Five Towns Jewish Home 01.02.25

Dear Readers,

As I sit at my computer, the explosions outside my window are loud and jarring. But they’re not scary. They’re supposed to be celebratory, bringing in the new calendar with a bang. But I can’t help but think about the real explosions that take place on a constant basis 5,700 miles away from my home. Those blasts are frightening and real.

For many of us, 2024 didn’t have 365 days. It was comprised of more than 450 days – a period that is not yet over, when so many of our brothers and sisters have yet to see the light of day. Every day, we think that perhaps this will be the day when our people will be coming home, when news of deaths of young heroes will no longer fill the headlines. But 2024 came and went, and with it, another year in which scores of Jewish men and women suffering from malnutrition, trauma, and illness are still being held in cruel hands.

Each year, we put together a year in review feature in which we take different events of the year and attempt to weave them together in a more lighthearted, digestible way. I appreciate taking that walk down memory lane. It helps to remind me what really happened over the past 12 months, how we may have forgotten some events or may have felt that something was so important but turned out to be a blip on the screen of life.

The review also helps to give perspective on what went on over the year. Looking back, it’s impossible to not see the Yad Hashem that was so blatant, so overt, so obvious to anyone who followed world events. The sudden and unexpected collapse of so many of Israel’s enemies

was eye-popping. The generals of the army can try to explain strategy, but there is no doubt that this was – and is – divinely orchestrated and planned.

And yet, we are still living at a time when we are not privy to the Master Plan in all its glory. And so, there are so many questions that we have, so many challenges and concerns that may plague us as we look around the world. When we try to understand them, we are left with questions – way more questions than answers.

Perhaps, though, that is the message that we can take from this past calendar year. When we are able to point to Yad Hashem, we need to remind ourselves that He is still there in every event that occurs, whether we can see Him or not. We need to remember that we are not driving this car called life; the car is being driven by a Driver Who knows the road, Who knows the destination, and Who navigates all the bumps on the journey. In fact, what may look like bumps in the road are put there deliberately by that Driver for our benefit, although we may not understand how they are there for our advantage.

As we approach the new calendar year, we ask Hashem to bring our brothers and sisters home to their families, to watch over our soldiers as they fight for their land and for their people, and to bring us to a time when His Master Plan will be fully revealed.

Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

Yitzy Halpern, PUBLISHER publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com

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Dear Editor,

Throughout our history, the Jewish people have always showed respect and engaged in diplomacy with the leader of whichever country in exile we resided in. Former President Jimmy Carter, who passed away last Sunday at the age of 100, wasn’t our friend. But he brokered a peace treaty between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar El-Sadat which holds to this day, albeit shakily. Bogged down by high inflation, the Iranian hostage crisis, and an energy crisis (sweaters, anyone?), Carter sought to save his legacy.

Who have world leaders historically turned to as a scapegoat for their own troubles? The Jews. Farmer Jimmy spend the last decades of his life trying to solve the Middle East crises by painting Israel as an apartheid state which must cede land to the “Palestinians” for the sake of peace. How careful we have to be then to be diplomatic but not delude ourselves into thinking that any one ruler is our savior or downfall! As it says in Melachim II, do not fear the blasphemy of the foreign king. We don’t know what Trump will do to close the deal or save his legacy.

The lessons we learned from Chanukah must carry us through the year, the next election cycle and beyond: live peacefully amongst the nations when you can, but don’t get too close to the foreign flame. May the menorah shine bright always. Chaim Yehuda Meyer

Dear Editor,

I really like your dating column – it’s the first thing I read each week.

But this week, I was amazed at the question. The woman is writing in about her 34-year-old (!) and whether or not he should tell his parents about the woman

he is dating because he thinks they may disapprove of her.

What?! Did I read this right? This guy is 34 years old, for goodness sake! Why is his sister writing in letters to the dating column? Why is “scared” to tell his parents about who he is dating? Is this for real?

At a certain point, you have to grow up. If you like the woman you are dating, go for it. Marry her. Settle down. Don’t be scared of what your parents will think. I am guessing that you have a job and that you are living on your own (or maybe not). You don’t need to run to Daddy and Mommy every time you want to order lunch or need to pay the rent. What type of hold do they have on you that you are terrified they won’t approve of the woman you are marrying? Perhaps they would prefer that you don’t get married and miss out on this wonderful woman because she doesn’t fit in the “right box” that they have for you.

My suggestion to this sister is to let her brother make his own decisions. Or better yet, if he can’t make a decision, tell him to marry this wonderful girl and invite their parents to the wedding. I’m sure they’ll be happy to see him settle down. Leora H.

Dear Editor,

Kudos to Rabbi Deutsch for opening a conversation about Chanukah gelt for rebbeim and teachers and for expressing hakaras hatov to those who teach our children each day.

I, for one, actually bought my daughter’s morah a gift certificate for a manicure before I read his article. But then, after reading what he wrote, I gave her a more substantial check instead. She certainly deserves it, and although I don’t

Continued on page 12

Continued from page 10 have ample money to throw around, after listening to his points, I felt spending this money was well worth it.

Yasher koach!

A

Reader

Dear Editor,

We have seen some decrease in college antisemitism in some colleges. However, it is not significant to make an immense impact. In some colleges, the pace has increased. There have been some bills proposed by some Congress people to withhold federal funding to colleges that encourage or tolerate pro-Hamas and other antisemitic activities. This is a good start. However, these activities penalize the college and not the students involved in such activities. I propose that these penalties be added to the bill:

If a student is found guilty of antisemitic, or any hate crime, then all state and federal scholarships should end immediately. Additionally, there is no loan forbearance. All loans must be paid back in full immediately. A payment plan may be made at the same high interest rates

charged on credit cards – 25-30% APR. A marking should be placed on the student’s credit report that credit card companies can decide to use in denying future credit. Furthermore, the federal government can use IRS rules to collect the balance on federal loans. The student’s wages can be garnished, and assets can be seized to collect the debt.

Unfortunately, colleges are ignoring these hate crimes and are not expelling these students. With these strict financial penalties, the students won’t be able to pay their tuition bill. No college will allow such students to register unless tuition is paid. This will hit the students severely, and it will be a heavy price for committing this crime. Ideally, this will be a deterrent. If not, these students won’t be on campus to harm other students.

A petition to support this proposal is available via https://chng.it/84NgDCZTLW . Please add your signature to this list. We hope to send this proposal to upcoming President Trump and several Congressional leaders.

Daniel Feldman

Check out the TJH Chanukah album on page 133!

8.09 Billion

Yup, it’s getting pretty crowded here. In 2024, the world population increased by more than 71 million, with the number of people living on this planet ballooning to 8.09 billion people by the end of the year.

The 0.9% increase in 2024 was a slight slowdown from 2023, when the world population grew by 75 million people. In January 2025, 4.2 births and 2.0 deaths are expected worldwide every second, according to the estimates.

The United States grew by 2.6 million people in 2024, and the U.S. population on New Year’s Day will be 341 million people, according to the Census Bureau.

The United States was expected to have one birth every 9 seconds and one death every 9.4 seconds in January 2025. International migration was expected to add one person to the U.S. population every 23.2 seconds. The combination of births, deaths and net international migration will increase the U.S. population by one person every 21.2 seconds, the Census Bureau said.

So far in the 2020s, the U.S. population has grown by almost 9.7 million people, a 2.9% growth rate.

India boasts the most people in the world, followed by China and then the United States.

S. Korea Impeaches Acting Pres.

South Korea plunged deeper into political instability on Friday after the country’s National Assembly impeached acting President Han Duck-soo, who rose to power less than two weeks ago.

Han is South Korea’s first acting president ever to be impeached. The legislature voted to impeach him after an

argument broke out between the ruling People Power Party and the opposition Democratic Party about whether the acting president has the authority to appoint constitutional court justices.

Han was appointed after the Democratic-majority National Assembly impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, taking his presidential powers away until the South Korean constitutional court rules on whether to oust him from office or restore him to power. The legislature impeached Yoon after he declared martial law on December 3, marking the first time martial law was enacted in South Korea’s history. Yoon said his actions were necessary to protect the country against North Korea. Additionally, he asserted that the Democratic Party was, by blocking legislation and repeatedly impeaching his top officials, paralyzing South Korea.

Six hours after martial law went into effect, lawmakers ended it with a vote, and the president quickly canceled the measure.

After Han became the acting president, the Democratic Party pushed him to appoint justices to fill the three vacancies in the nine-seat court. The opposition party wanted him to do so in order to expedite the judicial vote on throwing Yoon out of office. The ruling party said Han, an acting president, didn’t have the authority to appoint justices.

On Thursday, Han said he wouldn’t appoint new justices until the parties agree on whether he’s allowed to. A day later, the National Assembly, in a 192 out of 300 vote, impeached Han, claiming that he failed to quickly fill the vacancies in the court. Had he agreed to appoint new justices, two of the appointees would have been nominated by the opposition, while the third would have been selected by the ruling party.

Before ousting him, the parties also debated whether impeaching an acting president requires a simple majority or a two-thirds majority vote, as is required when impeaching full-fledged presidents. Woo Won-shik, the National Assembly speaker, decided that a simple majority vote would be enough.

If the three vacancies on the court aren’t filled, all six sitting justices would

16 have to back Yoon’s impeachment in order to force him out of office. Until a court approves Yoon’s impeachment, whichever minister is next in line will act in his place. If the court ousts Yoon, the country will hold a snap election, which could be won by Lee Jae-myung, an opposition leader who said Han’s impeachment was needed to “completely suppress the insurrection” orchestrated by Yoon.

The next acting president will be Choi Sang-mok, minister of economy and finance.

Azerbaijani Plane Crash

Without explicitly admitting Russia was at fault, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation on Saturday with Azerbaijani President Ilham

apologized that a “tragic incident occurred in Russia’s airspace.”

The call was in reference to last week’s Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash. The crash, which occurred over Russian airspace last Wednesday, killed 38 passengers, with as many as 29 individuals surviving after the plane’s emergency landing in Aktau, Kazakhstan.

The plane crash was widely blamed on Moscow, whom a preliminary report from Azerbaijani authorities has suggested to be at fault. During the conversation, Putin said that, at the time of the crash, Russia’s air defenses were activated to counter incoming Ukrainian drones. Neither of the leaders have outright attributed the attack to Russia, but Azerbaijani authorities have confirmed that the crash was caused by external forces.

According to the Kremlin, Putin “once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of those killed and wished the fastest recovery to those injured.”

According to Azerbaijan, Putin and Aliyev spoke about the need to bring “those guilty to justice” and to conduct a transparent and thorough investigation into the matter.

The plane departed from Baku, the

Grozny, Russia. On the plane’s third attempt to land in Grozny it was likely hit, according to survivors. After the aircraft was shot down, the pilots struggled to maintain control of the plane.

Kazakhstan, where the plane landed, was also involved in the investigation. The country’s deputy prime minister, Kanat Bozumbayev, noted that before the plane entered Kazakh airspace, the aircraft was already damaged. Bozumbayev also said that officials were using DNA testing to identify the deceased.

Taliban to Close Women NGOs

institutions not controlled by the Taliban, according to the letter.

“In case of lack of cooperation, all activities of that institution will be canceled and the activity license of that institution, granted by the ministry, will also be canceled.”

It’s the Taliban’s latest attempt to control or intervene in NGO activity. Earlier this month, the UN Security Council heard that an increasing proportion of female Afghan humanitarian workers were prevented from doing their work even though relief work remains essential. The Taliban has denied interfering with NGO activities.

The militant group has already barred women from many jobs and most public spaces and also excluded them from education beyond sixth grade.

This week, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered all buildings to not have windows looking into spaces where a woman might sit or stand. This demand applies to all buildings – old and new.

The decree said windows should not overlook or look into areas like yards or kitchens. If a window looks into such a space, then the person responsible for that property must find a way to obscure this view to “remove harm,” by installing a wall, fence or screen.

In its latest crackdown on women’s rights, the Taliban has announced that it will close all national and foreign nongovernmental groups (NGOs) in Afghanistan that employ women. The declaration comes two years after the group told the NGOs to suspend the employment of Afghan females, allegedly because they didn’t wear the Islamic headscarf correctly.

In a letter published on X Sunday night, the Economy Ministry warned that failure to comply with the latest order would lead to NGOs losing their license to operate in Afghanistan.

The United Nations said the space for women in Afghanistan has shrunk dramatically in the last two years and reiterated its call for the Taliban to reverse the

New Georgian President

“This really impacts how we can provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to all the people in Afghanistan,” UN associate spokesperson Florencia Soto Nino-Martinez said. “And obviously we are very concerned by the fact that we are talking about a country where half the population’s rights are being denied and are living in poverty, and many of them, not just women, are facing a humanitar-

The Economy Ministry said it was responsible for the registration, coordination, leadership and supervision of all activities carried out by national and foreign organizations.

The government was once again ordering the cessation of all female work in

Georgia inaugurated Mikheil Kavelashvili, a 53-year-old soccer player-turned Georgian Dream politician, on Sunday as its newest president.

Kavelashvili played for the English Premier League. His presidential win was practically guaranteed, as opposition parties decided against selecting presidential candidates in an effort to boycott the parliamentary process.

Kavelashvili declared that he would be a president for everyone, including his critics. He encouraged the people of his country to come together around “shared values, the principles of mutual respect, and the future we should build together.”

“The Georgian people have always understood that peace is the main prerequisite for survival and development,”

Kavelashvili added.

Opponents criticize the right-wing Georgian Dream party for being pro-Russian and for being against Georgian membership into the European Union.

Before leaving the presidential palace, Salome Zourabichvili, the previous president, told her supporters, “I will come out of here and be with you… I am taking legitimacy with me, I am taking the flag with me, I am taking your trust with me.”

Though the position of Georgian president is largely ceremonial, Kavelashvili’s accession to the presidency has triggered protests from opposition groups. As a reference to his career as a football (American soccer) player, protesters waved red cards.

“Because today our president is a footballer, we are showing him a red card. The next step will be sending him off the pitch. The Georgian people will definitely do this, because it was a circus that they have held today in the parliament,” said Sofia Shamanidi, one of the protesters.

Many Georgians have criticized Kavelashvili since his job experience has mostly been in sports as opposed to politics. He started as a politician in 2016 after the Georgian Football Federation barred him from a leadership position since he doesn’t have a college degree.

According to reports, police and disguised “special forces” attacked protesters, seriously injuring some demonstrators. Over 150 officers were hurt during the demonstrations, according to Georgia’s interior ministry.

Nearly 54% of the vote went to the Georgian Dream party. The president, for the first time, was voted in by parliament.

Zourabichvili alleged the parliamentary process was “illegitimate” and enabled by “a Russian special operation – a new form of hybrid warfare waged against our people and our country.” Western countries have also raised concerns about the legitimacy of the election results.

Russia has occupied around 20% of Georgia’s territory since its invasion of the country in 2008. Critics of the Georgian Dream accuse it of being too friendly with Moscow.

179 Die in South Korean Plane Crash

On Sunday, 179 people died in a plane explosion at South Korea’s Muan International Airport, marking the deadliest air accident to ever happen on the country’s soil.

The airplane, a twin-engine Boeing

737-800, was flown by Jeju Air, a South Korean airline company. There were 175 passengers and six crew members on board the flight, which flew from Bangkok, Thailand, to South Korea. Two people survived the crash, both crew members, after being rescued from the burning plane’s tail section. The survivors, one male and one female, sustained medium to severe injuries and were sent to hospitals.

After the plane attempted to land at around 9 a.m., it skidded down the runway with no visible landing gear. Then, the aircraft slammed into a wall and navigation equipment, causing the airplane to explode into flames.

According to Lee Jung-hyun, the Muan fire chief, “Only the tail part retains a little bit of shape, and the rest of [the plane] looks almost impossible to recognize.”

Lee added that authorities are investigating the crash, which might have been caused by bird strikes or weather conditions.

The crash was the deadliest one to ever occur on South Korean soil and the worst one to happen to a South Korean airline since 1997, when a Korean plane crashed in Guam, killing over 200 people.

A few hours after the incident, the victims’ loved ones came to the airport to hear the tragic news.

Apologizing for the horrific accident, Kim E-bae, the CEO of Jeju Air, said the airplane was perfectly functional and was never previously involved in a crash, adding that his airline would work with investigators and make it their top priority to support the family members of those killed in the crash. The deadly crash was Jeju’s first. The airline was started in 2005.

“We are in contact with Jeju Air regarding flight 2216 and stand ready to support them. We extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts remain with the passengers and crew,” stated Boeing.

All of the passengers were South Korean, except for two, who were from Thailand.

Acting President Choi Sang-mok visited the scene of the crash.

World’s Largest Hydropower Dam

A dam, expected to produce three times more energy than the world’s largest hydropower plant, will be built by China. Beijing approved construction of the dam, which will be located in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo river.

Currently, the Three Gorges Dam is the largest hydropower dam in the world.

Chinese state media has described the development as “a safe project that prioritizes ecological protection,” saying it will boost local prosperity and contribute to Beijing’s climate neutrality goals.

But many groups have concerns about the proposed dam. They fear that the construction of the dam could displace local communities and ruin natural landscapes and ecosystems, which are the richest and most diverse on the Tibetan Plateau.

Reports indicate that the colossal development would require at least four 20km-long tunnels to be drilled through the Namcha Barwa mountain, diverting the flow of the Yarlung Tsangpo, Tibet’s longest river.

At least 1.4 million people were displaced when the Three Gorges hydropower dam was built.

Experts and officials have also flagged concerns that the dam would empower China to control or divert the flow of the trans-border river, which flows south into India’s Arunachal Pradesh and Assam states and onwards into Bangladesh.

Shortly after China announced its plans for the Yarlung Tsangpo dam project in 2020, a senior Indian government official said that India’s government was exploring the development of a large hydropower dam and reservoir “to mitigate the adverse impact of the Chinese dam projects.”

China’s foreign ministry has previously responded to India’s concerns around the proposed dam, saying in 2020 that China has a “legitimate right” to dam the river and has considered downstream impacts.

The Yarlung Tsangpo harnesses enormous power perfect for a dam. Flowing through the deepest canyon on Earth, one section of the river falls 2,000 meters

within a short span of just 50 km, offering huge potential for generating hydropower.

The project could cost as much as a trillion yuan ($127 billion), according to estimates by the Chongyi Water Resources bureau.

Deadly Accident in Ethiopia

At least 71 people died in Ethiopia when a truck packed with passengers plunged into a river in the Bona district.

Sixty-eight of those who died were male.

Five other people are in critical condition.

The road the vehicle was on had many bends, and the truck missed a bridge and fell into a river.

Some of the passengers were returning from a wedding ceremony, and some families had lost multiple members. The truck was also overloaded, which likely caused the accident.

Deadly traffic accidents are common in Ethiopia, where driving standards are poor and many vehicles are badly maintained. At least 38 people, mostly students, were killed in 2018 when a bus plunged into a ravine in Ethiopia’s mountainous north.

India Launches Docking Mission

Three other countries have done it, and now India is hoping to achieve the feat, too.

The country launched its first space docking mission early this week on an Indian-made rocket.

The mission, called Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX), lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra

Pradesh state aboard the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) “workhorse” PSLV rocket. After around 15 minutes, the mission director called the launch successful after the spacecraft reached an altitude of around 470 kilometers (292 miles).

The mission is seen as pivotal for future space endeavors, including satellite servicing and the operation of the country’s planned space station.

In-space docking technology is crucial when multiple rocket launches are required to achieve shared mission objectives.

India sent two small spacecraft, weighing around 220 kilograms each, into a 470-km circular orbit. It will also demonstrate the transfer of electric power between the docked spacecraft, a capability vital for applications such as in-space robotics, composite spacecraft control and payload operations following undocking.

Each satellite carries advanced payloads, including an imaging system and a radiation-monitoring device designed to measure electron and proton radiation levels in space, providing critical data for future human spaceflight missions.

ISRO Chairman S. Somanath said the actual testing of the docking technology could take place in about a week’s time and indicated a date of around January 7.

“The rocket has placed the satellites in the right orbit,” he said.

The United States, Russia and China are so far the only three countries to have developed and tested this capability.

The rocket and the satellites were integrated and tested at a private company called Ananth Technologies, rather than at a government body.

Russia-Ukraine Prisoner Exchange

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Russia had recently released 189 Ukrainian prisoners, two of whom were civilians along with military personnel, border guards, and national guards, as part of a prisoner exchange deal negotiated by the United Arab Emirates.

The Defense Ministry of Russia gave a different number for an unclear reason. They said that 150 Ukrainians were freed in exchange for 150 Russians.

“The return of our people from Russian captivity is always very good news for each of us,” Zelenskyy stated. “We are working to free everyone from Russian captivity… We do not forget anyone.”

On social media, the Ukrainian president posted images of Ukrainian soldiers, some waving Ukrainian flags while sitting on a bus.

According to Zelenskyy, some of the freed soldiers had been captured while defending Mariupol and the Snake Island off Odesa’s Black Sea port, both of which were captured by Russia.

According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, before returning to Russia, the released Russians were treated medically and psychologically in Belarus, Moscow’s close friend and neighbor.

Since the Ukraine war began, the two countries have carried out many prisoner exchanges. This exchange followed U.S. President Joe Biden’s announcement on Monday that Ukraine will receive almost $2.5 billion worth of weapons from the United States. Biden’s foreign aid announcement comes less than a month before the American president hands

the White House over to President-elect Donald Trump. The Biden administration, fearing Trump will stop helping Kyiv, wants to send as much money as it can to fund Ukraine’s war effort before the president-elect’s inauguration.

Suzuki Boss Dies

Last week, Osamu Suzuki, who helped to bring the Japanese vehicle maker onto the world stage, died at the age of 94.

Suzuki was known for his candid remarks and friendliness, calling himself an “old guy from a small to mid-size company.” He became CEO of Suzuki in 1978 and was leading the company when it became the first Japanese automaker to start local production in India, where its cars proved hugely popular.

Suzuki was actually born with a different name. He had been working in

banking and then joined Suzuki Motor in 1958 when he married a daughter of the company’s then-president Shunzo Suzuki, who belonged to the company’s founding family. As is sometimes the custom in such situations, Matsuda adopted his wife’s maiden name.

In 1979, a year after he became Suzuki Motor’s fourth company president, he launched an affordable minicar, which became a big hit and was promoted to world markets.

Under Suzuki’s leadership, the company’s sales grew more than tenfold to 3 trillion yen ($19 billion) in the 2000s.

While other Japanese automakers have expanded in the U.S. and Chinese markets, offering a wide range of vehicles, Suzuki has stuck with mini and compact cars, mostly in South and Southeast Asia.

Suzuki stressed the importance of understanding the grassroots level.

“Making good quality and low-price products is the basis of manufacturing,” Suzuki once said. “We cannot lower costs while sitting in the offices of president or chairperson, so I have to be in a factory to understand the work and get ideas.”

After Suzuki stepped down in 2015 at the age of 85, his son, Toshihiro Suzuki, became president of the car company.

Death Sentence for Chinese Man

A Chinese man was sentenced to death this week for killing 35 people last month with his car when he drove into a crowd. Forty-three other people were injured in the attack.

Fan Weiqiu had been unhappy with his divorce settlement and drove his car into fans who were exercising at a sports center. Fan pleaded guilty to endangering public safety by dangerous means.

Fan’s “criminal motive was extremely despicable, the nature of the crime was extremely vile, the means of the crime were particularly cruel, and the consequences of the crime were particularly severe, resulting in great social harm,” the court said.

The attack was one of several in China in late October and November and spurred Chinese leader Xi Jinping to

order local governments to take steps to prevent future “extreme cases.” His order prompted vows from local leaders to examine personal disputes that could trigger aggression, from marital troubles to disagreements over inheritance.

Fan’s sentence was the second one handed down in quick succession just weeks after the recent attacks, much faster than court cases normally take in China.

A court also gave a suspended death sentence with a two-year reprieve to a driver who injured 30 people when he drove into elementary school students and parents in Hunan province. Such sentences are usually commuted to life in prison. The court in the city of Changde said the driver was taking out his frustrations after losing money he had invested.

Such attacks on crowds, with a vehicle or a knife, are not new in China. The attackers are often taking out their anger and frustration over a personal matter in what are known as “revenge on society” crimes. Chinese authorities do not like to highlight these attacks and usually censor videos and eyewitness reports.

Emergency in Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago has declared a state of emergency as gang violence in the Caribbean nation continues to escalate.

President Christine Carla Kangaloo issued the declaration on the advice of Prime Minister Keith Rowley, who had been under growing pressure to take action over worsening crime figures.

The twin-island republic has one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a record murder tally of more than 620 this year so far in a population of 1.5 million people. The majority of the homicides stem from organized crime, many of them linked to the international drug trade.

According to the U.S. state department, the country’s close proximity to Venezuela, porous borders and direct transportation routes to Europe and North America make it “a prime location for narcotics trans-shipment.”

On Sunday, five men were shot dead

28 in a shop in the poverty-stricken Laventille area. Police believe the killings were in reprisal for the murder of a prominent gang member the previous day.

The move comes as Trinidad and Tobago gears up for a general election, which must be held by August 2025.

Rowley’s governing People’s National Movement party, in power since September 2015, faces a strong challenge from the opposition United National Congress, led by former Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

The republic is composed of the two main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with other smaller islands. Despite its proximity to South America, Trinidad and Tobago is generally considered to be part of the West Indies

terror groups. When his cover was blown, he was moved to Israel.

“We are at a very high level of preparedness. This was a quick response that ended the incident,” said Haim Sargrof, the Tel Aviv District Commander, adding that the Shin Bet is involved in the investigation into the terrorist attack.

Terror attacks since October 7 have killed 43 people, including civilians and Israeli security officials, in Israel. Six security personnel were murdered during battles with terrorists in Judea and Samaria.

7 Years Prepping for Oct. 7

Ludmila Lipovsky, Hy”d

Ludmilla Lipovsky, an 83-year-old Holocaust survivor, was killed on Friday by a Palestinian terrorist who stabbed her to death in Herzliya.

According to reports, Lipovsky, having just exited her nursing home, was waiting for her daughter to bring her to a doctor’s appointment when Ibrahim Shalhoub, a 28-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank city of Tulkarem, suddenly tackled and stabbed her.

A staffer at Lipovsky’s assisted living complex said the woman had been living there for many years and observed that the attacker had stabbed the elderly woman five or six times. She was pronounced dead at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital, where the Magen David Adom ambulance service had rushed her.

“I heard screams. I went out and saw her lying on the floor,” the staffer told Walla News.

Shalhoub was shot and injured by nearby security guards, after which police detained him. Shalhoub was once an informant for the Shin Bet, according to the agency, whom he helped bust West Bank

According to a Channel 12 news report released Sunday, Hamas spent seven or more years preparing for the October 7 massacre, stalking Israeli officials, leaders, and communities near the southern border.

As per documents confiscated from the Gaza Strip by the Israeli army, Hamas compiled a list of the IP addresses and serial numbers of every security camera in Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council and the Ashkelon beach areas, a region that includes the terribly-hit Kibbutz Kfar Aza. The document with the sensitive information on the security cameras was dated November 2020.

The IDF also uncovered another document containing a list of the names and phone numbers of many security guards protecting Sha’ar Hanegev, an area that includes Kibbutz Mefalsim, Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and Kibbutz Nahal Oz.

One six-page document detailed attack plans for communities that Hamas would attack on October 7, 2023, the day when 3,000 terrorists stormed the southern border, murdering 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 others, mostly civilians.

Some Hamas computer documents from as far back as 2016 mentioned several public places near the Gaza border, including Kibbutz Be’eri’s health clinic and kindergarten and Ofakim and Sderot’s police stations, as well as various libraries and synagogues.

Hamas was also reportedly monitoring local leaders and security officials

years before October 7. Among those stalked were Tamir Idan, the Sdot Negev Regional Council’s chief who survived the attack; Rafi Babian, a security officer whom Hamas had a picture of; Ofir Libstein, the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council’s chairman, whom Hamas killed in combat on October 7; and Gadi Yarkoni, the former head of the Eshkol Regional Council, whose home Hamas planned to attack during the massacre.

“It seems that they’d checked [my address] some time ago…because I moved houses around three years before the event, and [the terrorists] showed up at my old house,” said Yarkoni.

According to reports, Hamas specifically selected elite terrorists, who trained for years, to carry out the massacre.

“We see very, very precise and very detailed intelligence from an army, an army for all intents and purposes, the Hamas military wing in the Gaza Strip that is collecting information on targets for attack and essentially preparing intelligence target files,” a former official for the Shin Bet, Shalom Ben Hanan, said. “The resolution, the details that are all so precise, and the very, very wide deployment of many intelligence assets is what is so surprising.”

Indians Replacing Palestinian Workers

With tens of thousands of Palestinian construction workers banned from working in Israel since the October 7 massacre, the Israeli government has launched an initiative to replace those workers with new foreigners.

As part of the initiative, Israel, in 2024, hired 16,000 Indian nationals to work in construction. And in the future, the Jewish state hopes to employ thousands more.

Construction workers can earn three times more in Israel than in India, which has incentivized many Indian workers to find jobs in Israel.

Before the war in Gaza broke out, foreigners from India in Israel mostly worked as caregivers for elderly Israelis or as IT professionals or diamond mer-

chants. But since October 7, Israel has been trying to attract more Indians to work in the construction sector to replace 80,000 Palestinians.

As of the end of 2024, there were 30,000 foreign construction workers in Israel, according to the central Bank of Israel’s Eyal Argov, who added that, although 26,000 foreigners were employed before October 7, the overall number of employed foreigners has dropped 25% since before the war.

Argov said that the “numbers [of Indian foreign workers] are still very low,” and their presence shouldn’t immediately cause a housing shortage, but “it may cause delays in the supply of housing.”

“Israel has a growing population, increasing by two percent annually, and this delay might lead to some shortage in the future,” he added.

Israel Raided Iranian Missile Facility in Syria

In early September, Israel raided an underground Iranian missile factory located near Masyaf, Syria, the Jewish state confirmed on Sunday.

The operation was originally reported on September 12, but the IDF didn’t publicly confirm it until now, just weeks after the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad collapsed. With much of the Syrian military decimated by the Israeli military, the Jewish state now views Syria as less of a threat and is less cautious about revealing information about Israeli operations in Israel’s now-rebel-controlled neighbor.

The operation hit the Syrian defense industry’s Scientific Studies and Research Center, as well as the Iranian military’s underground missile production facility — two key locations, the latter of which Israel had monitored for years. According to reports, the weapons contained therein were supposed to go to Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based Iranian proxy.

The raid, which the United States was told about beforehand, took place around 124 miles away from Israel. Israel decided to conduct the operation after realizing

that the facility posed a “growing threat” to the Jewish state, as Iran had recently moved components to the facility in preparation for a dangerous precision missile project.

More Pain

Last week, on Thursday, two soldiers lost their lives fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Cpt. (res.) Amit Levi, 35, from Kibbutz Shomria, a team commander in the 551st Reserve Paratroopers Brigade’s 6551st Battalion, was killed in the morning in central Gaza. The army said it was investigating how Levi was killed.

Maj. Hod Shriebman, 27, from Tzofit, a platoon commander in the elite Multidomain Unit, was killed later in the day in northern Gaza.

Another soldier with the unit was seriously wounded in the same incident, which the military said was also under investigation.

In a separate incident, a tank commander with the 401st Armored Brigade’s 9th Battalion was seriously wounded by sniper fire in northern Gaza.

On Sunday, the IDF announced that St.Sgt. Yuval Shoham was killed in battle while fighting in the Gaza Strip. The 22-year-old hailed from Jerusalem and served in the 9th Battalion in the 401st Brigade.

His father, Ephraim, pleaded with the prime minister on Monday at Yuval’s funeral: “I call on the prime minister — it’s no secret that we don’t see eye to eye, but here over my son’s fresh grave I demand of you in his name and in the name of so many others: Make a deal,” the grieving father said.

“Our loved ones are fighting in Gaza so that the kidnapped will return. And to you, my beloved Yuval, I promise that we will walk the path we walked in the light. Your personal candle has unfortunately gone out, but your light will last forever.”

Yuval’s brother, Shachar, noted, “The concept of bringing back the hostages was in his heart. He knew Hersh Goldberg-Polin personally and the fact that he was there [in Gaza] connected him even more. He went around Gaza looking for him and shouting ‘Hersh.’”

On Monday, Sgt. Uriel Peretz, 23, lost his life fighting in the northern Gaza

Strip. He was from the Kfir Brigade’s Netzah Yehuda Battalion, from Beitar Illit.

Eight others were wounded in the fighting on Monday. According to an initial IDF probe, the soldiers, who were inside a building in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, were hit by anti-tank fire.

The Beitar Illit municipality mourned Peretz, “who fell… while risking his life for the people of Israel and the Land of Israel.” The mayor of the charedi community, Meir Rubinstein, said “the whole city is mourning and sending condolences to the beloved family.”

The soldiers’ deaths raise Israel’s toll in the 14-month-old Gaza offensive to at least 395.

Israeli troops have been battling Hamas and allied terror groups in the Strip for nearly 15 months, after Hamas terrorists burst into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage.

Jimmy Carter Dies

This week, in the final days of 2024, former President Jimmy Carter died. He was 100 years old.

Carter was the longest-lived American president and spent 22 months in hospice before dying in Plains, Georgia, a year after his wife, Rosalynn, died at the age of 96.

President Joe Biden said that in Carter’s passing the world lost an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian” and added that he lost a dear friend. Biden cited Carter’s work to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil and human rights, promote free and fair elections and house the homeless as an example for others.

“To all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility,” Biden said in a statement.

“I’ve been hanging out with Jimmy Carter for over 50 years,” Biden said later in the day.

The state funeral for Carter is scheduled in Washington, D.C., for January 9. Biden also declared January 9 as a National Day of Mourning across the nation and ordered U.S. flags to fly at half-staff for 30 days from Sunday.

Carter, the 39th president of the United States, was only in the White House for four years. He was a person proud of his faith.

“My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do what-

ever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Carter once said. He was an outspoken Baptist and entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known senator from the South. An Atlanta newspaper responded to his candidacy for the presidency with the headline: “Jimmy Who?”

People were taken by his genuine, small-town vibe, especially after the tumultuous Richard Nixon years.

after serving just one term.

One proud moment for Carter during his administration occurred when he brokered a peace deal with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in 1978.

Carter acknowledged in his 2020 “White House Diary” that he could be “micromanaging” and “excessively autocratic,” complicating dealings with Congress and the federal bureaucracy. He also turned a cold shoulder to Washington’s news media and lobbyists, not fully appreciating their influence on his political fortunes.

“It didn’t take us long to realize that the underestimation existed, but by that time we were not able to repair the mistake,” Carter told historians in 1982, suggesting that he had “an inherent incompatibility” with Washington insiders.

Carter insisted his overall approach was sound and that he achieved his primary objectives — to “protect our nation’s security and interests peacefully” and “enhance human rights here and abroad” — even if he fell spectacularly short of a second term.

He founded the Carter Center in 1982.

“I was not interested in just building a museum or storing my White House records and memorabilia,” Carter wrote in a memoir published after his 90th birthday. “I wanted a place where we could work.”

Carter spent his time after his presidency traveling the world to ease tensions, starting in the Koreas, Haiti, Bosnia and Sudan. He worked tirelessly for the Palestinian cause, cozying up to figures like Yasser Arafat and Ismail Haniyeh. He called Israel an apartheid state.

After Carter published his book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, in 2006, Abe Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League, called the former president a “bigot.” Deborah Lipstadt, who is now the Biden administration’s special envoy against antisemitism, accused him of having a “Jewish problem.” Alan Dershowitz, the U.S. constitutional lawyer and ardent advocate for Israel, said Carter set out to offend Israelis and Jews.

“If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter said before narrowly beating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who had lost popularity pardoning Nixon.

Carter’s days in office were mired by double-digit inflation and long gasoline lines. Eight Americans were killed in April 1980 during a failed hostage rescue during the Iran hostage crisis. He lost in a landslide to Republican Ronald Reagan

“Jimmy Carter’s sensitivities seem to have a gaping hole when it comes to Jews. There is a term for that,” he wrote.

Carter said about himself that he went “where others are not treading,” to places like Ethiopia, Liberia and North Korea, where he secured the release of an American who had wandered across the border in 2010.

“I can say what I like. I can meet whom I want. I can take on projects that please me and reject the ones that don’t,” Carter said.

In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”

Carter accepted the recognition saying there was more work to be done.

“The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place,” he said. “The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect.”

Norovirus on the Rise

There have been an unusually high number of norovirus outbreaks sickening people across the country in December, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There were 91 suspected or confirmed norovirus outbreaks in the first week of December, the most recent data available. This is a higher number than the CDC has recorded during the same week in recent years. It also exceeds the number of outbreaks recorded in early December in the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Outbreaks can occur throughout the year, but they are most common between November and April. The highly contagious virus, which sickens an estimated 19 million to 21 million people nationwide each year, can cause sudden and unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms.

In December, at least 80 people fell ill from norovirus linked to raw oysters served at a restaurant event in Los Angeles. The Food and Drug Administration has advised people not to eat the oysters implicated in that outbreak, which came from British Columbia, Canada, and had been sold in 14 states and the District of Columbia before being recalled. Other recent recalls linked to norovirus have involved fresh and frozen berries, according to an FDA database.

Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said there are two characteristics that make norovirus “extraordinarily” contagious: It’s easily transmissible, and it’s hardy enough to

survive on surfaces for days or even weeks. A person can contract norovirus from contact with an infected person or from contaminated food, water or surfaces.

Good hand hygiene may be the best defense.

But don’t expect hand sanitizer alone to protect you: The structure of the virus makes it less susceptible to alcohol-based sanitizers and wipes. Soap and water do a better job of rinsing the virus away, Schaffner said. The CDC recommends washing hands often and for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the bathroom or changing a diaper and before giving a person medicine or preparing food.

Norovirus is fairly resistant to heat. The CDC recommends cooking oysters and other shellfish until their internal temperature reaches 145 degrees, and thoroughly washing fresh fruits and vegetables. You should also wash food preparation surfaces like cutting boards well.

(© The New York Times)

Homelessness Rates Up in 2024

According to a count taken once per year, the rate of homelessness rose 18.1% from January 2023, when there were around 650,000 homeless people, to January 2024, with over 771,980 homeless. There were 580,000 individuals considered homeless in 2022.

Ann Oliva, the National Alliance to End Homelessness’s CEO, called the numbers “mind-boggling.”

“The underlying conditions driving homelessness are not going the right direction,” said Shamus Roller, the executive director of the National Housing Law Project. “Housing affordability is worse; it’s affecting more people across the country, and so you can’t be surprised that people are essentially falling off the back of the wagon.”

Senior officials from the Biden administration attributed the rise in homelessness to several factors, including housing costs, illegal immigration, and natural disasters, including the wildfires that struck the Hawaiian island of Maui, leaving many residents without homes.

But officials say that conditions have

improved since the count was carried out in January. For example, President Joe Biden acted to restrict illegal immigration through executive action, leading to less of a strain on homeless shelters, according to the president’s administration. Additionally, Denver and Chicago, which were previously sanctuaries for illegal immigrants, have said they would be closing down their migrant shelters.

According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the cities of Dallas, Los Angeles, and Pennsylvania’s Chester County saw less homelessness in 2024 than in 2023.

Some have criticized the official homelessness count since it’s only done one night a year and isn’t necessarily representative of an entire year. Adam Ruege, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs data analyst, said the number is “fundamentally an undercount” since, in January, during the winter, many homeless people who live in cars and other hidden places aren’t counted in the total.

“It’s just one point in time. It’s a picture, a photograph, as opposed to a video,” noted Ruege.

While general homelessness is up, veteran homelessness is down, according to the Biden administration. The number of homeless veterans dropped 12% since January 2021, when Biden entered the White House. The population fell from 35,000 to 32,800 from 2023 to 2024, according to HUD, which says that rates of veteran homelessness have dropped to their lowest since 2009, when tracking started.

The decrease in veteran homelessness can be attributed to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ housing and mental health services and other resources given to veterans.

Chinese Hack

In early December, Chinese state-sponsored hackers breached the U.S. Treasury Department’s computer security guardrails and stole documents in what Treasury called a “major incident,” according to a letter to lawmakers this week.

The hackers compromised third-party cybersecurity service provider BeyondTrust and were able to access unclassified documents, the letter said.

According to the letter, hackers “gained access to a key used by the vendor to secure a cloud-based service used to remotely provide technical support for Treasury Departmental Offices (DO) end users. With access to the stolen key, the threat actor was able to override the service’s security, remotely access certain Treasury DO user workstations, and access certain unclassified documents maintained by those users.”

The Treasury was alerted to the breach by BeyondTrust on December 8. It is working with the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI to assess the hack’s impact.

Despite the assertions, the Chinese are denying any involvement in the incident. A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said that Beijing “firmly opposes the U.S.’s smear attacks against China without any factual basis.”

Train Collides with Fire Truck

Misfortune hit Delray Beach, Florida, over the weekend when a train collided with a fire truck on an emergency call, injuring three firefighters and 12 passengers. Police are investigating, along with the train operator Brightline and the National Transportation Safety Board. Brightline provides passenger rail service between Orlando and Miami.

A video of the incident released by Brightline shows the fire truck crossing the railroad tracks shortly after a freight train had passed in the opposite direction. The fire truck stopped at the crossing and then drove around the lowered crossing arms after the freight train had passed.

The three Delray Beach firefighters were transported to a hospital where they remain in stable condition. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue assisted at the scene, bringing the passengers from the train to the hospital with minor injuries. There were no fatalities.

Brightline started operations in South Florida in 2018, according to its website. The train collision on Saturday is not the first incident involving a Brightline train since it expanded service to Orlando

38 from South Florida in September 2023. The Federal Railroad Administration found 34 people were killed in incidents involving Brightline trains from September of last year through June 2024 along the entire route from Orlando to Miami, the affiliate reported, citing federal data. None of the incidents, however, have been blamed on Brightline, the report said. Brightline has a safety campaign that encourages people to sign its safety pledge online, which has garnered more than 45,000 pledges.

Power Outage in Puerto Rico

On Tuesday, 1.3 million people in Puerto Rico were plunged into darkness when the territory suffered a string of widespread power outages, leaving 80% of the entire island without light. The outage was due to an infrastructure problem at a power plant on the island’s southern coast, energy company LUMA said.

LUMA said in a statement that the fault appeared to be an underground cable and added that it was working with partners to restart the island’s power network.

“LUMA will be restoring power to customers in phases. We’ve already begun the process of reenergizing some customers, with the full restoration process taking between 24 and 48 hours as conditions permit,” the company said.

Josue Colon, director of Puerto Rico’s Authority of Electric Energy, said in a radio interview that a problem with a power line in the south caused a “cascade effect” that led to multiple power plants failing. He said it would take “much of the day” to fix the problem.

The airport was operating on electricity generators, and flights were operating as usual.

Power outages are a frustratingly frequent occurrence for many Puerto Ricans. A string of blackouts over the summer prompted protests, and San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero to declare a state of emergency. The demonstrations led to the U.S.-owned Genera PR taking over management of previously state-owned power stations, which are on average 45 years old — twice the age of

Bald Eagle is National Bird

The bald eagle received a title this week that many may have assumed it already had: the national bird of the United States.

For centuries, the bald eagle has been a ubiquitous symbol for the country, almost as recognizable as the American flag. The bird, with its bright yellow beak, long wingspan and beady eyes, has appeared at the center of “The Great Seal” of the United States since 1782, much to Benjamin Franklin’s ire because he considered it “a Bird of bad moral Character.” It has also been depicted on postage stamps, quarters and the insignia of most military branches.

But until this week, the bald eagle was only officially considered the national emblem. An act of Congress, signed by President Joe Biden on Tuesday, declared the bald eagle, whose genus and species is Haliaeetus leucocephalus, “the national bird.”

The legislation, introduced by Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Brad Finstad, both of Minnesota, said the bald eagle is “a historical symbol of the United States representing independence, strength, and freedom.”

The bird has evolved into a cultural symbol, representing sports teams and American clothing brands, and being written into movie lines and patriotic song lyrics. The spacecraft that landed on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission was even identified with the bird when astronaut Neil Armstrong said, “The Eagle has landed.”

With the law’s signage, the bald eagle joins the same ranks as the bison, which became the national mammal in 2016, and the oak, which has been the national tree since 2004.

The bald eagle was once an endangered species in the United States, until 1995, and was later removed from the threatened species list, in 2007.

Bald eagles are native to North America and can be found in almost every state,

but they are most populous in Alaska, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There were more than 315,000 bald eagles across the contiguous United States in 2019, the agency estimated, four times the population of the bird just a decade earlier. (© The New York Times)

Emptying Guantanamo

On Monday, Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi was released from Guantanamo Bay military prison and sent back to Tunisia.

He had been incarcerated there since January 11, 2002, the day it opened under President George W. Bush.

He was found eligible for transfer “by a rigorous interagency review process,” a Defense Department statement said. “In consultation with our partner in Tunisia, we completed the requirements for responsible transfer.”

Al-Yazidi was the fourth prisoner in December to have been released from Guantanamo.

Now, there are 26 prisoners left in the facility. At its peak, there were 800 inmates at the military site in Cuba.

The detention facility, run by the U.S. Navy, was created after Bush declared a “war on terror” following the 9/11 attacks.

President Biden pledged before his election to try to shut Guantanamo, but it remains open. There had been 40 prisoners in Guantanamo when Biden took office.

Fourteen of the 26 who remain imprisoned are eligible for transfer, three are eligible for evaluation by the review board, and seven are being tried through the military commissions process. Only the final two prisoners have been convicted and sentenced by military commissions, according to the Pentagon.

gian ultra-runner Hilde Dosogne crossed the finish line – the ultimate finish line. The 55-year-old nabbed the world record to become the first woman to run a marathon every single day of the year.

Dosogne emerged from the cold, grey light to cross the line in Ghent, Belgium, amid a throng of fellow runners all celebrating an extraordinary feat.

“I’m glad it’s over,” she exulted after crossing the line on the last day.

Dosogne had conquered 15,444 kilometers in a single year. She also raised more than $62,000 for breast cancer research.

Hugo Farias holds the title in the male category, crossing his 366th finish line of the year in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2023. On the female side, Dosogne has far surpassed Erchana Murray-Bartlett of Australia who had a running streak of 150 days in 2023.

“The mental strain is harder than the physical,” Dosogne shared. “Of course, physically, everything has to be okay. Otherwise, you can’t run for four hours every day. But it was more mental to me to be there at the start-line every day.”

As marathon races go, Dosogne was able to do the majority of her marathons on a flat loop around a stretch of water, just outside the university town of Ghent, where, apart from sometimes dreary Belgian weather, a strong headwind could be her toughest competitor. She made sure to run 42.5 kilometers a day – a bit more than the required 42.195 kilometers needed for a marathon.

As a bio-engineer at a chemical firm, she had to start her days especially early so she could squeeze in a marathon every afternoon. And because she could not run at top speed every single day, she stuck to an easy (for her) 10 kilometers per hour, which also allowed friends and witnesses to run along.

Sports runs in the family. Her husband is a marathon runner and their four kids, in their teens and twenties, are into sports too, making the single-minded obsession easier to deal with.

A Marathon a Day

It’s been 365 days – and she has finally reached her mark.

On Tuesday, the last day of 2024, Bel-

One day, after running 27 kilometers, Dosogne fell and had to go to the emergency room for a dislocated finger. Having to wait for so long before being treated, instead of continuing the marathon upon her return, she just started again.

“It’s still a little bit crooked,” said Dosogne.

It is another reason she would never advise anyone to try this. “To do it? No, I wouldn’t. Definitely not. It’s yeah, it’s not for everybody.”

But she’s not done running. In September, she has the Spartathlon planned, a 246-kilometer (153-mile) race in Greece.

A small challenge to what she has done this year.

“I don’t think I will do anything more crazy than this,” she said. She gave it a good run.

Chess Champ Quits

He was close to winning, but this was one request he couldn’t accommodate. Recently, Magnus Carlsen, the num-

ber one world chess champion, abruptly left a tournament after he was told he had to change clothes.

Officials in New York at the the Fide World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships said he had broken the dress code regulations by wearing jeans.

Governing body Fide said it had issued the reigning champion with a $200 fine.

Carlsen, world champion between 2013 and 2023, said he had a lunch meeting before the round and had to change quickly.

“I put on a shirt, jacket, and honestly like I didn’t even think about jeans, even changed my shoes,” he related. “I didn’t even think about it... First of all, I got a fine which is fine, and then I got a warning that I would not be paired if I didn’t go change my clothes. They said that I could do it after the third round today.

“I said, ‘I’ll change tomorrow if that’s OK, I didn’t even realize it today,’ but they said, ‘Well you have to change now.’ At that point it became a bit of a matter of principle for me.”

Carlsen said he would not appeal the decision, adding: “Honestly, I am too old at this point to care too much.

“If this is what they want to do... I guess it goes both ways, right – nobody wants to back down – and this is where

we are. It’s fine by me. I’ll probably head off to somewhere where the weather is a bit nicer than here.”

In a tongue-in-cheek post on X later, Carlsen shared a photo of his jeans and jacket combination and wrote “OOTD” (outfit of the day).

Pure jean-e-ous.

Breaking Point

Michael Lee Murray was mad when the car he had bought from a car dealership earlier in the day stopped working well. He claimed the Subaru Outback was a “lemon.” But when he returned to the Tim Dahle Mazda Southtowne car dealership in Sandy, Utah, he was told no-backsies.

Manager Tyler Slade said that they had told Murray that the $4,000 car may have needed work.

“We were very clear about the fact that this car is not retail,” Slade said. “It’s gonna need more inspecting and some work.”

But Murray wasn’t taking the dealership’s laissez-fare attitude and threatened to ram his car into the store until he got his money back.

“We’re like, ‘Whoa, we don’t need to do that. Sit down, we can figure this out, we can find a solution,’” Slade recounted.

But Murray didn’t want to sit down and have a chat. He wanted his money. And so, making good on his threat, Murray took his newly-bought car and drove it straight into the storefront.

“I told you…I told you!” Murray shouted as he walked over the shattered glass, ripped his jacket off, and exited through the building’s destroyed front doors.

No one was hurt in the collision, and police were at the scene to take Murray into custody.

“I was just really angry, upset about my money,” Murray said. “I just kind of blacked out for a second.”

He acknowledged he “probably” shouldn’t have driven the car through the dealership.

“I guess I just hit a breaking point,” Murray said.

Sounds like he needs a crash course in anger management.

Around the Community

Green Acres’ Chanukah Concert

Valley Stream’s Green Acres hosted a special Chanukah Concert by 5 Towns’ own singer-songwriter Aryeh Kunstler. The free, live concert took place on Saturday, December 21, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at 2034 Green Acres Road, Valley Stream, New York.

This event offered a wonderful opportunity for family and friends to gather and enjoy an evening of music and celebration. Adding to the festivities, attendees savored free kosher jelly donuts from Geffen Gourmet.

Gabriel Boxer of Kosher Response served as the Emcee. Green Acres also honored Kosher Response’s impactful community work by presenting them with a $1,500 donation. In addition, Green Acres recognized one of Kosher Response’s standout volunteers, Nathan

Khaimov, as the mall’s Holiday Hero. Nathan was honored with a $500 gift card in appreciation of his extraordinary efforts. This event showcased the importance of supporting local organizations that uplift families and children in need.

“We were happy to welcome the community to Green Acres to celebrate Chanukah with a free concert by Aryeh Kunstler,” said Jill Bromberg, Marketing Manager at Green Acres. “Our center is not just a place to shop; it’s a gathering space where the local community can come together to celebrate and support each other.”

For more information about upcoming events at Green Acres, visit www.shopgreenacres.com.

Semicha Chaburah of Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s Kollel Reaches Milestone

L-R: Rav Avi Lauterbach, Rosh Chaburah; Rav Levi Simsovits, Rosh Chaburah; Rav Yaakov Yisroel Hirschman, Rav Elchonon Messner, Rav Daniel Schulman, Rav Eli Scharf, Rav Yisroel Reisman, Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Vodaath; Rav Dovid Bender, Rosh Kollel of Kollel Tirtza Devorah; Rav Levi Goldman, Rav Raphael Meiri, Rav Meir Maza and Rav Yonah Green. Not pictured: Rav Yehuda Leib Gold.

Kollel Tirtza Devorah of Yeshiva Darchei Torah, now in its twentieth year, includes nearly 40 fulltime yungeleit—the majority of whom are alumni of the Yeshiva—as well as an afternoon Kollel Mechanchim of 47 distinguished scholars. It is under the leadership of Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva; Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky;

Rosh Yeshiva; and Rav Dovid Bender, Rosh Kollel; who deliver chaburos and mussar/hashkafa vaadim on a frequent basis.

The full-day kollel includes a semichah chaburah of nine budding talmidei chachamim who are training to be rabbanim and poskim in a four-and-a-halfyear program. The group has already

The avreichim of Kollel Tirtza Devorah of Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s semicha chaburah at a farher from Rav Yisroel Reisman in Brooklyn.

mastered and been tested on the halachos of Niddah, Yichud, Basar b’Chalav and Ta’aruvos, and were recently tested in a rigorous written examination that took as many as ten hours to complete.

To mark this milestone, the avreichim of the semichah program traveled with the Rosh Kollel to Brooklyn for a comprehensive oral farher from Rav Yisroel Reisman, the renowned posek, rosh

yeshiva of Torah Vodaas, and rav of Agudath Israel of Madison. Rav Reisman was visibly impressed by the broad and deep knowledge exhibited by the yungeleit.

The Semichah Chaburah will now begin to learn the sugya of Hechsher Keilim.

Learn more or invest at darchei.org/ Kollel

YUHSG Celebrates Family Ties with Grandparents Day Event

Every year, the Yeshiva University High School for Girls (Central) acknowledges the special relationship that exists between grandparents and grandchildren and the bonds that connect students to their family history, with its annual Grandparents Day. This year, Grandparents Day was held on Wednesday, December 25, and offered students (and their families!) a break from mid-term preparations and a rousing start to the holiday weekend. Grandparents Day also welcomed other family members, including parents, aunts, uncles, and other family members.

The morning began with Shacharit Minyan organized by Central’s Mashgiach Ruchani, Rabbi Joshua Goller, before a light breakfast and visits to the photo booth to commemorate the day. Central faculty members then shared Chanukah mini lessons and a Chanukah trivia game show, giving family members a chance to experience what Central students enjoy every day. Following the mini lessons was guest speaker Rabbi Yechezkel Fre -

undlich, the Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom of Lawrence, who lectured on “Courageous Questions from the Wives of IDF Soldiers.” The early dismissal kicked off a long holiday weekend, providing an excellent start to Chanukah festivities. “Grandparents Day is an exciting opportunity to be able to enjoy spending Chanukah with my family at school,” said junior Esther Malka Gordon. “I can’t wait to share the warmth and unity that Chanukah brings.”

Grandparents Day is just one event on the vibrant December calendar for Central. On December 20 and 21, Central’s Leadership Track held Shabbat events in West Hempstead that hosted both current students and eighth graders, including a Friday Night Oneg at the Kornblum home, a Shabbat afternoon community shiur at the Edery home, given by Judaic Studies faculty member and Junior Grade Dean, Mrs. Yael Axelrod, and Seudat Shlishit at the home of Judaic Studies faculty member and Freshman Grade Dean, Mrs. Karen Lavner.

On Motzei Shabbos, Yeshiva University High Schools held a Parent Melave Malka, open to both current and prospective parents, at the Gross family home in West Hempstead. Guest speaker Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz, the Abraham Arbesfeld Dean of RIETS at Yeshiva University, addressed the room. And on Monday, December 30, Central is excited to host performer Eitan Katz at its Chanukah Concert.

The semester will culminate with YUHSG’s annual Dinner of Tribute on January 13, where Central will honor this year’s featured parent-partners: Drs.

Leah and Jon Fish, parents of Tani (‘24) and Orli (‘26), of West Hempstead, Mrs. Ayelet and Mr. Shlomo Katz, parents of Sarit (‘22), Ariella (‘23), and Michal (‘25), of the Five Towns, Mrs. Dahlia (‘04) and Dr. Nathaniel Jacob, parents of Ayla (‘26), of Great Neck, and Dr. Eve (‘94) and Rabbi Todd Sullivan, parents of Leeba Laub (‘18), Rivka (‘23), and Sara-Leah (‘26) of Queens. The dinner will also honor Central Humanities Department Chair and Director of Guidance, Mrs. Rena Boord, who will receive this year’s Ethel Dworetsky Morrel z”l Teacher of the Year award.

Siach Yitzchok Chanukah Mesiba

The Siach Yitzchok Chanukah Mesiba was filled with energy and geshmak – from the beautiful seudah with singing and dancing to the divrei Torah from the Menahel Reb Dovid Sitnick, shlita. The boys were then treated to a fantastic magic show by the famous Eric Wilzig.

YCQ Students Complete Mesechet Megillah

Students at YCQ gathered for a special siyum to celebrate the completion of Mesechet Megillah last week. Rabbi Landsman powerfully spoke about how the Jewish people will always preserve over our enemies and how the eternal Torah continues to guide us to this day.

Students then shared different pieces of Torah before completing the last Mishnah together.

Mazal tov to the following students for their daily dedication! Aiden Aminov, Elinor Aminov, Joshua Aminov, Liana Aminov, Elor Amsalem, Ayala Avramov, Talia Babayev, Jacob Baram, Abigail Barzideh, Sarah Barzideh, Michael Baturov, Tamar

Baumser, Dani Berkowitz, Shira Boros, Ariella Borukhov, Michal Borukhov, Avigail Cohen, Binyamin Danesh, Gregory Davidov, Shalva Dubin, Moshe Dyckman, Jonathan Fuzaylov, David Hayon, Kira Hoffman, Nathaniel Isakov, Ilana Ismailov, Natanel Katanov, Aharon Katz, Daniella Kiroff, Eliana Muradov, Joseph Nektalov, Joshua Nektalov, Moshe Niyazov, Benny Orenbuch, Jacob Paknoush, Chaim Peled, Shalom Peled, Adam Pinhasov, Alyssa Rubin, David Sasan, Samantha Schikman, Avinoam Simhaee, Josh Toobian, Leora Traeger, Leah Vaysband, Reuven Vinitsky, Yarden Wortzel, and Gavriel Yavner.

Mercaz Academy Celebrates Kitah Bet Chag HaChumash

Students in Kitah Bet took their first step on a lifelong journey–their text-based study of Torah. To mark the occasion, Kitah Bet presented a program of songs and recitations directed by Morah Tikva Goldberg and accompanied by music teacher Craig Resmovits, delighting their audience of family, teachers, and friends. The students clearly conveyed not only their knowledge of the Torah they are learning but also the joy they find in Torah study.

After presenting each student with a Chumash of his or her very own, Mercaz Academy’s principal, Rabbi Kalman Fogel, addressed the students. He noted that on Chanukah, one’s religious obligation is only to light one candle per night, but that the Jews observing the mitzvah treasure it so much that they add more candles, lighting two the second night, three the third, and so on. Just so, he said, Kitah Bet’s shining enthusiasm will lead them

to study the Torah not just once, but over and over again. “Every week, I study parshat hashavua, even though I’ve learned it many times before,” Rabbi Fogel told Kitah Bet, “but I still learn it, and every time I see new and exciting things that I’ve never noticed before.”

Rabbi Fogel credited the parents and grandparents who had brought the students to this milestone. Class parent and PTA representative Jillian Beroza-Nekhanevich thanked the teachers and administration for the “love, happiness, excitement, and warmth” they bring to the students’ learning.

Having taken their place in the continuous chain of Torah transmission, students and their guests enjoyed the sweetness of Torah study as embodied in delicious cake, fruit, and other snacks provided by the PTA. Congratulations, Kitah Bet and Morah Tikva, on this momentous occasion!

Chanukah Chemistry

What do chemistry and Chanukah have in common? More than students at Mercaz Academy had ever realized!

Students in Nursery Bet, Kindergarten, and first through sixth grades at Mercaz were treated to an amazing science demonstration from Dr. Miriam Rafailovich, a professor at Stony Brook University. With the assistance of her colleague, Dr. Aaron Sloutski of Jerusalem, and two canisters of liquid nitrogen, Dr. Rafailovich taught students about the importance of observation in science and that chemistry is everywhere–even in food preparation!

After reviewing how a substance is transformed from solid to liquid to gas, Dr. Rafailovich showed students how material properties change with the extreme cold (minus 320◦ F) of liquid nitrogen. A balloon placed over the canister shrank in the cold. Dr. Rafailovich and a student volunteer demonstrated the

bouncy properties of a rubber ball via a quick game of catch. After a quick bath in liquid nitrogen, it looked exactly the same–save some smoking upon removal. However, Dr. Rafailovich made it clear that the ball had changed by tossing it to the floor, where it shattered into pieces. A soft marshmallow dipped in liquid nitrogen and then hit with a hammer, the students discovered, cracks and breaks like rock.

However, Mercaz students were most impressed by the simple ingredients Dr. Rafailovich combined in a bowl: milk, sugar, chocolate or strawberry syrup, and liquid nitrogen. The result, they discovered, was delicious ice cream that they all eagerly sampled. With the addition of the leftover marshmallows, the resulting snack–dairy, so part of the tradition to eat milk-based foods on Chanukah–made this chemistry lesson even more exciting and holiday-appropriate.

YOSS Mechina students in Mrs. Engelson’s class made colorful menorahs in the lab out of beeswax in honor of Chanukah

Chanukah Camping

The HALB Middle School girls’ Chanukah chagiga was “camping” themed. The girls enjoyed a delicious lunch, an auction game, dancing and divrei Torah. The morot and eighth grade Chanukah heads did an incredible job!

Shulamith Combines Chanukah and Chessed

The girls of Shulamith Middle School kicked off the first day of Chanukah with a fun-filled day of meaningful chessed trips. They visited the JCC, the Israel Chesed Center, Yachad, Ohel, the Esplanade and the Premier, spreading warmth and light to all!

HALB classes enjoyed some intense dreidel competitions with their rebbeim

On the first night of Chanukah, HALB grades 1 through 8 all joined together to light the menorah together and enjoyed a beautiful

and meaningful kumzitz. In these times, watching hundreds of students and teachers singing together is incredibly uplifting and inspirational.

YOSS First Grade Celebrates Chanukah

Chanukah 2024 was an absolute blast in Mrs. Hadad’s first grade at YOSS! We’re still buzzing with excitement from all the amazing memories we made.

We kicked off the festivities with a burst of creativity, decorating “Our Flames Burn Bright” t-shirts. The energy was electric as all the first grade boys gathered together, eager to celebrate with their friends. After finishing their sweatshirts, everyone enjoyed a delicious snack of fresh popcorn, and the anticipation for the school’s Chanukah laser light show was palpable. We sang our favorite Chanukah songs as laser images transformed the room, creating a truly magical atmosphere.

In our own classroom came the thrilling “Pass the Gift Around” game! Each boy brought a wrapped gift, and we passed them around to the music.

When the music stopped, the lucky boy holding the gift got to unwrap it – the excitement was contagious, and each boy walked away with something special! Then, it was time for the ultimate sweet treat extravaganza! Every boy brought their favorite snack to share, and let’s just say there was enough to satisfy even the most insatiable sweet tooth. The boys ended the day by thanking each other for the gifts they got and for the snacks their friends brought in.

To make learning even more fun, we incorporated “how to” writing into our Chanukah celebrations. The boys learned how to make delicious Rice Krispie Treat Dreidels and Menorahs. With blue food coloring, fluffy marshmallows, and crispy Rice Krispies, they transformed these treats into edible masterpieces using cookie cutters.

Lev Chana students enjoyed a special and delicious doughnut treat

HAFTR Visits Kulanu

HAFTR middle school students made the Chanukah of the students at Kulanu special. They loved having fun with the students, participating in exciting activities together. HAFTR students can’t wait to go back!

Daf Yomi Sanhedrin Has Begun: Supplement Your Learning

with Two Newly Available OU Press Sefarim

Daf Yomi Sanhedrin began on December 19, and thousands are learning the legal and ethical issues discussed in the Sanhedrin section of the Talmud. It will take participants about four months to complete.

To enhance participants’ learning experience, OU Press has two newly available sefarim relating to Sanhedrin that they can study alongside the daf: “Shiurei Harav” and “Birkat Yitzchak.” OU Press is the Orthodox Union’s publishing division, dedicated to publishing popular and scholarly works reflecting a broad spectrum of Torah ideas and ideals, with the aim to educate, enrich and enlighten readers.

“Shiurei Harav” contains the brilliant Gemara shiurim of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik on the first three chapters of Masechet Sanhedrin. This volume was skillfully compiled and annotated by Rabbi Yaacov Sasson, based on the notes of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s students. Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Rosh Yeshiva at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University, and Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of OU Kosher,

are co-editors of the series.

“Birkat Yitzchak” is a collection of essays in Hebrew, authored by Rabbi Menachem Genack and published by OU Press. This newly reprinted and revised volume covers Talmudic subjects relating to Masechet Sanhedrin. The book contains 54 analytical essays on a variety of topics.

“Yasher koach to everyone choosing to learn Daf Yomi Sanhedrin,” says Rabbi Genack. “It’s a commitment that demonstrates the importance of continuous learning. It is our hope that these OU Press sefarim contribute to klal Yisrael’s Torah study.”

Both sefarim are available to purchase at oupress.org.

Assemblyman Sam Berger, Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein, and Pinny Hikind, representing City Comptroller, at the Chai Lifeline Gala Dinner

Rambam Activism: Students Hold Meeting at Argentinian Consulate

By David Mastour

Last week, the students of Rambam’s Political Action Committee (RamPAC) headed out to the Argentinian Consulate to discuss the state of antisemitism in Argentina.

RamPAC’s president, 11th grader Joshua Horowitz, had been in contact with the deputy consulate for some time before this, and when the time came, she was excited to have the students of Rambam Mesivta come and speak with the minister. The goal of RamPAC was to understand what exactly was being done by the country to combat antisemitism and ensure that it was in fact a safe place for Jews in such tumultuous times.

RamPAC arrived at the consulate in New York City, accompanied by Rambam Rebbe and Israel guidance Director, Rabbi Ilan Schimmel, and were greeted with warm welcomes from the diplomats. They were brought to a magnificent room filled with beautiful art pieces. They were then ushered in by the Madam Deputy Consulate, who brought them to a conference room upstairs, where they were introduced to the minister himself. RamPAC presidents Zachary Hairon-

MTA Students Distribute 100 Care Packages

NEW YORK – Students from the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy (MTA) have partnered with Met Council, America’s largest Jewish charity dedicated to serving the needy, to create and distribute over 100 care packages for university students on financial aid in honor of Chanukah.

tunity to just focus on their finals, and it’s really helpful.”

son (12th grader) and Joshua Horowitz began by explaining their purpose that day as well as an expression of gratitude towards the minister for meeting with them. This was followed by a brief history of the Jews given by 9th grader Ephraim Ganchrow, who explained that Jews, like any other any citizens in Argentina if not more, have deep roots in the country and deserve the full protection and rights that the country has to offer.

According to the minister, it turns out that Argentina is one of the least antisemitic countries, with antisemitic attacks only going up by 44% following October 7th, compared to the U.S.’s 360%. They made it clear to the Rambam activists that they were taking the matter seriously, and they praised the Rambam students for getting involved and reaching out.

This whole endeavor was student-run, and Joshua Horowitz demonstrated that with the right motivation and a desire to make a difference, high school students can become diplomats and ambassadors in their own right. It was a true Kiddush Hashem.

The care packages, thoughtfully designed to help students navigate the stressful finals period, include school supplies, snacks, protein-rich foods, and other essential items. The initiative comes at a crucial time, as many YU students run out of funds on their food cards by the end of each semester, exacerbating the financial and emotional challenges they face.

MTA students spent hours volunteering their time to raise funds for the initiative, as well as assembling and distributing the packages. The effort stemmed from their firsthand awareness of the unique pressures faced by college students, whom they interact with regularly as neighbors and campus sharers in Washington Heights.

MTA senior Avraham Greenfield, who spearhead the effort, reflected on his motivation: “I’ve seen YU students studying on campus and some are struggling to make it through finals, often running out of money for things like food. We wanted to make sure they felt supported and cared for during finals.”

Josh, a YU student from Stamford, expressed his gratitude: “This is really amazing. You’re giving people the oppor -

Rabbi Benyamin Bortz, Director of Student Activities at MTA, praised the initiative: “This program is the perfect blend of the YU and MTA relationship. Rabbi Pearl’s shiur was able to come together to do chesed for the rebbeim and the YU guys. As a former YU student, I know that this program will help many students get through finals. It was incredible to see how our small acts of chesed could bring so much joy to the rebbeim and the YU community. It reminded me how connected we all are and how much even small gestures can make a big difference during stressful times like finals.”

“When the students at MTA came to us with this idea, we knew we had to get involved,” said Hannah Lupien, Managing Director of Food at Met Council.

“These high school students are already showing incredible leadership and compassion. By stepping up to help their fellow students, they’re not just performing a critical chessed for their neighbors—they’re showing empathy— they’re demonstrating what it means to be leaders in the Jewish community and beyond.”

The collaboration between MTA and Met Council exemplifies the power of community, compassion, and student-driven action in addressing real-world challenges, while teaching the next generation the value of giving back.

Chazaq Pre-Chanukah Doughnut Demo

In honor of Chanukah, Chazaq hosted a memorable and inspiring event at Beit Eliyahou of Forest Hills. The pre-Chanukah celebration was a beautiful evening for the women of the community, featuring an engaging lecture by Rebbetzin Amit Yaghoubi, a delicious dinner provided by Sushi Fusion, and an exciting sufganiyah decorating activity.

The evening began with a powerful and enlightening lecture by Rebbetzin Amit Yaghoubi, who captivated the audience with her insights into the beauty and significance of Chanukah. Her words brought warmth and inspiration as she highlighted the timeless lessons and spiritual depth of the holiday.

Following the lecture, attendees were treated to a sumptuous dinner courtesy of Sushi Fusion, which added a delightful culinary touch to the celebration.

One of the evening’s most exciting

features was the sufganiyah making activity. Each woman was given the opportunity to decorate her own sufganiyah, with a variety of delicious toppings and fillings to choose from. From classic jelly and chocolate to creative fruit and cream assortments, every participant had the chance to personalize their treats, making for a fun and festive experience.

The night ended on a high note with an uplifting and joyous dance and singalong session, where the women of the community united in celebration, bringing an extra layer of warmth and camaraderie to the occasion.

For more information on upcoming events and community programs, visit chazaq.org or email office@chazaq.org.

Camp Scholarship Fund HAFTR Annual Chagigat Chumash

The Camp Scholarship Fund, which is a campaign of the Matzliach Organization, launched a very successful fundraiser this past week. They did a fun creative workshop at TAG’s Jr. High’s Chanukah Chagiga. A great time was had by all! We would like to thank Morah Krasnow and Morah Kritzky for having us!

TCSF was started in our local community for our local community, ten years ago by two siblings, Channa Shira

Ryback (Shick) and Shmaryahu Ryback. This organization has a dual purpose: the children learn the importance of doing chessed with fun activities, and the result of this fun chessed is children helping their peers go to camp in the summer. Teaching children this twofold concept has been proven to be very successful! There are no salaries taken, any size donation is welcome; Zelle BeMatzliach@ gmail.com.

Last Sunday, HAFTR proudly hosted its annual Chagigat Chumash celebration, a heartwarming and significant milestone for the school’s second graders as they received their very first chumashim. The event marked an inspiring step in their Torah journey, filled with meaning, joy, and a profound connection to Jewish heritage.

Amid an atmosphere of excitement, parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents gathered to witness this unforgettable moment. The ceremony highlighted the intergenerational bond that Torah study fosters, underscoring the timeless continuity of Jewish mesorah. Each second grader held their chumash with pride, embracing a new chapter in their spiritual and educational growth.

HAFTR Lower School Mashgiach Ruchani, Rabbi Asher Klein, offered a heartfelt bracha, encouraging the students to embark on this journey with enthusiasm and commitment. “This is the foundation of a lifelong connection to Torah,” he shared.

The second-grade morot and rebbeim—Chana Friedman, Rachael Lavi-

and Zarit Shaw—along with music teacher Janet Goldman, worked tirelessly to prepare the students for the event. Their efforts shone through as the children sang meaningful songs inspired by Torah’s timeless teachings, bringing an added layer of spirituality to the ceremony. The students recited Shehechiyanu as they held their chumashim for the very first time, a moment filled with gratitude and excitement.

After the ceremony, students participated in hands-on workshops designed to deepen their appreciation for Torah. They explored the details of a Sefer Torah, created personalized chumash covers, wrote notes to preserve their memories of the day, and engaged in interactive games to reinforce their learning.

The celebration radiated the joy and pride of Torah study, seamlessly blending mesorah, family, and community. The very next day, the students eagerly opened their chumashim, ready to embark on their learning journey. HAFTR’s Chagigat Chumash was not just a ceremony—it was a celebration of Jewish legacy and the unending joy of Torah.

an, Joshua Haft,

Doughnuts for Roey

Shoshana and Chen, the Bat Ami girls at HALB, ran doughnut decorating for students in grades 1 through 5 in memory of Staff Sergeant Roey Weiser, who bravely sacrificed his life for Am Yisrael on the morning of October 7. Roey’s favorite food was doughnuts, so HALB students thought of him as they enjoyed theirs.

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Fun-Filled Chanukah Experience at Gan Chamesh

Gan Chamesh celebrated Chanukah with an amazing Chanukah Experience. Parents and children joined together to engage in Chanukah activities, ranging from decorating doughnuts, to constructing the Bais

Hamikdash out of individually decorated bricks, to marveling at the wonders of a Chanukah light museum and much more. The fun-filled day helped the children internalize the beauty and lessons of Chanukah.

STEM building activities for Chanukah at Shulamith ECC

Rabbi Bender Visits the Chesed Center

On the fifth day of Chanukah, the Israel Chesed Center hosted a heartwarming double “achdut” event, fostering unity among our local communities and between our residents and our brothers and sisters in Israel. The event was led by Mrs. Menucha

Bornstein, the founder of Achoti, and was attended by students from 13 different area yeshivot, along with their mothers and grandmothers. Together, they made “Achoti” (my sister) and “Achi” my brother) keychains, which were shared with chayalim, chayalot, and displaced fami-

lies in Israel as a symbol of our love and concern for Acheinu Bnei Yisrael

The highlight of the event was a visit from Rabbi Yaakov Bender, shlit”a, Rosh Hayeshiva of Darchei Torah. Rabbi Bender spoke passionately about the importance of achdus .“There is nothing more

critical than feeling for our soldiers in Israel and feeling for each other,” Rabbi Bender emphasized.

In his remarks about the Chesed Center, Rabbi Bender offered the highest praise: “Anyone who thinks that we can’t make a significant impact from here is mistaken. We can! What Jeff, Moshe, and the Israel Chesed Center are doing here is truly remarkable — they are feeling the pain of the soldiers and the pain of every Jew in Eretz Yisrael.”

Let’s take Rabbi Bender’s words to heart: Everyone can do something to help our brothers and sisters in Israel!

The Israel Chesed Center is located at 1315 Peninsula Blvd., Hewlett.

For more information, visit www.israelchesedcenter.com or contact israelchesedcenter@gmail.com.

Village of Lawrence Participates in Meaningful Events for Holiday Season

The Village of Lawrence proudly presented nightly menorah lightings at Lawrence Village Hall this year. The Village thanks Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Presiding Officer of the Nassau Legislature Howard Kopel, Rabbi Yechezkel Freundlich of Congregation Beth Shalom, distinguished guests, and families and friends for joining the events. Special gratitude to members of NCPD and RNSP for ensuring attendees’ safety and to local media for their coverage. Follow Village of Lawrence on Instagram and Facebook to see event reels.

Some highlights included the second Night, when County Executive Blakeman brought Lieutenant Yonatan Ben Hamu as his guest. Blakeman spoke of Yonatan’s heroism and positivity, emblematic

of our constant fight for light over darkness, commemorated during Chanukah. On the fifth night, Trustee Aaron Felder spoke about his father’s fight for light over darkness, as a Holocaust survivor who became a community leader as a respected mayor of Lawrence. The Village hopes to reprise this newly established tradition, public menorah lighting, each year.

Bringing light to the West Coast, Mayor Sam Nahmias was honored to attend the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement 2024 Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism in Beverly Hills. Mayor Nahmias served on a panel with Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr. former Executive Director and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Nassau County Execu-

tive Bruce Blakeman received an award for his work in combating anti-Semitism by Adam Beren.

As an Orthodox Jew as well as a mayor, Nahmias stated, “The Jewish and Black Communities need to unite for the common greater good. We have been discriminated against for many years and as a group we need to educate the world and be an example that anti-Semitism is not tolerable. We need to set the example for the greater community. Orthodox Jews need to be the example of unity and acceptance, given our background and the history of anti-Semitism. We need to set aside our differences and unite because one day we will have to fight for our very own survival. The world is becoming a more complex place and unity brings success and survival.”

Finally the Mayor and Trustees were honored to attend the annual RNSP gala to show support for the volunteers and their families who devote themselves to serving the communal good through safety patrols and emergency response efforts.

As we conclude 2024, the Village of Lawrence is thankful for the residents, public servants, storeowners and employees, first responders, and leaders who help create the beautiful community we share. Mayor Sam Nahmias and the village trustees will soon announce key improvements as well as innovative plans to build on past success while making the future even brighter. Happy New Year!

Executive Bruce Blakeman, Legislator Howard Kopel, and Lawrence Mayor Sam Nahmias with village trustees and distinguished leaders at Night 2 of the Public Menorah Lightings

Lawrence Mayor Sam Nahmias (R) speaks on a panel at the CAM 2024 Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism

Around the Community

The Chesed and Achdus Center An Evening of Music

By Rebbetzin Myrna Weinberger

Irecently had the privilege of visiting the Israel Chesed Center (ICC) several times, and each experience left me in awe. On October 7, my granddaughter, Lonnie Levin, a ninth grader at Shulamith, spoke at the “Tekes Zikaron,” which was attended by over 700 people. Just last month, my husband, Rav Moshe Weinberger, had the honor of giving the introductory remarks for Rav Yitzchak Dovid Grossman, the renowned “Disco Rabbi” from Migdal HaEmek, at a packed Evening of Chizuk.

Whatever amazing things you may have heard about the Chesed Center, you cannot truly appreciate the depth of its work until you visit and see it in action. The organization, which is entirely run by volunteers, addresses an astounding range of needs, making it easy for anyone to find a way to contribute. The amount of gear, funds, and items they’ve directed to Israel is extraordinary — estimated at over $12 million since October 8, 2023, and with virtually zero overhead. The unity and selflessness demonstrated by the ICC is a powerful example of what we can accomplish when we come together as a community.

If you haven’t visited the center yet, I strongly encourage you to do so. See-

Did you know?

ing the work firsthand is truly inspiring. And if you have visited, kol hakavod! The Chesed Center is a special place, deeply rooted in gemilas chesed and ahavas Yisrael.

The center is open every day, and it makes it easy for anyone to help in any way they can.

If you’re traveling to Israel, consider doing a chesed and taking bags with you! Last month, my husband and I spent two weeks in Israel. Of all the activities we participated in — visiting our grandchildren, having dinner with the “Israel year” students from our shul, meeting soldiers, and connecting with bereaved families — one of the most meaningful parts of our trip was checking in 10 bags of gear at JFK. I cannot recommend this enough: if you’re going to Israel, contact the Israel Chesed Center and offer to bring duffel bags of supplies. You will be saving lives!

Let’s all join this incredible effort — whether by volunteering, donating, or spreading the word. Together, we can strengthen both the people and the land of Israel, as well as all of Am Yisrael

Rebbetzin Weinberger and her husband, Rav Moshe Weinberger, are the founders of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere. Aish Kodesh has been at the forefront of the 5 Towns community’s response to the October 7 attacks.

The Romans called the first day of the month the “kalends,” which is the origin of the English word “calendar.”

On Motzei Shabbat, December 21, 2024, the Sephardic Temple in Cedarhurst, NY, became a gathering place for community, music, and love as over 450 people came together for the inaugural benefit concert held in memory of Tzivia Simon. Tzivia was a beloved wife, mother, daughter, and friend who tragically passed away one year ago at the age of 41 after a courageous battle with breast cancer.

The event was organized by her husband, Dr. David Simon, who is committed to making this an annual event in honor of Tzivia’s memory. Tzivia was known for her kindness, strength, and dedication to her family. She was a product of both the HALB and HAFTR schools and a cherished member of the Five Towns community where she built a life with her husband and raised their children, Sigmund, Zeesy and Max.

Tzivia’s battle with breast cancer was not an easy one, but throughout her illness, she was supported by the WonderWomen Foundation. Run by Sasha Parker and Alizah Amoyelle, the organization has been a lifeline for countless women facing Breast Cancer. They offer support, resources, and compassion to orthodox Jewish women diagnosed with breast cancer – a much needed relief for women straining under the burdens of this terrible disease. The concert, with its elegant ambiance created by Gateway Balloons, featured a unique program produced by Meir Kolko Productions, including an array of superstar musical performances from Mordechai Shapiro, Zusha, Aryeh Kunstler, and Yossi Zucker and the Ayeka Project. It was not just a night of great music, but a testament to the spirit of the WonderWomen – both present, watching from a distance, and no longer with us - and their deep, eternal connection to

each other.

Dr. Simon had been moved by the emotional support his wife received during her illness. “Tzivia’s strength, her grace, and her unwavering faith in Hashem throughout her battle are qualities we want to remember and celebrate,” he explained. “This concert is not only a tribute to her but also a way to ensure that the WonderWomen Foundation can continue its vital work in the years to come.”

The concert was a stunning success, with attendees from across the country coming together to remember Tzivia and support the cause that meant so much to her and her family. The Sephardic Temple’s grand hall echoed with beautiful music, laughter, and heartfelt tributes, creating a night that celebrated both the life of Tzivia Simon and the ongoing mission of the WonderWomen Foundation.

As the WonderWomen Foundation continues to make a difference in the lives of women and families in need, the success of this first concert serves as a reminder of the enduring strength of a community united and the impact Tzivia had on everyone who was blessed to know her.

For more information about the WonderWomen Foundation and to support their mission, visit weareww.org.

Around the Community

HANC Succeeds at CIJE Competition

Exploring technology is an important component of the curriculum in HANC’s Elementary School in West Hempstead. For those students who exhibit a particular interest in robotics, a team of students traveled to HAFTR on December 17 to participate in the CIJE Middle School Robotics Competition. This event brought together thirty seven schools and over five hundred students for a day of innovation, collaboration, and friendly competition. The atmosphere was electric as eight HANC students, Lily Lazar, Adira Isseroff, Ollie Berko, Michael Lowenthal, Tzvi Koenisgberg, Zach Kornecki, Hillel Klein, and Jack Braverman, engaged in the spirit of camaraderie, introducing themselves and shaking hands with peers from other schools. It was truly heartwarming to witness the students embody the values of teamwork and cooperation throughout the event.

At the heart of the competition was the VEX IQ Robotics Challenge, which not only tests students’ technical skills but also nurtures their creativity and problem-solving abilities. The VEX IQ

Rapid Relay is an exciting robotics competition played on a 6x8 foot field divided into two zones: the Wall and Pickup Zone and the Load Zone. The objective is to control robots to launch 6-inch plush balls through targets on the wall to score points. In this collaborative challenge, two teams—from different yeshivot— place their robots on the field and start as soon as the timer begins. Teams can also earn extra points by passing the balls between their robots before scoring. Each match lasts 60 seconds, with teams working against the clock to achieve the highest score. Combined scores from these challenges determine the Robot Skills Challenge Champion. This competition promotes teamwork, strategy, and innovative problem-solving in a thrilling and fast-paced environment!

Watching the children’s persistent efforts to accomplish these tasks as a team was a testament to their dedication and ingenuity, and their performance was nothing short of remarkable. They faced challenges head-on with unwavering determination, showcasing resilience that

left the staff in awe. Their outstanding teamwork and sportsmanship did not go unnoticed, earning praise from both fellow competitors and judges alike.

Reflecting upon the events of the day, HANC’s Computer Science/Robotics teacher, Mrs. Aimee Goldenberg, remarked: “As their teacher, I couldn’t be more proud of the journey our students have embarked upon and the milestones they’ve achieved. They’ve demonstrated that with grit and perseverance, the sky’s the limit. We will continue to support and cheer on our robotics enthusiasts as they inspire us with their passion for innovation.”

Rabbi Ouriel Hazan, Head of HANC West Hempstead campuses, summed it

up, “This event really embodies many of our core values here at HANC. Our students got to flex their middot tovot, creativity, skills as well as their academic prowess showing what it means to be model HANC talmid or talmidah. We’re super proud of each of them and their teacher Morah Aimee!”

HANC wishes to extend a hardy mazal tov to the participating students Lily Lazar, Adira Isseroff, Ollie Berko, Michael Lowenthal, Tzvi Koenisgberg, Zach Kornecki, Hillel Klein, and Jack Braverman for a memorable and inspiring day at the CIJE VexGo Robotics Competition. Hakarat hatov to the HANC PTA for subsidizing this wonderful robotics club.

Hebrew Academy of Nassau County mourns the petirah and marks the shloshim of our founding Dean,

Rabbi Meyer Fendel z”l

Nassau County is a makom Torah due to the vision and resolve of Rabbi Fendel

Rabbi Fendel is the builder of our remarkable Yeshiva, the West Hempstead community it spurred and progenitor of four illustrious alumni families who have taken his mantle of leadership, spreading

Torat Am Yisrael b’Eretz Yisrael

Rabbi Hillel Fendel

Mrs. Raizy Steinberg

Rabbi Dov Fendel

Rebetzin Mindy Marcus

Kotzk: The Rebbe, The Message, The Legacy

By Yisroel Besser

Even though Kotz was a place of seriousness, intensity, and introspection, the general atmosphere in the beis medrash in Kotzk was one of simchah: Chassidim tasted the joy of a life in which every mitzvah had meaning, delighted in the comfort of being surrounded by brothers, and experienced the exhilaration that comes with hard work.

When they were in the marketplace, the chassidim were exuberant and filled with good cheer, but in the stillness of the night, many of those same chassidim could be seen sitting on their own, faces lined with sorrow, tears in their eyes.

Simchah was not just viewed as a means to spiritual elevation, but as a goal on its own. The Rebbe would quote R’ Bunim, who understood the pasuk of “Ki v’simchah seitzei’u — For with joy shall you go forth” (Yeshayah 55:12),

to be saying that with the middah of simchah, one can “go out,” climb out of any difficulty or challenge.

Sometimes, they danced. In Kotzk, dancing was seen not just as the expression of joy, but as a way to rise a bit hecher, to leave the earth behind for a moment, a symbol of man’s quest to touch the heavens.

Each evening, at the end of a long day of work and before a long night of learning, the members of the chaburah sat down for the evening meal. Those meals did not feature meat, or even fish, but the chassidim lining the worn tables found the bread and vegetables to be more pleasurable than any banquet or feast, and the mood was joyous.

Without simchah, the Rebbe taught, all the blessings in the world are meaningless, but to a happy person, a bit of bread and some shmaltz can be a feast.

The Rebbe would quote the words of the pasuk: “Vayava’u Marasah,

velo yachlu lishtos mayim miMarah ki marim heim — They came to Marah, but they could not drink water from Marah because it was bitter” (Shemos 15:23), and explain it in a novel way. The people could not drink the water of Marah, ki marim heim — they themselves were bitter! Their own misery prevented them from being able to enjoy the simple pleasure that comes with a sip of refreshing water!

In Kotzk, the chassidim would speak with admiration about one particular chassid named R’ Mottel, in whom the middah of simchah was ingrained. Not only could he derive joy from the simplest meal, he could even find happiness in the meal of another!

R’ Mottel was impoverished, like most of the chaburah in Kotzk, and one Erev Shabbos, he could not find money with which to buy fish for Shabbos. R’ Mottel’s wife accepted this reality, but she felt bad for her husband, knowing how much the honor of Shabbos meant to him.

R’ Mottel came home from shul on Leil Shabbos, his spirits as high as on every other Friday night, and he recited Kiddush with enthusiasm. They sat down for the seudah, which consisted primarily of challah.

Suddenly, R’ Mottel started to speak about R’ Yankel, the wealthiest man in town, describing what the Shabbos table must look like at the home of the wealthy merchant: the elegant table covered in dishes, the aroma of delicious food filling the air. R’ Yankel, he speculated, worked hard all week and deserved this moment, pure oneg Shabbos, surrounded by his family.

R’ Mottel’s wife was puzzled, because it was not her husband’s sort to be pre -

occupied with the money, home, or table of another. Her husband kept speaking, with obvious excitement, about the large platter of fish that R’ Yankel was enjoying, but she could not understand this unexpected interest in R’ Yankel. Sitting in his rundown little house, at a table that was pitifully bare of Shabbos delicacies, R’ Mottel’s joy kept growing as he seemed to be visualizing R’ Yankel’s every bite of fish — and then, his wife understood.

Her husband did not have fish for Shabbos, but he reasoned that even if he himself could not celebrate the day in the way he would have liked to, there were other Yidden who could, and so he worked to awaken feelings of love within himself for that Yid. The wealthy R’ Yankel was eating fish in honor of Shabbos, and this made R’ Mottel happy for him — and for the Shabbos itself, the day being accorded its due honor. This, the chassidim said, was the essence of Kotzk.

Reprinted from Kotzk by Yisroel Besser, with permission from the copyright holder, ArtScroll Mesorah Publications.

HANC ECC students had an amazing time at our interactive and healthy Chanukah Chagigah

Dirshu to Hold Major Amud HaYomi Siyum on Masechta Shabbos in Brooklyn

IBy Chaim Gold

n America, anticipation for Dirshu’s Amud Hayomi Siyum on Masechta Shabbos is mounting. Following the massive siyum at the Copper Box Arena in London with some 10,000 participants, Dirshu is making a unique celebration for American mesaymim of Masechta Shabbos in its popular Amud HaYomi program. Much like the siyum in London, it will be an event that celebrates the new journey upon which Amud HaYomi learners will be embarking, the journey through Masechta Eruvin that began on Chanukah.

In the tri-state area alone, there are more than one hundred Dirshu Amud HaYomi shiurim and many thousands of lomdim

The siyum will take place on Motzoei Shabbos Parshas Vayigash, 4 Teves/ January 4 at The New Ballroom in Boro Park. Hundreds of mesaymim from Boro Park, Flatbush and even from Lakewood are expected to attend, celebrating both this milestone accomplishment and their future commitment to learn and complete Masechta Eruvin, one of the most difficult masechtos in Shas. As in all Dirshu siyumim, the program will be one that exudes kavod haTorah and kavod for talmidei chachamim who are lomdei Torah. The program will include a melave malka with drashos from prominent Rabbanim and Roshei Yeshiva as well as zemiros, shiros and sishbochos to express the tremendous feelings of simcha that come as a result of accomplishing goals in accountable limud haTorah

Among the speakers at the event will be the new rav of Khal Emunas Yisroel of Boro Park, the Gaon and Tzaddik, HaRav Shmuel Yehuda Silber, shlita, grandson and handpicked successor of the unforgettable Rav and founder of Emunas Yisroel, the Mashgiach HaGaon HaTzaddik, HaRav Moshe Wolfson, zt”l. Anoth-

er speaker will be HaGaon HaRav Zev Smith, shlita, maggid shiur Dirshu Daf HaYomi B’Halacha and Irgun Shiurei Torah. HaRav Dovid Hofstedter, shlita, Nasi Dirshu, will be coming specially to attend and address the event.

Many of the maggidei shiur accompanied by the members of their individual shiurim have enthusiastically expressed their desire to take part in the siyum. Dirshu’s offices have been inundated by calls from participants from the entire tri-state area expressing their desire to be part of such an important Torah event.

History in London

The siyum in New York came on the heels of a truly historic event in London, England attended by senior Gedolei Yisrael from Eretz Yisrael and Europe. In addition to the massive event in London, the Hanhala of Dirshu led by Rav Dovid Hofstedter also visited mosdos in London and Gateshead. In Gateshead itself, Rav Hofstedter visited the Rosh HaYeshiva of the Gateshead Yeshiva, HaGaon HaRav Avrohom Gurwicz, shlita, and senior R”M at the Gateshead Yeshiva, HaGaon HaTzadik, HaRav Ezriel Rosenbaum, shlita. He also visited the Gateshead Yeshiva Ketana (Yeshiva Tiferes Yaakov) and gave a shmuess to the more than 200 talmidei hayeshiva.

Rav Hofstedter’s first stop on his trip was the Menorah School in London. Rabbi Yossi Dunner, a tireless askan on behalf of Dirshu, related, “Rav Dovid was slated to address the boys the previous day, Sunday, but due to a flight delay, it was not possible. However, he felt that he could not disappoint the young bachurim who had been anticipating the visit, so he juggled around his schedule to enable him to visit the school the following day.”

After davening Shacharis, Rav Dovid delivered a short address replete with chizuk to the talmidim of the school. Following his address, each talmid was given the opportunity to personally greet him, and he shared short words of chizuk with

many of them.

Rabbi Chaim Emmanuel, a devoted Dirshu askan, related, “Another interesting meeting that took place at Menorah was with one of the mechanchim, Rav Yosef Schleider. Rav Yosef has established a unique Daf HaYomi B’Halacha shiur where he learns daily with 25 fourteenyear-old boys in the school, during their own recess, their free time! This popular shiur, in addition to teaching boys so many vital halachos, gives them a sense of great pride at being able to join Klal Yisrael in this important limud.”

Galvanizing Gateshead

The next day, Rav Hofstedter and other members of Hanhalas Dirshu travelled to Gateshead. In Gateshead, Rav Hofstedter went to visit Rav Ezriel Rosenbaum, senior R”M in the Gateshead Yeshiva. Unfortunately, Rav Ezriel, a Holocaust survivor, sustained a stroke a few years ago and rarely leaves his home. Nevertheless, he exchanged divrei Torah with Rav Hofstedter and profusely praised Dirshu for the way they have exponentially increased limud haTorah in Klal Yisrael. He then gave Dirshu, Rav Hofstedter, and his family his most heartfelt brachos.

From there, they went to the beautiful, new, state-of-the-art campus of the Gateshead Yeshiva Ketana where Rav Hofstedter gave a shmuess to the entire yeshiva. The bachurim – many of whom participate in a Dirshu program during their own time – listened with bated breath as Rav Hofstedter gave a masterful drasha connecting Yaakov Avinu’s travails and his battle with the Sar of Eisav to the Yom Tov of Chanukah.

After Mincha, Rav Hofstedter and the other members of Dirshu, met with the Rosh Yeshiva, HaGaon HaRav Ezriel Yaffe, shlita, and other members of the yeshiva’s hanhala in Rav Ezriel’s office. A lively, enjoyable schmooze ensued, covering important areas such as positive and less positive aspects of various darchei halimud and also, the importance of

learning Torah with some kind of mechanism for accountability, such as tests.

Following the visit with the Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Avrohom Gurwicz, a small, intimate gathering of Dirshu maggidei shiur with longtime Dirshu learners and test takers came together at the home of R’ Aryeh Tzvi Sandler. Among those in attendance were Rav Moshe Baruch Katanka, Menahel of Dirshu Gateshead and a Dirshu maggid shiur, HaRav Avrohom Aran, shlita, a Rav and Dayan in Gateshead, and a popular Dirshu maggid shiur.

From a Grand Total of Fourteen Mishnah Berurahs to 270 During the meeting, they discussed the growth of Dirshu in England and specifically in Gateshead. Rav Moshe Boruch Katanka, related, “When I started delivering the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha shiur here fourteen years ago, I gave out a grand total of fourteen paperback Mishnah Berurahs to new lomdim. This week alone we distributed 270! Today, we have multiple shiurim in Gateshead in Dirshu’s Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program and Amud HaYomi.

“In fact, Rav Avrohom Aron, a prominent Dayan in Gateshead, delivers the largest Daf HaYomi B’Halacha shiur in the entire Europe. Since the siyum in London last week, three new shiurim have opened in Gateshead alone, and there are several shiurim for young bachurim as well,” concluded Rav Katanka.

“Indeed,” Rabbi Yossi Dunner concluded, “the response, the outpouring of requests to join Dirshu’s programs, to start new shiurim and to obtain a Dirshu calendar or a paperback copy of the Dirshu Mishnah Berurah or the Amud HaYomi booklet, have been simply ‘off the charts.’

“Wherever I go, people want to know about Dirshu, they want to know how to join. In a nutshell, since the large siyum at the Copper Box Arena, Dirshu has conquered England!”

Partial view of the Amud HaYomi Siyum on Brochos, February, 2024 Rav Dovid Hofstedter addressing the talmidim at the Menorah School in London

The Centerfold Commissioner’s New Year’s Resolutions

(Because I Always Keep Them)

I will stop repeating myself.

I will stop repeating myself.

I will learn to change the things I can’t accept, accept the things once they’re changed, and to know the difference between the two.

I will only get two expired meter tickets a week on Central Avenue because I’m kind of tired of singlehandedly funding the village.

I will spend less time with people and more time on my phone (because everyone else seems to be able to do that without much effort).

I will stop losing my train of thought mid—what time is it?

I will drink more. (That’s right— liquids keep you hydrated. If you automatically thought I meant alcohol you probably have some resolutions of your own to make!)

I will switch my username to “password” and my password to “username” to make it harder for hackers to figure out.

I will pay off my credit cards every month in full... with my other credit cards.

I will write all of the good things in my life on one side of the paper and all of the bad things on the other side of the paper...just kidding, I am not doing that.

I will finish a full Chapstick.

I will be nice to everyone every day. Wait, that’s not happening. I will be nice to someone—one time. OK, here’s the resolution: I will be nice to one person, one time in 2025. (Oh, and I count as a person.)

I will stop being paranoid. (If you are a CIA agent or FBI agent reading this, just know that I no longer fear you!)

I will stop procrastinating. (I gotta start this one in February because January is a drag.)

This is probably the millionth time that I make this resolution, but I will stop exaggerating. (I am literally standing on my head while making this resolution!)

I will try to tackle my rear-bumper magnet addiction and limit the magnet bumpers on my car to a measly 17 (only 4 with pickles).

2024 Sport Triva

1. Who hit a walk-off grand slam in game 1 of the World Series this year?

a. Mookie Betts

b. Shohei Ohtani

c. Freddie Freeman

d. Miguel Rojas

2. Which team won the 2024 Super Bowl?

a. Kansas City Chiefs

b. Philadelphia Eagles

c. Buffalo Bills

d. San Francisco 49ers

6. How many Gold Medals did the U.S. win in the 2024 Summer Olympics?

a. 22

b. 34

c. 40

d. 109

7. Match the athlete with the amount of money that athlete made in 2024 (as per Forbes Magazine):

SportS Star Salary

Jon Rahm

LeBron James

Stephen Curry

3. Who was the oldest player in the NBA in 2024?

a. LeBron James

b. Chris Paul

c. Jeff Green

d. Joe Ingles

4. Who was crowned the 2024 NBA MVP?

a. Luka Dončić

b. Nikola Jokić

c. Jayson Tatum

d. Joel Embiid

5. Which city hosted the 2024 Summer Olympics?

a. Los Angeles, USA

b. Rome, Italy

c. Paris, France

d. Madrid, Spain

Riddle Me This

Lamar Jackson

Cristiano Ronaldo

$111 million

$100.5 million

$102 million

$128.2 million

$218 million Giannis Antetokounmpo $260 million

Answers:

1-C; 2-A; 3-A; 4-B; 5-C; 6-C

7-Jon Rahm (golf): $218M; LeBron James: $128.2M; Stephen Curry: $102M; Lama Jackson: $100.5M; Cristiano Ronaldo: $260M; Giannis Antetokounmpo: $111M

Wisdom Key:

5-7 correct: Let’s make this a little harder for you, sports buff— who pitched in game 6 of the 1962 World Series?

3-4 correct: You are right in the middle…if you were a sports star, you’d also be in the middle of the pack and only making around $89 million per year.

0-2 correct: You can’t always win. Just ask the Yankees.

The day before yesterday, Max was 7 years old. Next year, he’ll turn 10. How is this possible?

Answer: Today is January 1. Yesterday, December 31, was Max’s 8th birthday. On December 30, he was still 7. This year, he will turn 9, and next year, he’ll turn 10.

Torah Thought

Parshas Vayigash

By Rabbi Berel Wein

Yosef certainly emerges from the entire bewildering and tragic events as a heroic and noble figure, still the beloved son of his father and the heir to the double portion birthright of the first-born. Yet, in terms of the long-range view of Jewish history, Yosef is not the vehicle of Jewish sur -

vival. His kingdom of the northern ten tribes of Israel is relatively short-lived and riddled with wicked kings and widespread idolatrous practice. The kingdom of Yosef is never restored, and the remnants of the northern ten tribes are eventually absorbed into the kingdom and tribe of Judah. Yosef’s

triumph is seen in Jewish history as being legitimate but essentially temporary. It his brother Yehuda who emerges as the ultimate hero and guarantor of Jewish survival and as the true head of Yaakov’s family. The Jewish people are called upon his name, and it is through his descendants that legitimate royalty comes to Israel. The future salvation of Israel and the messianic vision of full

in his leadership role in the sale of his brother as a slave. So why, in historical terms, is he the hero and savior of Israel while Yosef is not?

Though G-d’s will, so to speak, in all of these matters remains hidden and inscrutable to us mere mortals, a glimmer of understanding can come to us from the words of Yaakov that will appear in next week’s parsha. Yaakov blesses Yehu-

The secret of Jewish survival lies in Jewish renewal and resilience.

and complete redemption and a better world for all are assigned to the family and descendants of Yehuda. He is the ultimate victor in the debate between Yosef and himself that this week’s parsha highlights.

The obvious question that presents itself is why this should be. After all, it is Yosef who is the righteous one, the one who resisted physical temptation and who persevered in his loyalty to the ideals of the patriarchs of Israel under the most trying and difficult of circumstances. Yehuda, on the other hand, can be superficially judged and found wanting in his behavior regarding Tamar and

da for his ability to rise from error and tragedy and continue forward. It is Yehuda’s resilience that marks his character and behavior. He redeems himself from the error of his treatment of Yosef by his unconditional and self-sacrificing defense of Binyamin. He admits his error in condemning Tamar, and their children become the bearers of Jewish royalty.

The secret of Jewish survival lies in Jewish renewal and resilience. It is the one national trait that outweighs all other factors in Jewish history. It certainly is the one most in demand in our current Jewish world today as well.

Shabbat shalom.

From the Fire

Parshas Vayigash A Higher Dimension

By Rav Moshe Weinberger

Adapted for publication

by

Binyomin Wolf

Parshas Vayigash is one of the most emotional parshiyos in the whole Torah, with Yosef’s revelation to his brothers, his reconciliation with them, and his reunification with Yaakov Avinu after twenty-two years of separation. The pasuk that describes this reunification (Bereishis 46:29) is filled with action: “And Yosef harnessed his chariot and he ascended to greet Yisroel his father in Goshen, and he appeared to him and fell on his neck and cried on his neck for a long time.” The pasuk captures Yosef’s excitement with the five verbs used in pasuk: “tied,” “ascended,” “greet,” “appeared,” and “cried.” Yosef’s emotion at that moment contrasts sharply with Yaakov Avinu’s silence and passivity. This always bothered me. Rashi quotes “our sages” that Yaakov “was saying Shema.” I could never understand how Yaakov could be so apparently heartless. Of all the times to say Shema, couldn’t he do it earlier or later? While some commentaries explain that it was zman kriyas Shema, the time for reciting Shema, that does not really address the question.

I would like to share the following understanding which represents an extrapolation of the explanation of the Maharal in Gur Aryeh. In order to understand Yaakov Avinu’s Shema Yisroel at that time, we must first understand another famous recitation of Shema: that of Rebbe Akiva when he was martyred by the Romans, dying with the word “Echad” of Shema on his lips as he was being tortured to death (Brachos 61b). Following Rebbe Akiva’s example, Jews forced to die sanctifying Hashem’s name throughout the generations have left the world saying Shema.

Most people believe that Rebbe Akiva said Shema at that moment in order to demonstrate that despite what was

happening to him, he still had faith in G-d. But a careful reading of the Gemara reveals that this was not Rebbe Akiva’s intention. The Gemara says that “at the time they took Rebbe Akiva to be killed, it was the time to say Shema.” We therefore see that Rebbe Akiva did not say Shema because he was taken out to be killed, as a final moment’s scream of faith. Rather, he said Shema because it was the halachically prescribed time to say Shema. Each Jew has a mitzvah to accept upon himself the yoke of Heaven by saying Shema twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. It is natural to forget Hashem’s kingship over us in our daily lives so halacha mandates that we say Shema twice a day “l’ma’an tizkiru ,” in order that we remember. Rebbe Akiva was therefore performing his daily obligation to accept the yoke of Heaven upon himself.

We learn from Rebbe Akiva that there are two dimensions to reality: the

subjective dimension and the objection dimension. In the subjective dimension, a person goes about his daily life fulfilling his personal responsibilities by working, studying, and performing mitzvos at their proper time. He has his own personal schedule. But there is also an objective dimension wherein Hashem has a grand, universal plan, and a person recognizes that he is one piece of that larger reality. On one’s average day, these two dimensions peacefully coexist, side by side. A person lives his daily life and accepts upon himself the yoke of Heaven at the proper time, dutifully acknowledging the supremacy of the Divine.

There are occasions, however, where these two dimensions collide. When that happens, when the Divine plan causes a simple shepherd-turned-great-sage-ofthe-generation to be tortured to death by wicked idolaters, from the subjective perspective, no one would judge such a person if he screamed out (Menachos

29b), “Zo Torah v’zo sechara? This is the Torah, and this is its reward?!” But by saying Shema at the prescribed time despite the fact that the Romans were raking his flesh with iron combs, Rebbe Akiva revealed that he was connected to something much greater than his own subjective reality. He was saying, “I am part of the Creator’s world! I am part of the world of z’man kriyas Shema, the objective reality of the prescribed time for Shema, for accepting the yoke of Heaven irrespective of my own subjective reality.” What was the source of Rebbe Akiva’s ability to connect to the world of the yoke of Heaven even when his own subjective world was being torn apart? Yaakov Avinu. In the heat of the greatest moment of his personal, subjective life, Yaakov’s silence and the fact that he accepted upon himself the yoke of the Divine objective reality at that precise moment revealed Yaakov’s recognition that there is a reality greater than his own. We see that Yaakov’s silence was not that of an emotionless halacha-ist, coldly saying Shema at the proper time regardless of the circumstances. Indeed, in the pasuk after their initial meeting, Yaakov Avinu tells Yosef, “I can die now that I have seen your face, that you are still alive.” Yaakov felt so emotionally moved that he felt that his life was complete. But despite the fact that his heart was obviously bursting with emotion, he recognized that a Jew must know that there is something above and beyond his own personal life. That is why he made the decision to say Shema at that time. Next week is Asara B’Teves, one of the five fast days of the year. After the war, the rabbonim in Eretz Yisroel declared Asara B’Teves a kaddish k’lali, a universal kaddish for those killed by the Nazis, ym”sh, whose yahrtzeits are not known.

We have all heard numerous stories of those who went to the gas chambers saying Shema Yisroel or Ani Maamin. My mother was at Auschwitz and was sent to the gas chambers at the very end of the war, just as everything was falling apart for the Nazis. She told me that while she and all of the other people were lined up on their journey to their deaths (a journey they never, thank G-d, completed), everyone was saying Shema, accepting upon themselves the yoke of Heaven, regardless of whether they had been observant before the war or not.

But we also know stories of Jews who tried as best they could to live as Jews throughout the war, saying Shema twice a day and performing any other mitzvah they were able to observe under the circumstances. We know of people who tried to scrape together enough grease from train or wagon wheels to make a Chanukah candle or say whatever Yom Kippur davening they could remember on Kol Nidrei night. Such people revealed that regardless of what was happening in their personal lives, there is a greater reality, a Divine plan, a zman kriyas Shema, an objective time to say Shema, to accept upon oneself the yoke of Heaven. They did

not allow the destruction of their subjective dimension to drive them to despair because they recognized the existence of a higher reality beyond themselves. They drew their ability to do this from Yaakov Avinu and Rebbe Akiva, who revealed

One day, in one of the DP camps, he was organizing a Mincha minyan, and he had nine people. He asked a Jew nearby to join the minyan, but the man refused. When questioned why, the man responded that he would not join that minyan or

Despite the fact that his heart was obviously bursting with emotion, he recognized that a Jew must know that there is something above and beyond his own personal life.

their recognition of that Divine reality irrespective of their own circumstances, whether joyous or horrific.

We see another example of Jews connecting to the greater reality of Hashem’s plan through another well-known story from the camps. Rabbi Lazer Silver, a great rav from Cincinnati, traveled to the camps when the war ended to help the survivors begin to rebuild their lives.

any other minyan ever again because of what he had seen in the camps. Rabbi Silver asked him what he had seen. He responded that one man in his barracks had somehow smuggled in a siddur. But instead of letting other prisoners borrow it, he used to charge them a piece of their moldy bread for a few minutes with the siddur and then he would snatch it back. Sixty or seventy people used to

regularly wait in line to give this man a bite of bread just to daven for a few minutes from his siddur. The man told Rabbi Silver that if a Jew could charge starving people to use a siddur, he would never daven again.

Rabbi Silver responded to the man, “Fool! Why do you only look at that one man who was doing something wrong? Why don’t you look at the dozens and dozens of starving Jews who were willing to give up their last bite of bread just to daven from a siddur for a few minutes?!” Such Jews wished to live their daily lives as Jews notwithstanding the calamity around them.

May we merit to recognize and connect to the higher level of the Divine reality, of the objective dimension, which exists beyond our own subjective reality, even as we live our daily lives, and may Hashem soon reveal the final chapter of His great plan soon in our days with the coming of Moshiach.

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

Torah Thought Kindness Surrounds Him

By Dr. Michael Milgraum

In Parsha Vayigash, we learn about the final reconciliation between Yosef and his brothers. Twenty-two years after they sold him into slavery, Yosef finally faces them and reveals his true identity. The man whom they had taken as an Egyptian official providing them with food, during a famine, turns out to be their long-lost brother.

Yosef has just accused Binyamin of stealing his royal goblet and is threatening to imprison him. Right before Yosef reveals his true identity, Yehudah begs for mercy, saying that the loss of Binyamin will kill his father, and offers himself as a slave instead of Binyamin. With this act, Yosef sees that his brothers’ attitude has changed. Yehudah stands as representative for all of the brothers, indicating that they are no longer motivated by brotherly jealousy and hatred. Rather, their only concern is for the wellbeing of each other and their father. Since they sold Yosef into slavery 22 years ago, they have changed. They have renounced their former pettiness and short-sightedness. They have done teshuvah (repentance).

And it is when Yosef sees their teshuvah that he is finally ready to reveal himself. With true sensitivity to the terror and apprehension his brothers must have been feeling, he starts to give them words of reassurance and comfort. He tells them that he was sent by Divine providence ahead of them, so that he would become advisor to Pharaoh and save the known world from the devastating famine they presently face. In his words, “It was not you who sent me here, but G-d…”

Really? The brothers did not send him, only G-d? How can that be? One of the most fundamental principles of Jewish belief is that of free will. As the Rambam says at the beginning of Chapter Five, in his laws of teshuva: “Free will is granted to all men. If one desires to turn himself to the path of good and be righteous, the choice is his. Should he desire to turn to the path of

evil and be wicked, the choice is his.”

So how can Yosef say that the brothers did not send him to Egypt, when they were indeed the ones who sold him to slave peddlers traveling to Egypt? The answer simply is that teshuvah changes everything. Teshuvah does more than earn the forgiveness of the repentant person. It actually blots out and erases the sin. In fact, our sages tell us that, when someone does teshuvah out of love for G-d and His commandments, that person’s prior sins turn into mitzvot, good deeds.

Since the sin is gone, Yosef can accurately say that the brothers were not the cause for his descent to Egypt. Now, the only cause that remains is Hashem and His plan, which was to save the Jewish people. What was once a story of cruelty and violence is transformed into a story of foresight, care, and salvation.

We are often faced with horrific events, which, in their isolation, seem meaningless, cruel, and devastating. And from the human perspective they are exactly what they appear— acts of wanton sin and destruction, perpetrated by power-hungry, selfish opportunists. However, behind all these events there is a plan, governed by a larger hand, one motivated only by good and, in the fullness of time, leading the world to good.

This theme of Hashem being the Source of all good is poignantly explored in Tehillim, perek 32. This perek opens with the words, “Praiseworthy is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered over.” The perek then goes on to speak of Hashem’s hand acting against the sinner, the sinner confessing his sin, and Hashem’s forgiveness.

There are many reasons Hashem allows suffering to be in this world. One of the reasons is to cause us to stop and reflect. Are we really living the life we are meant to live? Are we striving to make Hashem part and parcel of our lives? If we are beset with difficulty, do we despair and bewail

our fate or do we turn to Hashem, praying for guidance, asking if we need to change our path, our perspective, or our priorities? Fortunate and wise are the ones who turn to Hashem in times of trouble and grow from the experience.

This is not at all to imply that all suffering arises out of our own sin or bad choices. G-d forbid anyone should make this conclusion! As Pirkei Avos says, “It is not within our ability [to understand] neither the tranquility of the wicked nor the suffering of the righteous.” G-d’s ways are mysterious, and His plans are beyond our comprehension. Nonetheless, it is the way of the faithful to seek a meaning in their suffering, to find a way to grow from the experience, to find a light in the darkness.

Perek 32 ends with these words: “Many are the agonies of the wicked, but the one who trusts in Hashem, kindness surrounds him.” My understanding of this verse is that the worst kind of suffering is senseless suffering. The wicked are driven by short-sighted purposes. They seek immediate gain at the expense of others.

In a dog-eat-dog world, they attempt to be the one on top for as long as they can and ignore any higher obligation, purpose, or plan. They are “masters of the moment” but forget eternity. When the tables turn and it is time for the wicked to suffer, their suffering will remain senseless as long as they remain wicked. Living in a meaningless world, their suffering is as meaningless as was their exploitive gain.

On the other hand, the righteous person, who lives a life of self-examination and self-improvement, will see that all experiences are given to him for a purpose. The good times are given for his pleasure. The “bad times” are given to correct his

course, teach him greater compassion or challenge him to grow. All times, good and bad, are outpourings of Hashem’s kindness. As Dovid Hamelech says, “…but the one who trusts in Hashem, kindness surrounds him.”

The perek also includes this verse: “Be not like a horse, like a mule, uncomprehending: with muzzle and bridle to restrain when it is adorned, so that it not approach you.” Rashi says that this verse tells us that just like the horse might need to be restrained so that it does not fight against the owner when it is being brushed, adorned, and beatified, so too we might complain about the difficult but necessary experiences Hashem sends us for our benefit.

Through our hardships, we are adorned. The hardship of Yosef and his brothers was merely a prelude for the salvation of their family during famine. It was part of a larger plan, a plan that continued and resulted in all of the Jewish people moving to Egypt, descending into slavery, being forged in the crucible of that experience into an unbreakable people, being liberated through manifest miracles, and finally being led by Hashem’s loving hand to a revelation of His Torah at Sinai, the mountain of G-d. For those with eyes to see, kindness surrounds them. The dark times are just part of a larger story. If we remember this larger story is being told and we continually seek this story, hidden rays of light will start to emerge.

Dr. Michael Milgraum is a psychologist and author, as well as an inspirational community speaker living in Silver Spring, MD. His latest book is titled, To Seek a Larger Spirit: Reflections of a Jewish Psychologist.

Delving into the Daf

A Rosh Chodesh Addition – Sometimes

By Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

There is an interesting custom that many people observe: to add the words “V’kapparas pesha” to the Mussaf prayer on Rosh Chodesh during a leap year. The Elya Rabba explains that the standard Mussaf for Rosh Chodesh includes twelve requests, each corresponding to one of the twelve months. Since a leap year has an extra month, we add an additional request.

However, if we follow this reasoning, we should add the phrase “V’kapparas pesha” for each month of the leap year. Indeed, some individuals do have the custom to recite this addition throughout the entire leap year. Nevertheless, the more widespread practice is to only include these words until Adar Sheini, the leap month.

Furthermore, among all the potential additional requests we could make, why specifically choose “V’kapparas pesha ”? Why ask Hashem to forgive our sins, specifically during a leap year?

The Torah Temima suggests that the source of the custom can be traced back almost 3,000 years. Achaz was a wicked king who strayed far from the path of righteousness. Achaz closed the doors of the Beis HaMikdash, preventing the Jewish people from worshiping and offering korbanos. He went so far as to build altars for idol worship, mimicking the architectural style of the Assyrian king and embracing the pagan practices of the surrounding nations. His reign was a dark period for the Jewish people, marked by spiritual decline and a disregard for the Torah. Idolatry was widespread.

In stark contrast to his father, Chizkiyahu emerged as a champion of Torah. He is considered by Chazal to have been the greatest king of all time in his piety and devotion to Hashem. The Midrash

goes so far as to state that Hashem considered making Chizkiyahu Moshiach.

Chizkiyahu spearheaded a massive teshuva movement, calling the Jewish people to repent for their sins and re -

problem: Chazal decreed that idols have the same status as a dead body. Therefore, most of K’lal Yisrael, who had previously worshipped idols, were considered tamei due to contact with the idols.

In stark contrast to his father, Chizkiyahu emerged as a champion of Torah.

turn to Hashem. He urged them to rid themselves of their idols, to cast off the vestiges of paganism that had infiltrated their society. He instructed the Kohanim and Leviim to purify themselves, rededicate themselves to their sacred duties, and uphold the Beis Hamikdash’s sanctity.

Chizkiyahu wanted K’lal Yisrael to finally bring the Korban Pesach after all the years that the Beit Hamikdash was closed. However, there was a significant

Chizkiyahu realized they would not be able to purify themselves in time to offer the Korban Pesach. As a solution, Chizkiyahu added a leap month, Adar Sheini, to the calendar. This gave everyone an extra month to purify themselves before Pesach in Nissan. (This account is recorded in Sanhedrin 12b.)

The Gemara notes that Chizkiyahu asked Hashem for forgiveness regarding this extra month. Some say it was because it was inappropriate to add an

extra month for this reason alone. There is a well-known concept that the laws of tumah are waived for the tzibbur (community). Even if all of K’lal Yisrael were tamei, they could still bring the Korban Pesach. Chizkiyahu might have believed that such a waiver should only be relied upon if no other options existed, and in this case, he viewed adding an extra month as a valid option. However, he later recognized his error and sought forgiveness from Hashem.

The Torah Temima explains that this story illuminates our Rosh Chodesh custom with some help from other points from our Gemara. It mentions that Adar Sheini is the only extra month allowed to be added. Additionally, we cannot convene a court and add an extra month before Rosh Hashana, as Elul is too far from Adar Sheini. The populace might eventually forget that an additional month had been added. Furthermore, the Gemara states that once it is Nissan and Adar has passed, a new month may no longer be added.

Thus, Beis Din, starting from Rosh Hashana, can add a new month up to, but not including, Nissan. It is specifically during the Rosh Chodesh days that fall between those two dates that we add the phrase “V’kapparas pesha.” It is because Beis Din used to be able to add an extra month at that time. Moreover, we pray to Hashem to forgive us if a leap month was inappropriately added to the calendar, similar to how Chizkiyahu HaMelech prayed thousands of years ago.

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 Hempstead, NY. He can be contacted at ASebrow@gmail.com.

You had everything you needed for last week’s Chanukah party, but you forgot the mustard for the latkes. You scour the fridge, but it is nowhere to be seen. The solution? A quick hop to the local grocery store. You jump in, but alas – there is no parking. There is, however, parking on the other side of the street in that little mini-mall. The mall has a barber shop, a non-kosher bakery, some sort of recreation center, and a big sign that says, “Parking for Patrons Only.”

The rationalizations begin. I will only be one minute. Surely, they won’t mind. I will buy from them next time.

Defining Trespassing

How do we define trespassing? Trespassing could be one of two things from a civil law perspective. It could either be the criminal act of going into somebody else’s land or property without permission of the owner, or it could just be a civil law tort that may be a valid cause of action for a lawsuit to seek either judicial relief and or damages. In England, it is not prosecutable but one may sue for damages. In pretty much every state in the United States, however, it is also a crime. Are these trespassers in violation of halacha as well? What about when we park in front of someone else’s driveway without permission? Is this also a violation of halacha? If so, what exactly is the violation? Is it a crime or just a tort?

The Stealing Debate

The violation is actually stealing. The Talmud (Bava Basra 88a) records a debate between Rabbi Yehudah and the chachomim (sages) as to whether borrowing an item without permission renders a person into a gazlan, a thief, or whether he simply has the status of a borrower. Rabbi Yehudah maintains that he does not have the halachic status of a

Headlines Halacha

Parking Where You Shouldn’t

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

thief, while the sages maintain that he does. The Rif and the Rambam both rule in accordance with the sages that he is considered a thief. Indeed, this is also the ruling of the Shulchan Aruch in five different places (CM 292:1; 308:7; 359:5; 363:5).

Does this apply in all cases? Here, there is no value per se in setting foot on the person’s property. While this may be the case, the Chazon Ish (BK 20:5) writes that the prohibition of sho’el shelo midaas, borrowing without permission, applies even when the item is not something that generally has a market value and even if the value is less than that of a perutah.

But what about if the owner would have approved of it? Many people are thinking that if the owner was aware of “what I was doing here” he certainly would not mind. This last point is not so clear-cut. It has to do with the concept of yayush shelo midaas (that’s right, the Gemara that our sixth grade boys always do).

Let’s go back to that famous debate between Abaye and Ravah. If a person would have given up hope on a lost item but didn’t know yet that he lost it to have given up hope, did he give up hope? Abayeh says that he didn’t. Ravah says that he

did. This is one of only six incidences in which we rule like Abayeh against Ravah.

So, in our case, where the owner didn’t know about it yet but (in the trespasser’s mind) would most certainly have given permission, it doesn’t matter. We rule like Abayeh. Indeed, this is the position of the Tosfos in BM 22a “Mar Zutrah” as cited in the Sefer Mamon Yisroel. Even though the Shach (CM 358:1) writes that, if it were possible to say, he disagrees with the Tosfos, the overwhelming conclusion of halachic authorities is to remain with the ruling of the Tosfos. This is the conclusion of the Ktzos HaChoshain (358:1 and 262:1) as well as the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (182:13).

Ah, but how do we know that borrowing without permission also applies to being on someone’s land? Maybe in order to borrow, you have to physically take it. Here, you are just taking up airspace on someone’s land.

The Rashbam in Bava Basra 57b discusses a case of two partners in a property. There, writes the Rashbam, we are lenient and assume that one gives the other permission to place his animals on the land without explicit permission. In such a case, he would not be considered a shoel shelo midaas since they, in general, are partners and would let

the other do what they want with their property. The Rashbam, therefore, clearly states that when not dealing with two partners of a property, trespassing would be subsumed under the concept of shoel shelo midaas.

Backing up this idea is a ruling from Rav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, as related by Rabbi Paysach Krohn. Rabbi Shimon Grama had posed the question. If someone goes to minyan and parks in a handicapped spot, it is considered a mitzvah habaah b’aveirah and one gets no credit for davening there. This backs up the idea that trespassing on land is theft. Rav Chaim added that it is not mesirah to call the police on someone who parked in such a spot. Previously, this author reported that it was Rav Elyashiv’s view that it is not mesirah to tow away a car blocking your driveway.

If One Did Trespass

What happens if someone did or does trespass? If you are standing, it is best to sit down in order to prepare for what you are about to read. He is considered a gazlan – a thief. What are the ramifications? According to the Shulchan Aruch (CM 34:7), he cannot be a witness at a Jewish wedding unless he does teshuvah and makes restitution where applicable.

There is one caveat, however. If he is unaware that it is forbidden, he does not lose his status as kosher witness, according to the Vilna Gaon. Most authorities do rule like the Vilna Gaon.

The conclusion from all this is that trespassing is serious business. Let’s make sure that we watch where we park.

This article should be viewed as a halachic discussion and not practical advice. The author can be reached at yairhoffman2@ gmail.com.

Time, where does it go?

Israel’s medical system is much maligned for its adherence to a Socialist bureaucratic model that sets more emphasis on timeliness than on the personal touch. Though we have held onto our American medical benefits, as Israeli citizens, we are determined to become comfortable with our Kupah (medical group) and meet our new doctors.

We have been happy with our care thus far; as new olim, we got to choose from a number of different medical systems (Kupah) being offered by yet another Israeli Ministry. Specific medical groups are considered “better” for younger or older families (us).

After signing up with a Kupah, you choose a doctor to be your primary who serves as the gatekeeper of and ombudsman for all medical needs. We got lucky with ours; she was recommended by friends and has been excellent and responsive.

For a nominal fee, you can upgrade your plan or go private.

There are multiple group chats filled with advice and the names of specialists and specific doctors. It gets complicated, because these doctors are usually booked for months and months. People sometimes book a year in advance or put themselves on waiting lists.

School of Thought

Time

By Barbara Deutsch

Just about every single doctor visit is preceded by a blood test that is given by some kind of health professional in a center. Every screening, scan, x-ray, injection, test, etc. is performed by a technician and reviewed, mostly behind the scenes, by a doctor. You are in and out, no wait time.

You may have to wait months for a particular appointment, but each appointment is no longer than 10 minutes with no wait time in a waiting room – in and out with barely an examination of the body.

All family members are issued a card with a memory strip and your teudat zehut number. That strip contains your entire medical history. For reports and communication, there is a special app where you access connection to the data.

Problems pop up if, like me, you struggle with the Hebrew languages and the tech. The unfamiliar complicated medical terms can be daunting. You soon figure out that red print in any language means not good.

I have shared this language frustration with my Ulpan teacher; she assures me that as soon as we finish supermarket shopping, we will concentrate on the medical apps.

The downside of all of this efficiency is the strict adherence to time. If you have a 20-minute therapy session, there is no such thing as the treatment spilling into the next person’s slot. If you can’t find

parking or there was traffic, too bad. For a 20-minute appointment, 5 minutes late or more, your session reflects that loss of time; your therapy session shrinks to accommodate your lateness.

Josh, our son-in-law, was once 5 minutes late for an orthopedist visit, and the doctor was already leaving when he came. “Doctor, I’m here. Please stay a few minutes.” “Make a new appointment,” he was told.

It is better to cancel, even at the last minute, than to be late. I found that out the hard way. Even if the lateness is not your fault, and you have been going for therapy religiously, you are late and told “lo ichpat li” with two fingers pointed at your face.

It took us three sessions with Nefesh B’Nefesh to set up our automatic benefit payment plan with Bituach Leumi. Three work sessions, two different submissions of the same form and hours on the phone.

It’s done.

When we left the NBN offices in Cinema City, we encountered a big carnival filled with hundreds of teen boys and girls milling around; the Army was there to familiarize Israeli high school seniors to their future life. It was achingly poignant to look at the faces of the young recruits, the boys, with peach fuzz beards, and the shiny girls mingling with the fresh-faced soldiers holding rifles.

I had a quick flashback to a young man, standing on a metal leg, waiting for the elevator that morning in the Wolfson building. It houses 3 floors of doctors’ offices.

I have recently learned that there is a whole subsection of shadchanim who work with social workers and therapists on helping wheelchair-bound clients find a life partner.

What will be?

Sobering images and thoughts that haunt me while coloring the celebrations of Chanukah. Six months ago, we fulfilled our aliyah dreams during the long hot war days of summer. This week, we celebrated Maccabee victory as we lit our first outdoor chanukia in the chilly soft light of the setting sun in Jerusalem.

No one knows for certain what the next day will bring. Time – cherish it.

Too much time has been spent in combat and waiting for the hostages. I weep for their lost time spent in captivity waiting to go home!

Barbara Deutsch is the former associate principal at HANC, middle school principal at Kushner, and Dean of Students at Yeshiva of Flatbush. A not-retired educator, she is trying to figure out life in Israel through reflections on navigating the dream of aliyah as a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend.

Israel Today Where the Wind

Cries Covid

By Rafi Sackville

Covid continues to drift over our daily lives like a pigeon hovering above our heads; depending on what you believe, you’re either going to be dropped on or not. Not convinced? Observe the world around you and behold; you are likely to spot people still wearing masks. I have no issue with their behavior. It’s their right to do so.

Am I brazen enough to ask these people why they persist? I am not. If you’re like me, you lack the resolve to be cornered and chewed out about how Covid still lingers in the air we breathe, or how people are still dying from it. I steer wide of any such confrontations. I don’t need lecturing to by armchair doctors.

To me, Covid is just another on a long list of things that could kill us. Statistics show that tuberculosis kills more people per annum than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined. There’s so much danger to be avoided in life – like vehicular traffic, lead poisoning, botulism, any number of drugs, too much sugar, even terrorist attacks.

Are you fearful of any of the above? If you’re an Israeli like me, do you wear a combat vest when walking the streets of Jerusalem in fear of some deranged terrorist wielding a knife? Do you not venture outside for fear of being knocked off your feet by a car/scooter/bike like a Skittle? Is malaria the reason you don’t travel to Africa? Shouldn’t the mask-wearing guy from my block worry about the kiddush kugel?

It is not my intention to sound cynical. I’m willing to let sleeping viruses lie. Ignoring the cacophony of any conspiracy theories and not bothering with other people’s manias allows me to get along quite nicely in life with the least amount of resistance.

Which brings me to the issue at hand;

I am being targeted by several mask-wearing, Covid-fearing neighbors. The situation has become bad enough for me to be forced to take evasive action.

Allow me to explain. I live in a complex of five buildings called Ganei Zion in the Gonen suburb of Jerusalem. I’ve attached a great photo of it here that gives you a pigeon’s eye view of its five buildings built around a patch of grass almost as large as half a football ground. A path encircles it. On the right hand side is an arbor-like structure with enough room to seat twenty and an area behind it for a public sukkah. The configuration has one major flaw that affects this area all year round; the buildings are positioned to create the perfect wind tunnel. I’m talking about a

Our building is the one on the right at the top. You can see how convenient the outdoor minyan is; walk out of the lobby and into “shul.” This, despite the fact that there is a shul minyan held daily in the building to the far left.

It is in this outside area that a minyan was formed during Covid. It is large enough for safe davening. I admit it is very practical. I generally don’t daven outside. My priority is to daven in shul. The shul is small. There are times during the height of summer when it’s full. On these rare occurrences, I’ll daven outside for Mincha. During the winter months, there are oc-

There are occasions, even in the summer, when the trees feel like they’re going to come loose from their moorings.

veritable natural hazard that can knock a hat off your head or find you walking at an angle in order to make forward progress. At the top left corner and on the righthand side of the photo, you can see the street entrances to all five buildings. It’s from here the wind builds up steam and whooshes around the grassy area. It’s akin to standing in front of a huge fan. There’s no avoiding it. There are occasions, even in the summer, when the trees feel like they’re going to come loose from their moorings.

I’ve been living here for almost a year.

casions when the shul can’t muster a minyan for Ma’ariv. If that happens, I’ll daven outside at 9 p.m.

But here’s the rub: joining the outside minyan can be problematic; your presence is an unspoken identification with its existence and thus imposes upon you a shared sense of responsibility for being counted on if the minyan is short of men.

A while back, I was on my way to shul. I made my way through the lobby. Outside I was confronted with refrains of “Rafi, we need you for a minyan”; “Baruch Hashem you’re here. Do you want to be chazan?”

It was cold, and the wind…well, it felt like it was gale force. I was having none of it. To the chagrin of the freezing few before me, I walked to shul. What I wanted to ask them is why were they making me feel guilty for wanting to daven in a shul, why were they making me feel like a turncoat, and why did I have to be part of their postCovid madness?

The next day, it was windier. I didn’t want to run the gauntlet again. So instead of getting off at the lobby, I took the elevator down to the parking garage and walked across to the underground entrance of the tower that houses the minyan.

After minyan, I shared my thoughts with two of my neighbors. To my disbelief, they told me that they, too, regularly took to the parking lot in order to get to shul. They aren’t alone. It seems there might be more men getting to shul by going underground than there are those who are willing to face their neighbors congregated on the grass.

One member of the Covid-is-still-dangerous-minyan is a man I’d like to look squarely in the face, but even in the cold, in gale force winds and standing alone to the side, he’s wearing a face mask.

And then, quite suddenly, the minyan was disbanded until further notice. It seems they were consistently short a minyan. It must have been due to the colder weather.

But just in case they start up again, I’m still going to make my way to shul underground.

Rafi Sackville, formerly from Cedarhurst, teaches in Yeshivat Horev in Yerushalayim.

The Wandering Jew Colorado

Part I: Denver, Estes Park, Vail & Montrose

By Hershel Lieber

After whetting our appetite with the rugged beauty of the Western States while visiting Zion National Park in 2004 and the Grand Canyon in 2005, we were ready to take on the State of Colorado in 2010. Colorado is number four in the number of National Parks that states have. There are four great parks there. The distances that we

would have to travel from one park to another was only between three to four hours. We would be able to do this trip in a relaxed mode for ten days, including a Shabbos in Denver. We heard a lot about the majestic mountains with their magnificent views and were eager to witness Hashem’s handiwork with our own eyes.

We set out on Wednesday, August 4

and flew to Denver. It was late evening when we finally settled into our hotel room. The next morning, after davening, we went to see some of Denver’s sights. We took a shuttle to the State Capitol and toured the building. We then visited the Denver Art Museum. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to see a special exhibition on Tutankhamon, the ancient

Egyptian Pharoah (on loan from Egypt) including an enlightening 3-D film. Later, we drove to the airport to exchange our rental car which appeared to have some mechanical problems. That evening, we ate at the famous East Side Kosher Deli which was then owned by Michael and Marcy Schreiber. The food was great and was the source of our Shabbos seudos and weekday dinners for the duration of our trip. We returned in the morning and after a pareve breakfast (there were actually diners eating pastrami and eggs for breakfast), filled up two styrofoam chests with an array of prepared food. They also had a separate section in the store with kosher groceries and Cholov Yisroel products which we would not be able to find in a supermarket.

The drive to Estes Park was only ninety minutes, yet as we ascended the Rocky Mountain range, a different world greeted us. Though we saw the Rockies from afar when we left Denver, we were not ready for the impact they had on us from up close. We had rented a serene cabin at the foot of the Rockies for three nights including Shabbos, which was starting that very evening. The setting was mag-

Scenery along the Rim Rock Drive

Rocky Mountain National Park

nificent with a rushing stream framed by aspens, pines and juniper trees across the bank. Behind them rose the majestic mountains at such heights that they seemed to touch the puffy clouds above. We went into town for fruits and flowers and set the Shabbos table. Before Shabbos, we took showers, and I even relaxed in a jacuzzi. Pesi and I sat outside as we davened Kabbolas Shabbos accompanied by the chirping crickets. Our seudah was relaxing; the food was hot and delicious. We sang zemiros, and I said a dvar Torah. It was too cold to sit out, so

we stretched out on the couches and conversed until drowsiness forced us to go to sleep, which was pretty soon.

Shabbos day was pretty much the same – davening, eating, noshing while learning Pirkei Avos and lots of shmoozing as we sat outside on comfortable wooden Adirondack chairs near the rushing stream. We could not move the chairs because we had no eiruv, but we positioned them before Shabbos for the best possible view.

Sunday was dedicated to the Rocky Mountains National Park which was

only ten miles away. We packed up the car and began climbing the mountains on the Trail Ridge Road which reaches a height of over 12,000 feet. The road has many twists, turns and drop-offs and is not easy to navigate. At times, it was quite scary to drive along the edge of a road with no barriers on a two-mile tall mountain! The road starts off with many trees, but as it ascends, the trees become sparce, and before long you are in the Alpine Tundra area where nothing grows. The views there are mindboggling, and we were overwhelmed with the natural

glory that we merited seeing. We took a hike overlooking the Colorado River and another one to Albert Falls, a total of three miles.

We did have one upsetting incident when Pesi’s wallet went missing from her knapsack. We had no phone connection at that altitude to cancel any cards, so we had to wait until we reached the ranger station to report the theft. There wasn’t much they could do about it. In the evening, we cancelled the cards, and my brother in-law faxed copies of Pesi’s passport and driver’s license to our ho -

Rocky Mountain National Park

Colorado National Monument

tel so that she could board the plane on her return flight. Confidently, we did not let this incident impair our fantastic and “fantastic” day!

Monday morning, we left Estes Park and headed towards Vail. Though a slight rain was falling, we were mesmerized by the breathtaking scenery. The mountain

passes with their narrow road and without any guardrails kept us in suspense the entire drive. We stopped at a number of scenic overlooks to take photos during our three-hour drive to the Ski Capital of America. We enjoyed a picnic lunch by a riverbed overlooking fields of blooming wildflowers. What a scenic view!

Before entering Vail, we visited the Betty Ford Gardens where native plants reign supreme. We then walked around Vail Village with its quaint shops and restaurants. Though it is best known for its winter sports and activities, tourists flock to Vail year-round. For Pesi and me, it was too touristy as we prefer quieter and serene surroundings. We stayed overnight and left at 8:30

pers. The were many overlooks where we stopped to gaze at the rugged beauty. We still had one more place to visit that day, so we drove to Montrose and arrived at 2:30 p.m. We entered The Black Canyon National Park where we encountered the steepest cliffs, oldest rocks, and craggiest spires in North America. It is called Black Canyon because the canyon is so deep and narrow that sunlight hits the

The road starts off with many trees, but as it ascends, the trees become sparce, and before long you are in the Alpine Tundra area where nothing grows.

a.m. heading toward the Colorado National Monument. The roads we traveled on were extremely dangerous; whenever I remember this drive, I get the shivers. We arrived at 11 a.m. and immediately drove along the Rim Rock Drive which hugs the edge of the mountain. This twenty-three-mile drive offers red rock canyons in every shape and form, many of them bedecked with sage green juni-

bottom only a very short period each day. The Gunnison River, which is on the bottom of the canyon, drops an average of thirty-four feet for each mile it travels. We spent two hours marveling at this gem of a spectacle. We were bushed when we checked into our hotel but were rewarded with a day full of memorable experiences which we cherish until this very day.

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

Rocky Mountain National Park

Colorado National Monument

Colorado State Capitol

Black Canyon National Park

By TJH Staff

As we turn the calendar page of 2024, we look back on a year that made us laugh and cry, gasp and shudder, relax and worry. With a conglomerate of emotions and events, 2024 proved to be its own rollercoaster of twists and turns, up and downs.

Foremost on our minds, were the 96 hostages still being held in the dark, cold tunnels of Gaza, facing famine, torture and trauma. We keep them in our hearts and minds as we look toward our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land, many of them wearing the green uniforms of heroes as they scour the land to rid it of evil.

As we look back on the year, we also remember that there were lighthearted moments as well. We hope that this glimpse into the year-that-was will help you walk down memory lane. This brief overview, TJH-style, of the past twelve months will hopefully bring a smile or two to your face as you remember that there were some interesting, exhilarating, momentous, and even confusing events that made up the year 2024.

swent Stuck in Space

On June 5, NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore blasted off to the International Space Station in a Boeing Starliner capsule for a round trip that was supposed to last just over a week, but helium leaks in the capsule prevented them from returning. SpaceX is working with NASA to finish production of a new Dragon spacecraft which will be sent to fetch the astronauts. That is expected to take place in March, at the earliest.

“Mindset does go a long way,” Wilmore said in a video interview with elementary school students. “I don’t look at these situations in life as being downers.”

swent

Francis Scott Key Bridge

c A me & went

2024 | came & went

rCame Soft Landing on the moon

In January 2024, Japan’s SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) achieved the nation’s first successful lunar landing, joining an elite group of countries. Until now, only the U.S., Russia, China, and India had accomplished this feat.

swent

Denmark Queen Abdicates

On January 14, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark abdicated the throne after more than 50 years of reign, citing health concerns and a desire to ensure a smooth transition. The Queen, 83, is the first royal in Denmark to willingly step down in 900 years. Her eldest son, Crown Prince Frederik, 55, assumed the throne, becoming King Frederik X.

rCame Solar eclipse

The 2024 total solar eclipse, dubbed the “Great American Eclipse,” captivated millions across the United States on April 8, as the moon’s shadow traversed a path of totality stretching from Texas to Maine. American Paper Optics (APO), a Tennessee-based company, sold over 75 million pairs of eclipse glasses. The next eclipse in the 48 contiguous states is expected to occur on August 12, 2044.

rsCame and went Prisoner Swap

On August 1, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who had been jailed in Russia since March 2023, was released in a prisoner swap. Russia accused the Jewish journalist of collecting information for the CIA. He was convicted several weeks earlier in a closed-door trial and sentenced to 16 years in jail.

The prison swap also included the release of former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, 54, who had been jailed in Russia for five years on spy charges. The deal included a total of 16 prisoners released from Russia in exchange eight Russians jailed in the U.S., Germany, Norway, Slovenia and Poland. Among the Russians is Vadim Krasikov, a convicted Russian state assassin who was in German custody, as well as three other Russians in U.S. custody. Perhaps Vice President Kamala Harris said it best while greeting the released prisoners on the tarmac: “This is just an extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy and understands the strength that rests in understanding the significance of diplomacy.”

At 1:30 a.m. on March 26, 2024, a cargo ship leaving the Port of Baltimore struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing part of the bridge to collapse into the Patapsco River below. As the cargo ship approached the bridge and lost power, quick-acting highway police were able to shut down the bridge; however, six construction workers who had been on the bridge died. The collapse completely blocked most shipping access to the Port of Baltimore for 11 weeks, impacting thousands of jobs and causing an estimated economic loss of $15 million per day.

swent

Roller coaster Retires

On November 10, Six Flags Great Adventure shut down Kingda Ka, the world’s tallest roller coaster, to make way for a new record-breaking roller coaster expected to open in 2026. In the 19 years that the hydraulic thrill ride was open, 12 million people buckled up for the stomach-dropping experience.

swent

crypto wonderchild Sentenced

Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX convicted in March of stealing $8 billion from customers, was sentenced to 25 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $11 billion in forfeiture. The once-crypto wonderchild, 32, claims that he never thought that what he was doing was illegal.

swent

woke is Broke

One of the many biproducts of this year’s election results is that numerous American companies are scaling back or scrapping their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, known as DEI. These programs have long been accused of causing reverse racism by preventing qualified people from getting jobs based on their ethnicity. Companies that are stepping away from DEI include Walmart, Ford, John Deere, Lowe’s, and Toyota, amongst many others.

rCame the ten commandments

On June 19, the GOP-dominated Legislature led by Gov. Jeff Landry passed a bill requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom. The bill requires that the text of the Commandments must be displayed in a “large, easily readable font.” Gov. Landry had very practical advice for parents who for some reason would not want their children to see G-d’s commandments: “Tell your child not to look at them.” Several groups immediately filed suit, and a U.S. District Judge ruled that the law is unconstitutional. However, the battle is far from over— many believe that this case will eventually be decided by the Supreme Court of the United States.

rCame el mayo Arrested

rCame tren de Aragua

The vicious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is now operating in at least 6 states, according to federal officials, thanks to a wide open border over the past four years. NYPD officials recently disclosed that the gang has been recruited inside New York City tax-funded migrant shelters. Many became aware of the violent illegal immigrant gang when a video went viral showing them conducting a forced takeover of an apartment complex in the Denver suburb of Aurora.

Incoming border czar Tom Homan promised that “Tren de Aragua’s days are numbered.” He said that as of January 20, “they are going to be arrested, they are going to be detained, and they are going to be removed.” However, several Democrat mayors and governors have promised to protect the violent criminals from deportation.

On July 26, U.S. federal agents in El Paso, Texas, arrested Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, one of the world’s most powerful drug lords. The 76-year-old co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, alongside Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, had long been known for his extreme caution and paranoia. El Mayo claims he was abducted by one of El Chapo’s sons and forcibly taken to the location where he was captured. It is speculated that El Chapo’s son decided to turn himself into U.S. authorities and brought Zambada along as a prize to sweeten any plea deal.

rCame congestion Pricing

On June 26, New York Governor Kathy Hochul suddenly halted implementation of the long-awaiting congestion pricing plan for Manhattan. According to the plan, all vehicles entering below 60th Street would have to pay $15. The sudden halt took many by surprise, and cynics concluded that the halt was because of a fear of a backlash against Democrats on election day, November 5. But of course, that had nothing to do with it…until November 14 (nine days after the election for those counting), Gov. Hochul announced that congestion pricing is back and would go into effect on January 5, 2025.

Just to make sure that the gaslighting continues, Hochul declared that instead of the toll costing $15, it would be $9. “From day one I have made affordability for New York families a top priority. I always have and I always will fight to put more money in the pockets of everyday New Yorkers,” Hochul said. “That’s why, back in June, I stood up on behalf of hardworking families and simply said no. No to a new $15 congestion toll that at that particular time was just too much. You heard me correctly, it was $15 and now it is $9, that is a 40% reduction.” She concluded, “This lower toll will save daily commuters nearly $1,500 annually, and that kind of money makes a big difference for our families.”

2024 | came & went

srCame and went the Kackle

Although Kamala Harris had served as vice president for nearly four years, many Americans remained unfamiliar with her until “the great switcheroo,” when she replaced Joe Biden as the top name on the 2024 Democratic ticket. “She’s famous, but she’s unknown,” observed Democratic strategist and pollster Cornell Belcher in an interview with The New York Times. However, in the age of social media, her Kackle and “Kamalaisms,” quickly gained widespread attention. As she crisscrossed the nation, “spreading joy” while sidestepping responsibility for issues like soaring inflation and illegal immigration, Republicans counted on voters to see through the facade. They did—despite the Harris campaign burning through $1.5 billion in 115 days. Today, “the Kackle” is gone…“unburdened by what has been.”

swent Alexei navalny

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, widely regarded as President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent political rival, died in a Russian prison on February 16. Russian authorities claimed an investigation found no evidence of foul play, attributing his death to “natural causes” and informing his family it was due to “sudden death syndrome” (a condition which once diagnosed is certainly too late to heal). For Putin, whose animosity toward Navalny was well-documented—including a botched poisoning attempt in 2020—this turn of events conveniently removes his most vocal critic.

swent Jimmy carter Dies

Just days before 2024 faded into oblivion, former President Jimmy Carter left this world at the age of 100. The peanut farmer from Georgia was little known when he announced his candidacy for the Oval Office. But after years of a tumultuous Nixon White House, Americans were eager for a change and galvanized behind the smalltown persona that Carter curated. Alas, the lovefest between America and the 39th President of the United States was short-lived as Americans endured sky-high prices and long lines at the gas pump during his four years in office. Carter was soundly booted out of the White House after one term, handing Ronald Reagan a resounding victory.

Carter spent his post-presidency years circling the globe as a statesman and advocating for different human rights causes. He was a vocal supporter for Palestinian statehood and formed fast friendships with peace-loving individuals such as Yasser Arafat and Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Hamas terrorist movement.

swent

Senator Bob menendez convicted

On July 16, a federal jury found former Democrat New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez guilty on 16 counts of accepting bribes, including cash and gold bars, to benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar. “I have never violated my public oath,” declared Menendez, 70, upon exiting court. Facing pressure from his Democrat colleagues, the once powerful senator resigned from the Senate in August. Menendez’s sentencing has been delayed until 2025. The maximum sentence can be 222 years, but he is expected to face 10 to 20 years in prison.

Ozempic

In 2024, the use of Ozempic and other semaglutides surged globally as a weight loss tool. The popularity of these medications has resulted in a shortage as the drugmakers have been struggling to keep up with skyrocketing demand. Even so, they seem to be readily available in the Five Towns, judging by how loose everyone’s suits seem to be.

DOGE

TGiant Chopsticks

SpaceX has revolutionized rocket recovery with its innovative “chopsticks” system, a pair of massive mechanical arms mounted on its launch towers. Officially called the Mechazilla system, these chopsticks are designed to catch a rocket in midair and secure the reusable booster stages of rockets like the Starship as they descend. SpaceX successfully tested the system in October.

he newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, is on a mission to overhaul the federal government. Tasked by President-elect Trump with reducing wasteful spending, cutting unnecessary regulations, and improving overall efficiency, DOGE’s ambitious plans include shrinking the federal workforce, ending remote work, slashing $2 trillion in spending, and consolidating 75% of federal agencies. Amid a flood of ideas and applicants eager to collaborate with these industry giants, DOGE posted a pointed message on Twitter: “We don’t need more part-time idea generators. We need super high-IQ, small-government revolutionaries ready to work 80+ hours a week on unglamorous cost-cutting.”

Bitcoin

The crown jewel of cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, has been around since 2008, introduced to the world by the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto. In 2024, capturing the attention of even those who had previously steered clear of the crypto world, Bitcoin surged by an impressive 146%, at one point reaching a record high of over $106,000 per coin.

Drones

From battlefields to suburban skies, drones dominated headlines in 2024. On the global stage, viral videos showcased the IDF targeting terrorists and Ukrainian forces chasing down Russian soldiers, highlighting how drones have revolutionized modern warfare. Closer to home, New Jersey residents have been left unsettled by the mysterious presence of massive drones buzzing overhead with no official explanation. One disheartening theory is that the federal government is using drones to search for missing radioactive material. The White House, however, downplayed the concerns, essentially saying, “Drones? What drones?” The White House’s stonewalling has only added to the anxiety felt by many.

2024 | came & went 2024 | world events

Russia/Ukraine death toll rises

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the conflict has exacted a staggering toll. Russian military losses have reportedly surpassed 750,000 soldiers and are projected to exceed 1 million within six months, according to U.K. Under-Secretary of Defense Luke Pollard. Moscow has remained silent on its casualty numbers, while Ukraine has reported losing around 43,000 soldiers on the battlefield.

Despite these losses, Ukraine has made significant territorial gains, reclaiming 54 percent of the land occupied by Russia. However, 18 percent of Ukraine remains under Russian control. Over the course of the war, Ukraine has received substantial international support, totaling approximately $278 billion, including $75 billion from the United States.

As the conflict enters its third year, President-elect Donald Trump has suggested a possible shift in U.S. policy. He has signaled a willingness to negotiate an end to the war, even hinting that Kyiv may need to concede some territory to Russia. This approach diverges sharply from the Biden administration’s policy, which has supported Ukraine’s autonomy in deciding any terms of peace.

“All those cities are destroyed,” Trump remarked. “It’s nice to say they want their land back, but the cities are largely destroyed.”

England Palace Illness

Buckingham Palace announced in February that King Charles, age 76, had been diagnosed with cancer and was beginning a course of treatment. When asked about his health recently, the King joked, “I’m still alive.”

A younger royal has been battling cancer as well. In March, Kate Middleton, the 42-year-old wife of Prince William and mother of their three children, announced her diagnosis after weeks of speculation about her well-being. She recently returned to the public spotlight after eight months.

Meanwhile, across the pond in the U.S., rumors continue to swirl about the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The two have been making individual appearances at events, and according to the Mirror, are in the process of ending their six-year marriage.

Haiti

A total Mess

The instability in Haiti, caused by the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, has reached a breaking point with armed gangs now controlling 85% of capital city Port-au-Prince. Thousands have been killed and tens of thousands have fled.

Earlier this month, gangs looted the only trauma hospital in Port-au-Prince and set fire to the building. Humanitarian aid flowing into the ravaged country was halted for thirty days in November after gangs shot three planes coming in from the U.S.

Since 2023, more than 423,000 Haitians have fled to the U.S.

North Korea

Floods & executions

In the aftermath of catastrophic floods in July that destroyed thousands of homes and claimed up to 4,000 lives, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly ordered the execution of approximately 30 officials. The floods devastated Sinuiju and Uiju County in North Pyongan Province, where Kim was photographed aboard a raft “participating” in relief efforts.

2024 | came & went 2024 | world events

Syria

Assad ousted

On December 8, 2024, Syria’s 13-year civil war reached a decisive turning point as opposition forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group with al-Qaeda origins, captured Damascus. This victory forced President Bashar al-Assad to flee to Russia, effectively ending his family’s 54-year reign over the country.

The collapse of Assad’s regime has dealt significant blows to its two key backers, Russia and Iran, both of which have used Syria as a critical strategic foothold in different parts of the world. With Russia heavily engaged in Ukraine and Iran, along with its allies like Hezbollah significantly weakened by its post-October 7 conflict with Israel, neither was in a position to rescue Assad this time. As Syria transitions into a post-Assad era, its trajectory remains uncertain, but the emerging dynamics are likely to undermine the long-standing interests of both Russia and Iran.

Iran Chopper down

On May 19, 2024, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and six others were killed in helicopter crash in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province. An official investigation attributed the accident to adverse weather conditions, finding no evidence of sabotage.

President Raisi, 63, had been in office since 2021 and was considered a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran observed five days of mourning, with Supreme Leader Khamenei leading funeral prayers attended by tens of thousands in Tehran.

In July, Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in as Iran’s ninth president.

Japan Automaker Merger

This year, Honda and Nissan, two of Japan’s leading automakers, announced plans to merge, potentially forming the world’s third-largest car manufacturer by sales. Automakers in Japan have lagged behind their big rivals in electric vehicles and are trying to cut costs and make up for lost time.

The announcement comes amid financial struggles for Nissan, the world’s 14th largest automaker, which has faced declining profitability and market challenges. Honda, Japan’s second-largest automaker behind Toyota, boasts a market capitalization exceeding $40 billion, while Nissan, ranked third in Japan, is valued at approximately $10 billion. Together, the merger could create a formidable competitor in the global market.

Mexico

First Jewish President

In June, Claudia Sheinbaum made history as both Mexico’s first female president and its first Jewish president. While she is not religiously observant, Sheinbaum embraces her cultural Jewish identity and frequently reflects on her heritage.

“I grew up without religion. That’s how my parents raised me,” she shared during a 2018 event hosted by a Jewish organization in Mexico City. “But obviously, the culture, that’s in your blood.”

Sheinbaum’s Jewish roots trace back to her maternal grandparents, who fled Bulgaria before the Holocaust, and her paternal grandparents, who escaped Lithuania in the 1920s. Both families sought refuge in Mexico, where her parents were born.

Israel Takes Control of The Philadelphi Corridor

In May, despite warnings from the Biden administration, the IDF entered the southern Gaza city of Rafah and secured control over most of the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egyptian border. They also took control of the Rafah Crossing, the sole gateway between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. These strategic gains allow Israel to regulate the movement of goods between the two regions. According to the Institute for the Study of War, Israel has likely defeated Hamas in Khan Younis and is advancing similarly in Rafah, effectively disrupting Hamas’s ability to function as a military force.

Q Q Q

Ismail Haniyeh Blasted in His Sleep

On July 31, while in Iran to attend the inauguration of Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian – who assumed office following the death of his predecessor in a helicopter crash – Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, 62, was killed when a bomb detonated in his bedroom. Reports indicate that the bomb had been planted in the guesthouse approximately two months earlier and was remotely activated, killing both Haniyeh and his bodyguard. Before his assassination, Haniyeh had met with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Long a target of Israeli intelligence, Haniyeh had previously been difficult to reach due to his protection in Qatar. Last week, Israel officially acknowledged for the first time that it was responsible for Haniyeh’s killing.

Yahya Sinwar Eliminated

In what militarily looks like a chance encounter, Israel killed the leader of Hamas in Gaza less than two weeks after the first anniversary of October 7. Sinwar, who was Israel’s number one target since October 7, was believed to be hiding in a labyrinth of tunnels surrounded by tens of hostages. He was known for extreme caution, and it is believed that he only communicated by written notes. On October 16, IDF soldiers patrolling an area in Rafah identified three Hamas fighters and engaged them in a firefight, killing all three. Upon examination of their bodies, one of them bore a striking resemblance to Sinwar. The corpse, however, remained at the site due to suspected booby traps and instead, part of a finger was removed and sent to Israel for testing, at which time it was confirmed that it was Sinwar. Photos of Sinwar with a gaping hole in his head quickly made the rounds on the internet, hopefully reminding others of what awaits them.

Israel Smokes Out Nasrallah…and His Replacement

Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s founder and leader for over 30 years, had long been a target of Israel but managed to evade attacks by staying in deeply buried bunkers. On September 27, while the 64-year-old Nasrallah and other top Hezbollah leaders were meeting to strategize against Israel, their underground haven was breached. Israel deployed 85 bunker-buster bombs, delivering 80 tons of explosives that obliterated the bunker, situated 60 feet below ground. The attack also leveled three residential buildings above, leaving only smoldering craters in its wake. Just days after Nasrallah’s death, his successor, Hashem Safieddine, suffered the same fate, killed by another round of bunker-buster strikes.

Lebanon Ceasefire

The IDF’s incursion into South Lebanon to confront the reputedly well-trained Hezbollah militants was anticipated to pose a greater challenge for Israel than the war in Gaza. However, with northern Israel paralyzed by relentless Hezbollah rocket attacks, action became unavoidable. Tragically, Israel lost 47 brave soldiers in the conflict.

Yet, their sacrifice, along with that of their IDF brethren, led to a decisive success. On November 27, Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire on terms highly favorable to Israel. The agreement required the Iran-backed militant group to vacate South Lebanon entirely and retreat to the northern side of the Litani River, creating a 19-mile buffer zone between Hezbollah and Israel.

This defeat not only forced Hezbollah to its knees but also shattered the perception of the group as an unstoppable threat on Israel’s northern border. It dealt a severe blow to Iran’s regional ambitions, undermining its ability to project power through its proxy forces. Analysts suggest this setback weakened Iran to the extent that it could no longer sustain its support for the Assad regime in Syria, ultimately contributing to Assad’s downfall.

Exploding Beepers & Walkie Talkies

On September 17, Israel launched a meticulously planned operation in Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah by detonating explosive-laden pagers embedded within the group’s communication network. The synchronized blasts killed at least 42 people and injured over 4,000. Adding to the devastation, the following day saw thousands of Hezbollah walkie-talkies explode—some during funerals for victims of the initial attack. This operation was the result of over a decade of preparation, with Mossad agents covertly infiltrating these booby-trapped devices into Hezbollah’s systems through untraceable foreign intermediaries. The strike dealt not only a heavy physical toll but also a profound psychological blow, underscoring Israel’s far-reaching intelligence capabilities and surgical precision. Internationally, it served to restore the Mossad’s esteemed reputation, which had been tarnished by its failures on October 7.

IDF Strikes Military Sites in Iran

In a pre-dawn attack on October 26, carried out by over 100 Israeli air force planes, the IDF struck key military sites across Iran. The operation took out Iran’s air defenses and struck key missile and drone sites. Although the U.S. asked Israel not to strike the nuclear facilities, out of fear that it could lead to an all-out war, it is confirmed that Israel struck an active top secret nuclear weapons research facility. Although he didn’t give much detail, Prime Minister Netanyahu disclosed that “there is a specific component in their nuclear program that was hit,” which dealt a severe setback to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Israel Destroys Syrian Military

Following the fall of Assad’s regime in Syria in early December, Israel launched a swift and comprehensive military campaign aimed at neutralizing Syrian assets it considered too dangerous to risk falling into rebel hands. Nearly 500 targets were struck, including air defense systems, military airfields, naval vessels, missile stockpiles, and numerous weapons production facilities in Damascus and other cities. Israel reported that 90% of Syria’s surface-to-air missile systems were destroyed. The elimination of these air defense systems reportedly grants the Israeli military greater operational freedom, potentially allowing for missions extending into Iranian airspace. Additionally, Israeli forces secured Mount Hermon, a strategic high point in the Golan Heights that has served as a buffer zone between Syria and Israel since 1974. Q Q Q Q

A timeline of the greatest comeback in modern history

January 26, 2024 February 16 April 15 June 27

A New York jury renders a verdict requiring former President Donald Trump to pay E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million in damages for supposed defamatory remarks that he made about her.

NY Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron orders Trump to pay $355 million for supposedly inflating the value of Mar-a-Lago. The Trump-hating judge concluded that Mar-a-Lago is only worth $18 million. “The fraud is on the court when you rule that Mar-aLago is worth $18 million,” Trump said on the witness stand in November. “I could give you a quarter of a tennis court that’s worth more than that.”

Former Biden Justice Department official and Trump-hating Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg puts Trump on trial for misreporting a payment in a 2016 business record. Former Trump lawyer-turned-Trump enemy Michael Cohen, who served time in prison for several felonies, is Bragg’s star witness. Throughout the trial, Trump is accompanied by various politicians eager to gain the approval of the MAGA world. On May 30, a Manhattan jury finds Trump guilty.

Trump cleans President Joe Biden’s clocks in the first presidential debate. When asked what he would do to bring back the national debt, Biden responds as follows: “What I’m going to do is fix the taxes. For example, we have a thousand trillionaires in America – I mean, billionaires in America. And what’s happening? They’re in a situation where they, in fact, pay 8.2 percent in taxes. If they just paid 24 percent or 25 percent, either one of those numbers, they’d raised $500 million – billion dollars, I should say, in a 10-year period. We’d be able to right – wipe out his debt. We’d be able to help make sure that – all those things we need to do, childcare, elder care, making sure that we continue to strengthen our healthcare system, making sure that we’re able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I’ve been able to do with the COVID – excuse me, with dealing with everything we have to do with. Look, if – we finally beat Medicare.” Trump replies, “He did beat Medicare. He beat it to death.”

July 13

When all else fails, kill him. While at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a gunman on a roof just several hundred yards away shoots at Trump with an AR-15. Luckily, Trump turns his head at that exact second, causing the three bullets to whiz by and only graze his ear. A bloodied Trump forces his way up while being held down by Secret Service agents, pumps his fist in the air, and screams, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” making that the moment that even those with Trump Derangement Syndrome can no longer accuse him of being a coward or weak. Unfortunately, one man in the audience is killed while protecting his wife and kids from the bullets. The gunman is also shot and killed. The interim head of the Secret Service later explained that there was no protection on the roof that the gunman fired from because it “has a sloped roof at its highest point.” She resigned in disgrace within days, and many questions remain unanswered.

september 10

Trump and Harris face off in their only debate. Despite warnings that Harris would try to poke at his ego and that he should stay calm, Harris did exactly that and Trump took the bait. But what is most memorable about the debate is, as Trump said, in the city of Springfield, Ohio, the Haitian immigrants are “eating the cats. They’re eating – they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”

July 15

On the first day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Trump names Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate. They appear on stage together with Trump wearing a large white bandage on his right ear.

september 15

Once again, there is an attempt on Trump’s life at the former president’s West Palm Beach, Florida, golf club while Trump is on the green 300 to 500 yards away. Luckily, Secret Service personnel spot the shooter seconds before he gets a shot off.

July 21

Kamala Harris skips over popular Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and names the relatively unknown Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.

Sen. Vance and Gov. Walz clash in the only vice-presidential debate. Walz explains away numerous lies about his military service by referring to himself as a knucklehead. Vance turns in a stellar performance, ending the media’s ability to paint him as weird and unrelatable.

october 1 August 6

After three weeks of pressure by Democrat bigwigs, such as Barack Obama, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Chuck Schumer, and George Clooney, Biden finally buckles and exits the race. Within minutes though, he upends the establishment who were hoping for a quick open primary by endorsing Vice Pres. Kamala Harris.

october 28

Trump holds a massive rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Media claims that it proves that Trump is a Nazi because in the 1930s there was a pro-Nazi rally in MSG.

November 6

Gaslighting of America ends with Trump’s resounding electoral college and popular vote win over Kamala Harris. Trump receives 77,284,118 votes, which was more than he received in 2020 or 2016. Republicans also ride Trump’s coattails to a comfortable Senate victory and a slim victory in the House of Representatives.

$420.9 Billion

Elon Musk’s net worth at the end of 2024, making him the richest man in the world. The second richest person is Jeff Bezos who is worth a measly $238.5 billion.

40,000 points

The amount of points scored by Lebron James by March 2, making him the first NBA player in history to reach that milestone. The 39-year-old superstar also made history this year as the first NBA player to play alongside his son in the NBA when James was joined on the court by his son Bronny James, 20, on October 23.

$487 Million

The fine Boeing agreed to pay on July 7 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States over its role in two tragic 737 Max crashes. This was a small fraction of the $24.8 billion sought by victims’ families.

87.3%

The percentage of Russians who voted for Vladimir Putin on March 18, helping him secure a fifth term as Russian president. Hopefully the 12.7% that did not vote for Putin stay away from windows.

69%

The percentage of Americans who reported that the 2024 U.S. presidential election was a significant source of stress, according to a study by the American Psychological Association.

$765,000,000

The record-breaking contract signed by 26-year-old slugger Juan Soto with the Mets, spanning 15 years and making it the largest deal in MLB history.

312

The number of Electoral College votes Donald Trump secured in the 2024 presidential election, buoyed by flipping six key swing states—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. This total far surpassed the 270 votes required to win the presidency. Kamala Harris, by contrast, garnered just 212 Electoral College votes.

126

The total number of medals won by Team U.S.A. at the Paris Summer Olympics, securing their place at the top of the medal table. Both the U.S. and China claimed 40 gold medals, but China trailed in overall performance with just 91 total medals. Japan rounded out the top three with 45 medals.

4.8

Magnitude of the earthquake that hit the New York City region on Friday, April 5, at 10:23 a.m. In addition to New York and New Jersey, the quake was felt in parts of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

rené Magritte,

L’empire des lumières, 1954

Sold for $121,160,000 by Christie’s in November

ed ruscha, Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half, 1964

Sold by Christie’s in November for $68,260,000

Claude Monet, Nymphéas

Sold in November by Sotheby’s for $65,500,000

Mark rothko, Untitled (Yellow and Blue) (1954)

Sold by Sotheby’s Hong Kong in November for $32,470,000

andy Warhol, Flowers (1964)

Sold for $35,480,000 by Christie’s in May

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (ELMAR) (1982)

Sold by Phillip’s in May for $46,480,000

Maurizio Cattelan’s

duct-taped banana, titled “Comedian”

Sold by Sotheby’s in New York for $6,240,000 to Justin Sun, a 34-year old cryptocurrency platform founder from China. Sun ate the banana…and highlighted the absurdity of pricing “art.”

Nation

RRosie Heilbrun, a”h

The Redhead with Steel Determination

By Eliyahu RosEnBERg

osie once heard from her Zaidy that music is the language of the soul—that before neshamas come down to Earth, they speak to one another in beats and melodies.

Based on her own life experiences, Rosie knew her grandfather was right. Because, although she could speak a couple of languages, her first language—her native tongue—was, without a doubt, the language of dance.

She sensed the rhythm in everything

In Her Words…

happening around her. The thumping sound of her mother churning milk into cheese. The crunch of the bread sliced by her 17-year-old sister Leah. And the tapping sounds of her 13-year-old brother Yecheskel’s feet sliding into his Shabbos shoes.

She felt the rhythm of her dining room table: everyone marching to dinner, sitting down, chewing—forks and knives clashing and hitting plates. And the rhythm of her home: the sewing ma-

l et’s unite. l et’s love instead of hate. l et’s do good things for our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. We could make a beautiful empire and live in peace with all of us because everybody only has one g-d.

Being quiet is not going to help anybody. Bring out the truth. see what’s happening today! We should all come together and fight for the truth to make a better world for all of us… Throw out antisemitism. Throw out racism. Throw out hate. Bring love and peace. a nd you’ll see what a beautiful world we could create together.

a lot of people ask, ‘What kept her going?’ There were many things that kept her going. she loved life, and she wanted her future. But another thing was that my grandmother was always looking out for someone else. she was taking care of a lot of people.

chine buzzing calmly as Rosie’s bright sister, just seventeen months younger than herself, sewed clothes like a master seamstress. Her family laughing at her charming little brother’s jokes.

Rosie, a natural performer, could even sense the rhythm of the wind blowing in Crasna, the picturesque little town she called home. That’s where her childhood took place—on the hills and streams of her hometown, which sat on the border of Hungary and Romania, the two countries constantly fighting for control over the land.

There was a peaceful and consistent rhythm to Rosie’s idyllic life. But on May 10, 1944, her world changed forever; the slow and steady tempo of her life unraveled into chaos. Rhythm was her sixth sense. Yet, when two Hungarian soldiers, pounding on drums, marched through Rosie’s hometown, she barely noticed.

In fact, she only became aware of the drums booming in her ears when the two soldiers passed by her. It was only then that her wandering mind registered the sound that would mark the end of life as she knew it.

“Attention! Attention! All Jews to the town square!” one of the soldiers roared, his voice booming through a megaphone. The man ordered the Jewish residents to pack up suitcases of food and clothes and head for the town square immediately. And so, they did.

It was at the town square that the Hungarian soldiers stripped the Jews of their belongings and their dignity, humiliating them in unspeakable ways.

By the day’s end, there was not a sin-

gle Jew left in the town. Crasna’s entire Jewish community—including Leah, Yecheskel, 18-year-old Rosie, and their mother—were, like cattle, forced into cramped, green buggies and taken away to their new home: a muddy, rat- and Nazi-infested ghetto called the Klein Brickyard of Cehei.

Hanging. Burnings. Back-breaking labor. Starvation. Poor living conditions. In the swampy brickyard, they lived in tiny, makeshift tents not fit to protect them from the rain. That’s what Rosie, her family, and all the Jews in the ghetto endured and witnessed for three grueling weeks.

But through their suffering, Rosie’s mother assured her children that the ordeal would soon be over; that they would be home in no time. Before they knew it, however, they were back in the cattle cars and soon on the train. But they weren’t heading home. Instead, the Nazis split up the families. Rosie and Leah went to Auschwitz. And tragically, their mother and Yechezkel, as the sisters would later learn, went straight to the gas chambers.

Rosie Heilbrun inherited her red hair from her father, who passed away when she was five years old.

People always told her that having red hair was a curse. Old women would sometimes spit at her, believing that the devil lives in her hair. Even Rosie’s well-meaning mother, thinking her daughter’s hair was ugly, tried and failed to dye it a different color.

But Rosie didn’t care what people thought. She saw her red hair as a beautiful crown that constantly reminded her of her redheaded father. Walking around with her hair made her feel like he was a part of her.

And notably, her hair was also a part of her personality. Rosie’s resilient spirit was as fiery as her deep red hair.

But shortly after Rosie arrived in Auschwitz, the Nazis shaved her head. She watched in horror as her red curls fell to the ground. As she walked to another line, Rosie passed a glass shard lying on the ground. Staring at her strange reflection in the glass, she was in shock. She was bald. Her red hair—her identity—was gone.

But in truth, it wouldn’t matter. Even without the hair on her head, Rosie was, through and through, a redhead in spirit.

“When she went to the camps, all her friends said, ‘We’re going to Heaven from here.’ They knew what was happening,” explained Rosie’s granddaughter, Nechama Birnbaum. “They had the smoke of their families burning on top of them, and it smelled horrible. They were coming off of weeks and weeks in the ghetto, with hard slave labor and no food. They were very demoralized. And all of her [my grandmother’s] friends in Auschwitz said, ‘We’re going to Heaven from here, and it’s okay.’”

When Rosie heard her friends declare that they would be going from Auschwitz to Heaven, she felt sickened.

Rosie proclaimed, “I’m not going to Heaven yet. I’m going home! We’ll see about Heaven later. But from here, I’m going home!”

The girls stared at Rosie, who was, at the time, visibly exhausted and famished. They gave her a sad look, as though they felt sorry that she was in denial; that she still hoped to survive. Rosie never saw those girls again.

Somehow, Rosie believed with all her heart and soul that she was going to make it out of the Holocaust alive. And thus, she tried, in any way she could, to make the best of her time in Auschwitz. When it was time for the Jewish prisoners to get their number tattoos, every-

one in the camp stood in two lines. Rosie noticed that the people in her line were given big, ugly tattoos. The people on the other line, however, got small, nicer-looking numbers.

“I thought, ‘Wow, I’m going to go home after all of this. I don’t want to have big numbers. I want to look good because I’m going to show it to the world,’” Rosie Heilbrun recalled. “So, I walked to the other line. I didn’t even think that I could have been shot. No. I’m going home, and the tattoo’s going to be on my hand, so it has to be nice numbers, not very big numbers that it should ridicule me to show the world.”

Most people didn’t care whether their tattoos were big or small. But Rosie, knowing she would make it out, didn’t want sloppy numbers on her hand. She knew she would one day get married and face the world. And Rosie wanted to look as good as possible for when that time comes.

In a sense, though, she was a realist. For example, Rosie knew she wouldn’t be able to survive if she wasn’t clean. She, thus, risked her life to wash the filth off her body. Late at night, Rosie would often sneak out of her bunk to go to a nearby washroom with water and lye, which she would use to clean herself. The Nazi patrols never caught her.

While venturing out to clean herself, Rosie insisted on also washing the filthy clothes of one of her friends, a young girl named Bailu. Rosie even invited her sister to join her for the secret cleaning, but Leah refused.

“She [my grandmother] was always looking out for someone else. And she was with her sister the whole time. A lot of people ask, ‘What kept her going?’ There were many things that kept her going. She loved life, and she wanted her future,” Nechama explained. “But another thing was that she was taking care of a lot of people, including her little sister. Her sister kept saying, ‘Let’s just give up. Why are we working so hard? We’re not going to make it anyway. Let’s give up now.’ And my grandmother kept saying to her, ‘Don’t you dare! You’re fighting. You’re going to live. We’re going home from here!’

“My grandmother was once excused from work because she had a sickness. And she decided to also wrap her sister up in bed. Because, if she wasn’t going to work, she felt her sister shouldn’t have to work either,” Mrs. Birnbaum continued. “The SS woman came in, and she asked, ‘You’re excused, but why isn’t she going to work?’ And my grandmother said, ‘Don’t go near her. She’s contagious! You want to get her disease?’ And the SS woman just left them alone. Her sister really needed that rest.”

In small ways, Rosie helped others, but she also made every effort to resist the Nazis. In Nechama’s words, “In little ways, she was a hero.”

For example, towards the end of the war, the Nazis forced her and others to work in an ammunition factory. Rosie, tasked with cleaning bullets, did so, and then dropped the ammunition to the bottom of a huge, cloudy barrel of water so that the Nazis wouldn’t be able to use them. Knowing that the Allies were coming to rescue them, Rosie refused to help the Nazis with their war effort.

“At the end of the war, she was on a Death March where they were walking for three weeks with no food or anything. And at that point, my grandmother was ready to give up. She was just so tired. She felt like she couldn’t take another step,” Nechama recounted. “She was walking and starving, and her sister felt her faltering. Her sister said, ‘You have to keep going.’ If they stopped, they were shot. And my grandmother responded, ‘It’s okay. I’m not able to take another step. I’m going to lie down. I’ll be shot, and then it’ll be over with. At least I’ll be able to lie down. I just can’t do it anymore.’

“And her sister said, ‘Oh no, you don’t! You made me live this whole time, and now we’re marching. We’re nearing the end. You are not giving up now. I do not let you!’ And my grandmother said, ‘But, I can’t. I cannot take another step.’ And her sister said, ‘But don’t you know, you have to?’ And so, she listened to her sister,” continued Nechama Birnbaum. “I think she probably felt bad, making her sister live till then. She couldn’t do

it to her. My grandmother took another step, and she felt something so sure on her right side and on her left side, lifting her up. She looked around, and nobody was there. But it was lifting her up. And she glided the rest of the way. She felt like there were angels carrying her until the end.”

* * *

In May 1945, the Allied forces liberated Rosie, Leah, and the rest of the survivors in their camp. They were free, at last—free to go home, as Rosie always knew she would.

Shortly thereafter, Leah married a Jewish man, Avrumi, and Rosie met her husband, Yitzchak. Leah ended up living in Israel, while Rosie wound up in Brooklyn, New York.

For several decades, the two sisters frequently reunited in person. And even as they approached their nineties, Rosie and Leah spoke to each other every day on the phone or on video chat. When Leah passed away in 2014 at age 87, Rosie, heartbroken, threw her computer away—unable to stand seeing it without Leah’s face on the screen.

Leah and Avrumi had three children. By age forty, Rosie had four beautiful kids. And at age 41, she found herself pregnant with yet another child. The doctor insisted that Rosie wouldn’t be able to have the baby due to complications. But she looked at the man and flat out told him, in her usual way, that he was wrong.

And lo and behold, he was wrong. A few months later, Rosie had her fifth child: a healthy, beautiful redheaded baby girl.

By the time Rosie Heilbrun, the redhead who never gave up, was 95 years old, she was blessed with five children, 28 grandchildren, 120 great-grandchildren, and seven great-great-grandchildren.

Her youngest girl, the miracle child, would later give birth to nine kids, including Nechama Birnbaum, Rosie’s granddaughter who, in 2021, wrote the phenomenal book, “The Redhead of Auschwitz,” on Rosie Heilbrun’s story.

“One of the reasons why I wanted to write the book was that I thought her fight for life and her love of life was so inspiring,” said Birnbaum. “A lot of Holocaust books are, very understandably, about death. And that’s important, and that’s needed. But I wanted to write a book that was about death but also about hope and life. That’s why, at the beginning of the book, I took a quote from Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, and it says, ‘I will not die, but I will live, and I will declare the works of G-d, says the Psalms: Sometimes the refusal to die, the insistence of the holiness of life, is itself the work of G-d.’ I thought that really summed her up, and that’s what inspired me to write the book—because she loved life every day, no matter how painful it was.”

And indeed, the book does celebrate the beauty of life. The book shares the horrific parts of Rosie’s story, sparing no details. But, for much of the book, every other chapter is a flashback to a happier

time in Rosie’s life: playing in the stream with her sister; listening to her brother talk about how he’ll be so rich that their mother will never have to cook again; her grandfather paying for her to go to the circus, and her dream of starting her own little circus at home; dancing at her school play; her aunt’s weddings; fond memories of her grandparents, etc. Some of the flashback chapters also delve into the hard times: losing her father and her six-year-old brother Pinchas; her mother’s struggles to provide for the family, and the like.

The flashbacks provide context to Rosie’s supernatural resilience and her love of life. And by providing readers with breaks from the main narrative, the flashback chapters also infuse the book with charm and approachability.

Some Holocaust books struggle to achieve the emotional balance that “The Redhead of Auschwitz” artfully strikes. Some books are too overwhelming to

read because of their sheer gruesomeness. Other books come across as inauthentic because they censor the stories in an attempt to maintain family friendliness (which, as a side note, is an impossible goal since there’s nothing family-friendly about the Holocaust). Some books even try to sprinkle in lighthearted moments, but those parts often come across as tasteless, detracting from the narrative’s seriousness.

How Mrs. Birnbaum wrote such an incredible book, I don’t know. But “The Redhead of Auschwitz” is somehow a genuine and uncensored account of Rosie’s time in the concentration camps, but yet, at the same time, it’s also a story with abundant charm and humor, which doesn’t detract from the book’s authenticity, but only adds to it.

The book, full of vivid imagery, is beautifully written. It’s an emotional rollercoaster, a read that evokes tears and laughter.

Rosie, irrespective of her granddaughter’s motivations to write the book, had her own goals in sharing her story. She saw the book as a means of educating the world about the Holocaust. Studies show that around 60% of millennials don’t know that 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. And tragically, awareness about the Shoah drops every year.

When she was in the thick of it, Rosie held onto hope by envisioning a future where she could speak out against the monstrosities she endured—a world where her story could empower society to never again allow another Holocaust to happen.

Rosie Heilbrun was so happy when “The Redhead of Auschwitz” was published—when she was finally able to hold the book in her hands. And when the book quickly sold 20,000 copies, and

her social media accounts, which she shared with her granddaughter Nechama, garnered over 80,000 followers, she was thrilled—not for the fame, but for the opportunity to spread her message to the world; to fulfill the vision that kept her going in Auschwitz.

“Let’s unite. Let’s love instead of hate. Let’s do good things for our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. We could make a beautiful empire and live in peace with all of us because everybody only has one G-d… Only if we unite and love each other can we contribute to this world to be a better world,” Rosie Heilbrun proclaimed passionately. “Being quiet is not going to help anybody. Bring out the truth. See what’s happening today! We should all come together and fight for the truth to make a better world for all of us… Throw out antisemitism. Throw out racism. Throw out hate. Bring love and peace. And you’ll see what a beautiful world we could create together.”

In May 2022, Rosie Heilbrun passed away. She was ninety-six.

We could all learn from her resilience, from her insistence on never giving up—from her refusal to die and her unwavering commitment to living in the face of death. Despite the unspeakable suffering she endured, Rosie never stopped loving life; she never stopped dancing with joy. She fought for the world she believed in until her final breath on Earth.

As for us, we all have hopes and dreams. Sometimes, we pray for a miracle, but we get bogged down by other people’s discouragement. Let’s take a page from the book of the redhead who never gave up and have faith in Hashem and ourselves, no matter what the world says.

May the neshama of Rechel Chana bas Yechezkel Yaakov have an aliyah in Shamayim.

This article is based on a podcast, “Inspiration For the Nation,” hosted by Yaakov Langer. To catch more of this conversation, you can watch it on LivingLchaim.com or YouTube.com/LivingLchaim or listen wherever you listen to podcasts (just search for “Inspiration For The Nation”) or call our free hotline: 605-477-2100.

Dating Dialogue What Would You Do If…

Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters

Dear Navidaters,

I have been dating this boy for a few weeks, and he seems great. He is very funny, is a real people’s person, is a go-getter...but for some reason every time we go out to eat, he orders me food without asking me what I want. I used to think it was fine but it’s just getting more and more insensitive.

He only orders the foods that I don’t like...for example, if I say I don’t like chicken, on the next date, he’ll order a chicken dish for us. He knows I like milchig restaurants, yet he only has taken me to fleishig places.

If I break this off I’m nervous that I’ll be giving up a great guy just because of a little thing... I know it’s only food... What do you think I should do? Thank you in advance!

The Panel

Dear Readers,

We want to offer YOU an opportunity to be part of the discussion! Please email us at MichelleMondShadchan@gmail.com, subject line “reader’s response,” if you would like to participate in the new “A Reader’s Response” columnist spot. We will send you a question and publish your answer in an upcoming Navidaters edition. If you have a question you would like the Navidaters to answer, please reach out to this email as well.

Looking forward!

Michelle, the “Shadchan”

The Rebbetzin

Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S.

Something is off. You are saying that not only does he not ask you about your preferences, but he seems to deliberately order what you don’t like. This is not a little thing. It’s not only about food. Consider yourself lucky that you noticed his control issue; there are probably other personality problems if he seems so socially successful yet has not regard for another person in a relationship. Get out and get help to understand red flags about people. Learn how to determine a person’s consideration, thoughtfulness, and general character traits in private and in public.

The Shadchan

Michelle Mond

Ivery much appreciate your question and bringing it to the column. You are highlighting nuances of this guy’s behavior which are highly concerning. Can you imagine staying friends with a person who treated you with the same pattern of disrespect? Kal v’chomer, a potential marriage partner! It is clear to me that this man is trying to hold a dominance over seemingly insignificant or small things. Then if you were to come and talk to him or complain about

it, his next step would be to question your judgment or make you feel small for nitpicking on such things.

The truth of the matter is, there are many things in a potential match that people dismiss the shidduch over quite quickly, without even batting an eyelash. Complaints such as: he is too nerdy, he’s too intellectual, I don’t like his nose, he’s not tall enough, he’s not trendy enough, he’s not cool enough –and the list goes on.

When it comes to personal character and middos, when the outer shell of the guy is so polished and perfect, I find that girls stick around much longer, giving the benefit of the doubt much more often. I bring up this point here to sound a siren to all our single readers, that it is important to focus on what is truly important in finding a lifelong partner.

Molly, what you are experiencing is an example of a true worrisome red flag ( and you know me, in this column I don’t say that flippantly). I think it’s a good time to see who else is out there and try to focus on the many incredible inner traits a guy displays, putting less emphasis on externals that might make you happy in the short term but in the long term would make you miserable.

The Zaidy

Dr. Jeffrey Galler

at Brooklyn College and learned a very interesting word, that I have never, ever, had an opportunity to actually use in a sentence. Until now.

Molly, your boyfriend is exhibiting classic solipsistic behavior.

(Solipsists are so focused on their own wants and needs that they don’t consider the feelings of others.)

Think about it. During the courting and dating phase, you’d think that a potential boyfriend would go out of his way to impress you and cater to your preferences. But instead, this guy – knowing full well that you don’t like chicken and prefer dairy – completely ignores your likes and dislikes.

This is not simply about food choices. Can you imagine what life with him would be like? He would take it upon himself to decide, without your input, where you should live, where the kids should go to school, etc.

You write that he is “a real people’s person.” You are wrong. Being a successful “people’s person” is not just about being outwardly sociable and charming. It’s about being aware of, and sensitive to, the needs of those around you.

You like that this fellow has a good sense of humor. But having him as a life partner would be no joke.

What should we call this insensitive solipsist? A menu mastermind? A culinary commander? Or, perhaps, a dish dictator? Whatever you choose, one thing’s clear: Life with him would be utterly unappetizing and unpalatable. You deserve a lifelong feast of happiness, not this. Clear your plate and move on.

Reader’s Response

Dear Molly,

As a divorced guy, let me give it to you straight: this is not about the food. It’s about respect. When a man or woman repeatedly ignores your preferences—especially after you’ve made them clear—that’s a red flag, no matter how “great” he seems otherwise. A guy who truly values you will want to make you happy, even in the little things, like where you go to eat or what’s on the menu.

When the outer shell of the guy is so polished and perfect, I find that girls stick around much longer, giving the benefit of the doubt much more often.

The fact that he’s consistently ordering food you don’t like, or taking you to places you’ve said you’re not into, isn’t just thoughtless—it feels deliberate. Maybe it’s a power play, or maybe he thinks he knows better than you about what you should want. Either way, it’s not the kind of behavior you want to sweep under the rug, because these “little things” tend to grow into bigger issues over time. If you think this isn’t a big deal, it will surface in other bigger ways over time.

If you’re still unsure about breaking things off, here’s my advice: have one direct conversation with him. Tell him how it’s making you feel. Something like: “Hey, I’ve noticed you don’t seem to take my food preferences into account when we go out. It’s starting to feel like you’re not listening to me, and that’s important to me in a relationship.”

Then see how he reacts. A good guy will take accountability and adjust. But if he brushes it off, laughs it off, or gets defensive? That’s your answer. You don’t want to spend your life with someone who doesn’t take your feelings seriously. Trust me, you’re not giving up a “great guy” by standing up for yourself; you’re making space for someone who truly values you.

Pulling It All Together

The Navidaters

Dating

and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

Dear Molly,

First, I want to say how thoughtful it is that you’re reaching out to reflect on this. It shows how much you care about being fair and not making snap judgments, which is such a beautiful quality.

That said, I think it’s worth exploring what this situation is bringing up for you. On the surface, it might seem like “just food,” but it’s actually about something much deeper: feeling seen, heard, and

respected. When someone dis - regards your preferenc - es—especially after you’ve voiced them—it can start to feel like your needs don’t matter. And that’s not a small thing.

I also hear that you’re conflicted because this guy has so many great qualities, and you don’t want to overreact. That’s completely valid. My suggestion is to have an open and honest conversation

with him. You could say something like: “I’ve noticed that when we go out, the food choices don’t reflect what I enjoy, even though I’ve mentioned my preferences. It’s started to make me feel unheard, and I’m wondering if we can talk about it.”

The way he responds to this will give you a lot of insight. If he’s receptive and willing to adjust, that’s a good sign. But if he minimizes your feelings or brushes it off, it’s worth asking yourself if this pattern might show up in other areas of the relationship.

Being a successful “people’s person” is not just about being outwardly sociable and charming.

You deserve to feel valued and respected, Molly, even in the small things. Relationships are built on mutual care, and those little gestures often speak volumes. Be kind to yourself as you navigate this—you’re asking all the right questions, and you’ll make the best decision for you.

Warmly, 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 private practice at 123 Maple Avenue in Cedarhurst, NY. 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.

School of Thought

By Etti Siegel

Q:Dear Etti,

With Chanukah behind us and their mid-winter break coming up in a month, I am not sure how I am supposed to keep the students’ heads in the learning I am supposed to be covering.

Any ideas? I could really use some!

- Just Want to Teach

A:Dear Teacher, When students start acting out as they grow restless and impatient with Chanukah behind them and vacation coming up, keeping your students focused and interested is hard.

The good news is that there are several strategies teachers can use to channel that energy effectively and in an engaging way:

Add a lot more interactive learning: Get students out of their seats by incorporating hands-on activities into lessons. Make sure your instructions are clear and you are consistent…and then do things a little differently.

• Move the desks and have the students do math or spelling on bulletin board paper laid out on the floor.

• Hang the answer keys in different locations in the room and have children do a worksheet at their desk and then self-check using those answer keys.

• Have children act out something learned…bonus if they can perform it for another class.

I had one teacher divide her class into four groups, practice a short play in their literature book, and have each group perform for the rest of the class and a parallel class. Win for the teacher and each of the other classes!

• Have students write (book reports, personal narratives, poems, Hebrew sentences, something aligning with the grammar being taught…) creating 3D decorations.

For some ideas to get you started, search “Bloom balls,” “Cereal Box Book Reports,” or have the children make snowflakes to write on and hang them when completed.

• SCOOT is a fun way to learn. A) You can put a question on every child’s desk and then give every student a clipboard with lined and numbered paper. They answer the question on the desk in front of them and then when the teacher says to scoot, every child moves to the next desk and answers the next question. At some point, the children will have answered every question and find themselves back at their own desk. B) Every desk has a question sheet with the same number of questions as students in the class. The children answer the next question and then scoot to a new desk and answer the next question on that desk. When the child returns to his/her desk, they will have a worksheet fully completed with many different handwritings. Going over the sheet is so much more fun!

When the child returns to his/ her desk, they will have a worksheet fully completed with many different handwritings.

group together and teach the class as described above, and she said it was one of the most enjoyable units for her class.

• Change up the motivation/incentive program being used. Either start being very generous with the one you are running or run a different one for now. Up the sense of excitement and urgency – and plan for a culmination of the program the last few days before vacation.

• Have a color war! Divide the class into two, three, or four teams, and give the points for participation, good questions, homework, classwork, and give them time during class once a week to work on banner and team song. Have the last few days before vacation reserved for presentations and announcements of winners. Be sure to set up all points and criteria in advance so children feel like it is fun and not unfair. Extra kudos if you can tie it into something you are learning about in class (Navi, history, science…).

• Make the students the teachers. Give out a different chapter or section of work to each group of students and have them take turns reading the information among themselves. Have them be prepared to explain the information to the class, even dividing up the information in preparation for their presentation. Have the students come up and teach, while the class fills in worksheets or takes notes on the material. The teacher not only directs the flow of information but can stop the presenters to re-explain a concept when necessary, as the material still has to be covered correctly.

A teacher I worked with did not enjoy preparing the unit she had to teach her sixth graders on arthropods, in other words, bugs. I advised her to have her students

Last year, a third grade boys’ teacher asked me this question and we came up with this great idea and it worked like a charm. She could not believe how well this worked for her class. She plans to do it every year at this time!

It is a challenging time to teach, but it can be so rewarding when we prepare for the challenge instead of fighting it.

Enjoy!

- Etti

P.S. Join the Teach and Reach course addressing teaching this time of year! I offer so much more than what is written here, https://www.impactfulcoaching. com/teachreach.

Parenting Pearls

Peers, Presents and Positivity

By Sara Rayvych, MSEd

The last lights will be lit as this issue goes to print, and I hope everyone is left with beautiful memories that last beyond the flickering flames.

Prior to Chanukah, there were many discussions about what is – and isn’t – appropriate in the gift giving department. While never an official minhag, presents have become strongly rooted in the mind of the average American child. For some, the nice token offering meant to provide a little extra Chanuka excitement has been turned into both a competition between

peers and an excuse for lavish purchases –expensive electronics worth several thousand dollars, high-end fashion that will be out-of-date within a few months (weeks?).

Parents are finding themselves being compared to those of their child’s friends.

“His parents give a gift each night.” “She got an expensive gift [insert example] from her grandparents, too.” Naturally, the child only notices the kids getting more than them, not the majority of children who are receiving similar or fewer gifts.

Children can be so narrowminded

that I even heard, “She gets X number of gifts from each parent”. This particular girl was getting extra gifts because her parents were divorced and gave her gifts separately. Rather than appreciate their own parents’ loving marriage, all the child could see was presents, presents and more presents.

Children are strongly influenced by their peers and those around them, gauging their expectations from these observations. Adults can do the same, making major decisions based on the choices of others, often followed almost mindlessly.

In many ways, when we pick our child’s peer group, we are also picking their expectations. Even more importantly, we are deciding who they will be influenced by when it comes to tzinius, shmiras halashon and many other mitzvos.

After a certain age, we can’t decide their friends nor can we prohibit them from discussing their gifts with classmates, but we can do our part to positively influence our children in their values and decision making skills. We can also set them up to more positively view the world around them. Despite our best efforts, it is virtually impossible to completely remove the influence of others, but hopefully we can do our part in setting them up to ultimately have the right mindset.

While this topic could easily cover several articles, I’d like to focus on a few points this week.

Theory of Relativity

There are many things we experience through comparing ourselves to others. This is similar to asking if a lion is “big.” Compared to a domestic cat (8.8-11 lbs.),

a lion is very large with an adult male weighing in at 420 lbs. But, if we – figuratively, not literally – throw in a hippopotamus with a weight ranging from 3,500-9,900 lbs. for an adult male into the equation, that lion is getting pretty small. Similarly, vacations, toys, clothing and any other gashmius we can imagine are really only big or small when compared to those which others have. While, at times, we may have minimal control over a child’s surroundings, it’s an important factor.

Parents have a major influence on their children, and we can’t minimize the impact our behavior has on them. Our children will notice if we compare ourselves to others or feel the need to justify our expectations based on our peers. We should make decisions based on our own needs and not those of our neighbors. We also have to carefully consider whether something is a “want” or “need” because we increase the expectations each time we turn an optional want into a mandatory need. It is my personal opinion that much of this stems from compensating for fears of inferiority. Our children should see their own worth as independent of their friend’s and appreciate the gift they are to the world.

Parents should also remember they will never win if they try to compete with others. Nobody can be the best at everything, and there will always be someone else that is better in one area or another. One parent is the best cook, another maintains an immaculate home, and yet a third has hours to spend with each child. It’s impossible to cook the best meals, clean your house to perfection and still

have hours alone with each child. This can be applied to every area of life.

Parental Role

An important part of childhood is learning about the world around them. Children are new to life and still have much to experience and understand. Is the world safe? Is it a good place? Should they feel comfort and love, or fear and insecurity? We educate them in their perception of the world and how to interpret their future experiences. Two different people can participate in the same event, yet one will feel joy and the other disappointment. Having a positive mindset will help give a future of happiness to a child.

As parents, it is our job to give them a healthy worldview, and they should see the world as a good place. If we act disappointed by everyday events, complain about everyone and everything, then we are teaching a feeling of discontent – nothing can meet that person’s expectations. Without realizing it, we may criticize and kvetch about even neutral situations. Alternatively, if we describe the pleasant side of a situation, then our children will inherit that view, too. For example, when it rains, we can either see it as an adventure and potential for growth, or

the ruination of our plans. When someone takes our parking spot, we can either assume Hashem has a better spot for us, or we can curse and criticize the person that took “our” place.

We can appreciate what we have instead of always looking towards the next thing.

It’s sad how many children will immediately ignore what they just received, already anticipating what they still want. Even if something doesn’t go our way we can still try to be grateful for what we do have.

It’s important to recognize that we can’t change everything around us, but we can adjust our perception of it. Again, we can choose to be happy (and pass that onto our children) or the opposite. Even more crucial than this is the realization that ultimately everything comes from Hashem and is done with a divine plan. We can worry, stress or feel slighted, but an awareness of Hashem’s presence can mitigate most of these emotions. On a personal level, I’ve noticed a significant increase of calm in very stressful situations just from turning it over to The Source of Everything.

The Conundrum

It seems like an inherent contradiction. We want the kids to see the world in

a positive light, yet we don’t want to stifle their feelings of frustration and hurt. We would like our children to feel safe in the world, but we need them to take safety precautions. We have to correct their mistakes yet still maintain their self-respect.

Children will experience a plethora of emotions – and that’s healthy. Learning to recognize and acknowledge emotions is an important step in child (and adult) development. Without this awareness, we lack the ability to understand and correctly address whatever it is we’re feeling. Only when we comprehend our own emotions can we begin to work through them.

Children can be raised seeing the world as an overall great place to be, while still learning to accept their less than positive feelings. We could even say that accepting negative emotions is an important part of maintaining a positive mindset. Pushing down painful feelings doesn’t make them go away – it gives them stronger roots. Alternatively, taking the time to acknowledge and deal with negative emotions allows us to get past them faster.

Chazal say to push away with the left hand but bring closer with the right one. Correcting a child’s behavior should come from a place of love and not anger. Our

children should always know we love them, even – or especially – when we need to correct them. “I love you, but you can’t do that.” They are worthy and loved, even when they make mistakes.

Children should see themselves as capable and not inadequate. Even when they could have done better, they can still appreciate their ability to improve. “I know you’ll study harder next time and show us how much you know.”

Happiness and seeing good in the world doesn’t come from receiving the best gift or getting something more lavish than another; it comes from within ourselves and how we choose to view the world around us. Let your children always know how much they matter to you – the most important person in their world. Above all, children should always know how much Hashem loves them. Just the fact they are here is proof that Hashem has them in this world for a specific reason. That awareness is enough to make us all smile.

Sara Rayvych, MSEd, has her master’s in general and special education. She has been homeschooling for over 10 years in Far Rockaway. She can be contacted at RayvychHomeschool@gmail.com.

Health & F tness

Fermented Food Facts

By Aliza Beer MS, RD, CDN

Fermented foods are defined as “foods or beverages produced through controlled microbial growth and the conversion of food components through enzymatic action.” Fermentation is a natural process where microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, or fungi convert sugars and starches in food into alcohol or acids. This process acts as a natural preservative and enhances the taste, texture, and nutritional profile of foods. The acids or alcohol produced during fermentation prevent spoilage by inhibiting harmful bacteria, giving fermented foods their distinctive tangy or sour taste.

Common types of fermentation include:

• Lactic Acid Fermentation: Used in making yogurt and sauerkraut.

• Ethanol Fermentation: Used in alcoholic beverages and bread-making.

• Acetic Acid Fermentation: Converts alcohol into vinegar.

Most foods can be fermented from whole foods like vegetables, fruits, cereals, dairy, meat, fish, eggs, legumes, nuts and seeds. While these foods are nutritious in their original form, through fermentation, they have the potential to carry additional health benefits – espe -

cially when they contain probiotics and prebiotics.

What are Probiotics?

Probiotics are often referred to as “good” or “friendly” bacteria for the gut, with Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium being among the most recognized types. These live microorganisms or bacteria are known to provide health benefits to the human body.

Experts suggest that many strains from well-studied species, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, promote gut health by creating a better environment in the digestive system. Additionally, they agree that probiotics play a role in supporting a healthy immune system, though the effectiveness can vary between strains.

There is also promising research suggesting that probiotics may support organ health, including the lungs, reproductive system, and skin, as well as positively influence mood. However, the evidence is currently insufficient to confirm these benefits across all probiotic strains.

Many fermented foods are sources of probiotics, either because they are naturally present or intentionally added during production. For instance, Lac -

tobacilli, a common probiotic strain, is frequently found in yogurt and exists naturally on the surface of certain foods like vegetables and fruits. However, not all fermented foods contain probiotics. This is particularly true for many commercially produced products that undergo pasteurization.

What are Prebiotics?

Prebiotics are food ingredients that serve as a source of nourishment for the microorganisms in your body, such as gut bacteria, helping them grow and thrive. This results in many health benefits. In addition, prebiotics assist in enhancing gut health by creating a more favorable environment for beneficial bacteria. The most extensively studied and reported prebiotics with documented benefits in humans are non-digestible oligosaccharides like fructans and galactans. These compounds are found in various foods, including asparagus, garlic, onions, wheat, chicory, Jerusalem artichokes, tomatoes, barley, honey, rye, and both human and cow’s milk. Additionally, most fruits, vegetables, and legumes contain some form of prebiotic. It is important to take note that these prebiotic foods are not naturally fermented. However, as stated above, most whole foods

can be fermented. Therefore, fermented versions of these foods would provide a great dual source, making them especially valuable for gut health.

Are Fermented Foods

Healthy?

Fermented foods offer several health benefits, largely due to their probiotic content. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that support gut health by maintaining a balanced microbiome. A healthy gut microbiome can enhance digestion, boost immunity, and even improve mental health.

However, not all fermented foods are created equal. Some may contain high levels of salt, sugar, or fat, which should be consumed in moderation. It’s also worth noting that not all fermented foods retain live probiotics; for instance, sourdough bread undergoes baking, which kills live cultures.

Benefits of Fermented Foods

Fermented foods have historically been valued for their improved shelf life and unique taste, aroma, texture and appearance. They also allow us to consume otherwise inedible foods. For example, table olives must be fermented to remove their bitter-tasting phenolic compounds.

Fermented foods have been linked to a variety of health benefits, including a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and inflammation. They are also associated with improved weight management, enhanced mood and cognitive function, stronger bone health, and faster recovery following exercise. In terms of heart health, probiotics found in fermented foods may help lower total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, although the current evidence supporting these effects remains limited.

One explanation for all these effects is the production of bioactive peptides, vitamins and other compounds produced by the microorganisms involved in fermentation and have key roles in the body, such as blood health, nerve function and immunity.

It’s essential to note that the health benefits of fermented foods often depend on the specific type of food and the microorganisms it contains. For instance, consuming yogurt has been linked to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while fermented milk containing Lactobacillus helveticus has been associated with reduced muscle soreness.

Examples of Fermented Foods

Sourdough Bread

Sourdough is made through the fermentation of flour and water using wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. This process gives it a tangy flavor and makes it easier to digest compared to regular bread. While baking kills the live probi-

fiber, and vitamins such as C and K. Its fermentation process enhances gut health and gives it a good texture, allowing it to be easily served as a side dish or topping.

Fermented Pickles

Fermented pickles are made by brining cucumbers in saltwater. They are

Prebiotics assist in enhancing gut health by creating a more favorable environment for beneficial bacteria.

otics, sourdough still retains some prebiotics, which feed beneficial gut bacteria.

Yogurt

Yogurt is a well-known probiotic food made by fermenting milk with lactic acid bacteria. It’s an excellent source of calcium, protein, and live cultures, which can promote gut health.

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is made from fermented cabbage. It is packed with probiotics,

another excellent source of probiotics. However, it’s important to choose naturally fermented pickles rather than vinegar-based ones for probiotic benefits.

Are There Any Risks?

While fermented foods are generally safe, some individuals might experience side effects such as gas or bloating, especially when first introducing probiotics. People with weakened immune systems

should be cautious, as live cultures might pose a risk in rare cases. Always ensure that fermented foods are prepared and stored properly to avoid contamination.

Fermented foods are a delicious and nutritious way to enhance your diet. They offer many health benefits including the containment of probiotics and prebiotics. Incorporating options such as yogurt and sourdough bread into your meals can provide these compounds. However, it’s important to enjoy these foods in moderation and balance them with other dietary choices. While fermented foods contribute to a nutritious diet, it’s important to remember that no single food can transform our health. By adopting a healthy lifestyle and including nutritious foods in our diet, we can improve our overall health and well-being.

Aliza Beer is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz show. Aliza can be reached at alizabeer@gmail. com, and you can follow her on Instagram at @alizabeer

In The K tchen

Winter Wonderland Soup

Serves 4

By Naomi Nachman

When the snow is piling up outside and the cold air is blowing, this delicious stick-to-your-bones soup will warm you this winter.

Ingredients

◦ 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

◦ 1 small onion, diced

◦ 4 stalks of celery, diced

◦ 4 cubes frozen minced garlic

◦ 4 cubes frozen ginger

◦ 4 cubes frozen turmeric

Preparation

◦ 2 strips flanken

◦ 8 cups chicken or beef broth

◦ 1 can chickpeas, drained

◦ 1 teaspoon kosher salt

◦ ¼ teaspoon black pepper

1. On a medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon canola oil and sear meat on both sides. Remove and set aside.

2. In the same pan, add the remaining oil and sauté the onions, garlic, and celery with a pinch of salt until soft.

3. Add ginger and turmeric and cook for 2-3 minutes. Place the meat back into the pot.

4. Add broth and salt and pepper

5. Cook for 3 hours on low, which will help the meat become very soft.

6. Remove meat from the soup and shred the meat off the bones. Discard bones. Add the meat and drained chickpeas into the soup and cook for another half hour.

7. Season with salt and pepper, according to your taste.

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.

Fd for Thought

The Loft Steakhouse

By Nati Burnside

Legendary former football coach Bill Parcells once said that “the best ability is availability.” And while that statement might be true in sports, I think it’s possible to tweak the quote for the restaurant industry. Perhaps, the best ability is reliability.

“Reliable” is a top attribute at The Loft Steakhouse. The original location in Boro Park has been serving customers for more than a decade. With a reputation as perhaps the best restaurant in Brooklyn, The Loft has established its brand as one that features a mix of traditional high-end kosher restaurant fare alongside some elements to expand the culinary horizons of its many fans.

Speaking of expanding, The Loft announced in 2021 that it would be opening a second location in Lakewood. As the community and restaurant scene continue to grow in the area, The Loft decided that there would be no better place to build their next branch.

And build they did. The brand-new construction opened in 2024 and features some great spaces including a main dining room, multiple private rooms, a party room with a separate entrance, a bar room, and even an outdoor terrace that can be used in good weather. Overall, the restaurant can seat up to 400 people at one time.

When I was invited to the new location of The Loft, I decided to start out with sushi, as is customary at many highend kosher steakhouses these days. One roll in particular caught my eye, and after trying it, I would certainly recommend it to anybody who likes to sushi configurations that are less common. While I like a good tempura roll as much as anybody, I sometimes find the crunchiness to be a bit overpowering. The Sumo Roll fea-

tures tempura kani and avocado on the inside of a maki roll that is then topped with seared salmon. The crunch being both lighter and internal made for a great bite that paired well with the flavor of the salmon and the creaminess of the avocado. Slightly innovative, but not intensely complicated.

In terms of meat appetizers, I’d immediately suggest you order the Sweetbreads (assuming that is your kind of thing). These are pan fried in a veal jus with shiitake mushrooms. Not only were the mushrooms a great flavor to impart on the dish, but the texture worked because the sweetbreads themselves were perfectly crisp on the outside. The veal jus added good depth to the dish overall, and everything came together nicely.

Another introductory dish that I would vouch for is the Duck Gnocchi. Similarly to the sweetbreads, this was prepared with beech mushrooms. They added a bit more texture to the plate as the duck confit and jus escorted that wonderful duck flavor to my taste buds. The gnocchi were just the right amount of chewy, allowing me to savor each bite.

Moving on to the main part of your meal, you will likely get the picture that your choice comes down to steak or not steak. While I don’t usually recommend chicken in high-end places, the Loft Chicken will be an exception to that rule. It may not be the most innovative meal ever put on a plate, but this chicken, mashed potatoes, and veggies is really something. First, the chicken is two whole pieces of skin-on boneless chicken thigh. Not only is the mouthfeel on the pan-roasted chicken absolute perfection, but the same can be said for the creaminess of the mashed potatoes and the crisp bite of string beans. Again, you don’t need

the most complex food if what you have is exceptional in execution.

But the real headline piece here is the Pastrami Crusted Black Angus Rib Eye. This is a 24-ounce masterpiece that has been seared, rubbed with pastrami seasoning, and then baked. The result is a bright red medium-rare slab of meat that is so soft you can easily cut it with the side of your fork. Putting the rub on after the initial sear helps to ensure that none of it comes off on the grill. I got the Cajun Fries on the side, and you should, too. Sometimes, there’s just something great about a steak and fries.

If you have room for dessert, I will pass along a recommendation that my

waiter insisted on: try the Pecan Cinnamon Twist. I was reluctant to try pareve cream cheese frosting (especially given that I’m not exactly a huge fan of dairy cream cheese frosting), but after being talked into it, I was amazed by how good this was. It tasted just like you bought it at your local Cinnabon, but it was a scrumptious pareve version topped with pareve vanilla ice cream. I’m not usually surprised, but this dish made it happen. Whether you are in Lakewood or Brooklyn, The Loft is the place to go. There are enough options that you might not be sure what you are going to get, but you can be sure that what you are going to get will be great.

Meat - Waiter Service TheLoftSteakhouse.com Tartikover Rav (Rabbi Yechiel Babad)

(718)-475-5600

1306 40th Street Brooklyn, NY 11218

(732)-523-5999

1600 Route 70 Lakewood, NJ 08701

Notable Quotes

“Say What?!”

Let me preface my take by offering condolences to the Carter family on his death. He was obviously one of the most unique post-presidents we’ve ever had because he lived so long and he did so much. That having been said, he was a terrible president.

- CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings

That’s why he lost in a landslide after his one term, and if it’s possible, I think he was even a worse ex-president because of his meddling in U.S. foreign policy, because of his saddling up to dictators around the world, because of his vehement views, anti-Israel views, and more than dabbling in anti-Semitism over the years.

- ibid.

Biden Finally Claims Title of Worst Living President -Babylon Bee

Man Has a Few Days Left to be a Disgusting Slob Before Completely Turning Life Around on January 1st

- ibid.

You know what I’m getting really [upset] about?! I’m getting really ticked off. And every time they open their mouth about something pertaining to y’all, they seem right. I would love to argue with Sean Hannity. How can I? Do you know what Sean Hannity used to do to me when I told him Kamala Harris had a chance? He’d laugh. Like, literally, genuinely giggle.

– ESPN host Steven A. Smith after it was revealed the FBI had dozens of informants on the ground on January 6 that breached the Capitol, as Republicans have been claiming all along and Democrats have been denying

We can argue policies. We can argue politics all day long. But the Democrats worked really, really diligently to make the case that the right had a monopoly on insidious, evil tendencies. Corrupt tendencies. Duplicitous, hypocritical, untruthful tendencies, and every time they made those accusations, we turn around and find out that at least some of them are guilty of the same [stuff]. I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of all of it.

– ibid.

Look, if I offend anybody today, I don’t care. Some in the media say I’m offensive. I’m okay with that because I get to their minds rent-free. That’s kind of cool.

- Incoming border czar Tom Homan speaking at the Turning Points USA conference

For the last three and a half years, I wake up every morning [upset] about what this administration did to the most secure border in my lifetime…. The first day I smiled when President Trump won this election. I woke up the next morning, and I was happy. I smiled for the first time in a long time.

- ibid.

Tren de Aragua, your days are numbered. My gang is bigger than your gang. We’re gonna take you out of the country, we’re going to deport you outta here. Who do you think you are coming to the greatest nation on earth and victimizing Americans in this country? Your days are numbered. You’re number one on the list. MS-13, you’re right behind them!

- ibid.

I mean, there will be some version [of a Biden Presidential Library], maybe more like a bookmobile than an actual library. But this is not a surprise. He’s never been a good fundraiser, and the donors are really annoyed.

- Political analyst and best-selling author Mark Halperin on Fox News

I can see good versus evil, and I don’t think it’s complicated at all. I think that every death, every casuality, every single life that’s been lost in the Middle East since October 7 lays squarely and solely on the hands of Hamas and the people who fund them.

- Australian TV presenter Erin Molan, who was fired by Sky News earlier this month – many believing because of her strong support of Israel – in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12

I genuinely believe that the vast majority of people in Australia stand with Israel, I genuinely believe that. But they’re the quiet ones. And that’s my issue…when you cower in fear when it comes to particularly this issue, they win.

- ibid.

As a reporter I have a confession to make: I should have pushed harder earlier for more information about Joe Biden’s mental and physical wellbeing and any signs of decline.

- Former CNN reporter Chris Cillizza, after a recent Wall Street expose detailing how Pres. Biden has been in severe decline throughout his four year presidency

No one has to be healthy. Nobody owes anybody that.

- Virgie Tovar, who was just appointed by San Francisco’s Department of Public Health as its “weight stigma” czar, in a recent podcast

A cake-related fatphobic incident, or “CRFI,” is that moment when it’s time to eat delicious cake and it’s interrupted by a moralizing impulse.

- ibid.

Inevitably, there’s always someone at the party who has to declare publicly that their slice is too large, and that the person who’s cutting the cake — almost invariably a woman — must do some disproportionate amount of labor to fulfill their need to feel superior.

- ibid.

What about the media? Think about that for a second… Half of your listeners are not there anymore. You’re still getting the same paycheck. What’s going on?

- Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) when asked by CNN why members of Congress think they deserve a pay raise despite their low approval rating

I lost. He won.

- Trump detractor Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on “Meet the Press” when asked about Trump

I told President Trump that Putin fears only him and, perhaps, China.

- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X

And that’s the truth — only decisiveness can bring this war to a just end and ensure lasting peace -ibid.

About 50% of Israel’s population had to take shelter last night due to missile fired from Yemen…. This was the 4th late-night attack in less than a week. Looks like the Iran axis vision of destroying Israel has been reduced to ruining our sleep.

- Tweet by Israel Radar

THE BEST PRESIDENT SINCE RFK IS DEAD. My friend Jimmy Carter would probably argue against my conclusion. I say he rebuilt a generation’s belief in government

CONSTITUTIONAL SCHOLARS: House can still disqualify Trump

- Tweet by left-wing pundit Keit Olbermann, getting two things wrong: there was never a president with the initials RFK and the House cannot disqualify Trump (but A for effort)

I forgot more about this issue than she’ll ever know.

- Incoming border czar Tom Homan responding on Newsmax to Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) saying that he does not know what he is doing in regard the country’s immigration system

People in Michigan, like a majority of Americans, voted for Donald Trump, and my oath is to Michigan. Obviously, I’ve got experience in this type of environment that will help inform how I continue to fight for Michigan. But I know Donald Trump cares about Michigan. And I’m hoping that because of that, we’ll be able to find some common ground in some important ways.

- Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) , who campaigned across the country for Kamala Harris, recognizing the message of the 2024 election

Political Crossfire

Jimmy Carter Was the President Who Made Ronald Reagan Necessary

Jimmy Carter’s melancholy fate was to be a largely derivative figure: He was a reaction against his elected predecessor and the precursor of his successor. Richard M. Nixon made Carter tempting; Carter made Ronald Reagan necessary.

The deceits and crimes of Nixon’s imperial presidency bred Carter’s pompous crusade against pomp. Carter proclaimed, “I’ll never lie to you” while claiming that he was a “nuclear physicist.” He denied saying what a tape proved he said about Lyndon B. Johnson’s “lying, cheating and distorting the truth.”

Carter’s signature achievement, peace between Israel and Egypt, diminished the threat of another conventional Middle East war. In his post-presidency interventions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, however, his hostility toward Israel was proportional to his admiration for the terrorist Yasser Arafat. Here, Carter was mostly harmless because the “peace process” was mostly chimeric.

But for President Gerald Ford’s debate blunder in 1976 – “There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe” – Carter probably would not have become president. He won 50.1 percent of the vote, lost the vote outside the South, and a switch of a total of 18,000 votes in Ohio – home of many of Eastern European origins – and Hawaii would have elected Ford (disregarding a faithless elector in Washington state).

Carter was the first nonincumbent elected from the South since the Civil War and the most conservative Democratic president since Grover Cleveland, which is why the liberal post-Watergate congressional Democrats would have despised him even if he had disguised his contempt for them. With airlines, he began the deregulation project in -

By George F. Will

imical to progressives and excellent for the nation.

Candidate Carter proclaimed himself “optimistic about America’s third century” and promised “a government as good as the people.” As president, however, he decided Americans were deeply defective, making him the right foil for Reagan, the human sunbeam. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson ebulliently vowed to legislate Americans to a Great Society “where the meaning of our lives matches the marvelous products of our labor.” Fifteen years later, the next Democratic president morosely said “all the legislation in the world can’t fix what’s wrong with America,” which included the “worship” of the “consumption” of those marvelous products.

The 1970s were a decade of self-absorption in the name of “self-actualization” and of apocalyptic forebodings, such as those of Paul Ehrlich, the envi-

ronmental hysteric who suggested that Americans should delay mass starvation by killing their pets. So, in July 1979, in one of the weirder episodes in presidential history, Carter went to earth at Camp David, to which he invited more than 100 liberal savants. There he brooded about Americans’ failings, then delivered a nationally televised speech in which he diagnosed Americans’ “crisis of confidence” and “self-indulgence,” and announced an insight: “We’ve discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning.”

Actually, Americans were longing for gasoline, which Carter’s baroque allocation scheme had made scarce. He urged Americans “to park your car one extra day per week.” And, “Whenever you have a chance, say something good about our country.”

“We are,” he said, “at a turning point in our history.” Voters emphatically

agreed: In October 1979, Gallup recorded his job approval at 31 percent. Twelve months later, Carter lost 44 states, becoming the only 20th-century president defeated after his party had held the office for only four years. His campaign scurrilities against Reagan – accusing him of racism and other vices – were, the liberal New Republic said, “frightful distortions, bordering on outright lies.” The Post said that Carter had “few limits beyond which he will not go in the abuse of opponents and reconstruction of history.”

Carter’s closest aide, Hamilton Jordan, called him “the world’s worst loser,” and less than three weeks after the election Carter wrote in his diary, which he would publish in 2010, that “dictators around the world are rejoicing because of the outcome of the election.” Not those behind the Iron Curtain, or Fidel Castro. Carter later said he and Castro were “old friends.”

As ex-president, Carter’s freelance diplomacy included hijacking the Clinton administration’s policy toward North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Time magazine’s Lance Morrow described Carter as “a psalm-singing global circuit rider and moral interventionist” who behaved “as if the election of 1980 had been only some kind of ghastly mistake, a technicality of democratic punctilio.”

His post-presidential involvement with Habitat for Humanity illustrated the large reverberation of a good example. Of his presidency, let us charitably say what he said of his disastrous Iranian hostage rescue mission, in which eight helicopters invaded a nation larger than Alaska. It was, he said, “an incomplete success.” © 2024, Washington Post Writers Group

Carter meeting with Ismail Haniyeh in 2009 in Gaza City

Political Crossfire Thanks For the Laughs, 2024, You Ridiculous Year

Viewed in a bemused spirit, 2024 provided (in Mark Twain’s words) “not merely food for laughter” but “an entire banquet.” Begin with the Texan who, preparing to run for president, changed his name to Literally Anybody Else. John F. Kerry, the Democrats’ 2004 nominee and, in 2024, the State Department’s designated climate worrier, said people would “feel better” about the war in Ukraine if Russia would “make a greater effort to reduce emissions.” War criminals should minimize their carbon footprints. A whistleblower charged that a federal supervisor directed workers responding to hurricanes Helene and Milton to “avoid homes advertising Trump.” Miss Sassy, the Springfield, Ohio, cat who police were told might have tempted hungry Haitian immigrants, was found healthy in her owner’s basement. Online applicants for some positions in Kamala Harris’s campaign were invited to say whether they are “he/him,” “she/her,” “they/them,” “xe/xem,” “ze/hir,” “ey/em,” “hir/hir,” “fae/faer” or “hu/hu.” At a post-election seminar, a senior official of the campaign pronounced it “flawless.” The day after the election, various universities provided milk, cookies, coloring books, Legos, “reflection spaces” and “destress sessions” for young adults “struggling” with the election results.

A Page 1 New York Times headline announced a discovery: “Progressive Ideals Losing a Grip on the Country.” The story did not disclose when the country was in this grip. Rwanda, unlike America, evidently is not polarized: Paul Kagame, president since 2000, won reelection with 99.18 percent of the vote. South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi L. Noem, asked about her memoir claiming that she had once met with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, said this “anecdote” has since been “adjusted.”

According to Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz, socialism is “neighborliness.” Cuba, where neigh-

By George F. Will

borliness is strict, cut from 80 grams to 60 grams (2.1 ounces) its subsidized daily ration of bread. When German troops volunteered to help Poland recover from flooding, Poland’s prime minister told his nation, “If you see German soldiers, don’t panic.” It was learned that in 2023 Amtrak lost $1.7 billion but scraped together “incentive” bonuses of more than $200,000 each for 14 executives.

per. Many corporations (e.g., Walmart, the nation’s largest private-sector employer) reconsidered the employee indoctrination and racial spoils system dictated by DEI orthodoxy. Even academia, always the last to learn, awakened to the obvious: Wokeness, including mandatory statements of DEI groveling by faculty applicants, is incompatible with intellectual freedom. A federal judge handling litigation concern-

ers supported restoring algebra to middle schools, it having been banished to serve “equity.” A Virginia school district paid $575,000 recompense to a teacher fired for mis-pronouning. When the New York-New Jersey region experienced an earthquake, the Green Party candidate for Senate in New Jersey said: “We never get earthquakes. The climate crisis is real.”

Illinois’ legislature passed a bill renaming some “offenders” as “justice-impacted individuals.” Five crime-busting Mississippi cops arrested a 10-year-old for peeing behind his mother’s car. He was sentenced to three months’ probation, with drug tests at his probation officer’s discretion. Embracing today’s rule “Never miss an opportunity to criminalize something,” an Ohio legislator, incensed not by the rioters but by their excuse for rioting, proposed legislation making it a felony to plant a visiting team’s flag at the center of Ohio State’s football field. Elsewhere in education, Chicago’s teachers unions (a.k.a. the city’s government) pronounced it “misogynistic” to report that 4 in 10 Chicago public school teachers (median salary: $95,000) were “chronically absent.”

A Page 1 New York Times headline announced a discovery: “Progressive Ideals Losing a Grip on the Country.” The story did not disclose when the country was in this grip.

Brooklyn’s PS 261, where the “Arab Cultural Arts” program is funded by Qatar, had a map of the Middle East with Israel omitted. An Amnesty International report this year began: “On 7 October 2023, Israel embarked on a military offensive …” One wonders why. The New York Times reported that on Oct. 9, 2023, “senior administrators at Harvard University” removed the word “violent” from the description of Hamas’s attacks because a dean explained that it “sounded like assigning blame.”

In his 1867 poem “Dover Beach,” noting the decline of religion, Matthew Arnold evoked “the sea of faith” retreating with a “long, withdrawing roar.” In 2024, the ersatz religion of “diversity, equity and inclusion” emitted a long, withdrawing whim-

ing the crashes of two Boeing 737 Max jets that killed 346 people was unamused by the Justice Department’s “diversity and equity” provisions when choosing the monitor of Boeing’s compliance with its plea deal. Eighty-four percent of San Francisco vot-

In Bolivar, Missouri, Bill Pool, who was born when his father was 80, will turn 100 in January. Bill, reportedly the last living son of a Civil War veteran, survived 2024, perhaps laughing all the way.

© 2024, Washington Post Writers Group

Political Crossfire Behind the Dismantling of Hezbollah Decades of Israeli Intelligence

By Mark Mazzetti, Ronen Bergman and Sheera Frenkel

Destruction from an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, Lebanon, in the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel

Right up until he was assassinated, Hassan Nasrallah did not believe that Israel would kill him.

As he hunkered inside a Hezbollah fortress 40 feet underground on Sept. 27, his aides urged him to go to a safer location. Nasrallah brushed it off, according to intelligence collected by Israel and shared later with Western allies. In his view, Israel had no interest in a full-scale war.

What he did not realize was that Israeli spy agencies were tracking his every movement — and had been doing so for years.

Not long after, Israeli F-15 jets dropped thousands of pounds of explosives, obliterating the bunker in a blast that buried Nasrallah and other top Hezbollah commanders. The next day, Nasrallah’s body was found in an embrace with a top Iranian general based in Lebanon. Both men died of suffocation, the intelligence found, according to several people with knowledge of it.

The death of Hezbollah’s feared leader, who for decades commanded a Leba-

nese militia in its fight against the Israeli state, was the culmination of a two-week offensive. The campaign combined covert technological wizardry with brute military force, including remote detonation of explosives hidden in thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah, as well as a withering aerial bombardment with the aim of destroying thousands of missiles and rockets capable of hitting Israel.

It was also the result of two decades of methodical intelligence work in preparation for an all-out war that many expected would eventually come. A New York Times investigation, based on interviews with more than two dozen current and former Israeli, U.S. and European officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss classified operations, reveals just how extensively Israeli spies had penetrated Hezbollah. They recruited people to plant listening devices in Hezbollah bunkers, tracked meetings between one top commander and his four mistresses, and had near constant visibility into the

movements of the militia group’s leaders.

It is a story of breakthroughs, as in 2012 when Israel’s Unit 8200 — the country’s equivalent of the National Security Agency — stole a trove of information, including specifics of the leaders’ secret hideouts and the group’s arsenal of missiles and rockets.

There were stumbles, as in late 2023 when a Hezbollah technician got suspicious about the batteries in the walkie-talkies.

And there were scrambles to save their efforts, as in September, when Unit 8200 collected intelligence that Hezbollah operatives were concerned enough about the pagers that they were sending some of them to Iran for inspection.

Worried that the operation would be exposed, top intelligence officials persuaded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give the order to detonate them, setting in motion the campaign that culminated in the assassination of Nasrallah.

Israel’s decimation of Hezbollah was

a significant victory for a country that, one year earlier, had suffered the greatest intelligence failure in its history, when Hamas-led fighters invaded it on Oct. 7, 2023, killed more than 1,200 people and took 250 hostages.

The Hezbollah campaign, part of a broader war that has killed thousands of people in Lebanon and displaced more than 1 million, defanged one of Israel’s greatest adversaries and dealt a blow to Iran’s regional strategy of arming and funding paramilitary groups bent on Israel’s destruction. The weakening of the Iran-led axis reshaped the dynamics in the Middle East, contributing to the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.

The contrast between Israel’s approaches to Hezbollah and to Hamas is stark and devastating. The intense intelligence focus on Hezbollah shows that the country’s leaders believed that the Lebanese militia group posed the greatest imminent threat to Israel. And yet it was Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a group Israeli intelligence believed

had neither the interest nor the abilities to attack Israel, that launched a surprise attack and caught the nation unprepared.

Israel was in a standoff with Nasrallah and his top commanders of Hezbollah, the “Party of G-d,” for decades, and Israeli intelligence assessments have concluded that it will take years, possibly more than a decade, for the group to rebuild after their deaths. The group of leaders now in charge has far less combat experience than the earlier generation.

And yet the new leaders, like Hezbollah’s founders, are driven by a central animating principle: conflict with Israel.

“Hezbollah can’t continue to get support and funding from Iran without being in a war against Israel. That’s the raison d’etre for Hezbollah,” said Brig. Gen. Shimon Shapira, a former military secretary for Netanyahu and the author of “Hezbollah: Between Iran and Lebanon.”

“They will rearm and rebuild,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time.”

Developing Sources

The 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah was a bloody stalemate. Israel withdrew from Lebanon after 34 days of fighting, which began after Hezbollah kidnapped and killed two Israeli soldiers. The war, which did not achieve Israel’s objectives, had been something of a humiliation, forcing an investigation panel, resignations of top generals and a reckoning inside Israel’s security apparatus about the quality of its intelligence.

But operations during the war, based on Israeli intelligence gathering, formed the foundation for the country’s later approach. One operation planted tracking devices on Hezbollah’s Fajr missiles that gave Israel information about munitions hidden inside secret military bases, civilian storage facilities and private homes, according to three former Israeli officials. In the 2006 war, the Israeli air force bombed the sites, destroying the missiles.

In the years after the war, Nasrallah projected confidence that Hezbollah could win another conflict against Israel, likening the nation to a spider web — menacing from afar but a threat that could be easily brushed aside.

As Hezbollah rebuilt, the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence service, expanded a network of human sources inside the militia, according to 10 current and former U.S. and Israeli officials.

Specifically, the Mossad recruited people in Lebanon to help Hezbollah build secret facilities after the war. The Mossad sources fed the Israelis information about the locations of hideouts and assisted in

the group into buying military equipment and telecommunication devices from Israeli shell companies.

In 2014, Israel seized an opportunity when the Japanese technology company iCOM stopped producing its popular ICV82 walkie-talkies. The devices, originally assembled in Osaka, Japan, were so popular that replicas were already being made across Asia and sold in online forums and in black market deals.

Unit 8200 discovered that Hezbollah was specifically searching for the same device to equip all of its front-line forces, according to seven Israeli and European officials. They had even designed a special vest for their troops with a chest pocket tailored for the device.

monitoring them, two officials said.

The Israelis generally shared Hezbollah intelligence with the United States and European allies.

A significant moment came in 2012, when Unit 8200 obtained a trove of information about the specific whereabouts of Hezbollah leaders, their hideouts and the group’s batteries of missiles and rockets, according to five current and former Israeli defense and European officials.

That operation raised confidence within Israeli intelligence agencies that should Netanyahu make good on threats to attack Iran’s nuclear sites, the Israeli military

to produce information that could be used in the event of a war with Hezbollah.

According to two Israeli defense officials with knowledge of the intelligence, when the 2006 war ended, Israel had “target portfolios” for just under 200 Hezbollah leaders, operatives, weapons caches and missile locations. By the time Israel launched its campaign in September, it had tens of thousands.

Creating Deadly Pagers

To gain an advantage in an eventual war with Hezbollah, Israel also developed plans to sabotage the militia from within.

When the 2006 war ended, Israel had “target portfolios” for just under 200 Hezbollah leaders, operatives, weapons caches and missile locations.

could help neuter Hezbollah’s ability to retaliate.

Netanyahu visited the Tel Aviv headquarters of Unit 8200 shortly after the operation. During the visit, the head of Unit 8200 made a show by printing out the trove of information, producing a tall stack of paper. Standing next to the material, he told Netanyahu, “You can now attack Iran,” according to two current and former Israeli defense officials with knowledge of the meeting.

Israel did not attack.

During the years that followed, Israeli spy agencies worked to refine the intelligence gathered from the earlier operation

Israel’s Unit 8200 and Mossad championed a plan to supply Hezbollah with booby-trapped devices that could be detonated at a future date, according to six current and former Israeli defense officials.

Within the Israeli intelligence community, the devices were known as “buttons” that could be activated at Israel’s moment of choosing.

Designing and producing the buttons was relatively straightforward. Israeli engineers mastered placing PETN explosives within the batteries of electronic devices, turning them into small bombs.

The more difficult operation fell to the Mossad, which for nearly a decade tricked

Israel began manufacturing its own replicas of the walkie-talkies with small modifications, including packing explosive material into their batteries, according to eight current and former Israeli and U.S. officials. The first Israeli-made replicas arrived in Lebanon in 2015 — and more than 15,000 were eventually shipped, some of the officials said.

In 2018, a female Israeli Mossad intelligence officer drafted a plan that would use a similar technique to implant explosive material into a pager battery. Israeli intelligence commanders reviewed the plan but determined that Hezbollah’s use of pagers was not widespread enough, according to three officials. The plan was shelved.

Over the next three years, Israel’s increasing ability to hack into cellphones left Hezbollah, Iran and their allies increasingly wary of using smartphones. Israeli officers from Unit 8200 helped fuel the fear, using bots on social media to push Arabic-language news reports on Israel’s ability to hack into phones, according to two officers in the agency.

Worried about smartphones being compromised, Hezbollah’s leadership decided to expand its use of pagers. Such devices allowed them to send out messages to fighters but did not reveal location data nor have cameras and microphones that could be hacked.

As it did, Hezbollah began looking for pagers hardy enough for combat conditions, according to eight current and former Israeli officials. Israeli intelligence officers reconsidered the pager operation, and they worked to build a network of shell companies to hide their origins and sell the products to the militia.

Israeli intelligence officers targeted the Taiwanese brand Gold Apollo, well known for pagers.

In May 2022, a company called BAC Consulting was registered in Budapest,

Hezbollah fighters, officials and supporters surround the coffin of Fuad Shukr, a top Hezbollah commander

Hungary. One month later, in Sofia, Bulgaria, a company called Norta Global Ltd. was registered to a Norwegian citizen named Rinson Jose.

BAC Consulting bought a licensing agreement from Gold Apollo to manufacture a new pager model known as the AR-924 Rugged. It was bulkier than the existing Gold Apollo pagers, but it was promoted as waterproof and with a longer-lasting battery life than competitors’ devices.

The Mossad oversaw production of the pagers in Israel, according to Israeli officials. Working through intermediaries, Mossad agents began marketing the pagers to Hezbollah buyers and offered a discounted price for a bulk purchase.

The Mossad presented the gadget, one without any hidden explosives, to Netanyahu during a meeting in March 2023, according to two people with knowledge of the meeting. Netanyahu was skeptical about their durability, and he asked David Barnea, the Mossad chief, how easily they might break. Barnea assured him they were sturdy.

Not convinced, Netanyahu abruptly stood up and threw the device against the wall of his office. The wall cracked, but the pager did not.

The Mossad front company shipped the first batch of pagers to Hezbollah that fall.

Conducting War Games

The pager operation was not fully in place in October 2023, when the Hamasled attacks ignited a fierce debate within the Israeli government about whether Israel should launch a full-scale war against Hezbollah.

Some, including Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, argued for striking at Hezbollah, which began launching missiles at Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, in solidarity with Hamas. It was an opportunity, he said, to deal with the “hard enemy” of Hezbollah before turning to what he considered the less difficult enemy of Hamas, according to five Israeli officials familiar with the meetings.

After a phone call with President Joe Biden on Oct. 11, 2023, Netanyahu, along with his newly formed wartime Cabinet, decided for the time being against opening another front with Hezbollah, effectively ending high-level debate about the topic for months.

Even as Israel focused on Hamas, military and intelligence officials continued to refine plans for an eventual war with Hezbollah.

Israeli intelligence analysts, who were

constantly monitoring the use of the devices, discovered a potential problem with the operation. At least one Hezbollah technician began to suspect that the walkie-talkies might contain hidden explosives, according to three Israeli defense officials. Israel dealt with it swiftly this year, killing the technician with an airstrike.

For nearly a year, Israeli intelligence and the air force also ran roughly 40 war games built around killing Nasrallah and other senior Hezbollah leaders, said two Israeli officials. They wanted to be able to target them at the same time, even if they were not in the same place.

Along the way, Israel collected mundane and intimate details about Hezbollah commanders, including the identities

four Israeli officials.

In late August, Barnea, the Mossad chief, wrote a secret letter to Netanyahu, according to a senior Israeli defense official. The letter advocated a two- to threeweek campaign that included eliminating more than half of the group’s missile abilities and destroying installations within about 6 miles of the Israeli border. At the same time, senior military officials began their own effort to lobby Netanyahu to intensify a campaign against Hezbollah.

New intelligence disrupted the planning. Hezbollah operatives had become suspicious that the pagers might be sabotaged, according to several officials.

On Sept. 11, intelligence showed that Hezbollah was sending some of the pagers to Iran for examination, and Israeli offi-

Approving a Killing

After the pager operation, the Netanyahu government, with the support of high-ranking defense officials, opted for all-out war, a campaign marked by a series of escalations.

The day after detonating the pagers, the Mossad blew up the walkie-talkies, most of which were still in storage because Hezbollah leaders had not yet mobilized fighters for a battle against Israel.

In all, dozens of people were killed by the pager and walkie-talkie explosions, including several children, and thousands were wounded. Most of the casualties were Hezbollah operatives, sowing chaos among the top ranks of the group.

Days later, on Sept. 20, Israeli jets struck a building in Beirut where commanders of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Forces were meeting in a bunker, killing several of them along with Ibrahim Aqeel, the head of Hezbollah’s military operations.

Not convinced, Netanyahu abruptly stood up and threw the device against the wall of his office. The wall cracked, but the pager did not.

of the four [“friends”] of Fouad Shukur, a founding member of Hezbollah long ago identified by the U.S. government as one of the planners of the 1983 bombing of the barracks in Beirut that killed 241 American Marines.

At one point this year, apparently feeling uncomfortable about his situation, Shukur sought assistance from Hezbollah’s highest religious cleric to marry all four women, according to two Israeli officials and a European official. The cleric, Hashem Safieddine, arranged four separate phone-based wedding ceremonies for Shukur.

The simmering conflict boiled over this summer, when a Hezbollah rocket attack in July killed a dozen Israelis, including schoolchildren, in Majdal Shams, a town in the Golan Heights.

Israel responded days later with an airstrike in Beirut that killed Shukur. It was a provocative step to take, to assassinate a top commander of Hezbollah’s forces.

“Use It or Lose It”

After the back-and-forth attacks, the debate renewed inside Israel’s government about opening a “northern front” against Hezbollah. The Israeli military and the Mossad drew up different strategies for a campaign against Hezbollah, according to

cials knew it was only a matter of time before the covert operation would be blown.

On Sept. 16, Netanyahu met with top security chiefs to weigh whether to detonate the pagers in a “use it or lose it” operation, according to four Israeli security officials. Some opposed it, saying it might prompt a full Hezbollah counterattack and possibly a strike by Iran.

Netanyahu ordered the operation. The next day, at 3:30 p.m., the Mossad ordered an encrypted message to be sent to thousands of the pagers. Seconds later, the pagers detonated.

At the time the pagers exploded, Jose, the Norwegian who was the head of one of the Mossad front companies, was attending a technology conference in Boston.

Within days, Jose was identified in news articles as a participant in the operation, and the Norwegian government announced that it wanted him back in Norway for questioning.

Israeli officials secretly pressured the Biden administration to ensure that Jose could leave the United States without going back to Norway, according to one Israeli and one U.S. official.

Israeli officials would not disclose Jose’s location. One senior Israeli defense official said only that he was in a “safe place.”

On Sept. 23, the Israeli air force conducted a major campaign, hitting more than 2,000 targets aimed at Hezbollah’s stores of medium- and long-range missiles.

The most consequential decision remained: whether or not to kill Nasrallah.

As senior Israeli officials debated, intelligence agencies received new information that Nasrallah planned to move to a different bunker, one that would be far more difficult to hit, according to two Israeli defense officials and a Western official.

On Sept. 26, with Netanyahu set to fly to New York for a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, the prime minister gathered with his top political, intelligence and military advisers to discuss approving the assassination. They also had to decide whether to tell the United States in advance.

Netanyahu and other top advisers opposed notifying the Biden administration. They believed that U.S. officials would push back against the strike, but that regardless, the United States would come to Israel’s defense in case Iran retaliated. They agreed to keep the United States in the dark.

Netanyahu approved the assassination the next day, after he landed in New York and only hours before standing at the lectern at the United Nations.

In his speech, he spoke about the grip that Hezbollah had over Lebanon. “Don’t let Nasrallah drag Lebanon into the abyss,” he told the presidents and prime ministers gathered.

Soon after, the Israeli F-15 jets above Beirut dropped thousands of pounds of explosives. © The New York Times

Israel Today Jimmy Carter’s Personal Virtue Didn’t Ensure a Virtuous or Successful Presidency

The stock of historical figures rises and falls with the changing times that follow them. That is especially true for American presidents. Admirers of former President Jimmy Carter are hoping that posterity will give him in a similar treatment.

The 39th president went into hospice at his Georgia home in February 2023. But remarkably, he lived for another 22 months with his wife, Rosalynn, dying in the interim. He even had the opportunity to cast one last vote for a successor (for Vice President Kamala Harris), dying this weekend at the age of 100. That makes him the longest-living president in U.S. history. And since he left office nearly 44 years ago, his was the longest post-presidency as well. More than one out of five Americans were born after he left the White House in 1981. In the intervening decades, the memories of those who were alive then may have dimmed. That is part of the reason why the campaign to revive his reputation has already had such success. It was already in full swing when he went into hospice as articles and opinion pieces boosting him and attempting to depict his single term in office as both underappreciated and unfairly attacked proliferated.

Assessing Presidents

Examples of leaders whose reputations have risen and fallen in succeeding generations abound. Some who exit office with low popularity ratings wind up being thought of with respect once the immediate political circumstances pass, and both historians and the public are able to judge their achievements with more dispassion.

The most outstanding example of this phenomenon is Harry Truman, who was deeply unpopular when his presidency

By Jonathan S. Tobin

ended due to the inconclusive and bloody Korean War, a sagging economy and the nation’s weariness with the Democrats after 20 years of their rule in Washington. But within a few decades, Truman’s reputation would soar. He would come to be appreciated for his postwar leadership against Soviet expansionism and for his plain-spoken style that at the time was judged as something of a letdown after the patrician bearing and soaring style of Franklin Roosevelt, whom he had succeeded. A 2021 C-SPAN poll of historians now ranks Truman as the sixth greatest president in history—a development that few but his closest associates would have believed possible when he left the White House in 1953.

Carter stood at 26 out of 45 (President Joe Biden had just taken office) in that poll; however, that seems more than a bit generous when recalling that his approval rating at the end of his term was a dismal 34%—lower even than the current 38.7% for Biden, although he has an even higher disapproval number with 56.7% as opposed

to Carter’s 55%.

The similarities between Carter and Biden are striking, and they were the subject of Wall Street Journal columnist Kim Strassel’s insightful 2023 book, The Biden Malaise: How America Bounces Back From Joe Biden’s Dismal Repeat of the Jimmy Carter Years.

Among the chattering classes, Strassel’s is a minority view. According to the growing legion of his defenders, Carter, who was defeated for re-election in a landslide that swept former California governor and film actor Ronald Reagan into office, has been “wronged by history.” The author of the fawning biography insists that his presidency “was not what you think.” These unabashedly revisionist accounts purport that his weakness and the calamities, both at home and abroad, endured by the United States on his watch were actually not as bad as everyone thought at the time.

While Carter’s death will necessarily put a damper on critiques of his life and career, the temptation to indulge this push to lionize him should be resisted. While there

has always been much to admire about his life and career, there is no reason to ignore the facts about his presidency.

Just as important, the widespread praise he has received for his post-presidential life shouldn’t cause Americans to uncritically accept the effort to reimagine him as a martyr to forces that were beyond his control. His good personal qualities notwithstanding, the notion that Carter was the public conscience of the nation cannot be allowed to go unchallenged. Above all else, his vendetta against Israel and the pro-Israel community, coupled with his efforts to legitimize the notion that Israel is an “apartheid state,” should cause fair-minded observers to judge him harshly.

The Roots of Revisionism

Part of the Carter revisionism is rooted in partisanship. Though he left the White House four and half decades ago, many Democrats of a certain age still fume over Reagan’s victory and the way that his presidency, which led to victory in the Cold War among other successes, is contrasted with Carter’s. The tenure of the 37th president is best remembered for the Soviet Union’s unchecked adventurism, the humiliation of the Iran hostage crisis and a dismal “malaise” speech in which he seemed to blame the American people for the sorry state of the country rather than take responsibility for it himself.

Indeed, some on the left have never let go of the conspiracy theory about Republicans colluding with Iran to ensure that the hostages weren’t released until Carter left office. This fictional claim, which has been succeeded by a never-ending stream of Democratic myths about their opponents that author David Harsanyi

has called “BlueAnon,” was conclusively debunked decades ago. But partisan liberal outlets continue periodically to revive it, as The New York Times did in 2023 in an unpersuasive and misleading article that gave new life to that canard.

Nevertheless, a Carter revival has always been based more on the glowing reviews of his post-presidential life than on an effort to claim that his chaotic administration was anything other than four years of national disaster.

The leftist magazine The Nation acclaimed him as “Our Greatest Former President,” and there are many who will undoubtedly agree with that evaluation. Carter was widely admired for his charitable work and willingness to volunteer in endeavors like Habitat for Humanity, in which he and his wife built homes for the poor earned him appreciation.

After the presidencies of Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, Americans have grown used to the idea that presidents can be deeply flawed individuals. For all of his shortcomings as a leader, Carter was a throwback to the antique notion that a president should be an exemplary individual, even if that idea was often more observed in the breach than most people were prepared to admit.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Carter became a submarine officer and a nuclear engineer. After his father’s death, he returned home to run the family’s peanut farm in Plains, Ga., and, due in no small part to his scientific acumen, he was able to turn it into a success.

He was also a deeply religious man, as well as a faithful devoted husband and father—qualities that in retrospect have taken on even greater importance in the latter half of his life as some of his successors lacked those attributes. The Founders of the American Republic believed that morality and public virtue were a necessity for its survival, and that remains arguably true. Though persons who lacked Carter’s upstanding personal qualities have been among our greatest leaders, a return to an era when an exemplary character was considered a necessity for a would-be president is something we should all desire.

Unlike many politicians who landed in the White House, he was also something of an intellectual and a man who immersed himself in the details of policy. That was admirable in some ways but also led to many of his problems. Compared to a president like Biden, who had a well-earned reputation as a fabulist blow-hard before he became best known for cognitive decline, or to President-elect Trump and his mean-spirited social-media postings and

hyperbole, someone with Carter’s cerebral style seems attractive by comparison.

White House Failure

While all of that deserves to be part of the way he is remembered, Carter was still a dismal failure as commander-in-chief.

The glowing reviews for his post-presidency must also be weighed against the enormous damage he did as one of Israel’s foremost unfair critics.

The revisionism about Carter being better than anyone remembers must founder on two facts. Though he was dealt a poor hand by economic factors beyond his control, his administration’s emphasis on expanding big government was a significant part of the problem, especially when compared to the subsequent success that Reagan achieved.

Leaders must also be judged on their ability to inspire people. Rather than lift the nation up—as Reagan did so well—Carter’s tendency for preachy lectures and a predilection for what would now be rightly termed “virtue signaling” did the opposite.

Yet it is on foreign policy that Carter’s reputation foundered more than any other factor.

The revisionists give Carter credit for beginning the rebuilding of the military that expanded greatly under Reagan. He is also lauded for his emphasis on advocacy for human rights around the globe.

Yet the problem is that he entered the presidency by saying that one of the country’s main problems was an “inordinate fear of communism.” That sent an undoubted signal to the Soviet Union—in 1977, few, if anyone, thought it would begin to collapse by the end of the following decade—that it no longer needed to fear U.S. power. The result was a surge in Soviet adventurism around the globe and culminated in its invasion of Afghanistan.

Though support for human rights was and still is a good thing, such efforts also led Carter to undermine imperfect regimes that were friendly to the United States, like the Iranian government then led by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Carter helped push the shah out of power and was indifferent to his replacement by a theocratic tyranny led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. That was an unforced error that led to enormous suffering in Iran and elsewhere, and for which Carter deserves eternal opprobrium. That the Islamist regime then assaulted the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and took 52 of its staff hostages—a humiliation that affected all Americans—was ironic but nevertheless a tragedy.

It’s possible that history might view Carter differently if the rescue attempt he

ordered had succeeded. But it didn’t, and the debacle only added to the shame Americans felt about their government’s impotence.

Carter and Israel Carter is also given credit by his apologists for helping to broker peace between Israel and Egypt at the 1978 Camp David Summit. That’s true, but it must also be remembered that the Mideast peace process was begun by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat with his historic 1977 flight to Jerusalem took place in spite of Carter, not because of him. Carter had tried initially to involve the Soviets in these peace efforts, something the Egyptian leader rightly feared.

He also despised Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin for his tenacious defense of Jewish rights and unwillingness to bow to pressure from Washington. He blamed Begin for somehow deceiving him about Israel’s intention to defend the right of Jews to settle in Judea and Samaria, which the president wanted to end. But that was not true since, if anything, Carter deceived himself about what Begin’s promise of limited autonomy for Palestinian Arabs in the territories really meant.

Carter’s hostility to Israel was no secret, and it played a part in the failure of his bid for re-election in 1980. Reagan achieved a modern record of 40% of the Jewish vote not so much because of his appeal but because of Carter’s unpopularity—something that Republicans have failed to remember as they’ve sought in vain to replicate that feat.

In fact, Carter blamed the Jews for his defeat. His hard feelings about that colored his post-presidency as he began a decades-long effort to promote Palestinian statehood and to smear Israel. He was not the only person to be wrong about the necessity for a two-state solution, but few matched the virulence with which he assailed Israel, and especially its American supporters, for their refusal to listen to his consistently bad advice.

That culminated in the publication of his 2006 book—Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid, which in no small measure began the effort, at least in the United States, to mainstream the big lie that the Middle East’s only democracy was morally equivalent to apartheid-era South Africa.

The Calculus of History

For all of the applause he has received

for his life as an ex-president, Carter’s animus against the Jewish state and willingness to use his moral standing and influence to besmirch it and aid the efforts of antisemitic hate-mongers and terrorists to undermine its existence is also part of his legacy. Indeed, when considering the role he played in bringing the Iranian regime— now the world’s leading state sponsor of terror into existence—all of its crimes can be traced back in some ways to Carter. That includes the actions of murderous proxies and allies, like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, which led to the atrocities committed by Hamas operatives and Palestinians in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. His moral preening and bad judgment weren’t just insufferable; they materially contributed to the polar opposite of virtuous outcomes around the world.

When assessing his legacy, how do we weigh that against the many good things that can be said for Jimmy Carter as an individual? There is no calculus by which these competing arguments can be measured exactly. Like everyone, his life was a mixture of good and bad. It is entirely possible to acknowledge his outstanding personal qualities and even his undoubted positive intentions, but also to judge his presidency to be a disaster and his post-presidential efforts to have also done as much harm as good.

His passing should be acknowledged with all of the solemnity and respect due to a former president of the United States. But we should not let that desire to think well of a historic figure to color the verdict of contemporary public opinion or history. Nor should he or his presidency be used as a club with which the corporate liberal media can assail Trump. Jimmy Carter may have been a very decent man in many respects, but he was still a very bad president and someone whose unfair attacks on the Jewish state deserve to always be held against him. (JNS)

Jonathan S. Tobin is editor-in-chief of JNS (Jewish

News Syndicate).

Forgotten Her es The Heroes on the USS Franklin

By Avi Heiligman

On the morning of March 19, 1945, the lookout crew on the aircraft carrier USS Franklin (CV-13) missed a lone Japanese dive bomber approaching. The crew had been to battle stations 12 times in the past six hours and was now in the middle of launching aircraft. The Yokosuka D4Y “Judy” dive bomber came in undetected in a cloud cover and released two armor-piercing bombs. Damage to the carrier was immense and caused widespread destruction throughout the ship. Despite the carnage, the USS Franklin did not sink. Hundreds were wounded, and over 800 crewmembers were killed in the attack, making it the worst loss of life for any surviving ship. The toll would have been much higher if not for the heroism of several of the sailors on board who were awarded medals and citations for gallantry in action.

USS Franklin , nicknamed “The Big Ben,” was commissioned in January 1944 and was a 27,000-ton Essex-class aircraft carrier. She could carry up to 103 aircraft and had a complement of 2,600 officers and enlisted men. After the attack, the Franklin became known as the ship that wouldn’t die, and the awards given to the men on the ship made them one of the most decorated crews of the war. Among the awards given out for this one incident were two Medal of Honors, 21 Navy

Crosses and 26 Silver Stars.

Donald Gary was one of the two Medal of Honor recipients from the attack. He received his commission in 1943 and was sent to the Franklin as an engineering officer with the rank of lieutenant junior grade. During the attack on the carrier, many men were trapped below decks, and Gary found 300 sailors in a smoked-filled mess compartment. Despite the flames

to the U.S. when he was eight, and had served during World War I. He played football professionally for the Flatbush Giants and despite his age joined the military to fight the Nazis. He was 41 when he joined the Navy and was nicknamed “Pop” not only because of his age but also for his sound advice. Since there was no Jewish chaplain on board, he conducted a weekly minyan on the ship. At the time of

Most of the hospital corpsmen were dead, wounded or were blown overboard, so Sherman used the musical band on the ship as helpers.

and the possibility of additional explosions, he found an exit and led group after group to safety. Then he led firefighters to the hangar deck to put out the fires. For his heroism in the extremely hazardous conditions with disregard to his own safety he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

One of the men that were saved by Gary’s action was Electrician’s Mate Second Class George Shapiro. Shapiro was born to a Jewish family in Russia, moved

the attack, he was in the repair shop and went to the wardroom where he found hundreds of other sailors. The bulkheads then closed, and smoke began to fill the room. He later said of the incident, “We just sat there and prayed, I guess. Then, when the smoke was getting heavy, Lt. Gary suddenly appeared in a ‘breather.’ He took out ten at a time through the air uptakes. When we got out, we found the flight deck on fire. I joined a fire control

party.” Many sailors were taken to other ships, but Shapiro chose to stay and help the Franklin stay afloat.

Right before the attack, a group of 47 planes had taken off, and a second wave of planes was brought to the deck to get ready for takeoff. Jewish Lieutenant Commander Samuel Sherman was the flight surgeon on the deck at the time of the attack. Sherman saw the enemy bomber coming in and was blown about 15 feet into the air. Secondary explosions occurred due to the ordnance on the flight deck. Being the top medical officer on the deck, Sherman knew what was needed and was prepared for the chaos that was occurring on the ship for hours. He had stocked large containers of medical supplies both on the flight deck and in the hangar. These were put to immediate use as there were a large number of wounded men on the deck.

One of the ship’s doctors had been killed while the other two were trapped in the mess compartment, and it was hours before they were rescued by Gary. Most of the hospital corpsmen were dead, wounded or were blown overboard, so Sherman used the musical band on the ship as helpers. Before the attack, he had trained them, as well as pilots and other crewmembers, in first aid. One of the pilots who helped with the heroic lifesaving efforts was the commanding

officer of Fighting Squadron Five (VF5) Lieutenant Commander Macgregor Kilpatrick. Corpsmen eventually came on the deck after they had recovered from the blast, but initially it was Sherman, the band and a few pilots that were the ones treating the wounded. Sherman separated the patients that were in the worst shape and had them evacuated to the USS Santa Fe (CL-60).

Both Kilpatrick and Sherman were ordered to leave the Franklin and board the Santa Fe but only Kilpatrick went. Threatened with court martial if he didn’t

go, Sherman responded, “All my life I’ve been trained never to abandon a sick or wounded person. I can’t find any doctors and I don’t know where they are and I only have a few corpsmen and I can’t leave these people.”

The ship’s engineers tried to get the boilers working in the engine room, but the smoke inflamed their eyes even though they were wearing gas masks. Sherman then went below decks to retrieve eye drops from the sick bay. The engineers were then able to see properly and soon had the boilers working.

By the time the rescued doctors came to the flight deck about twelve hours after the attack, Sherman had taken care of most of the wounded. Both Sherman and Kilpatrick were awarded the Navy Cross for their actions in treating the wounded and saving the lives of many of those on board.

Many didn’t make it through the tragedy, including Jewish sailor Abraham Barbash who had given his life jacket to a young sailor with a broken arm. As he went to look for another life jacket, he was killed by an exploding bomb.

The crippled carrier limped back to the United States for repairs. The bombs could have caused more devastation and damage if not for the heroic and daring actions of those on board during the attack. These Forgotten Heroes and the story of the USS Franklin are history to be remembered.

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.

George Shapiro Samuel Sherman when he received his Navy Cross Macgregor Kilpatrick

Donald Gary receiving his Medal of Honor from President Truman

Chanukah Lights, Sights & Delights

Here are some photos TJH readers sent in for our Chanukah contest, What Chanukah Means to You. Judging from the entries, family, doughnuts, menorahs and lots of joy saturate our homes on Chanukah!

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Why do pizza slices start narrow and widen?

Is it all about the convenience? A creation of a convenient angle to hold onto them?

Might it be more?

Could it be it needs to start small and lure you in slowly? Does that make any sense? I mean, aren’t you hungriest at the first bite?!

And speaking of hunger…

Why do restaurants put all that delicious bread on the table when you first show up? Aren’t they worried you’ll just fill up on it and ask for the check?

I remember going to a restaurant that gave a whole loaf of warm sourdough to enjoy even before they even handed you a menu. Were they trying to put themselves out of business?!

I could never figure it out. And then I learned this crazy fact.

There is a rapid rise in your blood sugar due to eating a carbohydrate which

Life C ach

That’s the Bread and Butter of It

By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., LMFT, CLC, SDS

makes you even hungrier than before you messed with your digestive system. So restaurants know exactly what they’re doing! It’s us, patrons, who fall for it time and again. We even order a second basket of bread sometimes. Don’t we realize

done with that first slice, you are certainly chomping at the bit for a second one.

Now I wonder: was breaded veal, breaded chicken, and breaded fish sticks a new taste sensation or a ploy to get you to eat more?

Loving to see a satisfied customer is, after all, what mothers and restaurant owners have in common.

what we are doing is upping our potential order and thus our bill per bite?!

So now, back to the pizza. They’ve got a different strategy. Maybe they figure they’ll start deceptively small and then keep it growing, and by the time you’re

And what about breaded cauliflower? Was that a way to get you to eat your veggies?

This bread thing is a secret weapon –who knew?!

Seems that’s the bread and butter of

the food business: create a satisfied costumer and you create a hungry one. G-d must be on the side of the restauranters because G-d says we should wash for bread before our meal even starts. Or maybe G-d just started that policy to make Jewish mamas happy. You know how a Jewish mother loves to feed. “Es mein kint,” after all, is the battle cry of the Yiddish mamma!

So more bread, more eating.

I bet yogurt was not invented by a Jewish mamma. But, the sandwich –now there’s a strong possibility. And it follows that pizza may be the brainchild of the women of Italy, another group that loves to see their family well fed. There are worse flaws, of course! Loving to see a satisfied customer is, after all, what mothers and restaurant owners have in common.

Because it just seems that no matter how you slice it, if it’s got bread in it, it will inspire the eating agenda.