Five Towns Jewish Home 11.10.22

can’t imagine what goes through a candi date’s mind on election night after working towards a goal for months on end, only to have come to the finish line. For many candi dates, election night is a culmination of tireless months of pressing the flesh, meeting constit uents, raising funds, and shaking countless hands. At every event, they’re there to beg for people’s votes, to beseech them to vote on Elec tion Day, to hear their cause and their platform. They live, breathe, and eat elections. And it’s tiring.

And then, it comes down to one night. It’s the night of reckoning, the moment that tells them that all those days that blurred into one another were worth it – or not.

I can’t imagine what it feels like to turn to a room full of people who supported you and who believed in you and admit that all that effort wasn’t enough.

In this year’s election, our community came out strong. We were informed voters. We were energized. Many people who never voted before came to the polls because they understood that their voice mattered.

Regardless of who you voted for, showing up at the polls sends a message – a strong mes sage. It tells politicians that we will hold them

accountable and that they have to prove them selves to our community.

In the gubernatorial race in New York, Gov ernor Kathy Hochul won election against Lee Zeldin. But this was not an easy win for Hochul. In a deep blue state, Hochul was forced to cam paign hard against her Republican challenger. And, despite her assertions that New York ers handed her this victory, Hochul should be very aware that 2.7 million New Yorkers voted against her. That means that 2.7 million New Yorkers are not happy with the job that she is doing.

As a community, we need to keep ourselves energized with regards to elections. We need to keep ourselves informed about key issues and voice our concerns when warranted. We need to continue to use our collective voice and raise it loudly when need be.

Don’t just think about elections and politics around November time. We need to hold our representatives accountable. And show them that we’re an educated, informed group that de serves to be heard.

Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

Yitzy Halpern, PUBLISHER publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Yosef Feinerman, MANAGING EDITOR ads@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Shoshana Soroka, EDITOR editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com

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Mostly Sunny

JEWISH THOUGHT

Dear Editor,

I recently put my son to sleep by read ing him “The Cat In The Hat.” I wondered if this world-famous tale actually had a moral to convey. Sure, it’s a naughty cat and a risk-averse fish, but is there more? The core question is, was it better that the kids experienced the mischievous tricks of the cat or would it have been better that they continued to stare through the window without all the escapades? If life is about growth, I would argue that it was better that they experienced the mischie vous acts of the cat. There’s just so much we can protect our children from, and experience is something everyone needs. After experiencing the tricks of the cat, they would be able to form judgment, a vital tool for life.

Also, the fish talks a lot but can’t take action, and life is about action.

Lastly, in the end, the cat cleans up the mess, exhibiting to children that one always has the ability to end on the right note.

Leib Kahal

Dear Editor, President Joe Biden, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and Department of Homeland Security Chief Alejandra May orkas claim that our southern border is secure. Under the Biden administration, we are on track to reach a record 5 mil lion people illegally crossing into our na tion by end of December 2022. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proudly claims that Canada is a sanctuary na tion welcoming all. Canada is facing both an aging nation and labor shortage. His Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has said that Canada needs 1.45 million im migrants between 2023 to 2025 to deal

with these growing challenges.

Why not lend a helping hand to our neighbor to the north? United States Customs and Board Patrol should offer to bus or fly many of those entering our nation illegally to Canada ASAP. The rest should be sent directly to our own self-proclaimed sanctuary cities and states. They can back their words with concrete action. Step up and adopt your own fair share of illegally immigrants.

Sincerely, Larry Penner Great Neck,

Dear Editor,

NY

This is to address the woman, “Per el,” who says that she wants to date her cousin.

She says she’s 22 years old. And she wants to date her cousin, who she is con stantly thinking about and sees at family events. To me, her attitude seems a bit childish. To see someone once or twice a year and then want to marry him seems a bit small-minded.

But Perel, if you really want to go out with him, I would suggest that you ask someone who knows him what he thinks of it first – in a roundabout way. For all you know, your cousin doesn’t even re member your name. After all, it sounds as if your families are far from close. How many family events have you spent together?

Leah S.

Dear Editor,

I have sometimes been asked by family members if I see any similarities to the 1930s and recent history. An tisemitism is bubbling under the

but visible. The concept of racism is used in a different way to achieve the same goal of totalitarianism.

I remember hearing from my father that while Hitler was ranting, some Jews in Germany thought, “The world wouldn’t let this happen.” At that time, Jews had some valid reason to think this way. Germany was a civilized country compared to Russia. In 1913, under the Tsarist regime, there was a blood libel trial. It was called the Beilis Trial. Jews from other countries protested. Even some governments, including the United States government, protested. This had a positive effect. Beilis was declared inno cent. He had to leave Russia, but his life was spared. In this one case, there was a general concern for one single Jew.

The opposite was true in the 1930s. I always go back to Psalm 83, where Hitler used the words to declare that it was his goal to destroy every Jew, so that there will be no remembrance left of Jewish life. In the 1930s, instead of protesting, the whole world joined in unison to help Hitler achieve his goal.

That is what made this Shoah so unique. It was not one country against a group, like Turkey and the Armenians.

It was not one tribe against another tribe like events in Africa. Individual people helped Jews but no government (except Denmark). All civil governments as well as religious organizations like Edom, the Vatican, joined in the war against the Jews.

Through all the negative news, I’m looking for some positive signs from Hashem. This year, Queen Elizabeth ruled England for 70 years, not 69 or 71 years. That is a positive number in Jewish history. In the month of Elul, while the trumpets were blown for En glish Royalty, the shofar was blown for the Melech – King of the Universe. On October 16, 1946, Hoshanah Rabah, ten top Nazis were hanged. One of them de clared “Purimfest 1946”. This year, Octo ber 16, 2022, also coincided with Hosha nah Rabah. Who knows what hashgacha klalit took place on that day, after so many heartfelt prayers asking Hashem hosheanu, save us?

Rather than relying on the world, we should all pray, “Hashem, do not let this happen again.”

Sincerely, Elli Epstein Ocean, NJ

Make your voice heard!

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Greece to Ban Spyware

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced Monday that Greece would ban the sale of spyware, after his gov ernment was accused in a news report of targeting dozens of prominent politi cians, journalists and business owners for surveillance, and judicial authorities began an investigation.

The announcement is the latest chap ter in a scandal that erupted over the summer, when Mitsotakis conceded that Greece’s state intelligence service had been monitoring an opposition par ty leader with a traditional wiretap last year. That revelation came after the pol itician discovered that he had also been targeted with a spyware program known as Predator.

The Greek government said the wire tap was legal but never specified the rea sons for it, and Mitsotakis said it was done without his knowledge. The govern ment has also asserted that it does not own or use the Predator spyware and has insisted that the simultaneous targeting with a wiretap and Predator was a coin cidence.

Mitsotakis has rejected allegations that he was personally running a Pred ator spyware scheme. He insisted that Greece’s intelligence service was not us ing Predator but said someone outside the government might be.

Governments the world over are struggling to regulate the use of cyber surveillance tools, the most prominent of which is Pegasus, a premium offensive cybersurveillance spyware made by the Israeli spyware company NSO Group. Predator is gaining prominence global ly as a cheaper and less regulated alter native. The powerful weapons infiltrate

smartphones, swoop up their contents, and turn them into listening and record ing devices.

They have been used to hack the phones of employees at El Salvador’s leading news outlet, El Faro, and the devices of high-ranking Palestinian diplomats. According to recently leaked emails, spyware has also been deployed by the Mexican government to compro mise the phones of journalists and activ ists.

Law enforcement and intelligence agencies say they need the spyware to maintain an edge over criminals and terrorists, but regulating their use and ensuring that they are not used against political opponents and journalists has proved to be difficult, even in Europe, where protections are supposed to be strong. Last year, the Biden administra tion blacklisted Pegasus, barring U.S. companies from doing business with NSO, because, it said, the company had acted “contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States.” (© The New York Times)

Apple Struggling with Demand

It’s not easy producing parts of the world’s most coveted item while operat ing in China, a country that has some of the harshest Covid rules in the world.

Foxconn, a supplier for Apple, has to comply with Chinese restrictions while ensuring that Apple’s shipments are not severely disrupted just before the key holiday season begins.

The Taiwanese company, which has been racing to control a Covid outbreak at its vast campus in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, has started recruiting for the facility once again and is offering bonus es for staff who had recently left.

This week, Apple said it expects iP hone 14 shipments to be hit by China’s Covid curbs, which have “significantly reduced capacity” at the Zhengzhou fa cility, the world’s biggest iPhone factory.

N. Korea Launches More Missiles

planes from both allies, ended Saturday after a six-day run. The drill was sched uled to end Friday but was extended a day after North Korea launched an ICBM on Thursday.

packed classrooms were making stu dents highly vulnerable to infection.

Students in Uganda are currently in their third and final term of the calendar year.

10,

14 “The epidemic has disrupted our work and life, but…the company has achieved milestone results in the current epidemic prevention measures,” Foxconn said on its Zhengzhou recruitment WeChat ac count on Monday.

Anxious workers had reportedly fled the locked-down facility. Videos of many people leaving Zhengzhou on foot have gone viral on Chinese social media in recent days. Foxconn is now dangling bonuses to entice workers to get back to work.

If they return, staff who left between October 10 and November 5 will receive a one-off bonus of 500 yuan ($69), accord ing to the company. New workers will be offered a salary of 30 yuan ($4) per hour, according to the post.

Last Wednesday, Chinese authorities imposed a seven-day lockdown on the manufacturing zone that houses the Fox conn plant.

Workers will be able to start their work as soon as the “district-level lock down is lifted,” Foxconn said in the WeChat post, at which point employees will be collected and driven to the facto ry for a closed-loop system — where staff will work and live on site.

North Korea fired four short-range ballistic missiles off its west coast on Saturday morning, and hours later, two American B-1B supersonic strategic bombers flew over the Korea n Peninsula in the first deployment of its kind since 2017.

North Korea has launched as many as 85 missiles this year, more than in any previous year, including 23 fired last Wednesday. It not only tested a new inter continental ballistic missile under devel opment but fired a flurry of short-range missiles to counter the United States and South Korea as the allies stepped up joint military drills.

One such drill, code-named Vigilant Storm, which involved about 240 war

The four short-range ballistic missiles on Saturday flew 81 miles, according to the South Korean military.

North Korea has typically protested joint military drills by the United States and South Korea, accusing them of pre paring to invade, and cited them as a rea son that it was building its nuclear arse nal. But this year, its reaction has been more aggressive.

It has fired a burst of missiles during such joint military drills by the allies, launching them from across North Ko rea. By sending them from many differ ent locations, even from an underwater silo, the North sought to demonstrate that it could thwart the allies’ missile de fense system, military experts said.

Three times since early last month, North Korean military aircraft have flown close enough to the border with South Korea for the South to scramble its own fighter jets. North Korea has also fired hundreds of artillery shells and rockets into buffer zones north of the in ter-Korean maritime borders.

North Korea may have gained a sense of empowerment from its growing nucle ar arsenal, becoming increasingly dar ing in its military provocations, analysts said.

South Korea and the United States demonstrated their own combined air power superiority this past week, with warplanes conducting a record 1,600 sorties. (© The New York Times)

Ebola Hits Uganda

On Saturday, the government extend ed a three-week lockdown on the neigh boring districts of Mubende and Kas sanda, which have been the center of the Ebola outbreak. The measures include a dusk-to-dawn curfew, a ban on personal travel, and the closure of markets, bars, and churches.

Since the outbreak was declared in Mubende on September 20, the disease has spread across the country, including to the capital, Kampala. Still, the presi dent has said nationwide restrictions are not needed.

According to government figures from Sunday, 135 people have been in fected with Ebola; fifty-three have died.

The virus circulating in Uganda is the Sudan strain of Ebola, for which there is no proven vaccine, unlike the more com mon Zaire strain, which spread during recent outbreaks in neighboring Demo cratic Republic of the Congo.

Ebola is spread through bodily flu ids with common symptoms being fever, vomiting, bleeding, and diarrhea. Out breaks are difficult to contain, especially in urban environments. Ebola generally kills about half the people it infects.

Pakistan’s Imran Khan Shot

Schools across Uganda will close two weeks before the scheduled end of term after 23 Ebola cases were confirmed among students, including eight children who died.

Education Minister Janet Kataha Museveni said on Tuesday that the cab inet had taken the decision to close pre schools, primary schools, and secondary schools on November 25 because densely

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan was wounded at a rally last week after at least one unidentified man opened fire on his convoy, in what aides have called a targeted attack.

Khan was in Wazirabad, in eastern Pakistan, leading a protest march to the capital, Islamabad, to demand that the government hold early elections, when his convoy came under attack.

Khan, 70, sustained bullet wounds in both legs and was moved to Lahore for treatment, officials said. Fawad Chaudhry, a senior member of Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI, called the shooting “100% an assassina

tion attempt.”

A video of the attack showed Khan standing with his aides in a container mounted on top of a truck as it moved slowly through a crowd of his supporters. As gunshots rang out, Khan and others on the truck appeared to duck down.

Dr. Faisal Sultan, the former health minister who treated Khan, said at a news conference that Khan was in stable condition. Seven people including Khan were injured in the attack and one per son died, according to Waqas Nazeer, the spokesperson for the Punjab police. One suspect has been detained, he added.

Khan was removed from office in April in a vote of no confidence after fall ing out with the country’s top military leaders, who are widely considered to be the invisible hand guiding Pakistani pol itics.

Khan claimed that the vote was part of a conspiracy by the country’s military establishment and his political oppo nents to oust him from power. And in the months since, the former cricket star turned politician has made a stunning comeback, drawing thousands to his ral lies across Pakistan.

In impassioned speeches, he has cast himself as a martyr to the domineering presence of the military in Pakistani pol

itics and the insidious influence of cor rupt politicians, tapping into deep-seat ed frustration among Pakistanis over the country’s political troubles.

In a video released by police to lo cal television stations after the attack, a young man who appears to be in custody says that he wanted to kill Khan and that he had acted alone.

“Imran Khan was leading people astray,” the man said. “I could not toler ate this. That is why I tried to kill him. I only tried to kill Imran Khan and no one else. (© The New York Times)

Climate Capitalism

sions in half by 2030.

But the Swiss don’t intend to reduce emissions by that much within their own borders. Instead, the European country is dipping into its sizable coffers to pay poorer nations, such as Ghana or Dom inica, to reduce emissions there — and give Switzerland credit for it.

Here is an example of how it would work: Switzerland is paying to install ef ficient lighting and cleaner stoves in up to 5 million households in Ghana; these in stallations would help households move away from burning wood for cooking and rein in greenhouse gas emissions.

Then Switzerland, not Ghana, will get to count those emissions reductions as progress toward its climate goals.

Veronika Elgart, deputy head of inter national climate policy at the Federal Of fice for the Environment in Switzerland, said these sorts of arrangements could bring on additional climate action while benefiting the host countries.

the global poor. In addition, it could take advantage of projects in poorer countries that would have proceeded anyway, with or without foreign funding.

“It’s a way of passing on the respon sibility to reduce emissions,” said Crisp in Gregoire, a former ambassador to the United Nations from Dominica, a tiny island nation of 72,000 people that made an agreement with Switzerland last year. “Instead of reducing emissions itself, Switzerland is going to other countries — ones that have very low emissions — to fulfill that obligation.”

At last year’s global climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Bolivian President Luis Arce called the idea tantamount to “carbon capitalism.”

Switzerland, one of the world’s richest nations, has an ambitious climate goal: It promises to cut its greenhouse gas emis

Still, there are questions over wheth er this mechanism is fair. If other nations follow suit, critics say, it could delay cli mate action in the wealthier countries already responsible for producing a vast majority of the greenhouse gases that are warming the world, while shifting the work of reducing emissions toward

The 2015 Paris Agreement tentatively allowed countries to cooperate in reduc ing their greenhouse gas emissions. And nations have made progress in laying down some of the rules at global talks — for example, creating guidance to make sure emissions reductions aren’t double counted. But much of how that would work needs to be fine-tuned, including how projects will be assessed and moni tored. The issues are part of a wide-rang ing agenda at this week’s United Nations climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. (© The New York Times)

Hunger in Somalia

the fallout from the war in Ukraine.

The government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, which came to power in May, has resisted the designation for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, the fledgling government fears it would undermine the public goodwill it enjoys and play into the hands of the terrorist group al-Shabab, just as the military has launched a large-scale offensive against the insurgents, who have plagued the country for decades and are launching devastating attacks.

Over the past several weeks, frustrat ed aid workers have insisted the thresh old for famine has been reached in some areas and have pushed the government in several meetings to declare a famine to bring attention to the crisis.

“The government is afraid of the F-word — famine, that is,” said an aid worker who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. “But the situation is catastrophic, and the longer they wait, the worse it gets.” (© The New York Times)

Herzog Joins UN Climate Conference

A severely malnourished child is ad mitted to a clinic in Somalia on average every minute. With crops and animals decimated in the worst drought to blan ket the nation in four decades, millions of Somalis stand on the brink of starva tion in an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.

Despite the crisis, the Somali govern ment has for months been reluctant to declare that the country faces a famine, according to interviews with govern ment officials, aid workers and analysts familiar with internal government dis cussions.

Such an announcement, aid workers said, would allow far more aid to flow and muster the attention of Western donors who are more focused on responding to

The Somali government also worries that a famine declaration would spur an exodus of people from affected areas into major cities and towns, stretching mea ger resources and fueling a rise in crime.

And they are concerned that a dec laration of famine would deter investors and shift international aid money toward the emergency response — instead of long-term development money to fund health care, education, and climate resil ience programs.

The president acknowledged the di lemma in September, saying, “The risk is very high to announce a famine.”

Such a declaration, he said, “does not affect the famine victims only, but halts the development and changes the per spectives.”

Shalom Sofer, HY”D

of the UK, Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.

Yair Lapid had been scheduled to at tend the summit; he canceled his partic ipation in the conference after losing his premier seat to Benjamin Netanyahu last week. Herzog is there in his stead.

Israel’s head of state landed in Egypt on Monday morning, where he was greet ed on the tarmac by Egypt’s housing minister. Herzog was then welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

Shalom Sofer was stabbed two weeks ago in Al Funduq as he entered a grocery store. This week, Sofer, 63, who was bat tling his injuries, died from his wounds.

“It was in great sorrow that I received the message of [the death of] Shalom Sofer’s... who died of his wounds two weeks after he was attacked and stabbed by a terrorist,” wrote Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Twitter. “In the name of Israel’s government and citizens, I would like to send condolences to his friends and fam ily.”

He add, “The hateful terrorist was caught on that same day, and the IDF and security forces are continuing the fight against terror day and night.”

MK Smotrich also tweeted about the news.

“I write this painful tweet with the terrible news this morning not as a pol itician but as a friend who had the priv ilege to get to know a special man with a huge heart who will be greatly missed by his family, the residents of Kedumim and many more people,” he wrote.

Sofer was buried in Petach Tikveh on Tuesday.

In the room set aside for dignitaries, Herzog met with leaders of Chad, Fin land, the Czech Republic, Belgium, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nor way, according to his office.

He also spoke with Prince Moulay Rachid, second-in-line to the Moroccan throne.

Herzog sat with UAE President Mo hammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and For eign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss climate coopera tion and “regional developments” — of ten a euphemism for Iran.

With Jordan’s King Abdullah, Herzog discussed trilateral cooperation between Israel, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates on energy and water issues, as well as an initiative to clean portions of the Jordan River.

Last year, Israel, Jordan, and the UAE signed a major deal between the three nations to see a solar power plant built in Jordan by Emirati businesses to harness energy for Israel.

With Netanyahu soon to return to the premiership, the president is set to be a key figure in the Israel-Jordan relation ship. Ties became badly frayed during the last few years of Netanyahu’s tenure. Going forward, Herzog could be the most

President Isaac Herzog met with key regional allies on the sidelines of the COP27 UN climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday. Among those he sat with were the leaders

20 acceptable senior Israeli leader for public meetings in Jordanian eyes.

10, 2022

Later in the afternoon, Herzog sat with Britain’s Rishi Sunak, congratulat ing the Tory leader on becoming prime minister, calling him “a great friend of Israel” and describing the Israel-UK rela tionship as “one of the closest.”

Sunak thanked Herzog for the “very warm words,” and added that “Israel is one of our closest friends, our closest allies, and there is an enormous amount for us to continue working on together, whether it’s economic cooperation, se curity cooperation, or indeed climate change, that we’re here discussing. So I look forward to our time together.”

More than 90 heads of state and gov ernment, including U.S. President Joe Biden, are scheduled to converge on the resort between November 6 and 18.

N. Korea Hacking Attempt

This week, a North Korean hacking group posing as a Japanese supplier at tempted to hack into the systems of an Israeli company that deals in the field of cryptocurrency and to siphon money

that Pyongyang planned to use for its nu clear program.

Personnel at the company, Konfidas, quickly averted the attack.

hackers are known practices of North Korea, which almost brought down the Central Bank of Bangladesh in this way. In Israel, this was only an initial attempt – which thankfully ended without suc cess.

ceremony marking 27 years since the No vember 4, 1995, assassination.

North Korea’s attempt seemed to be professional and sophisticated, which is alarming to authorities in Israel.

“These attacks don’t happen over night. The pattern of operation of most attacks is that in the first step, you have a conversation with a person on the oth er side, who gains your trust, then they send a malicious file that contains the virus that is destined to reach the com puter, and from the moment it reaches the computer, they start spreading on the network to reach financial assets or information they need and then do what they want,” CEO of Konfidas Ram Levy noted.

Penetrating the systems of financial institutions and employing the use of

“Ransom demands usually occur in economic attacks; those who are behind them are criminals and they intend to steal information and ask for a ransom in exchange for not publishing the infor mation and releasing the systems,” Levy said. “In this case, the North Korean mo dus operandi is a pattern in which they simply spy, steal money and disappear. There is no interaction with the user ex cept that he has to open the malicious files with which you take over the sys tems.”

North Korean hackers are thought to be behind the theft of as much as $100 million in cryptocurrency from a U.S. company in June, as the regime steps up attempts to secure funding for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

No Conspiracy in Rabin Killing

The lawmaker argued that rightwing rhetoric against Rabin at the time played no role in inciting his killing. Instead, he alleged the Shin Bet, which is charged with protecting politicians, bore responsibility.

“Those who failed in protecting prime minister Yitzhak Rabin,” Smotrich said, “were not the right-wingers and the reli gious Zionists and the settlers who justi fiably decried his government’s policies. It was the security services, which not only failed to protect him, but also used irresponsible manipulations, which ha ven’t been fully exposed to this day, to encourage the murderer to carry out his plan.”

Amir said he had been motivated to kill Rabin by the election results in Is rael and the massacre of 29 Palestinians by Baruch Goldstein in Hebron in 1994. Rabin took power at the head of his La bor party following the 1992 elections.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle condemned Smotrich’s inflammatory re marks.

Still, Smotrich doubled down on his allegations on Monday.

“There is no conspiracy,” he tweeted in the face of strong criticism. “The de spicable murderer Yigal Amir murdered Yitzhak Rabin z”l and we are all still in pain and shock from the terrible murder. Yes, there was a significant failure on the part of the Jewish Division at the Shin Bet, and yes, to this day it refuses to take responsibility.”

Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by Yigal Amir in 1995. But the killer has confirmed that the Shin Bet had nothing to do with the killing. Now, almost two decades later, Rabin’s murder is making headlines after Religious Zionism party leader Bezalel Smotrich sparked outrage on Sunday by blaming the Shin Bet for encouraging the killing.

Amid anger over the right-wing law maker’s speech, Channel 12 on Monday aired old excerpts from Amir’s testimony following the assassination, which ap pear to refute Smotrich’s assertation.

“The Shin Bet never could have been alerted. The Shin Bet didn’t know any thing about me at all,” the assassin told investigators after the killing. “They knew I was organizing Shabbats and ev erything, but never could have known that I would do something like that,” Amir said.

Smotrich was accused by critics of promoting conspiracy theories in his Sunday speech to the Knesset during a

U.S. Wants 2 States

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas spoke with U.S. Secre tary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, demanding the Biden administration “compel” Israel to stop various “attacks” against Palestinians.

According to State Department spokesman Ned Price, Blinken and Ab bas discussed “joint efforts to improve the quality of life for the Palestinian peo ple and enhance their security and free dom.”

Price said Blinken “further reaffirmed

during the arrest operations.

President Joe Biden has been one of the first American leaders to not pursue a peace initiative between Israel and the Palestinians. During a closed meeting with Palestinian Americans on the UN sidelines in September, Abbas revealed how he scolded Blinken, calling him a “little boy” for failing to use his position to coax Israel into making peace.

our commitment to a two-state solution.”

Price added that Blinken “under scored his deep concern over the situa tion in the West Bank, including height ened tensions, violence, and loss of both Palestinian and Israeli lives, and empha sized the need for all parties to de-esca late the situation urgently.”

According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, Abbas briefed Blinken on “Israeli attacks against the Palestin ian people… including the blockades,

extrajudicial killings, home demolitions and settlement construction, in addi tion to settlers’ violence and violations carried out against the ‘occupied’ city of Jerusalem and its Muslim and Christian holy sites.”

The IDF is in the midst of an anti-ter ror offensive, mainly in the West Bank. The campaign has resulted in more than 2,000 arrests in near-nightly raids; more than 125 Palestinians have died in the raids. Many of those were killed while

carrying out attacks or during clashes with security forces; some were unin volved civilians.

The IDF’s anti-terror offensive in the West Bank was launched following a se ries of Palestinian attacks that killed 19 people earlier this year.

An Israeli man was killed in an attack in Hebron last Saturday, another wom an was killed in a suspected attack in September, and four soldiers have been killed in the West Bank in attacks and

Kenyans Dominate NYC Marathon

About six miles from the finish line, Daniel do Nascimento collapsed at the side of the NYC Marathon. The 24-yearold Brazilian was set to win the race, but his physical woes allowed Evans Chebet to take the lead in the men’s race. Cheb et, a Kenyan, had already won the Boston Marathon this year.

“I felt bad for him,” Chebet said in Swahili through a translator, “but I had to continue the race.”

Chebet nabbed the title in 2 hours 8 minutes 41 seconds. His victory makes it a clean sweep for Kenyan men at six world marathon majors this year. Cheb et, 33, did his part by winning two of them — and two of the toughest.

“Boston was actually harder,” Chebet noted.

As for the women’s race, another Ken yan took the crown. Sharon Lokedi was fearless in her marathon debut, break ing free from a celebrated field to win in 2:23:23.

“Perfect weather for me,” said Loke di, 28, who splits her time between Ken ya and Flagstaff, Ariz., where she trains with the Under Armour-sponsored Dark Sky Distance group. “I didn’t expect to win. I expected to run well. But it ended up being a good outcome.”

home on Monday evening.”

“We are greatly saddened by the trag edy that took the life of our colleague, near his home in Baghdad, Iraq,” Millen nium said. “An investigation is ongoing and details on the assailants and the mo tivation for the attack are not known at this time.”

The victim had worked for the past few years for Global English Institute, a local English learning institute that Mil lennium said has operated under its um brella for more than two decades. He was in charge of “managing the promotions and advertising while his wife was man ager of the school.”

“He loved the people of Iraq, and it motivated him to strive for excellence in his work at Global,” Millennium noted. “He will be remembered as a source of great encouragement and will be missed by all who knew him and were touched by his life.”

There was no immediate claim of re sponsibility for the killing.

Attacks against individual foreigners in Baghdad were common in the early years that followed the United States-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Such incidents have been rare since the territorial defeat of the Islamic State group in Iraq in 2017.

U.S.-led coalition forces conclud ed their combat mission in Iraq last year, but American troops remain there to advise and train Iraqi forces in the ongo ing fight against ISIS.

The Thanksgiving Squeeze

Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, a Ken yan-born Israeli who arrived in New York with the fastest time in the field, finished second. Gotytom Gebreslase, an Ethiopi an who is the reigning world champion, placed third. Edna Kiplagat, a 42-yearold Kenyan who is one of the world’s most decorated marathoners, was fourth. And Viola Cheptoo of Kenya, last year’s run ner-up, was fifth.

This year’s race was the warmest marathon on record since the competi

tion was moved to its traditional early November date in 1986. The temperature in Central Park was 73 degrees Fahren heit at 11 a.m., shortly before the elite runners began to cross the finish line.

As for the American runners, Scott Fauble, 31, was the top man, finishing ninth — a solid result coming the morn ing after he signed a new sponsorship deal with Nike. Fauble was also the top American finisher in Boston this year.

American

Killed

in Baghdad

An American aid worker was gunned down in Baghdad on Monday.

Millennium Relief and Development Services, a Texas-based international aid group, confirmed in a statement that one of its workers was “shot and killed by armed attackers as he returned to this

Most families look forward to Thanksgiving, spending time with each other and enjoying good food. But this year, some families are curtailing their upcoming celebrations as they struggle

28 with finances tightening their budgets.

10, 2022

In a poll, commissioned by digital wealth management company Person al Capital, one in four Americans say they’re actually skipping Thanksgiving altogether in order to save money. One in three say they are hosting smaller dinners, and a staggering 88 percent are cutting at least one dish from their table in order to make ends meet.

Last year, nine in ten Americans surveyed in an IPSOS poll said that they planned to celebrate the holiday. Contrast that with this year, when that number has fallen to just 74 percent. In fact, 47 percent say they’re celebrating “Friendsgiving” because of its more bud get-friendly menu. Specifically, just 24 percent of Friendsgiving celebrations will even have a turkey on the table, with 33 percent opting for a pizza instead!

Hoping to cut on costs, many Amer icans are asking guests to bring a side dish to the dinner. Some are asking if guests can contribute alcohol; forty-six percent would appreciate a dessert. An other 42 percent are going a step further, asking their friends and family to help pay for the big meal.

Aside from cutting food costs, some Americans – 57 percent – are cutting their guest list.

Overall, 45 percent of the country say they feel financially stressed by Thanks giving 2022. Gen X Americans have the least amount of stress (33%) while Gen Z is feeling it the most (54%).

Want to cut costs when preparing your celebration? Respondents say the best things to do to save money are pay attention to deals (38%), use coupons (36%), and start shopping for holiday ingredients early (36%). When it comes to the items no Thanksgiving dinner is complete without, turkey tops the list (36%), followed by gravy (35%), mashed potatoes (31%), stuffing (31%), and sweet potatoes (29%).

Brussel sprouts, creamed spinach, and squash are all items that are going to be the first to be cut from this year’s menu.

Nicole Nears

Florida

Subtropical Storm Nicole quickly took aim at land after it formed in the south western Atlantic on Monday, prompt ing a hurricane warning for portions of the northwestern Bahamas and a storm watch along the east coast of Florida as

forecasters said it could reach hurricane strength by midweek.

The warning, which means that hur ricane conditions were expected within 36 hours, included Abaco, Berry, Bimi ni and Grand Bahama islands. A tropi cal storm warning, anticipating tropical storm conditions, was in effect for the Andros, New Providence and Eleuthera islands.

Nicole was forecast to approach the northwestern Bahamas on Tuesday, when it was expected to strengthen and move near or over those islands Wednes day, meteorologists said. The storm, which was packing 45 mph winds Mon day evening, will head toward Florida’s east coast as a hurricane by Wednesday night.

In preparation, the government of the Bahamas issued a hurricane watch that was upgraded Monday afternoon to a hurricane warning for the northwest ern Bahamas, according to the National Hurricane Center. Three to five inches of rain was expected across the northwest Bahamas and central and northern parts of Florida from Tuesday through Thurs day, with up to 7 inches possible in some locations.

In the United States, a hurricane watch, anticipating possible hurricane conditions within 48 hours, was issued for the east coast of Florida, from the Volusia-Brevard county line to Hallan dale Beach north of Miami in Broward County, and for Lake Okeechobee in the southern part of the state.

The storm is expected to strength en into a Category 1 hurricane as it ap proaches the Florida Peninsula, said Jamie Rhome, acting director of the Na tional Hurricane Center in Miami.

“The worst of the impact will be com ing onshore during the day on Wednes day, and possibly lingering on Thursday,” Rhome said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on Mon day declared a state of emergency for 34 counties that could be in the path of the storm. (© The New York Times)

that he conspired with others to trick a Qatari business executive into sending them hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to the plea deal, Abbas and an associate falsely told the unidenti fied business owner that the money was needed to help secure a $15 million loan that the victim needed to build a school and related tax costs.

U.S. Jail for Nigerian Fraudster

Hushpuppi will be spending the next 135 months in an American slammer. Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, better known by his Instagram handle, was sentenced to prison and ordered to pay $1.7 million to two of his victims on Monday.

The Nigerian fraudster is accused of

using the proceeds of his crimes to fund a lavish lifestyle he flaunted on social media in a series of international online scams.

Although he would later be accused by prosecutors of targeting high-profile victims including a U.S. law firm, a for eign bank and a professional soccer club in Britain, Abbas never appeared to keep a low profile. The 40-year-old shared pic tures and videos of his life in Dubai with his more than 2 million Instagram fol

lowers, showing off luxury cars, designer clothes and trips on a private jet.

Abbas was extradited to the United States from the United Arab Emirates following his arrest in Dubai in June 2020 and has remained in U.S. custody ever since. Don Alway, the assistant di rector in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, described him in a statement as “one of the most prolific money laun derers in the world.”

In one case, prosecutors alleged

Abbas then used the money for his own benefit, buying a $230,000 luxury Swiss watch and obtaining citizenship and a passport from the tiny Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis, the plea deal said.

He also admitted as part of the plea deal to being a co-conspirator in plans to launder around $14.7 million stolen from a bank in Malta. In an aspect of the case not mentioned in the plea deal, U.S. prosecutors alleged that the funds were taken by North Korean hackers.

One of the tactics favored by Abbas and his associates was “business email compromise,” a type of phishing attack in which scammers illegally access email accounts belonging to a company to trick employees into making an unauthorized money transfer.

Abbas’s scams spanned the globe. In one case, he conspired to launder mil lions of pounds stolen from the unnamed British soccer club and a British compa ny. In another case, Abbas was accused of scamming a law firm in New York into fraudulently transferring more than $900,000 to a Mexican bank account controlled by his fellow conspirator, Ca nadian national Ghaleb Alaumary.

Will Smoking be Banned in Casinos?

In Atlantic City, New Jersey, the most prominent U.S. gambling hub outside of Nevada, an employee-led push to ban smoking on casino floors has gathered momentum and clout, representing a po tentially critical moment for the industry nationwide.

“A lot of eyes are on Atlantic City,”

said Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, a nonprofit that for over four decades has pressed for smoke-free casinos, air planes, and bars.

Twenty states, including New York and Massachusetts, ban smoking in casi nos, as have many Native American-run gambling hubs. Even in states that allow smoking, such as Pennsylvania, some leading casino operators have opted to remain smoke-free since the coronavi

rus pandemic, leaving Atlantic City as the last large refuge for smokers in the Northeast.

Mark Giannantonio, president of the Casino Association of New Jersey, said he recognized that ending smoking was most likely a matter of when, not if. But he opposes the effort to do so right now.

He pointed to what he sees as sev eral economic threats to New Jersey’s gambling industry: the lingering effects of the pandemic; the risk of a prolonged

recession; and the three new casinos that could be built in or near New York City.

“The economics are real,” he said.

But employees who say they fear for their health in a workplace filled with po tentially deadly secondhand smoke con sider the policy craven, even immoral.

The New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act of 2006 carved out exceptions for casinos, simulcasting facilities, cigar bars and to bacco shops. Each of Atlantic City’s nine casinos now designates roughly a quarter

of their gambling floors for smokers.

A bill to ban casino smoking altogeth er in New Jersey has gathered enough sponsors to all but guarantee passage if it were to reach a vote in the Assembly and Senate; the governor has said he would sign it into law if it reached his desk.

Still, the bill has stalled, just as it did in prior legislative sessions. The Demo cratic leader of the state Senate, Nicholas Scutari, said in July that he expected the legislation to eventually pass, but said there were “economic things” and “other items” at work.

The union that represents casino card dealers, who often stand feet away from smokers as they work, supports the proposed smoking ban. A larger union, which represents most other casino and hotel employees, opposes it. (© The New York Times)

Don’t Lick Toads

The U.S. National Park Service is warning people to stop licking toads in the wild. What may seem to be a re minder to use common sense is an effort to prevent people from licking these an imals due to their gland-secreted psyche delic substance that can create a halluci nogenic experience.

In a Facebook post, the National Park Service (NPS) urged people to re frain from licking the Sonoran desert toad, also known as the Colorado river toad. According to the agency, the frog is not harmless; it contains a potent toxin that can make people sick if they touch it or get the poison in their mouth.

“These toads have prominent paro toid glands that secrete a potent tox in. It can make you sick if you handle the frog or get the poison in your mouth,” the National Park Service advised.

It wasn’t a wave, and it certainly wasn’t a tsunami. Although the elec tion results this week didn’t rock the political world, there were still strides made on the Republican side on Tuesday.

Republicans flipped a handful of crucial House seats in Florida and Vir ginia, putting the party closer to netting the five seats they needed to win con trol. That would position them to thwart President Joe Biden’s policy agenda in the next few years.

Key races that could determine con trol of the Senate remained too close to call on Wednesday morning, although Democrats picked up a critical seat with a victory by Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in Pennsylvania in his race against Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Far from the red bloodbath that Re publicans had forecast in the fight for control of Congress, early results indi cated that Democrats had held off some of the bleakest forces that have histori cally left the president’s party with siz able losses in midterm elections.

“It is clear that House Democratic members and candidates are strongly outperforming expectations across the

country,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Cali fornia said in a statement.

By the end of Tuesday night, voters had delivered a mixed verdict after an extraordinary election cycle that was driven, at least on the surface, by con cerns about soaring inflation and rising crime, but played out amid a swirl of oth er factors: a deeply unpopular president, a landmark Supreme Court decision up ending abortion rights, and the fallout from the events of January 6.

Republicans claimed two open seats in Florida held by Democrats whose dis tricts had been redrawn to include more conservative voters. In at least one of those races, a hard-right Republican, Anna Paulina Luna, was set to succeed

a retiring Democrat, Rep. Charlie Crist, who had prided himself on his moderate credentials.

The GOP picked up a critical seat in Virginia Beach, Virginia, after Rep. Elaine Luria, a Democrat and member of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, conceded to Jen A. Ki ggans, a Republican state senator.

“Please don’t boo,” Luria said to her supporters, who were clearly upset as she acknowledged the loss at a campaign watch party. “The success of this district depends on her success.”

But by the early hours of Wednesday morning, even as Republicans were still within striking distance of capturing the House majority, they had missed critical opportunities to pick up seats, including in North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Ohio.

“Definitely not a Republican wave, that’s for darn sure,” Sen. Lindsey Gra ham, R-S.C., said on NBC.

Democrats hung on in competitive races against hard-right Republicans in a crucial district in central Virginia, as well as contests in Rhode Island and New Hampshire, scuttling GOP hopes of notching early, overwhelming victo ries.

Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, the 20-term Democratic congresswoman, handily put down a challenge from J.R. Majewski, an Air Force veteran.

And Democrats captured a new seat in the conservative-leaning exurbs of Raleigh, North Carolina, after Republi cans nominated Bo Hines, a 27-year-old political novice and onetime football phenomenon who won Trump’s endorse ment.

Even as polls showed that concerns about the economy and public safety were top of mind for voters, endangered House Democrats largely focused their

closing arguments on preserving abor tion rights and protecting democracy, betting that those issues would energize independent voters and women enough to allow otherwise vulnerable Demo crats to scrape by. For many of them, the bet appeared to pay off.

In New York’s closely watched guber natorial race, Governor Kathy Hochul managed to win her first term, scrap ing by her challenger Lee Zeldin with a victory of 52.8% to 47%, as of numbers reporting on Wednesday morning. Ho chul was forced to call in Dem bigwigs like President Biden to the Big Apple in the days before the election, as the race tightened between the candidates.

In a stunning defeat for Democrats in New York, Democratic National Cam paign Committee chairman Sean Pat rick Maloney lost to Assemblyman Mike Lawler in the Congressional race for Dis trict 17.

As of Wednesday morning, the Re publican Party was declaring Anthony D’Esposito the winner in the Congres sional race against Laura Gillen, nab bing 51.9% of the vote in District 4.

For State Senate, District 7, Republi can Jack Martins won against Anna Ka plan in the Great Neck area. In District 9, Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, a Re publican, won 56% of the vote in her race against Ken Moore for Todd Kaminsky’s old seat.

In Far Rockaway, the race for the 23rd Assembly District seat currently held by Stacey Pheffer Amato was too close to call on Wednesday morning.

As of Wednesday, with a few races too close to call, the Republicans in the U.S. Senate were holding 49 seats; Democrats were holding 48. In the House, Repub licans were holding 203 seats, with 187 seats for the Democrats.

Fire Sweeps NYC Highrise

10,

36 “As we say with most things you come across in a national park, whether it be a banana slug, unfamiliar mushroom, or a large toad with glowing eyes in the dead of night, please refrain from licking,” it added.

“Licking or swallowing can lead to numbness of the mouth and throat as well as severe and life-threatening ef fects on the heart as a result of the digox in-like compounds and catecholamines described above,” the agency warned.

Despite the risks, some people have discovered that the toad’s toxic se cretions contain a powerful halluci nogenic known as 5-MeO-DMT. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration considers 5-MeO-DMT a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it is currently not accept ed for medical use and has a high poten tial for abuse.

In recent years, smoking the amphib ian’s secretions has grown in populari ty, and many celebrities have said that they can’t get enough of the high they get from toad venom.

The Colorado River toad, usually found in parts of California, Arizona, and New Mexico, is one of North America’s tallest at 7 inches.

Firefighters, using ropes and dan gling off a high-rise in midtown Manhat tan, rescued a woman who was trapped in a fire that injured at least 38 people Saturday, officials said.

The fire at 429 E. 52nd St. was caused by a lithium-ion battery in an electric bicycle, authorities said. The unit where the fire started had at least five e-bikes, Chief Fire Marshal Daniel Flynn said.

Officials said they believe that a resi dent of the apartment repaired bikes and were investigating whether unauthorized business activity had taken place.

About 200 fires in New York City this year have been caused by lithium-ion batteries, resulting in six deaths, he said. These batteries are found in micro-mo

bility transportation devices such as electric bikes, scooters and hoverboards. The fires caused by the batteries are typ ically intense and can quickly gain mo mentum with any combustible objects around them, officials said.

A sign outside the apartment com plex read, “No pedal or e-bikes allowed beyond this point.” Fire officials said any device that used the powerful lithi um-ion batteries could cause a risk, not only those in bicycles.

In a dramatic moment caught on vid eo and posted on social media, firefight ers rescued a woman from a 20th-floor apartment where officials said the fire started. Firefighters pulled the woman through a shattered window on a floor below. One other person was rescued by rope from the unit.

A deputy assistant chief, Frank Leeb, described the use of a rope rescue as “a last resort in the FDNY.”

Of those hurt, two were in critical condition, five were in serious condition and the rest had minor injuries, fire of ficials said.

Officials said lingering questions around whether there had been build ing safety issues — whether there was or should have been a fire alarm; whether doors were left open, feeding the fire;

whether fire protection and planning at the building were adequate — would be part of their investigation. (© The New York Times)

The Future for Adidas and Nike

Adidas and Nike have lost billions of dollars in revenue after severing alliances with certain celebrities who were unapol ogetically antisemitic. Now, executives are surveying the damage that the com panies are facing after losing those deals.

The road back to normalcy will be much rockier for Adidas than Nike. Adi das’s breakup with rapper and designer Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, over his outbursts ended one of the most lu crative sneaker arrangements in the in dustry’s history and leaves a gaping hole

38 in the company’s earnings that may be as large as $251 million. Nike’s suspended its shoe line with basketball star Kyrie Irving after he refused to disavow antisemitism.

10, 2022

Adidas’s CEO, Kasper Rorsted, is on his way out. His successor will now have to figure out how to sell Yeezy de signs to customers without the brand name and whether to rethink celebrity partnerships, all while contending with global supply-chain snags and declining market share in China.

Adidas became heavily dependent on Yeezy since hitching itself to the celebri ty in 2013. The Yeezy line grew to almost $2 billion in annual sales, or about 8% of Adidas’s total revenue, according to analysts. Premium pricing gave the col lection high margins, and it represented more than 40% of profit at Adidas, ac cording to Morgan Stanley. Executives are expected to tell investors how they plan to mitigate that shortfall on an earnings call on this week.

“The saga of Ye, not just with Adidas but with brands like Gap and Balenciaga, underlines the importance of vetting celeb rities thoroughly and avoiding those who are overly controversial or unstable,” Neil Saunders, an analyst at GlobalData Plc, noted. “Companies or brands that fail to heed this will get stung, especially if they

become overly reliant on a difficult person ality to drive their business.”

In 2019, Nike Executive Chairman Mark Parker singled out the Kyrie shoe line as a key piece of the company’s bas ketball future. Nike had planned to re lease the latest version of his signature sneaker, the Kyrie 8, this month. For now, that’s canceled, and the company hasn’t yet said what it’ll do with the ex cess inventory. Irving’s shoe deal is set to expire next year.

Leaving Irving behind won’t hit the company as much as Adidas. Nike has several big basketball stars signed to long-term arrangements, including LeB ron James, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo. It also has the sneaker world’s biggest celebrity asset, Michael Jordan, whose Jordan brand generates more than $5 billion in annual revenue for Nike.

Celebrity and athlete partnerships come with inherent risk for the compa nies that work with them — even a oneoff advertising campaign ties a face to a brand. Even so, it’s rare to see them ex plode with such potency. Often the worst that happens is that a spokesperson apologizes after a gaffe, and it’s back to business as usual. But Ye and Irving were unapologetic when confronted with their

antisemitic comments, going so far as to double down on their hateful views.

Thanksgiving meal.

Side Dish Seltzer

According to the company’s CEO, “Everyone knows side dishes are the best part of a Thanksgiving meal. So we upped the ante. Green Bean Casserole was inspired by Aura Bora superfans, who LOVE daring and unassuming spar kling water flavors. We like to say, ‘Our Green Bean Casserole is better than your mom’s.’ I hope you think so too.”

The refreshing sparkling water is set to come out on November 8 and is only available to select customers.

Or you can just dunk a shriveled green bean into your glass at your Thanksgiv ing meal and enjoy that refreshing taste.

The Big Cheese

For those who like to drink their side dishes, this drink is for you.

Beverage company Aura Bora is now offering Green Bean Casserole sparkling water. Want to know what it tastes like? The beverage has a “sweet, earthy, and buttery flavor” and is like taking a bite out of a “perfectly crunchy, succulent green bean.” Yum.

The company thought that their con sumers would be excited to drink and not just eat their favorite foods at their

Out of 4,434 cheeses from 42 countries, a gruyère from Switzerland nabbed the top

40 slot at the world’s best cheese competition last week.

10, 2022

Last Wednesday, hundreds gathered at the World Cheese Awards in the Unit ed Kingdom. Two-hundred-fifty judges sniffed and nibbled on delicious offer ings. Judges described the winning Le Gruyère AOP surchoix, entered by Swiss cheese maker Vorderfultigen and affi neur (refiner) Gourmino, as a “really re fined, hand-crafted cheese” that melts on the tongue and has notes of herbs, fruits and leather. “A cheese with a lot of taste and bouquet.”

A matured cheese, the gruyère is slightly crumbly and made from raw cow’s milk.

Coming in second place was a Gor gonzola Dolce DOP, a soft, blue buttery cheese made by De’ Magi from Italy.

There were so many cheeses on dis play last week – towering blues, flat creamy medallions and imposing ched dar slabs. There were cheeses the shape of witch hats and flowers, cheeses wrapped in nettle leaves or covered in ash. There were plain, simple cheeses. There were cheeses resembling cakes, elaborately garnished in fruit.

There were whites, oranges, blues –even purples.

At least one cheese looked like it was

painted by abstract expressionist Jack son Pollock.

With all this good cheese around, life is so gouda.

Do Bees Have Fun?

their way to roll wooden balls repeatedly, despite no apparent incentive to do so.”

The finding suggests that, like hu mans, insects also interact with inani mate objects as a form of play. Also simi lar to people, younger bees seemed to be more playful than adult bees.

“This research provides a strong indi cation that insect minds are far more so phisticated than we might imagine,” Lars Chittka, a professor of sensory and be havioral ecology at Queen Mary Univer sity of London, who led the study, said.

Other studies have shown that bees will learn new tricks for food and other rewards.

of the most spectacular tracks through the Alps.

The Rhaetian Railway company ran the 1.9-kilometer-long (1.2-mile-long) train composed of 100 coaches along the Albula/ Bernina route from Preda to Berguen.

It’s busy work being a bee, but that doesn’t mean it’s all work and no play.

A study recently published in Animal Behavior notes that bumblebees, when given the chance, like to fool around with toys.

Researchers from Queen Mary Uni versity of London conducted an exper iment in which they set up a container that allowed bees to travel from their hive to a feeding area. Along the way, the bees could opt to pass through a sepa rate section with a smattering of small wooden balls. Over 18 days, the scien tists watched as the bees “went out of

Scientists are noting that bees’ ability to play is proof that these insects can ac tually experience feelings.

“They may actually experience some kind of positive emotional states, even if rudimentary, like other larger fluffy, or not so fluffy, animals do,” the study’s first author, Samadi Galpayage, said.

We can’t bee-lieve it.

Runaway Train

A Swiss railway company claimed the record for the world’s longest passenger train over the weekend with a trip on one

The route was designated a UNESCO World Heritage in 2008 and leads through 22 tunnels, some of which spiral through mountains, and across 48 bridges, includ ing the curved Landwasser Viaduct.

The entire journey took over an hour. Rail enthusiasts lined the valley to watch the train’s 25 sections wind their way about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) through the Alps.

Rhaetian Railway director Renato Fasciati said the record attempt was in tended to highlight some of Switzerland’s engineering achievements and to cele brate 175 years of Swiss railways.

Sounds like they’re right on track.

DRS Wins Auburn Tournament Gym at Gesher

Gesher students have been enjoy ing their brand-new gymnastics special, given by expert Aviva Skolnik. They warm up with different exercises, work on balance, do tum ble-sauces and enhance their gross mo tor skills.

The DRS varsity basketball team traveled to Auburn Alabama to participate in the first NCSY and Athletes for Israel Auburn Experience. In addition to a five team tournament, we were treated to a meeting with coach Bruce Pearl of Auburn University and attended opening night for the Auburn Tigers. Shabbos was great with NCSY ru ach and meeting some jewish members of the community.

DRS defeated HAFTR and Kushner to advance to the championship game against Katz Yeshiva from Boca Raton. In the finals, the Wildcats played great bas ketball from the opening tip jumping to a big lead and never letting Katz back into the game. Final score: DRS 71, Katz 26.

Issac Solomon led all scorers with 20 points and was named tournament MVP. Ari Saffra added 16 points and was se lected to the tournament all-star team.

BYAM High School Hosts Open House

BYAM High School held its annual Open House to an overflow crowd at Beth Shalom, in Lawrence, on Wednesday evening, November 2. The high school, currently located at 1 Pier mont Ave in Hewlett, is currently in its first year with a ninth grade class.

Students and parents listened atten tively, as they were addressed by Mr. Isaac Zafir, president of the high school, as he eloquently re-iterated the vision and goals of Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam High School, now entering its second year.

Mrs. Ruchie Sokoloff, principal, spoke of the high school’s dedicated staff, the high academic standards, and the plethora of extra-curricular activities. Mrs. Sokoloff shared the daily excite ment for learning that permeates halls and classrooms, coupled with the warm achdus that has developed between the students almost immediately. She cited a timely metaphor in Parshas Behalos cha which defines BYAM High School’s chinuch philosophy, Mrs. Sokoloff stat ed that the word usage of “behaloscha,” in describing how the Menorah should be lit, refers to raising up the flame, not

merely to light it. “So, too,” concluded Mrs. Sokoloff, “is our methodology of chinuch. We are dedicated to ‘raising the flame’ with each student – nurturing and fostering consistent and lasting growth in all areas.”

Chana Pantiiat, current ninth grader at BYAM HS, addressed the crowd next. She beautifully shared her experiences as a new high school student and comment ed on the closeness of staff and students, the feelings of inclusion that she felt al most immediately, and the caliber of ac ademic excellence that she is encounter ing. She aptly described the warm Bais Yaakov atmosphere of the school and in vited the eighth grade students who were in attendance to be a part of BYAM HS.

Rabbi Nosson Neuman, Menahel, greeted the assembled warmly and de fined his vision of BYASM HS with the following from Gemarah Brachos: R. Elazar ben Azaria added another 300 benches to the Bais Medrash – not spe cifically talmidim. Rabbi Neuman noted that sharing the benches exhibits a sense of caring for one another – which is par amount to the educational growth of our talmidos.

The evening culminated in a most meaningful video which depicted the daily interactions of BYAM HS students, included thoughtful interviews with staff and hanhala, and included a current par ent’s warm words about his child’s expe riences in the school.

At the close of the evening, the cur rent eighth graders were invited to a team-building activity in an adjacent room. One aspect of the activity was re questing that each girl share her “take away” about the evening on cards, to be collected. Some of the student insightful takeaway included, “BYAM seems like a

very warm school, with a solid Bais Yaa kov hashkafa” and “I was wowed that the principal meets with every girl just to hear her thoughts.” And yet another commented, “I really like how there is a special connection between students and staff. “

It was very clear to see that the es sence of what BYAM HS is so well com municated to both the parents who at tended and the students themselves. As one eighth grader commented so astute ly, “I was very impressed with the visions and goals that BYAM HS has. We share a lot in common.”

Around the Community

Literature Initiative at Ateres Eitz Chaim Rabbi Dovid Lau Visits New York

Led by Rabbi Boruch Oppen, the talmidim of Ateres Eitz Chaim were presented with a new initiative that will benefit their ELA. The Book Club encour ages students to read books of their choosing during their free time. Talmidim write a summary of their book and present it, as well as posting the title and name of the author on the “Book Club Wall” introducing other students to new books. This also gives students a sense of pride for taking on the challenge.

After completion, talmidim are presented with a voucher sponsored by Pizza’le.

Israel’s Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau (seat ed) addressed and responded to topical questions from representatives of the Great Neck community at the invitation of Chabad of Great Neck’s Rabbi Yossi and Chani Geisinsky last Thursday evening. During the day, the Chief Rabbi visited Chabad’s Silverstein Hebrew Academy (SHA).

The Young Israel of Hewlett was privileged to host Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau at Mincha of Shabbos Parshas Lech Lecha. Chief Rabbi Lau spoke to a packed audience at Shalosh Seudos and uplifted the community with his words. Rabbi Lau is pictured here with mara d’asra Rabbi Simcha Hopkovitz.

(L-R) Rabbi Tenenboim, Chabad of Hewlett, who escorted Rav Lau; Great Neck activist Dr. Paul Brody; Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Geisinsky, Chabad of Great Neck in his private study; with Rabbi Lau

Photo by Gabe Solomon

The Young Israel of Hewlett Annual Shul Dinner was held on November 5. Malkie and Avner Vider were guests of honor; Jaimee Samuelson received the Eishes Chayil award; the security team received the Community Service Award.

Photo by Gabe Solomon

Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi David Lau Visits Mercaz Academy

Mercaz Academy students were honored with a visit from the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Isra el, Rabbi David Lau, on Friday, Novem ber 4. Excited students gathered in the cafeteria, eagerly awaiting his arrival as Principal Rabbi Kalman Fogel explained the significance of a visit from someone great in both Torah and in the adminis tration of medinat Yisrael, the State of Israel.

“Rabbi Tuvia Teldon of Chabad of Long Island called me last week to tell me that the Chief Rabbi of Israel was in terested in visiting our school. I was sur prised because we’re so new, and not very big,” said Rabbi Fogel. “But Rabbi Teldon said that Rabbi Lau wanted to see us be cause he knows how vital we truly are to Jewish life here.”

When the Chief Rabbi arrived on Fri day morning, he was greeted by excited kindergarten students and their teachers, who lined the entrance hall to welcome him with a “bruchim habaim.” Rabbi Lau then met with the younger students, chatting with the children, exchanging

greetings and blessings with them, and joining each class for a photograph.

Rabbi Lau met with the fourth, fifth, and sixth graders for a conversation, speaking to them with great warmth and humor. He began by sharing a Torah thought about Rachel, our foremother, whose yahrzeit was that night.

The Chief Rabbi then took questions, and students asked their questions in He brew. They inquired about the most dif ficult parts of his job (the responsibility of connecting young people to previous generations through Judaism), the best part of his job (talking to students like those at Mercaz), as well as about Chu mash and halacha. Rabbi Lau answered them all with patience, good humor, and a clear admiration for their desire to learn. He told them that speaking Hebrew is the best way to connect Jews in America to Jews in Israel and to Torah itself.

Before the Chief Rabbi left, Mercaz Academy students recited Tehillim on behalf of his wife, who is ill. Rabbi Lau expressed his gratitude and explained that praying for others is also a way to

connect to them. Prayer, he told stu dents, bridges generations and the miles between the US and Israel.

“The excitement was palpable, and you could feel it when they walked in the door,” said President of the Board Jef

of greater achievement and giving back to their community, not by his celebrity, but by his leadership in Torah and his in volvement in the world.”

Tackling Important Issues at CentralIsrael Education Week at SHS

In commemoration of the 105th an niversary of the Balfour Declaration on November 2, Shulamith High School celebrated its annual Israel Week last week, targeting the dual goals of ed ucating students about modern Zionist history and heightening their passion to serve as its advocates. To achieve these missions, the programming throughout the week was split between educational content and lively festivities.

Early in the week, students participat ed in workshops where they reviewed the facts and timelines of Zionism through out the nineteenth and twentieth centu ries, covering the major events, dates, wars, declarations, and resolutions. On Tuesday, SHS got a literal taste of Israel, beginning with hummus tasting during the morning break and sharing in a sellout Babka Bash, alongside their mothers and hundreds more from the extended Shulamith family that evening.

On the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, the SHS history department displayed their stellar acting skills at the Balfour Tea Party, as they reenacted the scene they imagine preceded the decla

ration, while students watched with rapt attention, while snacking on crumpets and sipping tea.

The week concluded with an Israeli Film Festival, at which students selected from many options of educational films to learn a topic of their choice in greater depth, and an Israeli dance party to end the week with the ruach and excitement that is synonymous with SHS. The mission to educate and inspire remains the driving force behind all Shulamith programming; we look forward to our students’ growth as informed ambassadors of Israel in their personal and professional lives!

On Monday, October 24, Central welcomed Rahel Bayar, lawyer and CEO of the Bayar Group, to discuss a crucial topic with all four classes: boundaries and consent. Bayar brought her experience as a former child abuse prosecutor to an honest and direct conversation about safe spaces and how Central students can protect themselves, and one another, in the larger world. The conversation addressed several issues: physical assault, cyberbullying and con sent, the concept of bystander interven tion on social media, and what recourse young people have to protect themselves against the threat of certain dangerous behaviors online.

At the heart of these issues was the concept of power – often a difficult dis cussion to broach. Bayar addressed these issues directly, with honesty, humor, and warmth.

“She used tactics that were relatable to high school students to address the stigma around teens setting up bound aries in their everyday life,” said junior Samantha Burger.

Junior Gitty Kahn agreed. “Rahel

Bayar perfectly balanced discussing the very serious topic of establishing safe boundaries in person and over the inter net, with humor and in-person examples of uncomfortable situations,” she said. “Her background as a prosecutor allowed her to bring a New York law perspective into why we, as teenage girls, need to keep safe boundaries and what to do if the boundaries we set are violated.”

Bayar emphasized the importance of communication, particularly in the frum community, and how a sense of trust and open dialogue can keep young people safe.

Junior Lois Rifkin seconded the crucial nature of such programming. “I learned that, if I am ever in trouble, I should ask an adult for help right away. This presentation inspired me to be ex tra careful when it comes to posting on social media.”

In a powerful concluding activity, students were organized into breakout groups and encouraged by a guiding fac ulty member to talk to one another about these issues. The exchanges that resulted were made easier by Bayar’s presentation.

frey Lichtman. “The Chief Rabbi inspires them to envision themselves in roles

Chazaq Plans for Expansion

Chazaq’s life-changing work is known throughout the Jewish community. Thousands of peo ple from all backgrounds are inspired by their events and lectures each year since their inception in 2006, though, as we all know, Chazaq’s main goal and mission is to educate and inspire Jewish public school students in the Queens communi ty and beyond.

In the last 12 months alone, Chazaq touched the lives of 1,192 public school students with 670 being children from their Shaping Lives Program and 522 from their JWave teens’ division. Baruch Hashem, 207 of them were transferred to yeshivas. Since 2017, Chazaq has regis tered 1,324 students to yeshiva, all truly remarkable accomplishments.

Just days after the holiday season came to a close, Chazaq kicked things off with a staff appreciation meeting at Pier 26 to go over their exciting plans for

the coming year. Every division was rep resented at the meeting from the Public School to Yeshiva division, JWave Teens (Boys and Girls), Shaping Lives Sunday School Program, Beis Medrash/Kollel, the Food Pantry, and the office and Chaz aq event staff.

Rabbi Yaniv Meirov, CEO of Chazaq, started off the event by expressing his gratitude and appreciation for the staff. He and other higher level members of the Chazaq team spoke about some internal changes to allow processes to run more efficiently, and ultimately, will allow Chazaq to increase its bandwidth to help more kids and teens get a Jewish educa tion

“Lives are being changed,” says Rab bi Meirov. “What’s being done is truly impacting so many lives, but a lot more needs to be done. We can’t stop.”

At the end of November, Chazaq is having a Charidy Campaign, which will

5 Towns Flag Football Superbowl

This past Friday was the last week of FM Home Loans flag football. We had an amazing season and can’t wait to see everyone’s talents next spring!

In the 2nd grade division, the Vikings defeated the Broncos with Benny Pol lack’s all-star touchdowns and Moshe Schwalb’s all-star touchdown.

In the 3rd and 4th grade division, the Raiders defeated the Panthers with Av igdor Perl’s consistent short catches and flag pulls.

In the 5th and 6th grade division, the Panthers defeated the Steelers with Jo nah Cohen’s all-star touchdown pass!

In the 7th and 8th grade division, the

Trash 4 Treasure

You know the old saying, “One man’s trash is not enough!” OK, we may have changed the ending a little, but in the case of Trash 4 Trea sure, it is simply the truth.

Trash 4 Treasure is an organization that collects bottles and cans and re deems them for the cash deposit. For those of you unfamiliar with the cash deposit system, check your receipt next time you buy a soft drink or case of water bottles. You will see a charge for 5 cents per bottle. When you return the bottles

to a store or redemption center, you get your deposit back. Many people are un aware of this; while for others, it is just not worth the effort to redeem their bot tles. But Trash 4 Treasure was built on the premise that small change adds up –and how it has!

Thousands of bottles have been collected and sorted, counted and ex changed, with the funds earned being saved up to accomplish a most lofty goal – to purchase a Sefer Torah! Word of the campaign spread fast, and people around

be a 36-hour worldwide campaign to get the community at large to assist in their life-changing mission. “Our goal is to strengthen our Shaping Lives programs for children, and the Jwave Division for teens, and expand to more and more communities,” said Meirov.

Stay tuned for a lot of exciting

To keep up to date with Chazaq’s amaz ing work and become a part of the rev olution, please visit www.Chazaq.org, email events@chazaq.com, or call 718285-9132.

the New York metropolitan area have been drinking for a cause ever since. With the help of friends, family, neigh bors, and complete strangers, we have B”H reached our goal.

Consider this our personal invitation to join us at the Hachnosas Sefer Torah this week, and a HUGE thank you to all of those who took part in the campaign. We were only able to accomplish our goal because of the many people who took our idea to heart and were able to share our vision. So while one man’s

trash would never have been enough, many people’s trash has added up to the most valuable treasure of all. I’ll drink to that!

The Hachnosas Sefer Torah will be held Sunday, November 13. Kesivas osiy os at 1:15pm at Ohr Torah, 410 Hungry Harbor Road, Valley Stream, NY. The Outdoor Torah Parade will be at 2:30, starting at Ohr Torah and heading to Young Israel of North Woodmere, 634 Hungry Harbor Road.

growth for Chazaq this coming year!

Eagles defeated the Texans with MVP Isac Weisfeld and Charlie Mayer touch

downs, interceptions, and flag pulls. Can’t wait for next season. Registra

tion is already opened and filling up fast. www.5townsflagfootball.com

Rambam Shabbaton at Camp Seneca Lake

The Annual Rambam Mesivta Shab baton was held last week at Camp Seneca Lake, and it was a weekend filled with fun, ruach, sports, games, and meaningful messages. On Thursday, the freshmen and sophomores went up along with the seniors who functioned as “Big Brothers” to their underclassmen. The ju niors went on their own trip, “Junior Jour ney,” with their rebbeim in a day of bond ing that included laser-tag, videogaming, some time at Eisenhower Park, and a film. They then joined the rest of the school at Seneca on Friday.

While the juniors were journeying, the rest of the school was at Seneca Lake swimming, playing basketball, hockey, softball, frisbee, soccer, and more! Princi pal of Rambam, Rabbi Yotav Eliach, also met with each grade to discuss the mes sage of standing up to peer pressure. After a midnight BBQ, the 9th and 10th graders assembled in the Seneca gym to take on the seniors, and honorary senior, Asso ciate Principal Mr. Hillel Goldman, in an epic game of dodgeball. Despite their years of experience and high dodgeball IQ, the fresh-legs of the underclassmen

took the win in a stunning upset that re verberates to this day!

Before the juniors arrived the next day, Mr. Goldman met with the fresh men, sophomores, and senior advisors for a session on “perspective” and rein forced Rabbi Eliach’s earlier message of maintaining one’s value system in the face of the “mob.”

With the arrival of the juniors on Fri day, multiple tournaments were able to get underway! The JV Quest for the Cup, featuring JV Basketball vs. JV Hockey in a neutral sport – this year, football – com menced with the players receiving special “JV Cup” t-shirts. With MVP Abie Steiner leading the way, JV Basketball was back on top. Up next was the Varsity Quest for the Cup with Varsity Hockey taking on Varsi ty Basketball in Volleyball. After donning their Varsity Cup t-shirts that read “Ram bam Raven Nation,” with a robust crowd in attendance, the Hockey team won the day avenging last year’s loss.

Next up was a schoolwide Flag Foot ball Tzedakah Tournament with all pro ceeds going to benefit the Camp Scholar ship Fund. Over 80 students participated in the tournament that started on Friday and would culminate Motzei Shabbos. While the tournament was going on, the other students played ping-pong, Foos ball, videogames, and more in the Sene

ca Game Room. The Boardgame Room was also open, and students had over 30 games to sample!

Shabbos at Seneca was a meaningful experience that began with a stirring Kab balat Shabbat led by senior Boaz Duftler. Rosh Mesivta Rabbi Zev Meir Freidman then shared divrei Torah with the school, and the meal that followed was filled with Zemirot. An after-the-meal Tisch was led by Rabbi Yossi Ziskind, and students could be heard singing for miles. The rest of the Shabbos was filled with learning, divrei Torah, and an open Boardgame Room and concluded with Havdalah led by Rabbi Eliach.

Motzei Shabbos featured the conclu sion of the Flag Football Tournament; more swimming and sports; and even more food: pizza and ice-cream, and waffles! At around midnight, the Annu al Homerun Derby began with dozens of students taking their chances trying to go the distance. Sophomore Etai Kreitner was the conclusive winner, and everyone celebrated with some late-night hot dogs before the seniors went to their senior bonfire and BBQ.

The Shabbaton was a wonderful week end experience that allowed students to have some fun while instilling in them significant messages and bonds that will last a lifetime.

Rabbi Nachum Tenenboim, rabbi of the Chabad of Hewlett, Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi David Lau, and Rabbi Pesach Lerner, chairman of Eretz Hakodesh, after Shacharis last week at Chabad of Hewlett In honor of Parshat Noach and the special symbol of the rainbow, the three- and four-year-old children at HAFTR joined together to create their own rainbow

Board Breaking & Books

Hindi’s Libraries has partnered with Warren Levi Martial Arts in Cedarhurst to host a free family-friendly community event to wel come the Thanksgiving season and cel ebrate the power of reading. Our event, Board Breaking & Books, will take place on Sunday, November 13 from 10:45am-

12:15pm at Warren Levi’s studio and will include inflatables, author readings (by local children’s authors including War ren Levi and Leslie Gang, co-founder of Hindi’s Libraries), Thanksgiving book packaging for local families in need, great raffle prizes, vendor and nonprofit showcases, and more!

SKA Kicks Off Israel Awareness

As a religious Zionist school, the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls has always made the State of Israel a primary focus. SKA’s student initiative, the Israel Awareness Committee, has been very active in the school over the years, organizing work shops to teach students how to stand up for Israel on college campuses, show casing speakers from the IDF and those who are victims of terror, and conducting fundraisers for Israelis’ needs. Annual AIPAC visits, lobbying trips to Washing ton and letter writing campaigns to ad vocate for Israel have been some of the missions of SKA’s IAC.

This year’s SKA’s IAC schoolwide kickoff took place on Tuesday, Novem ber 2. The goal of the event was to ex pose the world’s anti-Israel bias. The students visited different rooms and

watched presentations given by mem bers of the Israel Awareness Committee. The presentations, created by the Com mittee members and IAC advisor Ms. Sarah Meira Weissman, discussed issues such as BDS, anti-Semitism on college campuses, anti-Zionist celebrities, the New York Times’ anti-Israel bias, and the UN’s targeted attacks toward Israel. The members of the Committee created engaging and interesting presentations that enabled the students to learn about these important topics in a unique and interactive way! The student presenters were eloquent, dynamic, and extremely knowledgeable about their topics.

The blue and white cookies distribut ed at the close of the event was a sweet symbol of the theme of the day. We look forward to more SKA IAC events this year!

The children in HALB Lev Chana enjoyed planting kale and picking carrots in the Grow Torah garden

By Julie Schechter

Students at HAFTR High School re cently participated in NCSY’s Jew ish Unity Mentoring Program, also known as JUMP. The program was held on Sunday, October 23, and Monday, Oc tober 24, in Somerset, NJ. As a freshman, I was unsure of what to expect, but we were greeted by familiar teachers, rabbis, and NCSY staff who made us all feel wel come. From that moment on, it was clear that this was going to be an enjoyable and productive day; we were going to be focusing on how to solve problems using innovative thinking, teamwork, and in formed decision-making.

The first mission was to work as a team and write down seven advantages and disadvantages of being Jewish, and then choose one idea on which to focus. My group was led by Mrs. Sela Wagner, Madricha at HAFTR High School, and in cluded Kayla Jakubowitz, Mia Robinson, and me. After much discussion, we de cided as a group to focus on an important

issue that we have observed: that it often takes moments of sadness and hardship to unite Jews together, rather than expe riencing that achdus in times of joy. This has been at the forefront of our minds, especially after the HAFTR family expe rienced such a heart-wrenching tragedy this past year with the loss of one of our own students. Whether students were in middle or high school, everyone joined to mourn together. It is our hope that this achdus could be experienced on a normal basis and not as a result of a challenge. After many hours of discussing amongst ourselves, talking to professionals, and rethinking our ideas, we began to devel op a solution to this issue.

Our solution revolved around uti lizing social media platforms, such as Instagram and WhatsApp, and other technology to build a sense of commu nity and togetherness among the Jewish people. Recognizing that all sorts of indi viduals, young and old, gather and share news and events through apps and social media, we knew this was a powerful way

to reach our targeted audience. Our ini tiative began with the focus of notifying Jewish teens in New York and New Jer sey about various opportunities to con tribute toward and participate in chessed together.

After organizing and redefining our ideas, it was time to present them to the audience and judges on a podcast called “1840.” While it was nerve-wracking, we were prepared and eager to share our ideas. We presented our plan, as well as the story behind our mission, and an swered questions for close to 10 minutes.

HAFTR Wins First Place at NCSY’s JUMP Conference Learn About Yeshivat Shalshelet’s Specialized Dual Curriculum

I looked around the room and there was not a dry eye to be seen. It was obvious that we connected with the crowd in a deeply emotional way. Each group pre sented thoughtful and intuitive ideas, but our efforts paid off as we were announced as first-place winners. As the winning group, our efforts will be featured on the “1840” podcast, as well as in Jewish Action, a magazine published by the Or thodox Union. It was an exhilarating and emotional moment for us, and we look forward to using the skills we learned through the JUMP program.

Yeshivat Shalshelet is a yeshiva day school for children with lan guage-based learning differences. Through Shalshelet’s carefully designed special education dual curriculum, small group learning structures, and direct in struction, students become academically skilled, confident lifelong learners, who can navigate the academic landscape. We view thinking differently as a strength to be nurtured and celebrate each of our student’s individual talents and intelli gence. Our program produces students who are poised for academic, spiritual, and social-emotional success in a main stream educational environment.

“Small group reading, writing, math and kriya (Hebrew reading) lessons al low for teachers to provide individual ized instruction and attention, meet each child at their academic level, and build upon foundational skills,” says Shulamit Roth, head of school.

Language-based learning difficulties affect the understanding, processing or use of spoken and written language. This can impact a child’s reading, writing, comprehension, and expression of spoken language. One of the most common lan guage-based learning disabilities is dys

lexia, although not all of our students have that diagnosis. Others may have intact de coding skills but struggle with language processing and/or verbal expression.

Since language drives much of a school’s curriculum, students who struggle with language often struggle in many aca demic areas. As a yeshiva day school with a specialized dual curriculum, we address these challenges in a way that maximizes both academic and spiritual potential.

With a rich experiential learning program led by strong Torah role mod els and co-curricular programming, our students grow to believe in themselves and their ability to succeed—both as in dividual students and as active members of a Jewish community.

Mrs. Roth, a speech and language pathologist with a specialty in language and literacy, has dedicated her career to serving students who struggle with lan guage and learning disabilities. She be gan her career as a clinician at the Soifer Center for Learning and Child Develop ment in White Plains, New York. After working in private practice, she served as a language and literacy specialist in pub lic and private schools in Boston, New Jersey, and New York, including Brook

This school is personally meaningful to Roth, who focused her career on lan guage and literacy when her brother was diagnosed with dyslexia in third grade. “It was difficult for my parents to choose between the best educational environ ment or yeshiva day school education for him.” Since then, she has been passion ate about helping students reach their academic and personal potential.

“For years, people have been discuss ing the tremendous need for a yeshiva day school like this in Bergen County,” said Dov Adler, president of Yeshivat Shalshelet. “Every child deserves to be educated in the way that maximizes their potential. Our current yeshiva day schools do an outstanding job at educat

ing our children. Shalshelet complements the array of services already provided and affords every child the opportunity to learn locally, al pi darko [in their own way], in a yeshiva environment.”

“Shalashet has provided an environ ment for my daughter to learn at her own pace and feel confident about her abil ities, even when they are different from her peers,” says one Shalshelet parent.

“She finally loves to go to school! The ex pertise, instruction, care, and warmth displayed by the entire Shalshelet staff is second to none. We are truly grateful for the second chance at learning that Shalshelet is offering its students.”

Learn more about Yeshivat Shalshelet at its information session on November 29 at 8 pm. Visit shalsheletnj.org/info-ses sion to register.

line Public Schools, The Carroll School, Maimonides School, Yeshivat Noam, and The Shefa School.

The adorable talmidos of the Gang er Early Childhood division of TAG were excited to get out and vote for their favorite vegetable last

Sensei Levy at JCC

week. There will be no election deny ing here, when all the votes are counted and the girls enjoy a special treat.

The Gural JCC Early Childhood Center had the privilege of a visit from author, Sensei War ren Levy. Sensei Warren read us the book he wrote called “The Punching Panda.” The Punching Panda learns

to control his urge to punch things by practicing karate every day. The chil dren had so much fun practicing the karate moves and punching bubbles! Thank you, Sensei Warren, for visiting us at the JCC!

Around the Community

HANC High School Open House

Science is Not a Mystery at

Every week, the students at YOSS look forward to weekly labs led by our beloved science teacher, Mrs. Christina Fitzpatrick. Students are fully emersed in a robust and engaging science curriculum, which opens their eyes and tests their scientific minds through cre ative lessons and labs.

First and fifth grades are learning about space, stars, constellations, and moon phases. As part of the first grades unit on space, all first graders made a star projec tor. They even went home to show their parents. Meanwhile, in fifth grade, boys learned why the stars change during the seasons. Building models in a box helped each boy visualize the Earth’s yearly orbit around the sun and allowed them to see and understand why some constellations are only visible during part of the year.

graders are busy learning about extreme weather and the cause and effect of vio lent storms.

On Sunday, November 6, HANC High School welcomed eighth grade prospective students and parents to its annual Open House. Some 200 families participated in the event! Guests signed in using iPads with the assistance of HANC geniuses and were greeted by the school band. The program showcased the HANC High School ex perience emphasizing the theme of this year’s Open House, HANC Makes IT Happen.

After a delightful breakfast, the pro gram began with opening remarks from HANC Menahel, Rabbi Eli Slomnicki ’97, who, along with current HANC students, described the three main components that define this outstanding yeshiva: Aspirational Academics, Community Focus, and Torah. Sophomore Rachel Wieder began with a meaningful d’var Torah describing the leadership of Moshe Rabbeinu, followed by juniors Maya Wertman and Shayna Livian and senior Yishai Kaufman who each described their individual experiences relating to one of these core values. The opening session concluded with an exciting new video entitled “HANC Makes IT Hap pen,” which can be viewed on HANCLife.

Parents and students then proceed ed to classrooms for mini-lessons and course sequences given by our esteemed

faculty in both Limudei Kodesh and Gen eral Studies. Following the lessons, stu dents and parents participated in numer ous informational showcases. Parents met with administrations and directors of Guidance and participated in an Ac ademic Fair meeting department chairs who were on-hand to answer questions.

Prospective parents then explored Campus Life via panel discussions con sisting of current parents, students, and HANC alum or by attending HANC Ed Talks by three exceptional students, Siv an Pyle ‘22, our award winning artist, Joey Diamond ’22, our patent-pending engineer, and Sigal Holtzman ‘23, our inhouse poet. Simultaneously, prospective students participated in three electives of their choosing within the Student Expo. This showcase featured Engineering, Coding, Art, Music, Pre-Season athletic Press Conference, and Student Panel.

The program concluded with a Club Fair, where students learned about ath letics and the incredible selection of co-curricular and extra-curricular clubs and teams available to HANC students.

Apply at www.hanc.org and for ques tions please email Director of Admis sions Mrs. Miriam Steiner at msteiner@ hanc.org.

Our second and third graders are learning about water and other extremes in the weather. Second grade just learned about flash floods and where they are most prevalent in the United States. Us ing map skills helped them see which region has an increased or a decreased chance for rainfall causing flash floods. One boy commented, “Learning about floods reminds me of Noach.” Third

Fourth grade students have been en thusiastically learning about volcanoes. They learned how to map where volcanoes can be found in the world and then through a hands-on activity they discovered which type of volcanoes erupt – the cone shaped or the ones that are shield shaped. The big question is where and when will the next volcano erupt in the world?

Throughout each unit, students are using different modalities to thoroughly understand the concepts. Students look forward to understanding the way the world works. We are creating curious, scientific minds at YOSS!

Remembering Rabbi Shmuel Borenstein

On Sunday, October 30, 2022, at the Young Israel of Hewlett where Rabbi Simcha Hopkovitz serves as rabbi, the Rabbinical Alliance of America/ Igud HaRabbonim gathered for its Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan conference. The con ference was dedicated to the memory of Rabbi Shmuel Borenstein, HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Ben HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok No ach, zt”l, who served with honor and dis

tinction for nearly a half a century as a Rosh Mesivta at MTA YUHSB. The keynote ad dress was given by Rabbi Elly Merenstein, Rosh Mesivta, Shaarei Pruzdor, Valley Stream, New York. Rabbi Borenstein’s sons and son-in-law – Rabbi Mendy Borenstein and Rabbi Yitzchok Borenstein and Rabbi Moish Schmerler, executive director/Mena hel of the Rabbinical of America – spoke on behalf of the family.

Yeshiva Kol Torah took a trip to Bistro Burger and Port Washington Skating Center for all boys who participated in their Sukkos Bein Hazmanim learning program

A Musical Hallel Names Not Numbers at HANC

On Wednesday, November 2, HANC Middle School held its Names, Not Numbers program. Names, Not Numbers is a copyrighted oral history film project and curriculum, which Mrs. Tova Fish-Rosenberg creat ed, that takes the teaching of the Holo caust and its lessons well beyond many previous efforts. Through the Names, Not Numbers program, HANC’s eighthgrade students had the opportunity to document the teachings of the Holocaust and address questions about an individ ual’s responsibility to humanity.

Chazal tells us that the month of Cheshvan is to be called MarChes hvan (the bitter Cheshvan). This is because it is a month without holidays coming on the heels of Tishrei, which is a month saturated in holidays and added kedusha. Here at HANC Middle School, we wanted to bring a small bit of Tish rei to our MarCheshvan. We enlisted the help of musical sensation Craig Resmov its of Six13 to bring joy and simcha to our davening on Rosh Chodesh.

Craig utilized his encyclopedic knowl edge of Jewish music to bring out the en ergy of our talmidim and talimdot with some of the most popular Jewish songs on the charts right now. We had ”Thank You Hashem”, “Noach was a big Tzaddik” and even the Tiktok viral (vintage) song from The Miami Boys choir ”Yerushalay im.” It was a special tefilla that we will remember for a long time and will hope fully give us the spiritual strength to get to the light of Chanukah!

The night began with a dessert re ception. After dessert, it was time for the feature presentation. The students inter viewed Mr. Erwin Forley, Mrs. Helen Ro senstark, Mrs. Ava Schonberg, Mr. Lewis Sosnowik, Mr. Arthur Spielman, Mrs. Pau la Weissman, Mrs. Ruth Zimbler, and Mrs. Reha Sokolow. Afterward, parents and stu dents were effusive in their praise of this most powerful evening. May the parents and students always pass down the testi mony from generation to generation.

Names, Not Numbers is generously

supported by a prominent national foun dation. The following people sponsored as well: the Daitch family, the Diamond fam ily, the Koenigsberg family, the Grossman family, the Goldress family, the Moskowitz family, the Levine family, and the Oppen heim family. A special thank you to Tova and Dov Rosenberg for their indefatigable efforts with this program. The Names, Not Numbers© at HANC 2021-22 docu mentary will be included in the archives of The National Library of Israel in Jeru salem, Yad Vashem, and Yeshiva Universi ty’s Gottesman Library.

Parshas Hashavua Proficiency at YKLI

One of the most precious experi ences of a family’s Shabbos table is children reviewing the par shas hashavua and sharing divrei Torah they learned in yeshiva. More often than not, mechanchim nationwide find that children have to be re-taught the parshas hashavuah on an annual basis. The chal lenge is to build a scaffolding framework for children to retain the knowledge and the scope of the weekly parsha and to build upon it year after year.

Rabbi Tzvi Krigsman, shlit”a, Men ahel of Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island, wished to build such a spiral curriculum, ensuring the talmidim are proficient in Chamisha Chumshei Torah by the time they graduate from 8th grade. Beginning in 2nd grade, the boys are given a list of questions on a weekly basis. In 3rd grade, those questions are reviewed, and the boys are tested weekly on that week’s parsha. In both 4th grade and 5th grade, ten more questions are added about each parsha, as each year is built upon the pri or year’s material, through 8th grade. By that time, the boys are expected to have mastered at least thirty parsha yedios

weekly.

This beautiful program, called the Toras Moshe Parsha Program, is named for Mr. Robi Flegmann, z”l, founder of Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island. Mr. Fleg mann was a strong advocate of children maintaining a broad knowledge-base of Parshas Hashavua, in addition to the skills-based curriculum leading to inde pendent study of Chumash.

Upon completion of each Chumash, boys who score above a 90% are treat ed to a siyum on the sefer. Coordinated by YKLI S’gan Menahel Rabbi Shlomo Dovid Pfeiffer, shlit”a, the boys enthu siastically participate in the studying, while enjoying both the lishmah and the shelo lishmah aspects of this fantastic program.

DRS Open House

On Sunday, November 6, the DRS Yeshiva High School for Boys was filled to capacity at the school’s annual Open House. DRS host ed over 210 prospective students and their parents at the annual event. The Open House, which takes place in DRS’s beautiful state-of-the-art build ing, provided its attendees with an infor mative, exciting, and enjoyable program allowing those interested in the school to get a real sense of what DRS is all about. Upon entering the building, every attend ee was warmly greeted by DRS Menahel, Rabbi Yisroel Kaminetsky, Principal Dr. Hillel Broder, faculty members, and cur rent DRS students.

The program moved to DRS’s spa cious beit medrash during which Rabbi Kaminetsky and Dr. Broder addressed the enormous crowd, enlightening them about DRS’s strong and challenging cur riculum in both limudei kodesh and lim udei chol. Rabbi Kaminetsky stressed that the hallmark of the school is the “personal care, warmth, and attention provided for each individual student.” More impor tantly, DRS prides itself on the achdut be tween classmates, who come to DRS from over 20 different elementary schools, and several different neighborhoods, includ ing Queens, Brooklyn, West Hempstead,

the Five Towns, and Great Neck.

Following Rabbi Kaminetsky’s re marks, students headed off to the extra curricular student fair in DRS’s incredible gymnasium, where they received a taste of all the programs that DRS has to offer, including a presentation from the cooking and karate club, College Bowl competition, sports teams, Shabbatonim and trips, and much more. At the same time, parents got a chance to hear from DRS faculty members in the science, math, English, and social studies departments regard ing the incredible range of courses offered at DRS. DRS boasts a large curriculum in cluding 15 AP courses and the opportunity to be involved in several research oppor tunities in both science and social studies. Parents also got a chance to ask questions to a panel of five DRS students in order to get their view of the DRS experience. Oth er sessions included an exploration into the Limudei Kodesh curriculum, a glimpse into the school’s extracurricular offerings, and smaller breakout sessions where par ents were able to “meet the administra tion” in an intimate setting and field their questions to be Rabbi Kaminetsky and Dr. Broder.

DRS thanks all those who came to visit the Open House and look forward to meeting them again in the future!

Netzach HaTorah Grand Siyum

YCQ Welcomes Prospective Families

This past Thursday evening, No vember 3, the hanhala, rebbeim and talmidim of Netzach HaTorah celebrated a Grand Siyum on Mesech es Kiddushin. The Masechta and Siyum was completed by 13 boys from the Me sivta who had spent many hours learning during the zman, after the zman, and in their own free time. The Siyum was made

by Rabbi Yitzy Stern, beloved 10th grade Rebbe, who shared divrei hisorerus to the talmidim about the love of learning. Following the Grand Siyum and seu dah, the rebbeim and talmidim sang and danced in celebration of this momentous accomplishment of the boys. The Mesiv ta is proud of their amazing accomplish ment and commitment to learning.

On Sunday, November 7, almost 100 prospective families attend ed Yeshiva of Central Queens’ “Bayit V’Gan Day,” an introduction to YCQ’s kindergarten program for par ents and students, which featured Un cle Moishy in concert and a “YCQ Israeli Passport” program.

Uncle Moishy performed for the par ents, students, faculty, and volunteers, while the young students danced, learned, and sang along to his well-known hit songs. After the concert, the themed pro gram “YCQ: Passport to Your Child’s Fu ture” was introduced.

Each child received a special YCQ “passport” which allowed them to travel to different Israeli “cities/class rooms” and learn about Israel and our kindergarten program. YCQ passports were stamped in “Jerusalem,” “Haifa,” “Tel Aviv,” and “Tzfat,” while children created collages, learned Ivrit, expe rienced smart board learning games, and relaxed during story time in the library.

“We offer a passport to your child’s fu ture via a first-class, educational experi ence like no other,” said Ms. Allison Witty, Director of Admissions.

“As our students journey through each grade, they learn to develop criti cal-thinking and problem-solving skills viewed through the lenses of Torah, lit erature, science, history, math, art, mu

sic, and extra-curricular activities. Torah guidance and the latest research in peda gogical best practices informs and shapes YCQ’s educational philosophy.

“Our students also graduate with a strong Jewish identity and a love of Isra el, secure in the knowledge that YCQ will always be a second home for them to visit as they embark on the next step in their educational travels.”

Please contact Ms. Allison Witty with any questions about the application pro cess (718-793-8500 x316).

Mrs. Sharon Korn, Director of Early Childhood Education, reported, “It was exciting to meet so many new families, and to share all the wonderful happenings at YCQ. The children were enthusiastic and engaged, and we can’t wait to wel come our new students.”

“It was an honor and a privilege to in troduce YCQ’s ruach, love of Israel, and our unique, state of the art education practices, to prospective families from so many different communities,” stated Rab bi Mark Landsman, principal of Yeshiva of Central Queens. “Students and faculty enthusiastic about Jewish education and spiritual inspiration form the foundation of Yeshiva of Central Queens, and on Sun day, families had the opportunity to ex perience YCQ in person. I wish to thank our faculty, staff, and PTO volunteers that worked so hard to create this special event.”

Students at Shulamith ECC learned about hachnosas orchim while strengthening their math skills

Chana students learned about Election Day and held their own elections in class this week. Students voted on their favorite cereal, favorite snack, and favorite book.

Your Piece of the Action

– in Israel

Real Estate Expo this week! Don’t miss it!

Whether you are considering Aliyah, in the near future or further along the line; if you’re thinking about purchasing a hol iday home; or are interested in investing in Israel, you probably have a lot of ques tions.

Well, we have the answers!

The Great Israeli Real Estate Expo is taking place this week at two locations near you: On Sunday, November 13, starting at 10:30 a.m., in Brooklyn, NY, at the Williamsburg Hotel, 96 Wythe Ave.; and on Tuesday, November 15, starting at 4:30 p.m., in Teaneck at Congregation Keter Torah.

Take advantage of the biggest, most comprehensive Israel real estate event of the year, where you’ll gain knowledge and receive the most up-to-date infor mation from seasoned experts on all the issues that are important to you.

Meet professionals who will tell you everything you need to know about every detail involved in the process of purchas ing for personal use or for investment, in cluding taking out a mortgage, tax issues, making aliyah, retirement and more.

Experts from Anglo neighborhoods across Israel will be available to speak with prospective buyers so that they can compare and contrast the various loca tions and decide which is best for their needs.

Meir Dombey, of Yigal Realty in Beit Shemesh, for example, is one of the most veteran realtors in this up-and-coming city where English-speakers feel com pletely at home. “Unlike in the early years, when American immigrants were expected to accommodate themselves to the Israeli reality, more and more con tractors are building projects that meet the needs of American olim who are leav ing behind spacious homes and who are accustomed to a higher quality of life,”

says Dombey.

Not to be missed: a lecture by mort gage consultant Be’eri Gurtler Har Tuv on the five most common mistakes when taking a mortgage and how to avoid them. “Mortgages in Israel are radical ly different from those in America, and not only because rates are significantly cheaper,” says Gurtler Har Tuv. “It’s more like a salad bar than a fixed menu; there are a lot more options,” he explains.

Another hot topic is retirement com munities, where olim from age 60 can make a fresh start. Participants will have the opportunity to meet Meir Sand from SOIL real estate group who is currently marketing units from the Sea One Oran im Al Hayam luxury retirement resort. Inspired by retirement resorts in the U.S., the soon-to-be completed commu nity, located in Rishon LeZion, will offer all the amenities of an upscale resort, such as concierge and laundry services, spa, swimming pools, a shul, and roundthe-clock activities, with the sea as a backdrop.

“Each unit has a fully equipped bath room and kitchen and is designed to please even the most fastidious interna tional residents,” says Sand.

Purchasers are invited to join as fulltime residents or to make Sea One their vacation destination.

Real estate expert Gidon Katz, who has been marketing Israeli real estate to Jews abroad for 25 years, notes that the dollar is now higher than it’s been in many years. “Take advantage of the op portunity to make your purchase when the dollar is strong!”

Don’t miss this real estate event of the year. Light refreshments will be served, and participation is free. Make sure to save the date and register for the day and location that works best for you at:

Lev

Shulamith Achdut trips are an exciting and amazing time for students to bond with girls in other classes and grades. Our first, second, third and fourth graders enjoyed making soap at Make It Too!

Rabbi Nosson Greenberg Addresses Shevach Rosh Chodesh Event

On Wednesday, October 26, She vach High School students en joyed a special event in honor of Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan. Under the di rection of Shevach Menaheles, Mrs. Shu lamith Insel, the morning was glamorous and inspirational. The program was run by Shevach Educational Administrator, Mrs. Devorah Kovitz, who worked with her dedicated committee of seniors to make it a special morning. The Rosh Cho desh Committee heads, together with the G.O. heads, transformed the multi-pur pose room in a manner that embodied their 5783 theme of “FLYING HIGH.”

After being treated to a gala breakfast, Mrs. Insel introduced the program with words of welcome and insights into the significance of Cheshvan, which follows a month of davening, fasting, Sukkos and

Simchas Torah. She urged the students to hold onto that connection to Hashem. In that regard, Cheshvan—which Chazal call MarCheshvan—is noteworthy. In English, Mar means Mister, an address of honor and importance. Therefore, Cheshvan is a significant month, in that it connects us to the elevation we experienced in the month of Tishrei which had preceded it.

In an interesting note, the guest speaker, Rabbi Nosson Greenberg, a rav in Far Rockaway, spoke on a similar theme. With his trademark English sense of humor, he described the seasons of the year, and in particular Cheshvan, as the beginning of the winter. Just as we pre pare our clothing for winter, we have pre pared ourselves for the winter in Tishrei. Indeed, the “clothing” of Hashem, so to speak, is our mitzvos. Just as clothing

Shabbat Project Kicks Off With Over 2,500 Events and 1 Million Jews Worldwide

Over 2,500 Shabbat Project events – more than double than in 2021 – will take place this year on and around November 11-12, 2022 (Parshat Vayeira), in Jewish communities across the globe.

From Australia to Israel, France, Bel gium, Switzerland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Morocco and Monaco, to the United States, Canada, Argentina, Gua temala and Chile, more than 1 million people across the globe will be part of the 10th anniversary festivities for the Shab bat Project.

The Shabbat Project, led by South Af rica’s Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein, is a global, grassroots movement that unites Jews around the magic of Shabbat. As part of this initiative, Jews from all walks of life – from across the spectrum of reli gious affiliation, young and old, from all corners of the globe – come together to celebrate and keep one full Shabbat, in a spirit of global Jewish unity.

South Africa’s Chief Rabbi Dr. War ren Goldstein, founder of The Shabbat Project, said: “The Shabbat Project is bringing Jews together around the world. This year’s Shabbat Project is happening shortly after very divisive elections in Is rael and the United States, and this is an opportunity to harness the healing pow

er of Shabbat to unify and inspire Jewish communities. In times of rising antisem itism, we need to define ourselves by our values and not by the hatred of others.”

“Through the Shabbat Project, we can create a new Jewish future based on Jew ish pride, unity, and values, transcending the barriers that seem to separate us. This is an opportunity to rejuvenate fam ily life, strengthen Jewish unity through out the world, and restore Jewish pride and identity.”

In Israel alone, more than 250,000 participants are embracing The Shabbat Project, thanks to an astonishing co ordinated effort across civil society – a diverse coalition bringing together local municipalities, innovative NGOs and nonprofits, Israel’s Ministry of Education and Jewish youth movements, in more than 100 cities throughout Israel with more than 135,000 students. Activities are taking place in schools, synagogues, and city centers, bridging the stark polit ical and religious divides in Israeli soci ety.

In Europe, Jewish refugees from Ukraine will attend a Shabbat dinner in Strasbourg, France, with hundreds of participants expected. In general, the Shabbat Project in France is focused on youth, with Shabbatons for students and

young professionals, and events dedicat ed to teenagers, happening across the country.

In South America, Buenos Aires will host a mass outdoor challah bake in a park for around 3,000 women. Other Shabbat Project events are happening in Córdoba, Argentina, Guatemala, and Chile.

And in South Africa, where the Shab bat Project began in 2013, a new, ambi tious initiative – the Journey to 25 hours – is empowering Jewish families to keep Shabbat throughout the year.

New countries joining the project this year include Tahiti and Morocco, with events taking place in Casablanca in the

can sometimes define us, our mitzvos define us. They make us who we are. The 248 positive commandments in the To rah represent our limbs i.e., us. We all as pire to wear royal clothing and strive to a higher level of spirituality. In Cheshvan, that preparation starts to bear fruit as we approach several months of no Yomim Tovim. But our mitzvos of Tishrei will carry us forward.

Altogether, the morning was an excit ing start to the winter months and gave the students much to think about and much to internalize. Kudos to Shevach G.O. heads Eliana Deil, Esther Green field, Aviva Robinson, Chana Tova Kasir er and Ella Marcus, and to the Rosh Ch odesh heads Menucha Fedowitz, Chana Ilyasov, Rivka Jacob, and Meira Levy for a job well done!

build-up to Shabbat, culminating in a community-wide Shabbat meal.

“Shabbat is a Divine gift – it improves our quality of life, transforms our fami lies and relationships, and has the power to bring Jews together like nothing else can,” said Rabbi Goldstein, whose new book about Shabbat, A Day to Create Yourself, will be released shortly after the project.

“After two years of disrupted celebra tions, there is a real thirst for in-person events and real human connection. The Shabbat Project is a direct response to the call of our times, a chance to re-en ergize and reconnect, and unite in cele bration.”

Around the Community

Fifth Grades in Yeshiva Darchei Torah Start Gemara with a Multi-Generational Seudah

Rabbi Zev Bald Visits Chaim V’Chessed on His Recent Trip to Israel

On a recent trip to Israel, Rabbi Zev Bald, Director of Develop ment of Yeshiva Darchei Torah, detoured from his scheduled itiner ary to pay an important visit to Chaim V’Chessed.

Chaim V’Chessed is a one-of-a-kind organization which assists English speakers navigate every area of life in Is rael. The organization helps Anglos from all walks of life, whether they be Olim, foreign residents, students, or tourists. Guidance and accurate, updated infor mation is provided on a myriad of chal lenging areas of life in Israel, including special education, women’s health, dis ability benefits, medical issues and a slew of bureaucratic matters.

As many members of the Five Towns/ Far Rockaway community have been as

sisted by this unique organization, Rab bi Bald visited to learn more about it up close. He was hosted by Rabbi Paysach Freedman, CEO of Chaim V’Chessed, who introduced Rabbi Bald to the Chaim V’Chessed staff, which today numbers 21 members. Furthermore, Rabbi Bald was granted a behind-the-scenes look at Chaim V’Chessed’s remarkable technolo gy, by which they manage the hundreds of daily calls that they receive. He stud ied their sophisticated phone system and CRM (Customer Relationship Manage ment) program.

Rabbi Freedman thanked Rabbi Bald for visiting while Rabbi Bald returned the blessings, expressing his apprecia tion on behalf of the many Five Towns/ Far Rockaway community members who have been assisted by Chaim V’Chessed.

Understanding the Democratic Process

After researching various current senate races, YOSS Mechina stu dents presented their findings about each race to different classes. The students developed a deeper understand

ing of the democratic process and how senate elections work. Special thanks to Rabbi Escovitz for spearheading this project.

Photos by Yoel Hecht

R’ Dovid Morgenstern, menahel ruchani of the elementary school

R’ Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva

The talmidim and fathers and grandfathers learned Gemara together at the start of the seudah

After Nearly 50 years at Touro, Dean Robert Goldschmidt is Just Getting Started

When speaking to Dean Robert Goldschmidt, vice president for planning and assessment for Touro University and dean of stu dents for the Lander College of Arts & Sciences, it can be difficult to separate the man from the institution.

It’s understandable, though in a sense, doing so undersells Dean Gold schmidt. After all, this is an individual who has received rabbinic ordination, or semicha, was named a member of Phi Beta Kappa upon earning his bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College the Phi Beta Kappa key was the first gift he gave to his wife after they were engaged and earned a master’s degree in political sci ence at New York University, where he completed his doctoral coursework, was a National Defense Education Scholar ship recipient and served as a research fellow at the Center for International Studies.

While one can distinguish Dean Goldschmidt’s accomplishments beyond his work at Touro, it would take a fiction writer of enormous talents to imagine Touro without Dean Goldschmidt.

A Storied Career Begins

The dean, who was recently the first recipient of Touro’s Gold Medal of Achievement for Distinguished Service, hasn’t been at Touro since the beginning, but he came awfully close. In 1974, four years after Dr. Bernard Lander founded the college, and three years after it wel comed its first 35 students, Dean Gold schmidt arrived for an interview at the main campus, in those days located at 30 West 44th Street in Manhattan. The building had six floors and an old-fash ioned elevator (“It wasn’t so old fash ioned in those days,” he said) directed by an elevator operator.

“I told the person he was some what short what floor I wanted to go to, and it turned out the elevator opera tor was my interviewer, Dr. Lander,” he said.

For two years, Dean Goldschmidt taught full time in the Department of Political Science, but when the dean of students left Touro in 1976, Dr. Lander took a chance on the young professor and named him Assistant Dean of Students on a trial basis. After another two years, he became the permanent Dean of Stu

dents, a title he maintains today, along with several others he picked up along the way, one of which is Touro’s accredi tation liaison officer to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, a not-insignificant role that takes up a great portion of his time. In that capac ity, Dean Goldschmidt helped facilitate Touro’s expansion and development of new campuses.

“It’s been a varied career with titles that have evolved, and a workload and responsibilities that have steadily in creased. I’m very proud of the many things I have done,” he said. “But cen tral to what I take pride in is the focus and impact on students, in terms of pro viding guidance and pathways to their own growth and professional career success.”

Helping Build a Legacy

Today, Touro hardly resembles the small institution Dean Goldschmidt walked into almost a half-century ago.

Dean Goldschmidt said that in the ‘70s and’ 80s, many people thought, if not ar ticulated outright, that Dr. Lander was “somewhat delusional in his ambitions to build this major institution with all these graduate and professional programs.” But by the time of Dr. Lander’s passing, the dean noted, most of his dreams had already been realized, and Touro’s acqui sition of New York Medical College was being finalized while the opening of its dental school was only a few years away.

“In that sense, it’s a tectonic trans formation, which has continued under President Alan Kadish who has amplified the medical, health science and research capacity,” he said.

And for sure, the New York State Board of Regents decision earlier this year to grant Touro university status is a substantial part of that.

Dean Goldschmidt maintains, how ever, that despite its exponential growth, several of the core aspects of Touro are the same. “Every student has his or her needs and different aspirations and dif ferent goals, and the importance of de livering a personalized student experi ence was really part of the initial theme of Touro’s mission,” he said. “The focus on personalized education is a constant, which has been retained.”

“Dean Goldschmidt is a Touro icon,”

said Dr. Alan Kadish, Touro President. “Generations of students have benefitted from his leadership, insight and guid ance. The personal attention and care he gives to each and every student truly exemplifies what a Touro education is all about.”

A Life Of Purpose

With no shortage of responsibilities— and new ones seemingly added at every turn—and first a college, now a universi ty that has gone well beyond its loftiest of expectations, it’s worth asking why Dean Goldschmidt has stayed so long. Certain ly no one would blame him for deciding to take a step back and admire his handi work. After all, it’s been almost 50 years.

“An industrialist builds a particular

industry and then can hand it over to somebody else,” he said. “I look at this as a renewed opportunity with each new class, each generation of students. It’s a continual pursuit of passion.”

“I sometimes say to my students, ‘Ask yourself: What kind of life do you want to lead: one that is self-centered, or one that is centered on other people?’ And I’m fo cused on a life that is centered on other people. That itself gives me satisfaction and a great deal of joy.”

Dean Goldschmidt will be honored for his service at Touro’s 50th anniversa ry gala on December 4 at the Marriott Marquis in NYC. To make reservations, visit 50.touro.edu/gala

Semicha Program Meets with Rav Yisroel Reisman

Yeshiva Early Childhood Directors Network

The network of early childhood directors from the Five Towns, Far Rockaway and Queens met last week at the Yeshiva of South Shore. While this network has been meeting for around 18 years, it was great to see each other in person again.

The members of this network have become close friends and have proudly shared advice, professional development, support, and even made some shiddu chim together.

HAFTR HS Shows School Spirit

The fellows of the new Semicha Pro gram of Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s Kollel Tirtza Devorah traveled to Brooklyn to be tested by Rav Yisroel Reisman, the Rosh HaYeshiva of Torah Vodaath, on Hilchos Yichud. Launched

in Elul, the four-and-a-half year program will tackle a panoply of halachic sugyos in an in-depth fashion, concluding with its members receiving full-fledged rab binic semicha.

By Rachel Wenger

HAFTR High School is known for its inclusiveness, camaraderie, and school spirit. In this light, the high school hosted its annual Pep Rally on Wednesday, October 26. To say it was a blast is an understatement! The student government and members of the Spirit Club worked tirelessly to put to gether the Pep Rally and decorate the en tire campus. In addition, students could be seen walking the halls sporting their favorite HAFTR apparel and swag.

trance that got the crowd going! In addi tion to the cheers, singing, and activities, students watched a ‘sports hype’ video, which energized the room. In anticipa tion of the new sports season, all of the fall and winter sports teams were an nounced and photographed.

Yeshiva Darchei Torah began its Shnayim Mikra program. Students in Rabbi Tzvi Moshe Schultz’s CAHAL 2-3 grade class at YDT practice reading a few pesukim every night with the Aramaic translation. By the end of the week, they finish the first aliyah. Last week, an ice cream truck visited the yeshiva in honor of the program.

The rally was held in the Satran Are na, HAFTR High School’s gym, which was covered with decorations displaying HAFTR colors of red and blue, and of course, a visit from our very own HAFTR Hawks team. The Pep Rally began with senior Andrew Berger hyping up the stu dents with his amazing piano skills and enthusiastic energy. The HAFTR Hawk, our school mascot, made a grand en

Students then excitedly watched vid eos created by the Student Government and the faculty. Both were as entertain ing as always and left students and fac ulty smiling, laughing, and cheering. The event continued with various activ ities, such as relay races between pairs of HAFTR siblings competing against each other, an intense game of musical chairs, and the challenge of making suc cessful free throws from midcourt. Every single attendant of this year’s Pep Rally truly enjoyed and engaged in the activi ties. The entire school is pumped up and eager to resume sports competitions and show HAFTR spirit throughout the year.

GO HAWKS!

Rav Moshe Waxman, fourth grade rebbi at Yeshiva Darchei Torah, and two talmidim with the “machatzeles shel kanim/mat of reeds” schach that they created to illustrate the case in Mishnayos Sukkah

L-R: Rav Dovid Bender, Rosh Kollel, Tirtza Devorah; Rav Yisroel Reisman; Rav Avi Lauterbach, Rosh Chaburah; Rav Levi Simsovits, Rosh Chaburah; Rav Yaakov Yisroel Hirschman; Rav Levi Goldman; Rav Yonah Green; and Rav Azriel Moskowitz.

JSL Juniors

The boys in our Juniors division continue to show incredible improvements in their skills!

K/P Hockey: Ezra Mernick scored a hat trick in Molly’s Jewelers win over SDF Architect. Hewlett Auto Body played stellar defense in their shutout victory.

1st Hockey: Pinny Weinstein, one of JSL’s young superstars, returned to the action after missing a few weeks with an injury. He led Judaica Plus to a close victory over Built By Nate, who scored 2 goals late in the game but could not complete the comeback.

K/P Soccer: Caleb Yakubov of Simcha Day Camp made some incredible saves in goal, leading his team to a 6-2 victory. Coby Adler helped Home & Stone hang on to their 1-point lead over Hewlett Auto Body with some incredible saves as well.

1st/2nd Football: Asher Melool tied the game at 5 to 5 for WestWood Real ty but Yoni Singer made the incredible, long TD catch on the final drive to win the game for ARG. Jack Gorbacz played

an incredible game for KolSave with 2 amazing TD catches.

JSL Basketball League

3rd Grade: Avi Ambramson made some incredible plays in Tri ple Net Group’s win on Sunday, keeping them atop the division. Is land Roofing edged out ARG 10-6. 4th/5th Grade: David Gamerman of 925 Sterling showed off some nifty passing skills with a behind the back pass to Zev Edelstein. Town Appli ance, led by Game MVP Yosef Pult man, held on 13-11 over Carving Block. 6th-8th Grade: Paradigm, led by Game MVP Benji Statfeld, held on 43-40 over 5 Towns Pediatric Dentistry.

JSL Hockey League4

2nd/3rd Grade: Posh Home + Bath, led by Game MVP Shlomo Cohen’s 2 goals, continued their win streak with an 8-1 victory over JNT. Abie Shapiro and co. of ARG put on an of fensive onslaught in the 3rd period,

scoring 4 goals in their 6-0 victory. 4th/5th: Netanel Kirschner of AutoClick put on a scoring clinic with 5 goals in Au toClick’s 6-2 victory over Town Appliance. Alpert Financial remained in 1st place in a tightly competitive 4th/5th grade divi sion with a 5-3 victory over 925 Sterling. 6th-8th: Posh Home + Bath remained undefeated with a 5-2 victory over Bay rock Insurance. 5 Towns Central scored in the double-digits with a 10-2 victory.

JSL Men’s Basketball

Ari Mitnick put on an offensive clinic for Built By Nate scoring 33 of their 82 points in their 82-37 victory. Yitzi Berger led Island Roofing to a 77-46 victory over MAS Travel with 20 points.

Game of the Week

5 Towns Pediatric was down 6-3 vs Meat + Board in the 3rd period but stormed back, scoring 3 goals, capped by Gavriel Abbitan’s amazing goal to tie the game. However, with 22 seconds re maining Yitzchok Polansky scored the

game-winning goal for Meat + Board to give them the 7-6 victory.

Basketball Fun Fact

Ryan Turell, an Orthodox Jew, made his NBA G-League debut this week.

Game MVPs: Caleb Yakubov; Coby Adler; Moshe Tropper; Jack Garbacz; JJ Fohrman; Ari Laufer; Joseph Pultman; Binyomin Statfeld; Shlomo Cohen; Ne tanel Kirschner; and David Gamerman.

Prospective students and parents from many metropolitan ele mentary schools were welcomed to the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls on Sunday, October 30, at the Open House of the school which is cele brating its 29th year!

After hearing the warm introduc tory remarks by Mrs. Elisheva Ka minetsky, Principal, Judaic Studies, Mrs. Bluma Drebin, Principal, General Studies, and Rabbi Yosef Zakutinsky,

Director of Student Programming, the visitors were intrigued by the video presentation of SKA alumnae explain ing the opportunities offered them af ter graduation and where their educa tion at SKA has taken them in life.

SKA faculty presenters shared their enthusiasm for their subject ar eas throughout the parent sessions and guided tours and workshops; the warmth and dedication of the staff and the many varied areas for growth that

the school offers were apparent the en tire morning. After a group of current SKA parents discussed their views of the school, Associate Principal Ms. Elana Flaumenhaft led a panel of SKA students who spoke about their high school experience and their perspec tives of the school.

Our many student volunteers, in cluding the SKA Student Ambassadors, discussed the excellent Limudei Kodesh and outstanding General Studies aca demic program of SKA, together with the exceptional extra-curricular expe riences that are offered. Pointing out the modern Graphic Design Studio and the new Stem and Chemistry Labs, the SKAers were eager to showcase their

school to the prospective students. They highlighted the sought-after Art Acade my and electives such as forensics and sign language, while also emphasizing our popular sports program, student driven religious growth opportunities, Israel Action programming and the successful chessed initiatives which are such an integral part of the school.

Following the program, parents and incoming students had the opportunity to chat with students, administration and faculty members of SKA, view ta bles laden with details about SKA publi cations, sports activities, and clubs and teams and enjoy a delicious collation.

We look forward to welcoming the Class of 2027!

Achiezer: There for Me

In times of crisis and trauma, it’s often impossible to think straight, to logi cally decide the next step or course of action. Flooded with pain or fear, over whelmed, helpless and in shock, often all anyone can do is pick up a phone and call a number he or she always thought was for other people – Achiezer’s community hotline.

“When our father died, I didn’t know what to do, so I did what I do in every other situation. I just called Achiezer and burst out crying. They said not to worry, they would take care of every detail,” said one caller in a heartfelt thank you letter to the organization.

On the other side of the line, 365 days a year, is a calm, comforting voice, a caring and compassionate Achiezer staff mem ber who can link you to one of 18 depart

ments prepared to assist with any crisis.

“Achiezer is one master organization, which completely removes the burden of crisis management from the shoulders of shocked and distressed victims. We’re here for the entire community at any time, for any difficulty, large or small,” explains Achiezer Founder and Presi dent, Boruch Ber Bender.

Indeed, Achiezer is a household name, whose number everyone knows –yet we never think it can happen to us. That’s the meaning behind Achiezer’s lat est “Me and I” campaign. The campaign tagline “Many people, My story” reveals that although Achiezer is about many people – answering 80,000 calls a year – I could be one of those calls. I matter to Achiezer, and they will go to any length to assist me. At 14 years old, Achiezer

The Kumah Project Launch

After a successful YLX program this summer, Rabbi Aryeh Dachs recently launched a new initiative to offer local boys in 4th-8th grades af fordable, extracurricular programming in a kosher environment. Rabbi Dachs partnered with the Marion and Aaron Gural JCC to make his vision a reality.

“I knew this was a good idea for our community. The response, though, was beyond anything I could have expect ed!” Rabbi Dachs explains that he had originally expected to launch with 3040 boys. The community had a different idea. Word got out and parents rushed to register their boys. Over 100 boys signed up for the various programs.

The Kumah Project offers spectacu

lar and varied courses, all run by expe rienced and professional instructors. All classes are overseen by veteran rebbe, Rabbi Dovi Eisenberger.

Rabbi Eisenberger explains his vi sion, “The goal is to empower. We want the boys to see success outside of school. The boys can expect to have fun at Ku mah and they can expect to leave Kumah feeling accomplished.”

On Mondays, Yoni Eichler runs two separate parkour classes. In week 1, the boys learned the classic Parkour shoulder roll. By the end of the night Yoni had the boys leaping off a stage falling into their shoulder rolls. On Tuesdays, R’ Yitzy Wax runs the carpentry classes. In week 1, the boys practiced the basics of sanding and

is asking the community to support its work, not only for the sake of other peo ple in need – as beautiful as this is – but because it’s there for me, and I matter.

“We receive calls on a daily – and nightly – basis from people experienc ing medical and mental-health related emergencies, death-related emergencies often involving kavod hameis and miss ing persons,” says Chief of Operations, Shalom Jaroslawicz. “Callers often need immediate access to medical experts, mental health experts or chevra kadisha/ bereavement arrangements. We also col laborate with other community resourc es and organizations during community emergencies or natural disasters. Thanks to our 18 staff members and hundreds of volunteers. There’s no time when you can’t reach Achiezer. It’s absolutely ex

traordinary.”

Achiezer also offers financial edu cation through its Westwood Financial Management program, home repair ser vices for those unexpected and expen sive emergencies, fully stocked hospital respite rooms at several hospitals, home made meals to designated hospitals upon families’ requests, medical insurance enrollment and even specialty medical equipment. Their legal network can assist with pro-bono or reduced fee legal advice.

Achiezer is a veritable chesed em pire – that asks for donations only once a year. Save the date for November 14 to 15, when they aim to raise $2.3 million. Do nations are open at charidy.com/achiezer and doubled throughout the campaign thanks to generous supporters.

stenciling. They learned about a hand held wood router and used epoxy to seal their project.

On Wednesday night, R’ Yitzy Wax led the 4th and 5th graders in beginner’s piano. Rabbi Eisenbeger taught the 6th 8th graders guitar. On Thursdays, there are three concurrent classes. R’ Yitzy runs another carpentry class, as well as martial arts given by Ben Tucker and sa frus led by R’ Yisroel Oppen. In week 1, Ben Tucker had the chevra kicking like title champs while R’ Oppen had the boys dip their training kulmus in ink and as they wrote a few basic letters on real parchment.

Rabbi Dachs contends that the vision for Kumah has no bounds. “For now,

we plan to have four, 6-week sessions throughout the year. In the future, we hope to add homework helpers, a sepa rate girls’ program’ and more.”

For more information on The Ku mah Project, email TheKumahProject@ gmail.com

HALB Middle School students had the opportunity to hear from Israeli soldiers who were wounded in combat. They shared words of inspiration about Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael.

New ground was broken for the new HASC campus, located on Avenue M in Brooklyn, NY, on Sunday

Photo by Lenchevsky Images

Ten Steps to Eternity

The fascinating narrative of Avraham Avinu’s ten tests and true stories of how we follow his example today

By Nachman Schachter

Nachman Schachter’s Ten Steps to Eternity is a unique book. It is a sefer that examines the ten nisyonos of Avraham Avinu through the eyes of the Midrash, with fascinating details and thought-provoking insights. It is also a book of true stories – fantas tic, inspiring stories – about Avraham’s “children,” contemporary Jews who have incorporated Avraham’s beliefs and ac complishments into their own lives.

We read about Avraham’s courage in leaving his homeland at Hashem’s com mand: Lech Lecha. And we see that cour age, again, in stories of Avraham’s chil dren, as they face deadly danger to escape from Iran’s brutal regime. When a group of unlearned Jews in Tbilisi, Georgia, lay down in front of an army of bulldozers to protect their shul from demolition, they

are merely following in the steps of their father Avraham, who would not yield as the Satan tried to stop him on his way to the Akeidah.

Be inspired and illuminated by the details of Avraham Avinu’s ten nisyonos, his ten triumphs. And be amazed by Avraham Avinu’s children, our fellow Jews, who so courageously and faithfully follow his holy path.

The following are excerpts from the book related to the current parshiyos ha shavua

some of the reasons why this test was the most difficult one for Avraham.

• • • •

•

Avraham’s tenth test was Akeidas Yitzchak. Through incredible devotion and deep emunah in Hashem, Avraham passed this test, which was the hardest and most challenging. Below are just

1. Many years earlier, Sarah told Avraham to send Yishmael and Hagar from his home. At that point, Hashem made a promise to Avraham and said, “Do not be distressed that you are send ing them away, because your descen dants will come from Yitzchak.” Years later, Hashem appeared to Avraham and said, “Take your son…Yitzchak, go to Har HaMoriah and bring him up as an olah.” This command was seemingly in direct contradiction to Hashem’s earlier promise.

2. The act of taking the life of his own son would be a contradiction to all that Avraham believed in and had been preaching his entire life. Wherever Avra ham traveled, he humbly preached his

creed: humanity should end its idol wor ship and its abhorrent, wicked ways –including human sacrifice – and follow Hashem and His merciful ways. The act of slaughtering his son, Yitzchak, would undo a lifetime’s worth of effort that had successfully influenced mankind to rec ognize and accept the merciful Hashem Echad — one and only G-d.

3. Receiving reward in This World

Around the Community

or the Next meant nothing to Avraham. Avraham’s goal in life was to spread awareness of the existence and Kingship of Hashem in the universe. Having a son who followed in his ways meant that his life’s goal would be fulfilled and perpet uated. By following Hashem’s directive to sacrifice Yitzchak, all that was im portant and meaningful would end with Yitzchak’s death.

Avraham’s response to these diffi culties was to do what Hashem com manded him to do. He prepared for and approached the Akeidah with an enthu siastic, joyous, and spiritually uplifted disposition. He brought Yitzchak to Har HaMoriah and placed him on the altar just as Hashem had commanded him. By following Hashem’s precise words with loyalty and devotion, he passed the test of the Akeidah. Although this tenth test was the most difficult for Avra ham Avinu, one fact stands as a bastion of strength and a beacon of light to the Jewish nation forever. Never was there a second or even a millisecond when Avra ham wavered regarding whether or not to perform Hashem’s command. His only wish was to wholeheartedly do the will of his Creator.

• • • • •

Insight: A Different Reason —

The Chasam Sofer (Orach Chaim, si man 208) explains a different reason for why the test of the Akeidah was so dif ficult for Avraham: We do not know or have any understanding of why Hashem instituted the bringing of korbanos (of ferings).

However, Avraham and Yitzchak were individuals with great wisdom and vast knowledge, who did understand all of the nuances of why Hashem com manded us to bring korbanos. That being said, Avraham and Yitzchak clearly knew that it was not possible that Hashem would ever ask anyone, under any cir cumstances, to sacrifice a human being to Him. Therefore, when Avraham heard the command from God to offer his son as an olah, Avraham did not understand what God wanted.

•

Why are the Righteous Given Difficult Tests?

The Navi Michah asks, “How does one draw close to Hashem?” The Midrash answers this question by contrasting the actions of Meisha, King of Moav, with those of Avraham. Meisha attempted to show his love for G-d by actually sacrific ing his eldest son to G-d, while Avraham merely placed his son on the altar.

Who performed the greater act of servitude to the Al-mighty?

The Midrash cryptically provides the answer with the following verse: “Will thousands of rams or tens of thousands of streams of oil appease Hashem?”

This means that Hashem does not want us to create our own grand gestures to serve Him, but merely wants us to fol low His will.

Meisha brought a human sacrifice on his own, committing a horrendous trans gression that was abhorrent to God. On the other hand, Avraham brought his son on the altar only because Hashem commanded him to do so.

Why are the righteous given difficult tests? The Midrash answers this ques tion with the following analogy: Flax is a stalk that grows from the ground. After it is harvested, the flax is pounded to re move impurities. This process results in a final product – linen.

Inferior flax is only pounded gently so that it will not disintegrate, and the outcome is inferior linen. Superior flax is pounded vigorously, removing many of the impurities, thereby resulting in fine linen.

Reshaim are compared to inferior flax. Hashem knows they do not trust or believe in Him, and if tested, will further reject Him.

Consequently, Hashem does not test the wicked.

Righteous people are like superior flax. Their trust in God is unshakable. A righteous person has a pure heart with an abundance of dormant potential to serve Hashem and to do good. The more the righteous are tested, the more their hearts are purified.

As they continue to transform their potential into actions, these actions strengthen their innate character and make them stronger and better people. (Another benefit of these challenges is that Hashem bestows more reward upon a person for his actions than for his dor mant potential.)

• • • • •

There have been times in our histo ry when our people have been tested in ways that defy the imagination. In the following story, we read about how a brave woman saved lives even under the most horrific of circumstances.

Mrs. Raizel Mishkowitz, Rabbi Boruch Brull’s elderly aunt, was espe cially close with her sister-in-law, Mrs. Ruchel Brull. In fact, they were more like sisters than sisters-in-law. For the last eight years of her life, Mrs. Brull was un able to manage on her own. She therefore lived in the Ateret Avot senior living fa cility in Brooklyn, New York.

Mrs. Mishkowitz went to visit her sister-in-law often. Before one of her vis its, she decided to bring Mrs. Brull her favorite treat, chocolate-covered orange

peels. After filling up a bag of the deli cious chocolates in the candy store, Mrs. Mishkowitz walked up to the counter to pay the cashier. Two elderly women stood behind the register, and Mrs. Mishkow itz, a gregarious and friendly lady, began chatting a bit.

In the course of her conversation, she mentioned that she was buying this choc olate for her sister-in-law.

One of the women asked, “Who is your sister-in-law?”

Mrs. Mishkowitz replied, “Ruchel Brull.”

The woman became very emotional, and said, “We can’t charge you anything if this candy is for Ruchel Brull!”

Mrs. Mishkowitz asked, “Why not?”

The woman replied, “I was interred in Auschwitz with Ruchel Brull. She worked in the kitchen. She wore a prison er’s garment with a large hem, and every day, she hid scraps of potato peels in the hem. Ruchel risked her life to bring peels to me and the other starving prisoners. If she had been caught, she would have been killed on the spot. I am alive today because of her. So now, do you think I can charge you for food you will bring to Ruchel Brull?”

N tes

My Father’s Eyes

by Irene Reinhard

Photo by Melinda Strau SS

My father, a ron b eidner, passed away august of 2021 of Covid-related pneumo nia. he had just celebrated his 104th birthday in July. e veryone said he was blessed with years. i had to agree. though in my eyes and heart, he was far too young to die. i wrote the following essay and poem while he was still alive. i never felt quite ready to share these reflections until now. In light of recent events around the world and the com memoration Kristallnacht/ night of the broken Glass, i feel they hold greater significance and a more sacred place in the world. i respectfully share them with you.

i have been revising and editing this draft for the past two months. i want to get it just right. but right for whom? i am painfully familiar with its themes. i expect others to recognize them as well. but what seems to be the obvious, unfortunately escapes others’ understanding or at least awareness of a major societal problem that needs to be addressed. a s i struggle to begin, i look for inspiration, which sadly has been lacking, recently. From where i sit, all i see is anger, frustration, and disgust.

o ne exception.

My father’s name is a ron. he is 103 years young. he has been living with us since my mother’s death, almost three years ago. a t that time, i made the de cision to have him move in with us. it hasn’t been easy. Frankly, it would have been more practical to transfer him to an assisted living type facility where i could visit occasionally and go on with the rest of daily life in relative peace. but in my heart, i knew that was not possible.

My father’s memory has been steadily fading, and with each day’s passing, another link lost. a s his only surviving child, i knew that my re sponsibilities lie in providing connec tions to his past so crucial to main taining his dignity and identity. t hat

identity speaks to a life of a proud Jew, one whose scholarly pursuits revolved around the daily study of the torah and talmud, one whose rich cantorial voice captivated synagogue congregants with soulful liturgical services, and one who lovingly, continues to wear his tallis and tefillin for morning prayers and his yar mulke, daily.

a s i watch my father carefully wind the strap of the Tefillin Shel Yad around his left arm, i am acutely aware of the tattooed number bulging between its gaps.

My father is a holocaust survivor, the lone surviving member of a large family that perished under man’s unfor giveable sin against humanity, a time of inexplicable crimes and horrors, a time seared into my father’s memory, a time i’ve always wanted to forget.

i grew up listening to the “stories” of the holocaust every day of my life, from a young child all the way to adult hood, so much so, that i came to resent them. i saw them as intrusive. i wanted things to be “normal,” and they magni fied a darker side of life that I was not prepared to face.

but that was then, and this is now.

i n face of the recent rise of anti- Se

mitic attacks worldwide, in particular, the united States, i am prepared to speak. but who will listen?

not those, who hang on, to every word of irresponsible rhetoric from so called celebrities, in an effort to sound “enlightened.” not those, whose politi cal platforms seemingly espouse justice for all, but who blatantly disregard op portunities to educate themselves about seminal historical events, in an effort to appear balanced. not those, who are members of the very group targeted in these hate crimes, but who choose to distance themselves and create new narratives, in an effort to feel morally superior. a nd certainly not those, who sit in unconscionable silence, while hard-won freedoms are literally being trampled upon, in effort to feel protect ed and politically correct.

how do i convey the seriousness of this issue, the harsh parallels it evokes, and the ramifications for all who re fuse to “listen”? Maybe, you will better understand, through the eyes of one who knows.

a s i look into my father’s eyes, which at times don’t recognize me, and try to elicit stories of the holocaust, which he barely remembers, i realize how sig

nificant those experiences are to my identity as a Jew but more importantly, as a human being. i am compelled to remember.

a s i look into my father’s eyes, i see his brother desperately calling for him as they got separated, during the selec tion process. l ife or death sealed with the flick of a finger. A truly obscene ges ture! i am compelled to remember.

a s i look into my father’s eyes, i see him looking straight into the eyes of a murderer, a man whose sole mission, in the perversely evil world of that time, was to kill my father simply because he was a Jew. t hat identity so despised and devalued, as to be considered sub human. i am compelled to remember.

a s i look into my father’s eyes, i see his child grabbed from his moth er’s arms and thrown to the ground, discarded like a piece of trash. For his hater, one less problem to dispose of; for my father, one more person to mourn. i am compelled to remember.

a s i look into my father’s eyes, i see the breathless terror at being discovered each of the three times he managed to escape a transport headed for the gas chambers. i am compelled to remem ber.

a s i look into my father’s eyes, i see him face to face with his captor, a hunter willing to “devour his prey,” my father praying for a miracle. i am compelled to remember.

a s i look into my father’s eyes, i see a ray of “blinding light,” one that shield ed my father from his captor’s recogni tion, leading him to safety for a brief moment. i am compelled to remember.

a s i look into my father’s eyes, i see a person with fierce determination to hold fast to life, to his identity as a proud Jew, and to his fundamental rights as a human being.

We are compelled to remember!

To my father, z”l. a promise. your eyes are my eyes. i am a proud Jew. i will never forget.

TJH Centerfold

U.S. Army Answering Machine

We’re sorry, but all of our units are out at the moment, or otherwise engaged. Please leave a message with your country, name of organization, region, specific crisis and a number where you can be reached. As soon as we have sorted out Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria and ISIS and of course upon completion of our daily compulsory Consideration of Others Training, we will return your call.

Please speak after the tone, or if you require more options, please choose from the following options: If your crisis is small and is locat ed near the sea, press 1 for the United States Marine Corps. If your concern is distant, with temperate climate and good ho tels, and can be solved by one or two low-risk high-altitude bombing runs, press 2 for the United States Air Force. Please note that this service is not avail able after 1630 hours or on weekends. Special con sideration will be given to customers requiring satel lite or stealth technology who can provide additional

research and development funding.

If your inquiry concerns a situation which can be resolved by a parade with flags and a really good marching band, please write, well in advance, to the United States Navy. Please note that Tomahawk mis sile service is extremely limited and will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis.

If your inquiry is not urgent, press 3 for the Rap id Deployment Force. If you are interested in joining the U.S. Army, and you wish to be shouted at, paid little, have premature arthritis, put your family in a condemned hut miles from civiliza tion, and are prepared to work your head off, risking your life in all weather and terrains, both day and night, while watching Con gress erode your original benefits package, then please stay on the line. Your call will be answered shortly by the next available bitter passedover-for-promotion Army Recruiter located in a strip mall down by the post office.

“The Marine Corps: When It Absolutely, Positively Has To Be Destroyed Overnight”

“Marine Sniper: You can run, but you’ll just die tired!”

“Marines – Providing Enemies of America an Opportunity To Die For their Country Since 1775”

“It’s G-d’s job to forgive our enemies –it’s our job to arrange the meeting”

“Do draft dodgers have reunions? If so, what do they talk about?”

“A Dead Enemy Is A Peaceful Enemy –Blessed Be The Peacemakers”

“Except For Ending Slavery, Fascism, Nazism, and Communism, WAR has Never Solved Anything.”

Gunners

Accuracy by Volume”

A sergeant was addressing a squad of 25 and said, “I have a nice, easy job for the laziest man here. Put up your hand if you are the laziest.”

Twenty-four men raised their hands. The sergeant turned to the man whose hand wasn’t raised: “Why didn’t you raise your hand?” The man replied, “Too much trouble raising the hand, Sarge.”

Parshas Vayeira

By Rabbi Berel Wein

Wars, family dysfunction, and the danger of future extinction are the challenges that con front our father Avraham and our moth er Sarah in the narrative that dominates this week’s Torah reading. In this era, correcting the past and editing personal biographies to make people’s lives appear

perfect, serene, and smooth is especially true. This methodology attempts to make the subject character the model and pro totype for others to admire and perhaps even imitate.

Who wants to have a life of troubles, frustrations, domestic strife, and risk of destruction – all for the sake of a noble

but very unpopular cause? So, why would the Torah not wish to at least “pretty up” the story of Avraham and his family at least by omission if not by commission? Of course, the Torah is the book of ab solute Truth and therefore brooks none of the human weaknesses that affect all of us when dealing – even in our most objective attempt – with narratives and biographies.

The message here is that truth is the most important value and outweighs all other considerations. The Torah is deter mined to teach us that life, even for the greatest of people, is oftentimes difficult,

tions and worship the dead, because all of these are false, little more than a pack of lies. And all of that is also applicable to belief in ideologies that have long lost any sense of truth, as to their goals and certainly as to their methods and policies.

Avraham sees that Sodom is to be de stroyed because of its falseness. He rec ognizes that Avimelech cannot be trusted because he is a hypocritically false person. And Avraham reserves the right to serve the cause of G-d’s truth even at the cost, originally, of his own life, and later that of his own beloved son.

The Talmud describes our world as

disappointing, and sometimes even cru el. And, faith and commitment, goodness and morality are the supports that justify our very existence, no matter the chal lenges that constantly engulf human life. We are not bidden to emulate Avraham’s life experiences. Rather, we are bidden to emulate his traits of belief and resilience, commitment and unwavering goodness.

We are taught that G-d’s seal, so to speak, is truth. Truth is the gift that we ask G-d to grant to Yaakov and his descen dants. Maimonides explains to us that we are not to serve idols, believe in supersti

being “a world of falseness.” Yet knowing that we inhabit a world of falseness is the first step towards advancing into a world of honesty and truth.

That is what is meant by the biblical admonition to attempt to go in G-d’s ways.

To be aware of the difference between falsehood and truth is the necessary in gredient for intelligent life and eternal faith. Avraham’s difficulties in life point us towards the way of realism and truth. It knows no compromises or avoidances. It is eternal.

Shabbat shalom.

To be aware of the difference between falsehood and truth is the necessary ingredient for intelligent life and eternal faith.

From the Fire

Parshas

Vayeira

Brokenness and Comfort

By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

We know Chazal teach us that “the deeds of the Avos are a sign for the children” (see Mi drash Tanchuma 9). This does not simply mean that we must learn from the lives of the Avos. It also means that we live with what they did and what happened to them every day. The events of their lives course through our veins and us at all times.

When Hashem appeared to Avraham at the beginning of the parsha, Chazal explain that He was fulfilling the mitz vah to visit the sick (see Rashi on Bere ishis 18:1). We know Avraham was sick because it was the third day after giving himself a bris (Sota 14a).

The underlying principle behind how one fulfills the mitzvah of visiting the sick in halacha is lightening the burden of the individual’s sickness (see Shita Mikubetzes on Nedarim 41a). This has three elements: (i) helping the person with whatever he or she needs; (ii) pray ing for the person’s welfare in his pres ence; and (iii) asking the person how he is doing (Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 193:3). This is what Hashem was doing for Avra ham. How do we see this visit as a sign in our lives now? How do we see that Hash em visits us when we suffer today?

Rav Mordeichai Yehuda Lubart, zt”l, a great talmid chacham and Gerer chas sid who suffered through and survived the Holocaust, explains in his sefer Mil chamos Yehuda that bris milah sanctifies G-d’s name in a similar way as when a Jew gives his life to stay true to his or her faith. He bases this on the Gemara’s statement that the pasuk, “For we are killed for Your sake all of the time” (Te hillim 43:23) refers to bris milah, which also involves the shedding of Jewish blood (Gittin 43b).

The connection between bris milah

and the self-sacrifice inherent in allow ing one’s blood to be shed sanctifying G-d’s name is also apparent based on Aruch Hashulchan (Yoreh Deah 265:27), which explains that we do not say the celebratory Shehechiyanu blessing at a bris, even though we rarely get the op portunity to do this mitzvah because of the Jewish blood being spilled and the child’s pain. We cannot say Shehechiya hu because our joy at the bris milah is not complete. Bris milah, like sacrificing ourselves for G-d’s sake, is a fulfillment of “And I shall be sanctified among the children of Israel” (Vayikra 22:32).

When we go through a period of see ing Jewish blood being shed, just like Avraham Avinu went through when he drew his own blood at the time of his bris milah, we feel broken and sick, not only physically but emotionally and spiritu ally as well. We need encouragement, strength, support, and greater confi dence. That is why Hashem appeared to Avraham after his bris, to help him with whatever he needed and give him sup port, encouragement, and love. He gave Avraham new life and a feeling of reju

venation through His visit, after which Avraham felt strong enough to return to welcoming and serving travelers.

How do we see Hashem visiting us through all of the times where Jewish blood has been spilled throughout Jew ish history, when we need encourage ment, strength, and Hashem’s help more than ever? After the destruction of the first Beis HaMikdash, Hashem sent us the light of Purim, and then Chanukah. After the desolation and murder at the time of the Romans’ destruction of the second Beis HaMikdash, Hashem sent the light of Rabbi Akiva and his great disciple Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who brought down the inner light of Torah into the world. Following the expulsion of the Jews of Spain, we were blessed with the light of the Arizal. After the brokenness of the Cossack (Tach V’tat) and the Chmielnicki massacres of the mid-1600s, Hashem sent the Baal Shem Tov into the world.

And following the absolute decima tion of our people during the Holocaust, no one could imagine even simple acts of normalcy like getting married or having

children, much less recreating yeshivos or learning Torah. Although we felt that we were “despised and isolated from men, a man of pains and accustomed to illness” (Yeshayahu 53:3), we still held onto the recognition that “all of this has befallen us, but we have not forgotten You, nor have we betrayed Your cove nant” (Tehillim 44:18). Hashem began visiting and comforting us by opening up the gates of Eretz Yisroel to all Jews and enabling us to renew our life as a peo ple in our own land and thereby renew the study of Torah in the most remark able way. He caused the revival of Torah learning and yeshivos in the diaspora as well, not to mention the vibrant baal te shuva movement of the 1960s.

Yet even with all of those ways that Hashem has consoled us, the Holocaust was a level of destruction we have nev er known throughout all of human his tory. We therefore need a revelation of Hashem’s Presence never before seen in human history. We must beg Hashem to complete His appearance in our lives like He did with Avraham Avinu.

To counteract our unprecedented pain, we require an unprecedented ex pression of His Presence to comfort and heal us. We must daven that Hashem completes His visit by taking away all pain, healing all wounds, and drawing down into the world the light we have been waiting for throughout the millen nia, the light of Moshiach and the advent of the next world here on earth with the complete redemption.

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.

Think. Feel.Grow.

The Journey to Yourself

By Rabbi Shmuel Reichman

Iwill never forget what happened that night. After going to hundreds of lec tures, and giving quite a few myself, I thought I’d seen it all. But I had never seen anything quite like this. To give you a little background, there are protocols for the introductory process of a speech. At major events, like the one taking place that night, there are always two micro phones. The first is for the person who gets up to introduce the main speaker. After finishing his introduction, he walks off with his microphone, and the second microphone is waiting on stage for the main speaker.

But not that night. That night, there was only one microphone. After the in troductory speaker concluded his open ing remarks, the main speaker walked onto the stage and headed towards the podium. But as you already guessed, the introductory speaker was still holding onto the only microphone. At this point, the main speaker was expecting him to simply hand over the microphone so that

he could begin his speech. But that’s not what happened. Instead, the introducto ry speaker just kept hold of the micro phone. He then took a deep breath and said something I will never forget

A Journey Into the Unknown

When Hashem commands Avra ham to leave his home and embark on a journey, Avraham is told, “Lech lecha me’artzecha... Go for yourself, from your land….” (Bereishis 12:1). This directive is quite strange. Avraham is told where to leave from, but he is not told his destina tion. What kind of journey lacks a des tination? Generally, the destination, not the starting point, is most important. For example, imagine being invited to a wed ding, but instead of being told where the wedding will take place, you are told only where to leave from. Good luck getting to that wedding!

The fact that Avraham is not told his destination is not merely a practical is sue; it is a fundamental challenge to the

idea of a meaningful venture. In order to accomplish anything great, we must first identify a clear target and then deter mine the path required to get there. One does not accidentally achieve spiritual greatness; it requires extreme focus and dedication. A great journey must begin with a clear goal and destination. As we say every Friday evening in Lecha Dodi: “Sof ma’aseh be’machshavah techilah ,” the physical result originates first within the mind. Only when we first determine a clear destination can we achieve the ex traordinary. If so, why wasn’t Avraham given a clear destination for his journey?

Lech Lecha: No Simple Journey

The answer to this question lies within the words “lech lecha .” While this phrase is often translated as “go for yourself,” it can also be translated as “go to yourself.” Avraham was com manded to embark on a journey toward “himself,” toward his true and ultimate

self. In a genuine journey to the self, we don’t know the destination; we don’t know where it will take us. All we know is where we’re leaving from; where we are right now. Only once we arrive can we retroactively see where the journey was taking us all along. Of course, we have goals and proposed directions, but any one who has achieved anything of sub stance knows that the vision they once had is nothing like the actual journey they took. The goals create the process, but the actual journey transcends the limited goals that initially motivated the journey.

The inability to fully understand the destination of one’s own growth can be compared to a child’s inability to grasp a complex scientific or spiritual con cept. Imagine explaining to a young child the relationship between quan tum mechanics and general relativity, or the unique connection between the physical and spiritual world, or the dif ferent approaches to a complex Gemara

sugya (topic in Talmud). The concepts would be completely beyond the child’s comprehension, as his limited intellect cannot grasp such sophisticated and abstract ideas. The same is true for each of us: imagine meeting a younger ver sion of yourself and explaining all the things you will eventually accomplish, all the ideas you will learn, and all the experiences you will have. Your younger self would simply be unable to grasp the full meaning of this conversation. Now imagine instead that your older self does the same to your present self. The same would happen; you would not even begin to understand all that you will eventually become. You can have lofty goals and a clear direction but that simply creates the journey. What will actually happen is a mystery. Therefore, to genuinely venture on the path toward your true self requires a leap of faith into the unknown, ready to embrace whatever future Hashem has in store for you.

This is why Hashem didn’t give Avra ham a clear destination. In a journey to the self, all that we know is the starting point; the destination remains to be dis covered. We don’t know what we’ll find along the journey, the challenges we’ll face, what people will think, or if we will

even succeed. To embark on such a jour ney, we need to step outside our comfort zone, overcome our fears, and take the unpaved and uncharted path, the path toward greatness.

Avraham was not the only one en trusted with a lech lecha journey. Each of us is entrusted with this mission as well

where, it’s pointless. The purpose of a setup is to lead towards a conclusion, to wards a destination. A story without an ending, without a purpose, is not a story worth telling.

The same is true for our lives: we need a destination. We are all part of a larg er story, but we’re also writing our own

What kind of journey lacks a destination?

Journey to Your Ultimate Self.” I hope it will serve as a guide and tool as you em bark on your personal lech lecha journey towards your ultimate self.

Rabbi Shmuel Reichman is the author of the bestselling book, “The Journey to Your Ul timate 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 ethics, 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.

– each one of us must embark on our own lech lecha journey to our ultimate selves.

The Punchline to Your Story

There is probably something bother ing you, something in the back of your mind making you a bit uncomfortable. Did you forget something; is there some thing missing? Perhaps it’s the fact that the introductory story had a setup, but no punchline; a beginning, but no conclu sion. Did you think I forgot about that?

Everyone will agree that a story needs an ending; unless a story goes some

individual stories. Hashem created us in this world with unlimited potential, but that was only the “setup,” the begin ning of our story. Without a purposeful direction, a clear goal, and a deeper un derstanding of who you are and who you are meant to be, the setup lacks its true meaning. We need to make this a mean ingful journey, a story of growth, creativ ity, and contribution.

And while the ultimate destination remains unknown, the journey towards it is the essence of our lech lecha mission. That is why I wrote my parsha sefer, “The

After obtaining his BA from Yeshiva Uni versity, he received Semicha from Yeshiva University’s RIETS, a master’s degree in ed ucation from Azrieli Graduate School, and a master’s degree in Jewish Thought from Ber nard Revel Graduate School. He then spent a year studying at Harvard as an Ivy Plus Scholar. He currently 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: Shmuel Reichman.com.

Delving into the Daf Sleeping Duty

By Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

The Gemara in Nedarim (15a) says that an oath not to sleep for three days is considered to be a shevuas shav, a vain oath. It is not physically pos sible to stay awake for three days. Coffee may help, but even caffeine has its limits! A number of years ago, people watching videos appeared to stay awake for more than three days. We will attempt to ex plain that phenomenon shortly.

The Dubno Magid once entered an inn and asked for room and board. The proprietor advised that although many rooms were available, there was simply no food to be had, as he was quite poor and business had been very slow as of late. Since it was in the depths of the winter, and the rooms had no heating, the Magid asked for permission to sleep in the public dining area where a small stove radiated a bit of heat. The proprietor agreed, and the Magid went to sleep hungry due to the lack of food.

In the middle of the night, the Magid heard hushed footsteps making their way into the dining area. He opened his eyes just a crack and saw the owner’s fami ly members entering while clad in their night garments. Quietly they partook of a hushed and hasty meal. The par ticipants then retreated silently to their sleeping quarters. They were unaware of the Magid’s witnessing this, as his eyes were open just a bit and the lighting they brought with them was minimal.

The next morning, the Magid came to pay for his night’s lodging. The owner asked the Magid about his travels and their purpose. Upon hearing that his over night guest was a Magid, he requested a vort. The Magid said he had a question that had perplexed him for many years, and for which he had very recently found an answer. He proceeded to discuss a me drash that says that during the forty days that Moshe was in the heavens, he spent the complete time learning Torah from Hashem and reviewing it. This is to be tak en literally. Miraculously, he did not sleep

at all during the forty-day period.

The Gemara quoted above says that it is not humanly possible to go without sleep for three consecutive days. But one can survive without food for more than three days. We see from here that refrain ing from sleeping is more difficult than refraining from eating. “If so,” asked the Magid, “why does the Torah tell us that Moshe refrained from food for forty days? Since he also did not sleep, a more difficult challenge was met, of not sleeping. Why doesn’t the Torah mention this?”

The Magid continued with a slight smile. The medrash says that Moshe re frained from food and drink since the angels do not eat, so, too, he as a visitor to the heavens should follow the local cus toms and not eat. A question can be raised. How, indeed, did Moshe know that the angels didn’t eat? Even if he never saw an angel eat, possibly while he was asleep, the angels might have had a sumptuous meal. The only way to answer this is by saying that Moshe never slept while in the heav ens. This way, he was sure that the angels didn’t eat or drink, and he, in turn, fol lowed their custom.

The original question is now easily resolved. Moshe didn’t eat or drink be cause he followed the custom prevalent in the heavens. Perforce, if he was aware of their custom to never eat, he didn’t sleep. Therefore, his lack of sleep need not be mentioned.

No doubt, the hotel owner got the sub tle message. The Magid knew that there was food, but the proprietor did not wish to share it. (Sedra Selections by Zvi Akiva Fleisher)

We can’t let the topic rest here. The fol lowing news item creates bedlam.

In 2010, Kevin Coon, Victor Lopez, and Farris Hodo beat out 100 other hopefuls to win the “24 Marathon Challenge,” a contest to see who could watch continu ous episodes of the television series enti tled “24” and set a new Guinness World Records achievement. One hundred con testants entered a Plexiglas cube to watch “back-to-back Jack” until the last 24 fan remained awake and alert. The marathon began officially at 9:30 p.m. PST on Thurs day, December 2, and Guinness World Records adjudicator Kimberly Patrick certified that Coon, Lopez, and Hodo set a new Guinness World Record of 86 hours, 6 minutes, and 41 seconds of continuous television watching shortly after 11:30 a.m. PST on Monday, December 6.

During the 24 Marathon Challenge, participants had to stay awake while watching a plasma screen measuring 6 feet high and 14 feet across. Guinness World Records rules allow for a 10-minute break for every two hours of TV viewing completed, during which time they could exit the theater, take restroom breaks, and call friends and family. Some techniques to help them stay awake included dousing

themselves in cold water, smoking, and pushups. Could the contestants really have stayed awake for 86 hours? Dream on!

Dr. William Dement, author of the best-selling Promise of Sleep, suggests (in regards to a similar feat) that the achievement was possible due to micro sleep. Microsleeps are brief, unintended episodes of loss of attention associated with events such as blank stare and head snapping when a person is fatigued but trying to stay awake to perform a monot onous task like driving a car or watching a computer screen.

Microsleep episodes last from a few seconds to several minutes, and often the person is not aware that a microsleep has occurred. In fact, microsleeps often occur when a person’s eyes are open. While in a microsleep, a person fails to respond to outside information. A person will not see a red signal light or notice that the road has taken a curve, which is why this phe nomenon is of particular interest to peo ple who study drowsy driving. During a microsleep, a pilot might not be aware of flashing alarm lights in the cockpit.

A University of Iowa study in 2005 confirmed this phenomenon. EEG tests demonstrated that the brain activity that occurs during microsleep is consistent with a sleeping person rather than one who is awake and alert.

These TV watchers were very likely ex periencing microsleeps – whether or not it was evident to them or onlookers. This enabled them to extend the 72-hour bar rier. If you were wagering that they didn’t sleep at all…. Well, all “beds” are off. If you hear of anyone else who went more than 72 hours without any sleep at all, you’ll know that it’s bunk.

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

Israel Today

Sasha

By Rafi Sackville

When he was a child in elemen tary school, Alex Kuvtonov was forever getting into fights. Although not restricted to, it seemed to always happen during the long morning recess.

Tall and strong for his age, Alex was rarely on the end of a beating but always handing them out. In her wisdom, the principal gave his parents an ultimatum: either they come to school every day and watch over their son during recess, or find him another school.

For months, Alex’s mother would du tifully arrive at school and sit in the yard watching him play. It was not a tenable situation, nor would it last long.

Eventually, Alex’s father drew a line in the sand when Alex was eleven years old and sent Alex to the local kickboxing school.

With this newfound legitimate release of energy, Alex’s behavior at school im proved. Not only that, but he displayed a natural predilection for the sport.

Some six years later, Alex became European champion and during his 11th grade, he participated in the world junior kickboxing championship and came in first – a world champion at the age of 16. It was quite an accomplishment for both Alex and Israel.

I’ve seen some of his fights. Alex only knows one movement: forward attack. For all the aggression that his chosen sport involves, Alex is gentle by nature.

I watched him in the school halls from his 10th through 12th grade. He was care free and boisterous. There were no fights, no altercations, just typical boyhood fun. Maybe that’s because as European and world kickboxing champion, his friends knew better than to mess with him.

During 11th grade it is customary for many schools to help their students begin the army process by sending the entire grade to the conscription office where they are all initially processed. This be gins with a basic medical exam and the

establishment of a profile. The highest profile one can get is 96. This gives a soldier the right to volunteer for combat units.

It’s a mark of pride for students to join the elite forces. It must be difficult for many living outside Israel to compre hend the notion of parents sending their sons and daughters to join a unit whose soldiers are the first to be sent into battle.

With a 96 profile, Alex passed his medical with flying colors. The army contacted him directly and offered him a sports scholarship. Only the most elite of sportsmen and women are offered such deals. They do basic training but spend most of their time involved in their given

sian-speaking classes, easily over 50% of my students are not halachically Jewish.

Most of these students forge through life not interested in the Jewish and reli gious traditions that have held us together as a nation for millennia.

When the army offered Alex a sports scholarship, he turned them down be cause he wanted to be Jewish.

Instead of finding himself doing three years of cushy work serving his country, he instead chose to join a program called Nativ (The Way). It is run through the army and puts young men and women through a rigorous long course in every thing Jewish, from learning Torah, hala cha, and traditions, and being ensconced

entire family here in Ma’alot. Our grand children from New York were fascinated by him.

We were struck by Alex’s willingness to learn. It was clear to me that he would eventually succeed in becoming Jewish. When I asked him about his Commando course, he told me that nothing affects him.

“They could tell me to sit in the rain for three days and it wouldn’t bother me,” he told me.

His attitude in everything he does never wavers.

Alex thrived in the Nativ course. He was nervous on the day he had to face the Beit Din. I have never seen him shed a tear, but when he was accepted as a Ger (convert), he shed quite a few.

sport, which they help teach and promote.

Alex turned the scholarship down. He wasn’t interested at all. He had other things on his mind.

It is not a secret that the open-door policy during the 1990s to immigrants from Russian-speaking states resulted in many halachic issues that have had ramifications not only on the fabric of Jewish society in Israel but on the pillars of religious tradition. It is not my place nor my intention to take sides on these is sues. All I wish to do is to present to you, the reader of this column, a story that, despite its specific uniqueness to Alex, is a similar story being told over and over again throughout the country.

Let me start by suggesting that I would not be exaggerating when I say that in some of my predominantly Rus

in an environment that is supportive and geared to being Jewish.

This is what Alex wanted. He could take the Nativ course and once it was over would join a combat unit. There is no guarantee that studying the course is going to make successful converts; in or der to become Jewish, Alex’s knowledge needed to be tested in a Beit Din. Many of my students who have done the Nativ course have been turned down by the Beit Din. This, too, is a test of sorts to mea sure their determination. If they are se rious, failure presents them with another chance at success.

My wife and I happily sponsored Alex in our home for many Shabbat meals. Keren laughed each time Alex gave me a hug. She said I looked like a little child in his arms. He spent last Leil Seder with our

Today, he is still in combat training. He was recently selected as a top soldier among hundreds. Due to his schedule, we see him less, although we remain in contact.

As I earlier wrote, it is not my position to make any judgements on the validity of the course or the thoroughness of the pro cess. I’m here to let you know that when Alex sits next to me in shul and prays, I am moved beyond words. His sincerity and love of being Jewish is inspiring to me. Oftentimes, we take for granted our own Jewishness. To see Alex’s dedication when he didn’t have to choose to become Jewish but did has left me in awe of the power of converts.

Rafi Sackville, formerly of Cedarhurst, teaches in Ort Maalot in Western Galil.

Maybe that’s because as European and world kickboxing champion, his friends knew better than to mess with him.

Alex saying Shema at the Beit Din after becoming Jewish

School of Thought

His Uplifting Memory

By Mrs. Barbara Deutsch

One of the most magnificent cel ebrations that a Jewish person can participate in is the dedica tion of a Sefer Torah to the community. There is a pronouncement in the Torah that encourages all Jews to write a Torah for themselves.

The last mitzvah of the 613 says, “And now, write for yourselves this song, and teach it to the Children of Israel. Place it into their mouths, in order that this song will be for Me as a witness for the chil dren of Israel.”

Dedicating a Sefer Torah usually begins with finding just the right sofer, scribe, to write it. Many of them work in Israel and finding just the right one to fit your vision often takes a lot of research. There is a beautiful custom wherein the scribe leaves the last several letters blank to allow honored guests to participate in the mitzvah.

As is always the case for the Jewish people, a sumptuous meal is provided, aptly called a seudat mitzvah that is sim ilar to the one that is eaten at the conclu sion of a bris.

Apart from the chance to do this glo rious mitzvah, the donor can use this opportunity to honor a loved one, be it a family member, an entire family, a Ho locaust survivor, or a special milestone.

It’s a full-fledged once-in-a-lifetime, up there with life cycles, fabulousness.

This week, my cousins, Ari and

Shawn, dedicated a Torah to their father (father-in-law who was like a father) Jack. Anyone who had the privilege to have known the pure joy that was Jack Tarzik would know that it was a fitting honor.

When Jack walked into a room, the lights got brighter and the room felt smaller. The breadth of his dynamic per sonality filled the place with excitement and adventure. He was a teacher, a writer, a camp director, and an honest man of conviction.

than to spend time with his phenomenal kids and grandkids who did their best to make him proud.

They sure did!

In his comments about Jack, Torah scholar Rabbi J.J. Schachter commented, “It is the role of the children and grand children that a loved one leaves behind to do mitzvot that will give the departed one’s neshama an aliyah, for the soul to rise to greater heights. Donating a Sefer Torah, the ultimate mitzvah, is the one

the time we have with students, to com municate with the parents and keep them in the loop about how their kid is doing.

The best part of the Sefer Torah ded ication for me is the big welcome. All of the Torahs that are waiting inside the synagogue come out to greet the newbie to their home. Accompanied by dancing, singing, honored guests and sometimes tears, the resident Torahs surround the new one and escort the Torah into its new home.

From where I stood with the warm sun on my back, I am sure that I saw Jack’s dancing eyes and magnificent smile as he witnessed all of this simcha from his comfortable perch Above. See ing the long parade of family members and friends who came from near and far to honor him is a testament to a life well lived.

When you were a part of Jack’s orbit, child or grown-up, you felt good and im portant.

Jack greeted everyone, friend or soon to be one, with a special salutation. Even though he may have doubled or tripled up and used the same name for multiple people, the recipient felt that Jack meant the endearment just for them.

Jack’s hearty heartfelt laugh filled any room!

Mostly, Jack was a wonderful father and husband; nothing made him happier

mitzvah that brings the soul to the high est level.”

All parents invest everything and all that they have into helping their children grow into Bnei Torah. Many will sacri fice vacations, fancy cars, and often eat chicken instead of steak so that their child would have a yeshiva education.

Parents trust educators with the pre cious souls of their children to nurture and educate; it is up to our teachers and administrators to earn that privilege and not take it for granted to make the most of

We miss you, Jack; we will greet you whenever your Torah is taken out Take a moment to reach out to some one you love today!

Barbara Deutsch is currently the associate principal at HANC 609 and a longtime reflec tive educator, parent, grandparent, and new great-grandparent. Even after all these years, she still loves what she does and looks for ward to working with kids every single day. She is vacationing in Israel for the summer.

When Jack walked into a room, the lights got brighter and the room felt smaller.

RNSP Remembers Superstorm Sandy

By Sheya Gold

When Sholem Klein and his fellow coordinators estab lished the fledgling Rocka way Nassau Safety Patrol twelve years ago, they had no idea that just two years later the organization would face its greatest challenge. Superstorm Sandy tested the faith and the fortitude of all those who were affected by its massive wave of devastation. But it also tested the grit, the courage, the skill, and the determination of the Shomrim organi zation, which somehow managed to hold things together even as the floodwaters were wreaking havoc.

RNSP is the local Far Rockaway-Five Towns community Shomrim organiza tion. Its three coordinators, Sholem Klein, Shmuly Kassover, and Elkanah Adelman, oversee about 60 volunteer members who offer their assistance whenever there is a need, day or night. During the Sandy crisis, they were work ing nonstop for three weeks straight un der very difficult and challenging con ditions.

As Sandy made its way towards the area, local authorities were concerned, and a mandatory evacuation order was issued. But some community members were unconvinced and didn’t want to leave. Additionally, there were significant concerns about looting and mayhem.

RNSP works closely with local police and were called early on to assist with the evacuation efforts.

“People told us they didn’t want to leave,” Sholem remembers, “because they were worried about their belong ings. So we promised them that we would stay behind and patrol the area 24/7.” Only then, did many residents agree to leave the area.

Hours later, there was total chaos.

The night of the storm was terrifying. Power went out in the area, and there was no means of communication except through the RNSP radio system. At times, Hatzolah, 911, and the police de partment were not accessible. Some po lice officers were trapped in high water.

“We came in with a pickup truck and

brought them to the police station,” says Sholem. “We were essentially the only emergency response team that was op erating that first night.”

The first order of business was sav ing lives and reaching stranded people.

“People were trapped in their homes or in their cars,” Sholem recalls. “We

turned out to be a blessing because it meant the wires were dead.”

In the morning, the weary RNSP members began to assess the situation.

“People started calling us to check on their loved ones. Our hotline was working because we were hooked up to a generator system. We were asked to check on family members and friends who were home with no means of com munication. We started transferring people to different communities, and we started providing food.”

Food was a huge issue for strand ed residents and so was dry and warm clothing. Local organizations rose to the occasion and helped to provide truckloads of sweaters and jackets.

“Volunteers stepped in and cooked soup for us and for those who remained shiv ering in their homes,” Sholem recalls. It warmed their bodies and their souls.

brought them to higher floors and to safer locations. We broke into cars to let them escape. Using boats and trucks and even jet-skis in some cases, we must have rescued about one hundred thirty people that night.

“The first night was scary,” Sholem adds. “We were afraid for the neighbor hood, and we were afraid for our own lives. Trees were falling. The electricity went out, and it was pitch dark but that

RNSP never forgot its promise to those who trusted them to patrol the area. Looting was common in other neighborhoods hit hard by Sandy, but not in Rockaway and Nassau.

“Our command center was operat ing 24/7,” Sholem remembers, “even on Shabbos, when we hired non-Jews who were paid by the JCC to man the patrol. We managed to keep the looters away for about four weeks straight.”

“We grew up believing that Torah is everything. And here we were burying so many of them. It was very traumatizing for us.”

Perhaps the greatest tragedy was yet to come. Early on, shul officials concerned about their sifrei Torah be gan calling RNSP, asking for their help. When members managed to arrive at local shuls, they were shocked by what they discovered.

“We saw shuls under ten or fifteen feet of water,” Sholem remembers. “In one case, we found an aron kodesh float ing in the water in Belle Harbor. It was horrifying.”

Coordinators contacted members of the Kiryas Joel Fire Department, re questing backup.

“They came with special equipment which helped us pump the water out of the shuls so that we can get to the To rahs,” Sholem says.

Sifrei Torah from communities like Bayswater, Belle Harbor, Far Rocka way, and the Five Towns were brought to safety. While some were salvage able, sadly, there were many that were too waterlogged to be saved. The sifrei Torah were carefully examined by Rab bi Akiva Oppen who determined which were still usable.

All the sifrei Torah were brought to the main headquarters of Chesed Shel Emes in Brooklyn and were stored there for several months until nineteen of them were buried after a massive and meaningful community levaya. Hun dreds joined the procession of cars that drove to Liberty, NY, where the sifrei Torah were buried.

Sholem still shudders when he re members those awful moments. “We grew up believing that Torah is every thing,” he says. “And here we were

burying so many of them. It was very traumatizing for us.”

The entire experience, says Sholem, changed his life.

“It was a tremendous challenge, and we had to rise to the occasion. We helped anyone and everyone, no matter what their nationality. Some of us were on call for days. We didn’t shower, we didn’t see our families, we barely ate or slept. We were on the front line, and the community was relying on us.”

How did they deal with the trauma and stress when it was all over? Clear ly, it wasn’t easy. “We still get together sometimes, and we schmooze about it,” Sholem says. “We remember the stories and we talk about what happened. It’s healthy for us.”

Sholem acknowledges that RNSP couldn’t have done it themselves.

“We had tremendous assistance from Shomrim organizations across the area. They came from Flatbush, Williams burg, Crown Heights, Staten Island, New Square, Lakewood, and even as far as Baltimore. Other local organizations were also working nonstop on behalf of the community, including Achiezer and Hatzalah, as well as the JCC.”

Of course, says Sholem, none of this could happen without the selfless com mitment of the women who were left to fend for themselves and their families during a major crisis. Some of them hadn’t seen their husbands for days at a time.

The community is fortunate to have these organizations working on their behalf. They are the backbone of the community, and too often they are tak

en for granted.

“The next time you see a volunteer in the street or at a simcha,” says Sholem, “give him a pat on the back and thank him. Just like you, he has a job and a family and somewhere he would like to be. But when that phone rings and help is needed, he drops everything and is

happy to assist.

“Because that’s what he signed up for and that’s why he made the commit ment.”

To contact the RNSP 24-hour hotline, call 516-858-7300.

Dating Dialogue What Would You Do If…

Dear Navidaters,

I am 21 years old and have been dating for a year and a half. Recently, I have found that I have been redt to a few boys as their “first girl.” I find those dates to be very hard because many times the boys are very nervous, and I feel like I have to either lead the conversation or help them feel comfortable in this new situation. Also, many times, even if I don’t think the boy is for me, I am gently “persuaded” by either the shadchan or my family to give it another chance because it was his first date and may not have shown his “real” personality. It’s also probably a bit hurtful if a boy gets a “no” on the first date he ever went on, and so I try to give them a second date.

Here is my question for the panel: How do I tell shadchanim that I would prefer not to date boys as their first girls without seeming as if I’m being too picky or difficult?

Also, if I do end up going out with these boys, is there a way to make the date more “tachlis” and help move things along so I can see clearly whether or not it’s shayach?

Thank you, Adina*

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.

Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters

The Shadchan

Michelle Mond

Thank you for reaching out about your predicament, Adina. It’s a common concern I hear from singles in the yeshivish sector, aged 22 and un der. Unfortunately, it seems, the yeshiva world has not done its diligence in pre paring young men to go out in the dating world. I have approached this problem to a few rabbonim and have yet to see a change in “Dating Education.” This is so unfortunate! The same guys who joke around with their younger siblings and make up fun games for their nephews seem to get all clammed up as soon as the doorbell rings.

If I may, rather than addressing what you can do, I will first give some tips for any neophyte daters reading this.

1. Treat your date like your guest. You are bringing her into your zone, like you’d bring a guest into your home. Pre pare topics of conversation, and make sure the conversation flows. Above all, be a mensch.

2. Don’t let the ball drop in conver sation. Practice this as soon as you de cide to start dating. Start with your par ents, siblings, and Shabbos hosts. Get used to this style of flowy conversation so that your date is not the first time you try it. “Yes” and “no” answers might suf fice on your final exam but do not suf fice on a shidduch date. Elaborate on your responses, and ask her about her thoughts, feelings, and points of view.

3. Practice active listening without sounding like a parrot or a therapist. Utilize eye contact. Show genuine in terest in learning more about the topics she discusses.

4. Take a dry run to the place you’re taking her. Drive there before and get the lay of the land. If there is a parking garage as the only place to park, do not comment how expensive the parking is. (Same with drinks. This is the cost of dating!) Do not circle around for long periods of time to find street parking because you don’t want to pay for park

ing, thereby prolonging the awkward “car stage” of the date.

5. Make sure your car is clean and smells fresh.

Now for you, Adina. To help prevent this problem, I would suggest talking to those who are setting you up. Explain that one of the non-negotiables you are looking for is someone who can show up confidently on a date. Make it clear that you do not align with guys who are just starting the dating process, rather with more seasoned daters. Specifically ask not to be set up with guys who are just starting to date.

Nobody has a right to pressure you into doing anything you don’t want to do, and trust me, boys don’t want pity dates! You are doing everyone a favor by declining when you feel absolutely certain this shidduch does not suit you.

The Single

Tzipora Grodko

Dear Adina,

You tell ‘em girl! You sound self-aware, confident, and seem to be attracted to that same confidence in a partner. You do not need to justify your preference of going out with guys who have already dated other girls. If this is your standard, simply let shad chanim know. They WILL push. They WILL disapprove. And they may very well dismiss your standards and rudely state that you should feel and do other wise. This is completely inappropriate, and I believe, not what Hashem wants. A shadchan should not manipulate you into a date and dismiss your feelings.

As someone practicing a very G-dly act, they are definitely not doing it in a G-dly way.

Keep in mind that sometimes a guy may present himself with confidence and be smooth, even if it’s his first date; however, you need that verification from someone you can trust and rely on before making a decision that it’s not something you would like to consider.

The Zaidy

Dr. Jeffrey Galler

You must be very special to have been the first “recommendation” on many occasions. Being given that opportunity says a lot about your repu tation and the folks who are advocating for you.

Your letter surprised me, because so many of our single women would be thrilled to have your problem. Let’s dis cuss the situation.

Yes, it’s often true that our young men are woefully unprepared to have a normal conversation with women be cause they have been brought up in a very insular bubble. And, it’s true that, on first dates, the woman often needs to lead the conversations and interactions.

But it’s also true, in our contempo rary shidduch environment, that it is much more difficult for girls to find the “right” boy, than for boys to find the “right” girl.

And, there is a very common per ception shared by shadchanim and by

Going on a second (or twelfth) date with someone because we feel “badly” only winds up hurting the other person more in the long run.

mothers of single girls: Initially, they often hear that a certain “good” boy is not yet dating, but very soon after, in the blink of an eye, they hear that boy is engaged.

The perception of reality seems to be that “good” boys are getting married to the very first or second girl that they date. So, for our young women, going on a date with a beginner may present challenges, such as going out of your way to

make him feel comfortable and need ing to give him a second chance, but isn’t that worth the potential benefit?

My good friend (Pepi M.) presented the following analogy: “When your fa vorite dress store gets a new shipment, wouldn’t you want to be there on the first day, despite having to sort through many choices that you may find unsuit able, in order to have your pick of the very best new arrivals?”

Nevertheless, Adina, if you feel strongly that you’d rather not be that first date, you can probably avoid these situations by telling your shadchanim that instead of being set up with 23-year-olds, you’d prefer to be set up with 26-year-olds. That way, your date will have a few years’ experience and be more comfortable conversing with you. (And, as an added benefit, the young man might already be gainfully employed!)

But remember the wise saying: Many see gold where others only see dirt (Anon).

Pulling It All Together

The Navidaters Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

lationship is forming when it isn’t. It is kinder to have clear boundaries and let oth ers know how we feel once we are certain.

the podcast in mind, you may want to try something like this:

Dear Adina, Thank you for writing into the panel! It is true that most people don’t marry the first person they date. It’s also true that it does happen. It’s for you to fig ure out if you want to exclude yourself from the possibility of being someone’s first and last date. I can also complete ly understand not wanting to subject yourself to being someone’s first date. If you’ve truly reached a place where you are comfortable rejecting all guys for whom you would be their first, then it is about feeling comfortable in your own skin, knowing you are entitled to feel this way. When you feel comfortable with this, you will convey this message to shadchanim. If shadchanim view you as picky, that is on them. It’s not your job to manage others’ perception of you. You will have to work on releasing the desire for them to see you in a certain light.

The same applies should you decide

to go out with first timers.

You don’t have to go out a second time because you feel badly for rejecting them. The experience of the re jection does not belong to you, and you do not “owe” anyone a second date.

There is often a lot of “codependen cy” that manifests while dating. We don’t want to hurt anyone, and we can feel so responsible for hurting someone else, that many of us stay in dating rela tionships long past their prime. When we understand that we are only respon sible for our actions and that we can’t control the feelings or actions of others, we become healthier and happier people who can make clear and kind choices.

Going on a second (or twelfth) date with someone because we feel “badly” only winds up hurting the other person more in the long run. This is because he/she gets his/her hopes up and believes a re

First and foremost, might I recommend to everyone the following podcast: “We Can Do Hard Things” with Glennon Doyle. Try the episode from October 27 2022: “How to Set and Hold Boundaries” with Melissa Urban. I listened last Friday while getting ready for Shabbos, and it was a personal game changer packed with so much wonderful information about boundary setting. I learned a lot! I learned that being clear and kind with our boundaries (a roadmap to our hearts) helps people feel safe around us. I learned that we go in “green.” We assume people will want to respect our boundaries and imagine having a pleas ant conversation. (Because healthy people want to know and understand the way to our hearts!) Healthy peo ple want to respect each other. I also learned how to get more firm in the boundary when we are getting pushback i.e., I really don’t want to respect your need. And, I don’t really care about it either. I’m going to keep pushing. With

“Thank you so much for redting this shidduch to me. It means so much to me! After going out with a lot of first time daters, I’ve learned that it’s often an uncomfortable experience, and for now, I’m going to take some time off from those experiences.” Use language that feels right for you!

Perhaps I’m wrong, but with regard to your second question, I think we need to treat everyone and every experience with the same respect and time. I don’t know of any tips or tricks to get to the bottom line any faster. He can’t help that this is his first date. It’s truly up to you if you want to go out with first-tim ers.

I have heard from so many people over the years that they can feel pres sured by shadchanim, so this experience you are having is valid and real. Do not ever “take on the push.” Trust your in stincts and go with your intuition and remain flexible. Healthy boundaries are flexible too, when safe (something else I learned from the podcast.)

All the best, Jennifer

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

They often hear that a certain “good” boy is not yet dating, but very soon after, in the blink of an eye, they hear that boy is engaged.

School of Thought

By Etti Siegel

Q:Dear Etti, I don’t know how to say this nice ly, so here goes. My daughter hates her teacher. She is miserable. I don’t believe there is anything terrible go ing on, per se, but they just don’t click. I checked with a few other mothers. They don’t think the teacher is amaz ing, but they don’t think she is terrible. My daughter has good friends and would not want to switch schools.

I don’t know what to do. Do you have any advice?

-Worried Mom

A:Dear Worried Mom, It is hard to see your daughter so un happy. The way I see it, you have three options: help her make the best of it; switch her school; or open your own school for her. You mentioned that she would not want to switch schools, and I am guessing you are not interested in opening a new school for her. So, let’s concentrate on helping her make the best of it.

Life is full of challenges, and the best present a parent can give a child is the gift of resilience.

The Road to Resilience was a resource created by The American Psychological Association (2012). They define resilience as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress — such as family and relationship problems, se rious health problems, or workplace and financial stress ors.”

Some people are more resilient than others. But ac cording to The Road to Resilience, it is a characteristic that can be developed.

Here are some ways to develop resiliency, as delineat ed in The Road to Resilience:

You might not have control over events, but you can control how you respond to them.

The inability to accept what we cannot change is futile. Accept reality.

Take a moment to learn about yourself as you struggle through a bad experience. Are you working on relation ships? Are you gaining strength or a different perspective?

Bad things happen. Look at it from a lifelong point of view. How significant is this event in the scheme of a whole life (until 120, iy”H)?

Practice optimism. Look for the good, even though some uncomfortable things are happening your life right now.

As Jews, we have the concept of emunah. Your daughter was meant to have this teacher. (Perhaps it is to work on her resilience.)

My advice? Schedule a meeting with your daugh ter. (This way you both make time, it feels serious, and it is not in the middle of a meltdown.) Have a frank discussion with her, using Lost At School author Dr. Ross Green’s Collaborative Problem Solving model, an incredibly effective process for solving any problem. This model works with any age person who can communicate effectively.

Step One: Offer empathy and reassurance. Using neutral language, tell her that you understand that this year is hard for her, you feel for her, and you want her to know that you are here for her. An example of neutral empathy might look like, “I’ve noticed that you are un happy in school. Can you tell me about it?”

Step Two: Identify the problem. What actually is the problem? Try to refrain from putting words in your daughter’s mouth. Don’t rush her. Let her come up with what the problem is, even if you are antsy and don’t want to sit there anymore. Give your daughter the gift of sit ting with her and allowing her to verbalize her feelings. You might be surprised to learn what is actually both ering her. When she says something, ask her if you can repeat back what you are hearing, because you really want to understand. Examples of non-judgmental feed back would be: So help me understand, I don’t quite un derstand what you mean – tell me more about that, Can

you tell me more about… And then what happens? It sounds to me that... Is this true? Are there times when it is especially hard? Is there anything else you want me to know? I think I get the picture; are you saying that...

Step Three is the invitation to solve. Ask your daughter to propose ideas that might help her. Try to refrain from putting words in her mouth. Once she has offered some ideas, ask if you can share some as well. Unless the idea(s) are impossible, inconvenient, or un attainable, agree to try it for a week and then reevaluate. Let her think about the ideas you proposed.

If she attends a Jewish day school/Bais Yaakov, she has two or more teachers. The other teacher must be fine because your daughter is not complaining about her. You mentioned that she has friends. It is very disappointing for her to have a teacher she doesn’t click with, but this is a great opportunity for her to learn that we don’t click with everyone, and that is okay.

Make accepting disappointments and being grateful for the good a new family habit. Share some disappoint ing news or event, and also add, “but good things hap pened to me as well today!” and enumerate them.

Allowing your daughter to see herself as a resilient person who can handle whatever comes her way is a life long skill that will serve her well.

Mrs. Etti Siegel holds an MS in Teaching and Learning/Educational Leadership and brings sound teaching advice to her audiences culled from her over 35 years of teaching and administrative experience. She is an Adjunct at the College of Mount Saint Vincent/Sara Shenirer. She is a coach and educational consultant for Catapult Learning, is a sought-after mentor and workshop presenter around the country, and a popular presenter for Sayan (a teacher-mentoring program), Hidden Sparks, and the Consortium of Jewish Day Schools. She is a frequent contributor to Hamechanech Magazine and The Journal for Jewish Day School leaders. She will be answering your education-based questions and writing articles weekly for The Jewish Home. Mrs. Siegel can be reached at ettisiegel@gmail.com.

Loads of nachas, Etti

The best present a parent can give a child is the gift of resilience.

Parenting Pearls

HITSIC

By Sara Rayvych, MSEd

Each Friday, our high school prin cipal made the day’s announce ments and inevitably “HITSIC!” would boom over the loudspeaker, too. I will confess that it took me a few years to figure out that “HITSIC” stood for “hang in there, Shabbos is coming.”

On the rare occasions I’ve overheard gentiles well-meaningly comment on our religion, I’ve been surprised by how dif ferently they view our beliefs and prac tices. Rather than realize that we find meaning and enjoyment in our lifestyle, they often are under the mistaken im pression that we do things due to lack of choice or out of fear. I’ve never had a rab bi watch me for 26 hours to ensure I don’t turn on the bathroom light. I choose to keep Shabbos because that’s what Hash em commanded me to do. Assuming we keep Shabbos, kashrus, or other mitz vos solely because we’re afraid of being struck by lightning is also a very negative way to view Judaism and our relationship with Hashem.

How do we explain that we kept a month of yomim tovim because they en rich our year? The mitzvos give us a life of meaning and happiness. Rules may seem strict and unbending to secular society, but halacha creates for us personal struc ture along with stronger community and family values.

To outsiders, Shabbos may seem very restrictive, but our nation can appreci ate the chance to focus on community, family, and ourselves. Away from the distractions of business, noise of tech nology, and stress of math tests, we have the opportunity to relax and rejuvenate.

As beautiful as Shabbos is, it can also be stressful. There are lots of necessary preparations which can cause tension. Many people, particularly children, find it hard to disconnect from their weekday activities. Not everyone can see the day of rest as a day that is truly relaxing.

Many people naturally enjoy Shab bos and don’t feel the need for an article about the beauty of Shabbos; others don’t share these positive, warm feelings. Yet, even those who can’t fully feel the menu cha of Shabbos still want their children to grow up to be shomrei Shabbos adults. Youngsters pick up on our attitudes and unspoken words. In my humble opinion, one of the best ways we can bring up the next generation in ahavas Shabbos is to give our youth a feeling of simcha surrounding this special day. Still, even those of us that can appreciate the day may approach it with stress. It behooves all of us to take a close look at our own approach to Shabbos and see if we are giving over the appropriate attitude to our children.

Shabbos Preparations

They say the yetzer hara works extra hard on erev Shabbos – I can believe it. With so many preparations to be done, all required before a strict deadline, it’s no wonder that families can get tense and tempers can fly.

One Shabbos I took the initiative to do my Shabbos preparations well in advance. Early that week saw me busy cooking up a feast for the holy day. It was with a feel ing of contentment that I loaded my fridge that Thursday night with our Shabbos re past.

On Friday morning, I came down to the kitchen to discover that my little cuties had opened a package of whipped cream cheese and smeared it all over my fully-cooked fleishig-destined food. String beans were coated with white globs. I think my chicken soup may have been spared by having a lid – but the lid had taken the brunt of the attack instead. Let’s just say that was an awkward call to a rav.

I followed the rav’s instructions, in cluding how to clean wet, cooked string beans from cream cheese. I put up the soup with a cleaner lid and felt the worst was behind me. Minutes later, I noticed an interesting smell. I followed the aro ma to the kitchen where I discovered that unseen cream cheese had been stuck to

the bottom of my soup pot and was now being cooked onto it. A call back to the rav confirmed my pot needed to be kashered. Chasdei Hashem, the soup was still edible as I’d caught it in time. The rav included a few words of chizuk with the p’sak.

As the above story illustrates, we can only do our best. It feels like something always goes wrong despite the best plan ning. Kids may refuse to get in the bath on time. Someone little might discover messy, melted chocolate right after don ning a fresh Shabbos shirt. Hundreds of Legos can miraculously explode over a freshly swept floor.

First, it can help to lower our expecta tions and let go of what we can. Yes, your child’s face may be covered in food, but their smile can still be shining. White shirts feel frustratingly disposable, but at the end of the day it’s still just fabric. When we expect and are emotionally pre pared for these inevitable frustrations we can respond more calmly. Alternatively, when we yell and create a tense filled home, we are detracting from the won derful feelings Shabbos should generate – for us and our children.

Another thing we can do is try to avoid leaving preparations till the last minute. Yes, something can still go wrong, as the above story illustrates, but the chances are less. The more we cram into that last

half hour, the higher our decibel level tends to reach. Many foods can be pre pared earlier in the week, and the bulk of our laundry need not be reserved for Fri day. The less we leave till the last minute, the calmer we will be as Shabbos comes in. Many have a beautiful custom to have the main tasks done before midday. Years from now, our kids will not remember if their Shabbos cake or kugel was hot out of the oven on Friday, but they will re member if we brought in Shabbos with serenity.

Delegate tasks whenever possible. Children can become part of the Shab bos preparations, too. They are surpris ingly capable when given age-appropriate tasks, and it takes a load off the adults in the family. Even preschoolers can put tis sue boxes in the bathroom or their clothes in their drawers.

Keeping it simpler can help shorten your preparations. A simple yet tasty chicken dish can be prepped in minutes, but a complicated recipe can take hours. If it’s a patchke, then do it earlier in the week or skip it. We especially want to impress guests, but our visitors certain ly don’t want their meal to come at the expense of our family.

This one may not be popular, but min

imizing guests can help parents that are feeling challenged with the extra prepa rations. Based on what I’ve seen, most hosting is to socialize and not to provide food for those who would otherwise not have a proper seudah. It’s wonderful to have extra guests, but not if it causes us to scream at little ones. Hachnasas orchim

Adding In the Oneg Shabbos should be enjoyable. After all, it’s may’ain Olam Haba. When Shab bos brings us simcha and inner peace, it becomes a day we look forward to all week. Our children, too, can excitedly anticipate the holy day. Turning Shab bos into the highlight of their week will

get out of a good meal; the food doesn’t need to be fancy or expensive to be en joyable. In addition to singing and divrei Torah, there are plenty of opportunities for relaxed conversation.

Youngsters follow the adults’ lead. Parents maintaining a calm attitude can help avoid some of the potential squab bles. Distraction works well to prevent brewing situations. Many parents may find it helpful to come to the table with ideas for table discussions.

It can help to change Shabbos from a day of “don’t”s to a day of “do”s. Having books, magazines, special games, or oth er activities available can make it more fun. With Shabbos starting earlier, Fri day evening can become a relaxing time for family and friends.

Hopefully, one day, too, our children will call out excitedly in their own home, “HITSIC.”

is definitely a mitzvah, but our children’s chinuch is important, too; we can’t ignore our family to spend time with friends.

We can actively add joy into our preparations by playing music or other wise creating a festive atmosphere. It may feel impossible, but with some creativity, the tedious tasks could almost be called fun.

hopefully, b’ezras Hashem, keep Shab bos as the mainstay of their week that grounds them in holiness throughout their lives.

The highlight of Shabbos – other than the tefillos – should be the Shab bos seudos. Children readily enjoy a pleasant meal with their family. You’d be surprised how much mileage you can

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 RayvychHo meschool@gmail.com.

Years from now, our kids will not remember if their Shabbos cake or kugel was hot out of the oven on Friday, but they will remember if we brought in Shabbos with serenity.

Zooming in On My Personal Preference

By Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz

“The Girl in the Red Boots” was the recent selection of the JWOW! book club. The Zoom discussion of psychologist Judith Ruskay Rabinor’s memoir ranged from making peace with one’s mother to eat ing disorders and family secrets, the key themes of her personal narrative. I par ticularly enjoyed reading the book, even if it was an effort to finish it. I knew her brother John from his years as executive vice president of UJA-Federation of New York. His sister’s narrative gave me the canvas of his family and Jewish back ground.

Some of us are people who like to im merse ourselves in other people’s lives. Carried on the back of a strong charac ter, we venture into depths of feelings and sink, swim, and re-emerge from the bath in other as changed people. We don’t skim the surface of a life story. We submerge ourselves in their friendships and difficulties, soaking up details of un common travels and travails. Unabashed ly, we listen in on family feuds, organiza tional politics, and personal prejudices. We are not yentas. We are the readers of memoirs.

It may be a middle-aged thing. We can commit hours to stepping into someone else’s shoes and walking with them. We don’t lose ourselves in their narratives, but we do find a lot in their story. Cour age, inspiration, and judgment reverber ate from good chronicles of a life, even if it was not a great life. Perhaps, we iden tify with the author’s growing self and abilities; his/her development validates our own personal journeys.

If it’s a woman, her mindfulness as she sketches and catalogs the trivia of her saga reminds us of our own ruminations and conclusions about our past. Her jour naling toward her own personal truths resonates with all of us who have drawn later conclusions about earlier experienc es. It’s the feminine way, and it’s making

public her private thoughts and feelings from a place of mature confidence. And I am taken by those women who have the self-knowledge and self-discipline to sit down and put finger to keyboard and re cord them.

I was startled out of my emerging

She is truly older than I in understanding herself and her upbringing.

Writing a memoir also seems to grant you a legitimate way of speaking your piece. You can be heard better on paper, perhaps, certainly by your children who are used to your voice since their uterine

Sternbuch’s Polish narrative which I re cently reread or as exotic as Irma Robles Lopez Cardozo’s account of Sephardic life in Suriname and Manhattan. But it tells her own history and the way she views her life and the experiences that shaped it with honesty.

Her “brenn” comes through her words. The reader senses her charisma through her impassioned youth group leadership and her statement: I have a Chassidic soul. The editing of her life story is her privilege. She doesn’t have to share that which she does not care to. But what she does share is an eloquent incubation of holiness within a woman.

My great-great Aunt Chanale Twer sky Rottenberg’s soft-covered volume chronicles the conflicts and complexities of “rebbeshe” daughters between the two wars. Her style and her story both clari fy her choices. She presents her later life in the ways she wants them to be seen. I revel in the idiosyncratic sense of person and place of “the Mima’s” memoir. I relish the legitimate subjectivity with which the personal narrative and historical context is infused.

I love my history light and highly col ored. I want it succulently detailed with people I know in surprising contexts. Give me the jacquard of a twentieth-century feminine memoir over the tweed of a classic biography any time. Who needs all the chronological minutiae? Give me the themes and highly personal perspectives on particular times and places.

maturity by my friend who is taking Fayge Borchardt’s memoir writing class and writing pieces for her children. How brave to look back and open up with adult eyes and heart, I thought when she shared this project with me. It’s a lega cy of her own, a unique voice about her past that she can capture without being accused of being preachy or particularist.

state. Maybe that’s why she is doing it now. I am not yet ready to say my piece. I’m still a work in progress.

Another friend has had an interesting history spanning across continents and marriages and is looking back from her early sixties to give her children a sense of who and what she is in her own words. Her story may not be as thrilling as Gutta

Some people get their inspiration through a shiur, a story, or an experi ence. Make mine a well-crafted memoir from which I borrow time-tested cour age, character, and resilience from real people.

JWOW! is a community for midlife Jewish women which can be accessed at www. jewishwomanofwisdom.org for conver sation, articles, Zoom events, and more.

Fd for Thought

Bonito: A Shared Experience

By Nati Burnside

There are two types of people who eat at restaurants: those who are will ing to share dishes with others in their dining party, and those who treat that idea as if it is a crime against the restau rant experience.

If you fall into the former category, Bonito is the fine dining destination of a lifetime. If you fall into the latter category? Well, you should get with the program, un less you want to miss out on a truly unique kosher experience.

Joshua Kessler is a rising star in the ko sher restaurant world. His first restaurant, Barnea Bistro, is a very successful entry into the directory of Manhattan upscale establishments. Kessler calls Barnea “the culmination of a dream fueled by passion and desire.” It was in that kitchen that the idea for Bonito came to him.

In typical French bistro style, Barnea’s main courses stand alone on the menu, and diners order side dishes of their choosing from a separate list of offerings. Yet the waiters would often come to the kitchen with requests from patrons that selections from all over the menu be served in such a way so that the cuisine could be easily divided amongst the members of the party. Kessler hypothesized that the reason was that many people were coming for a special occasion and might not return on a regular basis. Therefore, the dining room was full of guests who wanted to taste everything that they could in what might be a rare trip to an amazing restaurant.

Enter Bonito. While the fare still has a definitely gourmet quality, Bonito sports a slightly more casual and welcoming at mosphere. That vibe plays well with the idea that everything on the menu is de signed to be shared and is plated as such. The menu features a single section that houses everything from salads ($26-28) to appetizers ($29-42) and from side dishes ($28-42) to entrées ($42-89). Each selec tion is around the same size; Kessler sug gests ordering five or six plates for every two people in your party depending on

how filling your selections are.

When I was invited to experience what Bonito has to offer, a few items were abso lute standouts. If you’re looking for a light plate to start off your meal, I would suggest that you try the Heirloom Panzanella Sal ad. This elevated take on a classic tomato and onion salad will grab you right from the start. Not only does the balsamic re duction in the dressing pack a nice punch, but the large croutons made from house garlic bread add a great texture to the to matoes. Like everything at Bonito, the sal ad looks amazing as the heirloom tomatoes give the dish a striking color that really draws the eye when it reaches your table.

As a shared plates restaurant, many of the items on the menu can be described as appetizers. This leads to a wide selection that includes a few different fish options. I decided to go with the Hamachi Crudo because Hamachi isn’t found frequently on kosher restaurant menus, and I was intrigued by the way it was prepared. The combination of Hawaiian red salt, Thai chili, and chive oil bring out the flavor of the fish wonderfully. It’s also worth not ing that this dish is garnished with water melon radishes and corn shoots and looks fabulous.

With more than 20 plates to choose from on the menu, making a decision might be difficult. But if there’s one path you must choose, it is ordering the Papas con Pato. This plate might be the best on the entire menu despite being one of the least expensive at just $29. A hearty por tion of potato skins are spiced and cooked in duck fat before being served beneath duck confit, poached egg, and garlic ai oli. Everything about this combination works well together. The potato skins are slightly crispy and provide a sturdy base for the toppings. The duck confit is de lightfully shredded, the poached egg is a complimentary addition and adds to the impressive combination of textures, and the garlic aioli provides a creaminess and flavor to marry these perfect flavors. If it

wasn’t for the depth of the menu, I’d sug gest each person who goes to Bonito order their own portion.

Could you make your way to Bonito and just keep ordering the plates that sound like appetizers until you are full? For sure. And I wouldn’t blame you. There are plenty of options to choose from, and you are free to make your own choices.

That said, if you are looking at the bottom of the menu and wondering how you can share something like the Yakito ri Charred Hanger Steak, let me give you the sales pitch. After the steak has been charred, it is sliced and fanned on the plate to make room for the smallest dollop of chimichurri on each slice. With a ring of steak around the edge of the plate, the cen ter has crispy shallots, fennel, arugula, and tomato. The plating is impressive enough that you just might admire it for a minute

or two…if the steak didn’t look so delicious that you can’t wait to start dismantling this work of art. The char on the outside of the steak gives it a great mouthfeel, and the chimichurri provides just enough acidity to contrast with the rest of the dish.

Bonito is a welcome addition to the kosher landscape, not only as a unique concept, but also geographically. If you are looking for a place for a quiet busi ness dinner in Manhattan, Bonito is your closest option if you are south of 27th and anywhere north of Canal. That’s a large area that the restaurant will be able to service. In addition, its proximity to the Queens-Midtown and Lincoln Tunnels means that those in New Jersey, Brooklyn, Queens, and even Long Island can drive into a neighborhood with much easier parking than most places in Manhattan and enjoy what Joshua Kessler is cooking.

You won’t be sorry you made the trip.

Bonito Meat

◦

In The K tchen

Scallopine All’ Arancio Orange Veal Cutlet

By Naomi Nachman

I am sending my weekly article off to our editors while I am in Florence, Italy, attending a culinary program run by Susie Fishbein. She has organized a wonderful cooking program with the Cordon Bleu. We have had an amazing week here in Florence so far. We met the chief rabbi of Florence, saw all the historical sights, toured Terra Di Seta, a kosher winery, and an olive oil factory.

I am learning some great new recipes but also learning new skills. Susie worked with the local kashrut authority, and we had a mashgiach working full time on all our culinary trip. One of our chef-instructors shared this recipe with us at our welcome dinner, and I fell in love with the combination of oranges and veal. (You can also try this with chicken cutlets.)

Ingredients

◦ Four slices of veal scallopini (thin sliced and boneless)

◦ 1 cup all-purpose flour

◦ Juice of two oranges

Salt and pepper

◦ 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

◦ 1 orange, sliced

Preparation

Dredge the meat on both sides with flour.

In a large pan, 1-2 tablespoons of oil and sear the meat on both sides.

Season each piece with salt and pepper and pour in the fresh orange juice.

Remove the meat from pan and place on a serving dish. Turn up heat for the pan to thicken the sauce on high for one or two minutes.

Season the sauce with salt and pepper to your liking.

Pour sauce over meat in prepared pan.

Serve hot with slices of fresh orange.

Naomi Nachman, the owner of The Aussie Gourmet, caters weekly and Shabbat/ Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities, with a specialty in Pesach catering. Naomi is a contributing editor to this paper and also produces and hosts her own weekly radio show on the Nachum Segal Network stream called “A Table for Two with Naomi Nachman.” Naomi gives cooking presentations for organizations and private groups throughout the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area. In addition, Naomi has been a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, magazines as well as other media covering topics related to cuisine preparation and personal chefs. To obtain additional recipes, join The Aussie Gourmet on Facebook or visit Naomi’s blog. Naomi can be reached through her website, www.theaussiegourmet.com or at (516) 295-9669.

Photo by Melinda Strau SS

Better Business

The Cryptocurrency Craze

By Chaim Homnick MA MBA

In 2021, Bitcoin hit a high of $68,000.

This year, Bitcoin is hovering around $20,000, and the overall crypto market has tanked alongside most asset classes in the face of inflation, supply chain issues, tight fiscal policy, and glob al economic uncertainty. The era of free, easy money has stalled, and companies and individuals alike are cutting their budgets and sidelining their money. The crypto market has been hit especially hard, as it is a riskier asset and a specu lative investment.

So, is crypto the future of money or is it simply the latest speculative craze with no substance to back up the valuations? Below is an introduction to cryptocur rencies for beginners.

What Is Cryptocurrency?

The word “currency” can be a mis nomer. Cryptocurrencies are digital as sets typically aiming to be a medium of exchange. However, while some cryptos prioritize being a medium of exchange, others are more of a “store of value.”

Most cryptocurrencies utilize block chain technology to maintain a ledger of transactions. Another common de nominator is that cryptocurrencies are generally decentralized, anonymous, and transparent. The goal of that feature is to provide an alternative to banking and governmental systems.

Due to the lack of a central bank or other authority, cryptocurrencies rely on the individual members of their net works to verify transactions and “mine” for new tokens. The mining process has come under scrutiny lately because it is energy-intensive as it involves many so phisticated computers performing mil lions of complex calculations.

Cryptocurrencies are strictly digital so investors can acquire crypto tokens through dedicated exchanges (like Coin

tion is on the ledger and secure.

Ethereum, the number two crypto currency, focuses instead on facilitating applications and smart contracts. This means that Ethereum can be used as the medium of exchange behind a digital marketplace, a blockchain-based video game, or to execute a smart contract. (A smart contract is an agreement between two people in the form of computer code. It runs on the blockchain, so they are stored on a public database and cannot

Experts exist on both sides of the debate. Some people claim that crypto currencies are speculative assets with minimal use cases. Others claim that crypto technologies and blockchains will revolutionize entire industries.

Memecoins/Longshots

When it comes to “memecoins,” the goal is clearly speculative. Scammers abound and “get-rich-quick” schemes pop up everywhere. There have been several fraudulent crypto tokens and companies, and naïve buyers, lured by the promise of quick riches, can easily be burned.

base, Binance, or FTX) and the investor can hold them in digital wallets.

Bitcoin and Ethereum

Bitcoin is the number one cryptocur rency in terms of market cap and global awareness. Only 21 million bitcoins will ever be mined, which makes it anti-in flationary, a direct critique of the way government interventions can inflate and dilute the value of the dollars its cit izens hold. The blockchain technology also means that every Bitcoin transac

be changed, plus the contract can be set to execute automatically when certain criteria are met).

Currency or Asset?

Cryptocurrencies seem to be more of a speculative asset than a true currency. However, the number of crypto-based transactions keeps growing. Addition ally, blockchain technology, smart con tracts, and other innovations may lead to increased potential applications of the cryptocurrency industry.

Dogecoin, with backing from Elon Musk and others, went from being worth fractions of a cent to nearly 70 cents at its peak. However, it steadily dropped alongside the rest of the market, bot toming out near 6 cents before a recent recovery based on Musk’s takeover of Twitter and the potential that Dogecoin is utilized on the platform. It is certain ly possible that one memecoin rises above the others, but playing this end of the market is similar to playing penny stocks. Volatility is a feature, not a bug.

Most other crypto longshots are long shots for a reason. Some crypto exchang es list as many as 16,000 different coins and tokens. Most are probably garbage. Only a handful of top cryptos are gen

uine technology projects with potential to provide actual long-term value as an asset and to revolutionize the crypto in dustry.

NFTs and Metaverses

Alongside crypto, other digital in dustries have been exploding into the limelight. Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are digital art. Facebook and other companies are pushing versions of a “metaverse” and are selling digital “land” in them. While there seem to be worthwhile applications and potential long-term uses of NFTs (event tickets, digital art, etc.), these are still nascent industries, and it can be difficult to eval uate the fair market price of these assets. You can buy a Bored Ape NFT and make a mint, or you may lose your digital shirt. It is hard to ascribe value to newer asset classes and digital assets.

Market Adoption

While the market has contracted, crypto adoption continues. In a bear market, less money is available, and the

foolish excesses of the bull market dry up. That tends to be a good thing as emp ty projects fail and only assets and com panies with a real foundation survive and flourish. When the global economic forecast improves, it will be interesting to see how the crypto markets recover. Will Bitcoin challenge $100,000 a coin, or will it stagnate?

One thing that is clear is that tech and financial giants are increasingly entering the crypto space, whether via partnerships or providing their investors exposure to crypto in a variety of ways. Nearly 50% of Americans own some cryptocurrency.

Cryptocurrency and blockchains are enjoying increased adoption and in novation even as the industry contracts. While a lot of the true longshots, meme coins, and weirder digital assets may go the way of the beanie baby, the more established assets like Bitcoin and Ethe reum seem to have genuine value.

The post-Covid bull market that led to explosions in the value of everything

from Bitcoin to NFTs to GameStop shares has ended. But it will be inter esting to see how the crypto market and digital assets perform in the future.

DISCLAIMER: This column is not in tended to be financial advice. It is mere ly meant as an interesting read and an introduction to a topic.

CRYPTO FUN FACTS

- The top corporate holder of Bitcoin is Grayscale Bitcoin Trust. They hold over 650,000 Bitcoin, a little over 3% of the total supply.

- The #2 corporate holder of Bitcoin is MicroStrategy. They hold over 124,000 Bitcoin.

- Bitcoin became legal tender alongside the US Dollar in El Salvador in 2021.

-There were 14 blockchain video games with over 100,000 users on desktop in the past month, per DappRadar. The #1 blockchain game based on desktop users over the past month was Alien Worlds, with over 1.2 million users.

-Coby Cotton, of the YouTube group Dude Perfect, went into space after he won a seat aboard a Blue Origin flight, sponsored by crypto collective MoonDAO. Chaim Homnick is a serial entrepreneur who owns several businesses. He also mentors small business owners. If you have questions you would like to see answered in a future column, or other feedback, email chomnick@gmail.com.

Mind Y ur Business

“The Deal Has To Be Good For Both Sides”

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 Harry Dublinsky (HD), principal at Wil son Park Group, and Jay Cardwell (JC), COO at the CFO Squad.

* * *

YS: Harry, as an auditor for many years, can you walk us through the benefits and outcomes of going through an audit?

HD: An audit is basically an inde pendent review of a company’s financial statements by a qualified CPA and a qual ity CPA firm. The CPA comes in and per forms various tests to ascertain whether

the financial statements are free of mate rial misstatement. Now, what are finan cial statements? They’re balance sheets that include your assets, liabilities, and the resulting owner’s equity. It’s your P&L (profit and loss statements) and your cash flow statements, which basically depict how the company has done over a certain period of time.

As an auditor, there are various stan dards that need to be met in order to pro vide this service, especially after various financial scandals that have occurred over the last few decades, starting with Enron, Bernie Madoff, etc. But the crux of the problem is the fact that audits are costly. It’s very hard for a startup com pany, which is stretched for cash, to go

ahead and allot money to this process. Moreover, a lot of the companies are pre-revenue, and there’s not much there to audit, except perhaps how much cash they have in the bank. That’s why when we’re talking about due diligence, that’s an alternative means to go ahead and kick the tires and assess the viability of the in vestment proposition.

entrepreneurs that come in with these nice fancy pitch decks, these 5-10-year projections, with numbers all over the board. So, how do you go ahead and make an assessment?

YS: One of the financial assessment tools is “unit economics.” Can you please explain that?

HD: To me, unit economics is part of the vision. We hear a lot of pitch es. Many of us watch “Shark Tank,” so, there’s pitches galore. You have a lot of

Obviously, you’re looking to the strength of management. Can they carry out their vision? Do they have that fire in their belly to go ahead and actualize their projections? One of the ways that I do it is called “unit economics,” or “back of the envelope.” If you have “widget X” that you want to bring to the market, and meanwhile there’s a competitive “widget Y,” what are the unit economics? What makes your product stand out from the others? I think the ability to visualize the deal and proposition helps an investor

Harry Dublinsky

that’s looking at a deal make an assess ment. This makes sense instinctively.

And then, once you understand the unit economics, you can go about ex trapolating this towards whatever the projection shows in the aggregate over many years, to see if it makes sense. Is the company well capitalized? Will it have the capital to go ahead and actualize their vision? Recently, the Uber CEO came out and used the term “unit economics,” as well, because they have to make cuts on their administrative costs. He said that there’s issues with the unit economics. That’s why I think it’s key. It’s a catch-all for trying to take a deal from 30,000 feet in the sky to level ground.

as much as possible about the buyer. Some deals don’t just come with a cash buyout. Some people say, “I want to sell,” get all the cash, and are out the door. But many times, you’re getting paid with somebody else’s stock, or a combination of the stock and debt. And now someone might be owning your company, con trolling it, or you might even be a partner. Or it may be a lender in this deal that’s just coming with capital to support your organization, and you want to make sure that they’re capable of holding up their end. You don’t want them to say, “Here’s a million dollars in cash, and I’m going to give you $10 million of stock because your company is worth, $10-11 million or more.” That stock is worthless the next day. So, you need to do your homework.

For those type of deals that we’ve been seeing, especially in real estate, you have to ask, “Am I looking for the long term?” Maybe you’re ready to pay a premium now, and you don’t have enough time to do a rigorous due diligence process. That’s where the gut feeling kicks in. And that’s why a lot of the buyers that we have are very key and successful entrepreneurs, who wouldn’t be in the business if they didn’t know that sometimes you have to roll the dice and go with your guts.

JC: I always say that the deal has to be good for both sides. But I think it is crit ical to understand what the motivating factor is on both sides. Why am I selling? Why is someone buying?

instated and closed the next week. But by that point everybody was really nervous about what else they might not know.

YS: How important is it to understand the day-to-day cashflow of a business when pursuing a deal?

YS: Harry, what is buyer’s due dili gence, and why is it so critical?

HD: Due diligence is the exercise of care taken by a reasonable business or individual before you enter a deal. Let’s say, one of your buddies comes to you with this great real estate deal and they’re looking at you to write a check. You might like the guy, but you’re a smart businessperson. You’ll want to look under the hood. There are different types of due diligence. We’re focusing on the financial side. Some people say, “Why do I need to kick the tires? I know the sponsor. We went to high school together.” There’s a saying that goes, “Penny wise, pound foolish.” Moreover, former President Rea gan said, ‘Trust but verify.’” I think that’s the process being performed when you do due diligence.

On the buyer’s side, you want to see that the cash correlates with the projec tion and division. A lot of these startups and smaller companies don’t go through the audit process. So, what verifiable in formation do you have to work with? A skilled auditor who’s performing due dil igence knows how to go in and do certain tests to the financial records. To me, cash is king. With a lot of the assertions or his torical performances that they’re present ing, I’m going to look back at the cash, the bank statements, etc. I want to make sure that the numbers make sense, that they can corroborate them. Moreover, I want to sit in the conference room with the CEO of the company or the sponsor, and ask them some heavy press questions like, “Do you have any balance sheet lia bilities? Any loss contingencies out there? Any lawsuits?”

You need to know, from a seller’s point of view, are they going to be my partner?

It’s also critical to be ready for the deal. If you’re going to enter into a deal, make sure you are as prepared as possi ble. Maybe you’re just selling a custom

HD: When you buy an operating busi ness, you’re in the cockpit on day one. You want to have a very seamless transition, but there’s tremendous issues you have to get through. What’s the company cul ture? How do you step in and deal with it without losing a beat? You need to have a handle on the cash situation of the com pany. That’s why it’s important, as you’re going through the due diligence process, to stress test what your working capital model is going to be. Test your receiv ables. The company looks nice and rosy, but when you look at the receivables, you might realize that cash isn’t necessarily coming in the door. You’ve got to be pre pared. You have a captive audience. Your customers are aware that management has changed, and they might look to take advantage and renegotiate deals. Just like an army prepares for battle, you have to have all your ducks in a row.

Am I going to be working for them? Have they done similar deals? What’s their ca pacity? I’ve seen many bankers come to the table and say, “I’ve done many deals,” but they represent a fund that has al ready fully pledged all their dollars and they can’t close the deal. So, suddenly, you’ve wasted an enormous amount of time, when that person can’t actually reach a final deal. It sounds absurd, but in many cases that has occurred. Or they run out of money in the middle of the due diligence period. You’ve got to know, are you the last person in the door or the first person in the door?

ers’ list, or maybe they want the entire business, or they just want the product that you own, or your market share for their own distribution channel. So, un derstand what they’re expecting. And in some cases, make sure that the people around you are on board. Things can break down when employees, partners, or shareholders that you have to deal with are not ready for the deal. They need to be on board before you enter that room.

YS: What are some of the mistakes a seller makes not being prepared prop erly for due diligence?

JC: It’s all about cash flow. Is there enough cash on hand that can sustain the company for the next year? Are they making enough money? What is the burn rate? How much money do you need every month to pay the bills? If you don’t collect your revenues, will you have enough cash? There’s a difference between pre-revenue and post-revenue, but it’s those going con cern issues that will sometimes jump in and sort of create a shadow over a com pany. It’s all about the cash flow. Do you have enough

YS: Jay, what is seller’s due diligence?

JC: Similarly, the seller wants to know

YS: What are some situations in which due diligence is really critical and can make or break a deal?

HD: First, you have to set the proper context. Where are you in the transac tion? Then, you have to ascertain who has leverage in the deal, the seller or the buy er? Moreover, it gets down to the underly ing target, asset acquisition, etc. and what vision the buyer has for it. Sometimes, the numbers aren’t as relevant because the buyer has different plans. They want to reposition an asset or have ultimate goals that differ from the way the business has been carried out. So, it’s not as critical.

JC: I think you just sort of said it –not being ready. There are some fairly standard questions out there, an attor ney can provide a list, or we can provide a list. And you should go through that list and have your answers ready. Don’t walk into a room without having that. But the biggest mistake I’ve ever seen is where we actually got to closing, everybody wanted to close the deal, and the seller had not maintained their corporate status with the State of Delaware, where they were formed. And they had been administra tively dissolved because they hadn’t kept their records. Therefore, the corporation didn’t exist, and they couldn’t close – on a small technicality. Now, they had it re

cash?

“When you buy an operating business, you’re in the cockpit on day one.”

Notable Quotes

“Say What?!”

These toads have prominent parotoid glands that secrete a potent toxin. It can make you sick if you handle the frog or get the poison in your mouth. As we say with most things you come across in a national park, whether it be a banana slug, unfamiliar mushroom, or a large toad with glowing eyes in the dead of night, please refrain from licking.

- Facebook post by the National Park Service warning people to stop licking toads in the wild, due to their gland-secreted psychedelic substance that can create a hallucinogenic experience

When you’re as great at basketball as he is, people listen to you… It hurts me that we have to sit up here and talk about stuff that divides us. We have to sit up here and answer for what this idiot has done. I stand for equality of all people.

- Hall of Fame NBA player Shaquille O’Neal talking with Hall of Famer Charles Barkley about Nets player Tyree Irving’s antisemitic social media post

Be right back!

- The now-seemingly prophetic note that was left for Naftali Bennett on the Prime Minister’s desk one year ago when he ousted Benjamin Netanyahu

So, it’s interesting that Republicans are doing something they don’t normally do… What they’ve done is they’ve taught people the word inflation. Most people who would’ve never used that word ever in their lives are using it now because they’ve been taught it, including on TV, including in newspapers. They’ve been taught this word .- MSNBC host Joy Reid

Yeah, well, I grew up in a family where, you know, if the gas price went up, the food budget went down. So by this time of the week, we’d be eating Chef Boyardee if that budget wasn’t gonna change. So that’s what families have to do.

- Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., in an interview when asked about inflation

No one is building new coal plants… We’re going to be shutting these plants down all across America and having wind and solar power.

– President Joe Biden

Comments like these are the reason the American people are losing trust in President Biden and instead believes he does not understand the need to have an all-in energy policy that would keep our nation totally energy independent and secure.

– Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), in response

The President’s remarks yesterday have been twisted to suggest a meaning that was not intended; he regrets it if anyone hearing these remarks took offense.

- From a clarifying statement by the White House

Your feedback is appreciated. Now pay $8.

- Tweet by Twitter owner Elon Musk in response to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez complaining about the company’s new fee for verified users

I think he is the only Republican who could lose. If Trump runs and wins, and he’s in the general against Biden, it won’t make a difference it is Biden – it’s Trump versus Trump; it will be a referendum on Donald Trump.

- Mick Mulvaney, former-Chief of Staff to Pres. Trump, explaining on CNN why he would not support the former president next time around

I would tell you things about him that won’t be very flattering—I know more about him than anybody — other than, perhaps, his wife.

- Former President Donald Trump in a Fox News interview warning Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) not to challenge him in the 2024 GOP presidential primaries

Here’s the basic takeaway from Election 2022 so far:

1. Democrats will not change course on anything; they wildly outperformed expectations, except in Florida.

2. Biden is their 2024 nominee unless he is fully incapacitated.

3. Republicans wildly underperformed, and heads should roll.

4. There is a lot of hope for the Republican coalition given their performance with Hispanic and black voters. But their candidate quality was poor, and their leadership was either absent or counterproductive.

- Post election tweets by Ben Shapiro

President Trump’s handpicked and endorsed candidates largely underperformed or outright lost their midterm contests on Tuesday, deflating the former president’s status as a party kingmaker and likely 2024 GOP presidential nominee.

– Ari Blaff, National Review

As always, I’m thankful for the Houston Police and Capitol Police for their quick action. I’m also thankful that the clown who threw his White Claw had a noodle for an arm.

– Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) after someone threw a beer can at him during the Astros World Series parade

I read a poll just yesterday that White Republican suburban women are now going to vote Republican. It’s almost like roaches voting for Raid [roach spray], right?

- “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin

I offered an arrangement that Arab Jerusalem will be a Palestinian capital. I suggested that no one have political sovereignty over the Temple Mount or the Old City, no one, not even us, not the state of Israel, and not the Palestinians. There will be a Muslim religious authority in charge of the Al Aqsa mosque, a Jewish religious authority in charge of the Jewish sites, and a Christian authority in charge of the Christian sites. There will be an international trust of five nations: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, and the USA, that receives special power from the UN to manage the holy area, including the Temple Mount and the Old City.

- Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in an interview with Arab TV, as reported by Arutz Sheva Mahmoud Abbas did not argue about this. He couldn’t say no to such an offer. It’s a revolutionary offer from Israel’s point of view. And I also offered a solution to the refugee issue…

- Ibid.

The Palestinians missed their opportunity when I offered them a deal, and they don’t deny it. I’m telling you that Mahmoud Abbas knows. He told quite a few Israelis that we were so close to a peace agreement that would have changed everything. Now, he never told me no. That’s correct. He would always tell me: “Say that I said no.” It’s true, but he also didn’t say yes. He could have said yes. I begged him. I told him: “Mister president, what I’m offering, an Israeli prime minister won’t offer for another 50 years, take advantage of the opportunity.” He (Ehud Barak) made groundbreaking proposals. That’s true, but I offered more. I really offered, I offered the most that can be offered.

- Ibid.

Political Crossfire

A Tense World Hopes For Cool Heads at the G-20 Summit in Bali

By David Ignatius

The Group of 20 summit scheduled in Bali, Indonesia, this month will include the presidents of the Unit ed States, China and perhaps Russia and Ukraine – providing a rare opportunity for face-to-face diplomacy at one of the tensest moments in modern history.

The first item on my Bali agenda would be a reaffirmation that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,” as five nuclear-weapons states put it in a joint statement in January. Perhaps they could again sign such a statement, this time with the leaders of the world’s other leading economies as witnesses. Affirming the red line against nuclear weapons is important now.

The headline conversation in Bali is likely to be President Biden’s potential encounter with Chinese President Xi Jinping. U.S. and Chinese officials have been signaling that they want to lower the temperature in the relationship af ter a period of unusually high tension. A meeting would make sense for both sides: The United States and its allies want a cooling-off opportunity, and China needs better relations as its econ omy slows to less than 3 percent annual growth, perhaps indefinitely.

“This is the right moment for a re launch between the U.S. and China,” says Harvard Kennedy School professor Graham Allison, the author of “Destined for War,” a book about the risk of a Si no-American conflict. The two countries are inescapably rivals, Allison argues, but they share an existential interest in avert ing climate catastrophe and nuclear war.

Building a floor under the Si no-American relationship would require both sides to exercise more caution over Taiwan and the South China Sea. They should cooperate on global economic issues, too, in responding to food and

energy shortages and any future global economic downturn. They should re sume talks about curbing global climate change. And they should underline their shared interest in averting nuclear esca lation in Ukraine and in ending that war.

Xi will arrive in Bali with the author ity of a Chinese emperor, after his domi nating performance at last month’s par ty congress. His attendance might look like a charm offensive, as he meets all the major global leaders after being off the world stage for most of the past two years. But Xi has new problems, too: his slowing economy, his mismanagement of Covid-19 and other domestic problems, and the world’s growing wariness of Chi nese power.

As for Biden, he has seemed to want it both ways with China: to look tough and conciliatory at the same time. It hasn’t worked very well. He made a mis take in acquiescing to House Speaker

Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August. Her trip, however well intended, was ultimately a setback for Taipei, as it led China to tighten its military squeeze on the island. It was a moment where U.S. domestic politics trumped its strategic interests.

U.S. officials should manage the Chi na relationship so that the past few years’ downward spiral doesn’t accelerate. Xi is convinced that the two countries are heading toward war, according to an American who knows the Chinese lead ership well. The United States should convey that, while competition is inev itable, conflict isn’t.

Vladimir Putin might decide to stay away from Bali, where he’s likely to be shunned by many attendees. But if he goes, Biden’s aides should explore whether meeting the Russian leader would accomplish anything useful. Biden can’t negotiate a settlement in Ukraine

– that’s up to Kyiv – but he can discuss how to prevent any direct U.S.-Russian military conflict. That dialogue is always valuable.

The Kremlin, perhaps sensing the world’s anxiety about its nuclear sa ber-rattling, has backed off in recent days. Putin said on Oct. 27 about nucle ar escalation: “There is no point in that, neither political, nor military.” And the Russian Foreign Ministry reiterated Wednesday: “Nuclear war is impermis sible, there can be no winner in it, and it must never be unleashed.” Putin might repeat that message in Bali; but then, he said he wouldn’t invade Ukraine, either.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zel ensky is tentatively scheduled to attend the Bali summit, at least virtually. That would present an opportunity for a Pu tin-Zelensky meeting, with the obvious mediator being Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who just managed to persuade Putin to reopen the Black Sea for Ukrainian grain exports. But the mo ment doesn’t seem right yet for settling that war diplomatically.

Let’s be honest: If Russian troops keep pulverizing Ukrainian civilians, the best accomplishment in Bali would be a strong statement from a majority of G-20 leaders condemning Russian aggression. That would demonstrate that Russia will remain isolated – and its economic fu ture clouded – until this brutal war ends.

Summit meetings are showy events, usually more photo opportunity than real diplomacy. We can expect to see smiling faces in the staged group pho tographs. But the world has been on a knife’s edge in recent months, and we can hope Bali provides some cool heads and frank conversations.

Why the Hijab Protests are Such Kryptonite For the Iranian Regime

By David Ignatius

The Iranian uprising, now in its seventh week, has a simple slo gan: “Women, life, freedom.” But its basic demand, that women no longer be forced to wear headscarves, challeng es the primacy of the old men who run Iran’s theocracy. As the protesters pull off their scarves, the fabric of Iranian repression has begun to unravel.

We saw last week how hard the movement will be to stop. On Monday, the regime announced that it would prosecute about 1,000 of the protest ers who mobilized after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The gov ernment message was: Give up; we’re cracking down. The protesters’ defiant answer was a call for sit-down strikes. Activists on Tuesday posted videos of strikes at universities in Tehran and at least three other cities.

“It seems inevitable that some change in the system will be required if the regime is to survive,” said Norman T. Roule, a 34-year CIA veteran who managed the intelligence community’s Iran activities from 2008 to 2017, in an interview this week with the Cipher Brief. Roule has watched the regime crush past protests, but he said of this campaign: “The world is seeing crowds successfully taking on small groups of security personnel…. The regime’s tac tics to neutralize unrest have proven unsuccessful.”

A sign of Iran’s anxiety about the demonstrations is its reported threat to attack Saudi Arabia, which it claims is supporting the protesters, in part through a London-based satellite broad casting channel called Iran Internation al. The Wall Street Journal reported last Tuesday that Saudi Arabia had told the United States it feared an Iranian

attack on the kingdom, in part to dis tract from the uprising.

This movement’s momentum was conveyed in a tweet Monday by Hay der al-Khoei, a member of one of Iraq’s most prominent Shiite clerical fami lies. “Just landed in Tehran,” he wrote. “It doesn’t feel or look like a revolution is underway but there has clearly been massive sociopolitical changes: women now casually walking in public with no headscarves. Morality police likely to be defanged, at least temporarily, and maybe gone for good.”

For a theocratic regime that claims divine authority, reform on the head scarf issue won’t be an easy option.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s 83-year-old supreme leader, believes that once he starts making concessions – even on something as seemingly small as women covering their hair –the broader authority of the regime will begin to erode.

Khamenei in the past has argued against compromise by citing the politi

cal demise of communism under the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, who imagined that he could reform his sys tem and still preserve its authority. The West is plotting to subvert Iran through “an imitation of the plan that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union,” Khame nei said in a 2000 address quoted by a leading Iran expert, Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie Endowment for Inter national Peace.

Cracking down on this movement will be difficult, in part because the pro tests are led by women and girls. Iran’s security forces include many conscripts who have mothers, sisters, and daugh ters of their own. “Few ordinary secu rity forces will be comfortable attack ing women,” Roule argued. The regime must “detain protesters long enough to inject fear, but not so long as to bring their parents onto the streets,” he ex plained.

Videos this week from Iran show se curity forces firing tear gas and other projectiles at crowds, but so far that has

not stopped the unrest. The authorities haven’t been able to identify and sup press the organizers of a movement that is largely leaderless. And they struggle with a movement that now has deep roots, not only in cosmopolitan Teh ran but in the Kurdish regions of the northwest and the Baluchi areas of the southeast. The dilemma for the regime is that a violent crackdown similar to China’s Tiananmen Square assault in 1989 might only deepen protests.

For a glimpse of what’s happening in cities across Iran, take a look at an Instagram account called 1500tasvir, which has collected cellphone videos of the uprising. Monday’s footage includ ed shots of blood-red splatters on a mu ral in Qom of Khamenei and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the 1979 revolution, and scenes of demonstra tions Monday at universities in 11 cities across Iran. “Do not call this a protest. It’s a revolution,” asserted a TikTok commentary reposted by 1500tasvir. What can the Biden administration do to support this brave movement? Certainly, hardware to download Star link satellite internet signals would help, to keep those videos circulating. And the United States shouldn’t throw this dreadful regime a hasty diplomatic lifeline by reopening nuclear talks while there is blood in the streets.

This movement, in the words of its anthem, a song called “Baraye,” seeks “a change in the minds of the fanatics.” That’s America’s cause, and the world’s, too. The protesters want a normal coun try. Maybe, just possibly, their time has come.

Political Crossfire As War Rages In Ukraine, The

World Is Realigning

Exhibit A: North Korea

By David Ignatius

In the international battle for power and influence, North Korea is mov ing ever closer to Russia and China – and abandoning what was once a desire for engagement with the United States. Pyongyang’s hardening position is one more sign of a global realignment taking place in the wake of the war in Ukraine.

As conflict rages in the heart of Eu rope, the world is dividing more sharply into East and West. The United States’ partnerships are stronger but so is the intensity of the adversarial camp. North Korea and Iran are supplying weapons to an embattled Russia, according to the White House. Swing states such as Sau di Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey are trying to hedge their bets be tween the battling superpowers.

North Korea has been a rogue state since the 1950s, but its recent behavior has been extreme, even by Pyongyang’s standards. It fired volleys of rockets and artillery in October, sent scores of jets aloft to menace South Korea this month, and adopted a new law in September promising a nuclear strike “automatical ly and immediately” if its leadership is attacked.

Such truculent behavior illustrates one hidden cost of the Ukraine war. With near-daily Russian threats to use nucle ar weapons against Kyiv, smaller nations fear they need nuclear weapons for their survival – and know that if they have them, they should never consider giving them up, as Ukraine agreed to in 1994.

“This war has unfortunately raised the perceived deterrent value of nuclear weapons,” wrote Mayumi Fukushima, a former senior Japanese diplomat and se

curity expert, in an April article in War on the Rocks.

Since the Ukraine conflict began in February, North Korea has taken dramatic steps to toughen its nuclear doctrine, reject any denuclearization negotiations with the United States, and draw closer to the auto cratic alliance between Russia and China. Kim Jong Un’s aspirations for a deal with Washington, evidenced by what President Donald Trump called “love letters” pursu ing one, appear to have evaporated.

“All the signs suggest that there has been a fundamental shift in North Korea’s thinking,” argued Robert Carlin, who was for many years the CIA’s leading analyst of North Korea, in a note to me this week. He contends that after the breakdown of Kim’s talks with Trump in Hanoi in 2019, “normal relations with the U.S. no longer seemed attainable . . . [or] worth the can dle. If China was on the rise and the U.S. in decline in the Asia-Pacific, it made no sense for the North to put any eggs in the U.S. basket.”

North Korea, for decades, wanted a U.S. counterweight to Russia and China, but apparently no more. Rachel Minyoung Lee, a Korea analyst with the Stimson Center, argued last week in 38 North that Pyongyang’s recent tilt “seems to spell the end of a strategic decision made 30 years ago by Kim Il Sung to normalize relations with Washington as a buffer against Bei jing and Moscow.”

This strategic shift was partly a re action to the “no limits” friendship pact signed in February by Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. Their proclamation of a “new global order,” followed shortly by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was an “inflection point” for Kim, argues Lee. She quotes Kim’s assessment in a September speech that “the change from a unipolar world ad vocated by the U.S. into a multipolar world is being accelerated significantly.”

Kim has been newly solicitous of Mos cow and Beijing. He quickly endorsed in dependence for the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine. He

backed China’s crackdown on Hong Kong and its menacing moves toward Taiwan. According to Carlin, North Korea’s de fense ministry said in August that it would “closely wage strategic and tactical coordinated operations” with the Chinese military.

Kim has raced to bolster North Ko rea’s own nuclear deterrent. In April, he announced that he would augment his nuclear weapons capability “at the fastest possible speed.” In September came the law mandating a nuclear counterattack if he is ever threatened. Perhaps most im portant, Kim has rejected any possibility of giving up his nuclear weapons. “We have drawn the line of no retreat regarding our nuclear weapons so there will no longer be any bargaining over them,” he said in a September speech. “There will never be . . . denuclearization.”

The Biden administration has noted these worrying actions by Pyongyang. But a senior State Department official said on Tuesday that it is “too soon to tell if it’s a fundamental shift” in policy. The admin istration has signaled North Korea since President Joe Biden took office that it is ready to talk anytime, anywhere, without preconditions. But North Korea hasn’t re sponded, other than with belligerent public rhetoric and launching more than 60 bal listic missiles this year.

Kim is indisputably right about one thing. Russia and China are seeking a new world system to replace the U.S.-led “rulesbased order,” as Biden calls it. Ukraine is the main front where that battle is being waged, but it isn’t the only one.

Forgotten Her es

80 Years Since Operation Torch

By Avi Heiligman

The United States military was not ready to attack the Axis powers in the months following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It took time to train millions of new recruits and to build the weapons, ships, and other equipment needed to attack Axis strongholds. Pol iticians and military brass decided that in the event of getting into a war with the Axis, the military priority would be given to defeat the Germans before the Japa nese. That being said, the first land offen sive took place in the Pacific in August 1942 after the Americans learned that the Japanese were building an airfield on a strategic island in the Solomon Islands. It would take another three months for the Americans to face the Germans in a land battle.

Operation Torch was launched in No vember 1942 against unfriendly French troops in North Africa. Once they capit ulated, the Americans moved to fight the German Afrika Corps under the Desert Fox, General Erwin Rommel. Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers were invaded on No vember 8, 1942, by an amphibious force led by General Dwight Eisenhower and famous units such as the 1st Division also known as the Big Red One. Many soldiers, from commanders like Brigadier Gener al Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (son of the for mer president) to the privates, performed brilliantly under fire. Several Jewish ser vicemen received awards for their actions

during the invasion and until the final victory in North Africa.

On the day of the invasion, First Lieu tenant Victor Karpass was sick in bed on a Coast Guard ship that was being at tacked. The Chicago native was a medical officer with the 6th Armored Regiment, 1 st Armored Division and despite being wounded he refused to leave the ship and continued treating wounded soldiers. The brave Jewish soldier was killed by an enemy shell, and he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

The naval task force assigned to Op eration Torch comprised of 350 warships and 500 transports vessels. Boatswain’s Mate Edwin Sperry of New Britain, Con necticut was a Jewish sailor on the fleet tug USS Cherokee (AT-66). The ocean-go ing tug was the only one of her class to accompany the fleet, and she saw action off the coast of French Morocco during the operation. She had the dangerous task to clear obstructions up a river for other larger ships to navigate. Sperry was on this demolition party and was clearing cables when the enemy opened up fire from a nearby fort. Sperry and the unit fired back until they were clear of the fort, and despite damage to the boat from the surf and enemy fire, they completed the mission. Sperry was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions.

The USS Santee (CVE-29) was an es cort carrier that took a position off French

Morocco to launch planes in support of the invasion. Lieutenant Arthur Ershler of Hudson, NY, was a pilot based on the Santee, and while raiding a convoy of en emy trucks, his plane was hit by gunfire. The Jewish pilot was getting sick from the gas fumes but continued on to his target. The target was an enemy airbase, and Ershler scored a direct hit on a han gar while damaging several planes in a strafing maneuver. Then he attacked en emy machine gun nests while forcing the enemy soldiers to abandon their dug-in positions. Ershler was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during the battle and was later promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander.

Stories of bravery under fire from Jewish soldiers were reported many times during the campaign. Corporal George Weinberg of Providence, Rhode Island, earned the Silver Star for leaving cover to rescue a wounded soldier. He carried the man to an aid station a mile away despite the presence of enemy soldiers.

Private Victor Wolinsky was given a letter of commendation for actions in Tunisia. He crawled to within 100 yards of an enemy fire position to adminis ter life-saving blood plasma to a badly wounded soldier.

Corporal Bernard Kessel of Brook lyn, NY, was the driver of a M3 Grant medium tank during the invasion of the port of Oran. His tank became separated

from the others in his unit, and soon they found themselves near the airport. As they were the only Americans in sight, the tank crew smashed through a roadblock and soon was facing a 75mm enemy gun. They blew past the gun position and side swept a column of enemy military vehi cles into a ditch. Kessel and his four-man crew were the first to enter Oran, and it soon fell into American hands.

With the capitulation of the Vichy French forces, Operation Torch was a suc cess. Eisenhower then moved the rest of Afrika Corps in North Africa and by May 1943 had pushed the Axis entirely out of the continent. It is sometimes difficult to obtain more than a citation for an award for an individual service member, but sometimes, the citation itself or mention in a newspaper or book will suffice to tell the story.

This week marks eighty years since Operation Torch was launched, and the servicemen who courageously fought in the battle are often forgotten but they are heroes to be remembered.

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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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.

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

THE GURAL JCC EARLY CHILDHOOD Center in Lawrence is looking for full-time & part-time teachers and per diem & permanent substitute teachers to work with infants, toddlers or preschoolers. Interested and qualified candidates, over 18 years old, please call (516) 239-1354 or e-mail JCC. Nursery@GuralJCC.org.

OFFICE ASSISTANT: Shomer Shabbos Office in Cedarhurst seeking individual with ability to multi-task. Computer/phone skills a must. No experience needed, will train. Email Resume: FTSadresponse@gmail.com

THE IVDU SCHOOL of the Five Towns, a special education school in North Woodmere, has an opening for a substitute Special Education Teacher for a Maternity Leave coverage, starting in December. Enjoy a competitive salary, and an excellent work environment. Email resume to seplowitzs@ou.org

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

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

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

Classifieds

classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com • text 443-929-4003

HELP WANTED MISC.

CHANGE LIVES. STARTING WITH YOURS!

Seeking men and women ABA providers for after school hours: 9 y/o, loc.11691, M-T 5:30-8:30 , Sun 12-4/ 5 y/o, loc. 11096, Sun 1-5/ 21 y/o, loc. 11598, M-T after 3:00 pm/ Darchei- 11-1/ Yeshiva of South Shore- 1-4/ talent@encoresupport.org 718-304-9977 ext 126

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

CAR FOR SALE

2013 Hyundai Sonata limited leather seat, 1 owner, 32k mileage , sunroof , keyless . Asking $14,500 Car located in Far Rockaway Call 516-534-7331

CAMP FOR RENT FOR SUMMER 2023

Modern Turn Key Camp For Rent In New York on 95+ acres, 350+ campers, shul, pvt spectacular lake. gym, basketball, hockey, baseball & tennis courts, zip lining and climbing wall, dining hall / full kitchen, updated bunks & more!! Call 786-441-7689. or e-mail crennncre@gmail.com

Your Money Tax Breaks to Get Charged Over

By Allan Rolnick, CPA

Actor Tyler Perry made his fame and fortune playing a pot-smok ing, gun-toting, G-d-fearing granny who takes no foolishness. Perry’s signature character has appeared in 11 plays, 5 TV series, 11 movies, and even a cartoon. She certainly won’t win Perry any Best Actress awards. But the movies do make bank. Together, they cost $182 million to make and grossed over half a billion. Perry pockets even more by play ing three roles himself (and by casting Cassi Davis to do the same).

Perry partnered with a murderer’s row of Hollywood heavyweights on his journey up from homelessness. He’s inked deals with Lionsgate Entertain ment, Viacom, HBO, and even Oprah Winfrey. But when you put up box-office numbers like Perry, you wind up with a silent partner whether you want them or not. No, it’s not the mob. (“Nice little film studio you got here. Be a shame if something were to happen to it.”) It’s Un cle Sam! In 2011, Forbes listed Perry as the highest-paid man in entertainment, earning 130 $ million. Two years ago, they upgraded him to “Hollywood’s newest billionaire.” You can be sure the fans at the IRS are interested in

collecting a fat slice of his character’s homestyle cooking.

In August, Perry spoke at an invest ing conference in Atlanta and shared a story about when that partnership got a little less silent. It turns out the IRS had audited him – we have no idea when or why. But Perry reported that it turned into the archetypal “audit from the

ting so mad, and so frustrated,” Perry said. “We get to the end of the audit and they, the IRS, owed me $9 million,” he added. The accountants were delighted. But not Perry. “I said, ‘Hey! How did you miss me paying $9 million?’” Perry then joked, “I had to stop going to H&R Block for my taxes at some point.”

Just to put that number in perspec

ize. Washington recently made head lines by authorizing $80 billion in new IRS spending. Most of that money is targeted towards closing the $600 “tax gap” the IRS estimates it loses every year from mostly higher-income taxpayers who don’t pay what they legally owe. But Perry’s story illustrates another gap that gets less attention. Call it the “op portunity gap” – the billions that Amer icans over pay because they fail to take advantage of legal, moral, and ethical opportunities to pay less.

Perry finished his talk with a few more words of wisdom on the value of learning from experience. “I learned in progress, and that’s okay… That’s how I run my business. Here’s the mistake. Let’s fix it; let’s move forward.”

abyss” that even tax pros dread. In fact, the auditor handling his case creeped him out with his inappropriate interest in how Perry was managing his money, so Perry had him replaced with a more senior IRS agent.

“So, this audit went on for three years. I’m spending hundreds of thou sands of dollars in accounting with ac countants for the audit and I am get

tive, that’s not $9 million in taxes Per ry paid . That’s $9 million in taxes his accountants had him overpay, on top of the millions more he legitimately owed.

It shouldn’t surprise you to learn that Perry has hired a whole new accounting staff. (And of course, he didn’t go to H&R Block.)

Scoring a refund after an audit is probably more common than you real

That’s where we come in. If you think you’re paying more than you need to, you’re probably right. Call us and let’s see how we can fix it!

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.

Life C ach

Your Ship Has Not Sunk

By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., LMFT, CLC, SDS

Ihave been thinking of eating more healthily.

I have also been thinking of exer cising.

Not only that, but I’ve also been think ing about taking a cruise or going on an exotic vacation.

All these seem like great ideas!

And all of these ideas just float around in my head, like a cruise ship never reach ing port.

They’d all certainly be very good for me. Yet, all are so hard to expedite.

Poetically, I’d say, I somehow get stuck:

Whether it’s fear of stretching and kvetching or sailing the open seas!

Or fear of stopping to eat, Or paying exorbitant fees!

The ideas just keep germinating, But no action does proceed!

It seems, thinking about it, Way outperforms the deed!

So, I ask you: how likely am I to do one of these? Unfortunately, they each seem

to be eluding me and impacting each oth er. They all remain lodged in the “great idea department,” with no real threat of becoming a reality.

Wait – to be honest, the first two have been touched upon – diet and exercise.

I have had a day here and there where

After that, who wants to do exercise? I’ve already ruined it.

Am I alone here or can any of you identify with this?

You start to feel like a sunken ship. Would you want to cruise on one in this state? The meals are one of the highlights

And then a trainer not overly hired!

Or one with time, recently retired!

Or reduce the goal to which you’ve aspired!

Or just get your active jaw wired!

Either way, don’t give up. Eat a meal you love…and then start anew.

That’s all we’ve got. The ability to start over and over again.

Like Edison says, “We never fail – we just succeed in finding out what doesn’t work.”

And one day it will somehow click.

So, enjoy the success on the way to success! And one day, I bet we’ll meet up on the Queen Elizabeth II or the Royal Caribbean, happily sailing out to sea!

I start controlling what foods I indulge in. I plan the right menu. I buy the right items. I totally eat the healthy, perfect ca loric amount to impact my weight. Then, I eat a little more, and a little more. And then on a cumulative basis, I mess up big time.

of these cruises. Shouldn’t I wait till I can indulge with a little less guilt?

So what’s a human to do?

Find a philosophy you haven’t ac quired!

Join a diet plan you’ve admired!

Find a nutritionist you haven’t fired!

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 Adoles cent Years Program. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or at rivkirosenwald@gmail. com.

They all remain lodged in the “great idea department,” with no real threat of becoming a reality.