shared with anyone else. We therefore read V’zos Habracha on Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah, which is also a private time just for Hashem and his precious children, the Jewish people.

According to this principle laid out by the Meshech Chochma (that Parshas V’zos Habracha is read because of the unique nature of Shemini Atzeres/Sim chas Torah and not because it happens to be the time when we finish reading the Torah), we can also understand a com ment by the Ran on the aforementioned Gemara in Megilla. According to the Ran, we read V’zos Habracha “because [Shemi ni Atzeres] is the last of the yomim tovim,

we conclude with Moshe’s blessing of the Jewish people.” If V’zos Habracha were only read on Shemini Atzeres because it was the end of the annual Torah reading cycle, it would not have been necessary for the Ran to explain the unique connec tion between the parsha and the yom Tov. It must therefore be that the Ran, like the Meshech Chochma, holds that we would read V’zos Habracha on Shemini Atzeres even if we did not complete the reading of the Torah that day since the unique na ture of Shemini Atzeres as the conclusion of the yomim tovim compels our read ing of V’zos Habracha, which contains Moshe’s blessing of the Jewish people and reveals the unique relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people, the sole recipients of the Torah.

Similarly, the Chasam Sofer (Drashos, 5581) writes that we always read V’zos Habracha on Shemini Atzeres because in that parsha, Moshe Rebbeinu reached the spiritual level of Shemini Atzeres, which is even higher than Yom Kippur. We therefore see that even according to the Chasam Sofer, V’zos Habracha is read because of the nature of Shemini Atzeres

as a yom tov and not merely because we happen to be up to that part of the Torah on that yom tov.

There are several potential practical differences which arise from this un derstanding of V’zos Habracha as a yom tov Torah reading rather than a “weekly parsha” Torah reading. First, according to this, when we listen to V’zos Habracha being read, we would have in mind only to fulfill our obligation to hear the yom Tov Torah reading and would not need to have the intention to hear the weekly Torah reading.

The second practical difference would be where someone who lives out side of Eretz Yisroel is in Eretz Yisroel for Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah. If V’zos Habracha is like a regular weekly Torah reading and he hears it on Shemini Atzeres, he would then be exempt from hearing it again on Simchas Torah since he had already heard it and it is not in herently connected to the yom tov. But if, based on the Meshech Chochma, the reading of V’zos Habracha is an expres sion of the nature of the yom tov, then he must listen to it being read again on Simchas Torah.

And why do we begin reading part of Parshas Bereishis on Simchas Torah? Ac cording to the Tur, we do this to prevent the Satan from claiming that the Jewish people only wanted to finish studying To rah and do not want to continue learn ing. For similar reasons, the Maharsha (on Avoda Zara 19a) says that whenever a person completes a masechta, he should immediately begin learning a new one, even if he only has time to study one or two lines. But according to the Tur, why do we read the whole story of Creation? Wouldn’t it be enough to read the first three pesukim of Bereishis in order to demonstrate that we are not finished

All For Us

The principle of the Meshech Choch ma, however, answers this question. We read V’zos Habracha on Shemini Atzeres/ Simchas Torah because it demonstrates the unique relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people from which all the nations of the world are excluded. The whole essence of Shemini Atzeres/Sim chas Torah is as a private feast to be en joyed only by Hashem and His beloved, the Jewish people. Similarly, Rashi ex plains the first pasuk in the Torah to mean that Hashem created the world for the sake of the Torah and the Jewish people, both of which are called “first.” In this vein, the Brisker Rav writes that every detail of Creation, from the tiniest particle to the largest and most far-flung heavenly bodies, were all created for the sake of the Jewish people and the To rah. That is why we read the entire Cre ation story on Shemini Atzeres/Simchas Torah, the time when we celebrate our unique connection to and relationship with Hashem, our Father. We read Bere ishis in order to proclaim that it was only for the Jewish people’s sake that Hashem gave the Torah for us to study it and ob serve its mitzvos. The world was created only for the sake of the Jewish people who said, “We will do and we will listen.”

We therefore read Bereishis on the same day we complete the reading of V’zos Habracha, in order to show, as Rashi quotes from the pasuk in Tehilim (111:6), “The strength of His deeds were related to the His people to give them the inheritance of the nations” who reject ed the Torah when “He appeared from Mount Paran.”

We can now understand why the haftorah of Bereishis continues beyond the recounting of Hashem’s creation of the world and continues until the pasuk (Yeshaya 43:9), “All the nations were gathered together and the kingdoms were assembled, who of them would say this or make known first events? Let them bear witness, be deemed just, hear, and say, ‘True!’” Why is the hafto rah extended so much? Indeed, the Se fardi communities and the community of Frankfurt end the haftorah much earlier.

However, based on what we said un til now and a famous Gemara in Avoda Zara (4b), we can understand why this pasuk must be included In the haftorah of Bereishis.

The nations of the world will come at the end of time to collect reward from

Hashem, claiming that they built roads, bathhouses, and marketplaces in order to enable the Jewish people to learn To rah. Hashem will respond, “Fools of the world! Everything you did was for your own sake!” after which they will leave in humiliation.

The above-quoted Brisker Rav asks the following question. The nations’ claim is so obviously false that it is a wonder that Hashem did not call them “liars of the world!” Why did he call them fools instead of liars when they were telling a bald-faced lie right in front of Hashem?

According to what we said above, it is understandable. In the world of truth, the nations will recognize that every sin gle detail of Creation was for the sake of the Jewish people. It will be revealed that every bridge, bathhouse, and market

Rejoicing

This can be our intent as we dance on Simchas Torah and throughout the year. We rejoice in the fact that Hashem chose us out of all of the nations of the world and everything in Creation is for our sake. Our intent should be along the lines of what Rabbeinu Yona writes at the beginning of the sefer Shaarei Ha’avodah: “The first gate is that a person who serves Hashem must know his own value and recognize his and his forefathers’ lofty level, greatness, importance, and beloved status before Hashem. One must con stantly work to strengthen and establish this greatness and behave accordingly at all times.”

I will conclude with the story told by Reb Isaac’l Kalover that I tell over every year before we begin Simchas Torah.

Every detail of Creation, from the tiniest particle to the largest and most far-flung heavenly bodies, were all created for the sake of the Jewish people and the Torah.

out and he had no money to pay the bill. Infuriated, the manager grabbed the man and was about to take him to the police who were likely to beat him up and kill him. Protesting, the man said, “Wait!

You won’t get any of your money back by handing me over to the police. But I will make an arrangement with you. I am a very talented dancer, and I attract big crowds back home. Let me dance outside the restaurant and you will see that my performance will attract a crowd and you will see that the additional business brought into your restaurant will far ex ceed my bill.”

Indeed, the Jew danced up such a storm that a large crowd gathered, and ultimately, the business brought in by his dancing far outweighed the cost of his own hotel stay and use of the restaurant.

actually was to enable the Jewish peo ple to study Torah. That is why Hashem calls them fools instead of liars. What they were saying was true. But they were fools because they were not motivated by the desire to help the Jewish people or even a recognition that what they were doing was for the Jews’ sake. That is why they will leave in humiliation and will say, “True!”

This is why the haftorah of Bereishis continues past the recounting of Cre ation to include the fact that the nations will admit the truth that everything that they ever did was for their own sake even though Hashem’s intent with all of it was that every detail of Creation was for the sake of the Jewish nation. In fact, the Ge mara in Avoda Zara uses this pasuk from the haftorah of Bereishis to prove that the nations will say, “True!” and admit that while Hashem used them to benefit the Jewish people, they were only mo tivated to benefit themselves. We there fore see that the theme that everything in Creation is set up for the sake of the Jewish people and an expression of His special relationship with them began in Parshas V’zos Habracha and continued through Parshas Bereishis and the hafto rah of Bereishis.

The Kalover recounted that there was once a Jew who came to the big trade show in Leipzig to sell his merchandise. He planned to make a lot of money so he stayed at the nicest hotel he could find. While things did not work out as he planned in terms of selling his merchan dise, he had a great time at the hotel. He ate the nicest meals than he had ever eat en in his life, and the bed and room were more comfortable than anything he had ever experienced in his little town.

After a few days, management be gan to get a bit worried. They noticed that he wore the same clothes every day, seemed to be enjoying the food a little bit too much, and generally did not act like someone who was accustomed to such wealth. One day after this Jew en joyed a big meal the manager came over to him and asked him about his stay and the food. He assured the manager that he had never experienced such nice accom modations or such delicious food and that he was very satisfied.

Still concerned, the manager showed him the bill and asked whether he thought there would be a problem pay ing it. The man admitted that while he had intended to make a lot of money at the big trade show, things had not worked

Reb Isaac’l concluded that during the previous year and even Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, we have enjoyed the beautiful accommodations of this world but that we do not have the Torah and mitzvos to “pay” for our stay here. But as the days of judgment come to an end on Hoshana Raba, we say to Hashem that He should not take us away from the world. The dead cannot serve Hashem. Rather, we promise that we will dance in honor of Hashem and the Torah on Simchas Torah and that our dancing will bring so much honor to heaven, that it will more than “pay” for our stay in this world.

We spoke before about how we read Parshas Bereishis on Simchas Torah to avoid any accusation by the Satan. The tzaddik Reb Aharon of Belz also taught that because the Satan sees Jews just dancing and carrying on during Simchas Torah, he “relaxes” and is less focused on his work. Therefore, if one quietly slips in a few words of davening during the danc ing, these tefillos are particularly effective because they will not be counteracted by the Satan.

May all of us merit to rejoice in the fact that Hashem chose us out of all of the nations of the world to give us the Torah, that He created every detail of the world and the cosmos for our sake, though we may not understand how each individual detail fits into the big picture, and by the honor we bring to heaven through our dancing, may we merit to dance in cele bration of the coming of Moshiach in the streets of Yerushalayim this year!

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.

Self-Mastery Academy

Mirrors and Windows

The Secret of Schach

By Rabbi Shmuel Reichman

Afather set out one day to teach his young daughter a powerful lesson. When she woke up in the morning, he took her in front of a mirror and asked her, “What do you see?”

She smiled and answered, “I see my self!”

He then took her to the window, and asked her, “What do you see now?”

“I see houses, and trees, and grass, and a whole world outside,” she said, this time with a sense of wonder and joy in her voice.

That night, before tucking his daughter into bed, the father again brought her to the mirror.

“What do you see?”

“I still see myself,” she answered, a bit confused as to why they were doing this again.

He then took her back to the window. “What do you see now?” he asked.

“I see…me?” she answered, suddenly very confused. “Did the window turn into a mirror?”

“Be patient, stay focused, and keep on staring at the window. What do you see?”

After a long, silent moment, her eyes lit up. “I finally see it! I see houses and trees and the world outside!”

Her father smiled and explained to his daughter:

“Sometimes, we get so caught up in our own lives that we think everything in life revolves around us; instead of seeing the true nature of things, we see everything as a mirror of ourselves. As a result, we project our views onto everything we see and everything we hear. Instead, we each need to learn how to peer past the surface, past ourselves, and see the endless beau ty, wisdom, and depth that lies beneath that surface. When we do so, we turn the mirror into a window, revealing a world of depth behind it.”

The Journey to Sukkos

The journey from Rosh Chodesh Elul through Yom Kippur is a forty-day ex perience of self-awareness, teshuva, and spiritual growth, whereby we come closer than ever to Hashem and our true selves. This process of closeness culminates in the holiday of Sukkos, which represents the ultimate connection between Hashem and the Jewish People. The center of this connection is the sukkah, which represents the marriage canopy as Klal Yisrael mar ries Hashem.

As we approach this time of closeness, let us delve into the meaning of the sukkah and the lessons it holds for us.

Chazal enigmatically compare the schach of the sukkah to the ideal form of beauty. What does this mean?

The spiritual concept of beauty, and its relevance to marriage, is central to the con nection we aim to develop through the pro cess of Sukkos. In order to understand this connection, let us delve into the spiritual

concept of beauty. To do so, we must under stand the unique beauty of Sarah Imeinu.

Sarah Imeinu

Sarah Imeinu was the most beautiful woman in the world. We know Sarah was physically beautiful, that her beauty was not just of an ethereal, spiritual nature. When Sarah and Avraham descended to Mitzrayim, the Mitzrim, and even Pharaoh himself, desired her (Bereishis 12:14-15. See Rashi). The Egyptians were steeped in immorality, interested only in beauty that ran skin-deep. However, we know that Sarah Imeinu was immensely spiritual as well, that she reached the loftiest of spiri tual levels (See Rashi, Bereishis 23:1).

At the end of Parshas Noach, Rashi (Bereishis 11:29) explains that one of Sar ah’s other names was Yiscah. A name al ways reflects essence, so we must ponder the meaning of this name and what it re veals about Sarah Imeinu.

“Yiscah” means transparent, and Sar

ah’s true beauty lay in her transparency. Her inner beauty completely permeat ed and was loyally reflected through her physical body. Genuine beauty requires the middah (character trait) of transparency, where the physical body reflects the inner and spiritual beauty, something infinite ly greater than any external beauty. True beauty is oneness, where the physical and spiritual melt into a oneness, where the physical doesn’t hide the inner self, but reveals it!

It is therefore fitting that the shoresh (root) of the word “Yiscah” is also the shoresh of the word “schach,” the roof of the sukkah. According to halacha, the schach is the most important part of the sukkah, which is why “schach” is the shoresh of “sukkah” as well. What, then, is the connection between transparency and schach?

The answer lies in one of the deepest themes of Sukkos. Sukkos is about seeing past the illusion of independent self-secu rity, recognizing that Hashem is our true source of protection. This is why we leave our sturdy homes and enter a diras arai, a temporary dwelling place. We show that our faith and trust lay in Hashem, not our “safe” homes. While on the surface, our se curity and safety seem to come only from our own efforts and hishtadlus, when we look past the surface, we recognize that ev erything comes from Hashem. This is why the schach is the main part of the sukkah – it trains us to see past the surface. The schach must be transparent, allowing you to see the stars at night. It must also be loose enough to allow some sunlight and rain to enter the sukkah. Only when we have a transparent surface can we truly see what lies behind it.

The Two Stages

Amongst the Yamim Noraim, Sukkos is

an anomaly. Rosh Hashana and Yom Kip pur are overtly spiritual and transcendent days, with intense rounds of prayer and spiritual elevation. Sukkos, on the other hand, is grounded in the physical. The cen terpiece of Sukkos is a physical object – the lulav we shake – and much emphasis is put on going through our physical routines in a physical hut. It is the “Zman Simchaseinu,” a time of physical joy and festivities, high lighted by the celebrations of the simchas beis hasho’eivah. How is this the ultimate culmination of the spiritual growth we have worked towards throughout the last month and a half?

The answer to this question is the se cret behind the power of Sukkos, as well as a fundamental principle in Jewish ide ology.

While the physical can be dangerous if misused, the ideal is not to transcend the physical, but rather to use the physical in order to reflect something higher. Think how many mitzvos are commandments of the mind? Almost none. You can count them on your hand: Believe in Hashem, love Hashem, be in awe of Hashem, don’t be jealous, and just a few more. The over whelming majority of mitzvos are physical actions which connect you to the spiritu al source, Hashem! The act is physical,

while the spirituality and mindfulness is contained within that physical act. We eat matzah, shake a lulav, blow shofar, and wear tefillin; all actions; all physical. We don’t believe in transcending the physical – we believe in using the physical to con nect to the transcendent.

Sukkos embodies this lesson in em bracing the physical. The purpose of this physical world is for us to use everything it has to offer for a spiritual purpose. This requires us to immerse ourselves in the physical world, but for this immersion to be proper, we must maintain control and focus while using the physical. In other words, our root must be transcendent, grounded firmly in the spiritual, and then atop that foundation we can descend into the physical and use it in a transcendent way. This is the key behind the process we undertake through the Yamim Noraim.

We first experience Elul, then Rosh Hashana, and then Yom Kippur, a develop mental process of raising ourselves higher and higher above the physical world and deeper and deeper into the spiritual world. It is only once we create this transcendent root that we then re-immerse ourselves into physical living, but this time on an entirely new scale. We must infuse the totality of our spiritual acquisition into

our physical life, elevating our actions and intentions as we move this physical world towards its ultimate spiritual root.

Sukkos is the ultimate expression of this ideal, as we infuse the entirety of our spiritual gains from Elul, Rosh Hashana, and Yom Kippur into a physical life of con nection with Hashem inside the sukkah. It is in that simple and mundane hut that we draw the connection between the tran scendent spirituality we just experienced and the elevated physical existence we are about to throw ourselves into. This is how a Jew lives a life of spirituality.

Two Levels of Reality

This is the most powerful message of life. There are always two levels of reality: the surface level and the deeper, spiritual level. The surface is meant to reflect the spiritual, reveal it, emanate its truth and beauty. But often we struggle, we forget, we get caught up in the deception that the surface is all that there is. But even when we fail, even when we fall, there is always hope, there is always a path back to our true selves.

This is the message of Sukkos; this is the message of life. To strive to see more, feel more, learn more, become more. May we all be inspired to not only see

past the surface but to then reveal that truth through the surface, to live holistic lives of truth, spiritual beauty, and true oneness.

Rabbi Shmuel Reichman is the author of the bestselling book, “The Journey to Your Ultimate Self,” which serves as an inspiring gateway into deeper Jewish thought. He is an educator and speaker who has lectured internationally on topics of Torah thought, Jewish medical eth ics, psychology, and leadership. He is also the founder and CEO of Self-Mastery Academy, the transformative online self-development course based on the principles of high-performance psychology and Torah.

After obtaining his BA from Yeshiva Uni versity, he received Semicha from Yeshiva Uni versity’s RIETS, a master’s degree in education from Azrieli Graduate School, and a master’s degree in Jewish Thought from Bernard Revel Graduate School. He then spent a year study ing at Harvard as an Ivy Plus Scholar. He cur rently lives in Chicago with his wife and son where he is pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago.

To invite Rabbi Reichman to speak in your community or to enjoy more of his deep and inspiring content, visit his website: ShmuelRe ichman.com.

Torah Thought

A Sukkos Secret Revealed in the Ushpizin

By Rav Yaakov Feitman

If we try hard, we might even feel their presence. I believe it was the Kotzker Rebbe who said it is even better to believe in the Ushpizin than to actually see them.

One of the unique aspects of Sukkos is the annual visit of the holy Ushpizin, the celestial souls of a number of our

forefathers and other sanctified progen itors. One unforgettable night, on the Ushpizin of Yitzchok Avinu, many of us experienced an epiphany moment, when we suddenly understood things which had always been a mystery.

For those who may still not have heard the story, my rebbe, Rav Yitzchok

Hutner, zt”l , and his esteemed family, along with many other innocent people, were on a plane which was hijacked by radical Muslims. Their lives were threat ened; they spent weeks of deprivation and traumatic fear and were eventually freed just before Rosh Hashana 5731. The elation of Klal Yisrael, especially my fellow Chaim Berlin talmidim, is still indescribable. The Rosh Yeshiva spoke that Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur about yesurim – the concept and reality of Jewish suffering – but did not relate it openly to their recent ordeal. Howev er, on the second night of Sukkos, Rav Hutner revealed an incredible insight into the history and inner spiritual life of Klal Yisrael. In accordance with his custom of many decades, the Rosh Ye shiva did not speak of current events in his maamorim , but to everyone in the room and who later heard about these divrei Torah, it was obvious that he was describing one of the seminal moments of the hijacking.

The Rosh Yeshiva’s custom for many years was to speak each night in the sukkah about the yom tov and devote at least one maamar (Torah exposition) to the Ushpizin of the evening. The night of Yitzchok’s “visit,” he explained the es sence of why the children of Yishmael, the Arabs of today, harbor such hatred and anger toward Am Yisrael. What we didn’t know at the time, but was later disclosed in its full splendor and mys tery, was the connection between the hi jacking and the daas Torah we were priv ileged to be hearing. The following is a brief rendering of that seminal maamar ( Maamorei Pachad Yitzchok Sukkos

No. 62) and the contextual explanation printed posthumously (Sefer Hazikaron Pachad Yitzchok , page 56).

The Baal Haturim (end of Parshas Chayei Sarah) reveals that the blossom ing of Moshiach who comes from Yitz chok will only come about after the fall of Yishmael at the End of Days. Rav Hut ner’s analysis of this fact is that the tri umph of Yaakov over Eisav at that time is related openly in the Torah (Bereishis 25:26) but the concomitant connection between the fall of Yishmael and the triumph of Yitzchok is never mentioned specifically in the Torah. We now know the incredible secret of how this insight into all of recent Jewish history was re vealed to a Torah giant under the most trying of circumstances.

During the Rosh Yeshiva and his fel low victims’ incarceration aboard the plane, many groups of Arab leaders and various groups of terrorists inspected the prisoners and the conditions on the plane. Looking at the majority of them evoked the prediction of the pasuk that Yishmael would become a “pereh adam – a wild donkey of a man” (Bereishis 16:12). However, one of the heads of the delegation passed by who seemed above the others. When this person took note of the Rosh Yeshiva, he bowed in a gesture of politeness and exchanged a few words with him. After he left, the Rosh Yeshiva briefly remarked that “his face evidenced the princeliness of Yishmael. You will not find such a face among the proge ny of Eisav.” When his family asked the Rosh Yeshiva to explain what he meant, he cryptically remarked that “the Torah does not utilize the term aluf in regard

to Yishmael.” Although this observation was still not clear to the family, the Rosh Yeshiva indicated that he would explain, G-d willing, at a later date.

That date became the second night of Sukkos, when he explained that when the Torah enumerates the extended families of Yishmael it refers to “nesi’im l’umosum – chieftains for their nations” (Bereishis 25:16). However, when enu merating the descendants of Eisav, the Torah calls them “alufim and alufei Esav – chiefs of Esav.” Chazal (Sanhedrin 99b) refer to an aluf as “monarchy without a crown.” Although Eisav did achieve some form of royalty, it was in a limited form and will last only until the day when “the saviors will ascend Mound Zion to judge the mountain of Eisav.” The real crown belongs to Yaakov, not to Eisav at all. Yishmael, on the other hand, mer ited only Nesi’im, which reflect honor and greatness but without true malchus – royalty.

To arrive at the most essential point, the most profound difference between Eisav and Yishmael is that Eisav is an actual yoreish , an heir. This is proven by the fact that the pasuk testifies that “to Eisav I gave Mount Seir lareshes – to inherit” (Yehoshua 24:4). On the other

hand, of Yishmael, the Torah declares that Sarah told Avrohom, which was later ratified by Hashem, “Drive out this slave-woman with her son, for the son of that slave-woman shall not inherit with my son, with Yitzchok” (Bereishis 21:10).

Eisav does receive a real yerushah, but Yishmael does not.

itance and a possession, but Yishmael has no inheritance and only strongholds.

Despite the dire conditions and liter ally life-threatening moments, the Rosh Yeshiva heard and saw in his captor both the princeliness of Yishmael but also his burning anger at having been disinher ited forever. We should certainly add

one, but the lo yirash still burns inside of Yishmael until the end of time.

During the maamar in honor of Yitzchok’s Ushpizin, the Rosh Yeshiva also added that with Eisav we have re ligious issues, since he tries to purloin our Torah, but he doesn’t want our land, since he received a yerushah . Yishma el, however, demands our land, for he was formally disinherited. One would think that all the other countries he has would satisfy him, but as the Rosh Ye shiva perceived so keenly on the hijacked plane, he will not be satisfied unless our yerushah is his.

This distinction can be noted dramat ically in the pasuk when Eisav’s dwell ing places are listed as “moshvosam and eretz achuzasam” – in their settlements in the land of their possession (Bereishis 36:43). On the other hand, of Yishma el, it is written “b’chatzreihem u’vetiro som” – their open cities and strongholds (Bereishis 25:16). Eisav has an inher

that the nomadic nature of Yishmael through the ages, the tendency of the wealthy Arab leaders to still dwell in tents and their irrational venom at us for “occupying” Eretz Yisrael stems from the deep-rooted decree that lo yirash –he will get no yerushah . He may have oil-rich lands, the Mecca and Medina of their dreams, dozens of countries to our

This explanation of our relationship with Eisav and Yishmael through the ages is the key to understanding many wars and historical events. But perhaps most of all, as we sit in the sukkah and welcome the holy Ushpizin, we should reflect upon how each of them changed history, altered our own lives, and will once again play a major role when, G-d willing, we also welcome Moshiach tzid keinu bimeheirah b’yameinu

Rav Yaakov Feitman is the rav of Kehillas Bais Yehudah Tzvi in Cedarhurst, NY.

He may have oil-rich lands, the Mecca and Medina of their dreams, dozens of countries to our one, but the lo yirash still burns inside of Yishmael until the end of time.

The Borders of Eretz Yisrael Encompassed in Your Sukkah

The Abarbanel ’ s Revolutionary Approach to Sukkos

By RaBBi Daniel Glatstein

There is a custom to display in the sukkah samples of the shivas haminim , seven species, with which Eretz Yisrael is praised. The origin of this custom is not readily identified, but as all minhagei Yisrael are rooted in holy sources, let us endeavor to discover the meaning of this practice.

The pasuk tells us, “You shall make the Festival of Sukkos for a seven day period, when you gather in from your threshing floor and from your wine cellar ” ( De varim 16:13). The letter “taf ” as the prefix to a shoresh, word root, adds the directive “ you shall” to the action mentioned. Usu ally, when the Torah employs this prefix, it is to issue a command, a mitzvah that we are directed to do Thus, the pasuk can be read as an instruction from the Torah. However, this prefix can also be interpret ed not as a directive, but as a declaration that you will do it

The sefer Yaffeh LaLev, by Rav Chaim Palagi, quotes a Pesikta that interprets this pasuk using both interpretations . The pasuk could have written the in struction beginning with the word asei, make, without using the prefix taf. The fact that the taf is added tells us that the pasuk means, “ You are to make the suk kah, and if you do, you have a havtachah, assurance , from Hashem that you will continue to do so for years to come.” It is both a command to celebrate the yom tov and a bracha that if you do keep the yom tov, you will be enabled to continue to keep the yom tov in years to come The Kaf HaChaim, Rav Yaakov Chaim Sofer, quotes this Pesikta, including the promise of being blessed to continue to sit in the

sukkah in the future

The Abarbanel also quotes this drasha of the Pesikta When Yitzchak Avinu was born, Avraham Avinu made a seudah at his bris (Bereishis 21:8). The Midrash Rab bah states that the malachim, in the guise of men, attended the seudah The Abar banel points out that the pasuk makes no mention of the malachim having attended this seudah. How, then, does the Midrash know that the malachim attended? He ex plains that the source is the malachim’s response when Avraham welcomed them into his home and invited them to partake in a meal. He told them, “ Let some water be brought and wash your feet and recline beneath the tree. I will fetch a morsel of bread that you may sustain yourselves, then go on — inasmuch as you have passed your servant’s way ” ( Bereishis 18:4-5). The malachim’s response to his invitation was, “Do so, just as you have said” (ibid., v 5). Based on the prefix taf, Chazal interpret this to mean that they were saying “do this now ” — i.e., feed us now — “and you will feed us again in a year.” They were predict ing that they would come to the seudah to celebrate Yitzchak ’ s bris milah. Says the Abarbanel, this is similar to how the Pesikta interprets the pasuk above. This is also found in the Ran in Parshas Vayeira Interestingly, despite the Pesikta be ing quoted by several sources, this expla nation is actually absent from the text of the Pesikta that is available to us This lost passage has been preserved for pos terity by the Abarbanel and the Ran, and we can invoke the statement, “Blessed is the Omnipresent [Hashem], Who entrust ed His world to guardians

A Segulah for a Long Life

This midrash is teaching that the mitz vah of the sukkah carries with it a special bracha for arichas yamim, longevity. Each year that a person fulfills the mitzvah of sukkah, he is granted a new havtachah that he will survive at least another year to ful fill the mitzvah again.

The pasuk states, “ You shall dwell in Sukkos [ booths] for a seven day period; every ezrach [native] in Israel shall dwell in booths (Vayikra 23:42). The term ezrach is unique to the mitzvah of dwelling in the sukkah Rav Naftali of Ropshitz teaches that this word is used here to convey a mes sage The word ezrach refers to an elderly person. Hashem is thus promising that one who keeps the mitzvah of dwelling in the sukkah will, in fact, live to a ripe old age and will merit to fulfill the mitzvah of suk kah even as a zakein, elder.

The gematria of the word ezrach is nu merically equivalent to the gematria of the word gevurah, as both equal 216 The signif icance of this is that the pasuk states, “ The days of our years among them are seventy, and if with might, eighty years” (Tehillim 90:10). Sitting in the sukkah is a segulah that one will live to be an ezrach, which is achieved at the age of gevurah: Sit in the sukkah, and you’ll live to be at least eighty Rav Chaim Palag quotes the Zohar, who says that the sukkah resembles the letter beis. A sukkah must have three walls, as does the letter beis The letter beis com posed of three vavs and is thus numeri cally equivalent to eighteen, the value of the word chai, life. The mitzvah of sukkah shields and protects us, and taking refuge in the shade of Hashem’s emunah gives us

longevity In the merit of fulfilling the mitz vah of sukkah, we will be zocheh to arichas yamim, as alluded to by the fact that the sukkah resembles the letter beis.

Why is fulfilling the mitzvah of sukkah a segulah for a long life? There are many very significant mitzvos that we do not find provide a person with this gift. What is unique about the mitzvah of sukkah so that one who sits in the sukkah is promised a long life?

Like Sitting in Eretz Yisrael

Hashem promised the Jewish people that He would save them from Mitzray im: v’hotzeisi, I will take you out of Egypt; v ’ hitzalti, I will rescue you from Egypt; v ’ ga’alti, I will redeem you; v ’ lakachti, I will take you for My own, as My people; v’he’veisi, I will bring you into Eretz Yisrael (see Shemos 6:6-8). The first four promises were fulfilled, and Hashem saved us from Egypt. He gave us the Torah and acquired us as His chosen nation

However, Tiferes Shlomo points out that the fifth promise, v ’ he’veisi, did not come true with regard to the generation to whom it was promised. Seemingly, Hashem fulfilled only four out of these five promises to the Yidden who were enslaved in Egypt. Hashem promised that generation that He would bring them into Eretz Yisrael. But this did not take place

In the instructions regarding the yom tov of Sukkos, the Torah tells us, “So that your generations will know that I caused Bnei Yisrael to dwell in booths when I took them from the land of Egypt; I am Hashem, your G d” ( Vayikra 23:43). The last phrase of the pasuk seems superfluous. We all

is our G d Why does

need to remind us that

is our G d specifically amid the

of Sukkos?

The Gemara discusses what factor en ables one to live a long life. R’ Yochanan was told there were elderly men living in Bavel. R’ Yochanan responded that this cannot be true, since the pasuk states, “In order to prolong your days and the days of your children upon the Land that Hashem has sworn to your forefathers to give them, like the days of Heaven over the earth” (Devarim 11:21). Living long is therefore a feature of ha’adamah, the Land of Eretz Yisrael! R’ Yochanan infers that one who is not in Eretz Yisrael cannot expect to live long! Thus, it cannot be that old people live in Bavel However, after R’ Yochanan was informed that these elderly people came to shul early and left shul late, he agreed that in this zechus there could be old people in Bavel R’ Yehoshua ben Levi instructed his son to come early to shul and to stay later afterward so that he would live long

The Maharsha is troubled by this Ge mara R’ Yochanan provides a pasuk to prove that longevity can occur only in Eretz Yisrael; how does one ’ s shul atten dance counter the inference of the pasuk? The Maharsha’s novel conclusion is that a shul must be considered as having the equivalent spiritual status of Eretz Yisrael In the future, when Mashiach comes, the shuls will be transported to Eretz Yisra el. Since they will eventually be there, the shuls already have the status of Eretz Yis rael. Therefore, one who spends a long time in shul will live long Staying in shul and breathing the air is tantamount to actually breathing in the air of Eretz Yisrael

Rav Dovid Shapiro (the son of the Bnei Yissaschar) writes that the pasuk, “So that your generations will know that I caused Bnei Yisrael to dwell in booths when I took them from the land of Egypt; I am Hashem, your G d” teaches us that just as a shul has the same status as Eretz Yisrael, so too does the sukkah! Sitting in a sukkah is equiva lent to sitting in kedushas Eretz Yisrael, the holiness of Eretz Yisrael

There is a fundamental difference be tween Eretz Yisrael and all the other coun tries in the world. Every other land has an intermediary between it and the Ribbono shel Olam; it has a ministering angel that serves as a go between, connecting Hash em and the people. The Jews in Eretz Yis rael, however, enjoy a unique relationship directly with Hashem. There is no inter mediary This explains the Gemara that states that one who resides in Eretz Yisrael is considered to have a G d, while someone who dwells in chutz l’Aretz is considered to

be G dless

The purpose of the sukkah is for us to sit in the direct shade of Hashem: b’tzila d’m’heimenusa. This direct connection to Hashem and His Presence is reminiscent of living in Eretz Yisrael, where the inhab itants continuously enjoy this direct rela tionship with Him.

As Bnei Yisrael left Mitzrayim, Hash em enveloped them in the protection of Clouds of Glory, representative of Eretz Yisrael, so that the Jewish people would already have the benefits of living in the Land; as we know, the Gemara states, “the air of Eretz Yisrael makes a person wise.”

limbs: dwelling in Eretz Yisrael and sit ting in the sukkah. These are the only two mitzvos during which our entire body en ters into the cheftzah of the mitzvah. This is hinted at in the pasuk that states, “ Then His Tabernacle, sukkoh, was in Jerusalem, b’Shalem, and His Dwelling in Tzion” ( Te hillim 76:3). When can you do a mitzvah b’shleimus, with the entirety of your being? Only in the sukkah or in Tzion, Eretz Yisra el Furthermore, a person is not considered shaleim, complete, until he has fulfilled these two mitzvos

One might find this concept troubling, however, since one might think that im mersing in a mikveh is yet another mitzvah that one enters into with his entire body! Howev er, the Ran explains (in the name of the Ram ban) that immersing in the mikveh is, in itself, not a mitzvah. It is only machshirei mitzvah , the preparation to a mitzvah In addition ,

and all the eivarim, it is only fitting that it is hinted to with the word ba’kol.

The Bnei Yissaschar calculates the ge matria of the word sukkah with the letters spelled b’milui, in full The total is 248, the number of limbs we use to fulfill the mitz vah

Sitting in the sukkah not only allows one to fulfill one of the two mitzvos that can be performed with the entirety of a per son Since, as noted above, the sukkah is considered to be a part of Eretz Yisrael, by sitting in the sukkah a person simultane ously fulfills both mitzvos that uniquely are performed with one ’ s entire body: living in Eretz Yisrael and sitting in the sukkah!

We can thus interpret the pasuk, “ Then His Tabernacle, sukkoh, was in Jerusalem, b’Shalem, and His Dwelling in Tzion” to mean that if one wants to perform a mitz vah with sheleimus, he should sit in the sukkah. Why? Because sitting in the suk kah is tantamount to living in Eretz Yisrael

The sukkos in which Bnei Yisrael lived during their sojourn in the Midbar were microcosms of Eretz Yisrael; as we have seen, dwelling in the sukkos is considered as if they were living in Eretz Yisrael. Thus, the sukkos themselves are the fulfillment of the promise of V ’heiveisi! Bringing Bnei Yisrael into their sukkos was equivalent to bringing them into Eretz Yisrael, as Hash em had promised

We commemorate this concept by dwelling in sukkos that will give us the same benefit: a direct and personal relationship with Hashem

That is why the pa suk concludes with the words , “I am Hashem, your G d ” The pasuk is stating that when you sit in a sukkah, which is equivalent to sitting in Eretz Yisrael, it will be considered that you indeed have a G d. At least during the week of Sukkos, one who dwells in a sukkah will achieve the level of closeness to Hashem as those who live in Eretz Yisrael, since the sukkah itself is a microcosm of Eretz Yisrael, with all its kedushah

With regard to residing in Eretz Yisrael, the Torah relates, “ You will prolong your days in Eretz Yisrael.” By extension, one who resides in the sukkah, a microcosm of Eretz Yisrael, will also merit long life. Sit ting in the virtual Eretz Yisrael will provide the same bracha as residing in the actual Eretz Yisrael

With All Your Limbs

The Vilna Gaon writes that there are only two mitzvos in the Torah that one fulfills with his entire body, with all 248

the Kesef Mishnah writes that one becomes tahor only upon exiting the mikveh, not upon entering it, and therefore the fulfill ment of the tevilah is not when one enters or is immersed in the mikveh but upon emerging.

We know that the Avos kept the entire Torah. The Vilna Gaon was asked how we know that the Avos observed Sukkos He replied that we know it from the pasuk , “Now Avraham was old, well on in years, and Hashem had blessed Avraham with ev erything, ba’kol” (Bereishis 24:1). The word ba’kol stands for the three phrases in the Torah that discuss the mitzvah of sukkah

The mitzvah of sukkah is hinted at with the word ba’kol, with everything, because it is one of the two mitzvos that can be ful filled with all of your body! Your ba’ kol, your entire being, can fulfill the mitzvah of sukkah; therefore, since the mitzvah of sukkah is performed with the entire guf

A Temporary Dwelling

The sukkah is termed a diras a’rai, tem porary dwelling There is profound hidden meaning in this phrase. The borders of Eretz Yisrael are listed in the Gemara: Re kem, in the east; Ashkelon, in the south; Acco, in the north Rashi states that the western border is the Yam, the Mediterra nean Sea

The Rambam writes that these are the borders of Eretz Yisrael with regard to all halachos that pertain to Eretz Yisrael. Rav Shem Klingberg reveals that the roshei teivos, initial letters, of the four borders of Eretz Yisrael spell the word a’rai! The sukkah is considered a diras a’rai because sitting in it is tantamount to sitting within the boundaries of Eretz Yisrael.

Rav Klingberg adds that by giving us the mitzvah of sitting in the sukkah, the temporary dwelling, Hashem demonstrates His love for us. By fulfilling the mitzvah of sukkah, we are sitting in His Land, in Eretz Yisrael, where the Shechinah dwells. Incredibly, the gematria of diras a’rai is the same as that of ha’bocher b’amo Yisroel b’ahava (Ahavas Olam).

This is an incredible gift that Hashem bestows on us: He gives us the mitzvah of sukkah, which, when performed anywhere

Sitting in the sukkah is a segulah that one will live to be an ezrach, which is achieved at the age of gevurah.

in the world, is equivalent to actually liv ing in Eretz Yisrael and encompasses the brachos of Eretz Yisrael, such as longevity!

Zman Simchaseinu

This concept also helps us understand why Sukkos is referred to as Zman Simcha seinu, the time of our rejoicing.

Rav Meir Shapiro states that there is no simcha comparable to that of entering Eretz Yisrael This is hinted at in the To rah in the pasuk, “And it will be when you enter the Land [Eretz Yisrael]” ( Devarim 26:1). The Ohr HaChaim teaches that the term vehayah is a reference to simcha, to a time of joy and happiness Coming to Eretz Yisrael is the ultimate simcha

We also see this in Sefer Bereishis When Yaakov Avinu left Eretz Yisrael, the pasuk says that he poured oil, whereas when he returned to Eretz Yisrael he poured both oil and wine. As we know, “ wine

rejoices the heart of man ” ; thus, his uti lizing wine on his return was symbolic of the exception al simcha he experienced as he entered Eretz Yisrael

Sukkos is called Zman Simchaseinu , the time of our rejoicing, because the sukkah is a micro cosm of Eretz Yisrael Entering the sukkah is tantamount to entering Eretz Yisrael, and it is therefore a time of great joy

The Tur teaches that the yom tov of Sukkos corresponds to Yaakov Avinu. The Belzer Rebbe explains the depth of this analogy. When Yaakov left Eretz Yisrael and passed the makom HaMikdash, the future site of the Beis HaMikdash, Hash

em moved the makom to Yaakov ’ s lo cation . This incident is an example of the kedushah of Eretz Yisrael being situated somewhere other than its actual space This is exact ly what takes place in the

sukkah: The kedushah of Eretz Yisrael joins us wherever we build our sukkah

Let us add one precious nugget that will deepen our understanding of this exhila rating concept The Abarbanel writes that Hashem gave us Shalosh Regalim to corre spond to three amazing kindnesses that He showered upon us. The yomim tovim allow us to display hakaras hatov, gratitude, to Hashem for these kindnesses.

The three extraordinary gifts that Hashem gave the Bnei Yisrael are Yetzi yas Mitzrayim, Matan Torah, and Eretz Yisrael. Pesach is a yom tov of gratitude toward Hashem for having taken us out of Egypt. On Shavuos, we display hakaras hatov toward Hashem for having given us the Torah. Sukkos is the yom tov when we show our appreciation to Hashem for hav ing given us Eretz Yisrael and its produce

We may suggest that on Sukkos, which is when we collectively thank Hashem for having given us Eretz Yisrael, Hashem ele vates our sukkah to the status of Eretz Yis rael Furthermore, writes the Abarbanel, the reason Sukkos has seven days is to cel ebrate the Shivas HaMinim, seven species, with which Eretz Yisrael is blessed This is a possible explanation for the custom to display the Shivas HaMinim in the Sukkah

May we be zocheh to the bracha of Chag hasukkah taaseh lecha and in the merit of sitting in the sukkah this year, may we be zocheh to sit in the sukkah again, for many years to come.

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

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.

Sitting in a sukkah is equivalent to sitting in kedushas Eretz Yisrael, the holiness of Eretz Yisrael.

A

Sefer Torah in the Valley of Death

by Y. Yechezkieli

Hasag. It was called a labor camp, but it was a slaugh terhouse: no more, no less. We were the remnants of the Chenstochover Ghetto. Our families had been sent to their death. Only we few remained, like limbs torn from their bodies, writhing with pain, living a life without life.

Our task was the manufacture of bullets, millions of bullets for the mighty German Army. And whenever it suffered a loss or a defeat, the guards exacted their re venge on us, the bullet makers.

We, the inmates, were only part of a vast mechanism of destruction, destroying and being destroyed at the same time.

Simchas Torah was approaching. We had no Torah Scroll, and joy was absolutely foreign to Hasag. Worse yet, on that date, just one year earlier, we were witnesses to the liquidation of the Chenstochover Ghetto.

Simchas Torah — a day of unbridled joy? Hardly. Yet, Simchas Torah was brought to Hasag by a shoemak er, who was so obscure to us that I cannot even recall his name. Here is how it happened:

One day of Chol HaMoed Sukkos, a whispered mes sage flitted around the camp: the shoemaker had been delayed in his return from the ghetto. When he finally appeared, he did not head for the kitchen for his espe cially generous portion, but instead hurried into the depths of his hut. What had happened?

The impossible — no, the incredible — had come to pass: He had successfully spirited a Sefer Torah out of the clutches of the dreaded Gestapo and smuggled it into our camp. How? He simply rolled it around and around his body, let his loose tunic hang over it, and then walked into the camp.

Where he had gotten it from, he adamantly refused to reveal. A theory was advanced that he had found it in the SS stores of Jewish properties, from where he had procured a shofar one month earlier. But we were at least partially wrong. It had not been nearly as easy to get the Sefer Torah. The SS maintained an extremely heavy guard on their large holdings of Jewish plunder and were particularly careful with sefarim and other religious objects, regardless of their intrinsic value. Our intrepid cobbler decided to bribe one of the guards, but since he was not exactly solvent then, he offered the corporal something that he could never have purchased for any sum — a pair of officer’s boots! (The Germans seemed to have regarded hand-crafted boots as a singular luxury and thus reserved them for high-ranking officers. Hence, too, the cobbler’s privileged status.)

We later found out that he had literally saved the Sefer

Torah from desecration, because a short while later, the Gestapo burned all the Sifrei Torah, other sefarim, and various sacramental cloths and articles in one gigantic bonfire. This one Sefer Torah was the sole surviving rem nant of the sacred articles of the ghetto. The cobbler se lected it because of its small size, for that made it feasible for him to wrap it around his midriff without causing a telltale bulge, and later, in camp, its size permitted easy concealment.

We had instituted a regular minyan on Shabbos in

The silent “dancers” held themselves strenuously in check, as the joyous songs surged repeatedly to their lips.

one of the barracks, and it was there, on Shabbos Chol HaMoed Sukkos, that the heroic shoemaker turned to us and demanded: “Who wants to hide the Sefer Torah?”

A companion of mine and I decided to assume the responsibility. We immediately removed a board from the head of one of the wooden cots we slept on, and in the hollow under it concealed the Scroll.

The news of the Sefer Torah’s arrival had naturally electrified the entire camp. On Simchas Torah night, we held crowded hakafos in the cramped run-down shack we

called home. These hakafos would have been outlandish in any other situation. The Sefer Torah remained safely ensconced in its hollow behind the board. We stealthily walked around the wooden cot that contained our sacred treasure. As we passed, we leaned over and kissed the board that lay directly above the Sefer Torah.

We knew that if we had carried the Sefer Torah in our arms, as in conventional hakafos, we would have been running a great risk. Don’t think it was our lives that we were protecting! Of course, being caught carrying the Torah would have meant sure death, but what value did our lives have, anyway? It would have been worth it! But the Scroll would have also been destroyed — G-d forbid! — and this was a loss we would not risk.

And so it went, far into the night. The silent “dancers” held themselves strenuously in check, as the joyous songs surged repeatedly to their lips.

One song echoed softly in our ears. Because of its obvious relevance, we could not contain it within us. And as we walked around the Sefer, we were almost deafened by the silent screaming of its chords that enveloped us all: “Rejoice and be glad on Simchas Torah, because it (the Torah) is our strength and our light…”

Do you think I made up this story? Have you ever been at the Gerrer Bais Midrash on Or HaChayim Street in Bnei Brak? Well, the Sefer Torah is there, in the Aron HaKodesh. I brought it there after the war. The destruc tion was terrible, but we survived.

This story was excerpted with permission from Seasons of the Soul by Y. Yechezkieli, adapted by Moshe Barkany, published by ArtScroll/Mesorah.

Jewish Thought

The Ticket or the Plane?

By Rabbi David Sutton

People constantly struggle to find the balance between the mitzvos of bitachon and hishtadlus — the effort they are required to put forth. We have trouble understanding how the ef forts we undertake do not really cause the outcome, whether the issue is money or healing or anything else. We must be aware that the result is not our doing, but rather, it is G-d’s decree. How do these seemingly opposing forces work together?

Chacham Ben Tzion Abba Shaul, in his sefer Ohr L’Tzion Chochmah U’Mus sar, explains with an elegantly simple, on-point mashal:

A person wants to reach a certain destination and needs to fly to get there. To be able to board the plane, he must first buy a tick et. Only then can he board. However, he knows very well that the ticket is not what brings him to his des

tination; rather it is the plane. The ticket does nothing at all to fuel or guide the plane. It is only a requirement for the passenger to embark. The airline has its rules, and we must follow them if we want a seat on the flight.

Likewise, says Chacham Ben Tzion, G-d’s “airline” has its rules and regu lations, which state that we must do our hishtadlus if we want to board the plane and get where He intends for us to go in life. Once we board, however, our hishtadlus has done its job. It has no ef fect on the flight.

Sometimes, a person keeps adding to his hishtadlus, but he doesn’t see results until he puts in one final bit of effort. Why is it so hard for him to get on the plane? Why the delay?

A couple was checking in to fly from Tel Aviv back to their home in New Jer sey. They had gathered all the Covid test results and papers they needed to fly, but the clerk wanted to see proof of Covid vaccinations. Unaware that this would be necessary for their homeward flight, the man had stashed the document hap

hazardly in his luggage. He wasn’t sure where it was. Since he had been required to show it to enter Israel, he tried to rea son with the clerk that there could be no doubt that he had it. “Rules are rules,” she replied.

Instead of passing through to the de parture gate, the couple went off to the side to dig through their luggage and find the little laminated card that would gain them passage. It was a tense fifteen min utes until they calmed down and method ically unpacked the carry-on, where they at last found what they needed. They could go to the gate.

Like the vaccination card, sometimes hishtadlus seems frustrating and unnec essary. However, for whatever reason, this is what Hashem requires of us, and when we calm down and dig a little deep er, we achieve whatever it was He wanted us to achieve. But after all that, we still have to realize that it’s the plane – not the ticket, not the passport, not the Covid test result – that gets us where we need to go.

With this mashal, Chacham Ben Tzion also explains why there are great tzaddi

kim who receive their parnassah without hishtadlus. There are extreme examples of this, such as Rabbi Chaninah ben Dosa and Rav Shimon bar Yochai, to whom Hashem provided special ways of obtain ing sustenance. Even today, some of our gedolim seem to be sustained magically, directly by Hashem’s hand.

Continuing with the airline mashal, those who need not “pay” hishtadlus are those who work for the airline. Imagine if someone were to ask the pilot, “How do you get from New York to Florida without a ticket? It’s impossible to fly without a ticket!” He would answer that it is not at all impossible. The ticket doesn’t get him there; the plane does. He doesn’t need a ticket because he is among those who operate the airline. Likewise, the tzaddik helps Hashem run His creation. He is in separable from Hashem and His Torah. Therefore, he can board free of charge, whereas ordinary people need to buy a ticket, and some tickets cost more than others.

In all cases, it’s the plane — G-d’s de cree — that transports them.

Delving into the Daf

A Ring of Truth

By Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

Devin McLean and his store man ager were about to close the Au toZone in York County, Virginia, when a gunman barged into the store. McLean was left in a restroom while the gunman made the manager open the store safe. That’s when McLean, a 23-year-old Air Force veteran, bolted through a side door and ran to his truck. He returned through the front door holding a Glock 40 pointed directly at the masked rob ber. The would-be thief took off. How did AutoZone express their gratitude to their employee? They fired him for violating their gun policy.

Perhaps a more extreme form of in gratitude can be found in the following story.

It is a cold and stormy night. Reuvein is walking home alone. He thinks he is being followed. He looks around but doesn’t see anyone. The next moment, he is knocked senseless. Reuvein wakes up in a locked room all by himself. He calls to his captor, “What do you want from me”? The captor says, “I’m going to get rich off you. I was going to ask for ransom money, but instead I’ll ask for your buddy Shimon’s signet ring. That ring is exqui site and is worth at least 1,000 dinarim.”

Reuvein waits anxiously all alone hoping that his friend will part with his beloved ring. Shimon comes through and offers his ring for Reuvein’s release. Af ter attaining his freedom, Reuvein hugs Shimon and thanks him profusely for saving his life.

The next week, Reuvein knocks on Shimon’s door. Shimon is delighted to see his friend. Shimon asks him, “Reuvein, have you gotten over the whole ordeal?” Reuvein responds, “Yes baruch Hashem. I’m back in the office and everything is back to normal. That actually brings me to the reason I’m here. I was going through my ledger, and I found a listing for an unpaid loan. You owe me 100 di narim.”

Shimon is incredulous “Are you kidding me? Tell me you are joking. The ring I gave up to save your life was worth ten times that amount! In effect, I paid off the loan with the ring. I owe you nothing. If anything, you should pay me 900 dinarim! Is this how you show

zuz. He left his children a tract of land that was worth 50 zuz . The creditor went to beis din to collect the debt from the departed’s estate. Beis din ruled that the orphans have to give the creditor the tract of land as partial payment for the debt. The orphans sadly gave the cred

The creditor said, “What do you mean? It’s my land. I collected it as par tial payment of your father’s debt.”

The orphans said, “But we paid you 50 zuz to get the land back!”

The creditor said, “Really? I thought the 50 zuz was because you wanted to do the right thing and pay off the re maining balance of your father’s debt.”

The orphans said, “Very funny! You know we paid 50 zuz to get the family’s land back.”

They went to Abaye and explained their grievance. Abaye said, “The cred itor is correct. Since you did not specify at the time you paid the 50 zuz what the money was for, the creditor had every right to assume that it was to fulfill the mitzvah of paying off your father’s debt. You now fulfilled that mitzvah. The land worth 50 zuz and the 50 zuz in cash pays off your father’s total debt. You should be happy that you merited to fulfill this mitzvah!”

The Ben Ish Chai told Shimon, “When you gave your ring as ransom, you didn’t say that it was to be consid ered as payment for your loan. Everyone just assumed you wanted to fulfill the tremendous mitzvah of pidyon shevuy im. Reuvein does not have to reimburse you for the money you spent on that mitzvah. In terms of the loan, perhaps Reuvein should show more gratitude, but he is not obligated to do so. The fact you spent money on him for a mitzvah has absolutely no bearing on the loan. You owe him the 100 dinar!”

your gratitude?!”

Shimon storms off to speak to the Ben Ish Chai (1835-1909). Shimon says, “Rebbe, obviously I don’t owe him any money, correct?”

The Ben Ish Chai said, “Not so fast. Let’s first review a blatt Gemara in Ke suvos.”

The Gemara in Kesuvos (91b) talks of a father who passed away owing 100

itor the title to the land. The orphans decided that they were going to come up with the 50 zuz sum and buy the land off the creditor. They gathered their funds and wordlessly presented the creditor with a check for 50 zuz. The next day, the orphans went to the land and the creditor was acting as if it was still his. The orphans asked, “What are you do ing here?”

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

“Tell me you are joking. The ring I gave up to save your life was worth ten times that amount!”

My Israel Home Israel’s Mystery Men

By Gedaliah Borvick

Very few streets in Israel are named for people who have served as spies and for good reason: the goal of the Mossad, Israel’s national in telligence agency, is to keep its clandes tine activities and the identification of its agents confidential.

The biggest exception to this rule is Eli Cohen, the most famous Israeli spy of all time. Streets in over two dozen cit ies, plus countless schools, community centers, synagogues, libraries and parks across the country, have been named for this hero who sacrificed his life to protect his nation.

Eli Cohen infiltrated the highest ranks of the Syrian government, under the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet, and won the confi dence of top politicians, military officials, public figures, and diplomats. From 1962 until 1965, when he was arrested and sub sequently killed, Cohen collected intelli gence which protected Israel in various ways. Two famous stories include how his military reports (1) enabled Israel to pro tect its water supply that Syria planned to divert; and (2) helped Israel during the 1967 Six Day War to capture the Golan Heights in only two days.

Another renowned Israeli master spy, who thankfully experienced a better end ing than Eli Cohen, was Rafael Eitan, who passed away in March 2019 having lived

to the ripe old age of 92. A mere three years after his death, Rafi Eitan already has a street named after him in Ramat Gan, and more streets named in his mem ory are in the works.

Israel’s most celebrated spy, Rafi Eitan was the anti-James Bond; bespectacled, short and heavy, Eitan was far less debo

Rafi Eitan’s mentor was the legend ary spymaster Isser Harel, who served as chief of both the Mossad and Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security service. Iss er Harel was truly larger than life, and streets in Netanya and Petach Tikvah have been named in his memory.

Isser Harel was born in the Russian

served as a Knesset member and became a prolific writer. The most famous of his ten books was The House on Garibaldi Street, which later became a movie. The thrilling spy novel vividly described the Mossad’s capture of Eichmann, which took place under his supervision. Prime Minister David Ben Gurion encour aged Harel to break with the Mossad’s long-standing practice of silence and write the book, to both commemorate Is rael’s daring operation to bring Eichmann to justice and to put the enemies of the Jewish people on notice.

nair and far more cunning than 007. Ei tan rose to fame when he led the Mossad operation to capture Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires, Argen tina, in 1960. Eichmann was subsequent ly tried and executed in Israel.

In addition, Eitan was involved in many operations that were critical to Israel’s national interests, such as (1) en hancing Israel’s nuclear capabilities; (2) establishing successful counterespionage activities against Soviet diplomats and spies; and (3) nurturing positive, albe it clandestine, relations with moderate Arab countries.

Empire and received rabbinic ordination from the Volozhin Yeshiva. He then immi grated to pre-state Palestine and became a member of the Haganah defense forces and headed its intelligence unit. After the establishment of the State of Israel, Harel founded and became the first director of the Shin Bet (akin to the U.S.’s FBI) and then took over the Mossad in 1951, and ran both organizations until 1963. He de veloped a close relationship with the CIA and worked in tandem with the United States to collect information about the Soviet Union.

After leaving the spy business, Harel

When thinking about Israel’s unsung heroes who have put their lives on the line to defend our nation, many courageous people come to mind. However, the spies who toil anonymously, without fanfare and usually without even the knowl edge and support of their own families, top that list. May the Al-mighty protect all the courageous guardians of our na tion.

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

Bespectacled, short and heavy, Eitan was far less debonair and far more cunning than 007.

Isser Harel, right, with David Ben-Gurion, 1969Eli Cohen in Damascus in 1963 Rafi Eitan

Behind the Scenes at KolSave

How the Giant Supermarket Prepares for the Yom Tov Season

The year is in full swing. Back to school, work, and our regular schedules. But while we were return ing from our summer break, the staff at KolSave has been busy preparing for the yom tov season. Even when the chagim seemed far off in the distant future for most of us, the managers and staff of KolSave were already reviewing spreadsheets and negotiating with vendors in anticipation of the massive influx of custom ers just a few weeks away.

Recently, TJH spoke to Mendy Herz, manager at KolSave Supermarket, and Howie Klagsbrun, director of purchasing, to go behind the scenes on what it’s like to prepare the store for the busy shopping season that began a few weeks ago.

Store managers and staff never really rest during the summer months.

“We are preparing for weeks already,” Howie affirms. “I have many lists filled with items of interest that are especially popular before the holidays. We flag those items, and we need to be on top of it. We do our buying accordingly.”

Mendy notes that for popular yom tov items, such as honey products, he negotiates with suppliers to ensure that KolSave is getting the best prices possible. He locks in pricing on these products at least 6-8 weeks before they ever hit the shelves.

lenging time for supermarkets. put, the economy has been wreaking havoc on the food industry. ing,” Howie says, “has

item that hasn’t gone up in price, most in double digits. Some have even doubled.

“I’m in this business for thirty-seven years, and I’ve never experienced anything like the last few months. Sure, I’ve seen individual products – coffee, sugar, flour – take a hit. But I’ve never seen such steep price increas es across the board on every item from paper goods to cereal.”

The situation in Ukraine – a country that had been producing 70 percent of Europe’s grain – has put an ad ditional strain on global prices, effecting the numerous flour-based products in our stores.

For KolSave, these price increases have been espe cially difficult. As the manager, Mendy feels a tremen dous responsibility to his customers to keep the store’s prices affordable.

That feeling of achrayus began when the store opened in January of 2018. There was a genuine demand for a kosher supermarket in the community that would offer quality products at discounted prices. And KolSave stepped in to fill that void.

In addition to the lower prices that KolSave offers,

Save sources for its customers.

“I’m amazed at how many jars of off-brand mayon naise we move.” Howie says. “It’s unprecedented! We are in a so-called ‘hard-core Hellman’s community,’ and yet so many customers are reaching for other brands.”

Mendy concurs. “People don’t hesitate when they walk by a non-branded product at KolSave. These prod ucts are not only great pricewise, they’re also quality products, and customers appreciate that.”

Mendy, a former chef, brings his shopping and cooking experience to KolSave and is happy to share it with customers. When asked about how he would advise customers to shop wisely this season, Mendy replied: “Pay attention to the sales on products specific to that yom tov, which are generally at their low est prices.

“Stock up on those items now,” he advises. “It’s a great way to affordably stock your pantry with these es sentials for use throughout the year.”

He also recommends to further budget by basing your menus off what is on

brutal, tal.

dishes, by incorporating sale items.

To counter the higher chicken and meat prices this year, Mendy shares,

“Invest in certain tools.”

“For example, purchasing an item like a sous-vide can allow you to use a less ex pensive cut and end up with a delicious, soft piece of meat to serve to your family. It’s a relatively small invest ment.”

Cooks can also be smarter about how they use their proteins in dishes. For exam ple, Mendy suggests, some cuts of meat do not serve well on their own but pair nicely with various pastas or vegetables.

This year’s yom tov schedule is challenging for storeowners. With yom tovim coming out on Sunday evenings, less than 24 hours after Shabbos ends, there’s bound to be some in sanely busy shopping days at KolSave. Does Howie have any recommendations for the smart shopper?

“Early mornings, before 10:00 AM, are the best times to beat the crowds,” he advises. “After that, if you’re not carpooling, come in at about four or five pm, when lots of parents are picking up their kids from school. And of course, we have plenty of extended hours for those who wish to shop off-peak hours.”

Are there any yom tov items that are especially pop ular this time of year?

Mendy notes that pomegranate syrup and date spread are always items that customers put into their carts this time of year.

Honey sticks and flavored honeys are also trending this year.

“If you would like to sample our exotic honey fla vors, you don’t have to purchase a large jar,” Howie says. “They come in small one-and-a-half ounce bottles, so that your family and guests can taste an assortment without making a huge investment.”

He adds, “Of course, before Rosh Hashana, there’s a large selection of new fruits to choose from, some of which can be purchased in advance,” Howie says. “Some people like to go exotic, but I find that most customers stick with the tried and true – pomegranates, dates, figs, starfruit, and passion fruit.”

It’s become trendy to use traditional yom tov si manim and incorporate them into recipes. But home chefs in the Five Towns have ventured way beyond hon ey cake and apple kugel, although those are still classic favorites. They have become uber-creative, developing recipes that include pomegranate seeds, carrots, leek, gourd, beets, and other simanim foods in their soups, salads, side dishes, and desserts.

Knowing his customers, Mendy has the home cook

in mind when purchasing for the store. He regularly checks in with Shloimy Klein of Fleishigs Magazine, a Five Towns resident and personal friend, to make sure that KolSave is stocked with unusual ingredients that may feature in upcoming recipes.

“Whenever the yom tov issues of Ami Mishpacha come out or a recipe is trending on social media, we look through the recipes so we can make sure that all the ingredients for mak ing those dishes are on the shelves,” Mendy adds. “We don’t want customers to come shopping and then have to go to another store for just one item. We want KolSave to be their one-stop shopping for all their food needs.”

When it comes to Suk kos, Howie notes that dis posable flatware, dishes, and serving ware are always popular around this time. People enjoy set ting a beautiful yom tov table but don’t want to bring in their delicate dishes that can break while bringing them in and out of the sukkah.

“The level of disposables has really gone up – both in quality and in how beautiful they look,” Howie notes.

If you’re shopping for Sukkos, make sure to buy extra hot cups, Howie says. On a chilly Sukkos night, a hot tea makes you want to linger in the sukkah.

In terms of what customers are buying to serve their guests on Sukkos, side dishes like farro, quinoa, couscous blends and rice mixes are big this year. They’re filling and offer a variety for cooks to get creative with their offerings.

We all know that feeling when you come home from shopping and remind ourselves of a key item we forgot to purchase. It can be frustrating. Howie advises cus tomers to make a list and to include seasonal must-have items such round challah pans, honey dippers, two- or three-day yahtrzeit candles (for second night candle lighting), and kreplach for erev Yom Kippur and Hosha na Rabba. Jelly fish candy is also a huge item for kids this time of year. (“We sell tons of them before Rosh Hashana.”) And he says that fish heads are available before Rosh Hashana both raw or pre-cooked (for the squeamish). Lamb heads are also for sale for those who use them.

“Don’t forget your bee traps for Sukkos!” he adds.

Thousands of challahs will need to be freshly baked and ready for purchase on erev yom tov, and that means that the store’s bakery staff will not be getting much sleep. “They will probably make Havdalah on Motzei Shabbos, come directly to the store, and work through the night, up until yom tov.”

Howie adds that “sourdough challah is going to be a huge thing this yom tov season.”

A

lthough KolSave is now a mainstay in the Five Towns, it hasn’t even been open for five years –but oh, how it has grown.

Mendy walked us through the different departments to show us how KolSave has made its superior name for itself in the community.

First off, Mendy says, “KolSave is a lot more fun.

“It’s a different experience in KolSave. There’s no me ter that’s running out. The aisles are wider. We want our customers to be relaxed.”

He adds that shopping is almost a hobby for him. He goes to other stores at least once or twice a month to peruse new products and garner ideas for his KolSave cli entele. If a product catches his eye, he makes it his busi ness – literally – to stock it for his KolSave customers.

“And if we don’t have something, ask for it,” he stress es. “We’re happy to get it for you.”

Customer service and satisfaction is paramount to him. A few times a week, Mendy stops customers to ask them about their experiences at KolSave and to hear their feedback.

“This way, we know where we need to improve and what customers like about what we’re doing. That’s so important to us.

“My happy place is talking to customers,” he declares. “I love to be on the floor all day; I’ll be the happiest per son around if that’s what I can do all day, although I’m still needed in the office sometimes,” he laments.

This year, KolSave has brought in a supplier of beau tiful gedolim posters to adorn people’s sukkahs. Accord ing to Mendy, people were so excited about this product that half the stock sold out already before Yom Kippur.

Faux leather esrog holders are also a big item. “They’re beautiful and come in a variety of colors,” Mendy asserts.

Walking through KolSave, our first stop is at the produce section. This section, Mendy says, has greatly expanded since its debut almost five years ago.

“It’s a massive success,” he notes. “This is the same produce you can get in our other stores. The turnover on the fruits and vegetables is tremendous; we move a lot of product.”

“My happy place is talking to customers,” he declares.

“I love to be on the floor all day; I’ll be the happiest person around if that’s what I can do all day.”

Mendy Herz with Yoeli Steinberg

This year, the section expanded even more to offer a lot more checked products for customers, including cauliflower, herbs, and spinach, making it easier for the kosher cook to get dinner on the table.

The takeout section in KolSave is always fresh, Mendy notes. And it’s surprising ly popular with the KolSave shop per, who love the “grab and go” foods that are offered. In fact, the “hot table” at KolSave is now offered at other Gourmet Glatt locations since being debuted at KolSave.

Dips have become ubiquitous on every Shabbos table; Kol Save offers scores of dips and salads each week. In fact, Kol Save’s jalapeno dip has been voted #1 in the Five Towns. And word on the street is that KolSave’s chummus and techina are so good that customers will drive across town just to stock up.

Cakes, cookies, challahs, kugels, and hot dishes are also available in the takeout section to help shoppers round out their Shabbos and weekday shopping.

And what’s Shabbos and yom tov without a candy dessert to nibble on before benching?

be someone who gets angry or anxious and may let it out on one of our employees.”

When that happens, Howie says he puts things in perspective.

Howie Klagsbrun

Mendy points out that there are two employees at KolSave dedicated to just the candy section at KolSave. Soon, the candy platter section will be expand ed, offering customers more options for buying those necessary platters for shalom zach ors, birthdays, or a really fun Shabbos.

“And,” Mendy adds, “if you’re buying candy in bulk, call us before and we can give you the candy in a bulk instead of having to shlep all those con tainers.”

owie sounds re markably calm and collected when discussing the mad rush he anticipates before yom tov. With hundreds of fran tic customers expected to come into the store, how does he manage to stay unruffled?

“As a general rule,” he says, “most people are polite and appreciative and respectful. Occasionally, there will

“Look, we never know what’s going on in that per son’s life which is causing them to lose their temper. They could be dealing with all sorts of challenges and difficulties that we are unaware of. I learned to say, ‘I hope everything is okay at home.’ And I learned to move onward.”

As for the rest of us, Howie advises us to focus on the positive. “It’s erev yom tov. We all have the same goals and the same time constraints. We all want to get home to our families and enjoy a meaningful chag. Let’s have savlanus. Let’s respect each other. And let’s have a simcha’dik yom tov.”

He notes that the mitzvah of Sukkos is “v’samech ta b’chagecha,” which the Vilna Gaon says is the most difficult mitzvah – to be m’sameach, happy, for seven days straight.

H“But,” Howie observes, “if you look around your life and take in everything and think about all the gifts that the Ribbono Shel Olam bestowed upon you, that will put you in a matzav of being b’simcha.”

KolSave is located at 11 Lawrence Lane in Lawrence, NY. For more information about the store, visit them on Instagram @kolsavemarket, email them at info@ kolsavemarket.com, or call them at 516-371-6200.

Chol Hamoed Places to Go, Things to Do

With the weather bringing in gentle gusts of wind and some days filled with sheets of rain, we hope that the sun will smile upon us as we go on chol hamoed outings as a family this Sukkos. If we’re lucky enough to get balmy weather, we can take advantage of the wonderful experiences available outdoors. And if gimshei bracha shower upon us, there are interesting trips to go on indoors as well –so take your pick! Spending time with the family is the goal, wherever the day may take you.

TJH has compiled a list of ideas, activities, and places to go for you to enjoy. Make sure to pack enough food, a portable sukkah, and music for the road, and have fun!

Zoos and Farms

Queens County Farm Museum

73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park, NY 11004 718-347-3276

White Post Farms

250 Old County Road, Melville, NY 11747 631-351-9373

New York Aquarium

Surf Avenue & West 8th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11224 718-265-FISH

Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center

431 East Main Street, Riverhead, NY 11901 631-208-9200

Prospect Park Zoo

450 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225 718-399-7339

Queens Zoo

53-51 111th Street, Flushing, NY 11368 718-271-1500

Central Park Zoo

64th Street & 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10065 212-861-6030

Green Meadows Farm

73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park, NY 11002 718-470-0224

Green Meadows Farm Brooklyn

At the Aviator Sports Center 3159 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11234 718-470-0278

Bronx Zoo 2300 Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY 10460 718-220-5103

Long Island Game Farm

489 Chapman Boulevard, Manorville, NY 11949 631-873-6644

Schmitt’s Family Farm

26 Pinelawn Road, Melville, NY 11747 631-271-3276

Union Square Greenmarket Union Square West, New York, NY 10003 212-788-7476

Scenic Attractions

Central Park

Boating, biking, the Great Lawn, model-boat sailing, carriage rides, carousel Between 5th & 8th Avenues and 59th & 106th Streets, New York, NY 212-360-3444

Bryant Park

6th Avenue, between W 40-42 Street, New York, NY 10018 212-768-4242

New York Highline

Gansevoort St. to West 30 St. between Washington St. and 11 Ave., New York, NY 212-500-6035

Brooklyn Bridge Park

1 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 718-222-9939

Little Island Floating Park

Pier 55 in Hudson River Park West 13 Street, New York, NY 10014

Fort Tyron Park

Riverside Drive to Broadway, W 192 Street to Dyckman Street, New York, NY

New York Circle Line

Pier 83, West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036

Pier 16, South Street Seaport, New York, NY 10038 212-563-3200

Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island

Ferries from Battery Park, NY

1 Battery Place, New York, NY 10004 212-363-3200

Jamaica Bay Riding Academy

7000 Shore Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11234 718-531-8949

Old Westbury Gardens

71 Old Westbury Road, Old Westbury, NY 11568 516-333-0048

Sagamore Hill

20 Sagamore Hill Road, Oyster Bay, NY 11771 516-922-4788

Sands Point Preserve

127 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point, New York 11050 516-571-7901

Great Neck Steppingstone Park

38 Stepping Stone Lane, Great Neck, NY 11021 516-487-9228

South Street Seaport

89 South St., New York, NY 10038 212-732-7678

Brooklyn Botanic Gardens

900 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225 718-623-7200

High Exposure Rock Climbing 266 Union St, Northvale, NJ 07647 201-768-8600

Thrillz High Flying Adventure Park

5 Prindle Ln, Danbury, CT 06811 203-942-2585

Long Island Adventure Park

75 Colonial Springs Rd, Gate #3, Wheatley Heights, NY 11798 631-983-3844

Flight Adventure Park

1850 Lakeland Avenue, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 631-619-6000

Trapeze School NY

467 Marcy Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11206 212-242-8769

Trapeze School NY 353 West St, New York, NY 10014 212-242-8769

Air Trampoline Sports

1850 Lakeland Avenue, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 631-619-6000

Urban Air 69 Wesley St, South Hackensack, NJ 07606 201-212-6454

Skyzone Trampoline Park 33 Lecount Place, New Rochelle, NY 10801 914-740-8272

Skyzone Trampoline Park 111 Rodeo Drive, Deer Park, NY 11717 631-392-2600

Rockin’ Jump Trampoline Park 241 Market Street, Yonkers, NY 10710 914-510-9119

Launch Trampoline Park 163-50 Cross Bay Blvd, Howard Beach, NY 11414 718-593-4204

iFLY

849 Ridge Hill Blvd, Yonkers, NY 10710 914-449-4359

Glow Golf

Roosevelt Field Mall, Garden City, NY 11530 516-747-3682

Brooklyn Heights Promenade Downtown Brooklyn—Remsen Street to Orange Street along the East River

The New York Botanical Garden

2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10458 718-817-8700

Wave Hill Public Gardens

675 W 252 St, Bronx, NY 10471 718-549-3200

Union Square Greenmarket Union Square West, New York, NY 10003 212-788-7476

Historic Richmond Town

441 Clarke Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10306 718-351-1611

Bear Mountain State Park

Route 9W North, Bear Mountain, NY 10911 845-786-2701

The Amish Village

199 Hartman Bridge Road, Ronks, PA 17572 717-687-8511

Mystic Seaport 75 Greenmanville Avenue, Mystic, CT 06355 888-973-2767

Amusement Parks

Six Flags Great Adventure

1 Six Flags Boulevard, Jackson, NJ 08527 201-862-0250

Hersheypark

100 W. Hersheypark Drive, Hershey, PA 17033 717-534-3900

Adventureland

2245 Broad Hollow Road (RT 110), Farmingdale, NY 11735 631-694-6868

Adventurer’s

1824 Shore Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11214 718-975-2748

Luna Park Coney Island 1000 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11224 718-373-5862

Bayville Adventure Park 8 Bayville Ave, Bayville, NY 11709 516-624-7433

Sahara Sam’s Oasis

and Water Park & Diggerland 535 N Route 73, West Berlin, NJ 08091 856-767-7580

Bronx Zoo Treetop Adventure Climb and Zipline

Bronx River Parkway at Boston Road, Bronx, NY 10460 347-308-9028

Indoor Fun Parks

Legoland Discovery Center Westchester 39 Fitzgerald Street, Yonkers, NY 10701 844-740-9223

Fun Station USA

3555 Victory Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10314 718-370-0077

Laser Bounce

80-28 Cooper Avenue, Glendale, NY 11385 347-599-1919

Laser Bounce

2710 Hempstead Turnpike, Levittown, NY 11756 516-342-1330

RPM Raceway Go-Karting 40 Daniel St, Farmingdale, NY 11735 631-752-7223

One World Observatory

One World Trade Center, 117 West Street, New York, NY 10007 844-OWO-1776

Chelsea Piers

Hudson River—Piers 59-62—New York, NY 212-336-6800

Edge at Hudson Yards 30 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001 332-204-8500

Woodmere Lanes

948 Broadway, Woodmere, NY 11598 516-374-9870

Funfest Bowling 6161 Strickland Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11234 718-763-6800

Chuck E. Cheese 162 Fulton Avenue, Hempstead, NY 11550 516-483-3166

Kids N Shape

162-26 Cross Bay Boulevard, Howard Beach, NY 11414 866-567-1989

Brooklyn Boulders 23-10 41 Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101 718-482-7078

MetroRock Brooklyn 321 Starr Street, Brooklyn, NY 11237 929-500-7625

Smith Point Archery

215 E Main Street, Patchogue, NY 11772 631-289-3399

VR World NYC

8 East 34 Street, New York, NY 10016 646-515-0868

Dave & Busters

1 Sunrise Mall, Massapequa, NY 11758 516-809-8514

Dave & Busters

1504 Old Country Road, Westbury, NY 11590 516-542-85011504

Dave & Busters

4661 Palisades Center Dr, West Nyack, NY 10994 845-353-1555

Iceland Long Island

3345 Hillside Avenue, New Hyde Park, NY 11040 516-746-1100

City Ice Pavilion

47-32 32 Place, Long Island City, NY 11101 718-706-6667

Long Beach Ice Arena

150 W Bay Dr, Long Beach, NY 11561 516-705-7385

Lefrak Center Ice Skating

171 East Drive, Brooklyn, NY 11225 718-462-0010

Something Different

Puppetworks

338 Sixth Avenue, Park Slope, NY 11215 718-965-3391

Make It Too

86 Cedarhurst Ave, Cedarhurst, NY 11516 516-341-7660

Build a Bear

Roosevelt Field Mall

630 Old Country Road, Garden City, NY 11530 516-248-0027

Build a Bear

9015 Queens Blvd, Elmhurst, NY 11373 718-289-7135

Artrageous Studio

5 N Village Ave, Rockville Centre, NY 11570 516-255-5255

Once Upon a Dish

659 Franklin Ave, Garden City, NY 11530 516-742-6030

Baked in Brooklyn

242 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11249 718-384-2300

Brooklyn Clay Industries

63 Flushing Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205 301-395-0143

Color Me Mine

123 Baxter St, New York, NY 10013 212-374-1710

La Mano Pottery

110 West 26 Street, New York, NY 10001 212-627-9450

Casa de Spin

81 Grand Avenue, Massapequa, NY 11758 516-654-7746

Taro’s Origami Studio 95 7th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11215 718-360-5435

Bury the Hatchet 25 Noble Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222 917-243-9696

2BA Pilot Flight Lessons 9100 Republic Airport, Farmingdale, NY 11735 516-662-8887

Museums

Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum Pier 86, 12th Avenue and 46th Street 212-245-0072

9/11 Memorial and Museum 200 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10006 212-266-5211

Jewish Museum 1109 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10128 212-423-3200

Museum of Jewish Heritage 36 Battery Pl, New York, NY 10280 646-437-4202

Living Torah Museum 1603 41 Street, Brooklyn, NY 11218 718-851-3215

Long Island Children’s Museum 11 Davis Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530 516-224-5800

Skyscape

928 8th Avenue, New York, NY 10019 212-549-1941

Museum of Illusions

77 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10014 212-645-3230

National Museum of Mathematics

11 East 26 Street, New York, NY 10010 212-542-0566

Brooklyn Children’s Museum

145 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11213 718-735-4400

Jewish Children’s Museum

792 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11213 718-467-0600

Children’s Museum of Manhattan

212 W 83rd St, New York, NY 10024 212-721-1234

NYC Fire Museum

278 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013 212-691-1303

American Museum of Natural History

Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024 212-769-5100

Metropolitan Museum of Art 1000 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10028 800-662-3397

Frick Collection

1 E 70 St., New York, NY 10021 212-288-0700

Lower East Side Tenement Museum

103 Orchard Street, New York, NY 10002 877-975-3786

The Skyscraper Museum

39 Battery Pl, New York, NY 10280 212-945-6324

Liberty Science Center

Liberty State Park, 222 Jersey City Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07305 201-200-1000

Crayola Experience

30 Centre Square, Easton, PA 18042 1-866-875-5263

The Franklin Institute

222 North 20th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 215-448-1200

Please Touch Museum

4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia, PA 19131 215-581-3181

Imagine That! Children’s Museum

4 Vreeland Road, Florham Park, N.J. 07932 973-966-8000

TJH assumes no responsibility for the kashrus, atmosphere, safety, or accuracy of any event or attraction listed here. Due to some Covid restrictions still in place, it’s suggested to call before heading out. Have a great time!

CitiField Non-Game Day Tours

41 Seaver Wy, Queens, NY 11368 718-803-4097

Madame Tussaud’s New York

234 W 42 Street, New York, NY 10036 212-512-9600

Vanderbilt Museum & Planetarium 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport, NY 11721 631-854-5579

Dating Dialogue What Would You Do If…

Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters

Dear Navidaters,

My son has a medical condition that is completely under control with medication. We believe honesty is the best policy and would like to put this information on his shidduch resume. Shadchanim, though, have been telling us to leave this out, and tell the girl about it on a fourth date. This seems dishonest to us.

We wanted to present it to the panel and see what your consensus is on the matter. Thank you!

-Rachel

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.

Iagree with shadchanim on this one. You want your child’s attributes, goals, and interests to be considered. Your child is not the condition. If you put your child’s condition on the resume, it will not get looked at. The shadchan will remember the condition, not the person, and your son will acquire a label unnecessarily.

Honesty is the best policy, as well as the Jewish way. That’s why most rabbanim say that the health matter should be brought up by the young person once the relationship has progressed. The fourth date is identi fied as the magic date because the relation ship has already developed but the young people are not yet too far in. There is time to research the matter, discuss it, and talk to doctors, if necessary.

I know of several cases where this was done. The matter was researched prop

erly. Often, the parents offer the contact information of the doctor who treats the condition so that there is total transpar ency. Doctors are used to this. Once there is clear information, then the shidduch usually continues with open discussion by the young people about the condition and his/her feelings about it are aired. Often, this matter brings the young people closer together as they can speak honestly. This process works well with mature young peo ple and their parents.

truth-and-nothing-but-the-truth” is not always emes. What changed?

Similarly, you may recall that Yaakov Avinu is called “Ish Emes,” as it says, “Tit en emes L’Yaakov.” Nevertheless, Yaakov Avinu had to engage in some cunning tricks in order to contend with his surroundings, be it Eisav, Lavan, or Shechem. How can that be reconciled?

The Doctor

Dr. Yehuda Mond

This world is known as Olam Hasheker, the world of falsehood. Often, in order to contend with this world, the Emes cannot be viewed solely as what’s factually true. The world is full of externalities, self-in terests, and accepted false premises. In or der to cancel out those elements of sheker, the factual “truth” needs to be approached strategically.

G

rowing up, our parents taught us right from wrong, truth from falsehood. As young children, the dictum was black-andwhite: always tell the truth. Never tell a lie. However, as we matured and grew older, they taught us that sometimes the “whole-

How does that translate to your situa tion? There is a wonderful young woman out there, with the qualities you and your son are seeking. Her parents and her too, they wish for her to meet and marry a won derful young man, with the exact qualities as your son’s. They know, deep inside, that

nobody is perfect. No chosson or kallah comes perfectly wrapped in a box, straight off an assembly line. But when a young man and woman start meeting, the expectation is that each side shows his and her qualities and positive attributes. No young man or woman, on their first date, will tell the oth er, “I have mild X issues (fill in the blank: anger, jealousy, insecurity).” That is not dishonest. Why not? Because unless these problems are pervasive, intense, and clearly visible at all times, they do not define the person. If one reveals their less-than-posi tive attributes first, they will let that define them, and that will scare away the prospec tive shidduch.

My dear wife asked me to answer this question from a medical standpoint. I can

People are so much more than their resumes.

bore you with issues surrounding patient privacy, but I do not think that’s necessary. If your son’s medical issues are well-con trolled (baruch Hashem!!), then this is certainly something to bring up only after the girl is familiar with his unique positive traits. Conversely, bringing up one’s medi cal issues in the early stage (or, gasp, before they even agree to meet!) is foolish and will be setting a young man up for failure.

Much hatzlacha, and may we hear be soros tovos real soon!

The Single

Tzipora Grodko

Hi Rachel,

I really admire your honesty. I feel like it takes strong emunah to recognize that Hashem has a plan and trying to “sneak” or “hide” information does not service anyone well. If you’re comfortable sharing, I would encourage you to relay that information to

his shidduch references. That way, the in formation will get relayed in a dignified way, and they can share it with anyone who calls.

I have no experience in this field but have seen multiple relationships get dam aged because medical information was hidden and not discussed.

The Zaidy

Dr. Jeffrey Galler

Full disclosure before the first date or full disclosure after the third date? That is the question.

Which option would be harder for a single to endure: disclosing some negative information upfront and getting rejected before even getting to go on a date, or dis closing negative information after three dates and getting rejected after investing time and emotion on the relationship?

This is a very serious and practical question, without

Pulling It All Together

The Navidaters

Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

any definitive “right” or “wrong” answer. And, bear in mind that there is flexibility here. If a single tries one approach and finds that it isn’t working well, he or she can switch and try the other approach.

Keep in mind, however, that in our re ligion and culture, there is a precedent for what we would call minhag ha’medinah, meaning that we often follow the custom of a particular time and place.

For example, if we find ourselves in an Ashkenaz synagogue, we would join the congregants in reciting their version of the kedusha, and if we find ourselves in a Sephard synagogue, we would join the congregants in reciting their version of the kedusha.

After consulting with several local shadchanim, I found that their contempo rary protocol is to recommend disclosing negative information, such as a medical condition, only after three dates. And, be cause savvy singles understand this, they will, perhaps, not allow themselves to get too deeply involved emotionally until this crucial fourth date.

One local shadchan told me that she re cently witnessed two, similar experiences on clients’ fourth dates. In one instance, the boy revealed that he was deaf in one ear, and the girl responded that she had

a prematurely arthritic knee. In a second instance, the boy revealed that his parents had experienced an acrimonious divorce, and the girl responded that she had experi enced a broken wedding engagement.

In both cases, the couples’ relationships seemed to grow stronger after those revela tions, and they went on to marry and enjoy happy marriages.

In these types of situations, according to Dr. Yardana Hodkin, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology, NYU Langone Medical Center, “Mutually disclosing vul nerabilities can be a bonding experience and actually serve to propel the relation ship forward.”

Good luck, and here’s hoping that the New Year brings success to all our single young men and women.

he wants it. I don’t feel like this is a lie or omission; it simply feels private.

Dear Rachel, Thank you for writing to us!

While I certainly believe that honesty is the best policy and can understand your desire to “come clean” and weed out any one who would reject your son due to his medical condition, I just don’t think that medical conditions need to be disclosed on a resume. To me, a resume is a gener al overview of a person: family, school ing, hashkafa, likes and dislikes, hobbies, goals, personality traits, etc. It consists of anything you might talk about at the supermarket while running into a lovely

Mann, LCSW

acquaintance or person you know from the neighbor hood, shul, car pool, or work.

I’m not aware of any scientific formula for revealing personal medical in formation or any information of a private nature. I do believe this information be longs to your son, and he should only share it with women he is interested in, and he should share it fairly immediately. If he’s not interested in the young woman, he definitely does not have to share. In oth er words, he is entitled to some privacy, if

People are so much more than their resumes. A resume cannot capture the es sence of a human being. I think the pres sure that singles feel and the shame they feel because they have some “secret” (be it a medical condition, history of being abused, addiction in the family, divorce, all sorts of painful family dynamics, social anxiety, depression) is what is shameful. It is my opinion that everyone’s got something E.V.E.R.Y.O.N.E! Anyone who is invest ed in his/her personal growth has gone through or is going through something. Isn’t it interesting that we can all talk about the growth part, but we don’t readily talk about the what we’re growing because of part? The very thing that triggered our spiritual awakening is seen as shameful

or a secret because of a broken shidduch system. Well, this broken shidduch system is breaking people.

I really commend your desire to be forthcoming and honest. I have no doubt your son will figure out when is the appro priate time to share his medical condition. If people were as honest as you, the world would be a much better place! I think your query may open up some interesting dia logue in the homes of the readership about both honesty and privacy and what others are entitled to know about and what others get to be privileged to know about. In my opinion, every single potential match this side of the Mason Dixon Line does not de serve the privilege!

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.

Sincerely, Jennifer

No chosson or kallah comes perfectly wrapped in a box, straight off an assembly line.

School of Thought

By Etti Siegel

Q:

Dear Etti,

My child is very mature for his age and sees things in a straight and honest way. Some say it is a very black and white way of seeing the world. It makes it hard for him to understand other people who don’t have that maturity or understanding.

I think it is causing him issues in school, due to his low tolerance for the way other boys act out. It is even starting to cause issues with his rebbi and teacher, be cause he is always coming home and saying things are not fair.

Is there something I can do?

-Mother of Black and Whiter

A:

Dear Mother of Black and Whiter, Adolescence is a time of judge ment, of others and of themselves, as the almost-teen and teenager make sense of the world around them. That can lead to black and white thinking, wrong vs. right.

A parent’s (and teacher’s) job is to model and teach children perspective taking (along with the other thou sands of things they need to model and teach!).

Suppertime or bedtime can be a fun time to play, “What is the other side of the story?”

You repeat an incident, and then everyone has to think and try to say what might be happening. For ex ample, I might say, “I saw a Jewish lady get into a car on Shabbos.” This will prompt responses like, “Maybe she had an emergency and had to go the hospital on Shabbos.”

Another scenario, “A woman was rude and pushed her way into line at the grocery.”

Everyone can agree that perhaps it was rude, but still… “maybe her meter was running out.” “Maybe it was time to pick up her child from school and she just realized how late it was.”

This could lead into a small side conversation: “What could she have done differently?” (“Asked peo ple if they minded and told them why she was in a rush,” “Leave the cart and ask a cashier if she could continue shopping later,” etc.)

There are wonderful books with small stories in them that are great to use as a springboard. ArtScroll

Mrs. Etti Siegel

has two books that I know of on this topic. The Oth er Side of the Story and It Wasn’t How It Seemed by Rebbetzin Yehudis Samet are books that give scenar ios that seem so obvious, but when you see the other side of the story, you have a new perspective on the situation. Each story can be a lead into a family dis cussion. For younger chil dren, I Can Be Dan Lkaf Zchut by Sara Blau (Juda ica Press), There’s a Rea son Why by Brenda Weiss (Israel Bookshop) and Step into Their Shoes by Freidle Gayla Soban Biniashvili (Hachai Publishers) are a few of the assortment of interactive and fun to read books you can find on the topic of perspective taking that even bigger children can enjoy.

Aim magazine for kids has a dan l’kaf zchus weekly comic that gives a scenario and picture clues, but you need to wait until the following week to get the ex planation. They are currently running a contest that allows children to submit their dan l’kaf zchus own stories for prizes, which might be a great motivation

for your child to work on stretching his perspec tive taking muscles.

Fairness, or the lack thereof, is a big bone of contention among chil dren, especially in the tween years as they begin to compare and contrast themselves with what others have. Point out, when you can, in as ca sual a way that you can, when the child or the family is doing or getting something that others are not. You can even ask, “Hmmm. I wonder how others feel when they see this. I hope they under stand that they get and do things others don’t do as well!”

This is not something that is “fixed” overnight, but with practice, your black and white thinker will learn to recognize gray, and at the very least, accept that he is missing the other side of the story.

An added bonus? The positive time and attention he, and your other children, are getting from you!

over 35 years

sought-after

workshop

- Etti

Fairness, or the lack thereof, is a big bone of contention among children, especially in the tween years as they begin to compare and contrast themselves with what others have.

Parenting Pearls

A Sukkah of Truth and Joy

By Sara Rayvych, MSEd

Like most groups and classes these days, the Warrior Women fitness program that I attend at Warren Levi Martial Arts has its own WhatsApp chat to keep us informed of schedule changes, provide updates, and create a feeling of community. Occasionally, Coach/Sensei Rebecca, the head instruc tor, will post photos or videos (with per mission) taken during the workouts.

Besides teaching incredible classes, Coach/Sensei Rebecca is also talented at designing and editing videos and photos. Recently, she posted a video showing one of the women on a stationary bike (usu ally we don’t get anything as easy as sta tionary bikes). As playful and calm music was heard in the background, the video ran at a slightly slower speed. You could see the biker relaxedly peddling with her hair blowing in the breeze, peaceful and serene. For a moment you forget she was in a gym and not at the beach. During the last few seconds of the video, all special effects were removed and you saw the truth – someone peddling very hard but laughing that someone was filming her.

We all enjoyed the video and found it entertaining with many joking how much it resembled a professional commercial. I found it incredible how different the biker appeared with the addition of a few spe cial effects.

It also struck me how quickly decep tive the world around us can be. While the biking video was all in good fun, so much of the world around us can be con fusing and misleading.

There are so many potential themes for a Sukkos parenting article. We have everything from the practical aspects of teaching children the mitzvos to the phil osophical meanings behind the sukkah and arba minim. Sukkos is like a smor gasbord of topics. One recurring theme I find meaningful is the idea of the sukkah being a sanctuary of safety for our chil dren.

Ironically, we associate our homes of strong walls with security and strength, but it’s the temporary and fragile exis

tence of the sukkah that is where we go to find spiritual protection. As in the Mid bar, we can turn our humble abode into a place of fortitude for the next generation. It’s not the walls surrounding us but the light we create inside that determines the future.

The world around us has become in creasingly confusing as society tries to convince us that right is left, left is right, and immoral is moral. It’s just for times like these that we need to turn our home into a sukkah, a haven from the insanity, and create an abode of truth for our chil dren, a place where they can grow into yarei Shamayim.

Years ago, I initially attempted to shield my children from the outside world, keeping them in a cocoon of puri ty. It’s sad how much innocence the world has lost in just two decades. At that point in history, it was possible to keep the out side world where it belonged and protect my little ones from it; now that is a mere fantasy. In more recent years, I have still tried to maintain their innocence while having to increasingly inform them about the outside world, because if they don’t hear the truth from me, I’m afraid they’ll get it elsewhere.

Honestly, I never thought I would have to explain certain things to my chil dren, yet now these are commonplace. I won’t deny the difficulty in having these conversations. Still, we need to take the time to have these discussions and keep the channels of communication open. Whenever possible, they should hear the truth from us so they know we are the ones they can trust to answer them. Chas v’shalom should they go elsewhere when they don’t understand or have doubts.

As more and more of society creeps in, we need to fortify our youth with the truth of the Torah and pride in their her itage. Only once they know right is right, left is left, and Torah has the only truth can they step outside our doors to face the world around them. Only when we work together to educate our children in holiness and the ratzon Hashem will they recognize the sheker when it’s unfortu nately – but inevitably – present.

Being B’Simcha

Just before Rosh Hashana, as I pre pared to write this article, I read an excerpt from Rav Yaakov Bender on Chumash on that week’s parsha that dis cussed the importance of raising children

to recognize the joy of being a Jew and creating a home of happiness. I found it timely as regarding Sukkos we are told “v’samachta b’chagecha,” to rejoice in our holiday. It is precisely on Sukkos that we are told to be sameach.

I found the timing so relevant. Just as we are about to enter the yom tov that Hashem commands us to be b’simcha, we have another reminder of the importance of raising children in an environment of simcha to optimize their development as Jews.

Being Jewish and keeping the mitz vos should bring us joy and contentment. This may be one of the most important lessons we can pass on to our children. Being a Jew isn’t a punishment but a priv ilege. The mitzvos aren’t there to make our life difficult but to make it better and guide us in every step we will take. Often it takes the maturity of an adult to appre ciate how lost we would be without proper guidance and objective truth.

There’s such a pull to the society that surrounds us with so many mocking or hating us. Passing on the happiness along with our mesorah is one of the ma jor steps we can take to ensure that, with Hashem’s help, our children will follow in the derech ha’yashar.

The task is daunting, but we can al ways take hope from the lesson of the sukkah. A fragile, temporary building, containing mere branches as a roof, can withstand centuries of assaults against our values and contains hope in the most limited of circumstances. We have been around for thousands of years and have seen the rise and fall of all different kinds of insanity and “isms.” B’ezras Hashem, we will surpass it all and welcome the coming of Mashiach Tzidkeinu soon.

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.

Bringing the Lesson Upstairs

By Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz

One of the advantages of running your own shul is the opportunity to get to know your mispallelim’s children. As you do your Shabbos shul work and deal with Kiddush prepara tion, noise control, and directions to the playroom, you can get to know the regular young set as well as the grandchildren of the congregants. I have my “assistants” and wannabe helpers who politely ask, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

One Shabbos Chol Hamoed Sukkos, I caught up with a young man who had spent the first days of Sukkos with his Flatbush grandparents and cousins. The schmooze drifted around the grandfa ther’s career in chemistry, Chol Hamoed trips to the park, and the yeshivas at tended by the cousins. I had just read a saved magazine issue about the late Rav Chaim Yisroel Belsky, zt”l, so I shared a comment or two about the gadol who was proficient in science, technology and chemistry and rosh yeshiva at his cousin’s alma mater.

Bentzy and I began to trade stories about Rabbi Belsky’s chesed, hasmada, sports interests, and learning Russian the better to communicate with his immi grant Jewish neighbors. Eleven-year-old Bentzy was very well informed; someone in his life must have read the same arti cles I read.

Taking my rebbetzin role serious ly, I made it my business to tell Bentzy that Rabbi Belsky put tremendous effort and perseverance into acquiring skill sets when he was young. He wasn’t born great; he used to train himself to focus and stare at a coin for as long as he could. His objective during the exercise was to increase the time he could stay focused. There were other techniques he used to split his focus so that he could learn while simultaneously listening to someone else. It would be instructive for Bentzy to hear about the yegiah of the American gadol that he related to.

Later that very afternoon, my elevenyear-old granddaughter Yehudis and I

were sitting in the living room with our Sukkos magazine supplements in hand. It struck me that I should take the time to talk with her, not just read in compa niable silence, even though we had spent a full day together preparing for yom tov the day before.

Facing our easy chairs in the newly painted room was a blank seafoam green wall above the velvet couch. Squelching the desire to share my eureka moment about which of my newspaper-wrapped treasures should hang above my grand seating, I decided to play instructive Bubby and share something about my self. Why should only the shul kid who hung out with me while I cut cake learn something? My grandchildren are enti tled, too! I may not be Rabbi Belsky, but my granddaughter should know the truth and grow.

Silky and I are friends since our ear ly childhood; our parents were neigh bors in the same apartment building in Crown Heights during their early married years. So I didn’t hesitate to make the trip to Brooklyn early one late summer Sun

day morning to pay a shiva call after she lost her mother. Our conversations, which once had focused on paper dolls, teachers, and sheva brachos outfits, are currently centered on hosting adult children and running shuls.

The story she told me in rich detail rang in my ears that Sukkos afternoon and prompted my discussion with my granddaughter.

Silky recently did what today’s profes sional grandmothers do. She planned a Shabbos for all of her progeny and their progeny. It included welcome packages for each kid and trinkets for the mothers. The gathering was timed to coincide with her late husband’s yahrzeit. Everyone was looking forward to spending quality time together.

Shabbos morning, R’ Dovid M., one of her mispallelim, told her how emotional he was to see her beautiful doros and how beautifully the children he watched grow up were now raising their own children.

“It’s so sad that the grandfather is not here to see the nachas,” he concluded.

“Did R’ Dovid M. say anything to

you?” Silky asked her children and grand children later that afternoon.

Since the answer was negative, she re counted R’ Dovid’s comments about the absence of the grandfather.

“You don’t see the nachas either, Bub by,” responded a ten-year-old. “You only see the shmutz on the floor.”

Bullseye!!

Score: Many points for the grandson. Many lessons for the grandmothers.

Fast forward to my living room in Lawrence a few short weeks later Sukkos afternoon. Fearful that my grandchil dren will remember only the two new rules (food belongs on the second floor and toys and games belong on the third floor), I made a clean breast of it.

“You know, Yehudis, it’s nice to relax and read in a neat clean room like this one. My rooms were not always neat and clean.”

Shock and disbelief!!

“It’s not my nature to be organized and neat.”

Explanation ensued about the mess es, effort, and time I invested to develop housekeeping strategies and personal organization habits. Lots of details came out about how I trained myself to work methodically and finish one thing before starting the next. I told her how I gradual ly adopted habits of closing cabinet doors, putting away ingredients immediately af ter use, and cooking only two things at a time.

“Why don’t you blast music and work to the beat?” my granddaughter asked. We discussed acquisition of good work habits and how we manage the things we don’t like to do.

Some enlightenment dawned with the end of that Shabbos. There is still much to be done. A grandma’s educational work is never done, even if everyone knows the house rules.

JWOW! is a community for midlife Jewish women which can be accessed at www. jewishwomanofwisdom.org for conver sation, articles, Zoom events, and more.

a taste of the Best of Kosher

Coming this Chanukah from ArtScroll Mesorah Publications is the most incredible cookbook of all! The world’s top kosher cookbook authors come together to create the greatest collection of Kosher recipes – all in one book!

The Best of Kosher features 130 recipes, including 45 brand new ones, with beautiful new photos and rewritten introductions. Here is a sampling of two recipes from this upcoming new release.

Salmon RollS with CR azy-Good SauCe

By Sina mizrahi

I love stuffing all sorts of veggies into a summer roll and seeing them peek through the translucent rice paper. Here I combined salmon with creamy avocado, herby cilantro, scallions, and a touch of jalapeño for heat. I wouldn’t be opposed to a few slices of man go for fruity sweetness or a medley of sprouts and crunchy radish. The options are limitless. Things go over-the-top when the rolls get a short fry — the rice paper gets a glorious crisp — and are dipped into the eye-popping delicious sauce. It’s not to be missed.

Yield 10 rolls

i ngredients

» 1½ lb salmon fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces

» 1 tsp garlic powder

» ½ tsp sea salt

» ¼ tsp black pepper

» 2 Tbsp olive oil

Dipping Sauce

» 3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

» 1 Tbsp rice vinegar

» 1 Tbsp mirin

» 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

» 2 tsp maple syrup

» 2 tsp peanut butter

» 1 garlic clove, minced

» 1-inch ginger, minced

» ½ tsp chili flakes

» ½ tsp toasted sesame seeds

For Assembly

» ½ avocado, sliced

» 1 jalapeño, sliced

» 2-3 scallions, sliced

» 1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

» 10 rice papers

» Oil, for frying

» Sesame seeds

directions

Position a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to broil.

Place salmon into a baking dish; season with gar lic, salt, and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil; rub to coat. Broil until golden and cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Prepare the dipping sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Set aside.

Set up an assembly station with salmon, sliced av ocado, jalapeño, scallions, and cilantro. Coat a cutting board with oil.

Fill a wide bowl with lukewarm water. Immerse 1

sheet of rice paper into the water, leave it in for 30 sec onds or until the edges start curling. The paper should be pliable but still slightly firm. Place on the greased cutting board. Layer center with jalapeno slices, avo cado, scallions, cilantro, and salmon. Fold the edges over the filling to create a tight roll. Set aside; repeat with remaining rice paper and filling.

Heat a large, wide skillet over medium high heat. Add a thin layer of oil. Fry each roll on all sides until golden and crisp, 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat with the rest of the rolls. Place on a platter, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve with dipping sauce.

Tip! You can use leftover salmon in this dish.

BBQ SK i Rt Stea K CaeSa R Salad

By danielle Renov

The Caesar dressing really is the best non-dairy version, and I don’t say it lightly. Ask anyone who has made it!

In my original book, one of the salads had it paired with BBQ chicken, rice (crazy, I know, but so good!) and veg. It’s one of my family’s favorite dinners or Shabbos lunches, and lately I’ve been replacing the chicken with skirt steak and all the people are even happier! If serving on Shabbos day, take meat out of the fridge early in the morning and let it come to room temperature. You can also warm on the plata, on top of another dish, 30 minutes before serving.

i ngredients

» 4 cups chopped Romaine lettuce

» 2 cups arugula

» 1 red Belgian endive, cut into ¼-inch strips

» 2 shallots, thinly sliced

» 2 cups prepared white rice

Best Caesar Dressing Ever

» 2 tsp kosher salt

» 2 tsp black pepper

» Juice of 1 lemon

» 12 garlic cloves

» 4 tsp red wine vinegar

» 4 tsp fish-free

Worcestershire sauce

» ¼ cup Dijon mustard

» ¾ cup mayonnaise

» 1¹⁄3 cups oil

Steak

» 2¼ lb (1 kilo) skirt steak

» 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

» 2 cups favorite BBQ sauce, divided

» ¼ cup Franks hot sauce

» 3 Tbsp maple syrup

directions

Prepare the dressing: Place all ingredients except oil into a food processor fitted with the “S” blade. Pro cess until the garlic is well blended into the ingredi ents. While processor is running, slowly drizzle in oil. Dressing will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Cut steak into 5-inch pieces. Place into a large bowl; fill to cover with cold water. Add vinegar. Stir and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Drain, rinse, and return to the bowl. Add 1½ cups BBQ sauce, hot sauce, and maple syrup, mix to coat. Allow to marinate for 1 hour.

Preheat grill pan over medium high heat. Cook skirt steak for 4 minutes on the first side and 3 minutes on the second side. Remove steak from pan and im mediately brush with remaining BBQ sauce. Set aside.

Prepare the salad: Place veggies into a large, wide bowl; add warm rice. Toss to combine. Dress salad with Best Caesar Dressing Ever (you may have extra).

Slice skirt steak against the grain into ½-inch slic es; fan meat over the salad. Drizzle with any accumu lated juices. Serve and enjoy!

Tip! If you don’t want to grill the steak, you can broil it! Place the steak on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the lower middle section of the oven. Broil for 5 minutes on the first side, then flip (brush second side with any of the accumulated juic es) and broil for another 4 minutes.

Preorder your copy of Best of Kosher now at ArtScroll. com or Amazon.com.

In The K tchen

Raspberry Barbecue Chicken

By Naomi Nachman

Don’t you love when you can cook up something so fast with just a few ingredients you find in your pantry? I made this on my Instagram account last week with ingredients that were in my pantry. I had so much great response I knew I had to share it with my Jewish Home readers. You can also double the recipe and freeze one batch.

Ingredients

◦ Family package pargiyot, about 3-4 pounds

Your favorite spice rub (I used Rivky Kleimans Spice Rub Simple Gourmet Chili Lime)

Kosher salt

Glaze

2 TBS balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup raspberry jam

3/4 cup barbecue sauce.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Season both sides of chicken with spice rub and salt.

Bake pargiyot for 20 minutes.

While it’s cooking, mix all glaze ingredients together.

Remove chicken from oven, then pour glaze over chicken and bake for another 20 minutes.

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.

Mind Y ur Business

Abe Breuer: King of the Yes Attitude

This column features business insights from a recent “Mind Your Business with Yitzchok Saftlas” radio show. The weekly “Mind Your Business” show –broadcasting since 2015 – features interviews with Fortune 500 executives, business leaders and marketing gurus. Prominent guests include John Sculley, former CEO of Apple and Pepsi; Dick Schulze, founder and Chairman Emeritus of Best Buy; and Beth Comstock, former Vice Chair of GE; among over 400+ senior-level executives and business celebrities. Yitzchok Saftlas, president of Bottom Line Marketing Group, hosts the weekly “Mind Your Business” show, which airs at 10pm every Sunday night on 710 WOR and throughout America on the iHeartRadio Network.

On a recent 710 WOR “Mind Your Business” broadcast, Yitzchok Saftlas (YS) spoke with guest Abe Breuer (AB), CEO of John To Go.

YS: So, tell us about your background. Were you dreaming about this when you were 10 years old?

AB: When you ask a kid, “What do you want to be when you grow up,” who says, “I want to be in the portable toilet business”? So, the answer is very sim ple. Technically, I’m in the portable toi let business, but I’m really in the money business. If you would have asked me at 10 years old, the little kid that had ADHD,

couldn’t sit tight in school, and was doing all these little things, trading with kids, I probably would have answered you that I wanted to be in the money business, to be successful, to be wealthy. Now, if you would have asked me what vehicle was go ing to get me there, if it’s going to be por table toilets, no, I wouldn’t have had that idea. But I did know that I would have absolute commitment to doing whatever it takes and getting it done. That probably would have been my answer.

Would I have known it would be this? No, but here I am, proud of what we have created. And when I say “we,” it’s abso lutely not just me. It’s the hundreds of people that work for the company na tionwide.

Could you tell us the backstory of John To Go?

In 2004, I was 24 years old, with ADHD, and got kicked out of yeshiva high school. What I loved at the time was real estate, and in 2004, construction was amazing. It was all over the place, booming. I had never looked at myself as a businessman but as a real estate guy. I wanted to be a part of that construction boom, because I knew it wasn’t going to last forever.

I knew a couple of things that I wanted to do. First, I didn’t want to be in compe tition with another seven people. Second, I didn’t want to open a company where I could create my own competition. So, I knew I wanted to be in the service-based

business. But I also know if I was an electrician or a plumber, essentially, I’m just creating another competing electri cian or plumber. I knew I needed to get into something that was going to cost me money, so not every Joe Schmo could get into that business. And that combination basically got me thinking that essential ly what I’m creating for myself is some thing where I’m willing to work very hard where most people will not, because if you don’t have to work very hard, you’re cre ating your competition.

Portable toilets weren’t much of an industry then. I sort of got an idea of what the tristate area was pulling in on waste systems for events, construction, and other places where you don’t have

permanent waste. I figured that if I could take a little bit from these 5-7 companies that were out there, I could create a mul timillion-dollar company.

on that company, trust me, I wasn’t. You couldn’t even call it a company. But the point is, it was still $670,000 in gross revenue, which was not enough to pay anybody. It was just another liability to be able to put diesel into the trucks.

In 2007, the market crashed, and the whole real estate industry turned on its head. You’ve said that you lost ev erything. Could you share a bit about that?

People that know me know I’m em bedded into John To Go, because my lesson to people is that if you’re not in terested in being 150% invested in what you do, at the end of the day, you’re not going to be successful. So, what people need to understand is that in 2004, when I opened the company, it was just another thing. I was not involved on a day-to-day basis. My thing was real estate. At that time, when you were buying a house, let’s say for $100,000, and you rehabbed it for $40,000, and that settles for $200,000, that’s the added value. You bought a piece of property, there’s an added value to it. You put some money into it, and you make some money.

The problem with that model is that when you have a lot of people buying houses and not a lot in the market, then your $60,000 profit becomes $50K, $40K, $30K, and $20K. And then some people start making mistakes, because they don’t have the luxury of saying, “Okay, I’m going to start buying because I have all these offices and people I need to feed.”

In 2004, when you bought a foreclo sure property for $100,000, all you had to do is hold on to it for 2-5 months. And be cause the market was so soaked up, that house by itself without any added value went to $120K, $130K, $140K, $150K. So, our business model was we basically bought up these 1,2,3,4 family houses, put them into inventory, had enough money from partners (at the time, I had 65 part ners) to float them for three months and six months, and just offloaded them at the higher price. We made a whole bunch of money, and so on.

Needless to say, when the crash of 2007 happened, we had around $50 mil lion worth of inventory in our hands. So essentially, not only because the market went high, but because it went so down, we lost basically everything, in a com bination of around $40+ million to the banks and around $4.5 million for private people that I had to pay back.

At the time, I still had John To Go, which did sales of $670,000 a year. So, when I’m telling you I was not focused

Let’s talk about some valuable lessons that came from that.

Our amazing COO, Angelo Martinez, put up a saying at our weekly meeting. “If you’re not willing to learn, I can’t help you. But if you are committed to learning, I can’t stop you.”

At first, I thought I knew everything. I was a stone. But I took that stone and started turning into a sponge. I’m so spongy, that I’m learning every day. If I can’t keep on learning, then there’s a problem.

A second thing I learned is that some thing you did today isn’t going to happen tomorrow. If you had a closing today, don’t think for a second that it’s in your

stand out. I needed to be bold and aggres sive. So, when we went into the portable toilet idea, I immediately knew that I wanted the outcome of what the business would bring me, not the business itself. When you’re young, you want to be the biggest portable toilet guy, the biggest cameraman, etc. But the only people that need to be the biggest are people that are self-promoting, actors, singers, DJs, etc. I didn’t have to be the biggest portable toilet guy; I just need to be big enough to basically mirror the amount of money I would like to have. There’s two ways to do that. I could be the same as everybody else or I could stand out. What I’ve just said to you is called, in one word, “mar keting.”

I realized that 99.9%, if not 100%, of companies that I looked at in 2004 were the typical blue Port-A-John, old truck, he’s doing his oil changes himself, his wife is his bookkeeper. They have no literature, bio, or website. That’s not for me. I need to be standing out to the

there that does not plateau. So, what does a business do on a plateau? The answer is twofold.

The first is that if you’re only in a spe cific market, you open up another mar ket. That opens up more people to come to you.

The second thing is you open up some thing new in your market, for an exam ple, Tesla’s doing the pickup trucks, Am azon went in and started doing the video streaming, different markets. I could come out with everything out there, or I could come out with everything that I need plus what others don’t have, to serve everybody. But I still need places where when I plateau, I keep on moving, such as different areas, like VIP To Go.

You take such a positive outlook. How do you build that mindset?

hands. There’s a bigger world, and Hash em is running everything. So, that was one of the biggest lessons at the time.

The third lesson I could tell you is that I realized the reason I was calling myself a real estate investor and not a businessman was because I wasn’t really committed to working hard. Or at least, I was committed to work equally as hard as I could play hard. In 2007-2008, my house went into foreclosure, my fancy cars got impounded. When you lose ev erything, you realize everything you were doing was so shallow and for today, that you weren’t thinking about what’s going to happen tomorrow. So, my commitment in 2007-2008, when I started doing what I had to be doing, is that I was working for 6,7,8 years as a portable toilet truck driv er. If you don’t want to shake my hand, I get it. But the point is, that’s exactly what I was doing for a couple of years, and that’s the commitment that’s needed.

point where when somebody calls up to my office, they wouldn’t say, “I want to rent a Port-A-John,” but, “I want to rent a John To Go.” So, we looked into colors and asked, “What colors are available out there? What kind of colors can’t be rented out at events?” Light pink is a nice color, but it’s not going to work at events. Purple was a color that was very rarely used. So, to date, other than a couple of different colors mixed in because of the smaller companies we buy out, basically 85% of our toilets are purple. Our website, our trucks are brand new, beautiful, clean, and purple. That’s the John To Go brand.

There was an article in The New York er magazine back in 2017 that named me “the king of what we do,” and I’ll tell you, I’m not the king of that at all. I’m the king of the yes attitude. The example I always give the staff in the office is like this: we are a portable toilet company. So, if somebody calls up and asks, “Can you do triple bypass surgery on me?” obviously, there’s no yes attitude over there. I have to say no. But if somebody calls up and says they want to have something within the realm of what we do, but every other company said no, we will say yes. We will do anything and everything that we can do to get it done. And that’s pushed us up on the chart a lot.

You always need to be with that yes attitude. That will put you on the right track. And the right track usually pays handsomely.

Let’s talk about your purple branding. Why is branding so important?

From day one, I was given the priv ilege of standing out because I’m a red head. So, I knew in business I needed to

Now, you reach different segments through John To Go and VIP To Go. What would you say to companies that are trying to be everything to everyone?

One, realize that not every day is Cha nukah. You’re not going to make what you made on a good day every day. If you had a good Monday and pulled out 100 grand, Tuesday is going to be a $30,000 day, and Wednesday may be a $15,000 day. What that says is that business plateaus at some point. There isn’t a single business out

“I’m so spongy, that I’m learning every day.”

Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

I don’t mind being taxed more. I wrote a blog 20 years ago saying it’s the most patriotic thing you can do, after military service, is pay your taxes, because that’s what allows everybody to live and to prospect. But yeah, the idea of “soak the rich” …. [Jump in a lake] Elizabeth Warren; you’re everything that’s wrong with politics.

– Billionaire Mark Cuban talking about Sen. Elizabeth Warren (DMA) at a conference

Sadly, and with a broken heart, I can no longer say that my hometown of San Diego is the greatest place in the world. I can no longer say that SD is a safe, healthy, clean, and beautiful place. I can no longer urge my family, friends, tourists, and businesses to come to SD to live, work, and play.

– NBA legend Bill Walton writing on social media after he was assaulted by a homeless man

I can no longer say that our neighborhood for the last 43 years is still my dream. I am brokenhearted, Mayor @toddgloria – clean up our city, and let us reclaim our lives. We must fix our homeless crisis. We need engagement, rehabilitation, and constant enforcement, and we need it now.

- Ibid.

I’m doing fan—fantastic and it’s not about kicking balls in the authority or anything.

- Pennsylvania’s Democratic senate candidate John Fetterman, who had a stroke and has mostly stayed out of sight, when asked at the start of a rare appearance on TV how he is feeling

Plenty of liberals also want to abuse history to control the present, and last month, a scholar named James Sweet caught [outrage] for calling them out for doing just that. He criticized the phenomenon known as “presentism,” which means judging everyone in the past by the standards of the present. It’s the belief that people who lived 100 or 500 or 1,000 years ago really should have known better, which is so stupid. It’s like getting mad at yourself for not knowing what you know now when you were ten…

Who doesn’t have moments from your past that make you cringe? ... You ate dirt, you wanted to be a Ghostbuster, you shoplifted gum, you tried to be a white breakdancer … read Ayn Rand. I smoked, I was into numerology. You had to grow into the person you would become…

Did Columbus commit atrocities? Of course. But people back then were generally atrocious. Everybody who could afford one had a slave, including people of color. The way people talk about slavery these days, you’d think it was a uniquely American thing that we invented in 1619. But slavery throughout history has been the rule, not the exception: the Sumerians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs, the British, the early Americans, all the way up through R. Kelly…

But in today’s world, when truth conflicts with narrative, it’s the truth that has to apologize. Being woke is like a magic moral time machine, where you judge everybody against what you imagine you would have done in 1066, and you always win.

-Bill Maher, HBO

I probably went to shul more than many of you did. That’s where I received my education.

-President Joe Biden, a Catholic, at a White House reception for the Jewish High Holidays, referring to visiting the Conservative synagogue in his hometown

My name is Linda Paulson, Republican and awesome. I love G-d and family and the Constitution. I tried to get another conservative to run. Nobody could do it so I’m getting it done.

- Linda Paulson, 80, running for state senate in Utah, in a rap campaign video that is going viral

At the core of inflation – and it’s out of control, especially in food – is evil. Our desire to control us. When I was a child, my parents said, never take candy from a stranger. And they’re giving out candy, incentivizing people not to work. They’re taking away our purpose, our spirit, our reason to get up every day. And they’re doing it without their own candy. They’re taking our candy, and using it to incentivize us not to, that’s very inflationary.

- Goya CEO Bob Unanue on Fox News

Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie? She must not be here.

- Pres. Joe Biden at an event trying to locate Congresswoman Jackie Walorski at an event last week (Jackie was killed in a car crash two months ago)

The president was naming the congressional champions on this issue and was acknowledging her incredible work... She was on his mind

- White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre explaining the President’s faux pas

I have John Lennon top of mind just about every day, but I’m not looking around for him.

- A reporter in response

Sometimes I feel really powerful when I do that, but sometimes I also feel really small, and I feel like I’m nothing. Being able to do that makes me feel free.

- Nathan Paulin, who set a new record for highline walking when he walked a distance of 7,218 feet over Mont-Saint-Michel, France

It is significant that we are here together in Tokyo. In where we also share a common goal and dedication to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific. And the work that we will continue to do to ensure that we are guided by what we are joined in in terms of international rules and norms.

- Vice Pres. Kamala Harris in Tokyo

We have a brand. New York has a brand. Kansas doesn’t have a brand… Brand means diversity. That brand means we care. That brand means that we are compassionate.

– NYC Mayor Eric Adams

Kansas has KS wheat, Jayhawk basketball, KS beef, and the Wizard of Oz. What’s New York Mayor Adams’ brand? Violence, murder, homelessness, and high taxes? I’ll take Kansas any day.

-Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) in response

I can tell you in the state of Florida, you never know what may be lurking behind somebody’s home. And I would not want to chance that if I were you — given that we’re a Second Amendment state.

– Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warning people not to loot

We have to address this in a way that is about giving resources based on equity, understanding that we fight for equality… If we want people to be in an equal place, sometimes we need to take into account those disparities and do that work.

- Vice President Harris declaring that that “communities of color” would be first in line for Hurricane Ian relief

Political Crossfire

Unlike Trump, DeSantis is Showing a Populist Can Be Presidential in a Crisis

By Marc A. Thiessen

I

f you want to understand why Flori da Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) represents such a threat to Democrats in the next presidential election, watch his hurricane news briefings – and compare them with Donald Trump’s briefings during the pan demic.

Like Trump, DeSantis is a political counterpuncher who relishes taking the fight to the left. He punched back at sanc tuary-city advocates by flying planes of illegal migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. He punched back against the progressive education establishment by signing a law banning critical race theory in Florida schools. He punched back against Disney after it demagogued his bill to protect the parental rights of Floridians by remov ing its special tax status. He punched back against Democrats who smeared GOP election integrity laws as racist by signing a sweeping voting overhaul bill. And he punched back against the perpet ual-lockdown establishment by fighting vaccine and mask mandates and making his state a bastion of freedom during the pandemic. All this has endeared him to Republican voters in Florida, where he ap pears to be cruising to reelection – and made him the leading potential challenger to Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

But as Hurricane Ian approached, DeSantis did something Trump seemed unable or unwilling to do: He flipped a switch and became the very model of a chief executive leading in a time of cri sis. At his news briefings, he has been all business – updating Floridians on the growing strength of the storm, evacuation plans for those in vulnerable locations,

instructions for finding shelter and the deployment of line crews to restore pow er in affected areas; he outlined plans to address gasoline shortages and cellphone service blackouts and warned citizens not to drive through flooded roads. He demonstrated bipartisanship, praising President Biden’s emergency declaration and pledging to work hand in hand with his administration.

“You’ve got people’s lives at stake, you’ve got their property at stake, and we don’t have time for pettiness,” DeSantis told reporters Tuesday. “We gotta work to gether to make sure we’re doing the best job for them.”

DeSantis understands that in a crisis, when Americans are scared and confused, they want information and they want ac tion – not political theater.

Contrast this with Trump’s daily Covid-19 news briefings, which he report edly compared proudly to a Mike Tyson

boxing match. But frightened Americans didn’t want to watch a prize fight – they wanted reassurance. Instead, they got insults, jarring shouting matches with reporters, attacks on “unappreciative” governors, and stream-of-consciousness speculation about sunlight and bleach. While Americans were terrified of a vi rus that was killing thousands, they heard Trump boasting about how his “ratings” were incredible. It got so bad that his own his advisers reportedly begged him to halt the briefings – which he eventually did. But by then, the damage was done. In mid-March of 2020, 50.6 percent ap proved of Trump’s handling of the pan demic, but by April, his approval numbers had begun cratering. In July, his approv al rating was 38 percent: He had lost the American people and never recovered.

The sad part is, his pandemic response was actually quite strong. He shut down travel with China in January, which even

Anthony S. Fauci admitted saved lives. He procured nearly 200,000 ventilators and deployed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build $660 million worth of emergency field hospitals across the country – most of which never treated a single patient. The bipartisan Cares Act he signed into law averted a second Great Depression. And he launched Operation Warp Speed, which produced a vaccine against the virus in less than a year – one of the greatest public health achievements in history – and paved the way for the end of the pandemic. But all of those accom plishments were overshadowed by the unpresidential behavior that alienated millions of Americans who were looking to him for leadership.

If Trump had carried himself then like DeSantis is performing today, he would probably still be in the Oval Office.

DeSantis understands this. And he is showing that, unlike the 45th president, he can take the fight to Biden one day and work with him to help storm-battered Flo ridians the next. He can provoke the left like a conservative populist, but also gov ern like a conservative reformer and lead like a president in times of crisis. Watch ing him manage this crisis, conservatives should see a leader who can give them ev erything they love about Trump, without the belligerence and bad judgment. Even before the hurricane, a poll of Florida Re publicans – the voters who know him best – showed him leading Trump by eight points in a hypothetical primary.

To see why, just watch his next news briefing.

Political Crossfire

The West Should Hunker Down Against Putin’s Latest Aggression

By David Ignatius

Here’s President Vladimir Putin’s plan to salvage his ruinous mis take of invading Ukraine: Ignore defeat. Redraw the borders. Burn the dip lomatic exit ramps. Threaten nuclear war. Do anything but back down.

Think of Putin as a gambler who took the biggest risk of his career when he in vaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. None of his big bets have turned out right since, and he has lost nearly every hand. Yet he has chained himself to the table, and he appears ready to wager everything to intimidate his ad versaries and make them fold.

Putin’s annexation of four regions in Ukraine, likely to be announced Friday, is a desperation ploy. He may try to dress it up as victory, claiming that he has now achieved the aims of his “special military operation” and can pause for the winter to regroup. Nonsense. This is the most blatantly illegal attempt to seize territory since Adolf Hitler tried to swallow Europe in World War II.

Simple advice to Ukraine and its allies in the United States and Europe: Hun ker down. Ride out the short-term pain. Don’t fold, but don’t shoot for the moon, either. Resist the pressure to match Putin’s wild nuclear threats. The truth is that he’s holding a weak hand. The longer he stays in, the worse his situation will become. His compulsive addiction to Ukraine will eventually be fatal. Patience is the West’s secret weapon.

The right strategy now is an updat ed version of the Cold War approach of “containment.” Draw firm lines. Help Ukraine inflict as much pain on Putin as possible while continuing to avoid a direct U.S.-Russian conflict unless Putin takes the mad step of going nuclear. Let the rot in the Russian system take effect, weak ening Putin month by month. Encourage the disintegration of Russian power along its borders – by welcoming Finland and

Sweden to NATO and the growing inde pendence of countries such as Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan. Ex ploit the growing tension between Moscow and Beijing.

To Putin’s annexations through fake referendums, the world should respond: No way! And as nations spurn Putin’s sov ereignty claim, they also reject his nuclear threats to protect it. For a kicker, let’s ask the Chinese whether they think an inde pendence referendum in Taiwan would make it independent.

With his takeovers, Putin has burned the diplomatic lifeboats that might have rescued him. Ukrainian President Volo dymyr Zelensky, who in March appeared ready to negotiate a deal that would have given Putin working control of Crimea and the Donbas region, now says that after Friday’s expected seizures, there will be nothing to negotiate. Putin might want a frozen conflict, but he will have a hot one. Ukrainian soldiers are still advancing in Kherson, Luhansk, and Donetsk. And Ukrainian partisan fighters are killing Russian occupiers and their local puppets every day.

Putin thinks he can outlast the West. He’s convinced that the United States and Europe are decadent and weak, destabi lized by the internal political feuds that he himself has covertly encouraged. He has a weirdly unbalanced persecution complex about the West. He sees NATO as an im placable foe that’s determined to humiliate Russia; yet he treats President Joe Biden and other Western leaders with contempt, as weak and indecisive. The West in his mind is at once a lion and a mouse.

Let’s look carefully at Putin’s situation as he takes this latest step of annexing territory and threatening nuclear war if Ukraine tries to take it back. It’s a very fragile position and all the more danger ous for that.

Putin’s war has broken his social con tract with the Russian people. The deal was that if Russians stayed out of politics, Putin would ensure rising standards of living and would stay out of their private lives. That formula has gone bust. The oligarchs have abandoned him; smart young Russians are fleeing the country, if they can; right-wing protesters are ranting on television, and left-wing protesters are in the streets.

Putin’s “partial mobilization” of the Russian army has proved a demonstra tion of everything that’s wrong with the country. Young Russians, the sturdy folk who defeated the Nazis, are attacking re cruiters, breaking their own bones rather than serve the dictator. Putin wanted to mobilize 300,000 Russians. Nearly that many appear to be fleeing the country to avoid service. There’s a good reason Putin put off this mobilization; he knew it would rend the Russian social fabric.

This is a long game. It might be that Putin’s forced annexation of Ukrainian territory won’t be undone for years, until he is gone as leader. He presides over a basket of snakes, but they’re more likely to bite each other than Putin. A year ago, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu seemed a potential successor to Putin; now he’s a likely fall guy, along with Valery Gerasi mov, the chief of the general staff of the armed forces. Ambitious courtiers wait in the wings, such as former prime minister Sergei Kiriyenko, who is running Putin’s sham referendums, and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

How would we know that Putin is in trouble? Tension within the Russian se curity services would be one sign; another would be open revolt from the military, which is being asked to do an impossible job; a third would be the rise of regional warlords – local governors or others who control resources – as internal chaos mounts.

But don’t expect any easy outs. Putin built power by avoiding stabs in the back. The man who can’t lose will pretend – with his forced annexations – that he is winning. But this week’s moves are the clearest sign yet that Putin, his army crumbling and his allies vanishing, has made the biggest mis judgment of his life.

Political Crossfire

Four Years after Khashoggi’s Murder, Assaults on Press Freedom are Getting Worse

By David Ignatius

On the fourth anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, we should demand accountability from Sau di Arabia, louder than ever. But we should also denounce, as Khashoggi would have, the assaults against press freedom in so many other countries that continue un abated – and often go unremarked.

Khashoggi’s last column, received by The Washington Post the day after he went missing, was about the need for “free expression” not just in Saudi Arabia but everywhere that authorities try to sup press and intimidate journalists. He called for “a modern version of the old transna tional media so citizens can be informed about global events.” How right he was. This is a global problem, and it’s getting worse.

After Khashoggi’s killing, many gov ernments tried to pretend they were friends of the press by denouncing the Saudis who murdered him. They wrapped themselves in the cloak of his martyrdom. But these leaders should be accountable for their countries’ crimes against the me dia, too – just as we demand justice from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Sal man, who authorized the operation that led to Khashoggi’s death.

The global assault on journalists is a pervasive fact of modern life. According to data compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists, 1,455 journalists have been killed around the world since 1992; 1,979 have been imprisoned; 69 have gone missing. Even as they attack reporters, many of these countries profess support for United Nations norms and offer pledg es of human rights.

High on the list of press hypocrites, alas, is Turkey – the nation where

Khashoggi was killed. Turkey made a show of prosecuting the murder, including welcoming The Post ’s owner, Jeff Bezos, to Istanbul in 2019 to mark the first an niversary of Khashoggi’s slaying. Turkish prosecutors were the stars of documenta ries about the case. But Turkey dropped the prosecution this year when it became politically inconvenient after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan decided to mend fences with MBS, as the Saudi leader is known.

Turkey was an especially unlikely de fender of press freedom anyway, given its abysmal record at home. Since 1992, according to the CPJ statistics, 378 jour nalists in Turkey have been killed or im prisoned or have gone missing.

Iran is another country that ruthless ly suppresses journalists and gets away with it. Of the 170 journalists that have been killed or imprisoned or have gone missing in Iran since 1992, CPJ reports,

112 were jailed for supposed “anti-state” comments and 13 were imprisoned for al leged “religious insults.” The recent death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was arrested for allegedly violating rules man dating headscarves has triggered nation wide protests. Iran’s response as it tried to beat demonstrators into submission: Turn off the internet and suppress public discussion.

Iran is one of scores of countries where telling the truth can get a journalist thrown in jail. At The Post, we remember the outrageous imprisonment for 544 days of our colleague Jason Rezaian. He’s now a leading voice in the campaign for press freedom everywhere.

The global anger at MBS for the Khashoggi killing has been inspiring, but in focusing on him, we shouldn’t overlook all the other countries that scorn freedom of the press. The roll of shame includes China, where 229 journalists have been

killed or imprisoned or have gone miss ing since 1992; Ethiopia, with 134 such attacks; Egypt, with 112, Russia, with 97; Mexico, with 85, according to CPJ’s count.

Press freedom is indivisible. It’s a ba sic human right. U.S. journalists have a stake in the safety of their colleagues in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and China because we all live in the same world of informa tion. News and commentary should move as freely about the planet as air and water. That’s what Khashoggi came to believe; it’s what he died for.

Khashoggi’s writing reminds us that truth-telling has an impact, even when it seems like a lost cause. When Khashoggi dared to speak out as a Post contributor about a country that historically has sup pressed journalists, he became a powerful voice. When he kept telling the truth, even when threatened back home, he became a hero and ultimately a martyr.

Khashoggi wrote in that last piece that the Arab world was confronting “an Iron Curtain, imposed not by external actors but through domestic forces vying for power.” Friends advised him to stop push ing so hard, to compromise with MBS, to accept limits on his own freedom of ex pression.

But Khashoggi wouldn’t. He walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul four years ago determined to write the truth as he saw it and to hold powerful people accountable for their lies. His death gal vanized anger against MBS and the mur derous Saudi regime. But Jamal would be the first to tell us that press freedom is a global problem – and that truth-tellers everywhere need our support.

Political Crossfire

Russia, Drawn Deeper into Ukraine, Loses Grip on Conflict on Its Periphery

By David Ignatius

As Russia moves deeper into the Ukraine quagmire, the Kremlin is losing its military and diplo matic ability to mediate the long-running conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan – and the Biden administration is moving to fill that void.

National security adviser Jake Sulli van this week hosted what he called “di rect and constructive talks” with Armen Grigoryan and Hikmet Hajiyev, his coun terparts from Armenia and Azerbaijan, respectively. The meeting followed onthe-ground mediation efforts by Philip Reeker, the State Department’s senior adviser for the Caucasus region.

The White House meeting produced a “road map” for further peace negotiations between the two countries, according to Lilit Makunts, Armenia’s ambassador to Washington. The next step, she told me, will be a meeting in early October in Ge neva between the two countries’ foreign ministers, joined by Reeker and a Eu ropean Union diplomat. The talks were “evidence of strong engagement with the U.S.,” Makunts said.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought a series of bitter battles over the disput ed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azer baijan lost the territory in a 1994 war, but it regained control of broad swaths after heavy fighting in 2020. Russia ne gotiated a cease-fire that November and subsequent peace talks. But Moscow has failed to contain the conflict since then. Azerbaijan invaded Armenia this month, opening another bloody round.

Russia’s failure to broker peace in the Caucasus might be the clearest sign yet of how the Ukraine war has enfeebled Mos cow’s power to enforce solutions along its borders. The Russian military, badly stretched, hasn’t been able to play the peacekeeping role it promised between Armenia and Azerbaijan. And its diplo

matic efforts are now mistrusted by both sides.

Moscow is having similar problems in other spots around its periphery. Sweden and Finland have abandoned neutrality and moved to join NATO. Kazakhstan’s

of U.S. Central Command, this summer despite Russian objections. The post-Sovi et “empire” is visibly fraying at the seams.

Russia’s disarray appears to be push ing Armenia toward greater cooperation with the United States. The Armenians,

Security Treaty Organization, Moscow’s attempt to create a NATO-like regional alliance. But the CSTO did nothing.

Grigoryan, the secretary of the Ar menian security council, explained in an interview the purpose of his visit to Wash ington this week: “I’m here to discuss how we can strengthen U.S.-Armenian relations.” Areas of potential cooperation included security, energy, diplomacy and economic relations, he said. The founda tion of the relationship would be “democ racy strengthening democracy.”

Whether the expanding U.S.-Arme nian relationship will extend to military cooperation remains unclear. Armenia’s defense minister visited the Pentagon in September. Armenia needs better train ing and equipment for its military, which was badly outmatched in the last war with Azerbaijan. But there’s no visible sign of U.S. military assistance.

A catalyst for improved U.S.-Arme nian relations was the visit to Yerevan on Sept. 17 by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, which came soon after Azerbaijan’s at tack. Grigoryan said Pelosi’s trip checked further escalation. “That visit gives hope that Armenia is not alone in its struggle,” he said.

On the visceral question of Armenia’s relationship with Turkey, there are also small glimmers of change. Ankara contin ues to deny the 1915 Ottoman genocide, the darkest event in Armenian history. But Grigoryan said discussion of “normal ization” with Ankara has begun, and the leaders of the two countries have agreed in principle to open their borders to tran sit, initially by third-country nationals.

president has denounced the Ukraine war as a “hopeless situation” and opened his border to Russians fleeing President Vladimir Putin’s military mobilization. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan welcomed vis its by Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, the head

surrounded by hostile neighbors, have long looked to Moscow for protection, despite their country’s democratic, pro-Western political orientation. When Azerbaijan attacked this month, Armenia requested urgent help from the Collective

“We expect it to happen as soon as possible,” Grigoryan said of this border opening. But as always in such diplomatic gambits, the devil is in the details.

Russia’s failure to broker peace in the Caucasus might be the clearest sign yet of how the Ukraine war has enfeebled Moscow’s power to enforce solutions along its borders.

Jewish History

Berkeley’s Version Of “Ghetto Benches”

by Rafael Medoff

The decision to bar “Zionist” speakers from meetings of stu dent groups at the University of California-Berkeley School of Law has been described by some critics as cre ating “Jewish-free zones,” as during the Holocaust.

A closer historical analogy, however, would be to the infamous “ghetto bench es” established on some European col lege campuses in the 1930s.

In many universities in pre-World War II Poland, antisemitic faculty and students humiliated Jewish students by forcing them to sit in the back of class rooms. Those areas came to be known as the “ghetto benches.” In some instances, the benches were marked with the first letter of the name of the Jewish student group on campus – a kind of precursor to the Nazi practice (first instituted in German-occupied Poland, in fact) of identifying Jews via a badge or ID card bearing a Star of David and the letter “J” or the word “Jude.”

If there were insufficient seats in the back of the Polish classrooms, the Jew ish students were made to stand, even if there were empty seats elsewhere in the room. Jewish students who ignored the regulation were often assaulted, and those who boycotted classes in protest were severely penalized.

The Polish Ministry of Education at first opposed the practice, on the grounds that it violated the treaties that Poland had signed after World War I to protect ethnic minorities. But under pressure from antisemitic student or ganizations, the ministry ruled in 1937 that individual universities had the right to decide their own seating policies.

The intensification of such practices triggered some protests abroad. More than one thousand American profes sors and university presidents signed a petition denouncing the ghetto benches as “alien to the spirit of academic free

dom.” Several thousand British academ ics joined a similar protest.

Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, America’s most prominent Jewish leader, raised the issue of anti-Jewish discrimination in Poland when he met with President Franklin D. Roosevelt in January 1938. Wise was shocked and disappointed by FDR’s response.

In a private memo for his files –not intended for publication – Wise described how President Roosevelt blamed the alleged Jewish domination of the Polish economy for provoking an tisemitism. The problem, FDR asserted, was that “the Jewish grain dealer and the Jewish shoe dealer and the Jewish shopkeeper” were squeezing out their non-Jewish competition. And that, Roosevelt claimed, was the reason that many Polish Christians began saying “the Jew should go.”

Wise protested that blaming Po land’s Jews was “pure Fascist talk,” but the president was unmoved, according to the memo. “It was,” Wise wrote, “like a blow in the face” to hear Roosevelt’s remarks.

The president’s attempt to lay the blame for antisemitism in Poland at the

feet of Jewish shopkeepers could not, of course, account for the spread of an tisemitism in nearby countries, includ ing Austria and Romania, where “ghet to benches” likewise were instituted. In Romania, the practice was extended even to Jewish reporters covering par liament.

When Rabbi Wise raised the issue of Romanian Jews in that meeting with President Roosevelt, FDR told him to “talk about that to [Secretary of State Cordell] Hull.” But when Wise met with Hull later that day, all the secretary of state would say on the subject was, “I will have to consider that with my as sociates.”

Senator Key Pittman (D-Nevada), chairman of the Senate Foreign Rela tions Committee, received a similar brush-off when he wrote to Hull that week about the mistreatment of Jews in Romania. The reports of persecution actually were the result of “misunder standing or confusion,” Hull insisted. Besides, the secretary of state claimed, “only those Jews who have in recent years immigrated into Rumania” were at risk. In any event, Hull concluded, “any action taken by the Rumanian Govern

ment concerning the peoples with its borders is a matter which lies within the jurisdiction of that Government.”

Hull’s position reflected the long standing view of President Roosevelt that the persecution of Jews in Europe was none of America’s business.

The Roosevelt administration was unmoved even by evidence that an ti-Jewish discrimination, such as the “ghetto benches,” often escalated into violence. In his book “The Swastika’s Darkening Shadow,” Prof. Monty N. Penkower reports that 118 Polish Jews were murdered, and over one thousand wounded, in local pogroms during a sin gle eighteen-month period from 1935 to 1937.

Nevertheless, the idea of opening America’s doors to more Jewish immi grants from Poland or Romania – even within the existing quota laws – was never considered by the Roosevelt ad ministration. The Polish quota of 6,524 annually was not filled in any year from 1933 to 1945. Even the tiny Romanian quota of just 377 was unfilled in nine of those twelve years. Roosevelt’s policy of suppressing immigration below what the law permitted did not waver.

Berkeley, California, in 2022 is not Poland or Romania in 1937. But the frightening spectacle of Jews (or, eu phemistically, “Zionists”) being exclud ed from specific spaces on a university campus in the United States today is no less repugnant than it was in Europe in the 1930s.

Dr. Medoff is founding director of The Da vid S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Stud ies and author of more than 20 books about Jewish history and the Holocaust. His latest is America and the Holocaust: A Documen tary History, published by the Jewish Pub lication Society & University of Nebraska Press.

Forgotten Her es Soldiers of the Jewish Brigade

By Avi Heiligman

Chanoch Bartov wrote a fictionalized account of the Jewish Brigade in the book, The Brigade

During the time of the Yishuv, the years prior to Israel’s indepen dence in 1948, several armed groups were formed to protect the Jews from attacks. The Ottomans, and later the British, didn’t like these organiza tions and deemed them illegal. Howev er, with much coaxing, the British al lowed a unit of Jewish soldiers into the British Army during World War II. The Jewish Brigade became the backbone of the IDF in 1948. Many of the soldiers who fought in the ranks of the brigade have fascinating backgrounds and sto ries both while members of the brigade and in the months following the end of World War II.

Chanoch Bartov was born in Petach Tikvah to Polish immigrants and in 1943 enlisted in the British Army. He had previously worked for Haganah and spent three years with the British Army during the war as a medic. Af ter fighting in Italy, he was sent to the Netherlands and other areas to care for Holocaust survivors in DP camps. Later, during the Israeli War of Independence in 1948, Bartov was the commander of a machine gun unit in the Etzioni Brigade that fought in tough battles in Yerusha layim.

Moshe Karpovich was born in Lith uania in 1917. His family moved to Eretz Yisrael when he was eight years old, where the family changed their last name to Tavor. Before joining the British Army, Tavor was a member of the Special Night Squads formed under eccentric British General Orde Wingate and was present on dangerous missions with the squad. One of these operations

Moshe Tavor

the Jewish Brigade. The brigade fought the Germans in Italy, and Tavor stayed with them through several battles and firefights including one where they an nihilated a Nazi commando unit.

After the war, Tavor stayed in Eu rope to track down Nazis and collabo rators with other members of the Jew ish Brigade. Called “the Avengers,” the group investigated the Nazis based on

their activities. Dozens of Nazi officers who had been directly involved in the Holocaust were killed by this group, with Tavor playing a key role in getting rid of many Nazis. In 1960, Tavor was a member of the Mossad team that was sent to Argentina to capture notorious Nazi Adolf Eichmann.

was to an Arab village to “get” suspected terrorists who had massacred Jews in Tiberius, and the night squads complet ed their mission successfully.

During World War II, after several failed attempts due to being blind in one eye, Tavor was finally accepted into

information given to them from sur vivors. All members of the group were part of the Jewish Brigade under Chaim Laskov and others, and they went after SS officers who tried to escape the Al lies. They wore British uniforms, but the British high command did not know of

Mordechai Maklef was another for mer member of Wingate’s Special Night Squads to join the British Army’s Jew ish Brigade during World War II. He had been a member of Haganah before learning specialized skills under Win gate, and as a soldier in the Jewish Bri gade, he took an officer’s course. During World War II, he took part in both the North African and Italian campaigns against the Germans. After the war, Maklef remained in Europe to help survivors emigrate to Eretz Yisrael as well as acquiring arms and weapons for the future Jewish state. As a senior op erations officer in the Carmeli Brigade during Israeli War of Independence, Maklef planned and participated in the campaign that captured the Galilee.

Similar to the backgrounds of Tav or and Maklef, Israel Carmi had been a member of Wingate’s unit in the 1930s. Carmi was sent to the British Army by

Dozens of Nazi officers who had been directly involved in the Holocaust were killed by this group, with Tavor playing a key role in getting rid of many Nazis.

Members of the Jewish Brigade in Italy, 1945 Mordechai Maklef, left, with David Ben-Gurion and Moshe Dayan, 1953

the Haganah and became a sergeant with a regular unit. He was part of the Palestine Regiment, a unit that had both Jews and Arabs in its ranks, which took part of the pitched battle against the Germans in Benghazi.

After joining the Jewish Brigade in 1944, Carmi began to act on the behalf of his Haganah superiors. They were inter ested in what the Nazis were doing, and Carmi helped smuggle two operatives in British uniforms to determine the truth about the gas chambers. An incident in which Carmi and his unit attacked Nazi POWs led to the order for them to stay

in Italy and not to enter Germany. After the war ended, Carmi entered Germany and began the quest to rid the world of Nazis. His exploits with other soldiers of the Jewish Brigade led them to eliminate many Nazis who otherwise would have escaped justice for their actions during the Holocaust. Many long months of hard work eventually paid off, and soon Carmi and the other remaining mem bers of the Jewish Brigade were back in the Holy Land.

In 1947, the British announced that they were leaving Israel, and the Jews began to prepare for the inevitable war

with their very unfriendly Arab neigh bors. In addition to the arms smuggled out of Europe, many of people who were trained by members of the Jewish Bri gade joined the Israeli Army and proved vital in the early days of the IDF.

The Jewish Brigade was disband ed in 1946. Eight-three members were killed in the fighting in Italy and anoth er 200 were wounded. Overall, 30,000 Jews from Eretz Yisrael served in the British Army during World War II. Seven-hundred of these soldiers paid the ultimate sacrifice and were killed in combat. Many of the volunteers that

returned to Eretz Yisrael were an inte gral part of the Israeli Defense Forces, and 35 former Jewish Brigade soldiers went on to become generals in the IDF. More than 70 years after the war, the Italian government awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valor to the Brigade for their role in the campaign.

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.

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WOODMERE

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Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

HEWLETT BAY PARK

Six bedroom home in highly desirable Hewlett Bay Park on 3/4 of an acre with an inground gunite pool and tennis court, en-Suite bathrooms and bedrooms on both floors, 1st floor Master Suite with steam shower and Jacuzzi tub, Eat-in Kitchen, with SS appliances, 2 sinks, 2 dishwashers, double oven, formal living room, formal dining room, den with fireplace. Close to railroad, shopping, and houses of worship. SD#14. Great house for entertaining. Park-like Property. P.O.R. Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

WOODMERE: NEW TO THE MARKET

Well maintained 4 bedroom home on a cul-de-sac in Old Woodmere SD#14. Features central air conditioning, gas heat, eat -in -kitchen with stainless steel appliances, very spacious den, 2 car garage, hardwood floors, high hats, magnificent yard with an inground saltwater pool, close to the railroad, shopping and houses of worship.

OPEN HOUSE

SUNDAY OCTOBER 9 11:00-12:30PM

1045 WALES PL Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

NORTH WOODMERE

NEW TO THE MARKET

Bright and sunny 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms split level home. Features central air conditioning, gas heat, solar panels, eat in kitchen with stainless steel appliances, formal dining room and living room, den, finished bsmt with playroom and 2 additional rooms, master bedroom –fbath and 2 walk in closets, custom window treatments, new garage door, alarm, IGS, hardwood floors, 200 AMP service, gasline BBQ, new insulation, close to schools, shopping and so much more. $899K

OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9

3-4:30PM 812 LONGVIEW AVENUE

Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

HEWLETT BAY PARK

Prestigious Center-Hall Colonial in Hewlett Bay Park, Set Back on Private Property. This Stately Home Features a Grand Entry Foyer, Formal Living Room, Formal Dining Room, Chef’s Kitchen, Large Den, Master Bedroom suite with Sitting Room + 2 Baths (His & Hers) and Loft and Additional 3 Bedrooms + Bonus Rooms. Exquisitely Manicured Park-like property. Award Winning School District #14. Too Many Features To List. Will Not Last! P.O.R. Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

WOODMERE

Spectacular 5 bedroom, 5 bath renovated home in SD#14 with in-ground pool & pool house, lot size 111 x 107. Formal living room & dining room, magnificent kitchen with SS appliances, tremendous den with fireplace and 4 skylights, vaulted ceiling, LED lighting, master suite, new CAC, new roof. Outside totally redone with Stone and Stucco. Backyard with new pavers, park-like property, sandbox, great home for entertaining. Close to all. $1,499,000 OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9 1-2:30PM 562 SUNSET DR

Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516.298.8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

LAWRENCE

Exceptional turnkey Mediterranean Colonial style home and beautiful manicured corner property. This home features exquisite architectural details with six meticulously designed spacious bedrooms and four full baths, open layout that allows comfortable living and entertainment. Large dining room and living room with gas fireplace. Beautiful updated kitchen with stainless steel appliances attached to Butler’s pantry, huge closet space and storage throughout. Park like backyard, hardwood herringbone floors throughout. Water filtration system and ground well for sprinklers. A must see! P.O.R. Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

WOODMERE JUST LISTED

Spacious 5 bedroom 4 bathroom split level in Saddle Ridge Estates

Well maintained home , renovated eat –in-kitchen , formal living room and dining room, den, central air conditioning, hardwood floors, high hats, master bedroom with a custom bathroom and Jacuzzi tub, close to all $995k Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

WOODMERE

Move right into 4 bedroom, 2 full bath home in School District #15 in the heart of Woodmere. Renovated Kitch en with Granite Countertops & 2 sinks, Hardwood floors, and Circular Drive way. Close to the railroad, shopping, and houses of worship. $799k Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516.298.8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

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CEDARHURST

NORTH WOODMERE

LAWRENCE

WOODMERE

Beautifully maintained Split Level home in the heart of Woodmere. This home boasts 4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths, Eat-in Kitchen, Formal Dining Room, Living Room, a Finished Basement, and an office. Beautiful and spacious Backyard. Great location, SD#14. Close to all. Price Reduced $899k.

OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY OCTOBER 9 11-12:30PM 918 EILEEN TERRACE

Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

Magnificent Bright & Sunny furnished 6 Bedroom, 5 Bath Home Prime location in Cedarhurst Features Dream Kitchen With Granite Countertops, Two Sinks, Two Ovens, Two Microwaves, Formal Dining Room With Washing Station, Formal Living Room. Smart Home, Radiant Heat, Speaker System, Timers, Cameras Inside + Outside, Master Bedroom Suite With Jacuzzi Tub + Shower. Two Large Walk-in Closets, Central Air Conditioning, Gas Heat, Two Car Garage, Great Corner Property, Large Side + Backyard, Finished Basement, Close To All. A Must See. Close To Shopping And Houses Of Worship. Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

Spectacular custom home, totally rebuilt, 5 bedrooms, 5 full bathrooms, custom door super thick, walk in to the foyer, laser cut acrylic tile, steel columns exposed vents and duct work, steel bolder separates the formal living room and formal dining room, dining room has custom china closet and bar with Swarovski sink, Scavallini kitchen with Ceaser stone countertops, top of the line appliances, wolf oven with six burners, plus 2 Miele ovens, Miele dishwasher plus 2 Fisher Paykel dishwashers, Thermador refrigerator, double sinks plus a vegetable sink, walls are painted Venetian plaster, master bedroom suite with a spa bathroom, Missoni tiles, Pella doors and windows, office with high ceilings overlooking saltwater heated in-ground pool, custom closets throughout, cameras, IGS, alarm and so much more. P.O.R. Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

APT./CO-OP FOR RENT

WOODMERE

House rental Move right into this 4 bedroom colonial in the heart of Woodmere, with spacious rooms, hardwood floors, a finished basement, and a spacious yard. Close to railroad, shopping & houses of worship $4,500 monthly Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

WOODMERE/HEWLETT NECK

House Rental Magnificent 6 Bedroom Home. Formal Dining Room, New Gourmet Kitchen W/High End Appliances & Cabinets, Large Living Rm & Den, 3 Car Attached Garage, Hardwood Floors, Sd#14. 5 Bedrooms On One Level, Fabulous MBR Suite W/ New Bathroom. gas heat. central air conditioning, long driveway, parklaike property,& So Much More. Call for details Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

Large 6 bedrooms 3.5 baths. Available 11/1. Looking for 2 year minimum lease. $6K per month Contact MJ for more information 631-839-3748. Weissman Realty

APT./COOP/CONDO SALE

Woodmere

1 bedroom apartment, elevator building, eat-in kitchen, full bath, hardwood floors, plenty of closet space. Ceiling fan in bedroom & kitchen, laundry room in the basement. Close to the railroad, shopping, and houses of worship $179k Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@ bhhslaffey.com

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

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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

SALE

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 APT./COOP/CONDO 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

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

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HELP WANTED

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

NEWSPAPER LOOKING FOR someone with a Minivan or SUV who can work late Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning on a weekly basis throughout the year, delivering newspapers in Brooklyn. Please email gabe@fivetownsjewishhome.com or call (917) 299-8082

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

HELP WANTED HELP WANTED DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT

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 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

LOOKING FOR A DRIVER

Business looking for someone that has a large van or sprinter that can work a full day on Wednesdays on a weekly basis throughout the year in Brooklyn. Please do not call if you do not have a large van or a sprinter 347.992.7411

PART TIME SECRETARY POSITION

Chareidi Yeshiva Administrative Office 5 Towns Area Detail Oriented & Computer Savvy Phones, messages, faxing, emailing, filing. Shipping and other general office tasks. 5 hours a day/possibly more. Good pay yofficesearch@gmail.com

PARAS & TEACHERS ASSISTANTS

Wanted: IVDU 5 Towns in North Woodmere needs teachers assistants and paras for the 22-23 school year. Besides having a competitive salary + benefits, you’ll have access to excellent workplace culture and professional development. Attn: graduate students obtain hours for BCBA and Special ed fieldwork requirements. Send a copy of your resume to seplowitzs@ou.org

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SPECIAL EDUCATION SCHOOL

IVDU 5 Towns in North Woodmere has openings for a social work/ psychology internship. Our warm and professional environment will allow you to gain experience and hands-on training. You’ll have the opportunity to train in social skills, play therapy, provide counseling, and conduct research. The internship meets the requirements for graduate students in mental health programs for fieldwork, practicums, and internships. Email resume to seplowitzs@ou.org.

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

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Your Money Who Cares?

By Allan Rolnick, CPA

When Covid broke in early 2020, it was clear that our economy would catch the virus. So Washington did something they’re actually pretty good at: finding new and creative ways to throw money at the problem. The stimulus payments we all love and remember were the first and most obvious example. These included a first round of up to $1,200 per adult and $500 per child, a second round for $600 per person, and a final round of $1,400 per person. For some, they were a life line; for others, they were a route to a new 55-inch TV.

Washington also wanted to encour age employers to keep staff paid. So the CARES Act, which authorized the first round of stimmy checks, included a Pay check Protection Program encouraging employers to apply for forgivable loans (i.e., “handouts”) for up to 2.5 times their average monthly payroll. Tax pros imme diately jumped into helping business cli ents get their piece of the action.

The PPP helped keep thousands of businesses and nonprofit organizations afloat. Almost immediately, though, cer tain enterprising individuals with under developed moral grounding realized how easy it would be to make up a business,

make up some employees, make up some payroll numbers, and walk away with some sweet government cash. Apparently, a lot of it went towards buying Teslas. (It’s gratifying to see that at least some of the scammers weren’t complete sociopaths and showed a little respect for the environment.) Today, it looks like as many as 15% of PPP loan applications showed signs of fraud, and crooks may

at $5,000/employee per year, then ex panded to $7,000/employee per quarter.

If you paid enough in qualifying wages, that could mean millions in refunds.

Now we’re discovering the ERTC may be an even bigger fraud than the PPP. But this time, the culprits aren’t individual scammers working alone on their laptops. The IRS has identified a new group of miscreants: sketchy promoters barraging

Today, it looks like as many as 15% of PPP loan applications showed signs of fraud.

credits. Obviously, not all of them will be fraudulent. But the sheer volume of claims means the IRS needs to pay attention. And it seems they are. On May 20 , agents from the Criminal Investigation unit raided the offices of Alliantgroup, a Houston-based tax consultant pitching ERTC services. Alliantgroup boasts two former IRS commissioners, a couple of former governors, and a half-dozen members of Congress on their Strategic Advisory Board. Those are impressive credentials. But one indictment is all it would take to sink the entire ship and sig nal a hard line against abuses.

have walked away with 10% of the pro gram’s $800 billion budget.

The CARES Act also authorized a re fundable Employee Retention Tax Cred it for qualifying wages. (“Refundable” means that if the credit is more than your tax, the IRS sends you a check for the difference.) I’m not going to both er explaining how it works because it would just bore you. But the numbers can be eye-popping: the credit started

business owners with come-ons to grab a share of that booty for fees of up to 35% of whatever their marks (excuse me, clients) recover. These credit mills file claims for businesses that didn’t suffer qualifying Covid-related losses, often by taking aggressive positions defining terms like “government guidance” or “supply-chain disruptions.”

By March of ‘22, the IRS had received 11,096 returns claiming over $2 trillion in

Clearly, Washington chose to operate under the principle that “done is better than good” when it comes to pandemic relief. History will tell whether that was the right approach. Today’s lesson comes down to something your mom told you long ago, and it’s just as true with taxes as with anything else: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

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.

C ach

You’ve Got Pull

By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., LMFT, CLC, SDS

“London Bridge is falling down…”

What’s making me think of that nursery rhyme at this time of year?

Perhaps it is the agita I get over the sturdiness of my sukkah.

I’ve had ropes coming from every di rection grounding the sukkah so it doesn’t go airborne during the holiday.

The truth is, I think, I finally got it so it stays put. The problem is everyone has to a scale a series of ropes courses to get to it.

But then again, aren’t sukkahs sup posed to be flimsy? Isn’t the message it isn’t our houses that protect us, it’s G-d above?

So let them fly?!

You have to admit it certainly is an interesting holiday. Some people have nicer sukkahs than the inside of their homes. After all, it’s been updated and refurbished more times. Chandeliers are hanging. Curtains are adorning the windows, and the decor is the newest on the market. They are standing solid as a rock. You’d probably need to go inside their houses to get the sense of a house being flimsy or undependable.

I remember my grandfather used to collect old doors and piece them together. That’s how he would create our sukkah. It so epitomized him. A guy who was so

warm and welcoming you could come in through every door.

The truth is, with so many doors, it could have been frustrating to find which was the real entryway. However, the suk kah was so squished into the driveway be tween two houses that there was only one possible entrance to use. And then, once the table and chairs went in, you certain

Then there’s the challenge of the plac es we find to put them. Everyone wants their sukkah as close to their kitchen as possible. Because we run a catering ser vice for eight days! We don’t want to add a hike into the hard work – or do we, with all the eating?

So we try to find an ideal spot, near the kitchen, not under a tree, with room

the ad hoc roof. The talented cooks make their best dishes. And everyone enjoys figuring out, do we eat inside or outside? Is it raining too hard to sit outside? Can we get away with eating inside? Why would we want to eat inside after we did all that work to put up a sukkah?!

The family bonding over this is amaz ing!

What’s also amazing is that for eight days we are very aware that we are do ing things differently. We are living con sciously. We are celebrating that G-d, not our material entrapments, takes care of us.

So go for a walk, see all the other suk kah creations. Bottom line is they are all one and the same. G-d is holding them up. And guess what? The Al-mighty is doing the same for us all.

ly would be smart to visit the restroom before entering. Because getting back out was a total challenge unless everyone went out at the same time.

Which meant you got one more chance during washing for bread! If you were quick.

There are also these totally seethrough sukkahs these days. You have to assume those people must be confident! Everyone sees how they look, how they serve, what they cooked – and who they invited!

for our family and guests, to put our little hut. It’s not always easy. But we make it work. No house gets built or renovated without taking this into consideration.

Talk about challenges… In Israel, I’ve seen what looks like a microscopic suk kah sitting on a tiny deck. I guess that’s a guy with all daughters or the family eats in shifts or in chews.

Yes, this holiday is charming. But I don’t believe anyone would trade it away. The kids make decorations for the walls. The husbands mount a ladder to place

Only G-d knows if London Bridge will stay up or fall down.

So, celebrate – you’ve got some strong suspenders on your side.

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.

I’ve had ropes coming from every direction grounding the sukkah so it doesn’t go airborne during the holiday.