Five Towns Jewish Home 4-11-13

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Around the Community

THEJEWISHHOME A PUBLICATION OF THE FIVE TOWNS & QUEENS COMMUNITY april 11- April 17, 2013 | Distributed

Weekly

In The Five Towns, Queens & Brooklyn

OHEL Bais Ezra’s Annual Chol Haomoed Adventure Brings Smiles to Children!

Page 38

Hana Adler and Devora Golombeck Bring Inspiration and Support to Chayalot in Chevron Page 42

Major General Navah Visits Chabad of Hewlett Page 50

HAFTR Middle School Mitzvah Fair: From Eruv to Egla Arufa

Bullying in the Early Years Page 75

Margaret Thatcher 1925-2013

Page 46

A Bridge to a Bright Future for Our Children TJH Interviews Mrs. Chava Bodner of Gesher Early Childhood Center Page 51

The True Warriors of Torah Bobker on The Fighting Rabbis

A Legendary Prime Minister

Page 62

— See page 16—

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Contents >>Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 >>Community Readers’ Poll. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Community Happenings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

>> News Global . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 National . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Odd-but-True Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

>> Israel Israel News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Flying Above the Radar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

>> People A Bridge to a Bright Future for Our Children: TJH Interviews Mrs. Chava Bodner of Gesher Early Childhood Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Bobker on The Fighting Rabbis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 A World After This: The Story of Lola Lieber. . . . . .85 .

>>Parsha The Shmuz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

>> Jewish Thought It’s About Time, by Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz. . . . . 58

Dear Readers, My windows are open and a cool breeze causes the papers on my desk to flutter in the wind. I am excited for spring. In fact, I made sure to get out today to enjoy the warm weather for just a little. The sunny sky with its fluffy clouds and the birds chirping in the trees bring a smile to my face. I hope that you too were able to spend some time outdoors with the wonderful weather.

This week, Mr. Joe Bobker writes about the courage and tenacity of the Jews during the dark years of the Holocaust. He speaks about their commitment to their Torah and mitzvos and the bravery they exhibited against their Nazi murderers. We are not a fighting people. But we also are a nation that is willing to go into battle to fight for what’s right. He talks about the brave pillars of Torah who encouraged their followers to stand up against the Nazi beasts. Indeed, we are not a fighting people, but when it’s a mitzvah to go out and fight, we are willing to die in the battle against evil.

Bullying is an issue that unfortunately affects many children in our schools. It can happen at any age and torments both boys and girls alike. This week, Rifka Schonfeld highlights the matter of bullying in young girls. Girls and boys are bullied in different ways; many girls are bullied by people who they consider to be their friends. Mrs. Schonfeld gives parents specific tips on how to help their young children in this trying situation.

As always, we look forward to hearing from our readers. Feel free to email me at editor@ fivetownsjewishhome.com.

Have a wonderful week, Shoshana

Ask the Rabbi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

>>Parenting

Yitzy Halpern Publisher

Social Smarts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com

>>Health

Classifieds

What You Need to Know About Psychotherapy, by

classifieds@fivetowns jewishhome.com 443-929-4003

Deb Hirschhorn, PhD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 In the Know With Dr. Bo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Yosef Feinerman

Shoshana Soroka

ads@fivetownsjewishhome.com

editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com

managing editor

Nate Davis

Rachel Bergida Berish Edelman Mati Jacobovits

Editorial Assistant

Nechama Wein Copy Editor

Design & Production

Safety and Accessibility in the Home. . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Recipes: A Taste of Spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Recipes: Red Snapper with Salsa, by Chef Shaul Silverstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Travel: Missouri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

>> Lifestyles Your Money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Pounding It Out, by Rivki Rosenwald. . . . . . . . . . . . 95

P.O. BOX 266 Lawrence, NY 11559 Phone | 516-734-0858 Fax | 516-734-0857

Friday, April 12 — Parshas Tazria-Metzora Candle Lighting: 7:14 Shabbos Ends: 8:15 Rabbeinu Tam: 8:45

>> Food & Leisure

Ask the Attorney. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Editor

Weekly Weather

fri. sat. sun. mon. tues. wed. thurs.

April 12 April 13 April 14 April 15 April 16 April 17 April 18

>> Humor Centerfold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

>> Art From My Private Art Collection: How Everyday Arts & Crafts Materials Can Help Parents Nurture Their

rain / wind

Child’s Growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

>> Political Crossfire

High

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

LOW

Spin Class with Michael Fragin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

>> Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

55° 48°

sunny High LOW

58° 41°

partly cloudy High LOW

56° 44°

partly cloudy High LOW

60° 51°

MOSTLY sunny High LOW

66° 51°

partly cloudy High LOW

62° 49°

FEW SHOWERS High LOW

59° 46°

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

To the Editor, I was particularly moved by the letter you printed from father to son at the Pesach seder. I find that the poignancy of the seder is often lost in the hubbub of the yom tov. It’s hard to take the time at the seder to think about the thick chain that binds the generations.

Every father has told the same story to his child every year since yetzias Mitzrayim. For thousands of years, through every hardship and joy, in every country, in every language, we have passed down the mesorah of our fathers to our sons and daughters. Rabbi Lopiansky points out that 132 fathers had to have flawlessly transmitted our mesorah to their sons for it to have reached me.

How awesome! How humbling!

When you look at Pesach in that way, you understand the responsibility that comes along with it. Don’t break the chain—speak to your child and explain and help them relive our miraculous escape from the torture of Paroah and Mitzrayim. Indeed, the sipur yetzias Mitzrayim is the cornerstone of our faith. When one understands and relives the miracles that Hashem did for us, one knows (not just believes, but knows without a doubt) that Hashem is the Creator and He has the power to do as He wishes.

I have cut out this article and packed it away with my Pesach dishes. It is worthwhile to re-read it next year and the years after that before Pesach so that I will remember my responsibility and task on seder night.

Much continued hatzlachah, Chaim W. Korn

To the Editor, With all the Pesach cleaning, shopping, and cooking behind us, it’s time to look back and give credit to a group of unsung Pesach heroes: the employees of Sanitary District No. 1.

The tireless individuals who collect our trash week in and week out usually go unnoticed until something goes wrong. With collection service from the

Sanitary District improving so substantially these past few years, the tendency to overlook their hard work has grown.

But there was no way not to notice how truly they shined while doing the gargantuan task in the days and weeks before, during and after Pesach: hauling tons of garbage produced by weeks of Pesach cleaning and preparation; making piles of messy, overstuffed bags generated by two sederim and yom tov meal after yom tov meal disappear; and collecting mounds of foil, plasti-core counter covers, and various other products disposed of when transforming our kosher for Pesach kitchens back to their standard chametz state.

Making matters better, this year on Erev Pesach, the entire Sanitary District pitched in – the Board of Commissioners, the Superintendent, and, of course, the collection crews – to provide a wide range of enhanced sanitation services. These include the ability to drop off garbage at trucks parked in key Five Towns locations, all-day pick-up of garbage left at the curb, and even a number to call to arrange special home pickup. The crews worked hard, all day, and provided an uncommonly helpful service and convenience.

These services were provided throughout the Five Towns with minimal confusion and maximum efficiency. The results are a credit to all those who cared enough to plan, organize and execute a way to enhance the yom tov, and an added reason to appreciate living in the Five Towns. Take a moment the next time you see one of your hardworking sanitation workers and thank them for a job well done.

Sincerely, Avi Fertig Woodmere To the Editor, The Community Coalition of the Five Towns wishes to thank all residents of the community for their support in defeating the March 20 public referendum to sell the Number Six School to Simone Healthcare.

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

Please send all correspondence to editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com.

the Editor Thank you for waiting patiently in long lines to cast your vote and for making this the highest school election turnout in recent memory. Thank you for defending the interests of our families and children, and for protecting the future of our neighborhoods.

Thank you for sending a clear message to the Lawrence School District 15 Board of Education that we will not accept secret or one-sided deals and that our quality of life is not for sale. And that we will never put up with voting hurdles that threaten our right to have a say in the future of our community.

Thank you for telling would-be developers that their plans must benefit our community, not just their pocketbooks, and that they must preserve our children’s ball fields and precious open spaces. And thank you for giving Five Towns residents a second chance to use

the Number Six School property to better our neighborhood.

Most importantly, thank you for standing alongside your neighbors and friends and for coming together as one community.

For the Community Coalition of the Five Towns this is only the beginning.

We are committed to continuing as a force for good in the community. We want to preserve and improve the quality of life for all who live here by being a positive and persuasive influence on our school board and on local government.

Thank you for giving us the privilege of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you. You can learn more about us at www.CC5T.org.

Joshua Schein The Community Coalition of the Five Towns

Readers Poll Compiled by Jannah Eichenbaum

How much time do you spend on the internet daily?

Barely any time 23% 1-2 hours 56% 3-5 hours 21%

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n A P R I L 1 1 , 2013

Letters to

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The Week Global Margaret Thatcher: A Legendary Prime Minister Who “Said It Like It Is” Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, known as “The Iron Lady,” has died at 87 after suffering a stroke. Thatcher, who served as prime minister from 1979 until 1990, led a conservative resurgence and forged a legendary partnership with U.S. President Ronald Reagan. In March 2002, she released a book which was dedicated to the American president. Upon her passing, Nancy Reagan reflected that her husband and Thatcher were “political soul mates.”

Thatcher, who was not part of the feminist movement and once said, “I

In News

owe nothing to woman’s lib,” was never shy about her status as a woman. In 1976, she said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you tonight in my red chiffon evening gown, my face softly made up, my fair hair gently waved ... the Iron Lady of the Western World.

Me? A Cold War warrior? Well, yes — if that is how they wish to interpret my defense of values of freedoms fundamental to our way of life.” Upon taking office, Thatcher, who was Britain’s first and only female prime minister, stated, “Any woman who understands the problems of running a home will be nearer to understanding the problems of running a country.”

Much like President Reagan, Thatcher was strongly opposed to so-

hf

D r . Ta b i c k 15 years experienced

cialism. During her tenure, she cut taxes and took on the welfare state and powerful unions. She famously quipped, “The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.” Under Thatcher’s leadership, the British economy, which had been in shambles when she took office, roared back to life and grew exponentially.

During her last speech in front of the British Parliament, which in classic British form was more of a debate, a liberal member addressed the fact that over her tenure the rich got richer. In vintage “Thatcheresque” form, she jumped out of her seat and retorted: “He would rather have the poor poorer, provided that the rich were less rich. That is the liberal policy.”

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played a significant role in the demise of the Soviet Union. “The men in the Soviet Politburo do not have to worry about the ebb and flow of public opinion,” she once said. “They put guns before butter, while we put just about everything before guns.”

Thatcher became close to Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev when he became president of the Soviet Union in 1985. She correctly foresaw that Gorbechev could bring the Soviet Union closer to democracy. During one of their first meetings, she turned to Gorbachev and said, “Can we be absolutely frank with each other?” He replied through the interpreters that yes, indeed they could. “Good,” she responded, “because I want you to know that I hate Communism.”

Thatcher believed that the way to overcome tyrannical regimes was not by appeasement but through strength and a display of power. She explained, “Wars are not caused by the buildup of weapons. They are caused when an aggressor believes he can achieve his objective at an acceptable price.”

Continued on page 14

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The Week Thatcher once said, “Watch your thoughts for they become words. Watch your words for they become actions.

Watch your actions for they become habits. Watch your habits for they become your character. And watch your character for it becomes your destiny.

What we think, we become... and I think I am fine.” With her passing, it can certainly be said that, indeed, she did fine.

Paris Hires Sheep to Mow Lawns

In attempt to cut spending and save the environment, Paris has come up with a plan on how to save some money and cut down on gas guzzling. Instead

of hiring qualified gardeners to mow the city lawns, they will train sheep to do the back-breaking labor.

This week, Paris City Hall installed a small flock of sheep to mow the lawn at the city’s gardens, replacing lawnmowers. Four woolly sheep were sent from an island off the Brittany coast to feast on the grass surrounding the Paris Archives building. The number of sites doing that could expand in and around Paris.

This innovative operation follows a successful stint last year by two goats that were hired privately by the Louvre to mow the lawn at Tuileries, central Paris’ grand 17th-century gardens.

This solution is motorless, independent, cheaper, and environment-friendly. The four-legged crew works long hours and doesn’t complain. A similar experiment in a park outside Paris even found that sheep droppings were a benefit, bringing swallows back to the area.

“It might sound funny, but animal lawnmowers are ecological as no gasoline is required, and cost half the price of a machine,” said Marcel Collet, Paris farm director. “And they’re so cute.”

In News Paris City Hall, meanwhile, has big ambitions for its sheep. “I can imagine this very easily in London and New York…even Tokyo,” said Fabienne Giboudeaux, Paris City Hall’s director of Green Spaces.

The City Hall initiative was inspired by a handful of private French companies that have been hiring sheep and goat lawnmowers for a while now.

So don’t be surprised if you run into a sheep or two at the lawns surrounding the Arc de Triomphe or if a goat “photobombs” your Eiffel Tower pics. That wouldn’t be so baaaad!

I’d Rather Head to Miami

for Jeopardy.

Afghanistan fell into the “too dangerous” category at number ten. “The Taliban has a message for foreign tourists who come to Afghanistan, especially if they are from any of the 50 countries that are part of the NATO-led coalition supporting the government: “Big mistake,” writes The New York Times.

North Korea’s repressive tourism laws earn itself a spot at number 16 of the least visited places. All foreign visitors are limited to a state-curated itinerary and must have an official government “minder” by their side at all times.

But for the few Western tourists who venture into the country, that’s part of the appeal. “You will rarely get to see propaganda done more explicitly,” Garfors writes.

I’ll stick with Miami for now…

Be Safe When Heading Out on a Vacation By most accounts, there are 196 countries in the world. Twenty-five of those countries made it to a recent list compiled by Gunna Garfors, a travel writer, listing the Least Visited Countries in the World. The list is a collection of unsafe and mind-numbingly boring destinations. So let’s see where we don’t want to go on our next vacation…

Somalia is the second-least visited country in the world, for obvious reasons. Only about 500 tourists visited the war-torn east African nation last year.

They must be the few who didn’t see Somalia’s Wikitravel page that warns, “The easiest method for staying safe in Somalia is not to go in the first place.”

Or perhaps they are just up for a really dangerous adventure.

If danger isn’t your thing, but boredom is, then perhaps head out to the South Pacific. The tiny pacific island nation, Nauru, is 8.1 square miles and has a population of 9,378. Last year, just 200 tourists visited the lonely nation, making it the least visited country on the map. “There is almost nothing to see there,” writes Garfors, “as most of the island…is a large, open phosphate mine.”

Other countries that rank high on the “not on my vacation” list are: the Federated States of Micronesia, the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, and Tuvalu.

If any of those names sound familiar, then you may be an excellent candidate

If the previous article got you thinking about your safety while traveling abroad, then read on. In recent months, reports of violence and brutality have popped up in India and Brazil. According to data, tourists in India have dropped 25 percent since December’s fatal crime against a young woman on a bus in the capital of New Delhi, and 35 percent specifically among female travelers. Since the compilation of that data, a Swiss woman was attacked by eight men while traveling by bicycle in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

There have been other attacks against women around the world. According to the Washington Post, there are nine crimes against women reported daily in Madhya Pradesh. An American woman was attacked in Brazil last Monday. Reports of these types of attacks in Brazil have risen 150 percent since 2009.

According to a color-coded interactive map produced by Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Brazil and India have joined the list of dangerous places to visit, along with North Korea, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Mali, Niger, Sudan, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Somalia.

The color-coded danger map also includes region- and time-specific warnings. For example, in Pakistan, tourists are told to avoid areas reporting military or militant activity; all border areas, except the Wagha official border crossing

point; Kashmir region, including Azad Kashmir; the province of Baluchistan, including the city of Quetta; the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, including Swat, the city of Peshawar and the Khyber Pass; and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. In Mexico, those “required to travel to Monterrey, in the state of Nuevo León, should avoid movement after dark and stay within the suburb of San Pedro Garza García.”

The map indicates that Australia, Botswana, Canada, Chile, most of Europe, Greenland, Iceland, New Zealand, Malaysia, South Korea, the United States, and Uruguay are perfectly safe for travel.

The website offers reasonable advice, “No matter where in the world you intend to travel, make sure you check the travel advice and advisories page twice: once when you are planning your trip, and again shortly before you leave. ... The decision to travel is the sole responsibility of the individual.”

I’m still sticking with Miami…

Zuckerberg: Best Boss in the World Bosses are the subject of many jokes; they are the reason for many sour faces on the subway, and the cause of countless sleepless nights. But in it some faraway, fantasy land, people actually appreciate, respect, and admire their bosses.

Glassdoor.com, an online jobs and career community, released a list ranking the world’s top CEOs. The list is based on reviews voluntarily posted by employees from all over the world who answered the following question: “Do you approve of the way this person is handling the job of leading this company?” The results are calculated similar to presidential approval ratings, and the 50 top-rated chief executives are honored as The World’s Favorite Bosses.

Only CEOs who received at least

100 reviews from February 2012 to 2013 and at least 40 reviews from February 2011 to February 2012 were included.

Mark Zuckerberg got an approval rating of 99% from his employees, making him the world’s favorite boss this year. “Employees continually comment about Zuckerberg’s ability to paint a clear picture of where the company is headed,” says Samantha Zupan, a Glassdoor spokesperson. “Plus, employees feel that the management team is receptive to employee satisfaction and strives to maintain its start-up culture.”

One Facebook employee in its Menlo Park, California, headquarters said: “An open community from ‘Zuck’ on down. Mutual trust company-wide and sense of community and drive, instilled by our CEO, who we all truly respect.”

In the number 2 spot are SAP’s chief executives Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe. The co-CEOs earned an approval rating of 99%. (To eliminate ties, Glassdoor evaluates CEOs to the tenth decimal point. Zuckerberg came in a hair above the SAP execs.)

“McDermott and Snabe often get approval for the way they’re leading the company due to strong communication and for successfully maintaining a dynamic global company,” Zupan says.

Dominic Barton of McKinsey & Company earned himself the third spot on the list with 97% approval. Zupan says McKinsey employees talk favorably about the work and the culture fostered by Barton. “For example, employees speak highly about the exposure to interesting work and clients, and the opportunities for career advancement.”

Jim Turley of Ernst & Young had an approval rating of 96% making him the fourth favorite boss. He is followed by John Schlifske of Northwestern Mutual, Frank D’Souza of Cognizant, and Joe Tucci of EMC at number seven. They all have approval ratings of 96%.

At number eight is Paul Jacobs of Qualcomm. Richard Davis of US Bank is in the number nine spot followed by Pierre Nanterme of Accenture. All have approval ratings of 95%.

Apparently none of my employees answered the survey; I am sure I would have come in first.

Heir to Johnson & Johnson Empire Dies It’s safe to say that every American household has a product produced by Johnson & Johnson, making it one of

In News the biggest retail companies in America. After its founder J. Seward Johnson Sr. died in 1983, his widow, Barbara Piasecka Johnson, inherited the millions.

She was a Polish farmer’s daughter who immigrated to the United States and then became a maid for a wealthy American heir before she became the third wife of Johnson and stepmom to his six children.

Barbara Piasecka Johnson passed away last week on Thursday at the age of 76. The cause of death was not disclosed per the request of her family.

Many say she was battling a serious illness for several years.

After her husband’s death, she was

involved in a brutal legal battle with Johnson children from his previous marriages….because, after all, it is a family company! The children challenged the will, saying they did it on principle.

They accused their stepmother of being a gold-digger who used fraud, threats and abuse to coerce her ill 87-year-old husband into signing a new version of his will. He signed it six weeks before he died of prostate cancer. The children claim that their father was not mentally capable of making new choices at that time.

Johnson defended the portrayal made by her husband’s children. She claimed her deceased husband chose to leave them out of his will because he had given them trust funds years earlier. She also contended that he didn’t want to give his children more money because he was disappointed by what she called their greed and “scandalous behavior.”

She came out of that feud a rich woman, with about $300 million of the estimated $500 million that the company was worth. She was a resident of Monaco and one of the world’s richest women. Johnson invested her fortune to Continued on page 18

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The Week collect art. She accumulated pieces by Rembrandt, Rubens, Gauguin and Raphael.

A biography provided by her lawyer focused primarily on Johnson’s philanthropic and art-related activities. It noted that her paintings are loaned to museums worldwide and that she set up the Barbara Piasecka Johnson Foundation in 1974 to help the sick and needy, including people with autism. The book said she donated her art collection to her foundation to sell and that proceeds went to help people with autism.

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power to set an eye-for-an-eye punishment for crimes. But victims may pardon convicts in exchange for so-called This is certainly cruelty at its cruel- blood money. In this case, the victim est…. requested $533,000 from the perpeA 24-year-old Saudi man faces a trator. He later reduced the amount to severe punishment for a crime that left $266,000. Still, Al-Khawaher’s mother his victim confined to a wheelchair. Ali admitted that she does not have even a al-Khawaher was convicted of stabbing fraction of this sum, meaning the court a childhood friend in the spine during a can issue an order for retribution indispute a decade ago. The court ruled stead. The court order was submitted last week that, in turn, al-Khawaher de- last week. serves to be forcibly paralyzed, a ruling “Ten years have passed with huncondemned by a human rights group on dreds of sleepless nights,” Al Hayat Thursday. quoted al-Khawaher’s mother as sayUnder sharia law, courts have the ing. “My hair has become grey at a young age because of my son’s problem. I have been frightened to death whenever I think about my son’s fate and that he will have to be paralyzed.”

Amnesty International condemned the punishment. “Paralyzing someone as punishment for a crime would be torture,” said Ann Harrison, the organization’s Middle East and Maximize on your credit card points and miles North Africa deputy director. “That such a Dear Joseph, punishment might be We are a company founded in 2011 by four lifelong friends from the Jewish community in New York. Our company name is ‘Get PEYD’ and implemented is utterly our PEYD logo represents the first name of each of the partners, Pinny, shocking, even in a conEli, Yaakov, and Dudi. Our mantra is to help our customers navigate the text where flogging is credit card industry by advising them on all credit card related matters and providing our customers value through the redemption of rewards frequently imposed as points associated with the various reward programs. a punishment for some We help you understand what credit cards to utilize when making offences, as happens purchasing decisions for you and your company, and then the best way to in Saudi Arabia,” she maximize those rewards, significantly beating the redemption value offered by the credit card companies. added. “It is time the auWe also offer discounted airfare. So when planning your upcoming trip, thorities in Saudi Arabia let us know your itinerary, and we’ll see about getting you to your start respecting their indestination in the most cost effective manner. ternational legal obligaGive us a call, or visit us online. Getting the best value for your rewards tions and remove these accounts has never been easier! terrible punishments Sincerely, from the law.”

Pinny - Eli - Yaakov - Dudi In the past, Saudi judges have ordered punishments like tooth extractions, flogging, eye gouging, and the death penalty.

U.K. Islamic commentator Ajmal Masroor told the U.K.’s Sky www.getpeyd.com News channel that even info@getpeyd.com | 646-801-PEYD most Muslims would be “startled” by the court ruling, adding: “I cannot fathom where they would find a doctor willing to carry out such an act.”

A Spine for a Spine

Russia Strikes at U.S.—For Practice A Russian bomber recently carried out pretend cruise missile attacks on U.S. missile defenses in Asia. This raised new questions about Moscow’s agenda in future U.S.-Russian defense talks.

According to U.S. officials, on February 26, a Russian Tu-22M Backfire bomber simulated firing air-launched cruise missiles at an Aegis ship deployed near Japan as part of U.S. missile defenses. Another mock attack was conducted on February 27 against a ground-based missile defense site in Japan that officials did not identify further.

The Pentagon operates a X-band missile defense radar on the northern tip of Japan that is designed to monitor North Korean missile launches and transmit the data to missile-firing ships.

Officials are not sure exactly why the Russians conducted the practice strikes.

However, the simulations may indicate Moscow has targeted its offensive ballistic missiles on Japan or U.S. military bases in the region.

U.S. missile defenses in Asia currently are at a heightened alert status as a result of tensions with North Korea.

The Communist state has threatened to conduct nuclear missile attacks on the United States and South Korea.

The incidents were detected by U.S. intelligence-gathering systems in the region and reported recently inside the Pentagon. “As a matter of policy we do not comment on matters of intelligence,” Lt. Col. Catherine Wilkinson said when asked about the Backfire bomber incident.

The Tu-22 bomber can carry up to three air-launched Kh-22 land attack cruise missiles. The bomber has a range of about 2,500 miles.

Whatever Russia’s intentions are, they certainly aren’t warm and cuddly…

Bank of Japan to Inject Trillions into Economy The Bank of Japan (BOJ) released an aggressive stimulus plan on Thursday.

The institution promised to inject about $1.4 trillion into the economy within less than two years. This drastic venture sent the yen spiraling and bond yields to record lows. The yen fell more than Continued on page 22

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The Week 3 percent against the dollar and 4 percent against the euro, while the 10-year government bond yield hit a record low.

New Governor Haruhiko Kuroda committed the BOJ to open-ended asset buying and said the monetary base would nearly double to 270 trillion yen ($2.9 trillion) by the end of 2014, a dose of shock therapy officials hope will end two decades of stagnation.

plan looks even bolder.

“This is an unprecedented degree of monetary easing,” a smiling Kuroda told a news conference after his first policy meeting at the helm of the central bank.

“We took all available steps we can think of. I’m confident that all necessary measures to achieve 2 percent inflation in two years were taken today,” he said.

Financial markets around the world welcomed this measure and it was reflected in the market. The Nikkei stock index jumped 2.2 percent, finishing just shy of a 4-1/2-year closing high, while on Wall Street, U.S.-traded shares of Toyota Motor rose 4.6 percent.

“I can say that the BOJ came up with a perfect answer in response to market expectations,” said Junko Nishioka, chief Japan economist at RBS Securities.

Most see this move as a radical gamble to boost growth and lift inflation expectations. No stimulus of this magnitude, even the U.S. Federal Reserve’s own quantitative easing program, matches it. The Fed may buy more debt, but since Japan’s economy is about onethird the size of the economy, Kuroda’s

N. Korea Brags of Powerful Weapons

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The threats continue.

In its latest attempt to bully the United States, North Korea warned that

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In News they are prepared to strike with “smaller, lighter and diversified” nuclear weapons. The statement was released early on Thursday by the regime’s official news agency. The threat was an attempt to contradict assessments by U.S. intelligence that North Korea’s nuclear weapons are too large and heavy to be deployed on ballistic missiles. It was also made in response to the U.S. skepticism about North Korean missiles’ capability of reaching the U.S. mainland or Hawaii.

Though few analysts believe that leader Kim Jong Un actually intends to attack U.S. interests or neighboring South Korea, the intense back-and-forth has jolted the nerves of many Americans and prompted new defensive measures.

The United States announced on Wednesday that it was sending a mobile missile defense system to Guam to protect the island, a U.S. territory that is home to a Navy base and Andersen Air Force Base.

The statement from North Korea’s military said it had been authorized to counter U.S. aggression with “powerful practical military counteractions,” including nuclear weapons.

“We formally inform the White House and Pentagon that the ever-escalating U.S. hostile policy toward [North Korea] and its reckless nuclear threat will be smashed by the strong will of all the united service personnel and people and cutting-edge smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear strike means,” the statement said. “The U.S. had better ponder over the prevailing grave situation.”

Demjanjuk, a native of Ukraine, was a guard at Sobibor concentration camp.

He lived in the United States after the war, but was stripped of citizenship and deported to Germany, where he was convicted of accessory to murder of all 27,900 people who died at Sobibor, though his direct involvement in any of the deaths was never proven. Unfortunately, the murderer died last year before the ruling came into effect.

The fifty Auschwitz guards came from all over Germany, Schrimm said.

He did not specify their present whereabouts, but said some possibly immigrated to South America with the help of the Catholic Church.

The Zentrale Stelle, or the Central Office of the State Justice Administrations for the Investigation of National Socialist Crimes, has tracked down more than 7,000 Nazi criminals since its establishment in 1958.

Israel Israel’s Richest Man to Leave the Holy Land Idan Ofer is the richest man in Israel, but not for long. The billionaire is relocating to London, citing “personal reasons” as his motivation for the move.

But if public sentiment is any indication, Israelis won’t be missing the man who is worth $6.5 billion.

Auschwitz Guards Face Jail Time Justice may finally be served, 68 years later.

Fifty men accused of serving as guards in Auschwitz may face prison terms in Germany. The Zentrale Stelle, a federal law enforcement body investigating Nazi crimes, has demanded that the suspects be charged with accessory to murder. The crackdown was enabled by the precedent case of John Demjanjuk, convicted over similar charges in Germany in 2011.

Zentrale Stelle’s investigation lacks direct witnesses, but the agency has maintained that available written records would suffice in court, as was the case with Demjanjuk, said the probe’s leader, Kurt Schrimm.

Ofer’s mother lives in London and his son recently left the Israeli army and plans to study overseas, possibly in the UK. “There are a number of family reasons which mean it makes sense for him to spend more time in London than he has previously and make that more of a base,” a person close to the Israeli billionaire revealed. He owned property in England and spends much time in London. In fact, the family shipping business, co-owned with his brother

Eyal, runs the largest fleet of Britishflagged ships in the world and there is a wing at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich named after Sammy Ofer, their father.

Ofer is the controlling shareholder in Israel Corp, the country’s largest holding company, which has interests in container shipping, automotive, energy, and the fertilizer company Israel Chemicals. Potash Corp of Canada hopes to acquire the latter in what would be the biggest business deal in Israeli history.

Since 2011, Israel has been shaken by social protests by the middle class, demonstrating against high living costs and an economy controlled by a few rich figures. Ofer has been the target of these protests; in this year’s election, Shelly Yachimovich, leader of the leftwing Labour Party, singled out the billionaire for criticism.

On this year’s Forbes list of billionaires, Ofer ranks 182. Fellow Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev relocated to London in 2007.

Turkey Denies Alliance with Israel Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accused Turkey of making a pact with Israel against Damascus. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu responded to the claims, calling them completely false. “Such arguments like Turkey is in cooperation with Israel against Syria have no grounds,” the Turkish foreign minister said. “Turkey never speaks to Israel or any other third party about its neighbors,” he said. “This is not something that should be taken seriously.”

Early in the week, Assad slammed Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an interview with two Turkish media outlets, accusing Ankara of “contributing directly to the killing of the Syrian people.”

In excerpts published on Wednesday, Assad was quoted as saying, “Erdogan is working with Israel to destroy Syria...but the Syrian state has not fallen and the Syrian people have resisted. We cannot allow idiot, immature leaders to destroy relations [between the Turks and the Arabs].”

The drama between the two countries dates back to when Assad rose to power. Turkey was once an ally of Syria but as Assad became the leader, their disapproval of his regime increased and they began supporting revolts against Assad. The country hosts thousands of

refugees, as well as the exiled Syrian opposition and military leadership.

In News off Israel about the location of rocket launchers, which were targeted during Operation Pillar of Defense in November of last year. During the Gaza operation, Palestinian gunmen in Gaza executed people they accused of “collaborating” with Israel and filming positions of Hamas fighters.

peace talks with Israel. On Monday, Kerry met with Israeli and Palestinian officials in Jerusalem, and on Tuesday he met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

Kerry Attempts to Mediate Peace Talks Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu recently apologized to his Turkish counterpart for the death of nine Turkish terror activists who were killed during the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla incident. Israeli naval commandos, seeking to protect Israel’s national security, had boarded the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara flotilla filled with proArab activists seeking to infiltrate the borders of Israel. The incident became the catalyst for the deterioration of relations between the two countries.

Hamas Arrests Alleged Spies for Israel On April 6, Hamas claimed to have arrested Western spies from the US, UK, France and Germany that were operating within the Gaza Strip and targeting the organization.

“The Gaza Strip is swarming with Western intelligence agencies, such as the American, British, French and German services,” Mohammed Lafi, a security chief, was quoted in the Hamas Interior Ministry website as saying.

Hamas has a “list of collaborators who will be arrested once the time for them to repent has run out.”

According to Lafi, half of the “collaborators” that have already been arrested already confessed to their alleged crimes.

In March, Hamas set a one-month deadline ending on April 11 for alleged Palestinian “collaborators” with Israel to surrender in return for leniency.

“This is a chance for all those who fell victims to the deception of Israeli security forces to return to their people,” a Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman said. “This campaign is an appeal to our people to be on alert so as to foil the enemy’s espionage schemes. The battle with the enemy is a long one,” he added.

Hamas believes there are many Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who tipped

On the evening of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority leadership announced that it has agreed to delay its plan to prosecute Israel at the International Criminal Court. This decision was confirmed by PLO Executive Committee member Hana Amireh. He said the PA is hoping that the U.S. and other international parties will be able to exert pressure on Israel to stop its “measures” against the Palestinians.

Kerry met with PA President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday evening to discuss ways of resuming

PA Foreign Minister Riad Malki said the PA leadership was expecting Kerry to bring new ideas and proposals for resuming the peace process.

Another PLO official, Ahmed Majdalani, said that he did not rule out the possibility that Kerry will have new ideas to resume the stalled peace talks.

He stressed that the PA’s stance regarding the peace process remained unchanged, noting that Israel must cease construction in all settlements, including east Jerusalem, and release about

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The Week 120 prisoners Palestinian prisoners imprisoned before the signing of the Oslo Accords.

Abbas told Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird, who was also visiting, that he maintained committed to the two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state along the pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as its capital.

Abbas also asked that the international community intercede and demand that Israel stop its “escalation against the Palestinians, especially the prisoners who are suffering from repressive measures.”

One Israeli official, responding to the Palestinian demand for a release of prisoners, said that “within the framework of the peace processes moving forward, Israel is ready for reciprocal, mutual confidence-building measures – and many are being looked at.” The official did not elaborate. In the same vein, the official denied reports that Netanyahu provide Kerry with a map of how he envisions the borders of a twostate solution. “You can’t atomize the issue of borders and ignore other ones, such as Israel’s security requirements, recognition of Israel as a Jewish state

and whether the accord will be an end to the conflict,” the official said.

“It is clear the Palestinians want a map,” the official added. “That is what they always want. But from our perspective it is inconceivable to talk about where final borders will be without dealing with other core issues, such as what will be the nature of the Palestinian state, will it be demilitarized, will it recognize the Jewish state, will it say the conflict is over.”

John Kerry has a new title: marriage counselor.

In News the construction that is due to start soon may not be completed for the summer season.

The new Long Beach boardwalk will be stronger and more resilient than the one that graced Long Beach previously. This one will be made from wood and concrete and adorned with antique-style lighting. It will also feature a wave-break wall in the hopes to avoid damage similar to that was sustained during Hurricane Sandy.

National

America’s Favorite Critic Dies

Long Beach Boardwalk: Not Ready for Summer?

For Five Towns residents, a walk on the Long Beach boardwalk is something we look forward to every summer.

But this summer, walking on the boardwalk may prove to be a little difficult as

$15 million more than city officials originally thought.

“We have a chance to do this and do it right,” said Jim LaCarrubba, the city’s public works commissioner. He added that he hopes that sections of the boardwalk will be open this summer, and others mentioned that they expect most of the boardwalk’s reconstruction to be complete by the end of the summer season.

Much of the work is dependent on obtaining materials that are in high demand throughout parts of the Northeast that were affected by Hurricane Sandy.

The city says that the work will be paid for with funds from FEMA.

The price for the reconstruction elicited gasps from the crowd at the Long Beach City Council meeting. The project’s engineer estimated that the cost to rebuild will exceed $40 million—that’s

His thumb may be better recognized than his face, but Robert Ebert’s criticism was more potent than others as his reviews of movies could gain or lose millions for those in the movie industry.

The film critic died on Thursday in ChiContinued on page 26

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The Week cago at the age of 70.

Ebert may have been the bestknown film reviewer of his generation.

For years, he wrote film reviews in the Chicago Sun-Times. He became the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize.

His columns were syndicated in more than 200 newspapers around the world.

In 2005, he became the first film critic to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 1975, Ebert joined with Gene Siskel, who was a film critic in the Chicago Tribune, to host “Opening Soon as a Theater Near You,” which was later

called “Sneak Previews” and then “Siskel and Ebert at the Movies.” America fell in love with the pair. They were wellknown for their banter and their wit.

People loved their honesty and fairness. Sitting in their cozy armchairs, they typically reviewed five films. After viewing a clip and then giving their opinion,

Eclipse

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

In News they would finally each vote with their thumb: up or down. A “two thumbs up” or “two thumbs down” could make or break a film.

Ebert was known for his classic wit. When referring to a Rob Schneider film in 2005, he commented, “If he’s going to persist in making bad movies, he’s going to have to grow accustomed to reading bad reviews.” He wrote a review about a comedy in 2001: “This movie doesn’t scrape the bottom of the barrel. This movie isn’t the bottom of the barrel. This movie isn’t below the bottom of the barrel. This movie doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with barrels.”

After seeing “Crocodile Dundee II,” he wrote: “I’ve seen audits that were more thrilling.”

Sometimes it seemed that Ebert used films to wax philosophically about the industry. He was quoted as saying, “If you have to ask what it symbolizes, it didn’t.”

He also noted wryly one time, “No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough.”

After a recent struggle with cancer, Ebert lost his ability to eat and speak and yet he remained a public figure.

He continued to write reviews and would tweet witty comments to his 800,000 followers. He even wrote a cookbook featuring meals that could be made with a rice cooker. “When I am writing, my problems become invisible, and I am the same person I always was,” he said in 2010.

“All is well. I am as I should be.”

Just two days before his death, Mr. Ebert announced he intended to write reviews only of films he wanted to review. He announced that he would be taking “a leave of presence.” He typically would see 500 movies a year and would review half of them.

Once the film critic

was asked what movie would be shown in heaven and what snack would be given out free of charge and free of calories there. He wittingly responded: “‘Citizen Kane’ and vanilla Häagen-Dazs ice cream.”

I hope he gives it two thumbs up.

The Cicadas Are Invading

…And they’re back!

After a 17-year slumber, cicadas will be making their unwelcome debut throughout the tri-state Area by midto late-May. Be aware that they look scarier than they actually are, so expect to hear high-pitched shrieks from the kitchen.

Cicadas are plant-sucking insects that spend most of their life (2-17 years) underground attached to the roots of trees, until it is time to surface as flying adults. When mating, the males chirp and the sound of a swarm of insects together is intense. Some have compared the noise to the rumble of a New York City subway train. Craig Gibbs, an entomologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Queens Zoo, predicts, “It’ll be noisy. There’s no getting around the noise.”

Rest assured, cicadas do not normally feed off humans. It is possible that the insect can mistake a human’s arm or leg for a tree or plant and bite or sting but it is unusual.

Scientists predict that this spring and summer will bring record numbers of the noisy insect. Once ground temperatures reach 64 degrees, the insects will come to the surface to look for their mates. Michael Raupp who is a professor of entomology at the University of Maryland predicts, “In places where they’re going to be present, it’s going to be spectacular. There could be as many as one billion cicadas emerging per square mile.”

I’m itchy already.

Political Scandal in New York

Brooklyn, NY: Second Most Expensive Place to Live in U.S. The Council for Community and Economic Research recently analyzed the cost of living in 307 urban areas.

They looked at the prices of common purchases to determine the cost of the professional standard of living in each location. The index, its fifth edition, crunched more than 50,000 prices, everything from grocery items to transportation to housing.

It seems as if the words politician and corruption have become synonymous.

Another case of political corruption in New York emerged last week. Bronx Assemblyman Eric Stevenson was arrested on Thursday in a bribery scandal. This arrest was just two days after a state senator and five other political figures were busted in a separate crime.

Stevenson, 46, was exposed by a colleague who worked with investigators as an informant. There is cold, hard evidence; audio and video recordings were released allegedly documenting his collection of the $20,000 in cash bribes. In return, Stevenson allegedly tried to help the other conspirators open a pair of Bronx adult day care centers.

He did this largely by steering his constituents their way and sponsoring legislation to prevent competing centers from opening for three years, prosecutors said.

The developers of the adult day care centers were also arrested.

In one implicating conversation, Stevenson openly admitted to regular corruption in the system.

“Bottom line . . . if half the people up here in Albany were ever caught for what they do ... they ... would probably be (in jail),” he said during a chat this past December 27. “So who are they [kidding]?” He went on to list names of corrupt politicians and their sentences.

“Here we go again,” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said after the latest criminal complaint was unsealed. “This has become something of a habit.”

Stevenson was freed on $250,000 bond on Thursday afternoon after a hearing with his four co-defendants in Manhattan Federal Court. “I’m all right,” he declared, although his bloodshot eyes a furrowed brow indicated otherwise.

In News down by San Francisco, California, followed by another California city, San Jose. The next spot comes back to New York with Queens ranking number six most expensive city in the country. The cost of living index was 1483 in 2012.

Monthly rent in Queens will run you about $2,152 and a home will be in the $630,189 range.

Stamford, Connecticut, ranks the seventh priciest place to live in America followed by Washington, D.C.; Orange County, California; and Boston at number ten.

We gotta take this party to another state! Who’s coming with me?

Kennedy May Become Tokyo Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of former president John F. Kennedy, is being evaluated for the United States’ next ambassador to Japan. If Kennedy qualifies for the position, she would replace John Roos, who was appointed to the post in 2009. She would be the first woman to represent the United States in The most expensive city in the U.S. is, predictably, Manhattan, New York.

In 2012, the city had a cost of living index of 225.4, that’s more than double the national average of 100. Manhattan has maintained its title of most expensive city since 2007. Monthly rent averages at about $3,902; the price of an average home is $1,303,421. A single gallon of gas will cost you around $3.96 and a haircut about $22.21.

Next up is Manhattan’s neighboring city, Brooklyn, New York. With a cost of living index of 178.6, Brooklyn, New York, ranks as the second most expensive place to live in the U.S. Monthly rent is significantly lower at $2,411 but homes only go down slightly to $959,907. The cost of gas is pretty much the same at $3.910 a gallon. But if you’re looking for a cheaper haircut you may want to venture out to the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge, it could save you almost $10 with the average haircut in Brooklyn at about $13.83.

Honolulu, Hawaii ranks number three with an index of 167.7. Although it’s an expensive city to live in, the weather is always great and the unemployment rate is 4.8 percent, nearly 3 percent lower than the national rate according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The number four spot is locked

Tokyo.

White House press secretary Jay Carney refused to answer questions on Kennedy’s potential nomination and her qualifications as an ambassador. “I have no personnel announcements to make, and I have seen no reporting that sources supposed personnel decisions to anyone on the record from the White House to the administration,” Carney said. “So I think I’ll leave it at that.”

Kennedy was a significant fundraiser for President Obama’s 2012 reelection effort and was among the first high-profile Democrats to endorse him during the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries.

This is Kennedy’s second attempt at public service, following her shortContinued on page 30

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The Week lived bid to be appointed to New York’s Senate seat following Hillary Clinton’s appointment as Secretary of State.

I guess it helps to have a famous last name.

Lilly Pulitzer Dies at 81 Her dresses made you want to go on vacation. Adorned with flowers in hot pinks and pastels, Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau made you happy when you wore her vibrant shifts or colorful sweaters.

The fashion designer died this week at the age of 81.

After Lilly married Peter Pulitzer, the grandson of newspaper mogul Joseph Pulitzer, the couple settled in Florida where Lilly recounts she “went crazy” from boredom. Her doctor, she related, suggested she find something to do.

So Lilly opened up a fruit stand and after seeing the stains on her clothes, started designing clothing to match the juice stains. After receiving so many compliments on her attire, Lilly began to sell her dresses at the fruit stand, and once the dresses became popular, she realized that fashion was in her future.

“It was a total change of life for me,” she related in 2008. “I entered it with no business sense. ... It was just something that I, all of a sudden, took over.” “I designed collections around whatever struck my fancy ... fruits, vegetables, politics, or peacocks! … It was a total change of life for me, but it made people happy,” Pulitzer said in March 2009.

Her focus was always on fun, freespirited designs. “Style isn’t just about what you wear, it’s about how you live,” she once said. “We focus on the best, fun and happy things, and people want

In News that. Being happy never goes out of style.”

The dresses became a status symbol of their own. At one point, First Lady Jackie Kennedy wore a Lilly Pulitzer dress on vacation, and other women clamored to match the First Lady. In 1966, The Washington Post reported that the dresses were “so popular that at the Southampton Lilly shop on Job’s Lane they are proudly put in clear plastic bags tied gaily with ribbons so that all the world may see the Lilly of your choice. It’s like carrying your own racing colors or flying a yacht flag for identification.”

Connecticut Passes New Gun Control Laws Much of the country felt a sigh of relief when Governor Dannel P. Malloy of Connecticut agreed to sign the bill at the state Capitol enforcing the toughest gun laws in the country. The General Assembly approved the measure early Thursday morning.

It was just four months ago when

our hearts broke for the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary school. The new legislation puts restrictions on weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines similar to the ones used by the gunman. It also adds more than 100 firearms to the state’s assault weapons ban and creates what officials have called the nation’s first dangerous weapon offender registry as well as eligibility rules for buying ammunition.

Some aspects of the bill would take effect immediately after Malloy’s signed the dotted line, including background checks for all firearms sales.

Connecticut will join California, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts in having the country’s strongest gun control laws. Brian Malte, director of mobilization for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence in Washington, commented, “This would put Connecticut right at the top or near the top of the states with the strongest gun laws.”

After more than 13 hours of debate, the House of Representatives and the Senate voted in favor of the 139-page bill crafted by leaders from both major parties in the Democratic-controlled Continued on page 34

31 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n A P R I L 1 1 , 2013

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The Week General Assembly. Both were bipartisan votes.

“I pray today’s bill — the most farreaching gun safety legislation in the country — will prevent other families from ever experiencing the dreadful loss that the 26 Sandy Hook families have felt,” said House Majority Leader Joe Aresimowicz.

Trending: Zero TV It seems that much of our nation is consumed with watching TV. Indeed, many families spend their “quality” time around the television set, friends talk about which shows to watch on which night and colleagues at the office discuss their favorite episodes. But it also seems there’s a significant portion of America that is sick of TV. Many of these people have stopped paying for their cable and TV satellite service and are not even watching using the free signals with a standard antenna. Some watch certain shows online or with their cellphones. This new demographic, labeled “Zero TV” households, has been causing broadcasters to scratch their heads at how to win back this crowd to their shows. Broadcasters only receive revenue when shows are viewed in traditional ways. This means that unless broadcasters can adapt to how “Zero TV” households watch their favorite programs, their revenue from these households will be, well, zero.

“Getting broadcast programing on all the gizmos and gadgets — like tab-

lets, the backseats of cars, and laptops — is hugely important,” says Dennis Wharton, a spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters. In fact, the Zero TV segment is becoming more significant as the number of people signing up for traditional TV has slowed. The Zero TV market tends to be younger people who are single and without children. But the broadcasting industry wonders if their needs will change once their lifestyle changes, and they marry and have children.

Only time will tell.

I’m Moving to Nebraska Residents of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Charleston, West Virginia, have very little in common. In fact, the Nebraskan city was ranked the most content city in the country while the West Virginia city ranked the most miserable, according to a recent study.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index surveyed 1.7 million Americans since it was first conducted in 2008. It measured the physical and emotional health of residents in 189 of the nation’s largest metropolitan regions. General-

In News ly, people in cities with high well-being reported higher scores in most areas.

Residents had low obesity and high energy levels. They also smoked less and exercised more. In the cities with poor well-being, residents were more likely to report being sad and experiencing health problems that kept them from their usual daily activities.

Does money buy you happiness?

Cities with the highest levels of wellbeing had median household income considerably above the national median. All but one of the areas with the lowest levels of well-being had higher poverty rates than 15.9%, the national average.

High educational attainment also seemed to positively impact contentedness. Most of the metro areas with the highest well-being had a high percentage of residents with at least a bachelor’s degree. In five of these areas, more than 40% of residents 25 or older had their bachelor’s. The trend projected on the other end too; educational attainment was low in many of the metro areas with the lowest well-being.

Fort Collins-Loveland, Colorado, earned a well-being index score of 71.6, an obesity rate of 16.5% median household income of $55,219, and 94.5% of the adult population had a high school diploma or higher making in the fifth most content city.

Provo-Orem, Utah, has a well-being index score of 71.7. Only 19.6% of the population is obese and the average household income is $58,398.

With 92.9% of the population earning a

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high school diploma or higher, the city ranked number four.

Burlington-South Burlington, Vermont, has a well-being index score of 72.4. With an obesity rate of 18.7% and household income averaging at $60,771, the city ranked the second most content in the country.

Boulder, Colorado, holds down the number two spot with a well-being index score of 72.7. Just 12.5% of the population is obese and 93.7% have a high school diploma or higher. The average income per household is $68,637.

Lincoln, Nebraska, is the most content city on the map with a well-being index score of 72.8, obesity rate of 25.8%, median household income of $49,315 and adult population with high school diploma or higher: 93.7%.

Wonder where we rank…

That’s Odd Armed Robber Doesn’t Have the Heart to Pull Off Heist Anyone engaging in an armed robbery of a jewelry store must think about the possibility of arrest. When Clinton Townsend, 33, and an accomplice attempted to rob a jewelry store in Oxford, England, Townsend faced the worse type of arrest: cardiac arrest.

Last Sunday morning, Townsend and his accomplice roared up to John Gowi Jewelry Store on a stolen motorcycle and smashed windows. Things did not go as planned, as the two were quickly confronted by store employees. Within moments, Townsend collapsed unconscious to the shop floor.

The other man—who, I guess, had a change of heart—ran away from the shop empty-handed leaving Townsend on the ground. Within moments, the police and medics arrived, but they were unable to revive the poor would-bejewelry-store-burglar.

I guess armed robberies are just not for the faint of heart.

Not a Dollar and a Dream When Jennifer Maldonado joined a realty firm in Florida, her twelve co-

workers immediately welcomed her and offered her to join their weekly lotto pool. The co-workers each contributed $20 to the pool. But when they approached her to join the group for the recent Powerball, she declined. “I had other things I needed to spend my $20 on,” explains Maldonado. “I said, ‘You know what guys, I’ll just skip this one.’”

At this point you probably know where this story is going: The office pool that Maldonado didn’t join won $1 million dollars in the lotto, with each participant taking home $83,300 after taxes.

Maldonado’s kind-hearted co-workers quickly decided to each give a portion of their winnings to her. Although the amount was undisclosed, it was certainly enough for Maldonado to take her 4-year-old to Disney World, which she promptly did. As to why her co-workers acted so generously towards her, one explained: “If we do the right thing and always care about other people, the right thing will happen to us.”

Although Maldonado may have not won the million dollar lotto, it seems

In News

like her co-workers are one-in- a-million. From what I understand, the firm is not taking any additional resumes at this time. If they are, I may not have real estate experience, but how about hiring someone with experience writing for TJH?

A Man and a Goat Walk Into a Bar...

The frantic staff was unable to locate the goat. Where was it? In a local bar.

That’s right, a patron at a local bar could hardly believe his drunken eyes when a live goat walked in. The Good Samaritan immediately called the police and the goat was removed to a local animal shelter. When the local newspaper reported the bizarre incident, the petting zoo staff was reunited with its goat.

Local authorities said that when they find the person who did this they will press charges. I think he should get the Shepherd of the Year award.

Getting to School Just Got Easier

Hope you are not waiting for a punch line; this is no joke. This story took place in—where else but—Nebraska. Last week, a mild-mannered pygmy goat was stolen from the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort’s petting zoo.

Just a few weeks ago, Santiago Munoz made headlines when his five-hour daily commute to school was highlighted in a United Nations exhibition about the world’s longest school commutes.

Generally, the people highlighted in these types of exhibitions live in third world countries, but Munoz actually resides in Far Rockaway. Well, he lived

in Far Rockaway until two weeks ago, when housing officials heard of his trek to school and moved his family closer to the Bronx High School of Science.

Before his move, Munoz would wake at 5am. “I used to take two buses and two trains,” the 14-year-old explained. “It was two and a half hours each way.” Now his commute is easy— comparatively. It takes him an hour and ten minutes to get to school from his Brooklyn apartment.

It’s inspirational to read about Munoz’s thirst for education. “Bronx Science is a great school and has a great reputation and I just wanted to push myself forward,” said Munoz, who hopes to become a doctor. Hopefully his move will help him in his studies.

He says he is getting more sleep and is “more productive.” He also says he hopes to play some sports and hang out with friends now that he has extra time on his hands.

Other children highlighted in the United Nations exhibition included a Kenyan girl who walks two hours to school and Brazilian children who ride mules to their place of learning.

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The Week So no more sighing that you have to walk to the bus stop on your corner. As Munoz says, “You don’t get anything free in life.”

Who Turned Out the Lights?

For Orthodox Jews, turning off the lights at sundown is not something too unusual. But the Robbinses in Orange County, California, have taken turning off the lights to a whole new level.

For the period of daylight savings time, the Robbins family will eschew all electricity when the sun goes down.

That means no lights, no TV, no videos, no computers. They even shut off the circuit breaker (although they leave the refrigerator running—no use in drinking spoiled milk in the morning).

Mom Stacey Robbins says the family is doing it for the positive feelings that they get from the experience.

“The way people feel when they leave a camping experience is like, ‘Ahhh.’

It’s like they’re exhaling a little more deeply and they’re sleeping better and they feel more refreshed. And I thought, ‘How do I bring that into the conveniences of our home?’” she explained.

When the sun goes down, they eat dinner by candlelight. The two sons,

Seth and Caleb, play the piano and violin by candlelight as well. The family realizes that living without technology is not something for everyone, but they do feel that most families can benefit from turning off all the extraneous noise for a day.

Sounds peaceful and relaxing. Hey, isn’t that something we do every week?

Zombie Finds Cat in Times Square This is a true tale about a zombie and a cat named Disaster.

Two years ago, Disaster disappeared from his Long Island home. His owners were devastated. They searched high and low but to no avail.

Fast forward to March 30, 2013 in Times Square.

Jeremy Zelkowitz, 22, who sells tickets for the Times Scare haunted house, was walking along the city streets early Saturday morning dressed up as a zombie when he spotted a stray cat crossing 42nd Street. He snatched up the black and white cat, that appeared to be well-kept and neat, and brought him to a nearby animal hospital.

In News with a microchip. This chip identified the cat’s last known owners as New York City police officer Jimmy Helliesen.

“I’m a big animal lover but I have a dog so I couldn’t take him,” Zelkowitz said. “The whole situation is very, very bizarre.”

Helliesen, 51, got a shocking phone call from the hospital informing him that his long-lost tabby friend had been found.

“I was shocked,” said Helliesen.

“How did he get to Manhattan? That’s quite an adventure.”

Helliesen has made a habit out of adopting stray cats he finds lurking around his Brooklyn precinct. Two years ago, he adopted Disaster after he strayed from the precinct and ended up getting captured by local Animal Care and Control. At that time, Helliesen decided it would be a good idea to implant the chip. But a mere six months after living in his Long Island home, Disaster managed to escape one day through an open window.

After his initial search, Helliesen never dreamed that Disaster would one

day turn up again. Since Disaster went missing, he took in eight more cats.

“Disaster makes it nine,” he said. “My wife has been very understanding.”

Wonder if his wife will put up with just one more…the cat that hangs out by my garbage is in need of a new home.

Clear-Blooded Fish at Tokyo Aquarium The Ocellated Ice Fish lives in the freezing waters of the Antarctic Ocean where it manages to keep its body doing all the things that other fish do, but the unusual thing about this creature is that its blood is completely transparent.

Experts at Tokyo Sea Life Park say that the Ocellated Ice Fish has no hemoglobin, making it unique among vertebrates. Hemoglobin is the protein found in every other animal with bones. It is what makes blood red and is the agent that carries oxygen around the body.

Tokyo Sea Life Park is the only aquarium in the world to host this exclusive fish. Satoshi Tada, an educa-

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tion specialist at the center, said that not much is known about the fish. The catch was brought to Japan by krill fishermen. “Luckily, we have a male and a female, and they spawned in January,” Tada said. This may help scientists learn more information about this interesting species.

Researchers believe the fish are able to live without hemoglobin because it has a large heart and uses blood plasma to circulate oxygen throughout its body.

Its skin is also thought to be able to absorb oxygen from the rich waters of the Antarctic, where it is found at depths of up to a kilometer (3,300 feet).

Tada explained the main focus of the research asking, “Why is it the fish lost hemoglobin? More studies are needed on the question.”

Wonder when we’ll have a clear answer.

Death Wish Coffee How addicted to caffeine are you?

If you need a big dose of caffeine daily, then you may like “Death Wish Coffee,” the world’s strongest coffee. The coffee is roasted in upstate New York and it boasts 200 percent more caffeine than the average cup of joe.

This is real coffee for real addicts.

One 12 ounce cup of coffee from Starbucks has about 260 milligrams of caffeine. According to EnergyFiend, a caffeine database, a 12 ounce cup of Death Wish Coffee contains a whopping 520 milligrams.

“I had customers come in and say, ‘Give me the strongest cup you got,’ and they wanted a darker roast,” Mike Brown, Death Wish’s mad scientist, who also owns a coffee shop in Pleasantdale, N.Y., said. “I did some research and I blended the strongest beans in the world from Indonesia, Ethiopia, and South America.”

“Usually the lighter the roast, the more the caffeine,” Brown explains.

“But most coffee drinkers prefer a dark-

In News er roast. This is medium-roast so it has more flavor than other highly-caffeinated blends. We sell 13 different blends of coffee, and Death Wish is our most popular one.”

The name and warnings on the bag are not just a cute attempt to market the product. Death Wish Coffee openly acknowledges that high levels of caffeine should not be consumed by just anyone. “The entire back label of the bag of coffee is a warning label. If you have medical issues like heart problems, you shouldn’t drink this stuff,” Brown warned. One warning printed on the bag reads, “Drink at your own risk.”

Death Wish Coffee uses Robusta beans that contain “nearly double the amount of caffeine” than the Arabica bean typically used by high-end roasters, coffee expert Matt Milletto, Vice President of the American Barista and Coffee School, explains.

Before you click and order your next cup of java, be aware that last year the FDA issued several warnings about illness and deaths related to the consumption of energy drinks that contain large amounts of caffeine. Monster Energy, which has been named in a suit involving the death of a teenage girl by cardiac arrest after she drank a 24-ounce can, contains 480 milligrams of caffeine.

According to Consumer Reports, the daily amount of caffeine consumed by a healthy adult should not exceed 400 milligrams. Other studies indicate that regular and controlled consumption can reduce the risk of skin cancer, liver disease, type two diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease.

Everything in moderation.

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Community

OHEL Bais Ezra’s Annual Chol Haomoed Adventure Brings Smiles to Children and Respite to Parents! acters!

The abilities and needs of each child were attended to, with some enjoying the fast roller coasters, others the less intimidating rides, and some groups who just enjoyed walking around the park,

This Chol Hamoed Pesach, over 70 individuals from OHEL Bais Ezra’s many day programs enjoyed fun and excitement at Six Flags Great Adventure!

The children with various developmental disabilities, who were accompanied by a team of OHEL volunteers and professionals, came from throughout the five boroughs and got to hang out in the wonderful sun, go on scary and exciting rides, and even say hello to some of their favorite cartoon char-

shopping, and watching the great shows offered by the theme park.

All in all it was a day of sun, fun,

and a lot of picture taking when everybody got to meet their favorite cartoon characters at the park, and see some of their favorite movies come to life on the rides.

OHEL Bais Ezra provides a range of innovative programs and services for those with developmental disabilities. The Chol Hamoed trip is part of OHEL’s many recreational and respite programs throughout the year for children and individuals aged 5-21.

For more information about OHEL Bais Ezra programs, or other OHEL services which you can benefit from, please contact OHEL today at 1800603-OHEL, askohel@ohelfamily. org or ohelfamily.org.

A Message of Inspiration for Yeshiva Har Torah on Yom Hashoah The students at Yeshiva Har Torah have been immersed in a multi-disciplinary study of Yom Hashoah and commemorated the day on Monday April 8th with a guest speaker, Mrs. Anita Nagel Weisbord.

The students at YHT are introduced to Holocaust studies in the 5th grade and learn about the era through literature, music and art. The fifth graders compose poetry relating to Holocaust topics such as changes, hunger, resistance, sacrifice, hope and faith, and courage.

They also learn songs that reflect the same messages and create unique artwork to express their thoughts and feelings. Their parents were invited to share their accomplishments and attend an assembly where the students sang the songs.

This year’s guest speaker was Mrs. Anita Nagel Weisbord who was born

in Vienna, Austria and was sent on the Kindertransport to London, England during the German Anschluss. She was featured in a documentary film called Vienna’s Lost Daughters and is the vice-president of the KTA, the Kindertransport Association, which is a non-profit organization that unites

these child Holocaust refugees and their descendants and also honors those who made the Kindertransport possible.

Mrs. Weisbord is a prolific speaker and interviewee on the topic, a docent at the Glen Cove Tolerance Museum. She shared her story of the heart-wrenching decision that her mother had faced af-

ter her father had been sent to Dachau.

Vienna was becoming too unstable and many Jewish parents were sending their children on the Kindertransport to England. Mrs. Weisbord asked the children gathered to imagine what it would be like to be sent away to a strange land where they spoke a different language and you knew no one.

She then turned to the parents assembled and asked the mothers what they would do and was answered with tears. Mrs. Weisbord answered many questions that her tale evoked and many more were asked later in the classrooms.

The clear message that the children receive from their Holocaust studies is the lesson that as Jewish children especially, they are uniquely responsible for learning about the Shoah and must be prepared to pass along that message to future generations.

NEWS

Community

A Letter from Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlita to a Fifth Grader at Yeshiva of South Shore It’s not often that Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlita writes a response to a fifth grader’s question. But when Rafi Schlager asked his fifth grade rebbe, Rabbi Yehoshua Zucker, a very simple

friend, an animal or utensils…’ and then states the various halachos. The subsequent Mishnayos in the perek, however, switch the noun and the verb. ‘If one rents a cow from his friend...’ ‘If one entrusts fruit to his friend.’ ‘If one entrusts money to his friend.’ ‘If one entrusts a barrel to his friend.’

“Why does the perek begin, ‘If one entrusts to his friend, an animal or utensils…’ mentioning the trustee before the items in the first Mishna while the subseRabbi Chanina Herzberg, Menahel Yeshiva of South Shore, discussing quent Mishnayos chinuch issues with Rav Chaim Kanievsky mention the items that were entrusted yet powerful question, he responded, before mentioning the friend?’”

“Wow! That is so gevaldig; I’m going to Simple, yet powerful. And definiteask it to Rav Chaim Kanievsky!” ly not a question to be ignored.

“Rav Chaim Kanievsky?” asked And so, true to his pledge, Rafi’s Rafi. “Isn’t he in Bnai Brak? How are rebbe, Rav Yehoshua Zucker, wrote a you going to ask him my question?” letter to Rav Chaim, stating that he is a Rabbi Zucker said, “I’ll write him a 5th grade rebbi in Yeshiva Toras Chaim letter.” of South Shore and a talmid asked the following question.

Rav Chaim receives hundreds of letters a week. He is bombarded by visits from people day in and day out. Yet he somehow found the time to respond with an equally powerful simple answer. “HaMishne poseches bdin hacklalli.”

The Mishna (the first Mishna in the perek) begins with the generalization, i.e. the Mishna will be talking about entrusting items to a friend. Subsequently we will discuss The question was a simple one, but different items. But the main thrust of one that highlighted the perceptiveness the perek is about the act of entrusting of a talmid who in his earliest years of to a friend, and thus, it mentions friend learning gemara, was trained to spot the before the item that was entrusted. Latdifferent nuances of language and ex- er when it gets into details, the Mishna pression even in the complex gemara of deals with each item specifically.

Bava Metzia.

The greatness of a gadol is that he “Rebbe,” asked Rafi , “our Perek cares about the Torah questions of a child Hamafkid begins, ‘If one entrusts to his like an adult had asked the question, and

the greatness of a great rebbe is to build a 5th grade talmid in a way that he can appreciate himself as a member of klal Yisrael who had a repartee with one of the greatest Torah scholars of our generation.

P.S. Stay tuned for Rav Chaim Kanievsky’s farher of a South Shore Bar Mitzvah boy!

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THE YOUNG ISRAEL OF FAR ROCKAWAY MRS. SURI BERNSTEIN CAMP DIRECTOR

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Around the Community Tea for Tehilim National Council of Young Israel along with Lev Leytzan’s ElderHearts, Margaret Tietz Nursing & Rehabilitation Center and Young Israel of Jamaica Estates present

HUMOR & HEALING

Caregiving for Loved Ones with Alzheimer’s and Dementia Sunday, April 14, 2013 Young Israel of Jamaica Estates • 83-10 188th Street, Jamaica, NY 11423

9:30 am – 12:30 pm

9:00 am - Registration, Resource Fair & Coffee

Program Highlights Maintaining Your Loved One’s Dignity, Even When They Can’t ….

Rabbi Dr. Aaron E. Glatt Executive VP/Chief Administrative Officer,Professor of Medicine; Mercy Medical Center, Rockville Centre, NY Assistant Rabbi, Young Israel of Woodmere & Congregation Anshei Chesed

Caring for Loved Ones. . . Caring for Yourself Rachel Pill, LCSW Therapist in Private Practice and Co-director, Lev Leytzan’s ElderHearts

Two Shulamith Middle School students, Hana Adler and Devora Golombeck, embarked on a meaningful task before their recent trip to Israel. Because this is their Bat Mitzvah year, they wanted to do something special— a chesed that would mean something.

They organized a fundraiser in school by selling iced tea to their schoolmates.

With the money that they raised, Hana and Devora purchased beautiful leather bound Tehillims that they hoped to deliver to female soldiers stationed in the army base in Chevron. With the help of

Workshop Neal C. Goldberg, Ph.D. & Rachel Pill, L.C.S.W. Founders, and Co-Directors, ElderHearts

When Alzheimer’s and Dementia Get Difficult

Practical Strategies in Humor from the Lev Leytzan Elderhearts No Charge to Attend. Advanced Registration Requested.

Please contact: 212-929-1525 x100; jsteinig@youngisrael.org Online Registration: www.youngisrael.org/healing

Senior Resource Fair will include: Margaret Tietz & Rehabilitation Center, Atria Kew Gardens, Metrostar Home Health Products, Ohel Lifetime Care, Queens Jewish Community Council, Schwartz Brothers Jeffer Memorial Chapel, VIP Health Care Services, Meyer H. Straus, Financial Planning/Insurance

Rebbetzin Chanie Wolowik of Chabad of the Five Towns, who was in touch with the Chabad Shlucha in Chevron, they were able to get a list of the names of the 30 women soldiers stationed there. The Tehillims were personalized and engraved with each soldier’s name.

A note was placed inside each Tehillim that read, “May Hashem watch over you and keep you safe. Thank you for keeping us safe.”

Hana, Devora and their families travelled to Chevron this past January

Devora Golombeck (l) and Hana Adler (r)

along with The Chabad of The Five Towns Israel mission. When they arrived at the base, the first soldier they met was a chayelet named Nili. They presented her with her beautiful, personalized Tehilim, and you could see the surprise on her face. She said that she had never received such a special gift before: “It is as if a malach came from nowhere to give me this incredible gift that I will always treasure.” Hana and Devora met additional chayalot and they gave them each their sefer Tehilim. They were all equally moved and touched by the thoughtful gesture.

Hana Adler, who will be celebrating her Bat Mitzvah this Shabbos, said, “It felt so good to do this chesed for the chayalot—the expression on their face is something I will never forget.”

Inspiration at HANC Fifth and sixth grade girls at HANC Samuel & Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary School in West Hempstead were inspired by a very special guest speaker. Recent high school graduate and published author Ashira Greenberg, who suffers from cerebral palsy, came to talk to the girls about what it’s like to be “different” and to encourage the girls to take on any challenge with courage and to always work hard so they can achieve their dreams.

Ms. Greenberg, who graduated from high school last year, told the girls that when she was in seventh grade she was struggling with her image of herself and how others saw her. She was determined to have other people see her as a “regular person” and not to let her “disability” stop her from doing the things she loved to do. In seventh grade, Ms. Greenberg wrote a poem about her feelings and shared it with a teacher who encouraged her to continue writing. And that’s when

Ms. Greenberg’s dream of becoming an author was born! It took more than five years, and a lot of hard work, but in 12th grade, Ms. Greenberg published a children’s book called Don’t Judge by What You See about children with disabilities.

During her visit, Ms. Greenberg read her book to the students and encouraged them to always “aim high and shoot for the stars.” We thank Ms. Greenberg for coming to speak with our students and for sharing her story, and we wish her continued success in her learning in Eretz Yisrael.

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NEWS

Community

Masses Come in Support of Acheinu at Toronto Parlor Meeting

By Chaim Gold “My life was empty. I went from one party to another. I was constantly looking for the next high…but inside I was overwhelmed by a profound inner void. My life was empty, until I met my Acheinu mentor. I am now in yeshiva for over two years, learning Torah, finishing masechtos and best of all, the pit of emptiness is gone! I feel so fulfilled! Every minute of my life is latent with meaning.

At Yeshivas Acheinu not only did I find Hashem, I found myself too!”

These were the powerful words of an Acheinu protégé heard by nearly 400 members of the Toronto community last week at an Acheinu parlor meeting there. They walked out of the parlor meeting deeply inspired and moved after witnessing firsthand the impact that Acheinu kiruv is having on Eretz Yisroel’s spiritual landscape. “It was a combination of the video that so powerfully depicted Acheinu’s success and the poignant, comprehensive address by Harav Shia Fuhrer, shlita, the Bobover Rosh Kollel, that so touched me,” said one participant.

A Premier Event on the Toronto Calendar Indeed, the Acheinu parlor meeting in Toronto is one of the premier events on the Toronto calendar and this year’s event certainly didn’t disappoint the standing-room only crowd. Following the introductory words of Rabbi Ari Seidenfeld, the assemblage was glued to their seats watching a video that vividly portrayed Acheinu’s activities. To see a young rising star in the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team as he moves up the ranks and is offered a scholarship to train for the big leagues in Barcelona, Spain… and then seeing that same individual without the spiked hair and without the

soccer ball, in his white shirt, toiling over a Gemara was indicative of the long path that Acheinu treads together with its charges on their path to a mitzvah observant life devoted to Torah learning.

Even more surprising, however, than the transformation of the bochur, is that not only is the bochur thrilled about his new life, but his father—thus far still a nonreligious man—is also thrilled!

Acheinu’s interest is not just in making non-religious Jews frum but to ensure that they remain frum and become members of the Torah community. The route to achieve this goal was to invest a tremendous amount of effort into ensuring that they would become bnei Torah and bnei yeshiva. Acheinu thus designed its signature 3-step process, a process that has revolutionized kiruv in

“True,” the father exclaimed, “My son is no longer a soccer star but he is a mensch. He has become so refined; his interactions between his parents and others are so beautiful. He is so happy and therefore I am so happy. Acheinu, as its name implies, are our brothers and partners in raising our son.”

Eretz Yisroel and enabled them to reach a whopping 90% success rate.

Acheinu’s process begins with mentoring – becoming a personal mentor of a baal teshuvah from his first baby steps in Yiddishkeit until he is ready to enter a yeshiva; the 2nd step is enrollment – finding the right yeshiva kedosha that will be able to ensure that he flourishes and blossoms; and the all important 3rd step is follow up – Acheinu’s mentors, all bnei Torah who spend most of their days learning themselves, never let go of a protégé. Enrollment in a yeshiva is just a beginning. They are in constant contact with the bochur as well as his rabbeim and continue even after he is married and has begun kollel life!

This approach to kiruv was advised

90% Success: The 3 Step Process that has Revolutionized Kiruv Acheinu, the kiruv arm of Dirshu, has made a revolution in kiruv rechokim in Eretz Yisroel. While Dirshu has brought accountability to Torah learning and given Klal Yisrael thousands of true Shas Yidden, Acheinu’s mission is to bring the same level of accountability to kiruv.

by none other than Acheinu’s Nasi, Hagaon Harav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz, zt”l, who was the proverbial zeidah of Acheinu, shepherding it, advising its mentors and deriving much nachas from its accomplishments.

Why Did Rav Shteinman Request that Acheinu Open a Yeshiva?

Rabbi Ari Seidenfeld, a prominent Rosh Kollel from Lakewood, posed the question that was on everyone’s mind.

What is so special about Acheinu that Hagaon Harav Aharon Leib Shteinman, shlita, felt compelled to personally ask Rav Dovid to open an Acheinu Yeshiva?

In answer, Rabbi Seidenfeld related how he was recently in a public place with one of his children when he momentarily lost track of the child. “The feeling of panic that beset me during the minute that my son was lost was indescribable. Similarly, the feelings of exhilaration, joy, relief and love that washed over me when I found him simply defy the imagination. Those,” he continued, “were the feelings of a father reunited with a son after just one minute of being lost. Now imagine how Hashem must feel! So many of His children are lost – not just for a minute but for years and decades! They have strayed so far. Can you imagine Hashem’s joy when those children come home to their Father and are reunited with Him?! It is indescribable. That is Acheinu! Acheinu is bringing Hashem’s children back to Him, reuniting them with Him after such a long and distant separation. Those who help these kids return to their Father give Hashem the greatest joy and nachas possible! That is what being a partner in Acheinu is all about!”

Keren Eliana Parent Advocacy & Resource Center (P.A.R.C.) Parent Seminar Series Presents

The Loss of the Dream and Creating New Ones

Presenter: Ellen Paige, LCSW / Parent Where: Kulanu Center for Special Services, 620 Central Avenue, Cedarhurst When: Tuesday, April 16th at 7:00pm Fee: $10.00 (Refreshments will be served) RSVP Requested: Call Vicki @ 516-569-3083 x140 Ellen Paige, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and parent of a young adult with special needs, has been working in the field of Developmental Disabilities for the past 20 years. She has a wide range of knowledge and experience regarding the unique emotional challenges that families often face.

Keren Eliana Parent Advocacy & Resource Center: Where professionals help families each step of the way through the maze of social, medical, educational, vocational, and recreational resources for their children with special needs.

45 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n A P R I L 1 1 , 2013

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KOLLEL

Parshas

TazriaMetzora

CHATZOS

5773

Become a partner And experience miracles!

SEGULAH OF KETORAS The only Segulah written in the Torah!

MISHNAYAS & SHAS According to your specications-for the soul of a loved one

BAR YOCHAI SEGULAH! The holy day of Lag B’omer is fast approaching and a Strong interest has been raised regarding R’ Shimon’s “Kollel Chatzos-Bar Yochai Segulah” now before Lag B’omer, the yahrtzeit of the R’ Shimon who writes in the Zohar Hakodesh that “all the prayers and blessings of Chatzos Jews will be answered!” and he clearly writes that getting up at chatzos to learn is the singular force and protection that sustains the world.

KOLLEL CHATZOS

A young man related the following story: Last week he was in the company of a group of his friends at a Melavah Malka when the subject of segulahs came up. Several men – as often happens – were dismissing a certain segulah, while others where skeptical about a different one.

Suddenly, the crowd was silenced by a strong voice who announced “You all know that I’m not a segulah person, but I have to inform you that “Kollel Chatzos” possesses heavenly powers! I experienced it myself!” He then went on to reveal an amazing story of how he personally was helped by the influence of “Chatzos” but he asked them not to spread the details of the story for worry about being recognized.

The man continued saying how he informed his friends that their assumptions were wrong. “Kollel Chatzos” is not a segulah but rather a Torah and Protection establishment” he said “where so many distinguished and sincere men learn and pray through the night. The Holy R’ Shimon Bar Yochai even says that by learning after chatzos at night you gain incredible powers and advantages to merit wealth, luck, engagements, good and pious children, health, and all that is good!”.

RARE OPPORTUNITY: Sign up for the holy “Bar Yochai Segulah” until Lag B’omer, and a distinguished “chatzos group” will read your requests at the sacred gravesite in Meron! May all your wishes be satisfied!

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The HAFTR eighth grade boys and girls displayed their knowledge of Torah and mitzvot at the annual Mitzvah Fair coordinated by Menahel Rabbi Dovid Kupchik. Teachers Mrs. Sori Teitelbaum, Rabbi Avi Weber and Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Siff worked for weeks with the students to investigate the origins and the practice of the various taryag mitzvot ranging from building an eruv, to knowing there is G-d. A new dimension to the fair was the inclusion of a technology display. IT Coordinator David Lamm was invaluable in helping the students do research and present their findings via virtual displays. The Middle School’s new Laptop Cart allowed every student to have access to the technology. Some of the topics covered were Sha’atnaz, Egla Arufa, Ketubah and

Kiddushim, Bikur Cholim, the issur of tattoos, as well as Kibbud Av v’eim. All of the students gained quite a bit of new knowledge through this “project-based” learning activity.

HANC Commemorates Yom Hashoah Students in 2nd-6th grade at HANC’s Samuel & Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary School in West Hempstead commemorated Yom Hashoah with very moving programs.

Students in 2nd grade participated in a program directed by Morah Dafna Berman, who shared with them the famous story of Rabbi Yosef Kahaneman zt”l who went into church-run orphanages after the Holocaust looking for Jewish children who had survived the war. One church denied that there were any Jewish children in their orphanage but when Rabbi Kahaneman went in to check for himself, he called out “Shema Yisrael,” at which point many children immediately covered their eyes and started calling out for their mothers.

Students in 3rd-4th and 5th-6th each participated in a program run by Rabbi Michael Merrill, Rebbe & Director of Student Programs. During the program, Rabbi Merrill narrated the story of an 101-year-old survivor named Rita Sole, who lived in a beautiful town in Czechoslovakia before the war. Things started to get unpleasant for Jews in Rita’s town in 1940, but things really changed for the worse when the Nazis took over their town in 1944. In June 1944, Rita and her family were put on a train to Auschwitz and after arriving in Auschwitz, Rita never saw her parents ever again. Rita’s father’s last words to her before he was taken away were, “If you survive, promise me that

you will stay religious.” Rita spent the remainder of the war in a number of different camps and endured horrifying conditions. After the war, Rita and her husband and two daughters eventually moved to the United States and settled in Queens. Rita enrolled her daughters in a yeshiva, and she and her husband were both active members of their shul and community. Rita now has 6 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren, all of whom are religious Jews. Rabbi Merrill then stunned the students by revealing that the story he had just shared is the story of his grandmother and that he is one of the six religious grandchildren he mentioned.

After hearing the story of Rabbi Merrill’s grandmother, teachers lit 6 candles in memory of all those who perished in the Holocaust. Students then recited a perek of Tehilim and the program concluded with the singing of Hatikvah. Before the students sang Hatikvah, Rabbi Yaakov Sadigh, principal, reminded the students that while we always need to remember those who died in the Holocaust, we must also remember that the Torah will never die and that we have to celebrate that the Jewish people are still here and are still learning Torah. Rabbi Sadigh also mentioned that as we look towards celebrating Yom Haatmzaut next week, we must thank Hashem for the Land of Israel and for all the blessings He continues to give the Jewish people.

NEWS

Community

RIETS Annual Dinner to Honor Leaders and Educators in Jewish Community Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), an affiliate of Yeshiva University, will honor dedicated leaders and educators of the Jewish community at its Annual Gala Evening of Tribute on Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at The Grand Hyatt in New York City.

Honorees include Rabbi Hyman (Hy) and Ann Arbesfeld, Etz Chaim Award; Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Guest of Honor; and Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler, Distinguished Rabbinic Leadership Award.

“I have always believed that RIETS is the heart and soul of Yeshiva University,” said Joel Schreiber, chairman of the RIETS Board of Trustees. “It is blessed with the finest Roshei Yeshiva that have produced outstanding scholars of Torah and Jewish thought. For over 100 years it has embodied the philosophy of Torah Umadda and has been at the forefront of Modern Orthodoxy in America and beyond. This year, we are privileged to honor leaders in Torah, chesed and service to community.”

Hy attended Talmudical Academy, the earlier name of Yeshiva University High School for Boys (YUHSB),

and went on to Yeshiva College, where he graduated summa cum laude. Rather than accept one of several fellowship offers following graduation, he went to RIETS, becoming a student of Rav Joseph Soloveitchik, and received semicha in 1956. He joined the RIETS Board of Trustees in 1982 and became vice chairman in 2007. Ann served as national president of the Yeshiva University Women’s Organization for 10 years and is currently a member of its executive council.

The Arbesfelds have endowed YU’s Sunday morning Abraham Arbesfeld Kollel Yom Rishon and the Millie Arbesfeld Midreshet Yom Rishon learning program in honor of Hy’s parents, and most recently, endowed the popular YU Torah To-Go series in memory of Ann’s parents, Benjamin and Rose Berger.

Rabbi Hershel Schachter, one of the world’s most respected Talmudic scholars, has had a distinguished association and career with RIETS for more than

Rabbi Hyman and Ann Arbesfeld

40 years. A graduate of Yeshiva College and Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, Rabbi Schachter received semicha from RIETS in 1967.

At age 22, he was appointed assistant to Rav Soloveitchik, with whom he formed a close relationship. Rabbi Schachter officially joined the RIETS faculty at the age of 26 in 1967, becoming one of the youngest Roshei Yeshiva in RIETS history. A renowned posek, he holds the Nathan and Vivian Fink Distinguished Professorial Chair in Talmud

and lectures in communities around the world. Rabbi Schachter also serves as senior posek for the Orthodox Union and has authored more than 100 scholarly articles and numerous books.

Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler is a graduate of YUHSB, Yeshiva College, Wurzweiler School of Social Work and Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. He received his semicha from RIETS in 2000 and currently serves as the senior rabbi of Congregation Ahawas Achim B’nai Jacob & David in West Orange, New Jersey.

Rabbi Zwickler was recently appointed as a public member of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s Israel Commission.

Founded in 1896, RIETS is the leading center for education and ordination of Orthodox Rabbis in North America.

To learn more about the RIETS Annual Gala Evening of Tribute, make a reservation or to participate in the Scroll of Honor visit www.riets.edu/dinner, call 212-960-0852 or email rietsdinner@ yu.edu.

New Scholarship Aids HANC Graduates Attend Yeshiva University A new, need-based scholarship has been created, allocated specifically to Hebrew Academy of Nassau County (HANC) graduates who are applying to Yeshiva University, in the amount of $80,500. The scholarship fortifies the special relationship between HANC and Yeshiva, which is of vital importance to the gift donors, Beryl and Doreen Eckstein.

“The gift is significant because it follows a new model that represents a three-way partnership involving the donor acting as bridge between a local high school and Yeshiva University,” said Ari Rockoff, director at the Department of Community Partnership’s Center for Jewish Future (CJF) at Yeshiva University.

The Ecksteins, who live in Nassau County, have a longstanding relationship with both Yeshiva University and HANC. Beryl Eckstein, has served as an Executive Board member at HANC for many years and is currently on the CJF Advisory Board. Beryl and Doreen are both graduates of Yeshiva College and Stern College for Women and have

three children who all attended HANC and Yeshiva University. Their oldest son, Dani, graduated Yeshiva College in 2007; their middle son, David, graduated Yeshiva College in 2009 and is now studying for ordination at YU’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS); and their daughter, Rebecca, is graduating YU’s Stern College this year. There are many other family connections to the university, dating back two generations.

“Doreen and I would like to take this opportunity to thank both HANC and Yeshiva University for all that they have done to educate our children and for inspiring and instilling in them a love of Torah Im Derech Eretz,” said Eckstein. “We can think of no better way to acknowledge our appreciation than to help afford other HANC graduates the opportunity to experience the formative world of Torah Umadda at YU.” The scholarships, which will be distributed over a period of five years beginning with the 2013-14 academic year and extending through the 2017-

18 academic year, will be awarded to a new group of students per year, over the course of the next three years. Scholarships will be given to HANC students who are accepted to YU and qualify for financial aid. The scholarships awarded will be largely need-based. Recipients of these scholarship funds will have spent at least a year studying in Israel and agree to complete their YU undergraduate education on a YU campus in New York. The number of students to receive scholarship support, and the amount of support, will be determined

by YU’s Office of Student Financial Aid. In line with Yeshiva University’s mission to educate and nurture future Jewish leadership, and in following the Jewish principle of hakarot hatov, YUHANC Scholars will sign an ethical agreement calling upon them to “give back” to HANC and Yeshiva University. The “give back” to HANC will be based on the talents of the particular student. Examples include: one-onone or small group learning sessions in Jewish Studies, secular studies tutoring

in the student’s area of expertise, etc.

Each YU-HANC Scholar will return to HANC twice during the academic year.

Additionally, students will be asked to contribute financially to YU after they have graduated and are successfully employed so that they can help support the future studies of YU students.

“HANC and Yeshiva University share in the mission of bringing wisdom to life by combining the the timeless teachings of Torah with the finest, contemporary academic education,” said Rabbi Shlomo Adelman, principal of HANC. “It is with a profound sense of hakrat hatov that we thank the Ecksteins for their generosity in providing this special gift and opportunity for our graduates to continue in this path of Torah Im Derech Eretz.”

For more information, please contact Ari Rockoff, Director at the Department of Community Partnership’s Center for Jewish Future at Yeshiva University, at rockoff@yu.edu or 212.960.5400, ext. 6168.

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Around the Community The Shmuz Returns to Chicago

By Yosef Moses The Shmuz returns to Chicago on Wednesday, April 17, as Rabbi Ben Tzion Shafier will be presenting for Project Shalom Bayis, an organization that provides referrals and funding for marital counseling in the Orthodox community in Chicago. The lecture is scheduled to take place at the WiFi Building, 8170 McCormick Blvd., in Skokie. For information, contact Project Shalom Bayis at 773-761-4624 or 773-251-0955.

The Shmuz is a Torah lecture that offers a worldview on major life issues ranging from working on our middos to learning to be a better spouse, from understanding the meaning of our davening to what is our purpose is in this world. Rabbi Ben Tzion Shafier has been delivering these lectures across America and beyond for close to ten years. Rabbi Shafier recently returned from a whirlwind tour of Eretz Yisrael to promote his newest book Finding and Keeping Your Soul Mate on the topic of bitachon.

Rabbi Shafier is a product of Ye-

shivas Chofetz Chaim and was a close talmid of its Rosh Yeshivah, Harav Henoch Leibowitz, zt”l. At the behest of Rav Leibowitz, Rabbi Shafier began delivering these shmuessen for his talmidim at the Chofetz Chaim branch in Rochester, N.Y. where he served as a rebbi. His success with this concept led its rapid expansion in the form of The Shmuz and has touched Jews worldwide from all walks of life. There are over 200 lectures available on a variety of inspiring Torah topics that can be accessed at Theshmuz.com.

For those who have an iPhone or iPad, the new Shmuz app can be downloaded from the app store for use with these devices which enables access to hundreds of audio, video and articles from the Shmuz.

For more information on The Shmuz, please visit the website, email Rebbe@ theshmuz.com or call 1-866-613-TORAH.

The Lesson That Nachshon Teaches Us The Gemarah (Sotah 37 A) states that when the Jews were standing before the Yam Suf, each tribe wanted the other tribe to go in first. Nachshon ben Aminadav from the tribe of Yehudah bravely went into the water. He was followed by his entire tribe. Nachshon continued walking into the water until it almost covered his head and then the Yam Suf split. It was Nachshon’s jumping in that encouraged the whole tribe of Yehudah to walk into the sea. As a result of his bravery and faith and the Kiddush Hashem that he created, Nachshon Ben Aminadav was rewarded with being the first to bring a korban at the dedication of the Mishkan.

The lesson of Nachshon ben Aminadav, of being the first to jump into an uncertain situation with faith that Hashem will help is a very powerful one. There are times when people might think, “How much of a difference can I make – I am just one person”’ The truth is that one person can make a huge difference. There are many instances where marriages and relationships

between parent and child, for instance, improved from just one person changing their actions.

Obviously when both parties work together to improve the relationship the results and successes are much higher, but even if there is one person that is sincerely trying to change things for the better it can cause real positive improvement to the relationship. Let us take the lesson of Nachshon ben Aminadav and be the one to jump in when necessary and our shalom bayis and general relationships will be all the better because of it.

Five Towns Marriage Initiative provides educational programs, workshops and referrals to top marriage therapists. FTMI will help offset counseling costs when necessary and also runs an anonymous shalom bayis hotline for the entire community Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 10:00-11:00 p.m.

For the hotline or more information, call 516-430-5280 or email dsgarry@ msn.com.

NEWS

Community

Kollel Chatzos Getting Ready to Step into New Season with the Power of Torah and Security In all of the Kollels of “Kollel Chatzos” in New York, the distinguished learners are preparing to march into the new session, accompanied by the amazing strength of Torah and protection, where the young men will utilize the holy night hours to learn and pray with great vigor and spirituality.

Kollel Chatzos – Hub of Torah and Protection The word has spread that in “Kollel Chatzos,” the learners are accomplishing what Dovid Hamelech says in Tehillim: “At Chatzos at night I will rise to give praise to You,” and they get up precisely at midnight, and after a warm mikvah, immediately immerse themselves in their studies. They continue doing so throughout the night and then conclude at first light with a fiery Shachris at V’sikin.

The esteemed kollel participants, among them dayanim and magdei shiurim shlit”a, all declare that time seems to pass in a wink with the level of intensity and enthusiasm that accompany their learning!

Every person that has entered one of the kollels, either in Monsey or Kiryas

Yoel, has been immeasurably overcome.

It is amazing to witness such a large gathering of individuals, in the dark of

among the first to agree that something special and holy seems to surround the halls and people of “Kollel Chatzos.”

night when everyone else is comfortably asleep, completely engrossed in learning with their kollel partners. As the holy Rambam writes: “Those who wish to merit the crown of Torah should not miss even one night of learning!”

The learners themselves will be

No one is busy on the phone or taking care of mundane tasks, since there are no other people to talk to at that time of the night! Their only interactions are between their fellow kollel mates and the holy Torah! They have no interruptions or distractions as R’ Shimon bar Yachai zy”a states in the Zohar Hakodesh, “The clarity of the learning at night is much greater than during the day!”

Promoting Healthy Eating at Kulanu Kulanu’s Recreational After school Program (RAP) meets Monday through Thursday 4-6pm at Kulanu’s Center for Special Services, 620 Central Avenue in Cedarhurst, NY. RAP provides families with children who have special needs (ages 12 to 20) the opportunity to have a respite while their child enjoys a stimulating, educational, and social program. Activities include remedial education, adaptive art, dance and therapeutic music, yoga, cooking, bowling and adaptive sports.

The program is overseen by a special education teacher and supervised by a licensed social worker. Staff includes

professional therapists, special education teachers, child care workers and volunteers from the community.

For more information, please contact Vicki at 569-3083 x140 or email Vicki@kulanukids.org.

The Most Popular Segulah-Address!

And that is the reason that “Kollel Chatzos” has emerged as the central “Segulah address” for Jews all over the world, who have purchased a “Chatzos Partnership” and have been reaping the benefits and successes, as written in the holy seforim.

Almost on a daily basis, the office of “Kollel Chatzos” receives calls, faxes, letters, messages, etc. where people share how “they too” were helped in matters that seemed impossible, but were ultimately solved or fixed in ways they never dreamed were achievable.

Each day individuals call into the office – where phone lines are open 24 hours a day – and choose from an array of options that best suit their needs i.e. becoming a partner for a day/week/ month etc.. Then they submit the name(s) and request that they wish the kollel learners to mention and pray for, and then they too look forward seeing optimistic results, as so many have already in the past.

Jews all over the world know that “Kollel Chatzos” will always be ready with an entire kollel of inspiring men to pray for them at such an opportune period from chatzos till morning, when the holy Zohar Hakodesh and Ari Hakodesh declare is the time that prayers are always accepted!

In particular, the Chatzos-Partners, those who have already signed up, have the privilege of always being able to change the names and requests. They know that as partners, whenever they find themselves in a bind with health, business, financial issues, etc., they can just call in and put in their request for i.e. a new apartment, a child needing help in a certain issue, or special protection before embarking on a vacation etc. And they really see success with each step that they take!

Each night during learning, the men receive a “remembrance list” of all the chatzos-partners, those who have asked that their names be mentioned. It is a highly solemn and intense period when all the names are read with requests ranging from complete health recovery to success in business and many other varied topics. Some of the men reveal that oftentimes they are brought to tears, with the thought of so many Jews in such dire need and with so many problems plaguing Klal Yisroel. But then again, they are also pleased to be praying for those who wish to attain success in family and business situations and they have them in mind with as much fervor as they do those in peril.

At the same time that you have the honor of supporting such an esteemed center of Torah, one that has no comparison, as it is written in the Kaf Hachaim and in the “Choitzois D’Meshek”- in the era of the holy Ari Hakodesh – that Jews that cannot get up at chatzos for whatever reason, should sustain those who do, and they will have the same rewards in the learning and will merit all the success and help that “Kollel Chatzos” reaps.

In the current days, the kollel administration is gearing up for openings of more “Kollels Chatzos” in other localities, which is being received with joy and open arms by everyone, bestowing the blessing of “To Expand and Elevate the Torah!”

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Community

Simchas Yom Tov Brought to Thousands by Shuvu Once again, the Shuvu network of schools in Eretz Yisroel prepared its thousands of students properly for Pesach, before the children left on their vacation.

In addition to the routine frontal instruction of the halachos of the Yom Tov, the dozens of Shuvu schools throughout the country also performed model sed-

ers for the children, with many having the parents participate as well. In these model sederim, Shuvu staff members and the school rabbis conducted full seders as the participants sat around beautifully set tables with matzah, lettuce for maror, charoses, eggs and grape juice. The children in turn read pieces from the Hagaddah, ate and drank with

haseiva, sang the songs, and learned themselves how to conduct a seder for their own families.

In other pre-Pesach activities, Shuvu distributed thousands of packages of matzah and grape juice to its students.

Without Shuvu’s providing these essential products, many Shuvu families would simply not have them for Yom Tov either due to lack of understanding of their importance, or lack of ability to pay the high prices.

Pesach is also a time that Shuvu annually appeals for special funds to purchase furniture and electrical appliances for graduates in need. Mrs. Brocha Weinberger, Shuvu’s Educational Director, contacted a number of these Shuvu graduates who have made the transformation and now lead completely chareidi lifestyles, and asked how Shuvu could help them. She was in awe when hearing the responses of these graduates who live on practically nothing, as their lives are now devoted to full time Torah learning. “The first reaction of many couples when I asked how the Shuvu Family could help them

was ‘We are Baruch Hashem managing.’ They expressed the great feeling of hakoras hatov, and one yungerman even exclaimed ‘Shuvu gave me Olam Habah and Olam Hazeh!

What can I give Shuvu should be the question, not the other way around!”

Mrs. Weinberger concluded “What a zechus and privilege to have such talmidim.

My feeling is sincerely that we are not helping them out for Pesach, just the other way around. The Ribbono Shel Olam is giving us the opportunity to have a share in helping these families have a simchas Yom Tov!” The assistance this year included a table and chairs for one couple, a closet and a seforim shrank for another, gas ranges, a twin carriage, a crib and dresser for a newborn baby, hot water urns and much, much more. Each couple naturally had their specific need which was filled thanks to Shuvu and its generous supporters.

Shuvu’s sense of achrayus towards

its families continued on during Pesach itself as actual seders were conducted

by Shuvu personnel for the families in

the cities of Hadera and Ashkelon. In other cities of Shuvu schools including Ashdod, Bat Yam, Akko, Natzeret Illit, Netanya and Rechovot, Shuvu arranged for families to join communal cities in the city, all in central locations to allow families to walk to them and back.

Shuvu funded its families’ placements at these events.

Many families reported back later delightfully of the wonderful Pesach experiences they had had thanks to Shuvu. Indeed, Shuvu helped assure that its thousands of students and families would have both a chag kasher and also a chag sameach.

Large Crowd at Chabad of Hewlett’s Israel Solidarity Shabbat-Major General Navah Warns of Serious Threats of War “Israel is under real threat and we will do everything to protect ourselves,” said IDF Major General Yair Naveh this past Shabbos.

Naveh’s name has been mentioned to be appointed as the next Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff. Speaking to an overflow crowd in the new Chabad of Hewlett Jewish Center, the general revealed, “There is no dispute between Israel and our closest friends, the Americans, concerning the reality of the threat from Iran. And we can’t take any chances. Iran with a nuclear weapon will be a ‘game changer’ and it is dangerous. There is a new understanding in the Pentagon, that the ‘Arab spring’ will not bring a real democracy.

That must start with education, in the

family, and on the street—and not only in elections.”

The general thanked the Hewlett

community for standing with Israel “when Israel is under threat in so many close and far fronts.” General Naveh credited the Israeli secret services for reducing – almost to zero –the terror attack inside Israel in last few years. In a very deep analysis of the situation in the Middle East, he said, “We made it very clear to Syria, that any movement of chemical materials to Hezbollah or any other terror organization will be stopped by us. If Assad uses chemical weapons against his own people, there is no reason to think that he will not use it against Jews and Israel.” Explaining the change in the War on Terror, the general clarified: “Most of the very recent terror attacks have nothing to do with the conflict with the Palestinians.

These more recent terrorists [are sent from deep within countries] and had never even seen a Jew,” hinting about some of the Israeli operations in Sudan and other faraway countries.

Rabbi Nochem Tenenboim thanked the general for his review and for visiting the new Chabad Jewish Center in Hewlett. “Our thoughts and prayers are always with Israel,” he said and mentioned the new Sunday “Tefillin Club” which was established in support of Israel, and added that he hopes that there will be more events for the entire community. The crowd was enthusiastic and responded well when the general concluded, “We more than ever need a very strong army, and - definitely the help of Hashem.”

Susan Schwamm

A Bridge to a Bright Future for Our Children

TJH Interviews Mrs. Chava Bodner of Gesher Early Childhood Center Mrs. Chava Bodner is the founder and director of the Gesher Early Childhood Center. Gesher is a unique school with an innovative program. Mrs. Bodner has developed strong working relationships with the yeshivas in our community and has earned the admiration of her parent body and the professionals who have been involved in and have observed her program.

TJH: Mrs. Bodner, please tell us, what is unique about the Gesher Early Childhood Center?

CB: The concept of the Gesher Early Childhood Center is actually completely Celebrating Shabbos with splendor unique, even though the parts that make up the program are not unique at all. Let me explain. Gesher is basically a typical yeshiva preschool using the same high quality curriculum that can be found in any of the preschools in our area. The faculty at Gesher is trained to support the many and varied learning styles and learning differences of its students in the same manner that can be found in the many educational facilities that are dedicated to this type of support. What makes Gesher unique is the combination.

TJH: That sounds interesting. Can you elaborate; what support are you referring to?

CB: Every child has talents and skills that enhance the educational process.

Every child has struggles as well. Let us use a grade school child as an example.

A student may excel at language-based subjects, for example at literature, writing, or history, and may struggle with math and science. Preschool children also may have learning differences that make it difficult for them to succeed. Some types of obstacles that we address are sensory integration, focusing and attention, visual perceptual, and auditory processing. As the science of education has developed, we have become more adept at identifying the causes of these challenges and formulating a program to properly support the children.

TJH: Don’t children generally “grow out it”?

CB: Many children do have a natural ability to compensate or to develop skills on their own. Those children will succeed in a more populated classroom even without intervention. For many children, however, the pattern of struggling continues and actually intensifies in later grades if they are not properly supported. The Gesher model is ideal for successfully transitioning a child.

TJH: What type of child goes to your program?

CB: Keep in mind that Gesher is designed to be an excellent choice for typically developing children while incorporating methods that support non-typically developing children as well. We offer a high quality yeshiva preschool curriculum that is presented in a manner that also benefits students who are having difficulty in the mainstream yeshiva classroom. This includes several categories. The first is the child with no identified delay but is nonetheless struggling. The second is the child with an identifiable delay but does not qualify for state-funded services, and is therefore receiving no additional support. The third is the child with a mild delay who does qualify for state-funded services but the implementation of those services is not sufficient and is looking for the related service provider to team with the school to maximize the support. The fourth is the child who has the option of attending a non-sectarian integrated program but foregoes that support because is not comparable to the yeshiva preschool experience.

TJH: How does Gesher successfully implement related services?

CB: Gesher has two qualities that make it unique as far as implementing services: the specialized staff and the limited size class. The teachers at Gesher are all NYS certified in Special Education. They are trained to incorporate techniques and suggestions of related service providers. For example, a speech therapist may want a particular student to repeat a type of exercise. The therapist is encouraged to share the suggestion with the teacher and the teacher then incorporates that exercise naturally into the curriculum. It is no longer just an hour or two a week of speech therapy, it is part of the classroom culture. Additionally, because the teacher is working with the therapist, it is possible for the therapist to be in the classroom rather than have to pull the student out for the therapy. And because the class size is limited, the teachers and the assistants are able to make sure that each child’s goals are being addressed.

TJH: Why would a child with no identifiable challenge choose Gesher?

CB: For two reasons. First of all, the curriculum at Gesher is of a very high quality, in both the Judaic and secular arenas. And, because of the limited class size

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and high ratio of staff to student, each child receives an abundance of individualized attention. There is another great benefit of being a student in Gesher. The teachers are trained and experienced in identifying learning differences and challenges.

Even a typically developing child will hit some bumps on his educational road, and at Gesher we can help to manage those bumps.

TJH: How do you determine if a child is right for your program?

CB: Again, we are looking for children within the range of typically developing to mild and moderate delays. I prescreen every child to make sure that Gesher is right for them. Our goal is to transition the child into the yeshiva of his choice and I need to know at the outset that I can help each child to attain that goal. I go down to the program that the child is currently attending to observe and I confer with the teachers and, if applicable, the related service providers. I also review the IEP and evaluation if one is available. I cannot stress enough that the earlier the intervention is begun, the more effective it will be. Parents of three and four-year-old children should begin the consultation process allowing for more opportunity to work with a child.

ful preschool.

Our biggest supporters have been the parents who have constantly showered us with expressions of appreciation and adulation. Our student body is composed of boys and girls ages three to five, from Far Rockaway and the Five Towns. Any prospective parent can contact us for references from parents and professionals who have teamed with our program.

TJH: What else does Gesher have planned as it enters its second year?

CB: Our main focus is to successfully integrate our students into the yeshiva of their choice. I think that we can enhance the chinuch of our community by educating others in some of the methods that we employ. I have met some truly talented and dedicated educators and therapists and hope to implement some of their strategies. I have also become familiar with new types of therapies, and I look forward to bringing them into the community. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to bring a new program into existence.

It has become obvious that we cannot rely on state funding alone to support our children, and I hope that we continue to develop professional and high quality systems.

TJH: How has your program been received by the schools and programs in our community?

TJH: A gesher is a bridge, why did you choose CB: I am very grateful to the yeshivas and their that name? administrators for working with us. The principals and CB: The name Gesher really expresses the unique preschool directors were very encouraging from the qualities of this program. We are bridging general edubeginning and expressed their support for a program cation with special education. We are bridging a chiMaking matzah before Pesach that they felt was a valuable resource for our communuch-based curriculum with methods associated with nity. As I have visited the many early childhood programs in the neighborhood, I non-sectarian programs. We are also bridging the gap for those children who may have felt very welcome by professional dedicated educators. Our relationship with otherwise fall between the cracks. And we are transitioning our students into the the yeshivas is invaluable as we enter the second stage of our program: transition- typical yeshiva classroom setting. ing our students into the Yeshiva system.

I especially want to thank the Yeshiva of South Shore for their hospitality and TJH: That sounds ideal. Mrs. Bodner, thank you for your time and thank the confidence that they have in our program. I appreciate the opportunity to work you for what you are doing for our community. side-by-side with Morah Elana Fertig and to observe the running of their wonder-

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Parshas Metzorah

R’ Ben Tzion Shafier

Loshon Harah Stopping the Mindless Chatter And the Kohain shall command, and he shall take for the person being purified, two live birds, cedar wood, a thread of purple wool, and hyssop.

Vayikrah: 14:4 The Holiness of the Jews As Jews, we are commanded to be a holy nation. To help maintain our spiritual level, the Torah provides safeguards to protect us from sin. One of these is tzaraas. In the time of the Bais Ha’Mikdash, (which should speedily be rebuilt), if a person spoke loshon harah, he contracted tzaraas. While the outer manifestation was a type of skin condition, a metzorah had entered a stage of tumah, which forced him to be removed from normal life. Anything that he then

came into contact with became tameh, and he had to leave the encampment of the Jews and remain separated from the rest of the nation until he was purified.

The Metzorah Becomes Purified To become purified from this state, a metzorah had to go through a complex, three-part process. After the Kohain looked at his neggah and saw that it had healed, the first part began. The Kohain was commanded to take two live, kosher birds, a piece of cedar wood, and hyssop (a branch from a particular bush), and then tie them together with a string of purple wool, and dip them all into the blood from the first bird.

Rashi explains that each of these was part of the kaparah, a correction and atonement for his sin. The cedar wood, which comes from a tall, strong tree, was to signify that his speaking

loshon harah was caused by arrogance.

The purple-dyed wool and hyssop come

comes about. The Chofetz Chaim zt”l points out that one of the prohibitions

Without much forethought, and certainly without regard to the consequences of the sounds that are emanating from the openings in front of our faces, we fill the empty space with chatter.

from lowly sources, and serve as a message to the metzorah that he should lower himself. And the reason for the kosher birds is that birds are constantly chirping, and loshon harah is an act of chirping.

Human Speech Cannot be Compared to Birds Chirping This Rashi seems difficult to understand. The chirping of the birds doesn’t seem to fit into the equation. If you listen to the sounds of birds chirping on a spring day, you’ll hear an unending stream of sound, much like turning on the faucet in your kitchen sink.

The flow begins, short chirps and long chirps forming some type of pattern, but it’s without thought; the birds just jabber away.

What connection does that have with intelligent speech? Speech isn’t merely the formation of sounds; speech is the highest form of communication, a power given to man alone to share his inner thoughts and understandings.

Each word or phrase can represent entire concepts and ideas. Man alone can relay a world of understanding in but a few expressions. In what way can that be compared to the chattering of birds, a mindless, thoughtless, automatic reflex?

There is no Instinctive Urge to Speak Despairingly about People The answer to this question is based on understanding how loshon harah

that a person violates by speaking loshon harah is chillul Hashem. He explains that if someone has a powerful desire to commit a sin and then transgresses it, it may be a serious offence, but there is a mitigating factor – he fought a battle and lost. Loshon harah, on the other hand, is very different. There is no driving, instinctive force that pulls us to speak disparagingly about other Jews.

There is no magnetic pull that tugs at us. Therefore, if a person speaks loshon harah, it can be a chillul Hashem; since he is committing this sin without any powerful desire, it must be that he utterly disregards the command of the King.

Loshon Harah Usually is Mere Chatter, Much Like the Chirping of a Bird What we see from this is that much of loshon harah isn’t purposeful, malicious speech. In fact, it is rare that we engage in intentionally divulging great

secrets with the specific intention of ruining another person’s reputation or business. Rather, in the course of conversation, we sort of prattle on. “Hey, did you hear? I don’t know if you know this, but…” Most often, it is simple drivel. Without much forethought, and certainly without regard to the consequences of the sounds that are emanating from the openings in front of our faces, we fill the empty space with chatter.

In that sense, the bird is the perfect atonement. Since loshon harah comes about through prattle, the Torah commands the metzorah to bring a bird as the atonement for what allowed him to come to this sin.

Preventing Loshon Harah This concept has great application in our lives. There are rare occasions when we speak out of malice and desire to avenge a perceived wrong, and in those cases it is difficult to stop ourselves from speaking loshon harah. However, the vast majority of loshon harah that we engage in is senseless gossip – prattling like chirping of a bird. So while it is common place, it is much easier to work on eradicating it. By simply being aware of ourselves and by learning the halachos of Shmiras Ha’Lashon, we can easily prevent much of the damage of our spoken words. As we become conscious of what flows out of our mouths, we stop the mindless prattle that does so much damage to others.

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The Observant Jew Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

O

ver Pesach, my daughter told us that we call the yom tov Pesach because we’re focused on what Hashem did for us (passing over the houses) while in the Torah it is referred to as Chag HaMatzos, because Hashem focuses on what we did, leaving so quickly that we couldn’t even let our bread rise. It reminded me that being focused on and proud of the achievements of the other party is a wonderful tool for strengthening any relationship.

It was therefore curious to me that in Shemoneh Esrai, throughout the yom tov, we say Chag HaMatzos. Shouldn’t we continue the idea of praising what Hashem did for us and call it Pesach? It was only on the seventh day of Pesach that I was inspired with an answer.

We don’t just call it Chag HaMatzos. Instead, we use a complete phrase, “Chag HaMatzos, Zman Cheirusainu,” meaning, “the festival of matzos, the time of our freedom.” What, I kept asking myself, is the connection between matzah and freedom? On the contrary, we call it the bread of our affliction, poor man’s bread, and don’t think of it as a shining symbol of liberty like some glorious, light-brown, circular flag blowing in the wind.

Well, if we define being rich as not one who has a lot, but one who needs little (which we do – check out Pirkei

It’s About Time Avos), then freedom could be defined not as one who is in control, but as one who is not controlled by external forces and desires. In other words, the less I need, the less others have control over me.

enough time to get it all done, let’s remember the end of the Mishna – “It’s not your responsibility to finish the job, but you are not free to neglect working on it [with whatever time you are given.]”

The freedom we experienced from

Part of the lesson that we learn from Pesach and Shavuos is that we don’t have to worry about finishing the job, but make the most of the time we are given to work with.

Of all foods, I thought, matzah needs the fewest ingredients. It only needs two—flour and water—and is even missing a key ingredient in all other types of bread – TIME. Yes, when the Jews took their dough out of Egypt, they didn’t allow time for it to rise. They were told to go immediately and that’s what they did.

They didn’t worry about the fact that they didn’t have the time they needed so their food would be ready. They just left, and that is a great aspect of freedom.

People are always complaining that we don’t have enough hours in the day.

There’s too much to do and not enough time. Even Chazal said it, “The day is short and the workload is large.” It’s easy to get discouraged, but instead of stressing about the fact that there’s not

the matzos was the ability not to worry about the finished product, and just to do what we need to do now. We left the results up to Hashem and got matzah, which is even better than bread because it can be eaten for much longer without going bad. In fact, in the desert heat it probably stayed light, crispy and tasty.

I remembered this thought one day as I was driving behind a v-e-r-y s-l-ow driver. I was trying to get to shul for mincha, and this guy was making his way ever so slowly down the one-lane road, with no opportunities to pass him.

He was doing about ten miles an hour below the speed limit. I started to get annoyed and angry, then told myself, “It’s up to G-d whether I make it in time.

At this moment, I have to recognize that

I’m not in control.” It worked. I calmed down, and drove without getting road rage or showering him with “blessings.”

(I made it to mincha.)

We’re now in the period of Sefiras HaOmer, and we count each day. We don’t say, “Today is fifteen of fifty,” we say, “today is fifteen.” Part of the lesson that we learn from Pesach and Shavuos, including the interim weeks, is that we don’t have to worry about finishing the job, but rather making the most of the time we are given to work with. Each day should be a goal and each day should be an achievement. “Am I doing what I am supposed to do at this very moment?” If I am, then I am free. I am not beholden to an end result that is beyond my reach, and I am not bound by a need to fill twenty-four hours in a day with thirty-six hours’ worth of work.

In our lives, we will not have the time to do everything that must be done in the world. However, if we spend time worrying and lamenting that fact, then we’ve wasted some of the precious time we HAVE been given.

This lesson is one we learned from Hashem when we relinquished control and left with the “unrisen” dough. It was G-d who gave us the matzah which taught us this special lesson about freedom and life, and that’s why we focus on this gift during Shemoneh Esrai, seeing it as just one more of the myriad billions and trillions of things He does for us on a daily basis.

Freedom is about time. It’s about knowing that at this moment I’m exactly where I should be. This knowledge about time is a gift – that’s why they call it the present.

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

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

Avi Heiligman

Flying Above the Radar

A

As the war progressed, radar and anti-radar systems became more advanced. For example, before bombing raids over Germany, American planes dropped thin metal sheets over an area that was far away from the actual target to confuse German radar into thinking that a huge air raid was coming in the wrong sector. The Germans eventually found ways to determine if it was an actual raid or just harmless metal falling from the sky.

After WWII, only major countries had the secret of radar. The technology would have been too advanced for countries with few scientists and engineers to create it from scratch, so that’s why Israel had radar technicians Erecting the antenna for the “homebrew” radar at Haifa. and scientists come from For lack of a suitable electric motor, the antenna was abroad to create their sysrotated by means of bicycle pedals. tem. The tiny new country, (Photo - Maurice Ostroff) created in May 1948, was countries use it as an irreplaceable part facing many Arab adversaries who had of their arsenals. However, right after a lot of air assets and would be able to WWII, only the major belligerents of attack Israel from the air at will. Israel the war had the capability to use radar. needed radar to alert them of upcomIsrael needed it to defend herself ing attacks and direct the few Israeli from the Arab onslaught in 1948 and air planes to the exact location of the very fortunately, a few brave men enemy planes. These people came came forward to set up her first radar from countries such as the U.S., Great Britain, Canada and South Africa and system.

Radar is an acronym for RAdio joined other Machal volunteers in the Detection And Ranging and is used Israeli radar unit, the 505 Squadron.

The commander of the squadron to identify and detect objects. It can be used to alert for airborne, seaborne was an American radar expert, Moshe or land-based objects such as aircraft, Ettenberg, and his second in command ships, missiles, vehicles, weather pat- was South American Charles Braudo. terns or unique terrain features. A ra- Many of the people who they recruited dar system includes a dish and a re- had prior experience with radar durceiver and uses radio waves bouncing ing WWII and this was necessary beoff objects to determine, speed, alti- cause the technology was kept secret tude, direction and range. from foreign countries. The first radar The British first used radar in the constructed by the Machal volunteers Battle of Britain – an air battle over was installed at Kibbutz Glil Yam and the skies of Britain in 1940 against a codenamed Barak. A Canadian named massive German air assault to get the Murray Smith was in command of the English to capitulate. The U.S. had a primitive station that had been put tosystem set up in Hawaii on December gether with patchwork equipment.

7, 1941 and even though the two opThe machalniks at the Barak radar erators detected a massive air arma- station as well as other technicians da coming in to bomb Pearl Harbor, assigned to the squadron who were the officer whom they reported it to working at the Weizmann Institute, thought it was American B-17 bomb- lived on kibbutzim and they soon had ers and not Japanese naval airplanes. valuable information coming from the t the beginning of World War II in 1939, radar was in its infant stages. It would soon prove its worth during the massive global conflict and after the war, it went through many advances. Today most

kibbutzniks who were experienced in ming from Israeli radar that sparked electronics. The second station was British outrage. On January 7, 1949, constructed at the Institute and built five RAF (Royal Air Force) planes from scraps that the British had tried were shot down by Machal volunto destroy before they left in May teers. The fifth was brought down not by a plane but by a tank gunner — a 1948.

While the mechanics were busy British non-Jewish volunteer named building the systems, Jack Segal start- Johnny Dawson. This incident, which ed a training school for technicians occurred on the day of the ceasefire, and operators in Haifa. A radar station sparked controversy in England. The was built there and the 505 Squadron obvious question was what was the was given space on a former British RAF doing in Israeli airspace? The army base in Tsrifim. After building London Observer attributed it to the the permanent stations, the unit built “pathological anti-Israel obsession” of a mobile radar unit from old American Ernest Bevin, Britain’s Foreign Minsmall boats and an ex-British army ister, which “makes him persist in his trailer with the power supply coming blundering errors...” from an ingenious rigging up of a moFinally, the war was over and the tor from a lawn mower. The mobile Machal volunteers were able to go station was named Gefen. home. They left a legacy for future Now that the radar was functional, it was put to good use as the Israelis were desperate for any help they could get that would ease the strain the air force. In October 1948, an assumed enemy reconnaissance plane was causing uneasiness as it flew undisturbed taking pictures at will over Israel. They couldn’t shoot it down. The best that could be done was Members of the radar team at the Weizmann Institute. L. to R. to watch out for it on Yosef Halberstadt (Israel), Shaul levine (USA), Maurice Ostroff (SA), Gedalia (Israel), Max Berlin (SA), Aaron Bukspan (Israel),. radar screens. Finally, Sitting: Charles Braudo (SA), OC of the unit (Story - The Radar on November 2, the Team in chapter 5). plane was spotted by (Photo - Maurice Ostroff) the Gefen Mobile Station and the information was passed onto the air force. A non- generations to be proud of and cherJewish American Machal pilot, Wayne ish. For the members of the hastily Peake, went up in his P-51 Mustang put-together radar unit of 505 Squadand gave a short bust of gunfire be- ron, this meant that they helped Israel fore the guns stopped. He assumed in its infancy with desperately needed they had jammed but it really was knowledge and technology, and did so because Israel was short on aircraft much with so little. bullets. Peake broke off the attack assuming that he had missed the plane but others observed it smoking and it soon crashed into the sea. Another Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to Israeli plane flew above the wreckage The Jewish Home. He welcomes your combut couldn’t identify its origin. It was ments and suggestions.for future columns later learned that the plane was a Brit- and can be reached at aviheiligman@ gmail.com. ish Mosquito.

There was another incident stem-

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Forgotten Heroes

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The Jew , 2013, 2013 T Hi Es hJ EHWo ImSeHnH OAMPER InL 1M1AY 2 4 , 2012

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You Gotta be

Kidding!

Riddle

Submitted by Yonatan Caller A man walks into a bar with his dog and says to the bartender, “I’ll bet you a free drink my dog can talk.”

The bartender says, “You’ve got to be kidding; get out of here.”

“I’ll prove it,” the man says. “I’ll ask him a question and he’ll answer it.”

The skeptical bartender watches as the man turns to the dog and asks: “Fido, what’s on top of this building?”

The dog growls something which sounds amazingly like “Roooof.”

“There you are,” the man laughs.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” the bartender bellows. “That doesn’t prove a thing.”

“OK. I’ll try another question,” the man insists. Turning to the dog, he asks, “How does sandpaper feel?”

The dog responds with an emphatic, “Rrruuuff.”

“I told you to get out of here and I mean it.”

“Wait one minute,” the man snaps. “I’ll ask him a baseball question. He likes baseball. Fido, who was the greatest hitter of them all?”

The dog hesitates just a moment before growling, “Rrrooooth.”

The bartender doesn’t even argue this time. He runs around the bar, grabs the man by the shirt collar, the canine by the dog collar and tosses them both out onto the sidewalk. Both sit quietly for a while, then the dog says sheepishly, “What should I have said, Ted Williams?” ***** A rookie pitcher was struggling at the mound, so the catcher walked out to have a talk with him. “I’ve figured out your problem,” he told the pitcher. “You always lose control at the same point in every game.” “When is that?” “Right after the national anthem.”

Baseball Cracker Jacks Ninety percent of this game is half mental. — Yogi Berra I watch a lot of baseball on radio. — Gerald Ford Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher I ever saw. He always pitches when the other team doesn’t score any runs. — Tim McCarver I think I throw the ball as hard as anyone. The ball just doesn’t get there as fast. — Eddie Bane I never took the game home with me. I always left it in some bar.

— Bob Lemon A man once told me to walk with the L-rd. I’d rather walk with the bases loaded. — Ken Singleton I’d be willing to bet you, if I was a betting man, that I have never bet on baseball. — Pete Rose Little League baseball is a very good thing because it keeps the parents off the streets. — Yogi Berra The baseball mania has run its course. It has no future as a professional endeavor. — Cincinnati Gazette editorial, 1879

Submitted by Yedidya Greenfeld Five people (Ben, David, Sarah, Mimi and Shaya) are participating in a baseball game with some other people. Each plays a different position (First base, Pitcher, Shortstop, Catcher, Right field) and makes a different number of hits (1, 2, 3, 4 or 5). From the clues given below can you figure out who did what?

Clues: 1) Ben, the furthest from home base, had exactly twice as many hits as the pitcher.

2) The shortstop was tired after getting her fifth hit.

3) Shaya had more hits than all the other infielders except for Sarah.

4) David wears a mask.

Answer on next page

You wouldn’t have won if we’d beaten you. – Yogi Berra He’s turned his life around. He used to be depressed and miserable.

Now he’s miserable and depressed.— Harry Kalas, on Gary Maddox You can sum up the game of baseball in one word: “You never know.”—Joaquin Andujar I walk into the clubhouse today and it’s like walking into the Mayo Clinic. We have four doctors, three therapists and five trainers. Back when I broke in, we had one trainer who carried a bottle of rubbing alcohol, and by the 7th inning, he’d already drunk it.—Tommy Lasorda Don’t call ‘em dogs. Dogs are loyal and they run after balls.—1943 St. Louis Browns Manager Luke Sewell, responding to a sportswriter who suggested that his team had “played like dogs.”

Exchange between Cleveland Indians broadcasters Herb Score and Nev Chandler: Chandler: That base-hit makes Cecil Cooper 19 for 42 against Tribe pitching.

Score: I’m not good at math, but even I know that’s over .500.

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3. Which team switched from the National League to the American League for the 2013 season? a. Arizona Diamondbacks b. Milwaukee Brewers c. Montreal Expos d. Houston Astros 4. Which active pitcher has the most wins to date? a. CC Sabathia b. Roy Halladay c. Jamie Moyer d. Andy Pettitte

Answers: 1. C- Alex Rodriguez (salary $29 million) is out and “could miss the entire season,” according to Yankee GM Brian Cashman.

Johan Santana (salary $25.5 million) is adios amigos for the entire season. Mark Teixeira (salary $23.1 million) will “probably” play some time this year, but is starting the season on the DL. That leaves Cliff Lee (salary $25 million) as the only one playing. Not a bad way to make a living.

2. A- Cabrera led the AL in Average, RBIs and HRs. If you don’t know what

5. Which of the following is not a new rule implemented by the MLB for the 2013 season? a. Teams can now have an interpreter come out to the mound to talk with the pitcher during mound conferences. b. Teams can now have a seventh coach in uniform in the dugout. c. The fake to third and then throw to first pick off move will officially be a balk. d. If a player slides into a base and lifts his foot which touches the fielder, he is automatically out.

6. Which current player has the highest lifetime batting average? a. Albert Pujols b. Joe Mauer c. David Wright d. Miguel Cabrera 7. Which team enters the 2013 season with the longest World Series championship drought? a. White Sox b. Indians c. Cubs d. Brewers

that is, file a complaint with the TJH human resources department.)

3. D-The Astros switched leagues to the AL. Another interesting fact about the Astros—their entire team payroll is $24 million. Go figure, A-fraud is making more than their entire team!

4. C- Jamie Moyer has 269 wins. Andy comes in second with 246 wins.

5. A- Albert Pujols has a lifetime batting average of .322.

6. D 7. C- The Cubs are on a 104 season drought. They last won the World Series in 1908 and last played in it in 1945.

8.

Yankees $229 million Astros

$24 million

Mets

$89 million

Red Sox

$124 million

Dodgers

$216 million

GOT FUNNY? Let the Commissioner decide.

Send your stuff to centerfold@fivetownsjewishhome.com

8. Match the team with the payroll: Yankees

$216 million

Astros

$89 million

Mets

$124 million

Red Sox

$24 million

Dodgers

$229 million

Scorecard 7-8 Correct: You must be taking mental steroids.

4-6 Correct: If you were a baseball player, you’d be a .500 hitter and would be on your way to Cooperstown. But you are not a baseball player. You are a trivia player. And you are really not that great.

0-3 Correct: A-rod, do you really think that you are going to get healthy by just sitting around and reading TJH Centerfold?

Answer to riddle: From clue 1, we know that Ben is the right fielder and that he got 4 hits and the pitcher got 2 hits.

From clue 2 we know that the shortstop is a woman (Mimi or Sarah) and that she got 5 hits.

From clue 3 we know that Shaya had 3 hits and Isabel had 5. This means that Sarah is the shortstop (see clue 2).

From clue 4 we know that David is the catcher.

Since we already know that Shaya had 3 hits and the pitcher had 2, Shaya cannot be the pitcher. The only position left for him is first base, which leaves Mimi as the pitcher.

So, now you know everything: Ben is the right fielder and he got 4 hits.

David is the catcher and he got 1 hit.

Sarah is the shortstop and she got 5 hits.

Mimi is the pitcher and she got 2 hits.

Shaya is the first baseman and he got 3 hits.

Home run!

2. Who won the 2012 American League MVP award? a. Miguel Cabrera b. Mike Trout c. Adrian Beltre d. Robinson Cano

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1. How many of the top four paid MLB players are either certainly out for the entire 2013 season or possibly out for the entire season? a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4

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Cover Story

Rabbi Menachem Ziemba hy”d declared it a mitzvah to join the Uprising

Rabbi Ephraim Oshry zt”l ruled that fighting the Germans was preferable

Rabbi Yitzchak Nissenbaum hy”d urged the Jews of Warsaw to fight their attackers

Joe Bobker

Rabbi Moshe Chaim Lau hy”d urged his congregants to resist the Nazis physically and spiritually

Rabbi Shmuel Shlomo Leiner hy”d, Rav of Radzyn, with his followers

Bobker on The Fighting Rabbis W

hen the Germanic dogma was to destroy the “poisonous weed” of Judaism, many Jews responded with a near superhuman religious tenacity.

Those who clung to Jewish law or lore, either in extremis or with the smallest acts of Torah fidelity, not only helped their minds and bodies stay spiritually and psychologically “alive” but also experienced a preservation of human dignity amid the non-stop degradation.

Even in places where death stalked the Jew day and night, there were instances of spiritual resistance whose integrity soared to incredible heights. Consider: Young Jewish girls at Auschwitz used their sparse ration of morning tea to wash their hands before saying the first words modeh ani (“I give thanks”) in the morning payers. The young son and successor of Rabbi Yitzchok Eizek Rosenbaum, the Zutchka Rebbe, would risk coming out of his hiding place to bring his father negel vasser for the ritual early morning washing of the fingers.

R’ Moshe Prager, a survivor and Orthodox historian, records numerous incidents where an obstinate focus on religion displayed opposition to Nazism in its highest form. He recalls Purim 1940 in Vloin, Poland, where Jews twirled their groggers proudly and loudly even though their real Haman, perplexed and confused, stood literally only feet away.

This stubborn refusal to “fall in line” with Hitler’s calculated disorder challenged the chaos and acted as a defiance to the Gestapo’s aim of spreading madness and anarchy among Jews.

German soldiers were constantly bewildered at what seemed to them trivial acts of disobedience considering the lethal consequences.

They were totally befuddled at the sight of Rabbi Eliezer Ungar, the Zabner Rebbe, whose main concern was to cover his bare head with his hands when his hat was knocked off as he was being beaten and shoved onto a death train. Nor could they comprehend how Rabbi Benjamin Morgenstern, the Sokolover Rebbe, could, erev Pesach, literally stand at the threshold of his own death and stay focused on writing “bills of sale” so that Jews in the ghetto could sell their chometz to non-Jews. Or when Rabbi Ze’ev Wolf Rosenberg, the av bes din of Debrecen, a town in Hungary, went around assembling all the rabbis in the camp for hataras nedarim (“a collective annulment of a vow”) so that Ashkenaz Jews could eat legumes (kitniyos) on Pesach.

Try and picture this: In the very shadows of belching Auschwitz fire stacks, Rabbi Laibel Longfuss, a dayan from Makow Mazowieckin in Poland, in deep discussion with R’ Yaakov Silberberg, a coSonderkommando, on whether their status as kohanim allowed them to handle cremated bodies.

Meanwhile, although mental images of pious Jews swiftly switching from gemaras to guns was incompatible with the Torah’s “Not by Might” injunction, many a Torah scholar and community rav urged Jews to resist the Hitlerites.

Their memory must not be forgotten, nor does their extraordinary physical courage detract one iota from the devout defiance of other Jews.

In the Kovno ghetto, Rabbi Ephraim Oshry, one of the few Lithuanian rabbis to survive and author of the compelling She’eilos Uteshuvos Mima’amakim (“Questions and Responses from the Depths”), issued a ruling with important halachic distinctions.

Differentiating between the life of a Jew in the ghetto or camps that faced certain death to that of a Jewish partisan fighting against the Nazis, a potential, but not certain, life-threatening status, he ruled that the latter danger was permitted, in fact a preferential position to take. This made it a legal obligation to fight and support those who fight the enemy.

Consider Volozhin, hometown of the famous yeshiva (Eytz Hayim) in Belarus. When the Germans arrived on June 25, 1941, they incinerated Jews in the synagogue, buried Jews with the decapitated heads of dogs and cats in order to mix Jewish blood with animal blood, and mocked the Sinaitic tradition by forcing Orthodox men and women to dig separate graves for themselves on Simchas Torah to “separate the

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These astonishing Jews inflicted more

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enemy casualties on the mighty Third Reich than the entire combined armies of France, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria did during the entire war.

An SS sergeant humiliating and interrogating Jews captured during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

sexes” in both life and death.

How did Rabbi Reuben Hodosh, the Rav of the nearby town of Olshan, respond? In May 1942, he urged Jews to pick up bricks, stones, iron bars, anything, and attack their executioners.

Meanwhile Rabbi Shimon Rozovsky, the Rav of Eishyshok, a (mainly religious) village just a few short kilometers away from Radun, hometown of the Chofetz Chaim, was fully aware of the potential evil of Nazism.

“Our fate [of death] is [already] decided [by G-d] and we must accept it!” he declared, but quickly added, “If we are to die, let us die honorably. Let us buy arms with the little money still remaining and defend ourselves to the last soul. Let me die with the Philistines [Tamus nafshi im Pelishtim] and not go as sheep to the slaughter.”

When the Germans closed the yeshiva of Rabbi Avraham Tzvi Ungar, the chief dayan of Kapuvar, a small suburb in Shofron in western Hungary, in March 1944 he told the students to run and join the Jewish partisans in the forests of Yugoslavia and fight back.

Similarly, when the Third Reich arrived at Piotrkow-Trybunalski, a town south of Lodz in central Poland, they immediately began their persecutions.

All eyes were on the chief rabbi, what should they do?

Rabbi Moshe Chaim Lau was blunt: he told the community not just to flee but also resist the Nazi enemy both physically and mentally.

The fact is this: The survival rate of those who fought back was higher than those who stayed in the ghettos and camps.

Consider the numbers: Forty percent of those who fled the Bialystok ghetto and fought back from the nearby woods stayed alive. The survival rate among the Jews of Minsk, Belorussia, who organized an underground early in the conflict, was a staggering fifty percent higher than in any other part of Eastern Europe; of the 80,000 Jews in Minsk, ten thousand fled to the forests; half survived.

At first the acts of resistance were sporadic, unorganized, ad-hoc. Thousands of individual and group acts of defiance, spiritual or physical, remain unknown and undocumented; most took their bravery with them to the grave.

We only have snippets from here and there.

R’ Yaakov Edelman from Volozhin choked a German to death as did R’ Chaim Sutzkever in the Ku-

renitz ghetto in Belarus. On September 10, 1942, after his wife and daughter were brutally shoved into a gas chamber at Treblinka, R’ Meir Berliner stabbed an S.S. officer (Max Vielas) to death; another Jew stabbed a Ukrainian guard with his pocket-knife on arrival at Treblinka after the guard pushed his mother to the side.

Rabbi S. R. Capel fought in the French underground. The grandson of Rav Rubin, the Sereter Rebbe, led a group of French Jewish partisans. The chief rabbi of Greece, Rabbi Eliahu Barzilai, fought with the resistance in the village of Thessaly, north of Athens. Rabbi Moshe Pesah insisted on carrying his own weapons even though he was nearly eighty years old. In the Sambor ghetto, Rabbi Baruch Safrin, the Komarner Rebbe, urged Jews not to board the cattle cars but flee and fight back from the forests.

Consider: Rabbi Yehuda Leib Eisenberg of Lask, Poland, a great halachic authority,Rabbi Nahum Yehoshua Pechenik, the Admor of Brezener, Rabbi Aaron Patshenik, the Rovner Rebbe, son of the legendary Reb Moshe “Itzikel” Gevirtzman, the Pshevorsker Rebbe, Rabbi Leib Hirsch, the Gaon of Kozieglowy, av bes din and rosh yeshiva of Sochaczew, a city in the Warszawa province of central Poland, and one of the heads of the famous Chachmei Lublin yeshiva, all supported organized resistance.

As did Rabbi Yehuda Leib Orlean, a Gerer chossid and head of the main Bais Yaakov School in Cracow, Poland, and the Rav of the Great Synagogue of the ancient town of Slonim in the Grodno province of Polish-occupied Byelorussia who converted his synagogue into a secret storage facility for weapons, radio parts, and medication; even hiding some in the magnificent Ark where the former Torahs once stood.

And who can forget Rabbi Shmuel Shlomo Leiner?

Rav Leiner was the Rav and rosh yeshiva of Radzin, a co-founder of Agudas Yisrael and one of the most influential leaders of Polish Jewry. He encouraged Jews in the Wlodawa ghetto near Lublin, Poland, to fight back, “Never surrender to evil [and never] offer one’s neck to be slaughtered!”

He personally led fifty Jews in attacks on the Germans. If they couldn’t fight in the ghetto, Rav Leiner urged Jews to flee to the forests, join the partisans and blow up German trains and important bridges. His inspiration was contagious and his own brother-in-law, Rabbi Avraham Yissachar Englard, the Sosnovtza Rav and head of a network of yeshivas, did exactly that:

join the partisans.

Meanwhile, Rabbi Yehoshua Moshe Aharonson, the Rav of Tzonick, Poland, and author of a poignant Holocaust memoir Alei Meorot (“Leaves of Bitterness”), openly supported acts of rebellion and was especially proud of the uprising on August 9, 1943, which he both encouraged and participated in.

Suddenly the German uniform was no longer automatically feared and one act of resistance encouraged another.

When the Jews of Sachsenhausen, Germany, found out in October 1942 that they were being sent to Auschwitz they decided not to acquiesce in their own deaths and lunged at their tormenters with their bare hands. The unarmed Jews in the Lachwa ghetto attacked their oppressors with hatchets, knives, and bare fists.

Rabbi Itzchakl Finkler, the Radoshitzer Rebbe, readied Jews to resist deportation physically and mentally and told his children what to do if they were caught: “Do not be led voluntarily [to the freight cars], fight back” – even if it meant their lives.

R’ Kalmish, one of the Rebbe’s brothers, helped plan and execute acts of sabotage in the SkarzyskoKamienna slave labor camp. His involvement encouraged others. Two other brothers, R’ Abraham and R’ Berl, fought with the partisans. The Rebbe’s only son, R’ Hillel, 25, assembled and led a bloc of Jewish fighters from the Lazisker forests.

Consider: When the Germans arrived at Pesheitz, Poland, in September 1939 they immediately, as was their norm, targeted the local rabbi for abuse and public humiliation. They found Rabbi Yosef Alexander Zemelman from Drobin, an active leader of the Agudas Yisrael Polish youth movement and follower of the Gerer Rebbe, wrapped in a white kittel and tallis in his synagogue on Yom Kippur.

They dragged him outside, made him push a wheelbarrow up and down the street collecting the garbage as they shaved off his beard, and then set fire to his synagogue and all its sifrei Torahs on Shemini Atzeret.

A few days later, Rav Zemelman could no longer be silent and urged the community to go on the offensive. He supported acts of revenge (“Revenge is great when given between two letters [names of God]”), disguised himself as an Aryan in order to smuggle twelve guns and ammunition into the Warsaw ghetto, and cosigned a ruling with several other rabbis that warned

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of those who fought back was higher than those who stayed in the ghettos and camps.

Jews to physically resist rather than be put on trains.

He sent postcards to his daughters advising them to do the same and participated fully in the Warsaw ghetto uprising which began after a gruesome and sickening three month period over the summer of 1942 when the Third Reich systematically turned a staggering 310,000 Jews, mainly women, children, and the elderly, into forgotten death statistics at Treblinka – with not a single casualty among the Germans.

Treblinka was a death factory carefully placed in a remote densely wooded area with its own spur line; this deportation from Warsaw was the largest slaughter of a Jewish community during the entire Holocaust.

Into this horrific nightmare stepped an extraordinary Jewish leader, Rabbi Menachem Ziemba (Prager), a major spiritual force, hero of optimism, a Gerer disciple, highly-respected talmid chacham (“Torah scholar”), world-recognized posek halacha l’ma’asa (“decisor of practical halacha”), and member of the Vaad Harabbanim together with Rabbi Yaakov Myer Biderman, the Gerer Rebbe’s brother-in-law, and Rabbi Avraham Weinberg, a leading Chassidic scholar and spokesman for Polish Jewry.

At first Rav Ziemba agreed with Rabbi Alexander Zusia Friedmann, the widely admired and eloquent general secretary of Agudas Yisroel in Poland, who at a July 1942 meeting in the ghetto opposed physical resistance because it would endanger the lives of other Jews.

But this apprehension was impossible to sustain in the face of Hitler creating a whole new class of Jewish orphans on a daily basis. And they knew: they were living on borrowed time.

When Rebbetzin Mindel Ziemba and their two youngest daughters, Leah and Doba Rachel, were incinerated at Treblinka, there was no further doubt in Rav Ziemba’s mind that the rest of the ghetto was marked for a similar fate. All illusions of staying alive were now fully swept away.

On January 14, 1943, Rav Ziemba, by now the most influential voice in the Warsaw ghetto, made it clear that he had changed his mind on resistance, “I see that, according to halacha, it is a mitzvah to participate in the Uprising and to make use of the best tactics of war.”

Rav Ziemba publicly blessed 500 (mainly nonorthodox) young Jewish men and women of the resistance movement (Z.O.B.), and on the eve of the revolt, an extraordinary pre-Pesach uprising of the few

against the many, held a pre-war Pesach seder on April 19 at the underground’s headquarters at 21 Zamenhoff Street where, accompanied by several rabbis including Rav Zemelman from Pesheitz and Rav Horowitz from Ulica, distributed small pieces of matza to each Jewish fighter in order that they fulfill the mitzva of eating a minimal amount on Pesach.

He urged the community to financially support the underground fighters, ordered that all the hard-bound gemaras and Pentateuchs be gathered from the ghetto’s yeshivas and synagogues and packed into sandbags to be used as protective barricades in windows and doorways, and raised morale with a series of uplifting d’var Torahs on Jewish survival that brilliantly intertwined the twin concepts of kiddush haChayim and kiddush Hashem into a seamless concept.

By the authority of the Torah of Israel, I insist that there is absolutely no purpose nor any value of kiddush Hashem in the death of a Jew. Kiddush Hashem in our present situation is embodied in the will of a Jew to live. This struggle for aspiration and longing for life is a mitzvah to be realized by means of nekamah mesirat nefesh [“vengeance with extreme dedication”] and in the sanctification of the mind and will…If today Jews were being forced into apostasy, and we could be saved by agreeing to it, as was done in Spain or after the decrees of [the First Crusade in] 1096, our death would be a kind of martyrdom. But today, the only way to do kiddush Hashem is through active armed resistance…I speak to you from the very depths of my conscience and warn you that there is only one way for us. Every able-bodied man must revolt, must resist! For this reason, I regard it halachically as a mitzvah to rebel. It is a kiddush Hashem and a milchemes mitzvah [a battle approved by Jewish law].

Armed with only ten handguns and home-made grenades, a few hundred young Jews held back 3,000 German soldiers for four weeks, killing 300 Germans and wounding a thousand more. To put this in perspective: these astonishing Jews inflicted more enemy casualties on the mighty Third Reich than the entire combined armies of France, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria did during the entire war.

The elderly and blind Rabbi Yitzhak Nissenbaum nudged the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto to fight “[be-

cause] now is the time to sanctify life [by revolt and defiance].”

Seen in street battles was Rabbi Avrohom Ziemba, the brother of R’ Menachem, Rabbi Yosef Konigsberg from Radun, Poland, and his son-in-law, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Kirschenbaum, Rabbi Reuven Horowitz from Tarnopol, Galicia, a brilliant alumni from the Lomza yeshiva and leader of Hapoel Hamizrachi in Poland, who fell while struggling with German soldiers outside 44 Zamenhoff Street.

The son of Rav Fisher, the fundraiser from the Grodno yeshiva in Lithuania, participated fully in the combat. Chassidic youth – R’ Yisrael Holzkenner, R’ Simcha Holzberg, R’ Leib Schzeransky, and others — many in full Chassidic garb, fought back as did the yeshiva students of the 70-year-old Rabbi Avraham Weinberg, one of the last roshei yeshivos in the Warsaw ghetto, and thirty Talmudic students from an underground yeshiva at 17 Mila Street who threw themselves into battle and hurled home-made Molotov cocktails at the enemy.

The yeshiva bochurim from the Gerer minyan at 19 Nalewki Street attacked the Nazi murderers with hand grenades. And on and on it went…

The final word must go to Rav Alter, a pious and humble 60-year-old Torah scholar in the Kolomyja ghetto in southwest Ukraine who had never hurt a fly in his life.

When the Germans arrived they acted as Germans.

They shot Jews in the forests of Szeparowce, at the local cemetery and in the abattoir; they burned Jews alive in the synagogues on Jewish festivals; they trained dogs to tear at Jewish throats; they emptied out the Jewish orphanage and sent the children to their deaths at Belzec. One Ukrainian killer named Chipko was thrifty: instead of “wasting” bullets he simply decapitated Jews.

But when the Gestapo came looking for Rav Alter, he slashed the throat of the first S.S. man who came through his front door. May his memory be a blessing.

Joe Bobker was born in a Displaced Persons’ camp in Ulm, Germany, attended Mercas HaRav yeshiva in Jerusalem, was Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of The Los Angeles Jewish Times, and is the author of the popular “With a Twist of Humor” series on Judaism. Comments may be sent to JBobker@aol.com.

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

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Notable

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“Say What?”

“North Korea is now threatening the United States with all-out war. You can see they’re stepping it up. In fact, they released 10 more photos of Kim Jong Un looking through binoculars.”

- Jay Leno

“Former President George Bush has invited President Obama to the opening of his presidential library later this month. President Obama said he’s looking forward to going through the library to see if there was anything else he could blame Bush for.”

- Jay Leno

“Sometimes people, in a fit of passion, will purchase a handgun to do bad things with it...even as my dad did, killed himself...waiting a few days helps.”

- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid citing his dad’s suicide in 1972 as an example of the need for background checks and a waiting period for gun purchases

“This will go down as the most embarrassing moment of his entire presidency.”

- Tony Kornheiser on ESPN discussing President Obama’s recent two for 22 performance on the basketball court “President Obama went only two for 22. It’s tough times for Obama – one minute, he’s asking Congress to raise the debt ceiling; the next, he’s asking them to lower the hoop.”

- Jimmy Fallon

“Today President Obama asked Congress for $100 million to map the human brain. And believe me, if anybody needs a map to find their brain, it’s Congress.”

- Jay Leno

“The White House has now put together a website for kids. It’s a website to teach kids how to manage a budget responsibly. The website is called ‘Irony.gov.’”

- David Letterman

Quotes “To be really honest, it’s unpleasant.”

- Journalist Bob Woodward when asked what it was like to have dinner with Al Gore recently

“You know what guys? I’ll just skip this one.”

- What Jennifer Maldonado told co-workers when not participating in a lotto pool that ended up with a winning ticket “They’re testing a new breakfast sandwich that has eggs and bacon stuffed inside a glazed doughnut. It goes with their new slogan, ‘America runs out of breath on Dunkin.’”

- Jimmy Fallon

“I am intensely focused on [a resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict] because it is vital really to American interests and regional interests to try and advance the peace process and because this festering absence of peace is used by groups everywhere to recruit and encourage extremism.”

- Secretary of State John Kerry

“Except in direct quotes essential to the story, use ‘illegal’ only to refer to an action, not a person: illegal immigration, but not illegal immigrant. Acceptable variations include living in or entering a country illegally or without legal permission.”

- The Associated Press declaring its new policy not to use the term “illegal immigrant”

“New rule: both sides of the gun control debate have to come together and agree that you can’t sell firearms or ammunition to anyone who looks like this. [Shows student ID photo of Adam Lanza.] It won’t stop every desperate loser with a chip on his shoulder, but it will keep guns out of the hands of [Republican Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell.”

- Bill Maher

“I believe that the Affordable Care Act is probably the most complex piece of legislation ever passed by the United States Congress. Tax reform obviously has been huge too, but up to this point, it is just beyond comprehension. [It is] so complicated and if it isn’t done right the first time, it will just simply get worse.”

- West Virginia Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller, one of the architects of Obamacare “She never lets ideology cloud her judgment.”

- President Obama talking about Nancy Pelosi

Compiled by Nate Davis

“We’re about to really take away all your rights and you’re not going to be able to defend yourself and we’re going to swoop down with Special Forces folks and gather up every gun in America.”

- Vice President Biden mocking opponents of new gun regulations

“A new poll shows that 64 percent of New Jersey residents don’t care about New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s weight. That’s mostly because Chris Christie is 64 percent of New Jersey.”

- Conan O’Brien “Thatcher is remembered as The Iron Lady only because she possessed completely negative traits such as persistent stubbornness and a determined refusal to listen to others. Every move she made was charged by negativity...

She hated feminists even though it was largely due to the progression of the women’s movement that the British people allowed themselves to accept that a prime minister could actually be female. But because of Thatcher, there will never again be another woman in power in British politics, and rather than opening that particular door for other women, she closed it.”

- English rock star Steven Morrissey, on Margaret Thatcher’s death “Over the weekend, a rare baseball card was sold at an auction for $2 million. It turns out that it’s an A-Rod card that actually shows him playing.”

- Jimmy Fallon

“They were bugging our headquarters, quite a Nixonian move. This is what you get from the political left in America these days.”

- ibid, after it was disclosed that his campaign office was bugged “Due to the aggravating circumstances — including snow and record-low temperatures still being forecast — the death penalty should be implemented to the defendant.”

- Language of an indictment filed by an Ohio Prosecutor against Punxsutawney Phil for “misrepresentation of early spring”

“I wish I could say to the president at this very moment, ‘President Obama, will you let me go to North Korea to talk to the leader?’

Because he must not know the people that are helpless, that’ll be killed, if there were war. It’s emotional to me.”

- Stevie Wonder at a music awards show

“People hit a lot of animals on roadways, and I mean a ton of them. There’s a lot of good meat being wasted out there.”

- Montana State Representative Steve Lavin explaining why he supported a bill which would allow people to salvage and eat meat from road kills

“Jay Leno passes the torch to Jimmy Fallon. OK. Does anybody know what the return policy is on a yacht?

Because I could be in a lot of trouble.”

- Jimmy Kimmel

THE BEST OF MARGARET THATCHER

“Fast-food workers in New York City went on strike today. They’re demanding the companies double their pay to $15 an hour. If it doesn’t happen, there will be no fast food in New York.

Mayor Bloomberg has got to be torn on this one, huh?”

- Jimmy Kimmel “Little is known about North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un other than the fact that he is ruthless, he supports torture, and he is a huge basketball fan. I’m sorry, that’s not Kim Jong Un. That’s Rutgers basketball coach Mike Rice. I had them confused.”

- Jay Leno

“President Obama told reporters that his NCAA tournament bracket is busted. Obama said they were the worst picks he’s ever made – then he looked at his economic advisers and said, ‘Ehh, maybe not.’”

–Jimmy Fallon “Happy birthday to former Vice President Al Gore, 65 years old today. But sadly, he could not enjoy his party because he was so obsessed with how fast the ice cream was melting.”

- Jay Leno

“To me, consensus seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies. So it is something in which no one believes and to which no one objects.”

“Any woman who understands the problems of running a home will be nearer to understanding the problems of running a country.”

“If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.”

“I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end.”

“Europe was created by history.

“Delta announced that it is shrinking the size of its bathrooms to add four more seats on every plane. Cuz every time I’m in a plane’s bathroom, I always think: ‘Man, they could fit at LEAST three more people in here.’”

- Jimmy Fallon

America was created by philosophy.”

“If my critics saw me walking over the Thames, they would say it was because I couldn’t swim.”

“I owe nothing to women’s lib.”

“Platitudes? Yes, there are platitudes. Platitudes are there because they are true.”

“The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”

“Wars are not caused by the buildup of weapons. They are caused when an aggressor believes he can achieve his objective at an acceptable price.”

EXCERPTS OF BILLIONAIRE SHELDON ADELSON’S TESTIMONY DURING A BREACH OF CONTRACT CASE AGAINST HIS COMPANY IN A NEVADA COURT:

“Even successful companies and wealthy people are entitled to justice.”

- Explaining why he took the stand against “false” claims “Actually I would have been a rags-to-riches story, except my parents couldn’t afford the rags … So I’m a less-than-rags-toriches story. I came from so far from the other side of the tracks that I didn’t know the tracks existed.”

- In response to a question from his attorneys about how he grew up poor “Your honor, I think you have something in common with my wife.

She doesn’t want me to do two things at once.”

- Replying to instructions from the judge that he not take notes while attorneys ask him questions “And any time I like my picture on the front cover, I read the article. If I don’t like my picture, I don’t read the article. And that time I liked the picture, I read the article.”

- Discussing a magazine article that he read about himself “I’m computer illiterate, but I’m up-to-date. I do have a cell phone.”

- Explaining how he was reachable when in Beijing “Drop ‘em like a hot potato … I think he said like a hot dim sum, not a hot potato.”

—Recalling what a Hong Kong businessman told him about a deal

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“This is the Whac-A-Mole period of the campaign.

When anybody sticks their head up, do them out.”

- Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, during a campaign strategy meeting which was bugged and released to the public by left wing blog Mother Jones

“Last night, Jimmy Fallon — on his program, which used to be our program, which used to be Conan’s program — announced that he was taking over for Jay Leno.

When I heard this I said to myself, ‘It’s amazing that this information didn’t leak out earlier.’”

- David Letterman

The Jewish Home n

“Let me try to understand this: the key incentive for small businesses to support Obamacare was that they would be able to shop for the best deals in healthcare superstores — called exchanges. The Administration has had three years to set up these exchanges. It has failed to do so. This is a really bad sign.”

- Liberal columnist Joel Klein, TIME Magazine

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Politics Today

SPINCLASS

Politics with Michael Fragin

Political Scandal and Corruption Upstate and in Queens >>> The Story Behind the Fall of Malcolm Smith and Dan Halloran >>> The Wilson Pakula Act >>> Straw Donations >>> The IDC >>> Public Perception of the Republican Party The following are excerpts from the weekly on-line show, Spin Class: Politics with Michael Fragin. Listen weekly on Thursday nights on jmintheam.org.

Michael Fragin: Good evening everyone. Welcome to Spin Class. We are back post-Pesach. So folks, we have planned an interesting show all about the world of politics. Shocking as it may seem, we have yet again the arrest of public officials in New York.

Well, I can’t help of thinking that a couple years ago, there was another political scandal in a state that we like to make fun of quite frequently; that state is called New Jersey. It’s not too far away; you can see it on a good night from some of the buildings around here. And pretty much, in one fell swoop on one morning in July, it seemed almost like half the state was rounded up.

I couldn’t help of thinking of the parallels there, and when I thought about it, I thought about a book that I had read not too long ago called the Jersey Sting. And one of the authors is now reporting for The New York Post, and his name is Josh Margolin, and he joins us this evening to talk about the latest and greatest in scandal. Josh, welcome to Spin Class.

I guess this is a field day for an enterprising corruption type reporter of yours, not a corrupt reporter, of course, one who follows and exposes corruption.

Josh Margolin: Well, plenty have accused me of being corrupt anyway but – Michael Fragin: Well, that’s fine, The New York Post, News Corp, that kind of thing.

Josh Margolin: You mentioned the parallels and the strange journey that I have taken which by no means is anything close to what other people have taken in the case. But when we put story to bed going into Tuesday morn-

ing’s newspaper, I didn’t know who the informant was. And then, lo and behold, within the next 24 hours, I learned that I am almost reliving my own personal professional history because the Solomon Dwek case broke when I was working at the Star-Ledger in New Jersey. I then ended up working on the book project with a fellow reporter at the Star-Ledger. Before the book came out, I ended up going to The New York Post, and I am at The New York Post covering what seems to be a remarkably similar case.

Michael Fragin: Unbelievable.

This scandal is so odd on so many fronts.

Josh Margolin: It is, and it’s breathtaking. But at bottom, what I have learned covering politics and political corruption over the years, is that these things tend to be small and grow large.

Let’s underscore the idea that these are only allegations; everybody is innocent until proven guilty. It was alleged that the mayor and deputy mayor in Spring Valley were trying to push ahead with this land deal and that they were for sale; they were willing to work with a favored developer, whoever that person might be, for the right price.

Michael Fragin: We are talking about a vacant plot of land in Spring Valley, New York that somebody was going to develop – it turns out to be this gentleman from Monsey. But there is a history to this gentleman even before this land deal, correct?

Josh Margolin: Right. So in the last couple of years, he has something of a checkered past. He was involved in a very, very high profile civil litigation with Citicorp, Citigroup, and they accused him of essentially defrauding the bank of $126 million in mortgages. It’s a little bit complicated, so we probably don’t want to get too deep in the weeds because we might never get out of it.

This is not like the Solomon Dwek case, in that there was an arrest. There

was never a public arrest. There was an individual who ended up getting brought upon charges associated with this somebody who was connected to the informant. But the upshot was at some point, in 2010 or 2011, the FBI tells this informant…

Michael Fragin: Well, why didn’t anybody Google this guy before they started talking to them?

Josh Margolin: I have no idea. At least in the Solomon Dwek case, what you had is when he was talking to the corrupt politicians, Dwek was using an alias. In this case, he was using his own name, but his own name – see, that’s the beauty of the scam that the feds had him perpetrate. So he is a businessman; he is a local guy; people know him; he has got a big house; and Spring Valley political leadership is very familiar with the Orthodox community.

And so he is able to gain access to the political leaders. And so the feds approach him; they offer him some sort of a deal the way they typically do; he turns in state evidence; he agrees to cooperate. The FBI creates a script and they sent [the informant] in with an undercover FBI agent.

And they then go in, and through a series of meetings with the mayor and deputy mayor in Spring Valley, they work out what is alleged to be a corrupt deal to rig this bid that Stern’s ostensible development operation would win the rights to develop this land in return for a partnership stake, a secret partnership stake for the mayor and payoffs for the deputy mayor.

Michael Fragin: So Josh, this is exactly the playbook that Dwek did in New Jersey. He went around to various officials and said to them, “I am going to develop this piece of land, and I want to grease the wheels.” He basically said to everybody, “Here is some grease; here is some cash to do that.” And Dwek also was caught and turned as a witness by having passed

bad checks also after real estate deal.

So this seems to be the exact same MO here that’s going on.

Josh Margolin: Somehow the Spring Valley shenanigans against politicians literally get on the throughway and drive south and wind up in New York City. At some point, as these meetings in Spring Valley are taking place, you have a situation with Senator Malcolm Smith from Southeastern Queens.

So Smith has lost power. During 2012, he was still running the Democratic conference in the senate, but he was no longer majority leader. And he is making rumblings around running for mayor, but he doesn’t want to run in a crowded democratic primary. There was a time when there were five or six candidates in the race. And so he figures, you know what, he could position himself as a fairly moderate/conservative African-American who could gain bipartisan support running in a Republican primary. That would better his chances for being elected mayor.

But in order for any non-party member to appear on that party’s ballot in a citywide election, that candidate needs to get signed off from three of the five party leaders in the city, in the boroughs.

Michael Fragin: This is called Wilson Pakula. After the late former governor Malcolm Wilson who I think has a bridge named after him somewhere.

Josh Margolin: So, he needed to get these slips signed by three Republican chairs, and his idea, according to the feds again, is that he will pay off Republican leaders to give him their green light to get on to the Republican ballot.

For this, he decides to enlist Councilman Dan Halloran who is a Republican who has access to a couple of Republican leaders. And so he is going to use Halloran as a facilitator. And then somehow the FBI realizes that they have an entry into Malcolm Smith for their informant.

So they send him down. He trusts him enough to trust them to do a questionable/illicit deal with him according to

Michael Fragin: Well, that’s obviously a persistent issue. One of the more comical things about this – I am not sure if comical is necessarily the right word – but apparently, when it came to Vincent Tabone, the former at this point vice chairman of Queens Republican Party, as well as a general counsel to mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis, apparently, he was suspicious of the FBI with this and patted them down but didn’t find the wire.

Josh Margolin: We don’t know exactly what the visual was, but one would surmise in the way the FBI agents drafted the criminal complaints that were issued on Tuesday morning. That is like a scene out of Sopranos or even in Godfather I where the police captain patted down Al Pacino in the car.

Michael Fragin: But in that case, Pacino didn’t have the gun. It was in the bathroom.

Josh Margolin: That’s right. But in this case, the FBI agent was wired.

But I mean come on; my kids know how to place recording devices that are undetectable on somebody’s body. At this point, they are so small. My little micro-recorder that I use at work, you can’t detect I have it on me. But you are absolutely right, it does remind me of another case that we covered in Jersey

that was a precursor to Dwek where there was a corrupt mayor sitting at a diner down the Jersey Shore who was telling the cooperator in that case that there is no problem, he can smell a cop from a mile away. This was as he was talking to a cooperating informant being recorded by the FBI. Michael Fragin: Amazing. Maybe he had a cold that day. So let’s just talk about the other shoes that will potentially drop today, another announcement, a Bronx assemblyman is accused of taking bribes, and another assemblyman had already pled guilty to a different crime, the perjury, and was cooperating and now claims that he is involved in other investigations of other elected officials. What is going on here?

There are people who also have lifestyle issues. They just love a high lifestyle, and they need a way to fund their lifestyle. So there are simple motivations like that. But then there comes a point in time where a lot of people just wind up saying, “I am powerful; I am above and beyond being caught.” We have seen it; we have seen it in all walks of life.

Michael Fragin: Why did Malcolm Smith feel that he had to give illegal donations to the Republican Party if people like Mike Bloomberg and John Catsimatidis were giving large donations to the parties and others have given large donations to the political parties and then in that way, they were able to curry favor and get that coveted Wilson Pakula?

NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW; WE ARE ALL SUBJECT TO THE LAW AND WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION BECAUSE PEOPLE HOLD US TO A HIGHER STANDARD.

Josh Margolin: They are totally unrelated cases and remarkable for the fact that they are being announced in such a quick succession. I was stunned this morning when these complaints were first put out by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The FBI was not involved in this one case; it was actually investigated by the Bronx DA. And people thought at first blush that this morning’s announcement was the follow-up, the second shoe, so to speak, that was going to drop after what happened on Tuesday because people tend to quickly think there is going to be multiple days worth of arrest on these things, although they usually aren’t.

Michael Fragin: So what is going on here? Shouldn’t everybody be wary? What is it about elected officials and corruption whether it’s New York, whether it’s New Jersey, whether it’s elsewhere? What makes it so easy to fall into this trap?

Josh Margolin: On that kind of question, I can give you my opinion and my speculation, but I am certainly not a sociologist. But I have over the years encountered politicians of all tribes, and obviously, everyone will say the vast majority of people are not criminal. That’s a great thing for us to keep in mind. But there comes a point in time when you are somebody who has power and staff and public acclaim. And that ends up changing somebody’s grounding and their ability to tell right from wrong.

Josh Margolin: Well, the donations get reported, and they also wind up not going directly to where you want them to get. The idea of a bribe is you are putting money in somebody’s pocket for their own personal use that nobody else is going to know about. The honest graft, as they call it, is trackable.

Michael Fragin: I want to bring another voice onto the line, Hank Sheinkopf. He is respected by the present politicians around the world. He is a public relations powerhouse and master of political strategy, a guru certainly in New York City, respected by Republicans and Democrats and like.

Hank, Welcome to Spin Class.

This is not an atypical story right now in New York, but what’s going on here and what’s your take? How does this affect the mayoral race? How does this affect things in Albany? You worked with everybody; you know everybody. Give us the lowdown.

Hank Sheinkopf: Well, I think there is probably a lot more to come and so we are going to see probably a lot more people arrest and a lot more people indict.

Whether Malcolm Smith or anyone else is guilty, unfortunately, I still believe in the jury system and the criminal justice system, and I think that has all been proven by a court of law.

There is something else still going on here which is that the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office and the federal government are arresting people, and

that’s the way to get people out of office, and it’s working out legally well.

Their rate of removal is very high.

When you have people staying at office for a long time, there is a sense of ownership of the office, whether it belongs to the people who gave it or won it. The people matter is no longer consequential.

Josh Margolin: What Hank is saying is that there is a sense of ownership and the entitlement of the office. The longer they stay, the more powerful they become. They have access to money that could be spent, both good and for bad reasons in their communities, in wherever they present.

Michael Fragin: Hank, I want to just focus for a second on the IDC, the Independent Democratic Caucus, which Smith joined just recently. The IDC had been about good government.

They had left the Democrats because they felt that the regular Democrats were a little bit unsavory. I don’t know that might be the wrong word, but we will leave it at that. Now they are kind of ensnared in the very corruption that they didn’t want to be a part of.

Hank Sheinkopf: Well, I think that’s unfair actually. Jeff Klein is a very decent guy, and attempts were made by the bad guys to smear him, and they were not successful. He is a serious policy guy, and he cares deeply about that body, that legislature and how it functions. And the first act he did right after Senator Smith was arrested was to remove him from his committee and to strip him of his leadership post. So I think he acted decisively.

Michael Fragin: What about Governor Cuomo, he promised to change and reform Albany, and a lot of indictments are on the way. Even if he is doing a great job of cleaning up, it doesn’t reflect well on the leadership in general.

Hank Sheinkopf: I don’t think he gets blamed, although your point is well-taken. He inherited a set of problems and I think the public will give him the benefit of the doubt that he’s handled them all. He’s certainly sending in a city controller to take control.

Michael Fragin: People are saying he hasn’t worked quickly enough or effectively enough to clean up the cesspool. But as Hank says, I mean if I am Andrew Cuomo, I am on the phone with us right now, I say, look, William Kennedy has been chronicling Albany going back for how many generations so what’s two years for Andrew Cuomo going to mean in the grand scheme to turn around this ship that’s been at sea all this time.

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the FBI, and then we are off to the races.

So there are meetings at restaurants and hotels and in cars. Halloran is going to pass bribes; Halloran allegedly takes some money for himself; the bribes are all funded. The scam is set up.

The informant and the undercover FBI agent will together fund the bribes for the party leaders in return for Smith’s assistance getting state funding that will benefit the project back up in Spring Valley. So you have this back and forth crisscrossing of Spring Valley to Queens. And there are meetings in Smith’s office in Albany, and he talks about how we are going to go about getting the money. It’s not even a lot of money truthfully; you are talking about half a million dollars.

And then Halloran in addition to all this – this is really just a little bit of a cherry on top of the sundae. Halloran allegedly was going to do separate deals with the informant and the undercover FBI agent posing as a developer; they were going to create companies and get city council funding for that. Halloran would push through in return for other bribes and illegal campaign donations that were masked as what they called “straw donations,” donations that were given by people under false pretenses.

Straw donation is actually a problem in American election politics for years and years and years.

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Hank Sheinkopf: Well, you have had Albany County controlled by a political machine since the beginning of time; I think before the world was created. This is not new. I mean the fact that we view Albany with great disdain has some value but then there are people who do extraordinarily good things there do and we forget about them. The entire place is not a cesspool.

Michael Fragin: What about the mayoral race now? Obviously, this has to have some effect on the Republican primary.

Hank Sheinkopf: The Republicans don’t have much of a brand in New York City so the damage is hardly important.

And the people that were implicated are seen as politicians. So I don’t think there is much to worry about when the probability of electing a Republican to anything in the Bronx has the probability of me growing a second head tomorrow. It’s just more of the same stench. It doesn’t add value.

Josh Margolin: Well, it does have a blow-back effect in the Democratic primary which really looks like it’s the one that’s going to matter. Chris Quinn, the City Council Speaker, has been now accused again. It reminds people about the Slush Fund Scandal that she had to deal with earlier. It led to people complaining that she had not been aggressive enough in cleaning up the use of discretionary funding among council members so she is having to deal with that.

So they always say, people in Hank’s line of work always talk about the message of the week, and if you are not talking about your own message and you are talking about somebody else’s message, you are losing. So Chris is now stuck this week talking about this and saying, no, I actually have worked hard to clean it up. That’s a negative, a political negative. There is also the other element that has not really fully taken hold but it’s unclear right now how much of a real factor in the Democratic primary John Liu is going to be. John Liu is still a candidate. He also has two of his top money people about to go on trial for the straw donation scandal associated with his comptroller’s campaign. And if John Liu had any chance of getting out from under the cloud that was put over his campaign by this scandal, this is going to remind voters that John Liu also has campaign donation problems, has scandal problems, has FBI indictments in his finance operation, so it’s clearly not good for him because he would rather be talking about something other than indictment.

Michael Fragin: I want to welcome into the discussion New York

City Councilman Eric Ulrich, a Republican, one of the few Republicans in the City Council, dubbed a rising star there. And Councilman Ulrich, you can’t be all that happy with what’s been going on in your party, or should I say as a Republican, in our party these days.

Eric Ulrich: Hi Mike, it’s good to be with you and I am calling actually from the Conservative party. We are having a dinner tonight in Queens.

Unfortunately Dan was supposed to be the other honoree. Obviously, that’s not going to happen. I was shocked; I am disappointed; I am hurt; I think that this is a terrible blow to the party, a wrong

were perverting the political process to advance their own agenda. And really, that’s the way that I would characterize it. I never knew in a million years and I never would have guessed that someone like Dan would have been implicated in these crimes. Tabone, I mean I had heard stories and I had had my own dealings with him that left me very uncomfortable and he was not one of the good guys and I think that that’s a reputation that he had built up over a number of years. And Savino, similarly I think that there were lot of people who questioned his integrity. But the extent to which they would go to bribe elected officials and accept bribes from elected officials and from

THERE COMES A POINT IN TIME WHEN YOU ARE SOMEBODY WHO HAS POWER AND STAFF AND PUBLIC ACCLAIM. AND THAT ENDS UP CHANGING SOMEBODY’S GROUNDING AND THEIR ABILITY TO TELL RIGHT FROM WRONG. message to people out there that the Republican Party is not the party of good government or clean government, when in fact we are.

Michael Fragin: It’s truly amazing when you think that a Republican in a New York City really only gets elected as a reformer or trying to change things, going against the grain. I think that’s kind of been the Mike Bloomberg mantra and the Rudy Giuliani clean-up-thecity type of mantra. And here we have the party chairman out there essentially selling these offices or the ability to run in these offices. Just explain to the audience for a second the party apparatus here. Why does it matter?

Eric Ulrich: Well, I think that one of your attorneys or one of your other experts could speak more to the Wilson Pakula process. Malcolm Smith was hoping to land a spot on the ballot in the Republican primary this September and allegedly he enlisted the help of some people who had other motives, had their own agenda in mind. And unfortunately, I think it went down a terrible path and it’s left a lot of people hurt and a lot of people just were stunned. I know I am and I don’t know how soon we will all be able to recover.

I wouldn’t wish this on anybody because it’s such a betrayal of the public trust and it’s an abuse of power that should never happen. But I did see some early signs of some very unscrupulous behavior and I knew that there were certain people in my party, just a handful of bad apples, that were really ruining it for everybody because they were only out for their own financial gain and they

developers, one of which as you mentioned was posing as an FBI agent, it’s just so disturbing, it’s so bizarre. Does anybody in their right mind really think that Malcolm Smith would have won the Republican Primary?

Michael Fragin: So what was he thinking?

Eric Ulrich: Well, Malcolm was somewhat of a chameleon in that he was always what he needed to be for the very moment. So when he first got elected to the state senate, he fancied himself a Conservative Democrat. He was for charter schools, he was for law and order, he was welfare reform. So there were many issues where I think he felt he could identify with the Republican Party or the Conservative Party, and he actually ran with the Conservative Party support. And then he became the president of the state senate and then he had to become a progressive and so he changed his positions on the issues. And now he wanted to run as a Republican for mayor, and all of a sudden, he was middle of the road again.

So I never had a relationship with Malcolm. I would say hello to him, “How are you doing?” at public functions but we never went out to dinner, we never went out for drinks, he was not somebody that I considered a friend even. But his involvement in this whole scheme adds to another level. Malcolm Smith took the same oath that I took to uphold the constitution, to uphold the law. No one is about the law, Michael.

No one is above the law, we are all subject to the law and we have an obligation because people hold us to a higher

standard to uphold the law, to carry out the laws of the city and the state and not to abuse our positions, not to violate the public trust, not to steal, not to be bribed, not to be for sale. People expect honest government, good government and they have a right to expect that, and when people let them down, we have an obligation to hold them accountable and responsible for their actions.

Michael Fragin: Let’s talk for a second about the GOP in general. Where is the Republican Party going? Are they able to reach some of the voters that you have been successful with, and how does the party rebuild going forward?

Eric Ulrich: Well Michael, I am about to head back in the room. They are going to call my name. But I do want to answer that point. I think that the Republican Party, in order to survive, we need to attract young candidates with new ideas, with a lot of energy that can reach out to the voters, the Democrats, the Republicans, the independents, and sell them the message and help them believe again that the party is the party of good government, is the party of prosperity, is the party of helping grow our economy, creating jobs, cutting taxes for the middle class. I think we have a lot to offer the people of New York. Right now, it’s hard for them to listen because of all the distractions and the scandals that are going on. But I think that we are going to emerge from this and like a phoenix we are going to rise from the ashes. So I want to thank you, Mike.

Michael Fragin: This is Spin Class and we are unfortunately looking at just a really hard situation. If you look at some of the names that are out there that have been either indicted or in trouble or convicted, have served time, it goes back, it’s pretty unbelievable, even those who had to resign office in scandal. We had a governor who chose to resign office in scandal, Elliot Spitzer. And we had the comptroller of the State of New York, Alan Hevesi, who was ensnared not in just one scandal but in two. And then we had senators out there and the list goes on.

Let’s not kid ourselves. Money greases the wheels of politics. You can’t get elected, you can’t run a campaign without money. You need money for ads, you need money to get message out to the voters, you need money for staff.

That’s necessary. However, if you read some of these indictments, when the elected officials are out there demanding money in return for specifics, the quid pro quo, it’s just so disappointing.

Thank you for listening. This is Spin Class: Talking Politics with Michael Fragin on the Nachum Segal Network. See you next week.

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eora was worried. Her six-year-old daughter Faigy had begun waking up with night terrors, sleepwalking, and crying excessively for seemingly no reason. When Leora would ask Faigy what was wrong, Faigy would stare at her hands and say, “I hate myself.”

Faigy had always been a happy and well-adjusted child, playing with her siblings and neighbors daily.

But, recently, Faigy had begun to shun other children’s attention and remain by herself. Finally, without any other options, Leora decided to contact Faigy’s teacher to find out what was going on.

What Leora found out was shocking: the girls in Faigy’s first grade class were ostracizing her. Since the start of the school year, there had been five birthday parties, none of which Faigy had been invited to.

She sat by herself during lunch-time and stood in the corner during recess. When Faigy would touch something, her classmates would chant, “Oh, it has Faigy disease!”

Leora immediately spoke to the school counselor.

How could these little girls act with so little care? The counselor assured Leora that she would help end the cycle of bullying, but Leora felt helpless. Her sweet Faigy’s self-esteem had been shattered. What could she do to end her daughter’s torture?

Girls and Bullying We often think of bullying as the brawny kid who pushes the littler boys around in the schoolyard, but surprisingly, bullying is prevalent between girls as well. The difference between the genders is that with boys, the bullying is clear and defined, whereas with girls, it is a lot subtler. When interviewed for The New York Times, Michelle Anthony, the author of Little Girls Can Be Mean, explains the dynamics of female bullying: With boys, a lot of times, when you’re being bullied physically by someone, this person is not your friend. At all. And you know it, and you’re afraid of them, and you try to avoid them. But with girls, more often it actually is your best friend. And you are sitting next to her in math class. And she does do wonderful things for you. So to just walk away leave you socially isolated. And that is a very different experience to have.

For girls like Faigy, this kind of behavior can be confusing and frightening. At times, the girls in her class seem to be her friends and at other times they say and act in ways that are intensely painful.

But, why is Faigy a target for this bullying? Ms. Debbie Rosenmann, a thirty-year veteran teacher in the Detroit, explains, “The girls who are the victims tend to be raised by parents who encourage them to be more age appropriate. The mean girls are 8 and want to be 14, and their parents play along. They all want to be top dog.”

Therefore, in some ways, Leora is doing something right. She is raising a daughter who is age appropriate and not interested in putting others down in order to gain popularity. However, this is coming at a tremendous cost. Fortunately, there are many ways that Leora can help Faigy shed the role of victim and gain friends and social acceptance.

At times, the girls in her class seem to be her friends and at other times they say and act in ways that are intensely painful.

Combating Bullying When Michelle Anthony, M.A., PH.D., noticed that her daughter was involved in several “mean girl” interactions while still in first grade, she decided to do research on ways to combat female bullying when children are young. What emerged was her extremely beneficial book, Little Girls Can Be Mean: Four Steps to Bully-Proof Girls in the Early Grades.

Below are the four steps that Leora can take in order to help Faigy escape the cycle of bullying: • Observe. Watch how your daughter interacts with her friends on the playground or on a play date in order to assess her social skills and see how the friendship is getting along. This casual observation will give you the ability to readily distinguish when something is wrong in your daughter’s tone, facial expression, or word choice during the inevitable social struggle. Observing normal and abnormal social interactions is the foundation for the next three steps.

• Connect. As life gets more hectic and your daughter grows, many of your interactions with her will be goal focused (homework time is to finish the work, dinner time is to eat, bath time is to wash, bed time is to relax and go to sleep). This goal-focused time is a

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Social Smarts

necessary part of everyday life, but every now and then, it is important to connect over non-daily life activities.

Taking fifteen minutes to really talk to your daughter about her day will develop and intensify your relationship with her. Here are some tips for connecting: * Ask specific questions. Instead of asking, “How was your day?” ask “Who did you sit with at lunch?” or “What kinds of games did you play at recess?” * Use active listening strategies, which include reflecting your daughter’s sentiments, thereby letting her know that you are listening to her. If she tells you a story about how her best friend didn’t save her a seat on the bus, say, “It sounds like you were angry that Yehudis did not save you a seat on the bus.”

• Guide. Once you observe a situation and connect with your daughter in order to determine what is going on, you are ready to work together with her to allow her to come up with a wide range of possibilities to remedy the situation. Sharing stories with her about your own childhood will also help her understand that there are plausible solutions out there. Remember, though, that whatever solutions she comes up with must be ones you are both willing to carry through.

• Support to act. The previous three steps lead to this final step, in which your child acts from a secure base (her relationship with you) and a place of personal power (her ability to come up with solutions). Roleplaying with your child will also help your daughter figure out what the possible outcomes of her actions will be.

The four steps are meant to be cyclical. As Faigy grows, there were will be new challenges that Leora will observe, connect about, guide, and then Faigy will act on. Integrating the four steps will assist Leora in her support of Faigy as she works to establish new sets of skills, strengths, and successes.

An acclaimed educator and education consultant, Mrs. Rifka Schonfeld has served the Jewish community for close to thirty years. She founded and directs the widely acclaimed educational program, SOS, servicing all grade levels in secular as well as Hebrew studies. A kriah and reading specialist, she has given dynamic workshops and has set up reading labs in many schools. In addition, she offers evaluations G.E.D. preparation,, social skills training and shidduch coaching, focusing on building self-esteem and self-awareness. She can be reached at 718-382-5437 or at rifkaschonfeld@verizon. net. You can view her on the web at rifkaschonfeldsos.com.

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In the Kitchen A Taste of Spring Tomato Asparagus Salad Ingredients 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and halved 6 cups halved cherry, grape, and pear tomatoes in varied colors 1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese, optional 1 ripe avocado, cut into cubes 1 cup sliced basil leaves 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preparation Preheat oven to 375°. Cook pie shells for 10 miniutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Increase oven to 425°.

Meanwhile, heat oil in frying pan and cook mushrooms and leeks until tender and golden in color. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In large mixing bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Add milk, and dill or thyme.

To cooled pie shells, add half of shredded cheese and all of cooked veggies, dividing evenly between each shell. Pour egg and milk mixture into pie, dividing evenly. Sprinkle pies with remaining cheese.

Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Serve with a crisp salad. This quiche is a wonderful choice for breakfast, lunch or even dinner!

Preparation Boil asparagus in a large pot of salted water for 2 minutes. (Make sure to check with your local rav as to how to check asparagus properly.) Drain and rinse with cold water.

Combine dressing ingredients—oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper—and mix well.

Add asparagus to remaining ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well to coat evenly with dressing.

Mushroom & Leek Quiche Ingredients 2 pre-made pie shells 1 TBS canola oil 1 leek chopped, white & light green parts only 2-3cups sliced mushrooms 8 eggs 2 cups milk 2 tsp. fresh dill or thyme 1 ½ cups shredded Swiss cheese, or favorite cheese

Spring Onion Soup Ingredients 2 bunches spring onions (scallions), trimmed 4 TBS vegetable oil 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped 3 russet potatoes, peeled and quartered 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation Cut scallions in half crosswise, dividing white and green parts. Coarsely chop white parts and set aside.

Finely chop green parts and set aside separately.

Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onions and chopped white parts of scallions and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until soft, 8–10 minutes.

Add potatoes and stock and season to taste with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are soft, 30–35 minutes.

Allow vegetables and stock to cool slightly. Puree and then cook over medium heat until hot. Adjust seasonings. Garnish soup with reserved scallion greens.

Chocolate Z ucchini Cake Ingredients 2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 3/4 cups sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine, room temperature 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup soymilk 2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini (about 2 1/2 medium) 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 3/4 cup chopped walnuts Preparation Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and flour 9 x 13 baking pan. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Beat sugar, margarine and oil in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Mix in dry ingredients alternating with soymilk.

Mix in grated zucchini. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts over batter.

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan.

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In the Kitchen Chef Shaul Silverstein

T

his Pesach, I had the privilege of preparing the seder for the local community in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The following recipe which I present to you is one that I learned from a local. This is her favorite, as Cabo is a city in which they consume a lot of fish and salsa goes beautifully with the local warm weather.

Now, as the local tri-state weather is beginning to warm up, I believe this is a very welcoming recipe. Just because it is called “salsa” does not mean it has to be extremely spicy. After all, salsa means sauce.

Red Snapper F illet

Salsa

Ingredients 2 Snapper fillets Flour Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients 3 medium plum tomatoes 1 jalapeno pepper 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/2 medium red onion 1 1/2 tablespoons of cilantro or parsley 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 ½ tsp table salt 1 medium avocado

Preparation Wash and pat dry both fillets. Season flour with salt and pepper to taste.

Spray sauté pan with thin coat of cooking oil. Place sauté pan onto a burner set on high heat.

Dip fillets in flour and shake off excess. Place fillets in sauté pan. A sizzle is a sign the pan is hot enough. Reduce heat to medium.

Sear fillet approximately two minutes on one side and flip with large spatula when golden brown and slightly flaky. Sear on the second side till golden brown and slightly flaky.

If there is still some raw fish in the center, place in oven at 350° for five minutes (or until fully cooked).

Note: Some signs of fresh fish are: Clear eyes, no ‘fishy’ odor and firm flesh.

Preparation Remove seeds and ribs from jalapeno for more mild salsa (or totally omit that ingredient if you like your salsa more mild). Blend all ingredients besides avocado in blender or food processor until all ingredients resemble small pebbles. Then pulse avocado.

Plating suggestion Place 1 fillet onto a plate horizontally. Coat with a line of salsa, a lemon wedge, sprig of parsley and/or a slice of tomato.

Enjoy!

Chef Shaul

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DrDeb

O

Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

TJH Staff

What You Need to Know About Psychotherapy

n December 2, 2012, the Union of Orthodox Rabbis rescheduled the Positive Jewish Parenting Conference that convened in Brooklyn to a pretty good-sized audience given that it was only a month after Hurricane Sandy devastated the area.

After the panel of therapists was finished with small breakout sessions, a sampling of them met for a Q & A from the audience. I was one of them.

The audience had some good questions.

I was more interested in hearing how my fellow therapists were answering those questions than in giving my own answers. However, a question arose to which I could not resist responding.

The questioner wanted to know how to decide which type of therapist to use for therapy for his child. I explained that family therapy, as opposed to psychology, operates on the principle that people are not sick and don’t have “diseases.”

Therefore, taking his child to a family therapist would have the advantage of not placing a stigma on the child or the family. Furthermore, I was ready to add that he and his wife would be given effective tools to use with their child.

No sooner had the first words left my mouth, the moderator, a psychiatrist, cut me off. Standing at the podium and speaking with passion, he told the story of a person who went to family therapy without success because that person had an undiagnosed medical condition. “So,” he concluded, “it is better to go to a psychologist or medical professional.”

Until that moment, I had no idea that other psychotherapists felt threatened by family therapists. Talk about a learning experience! It now seems to me that giving readers a clear understanding of what family therapists do – and what the pros and cons are of using them – would be helpful.

Before I do that, however, I can’t escape noticing the irony in my experience. Therapists of all stripes have the mandate to facilitate emotional healing in people. That is the very meaning of the word “therapy.” When people can utilize their differences to achieve a common purpose they will be happier.

So, for example, in a marriage, there are two people with different views, perhaps different values, and certainly different personality styles. They might

even have several goals that are not in alignment: One may want to live in New York and the other, in L.A., for instance. But for sure they can agree that they want to get along. They most likely can agree that they want the best for their children, too. These over-arching goals are their “common purpose.”

If Sam is a slow, careful thinker who plans out everything down to every “i” being dotted and every “t” being crossed and Sally is a bit more impromptu in her style, but they can capitalize on these differences to map out their parenting, they will be happy and so will their children. They could agree, for example, that Sam will do homework with the children at a set time daily but that Sally is in charge of creative projects and fun outings.

In the same way, therapists themselves will serve their clients best when they can draw on their own differences in a harmonious way. One element of harmony between therapy professions would be to acknowledge the limits of one’s own approach and the value of their colleagues’ approach at times. No one profession can serve everyone.

With that said, let’s explore those differences.

There are five kinds of therapists: psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor, social worker, and marriage & family therapist. Each is a distinct profession with its own educational programs, degrees, and license as well as philosophy.

Psychiatrists are medical doctors.

As such, they use their diagnostic skills to determine what is wrong with a person and to write a prescription if necessary to address the problem. Doctors generally don’t do therapy.

Psychologists are highly educated therapists; their education goes beyond a Master’s Degree to either a PhD or a PsyD. Both are doctorates but the PsyD does not require a dissertation. A dissertation is a piece of original research in a completely new area and may involve several years of work. Both the PhD and

the PsyD require extensive clinical work as well. The field of psychology grew from two branches. The clinical branch arose from the work of Sigmund Freud and others.

The focus was the individual, and what would be wrong with that individual.

The other branch originated during the first World War with the need to predetermine which soldiers might not do well emotionally in battle. Psychologists got to work creating individual tests to try to ferret out this possibility.

To this day, psychologists are the experts at testing.

Counselors have a similar outlook and philosophy to clinical psychologists but their education generally stops at the Master’s Degree level. They don’t do psychological testing. They often work in school systems although they may work in private practice and other venues.

Social workers, like psychologists, focus on the individual but also on the organizational context in which the individual might find himself. They therefore learn about larger systems such as hospitals, schools, and other institutions. Generally, their education stops at a Master’s level.

Every one of these professions grew out of the medical model and therefore they look at the “disorders” that people may have. Their treatment, when done right, is kind, compassionate, intelligent, and based on various theories about how people tick and what the best approach to help them might be.

In some of their programs, they may take one or two courses in working with couples and families.

Family therapy grew, interestingly enough, out of anthropology, the study of social cultures. The founders of the field felt that the more information a therapist has about the context in which the members of a family exist, the better. For this reason, one therapist will often see different members of the same family. This is a no-no for psychologists but considered very helpful for family

therapists.

Family therapists provide in-depth approaches to personal distress of individual family members while being systemic when the family assembles for sessions together. Thus family therapists facilitate individual healing of family members as well as healing for the relationships between them; they juggle several balls, always keeping their eye on on not dropping any of them. Marriage & family therapists may work at a Masters or a Doctoral level. The latter would either be a PhD or PsyD just as for psychologists.

Getting back to the concern raised by the moderator at the OU conference, a competent family therapist should have referred the client to a doctor to rule out a medical condition if the client was not responding as expected to talk therapy. That is not only common sense, it is doing ethical work. By the same token, a rush to prescribe medication when research shows that talk therapy will often be more effective is as much a mistake as not sending someone for a medical evaluation when it is needed. Both therapists should be open to the possibility that the person in front of him needs something a different therapist can offer better than he can.

People searching for help should check out the education, degrees, and licenses that their prospective therapist has. They should not be afraid to raise good questions on the phone in advance of setting an appointment. Just as we try on a dress or test drive a car, therapy consumers have a right to know what the methods and guiding principles are of the person who will be helping them. The questions they ask should help them decide if the person to whom they are speaking is wise, mature, and open as well; the personal qualities of a therapist are just as important as his or her credentials.

Dr. Deb Hirschhorn has had over 35 years clinical experience. She has been in numerous publications, both professional and for the public, and has appeared on TV and has been featured on radio. She practices Marriage-Friendly Therapy. She has a local practice in Woodmere, N.Y. See her website, http://drdeb.com, or call her at 646-54-DRDEB.

By Dr. Bo Rosenblat Chief Physician - Dr. Bo’s Diet

In the Know with Dr. Bo

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f you’re trying to lose or maintain your weight, you may have noticed that there is an overabundance of accessible information at your fingertips. Entire magazines devoted to health & wellness line the shelves of your local pharmacy and new books are published every day about the latest trends and fad diets.

All one has to do is type “weightloss” into Google to be bombarded with a plethora of information. From Facebook to Pinterest and everything in between, the web is filled with everything from quick fixes to extreme diets to actual medical studies, so how do you know what’s true and what’s false? How can you tell which diets are healthy from those with negative health effects?

While there are many reputable and informative websites, there are also many bloggers and non-medical professionals writing about topics that they are not specialists in. Sorting through the myths and finding what matters can be a daunting task. The following are my top weight-loss myths and how they are both born out of fact and fiction: Rapid Weight Loss. There has been much debate over whether or not losing a lot of weight quickly is better or worse than losing more modest amounts over the long term. The argument that rapid weight loss will just as soon result in rapid weight gain has been debunked, for the most part. While many dieters, both rapid and slow losers, will regain some or all of the weight lost, those who see larger initial losses often end up at a lower weight than people who drop smaller amounts, the reason being that a bigger change on the scale is more motivating than the slow and steady approach. People are more likely to stick with healthy habits when they are seeing big results.

The one caveat to this is rapid weight-loss achieved in an unhealthy manner. Dieters that choose radical methods such as juice fasting for long periods, over-the- counter stimulants, or other types of unregulated vitamin deficient crash diets will generally regain all of their weight. Any program that

cannot be transitioned into real life habits once the initial weight-loss has been achieved, will likely result in weight gain long term.

Weighing Every Day. Several years ago, the “How Do Your Clothes Fit?” Test became the popular method for keeping track of one’s weight. Stepping on the scale weekly, let alone daily, was frowned upon by popular culture as something obsessive and unnecessary.

While clothing and general appearance can sometimes be used as a barometer for weight gain/loss, more often than not people don’t notice changes in their clothing as soon as one might think; this can be emotionally detrimental and result in

too long.

Don’t allow more than a seven-day period to pass without checking the scale; going longer can result in discouragingly high gains or low losses.

That being said, weighing every day can also cause unwarranted stress.

Certain gains, like water weight for example, will show up on the scale one day but resolve itself the next. Be careful not to put too much stock in a particular day’s weight. Look at your overall losses weekly to get a true representation of your progress.

Setting High Goals. Setting overly ambitious goals had previously been thought to lead to disappointment and ultimately less weight loss. The truth

People are more likely to stick with healthy habits when they are seeing big results.

the frustration that will ultimately cause one to give up.

Alternately, the “clothing test” can result in complacency in one’s habits, slowing or stunting weight loss. Studies have shown that individuals who weigh themselves at least weekly as a part of their regular routine will catch smaller, more manageable gains and will therefore be better able to keep themselves on track. The difference between pants sizes can be as much as 10 pounds, so if you wait for your weight to show up on your waist, you are usually waiting

is, many studies find that setting high goals for one’s self actually aids in losses. When you set your sights high, but also within reason, you are more likely to do well, even if you fall short of your initial goal. Smaller goals don’t pack as big a punch emotionally, so reaching them has less of an impact overall.

When you set goals you know you can reach, achieving them doesn’t feel like an accomplishment, however, when you set goals that are loftier, even if you don’t reach them, you feel pride in working hard for them.

Setting goals that are reasonably high is the key. If you set a goal to lose fifty pounds, but only have twenty-five to lose, you are setting yourself up for failure. If, however, you set an ambitious time-frame to lose the twenty-five pounds in, you will likely have more success and feel more motivation overall.

A Calorie is a Calorie. It had long been thought that the source from which you obtained your calories had no bearing on weight loss. Essentially, the idea was that if you compared two dieters with similar profiles, both eating a 1,500 calorie diet, it would have no bearing on losses if one dieter consumed mostly lean proteins, fruits and vegetables and the other ate primarily processed foods high in fat and sugar.

Scientists are beginning to unearth the truth about the value of calories.

Each type of calorie consumed— carbohydrate, protein and fat—perform and facilitate different bodily functions. A diet deficient in one or more of these will result in one’s inability to appropriately regulate their weight and health. This can result in hair and skin problems, weight gain, low muscle tone, hormone imbalances, and even a weakened immune system. Focus on lean proteins, healthy fats, fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grain carbohydrates to ensure that you make the most of your calories.

If you feel as though you are working hard to lose weight but can’t seem to get out of a rut, it may be time to reexamine your habits. Focus on the quality of your calories, begin weekly weighins, and set reasonably high goals in order to kick-start your losses again.

Dr. Bo Rosenblat is a board-certified medical doctor with office locations in Hewlett & Manhasset. For more information about Dr. Bo’s Diet, please call 516-284-8248 or visit our website www.DrBosDiet.com. Have a question about diet or nutrition? Email Dr. Bo at info@drbosdiet.com and it may be featured in a future column.

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Fact or Fiction: Popular Weight-Loss Myths Demystified

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Ask the Rabbi

Devorah Gerber Schmeltz

Safety and Accessibility in the Home

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hank you for all the positive feedback regarding the article on universal design. In this article, I will discuss some points that I hope will answer some of the questions I received on making one’s home more accessible and safe.

Fall Prevention There are many simple and effective ways to help reduce the risk of falls.

1. Rugs: tack rugs to the floor or place a non skid rug in its place 2. Install grab bars in and around the shower/bath tub 3. Keep rooms well-lit and floor/ staircases clutter free, 4. Secure wires (e.g. phone, computer, etc.) so they do not create a tripping hazard 5. Check that staircase banisters are sturdy. You may consider installing a banister on the wall side of the staircase as well Computers and Technology Computers, both PCs and Macs, come with many features to help make them more accessible for the user. Depending on the need, adjustments can be make to adapt the settings on the keyboard or mouse to help the user be more successful with his/her input. Additionally, the layout of the screen can also be adjusted regarding its brightness and size for those who need adaptations due to visual needs.

Phones When purchasing a home phone, look out for these features: -large buttons -buttons that light up -speed dial for frequently used numbers Be sure to place emergency and emergency contact numbers clearly posted next to the phone.

While on the topic of safety, I want to take this opportunity to strongly encourage readers to make sure they have a working smoke and carbon monoxide detector(s) and to check their batteries twice a year. They save lives!

Your questions and comments are always welcome.

-Devorah

Sturdy banisters can prevent trips and falls

Test smoke alarms monthly

Large buttons on a home phone can be helpful

Devorah (Gerber) Schmeltz, MS OTR/L is a 2003 alumnus of Downstate Medical Center’s OT Program. She is a senior occupational therapist at United Cerebral Palsy’s Brooklyn Children’s Program. Devorah maintains a private practice, Bumble & Tumble Occupational Therapy P.C., in Far Rockaway, NY providing pediatric occupational and physical therapy. Department of Education vouchers/RSAs are gladly accepted. Your questions and comments are welcome. She can be reached at BumbleTumble Therapy@gmail.com or 917-971-5327.

Yehoshua Levy

Passing the Bar-Mitzvah I heard that people aren’t held responsible by G-d for their actions and deeds until 20 years of age. Is that true? Why should that be? Don’t children become adults at 12 (for a girl) or 13 (for a boy)? Is there a source for all this?

The Rabbi Responds:

By Jewish law, a minor is not Biblically obligated to follow the Torah’s commandments as a child does not yet have the intellectual maturity to act based on rational decision-making.

Most of the time, children act based on instinct and conditioning. Upon reaching adulthood, the young man or woman becomes obligated to follow Torah like any other adult. The source for this is a verse (Numbers 5:6) which places responsibility upon a “man or a woman,” implying an adult male or female. Rashi in Avos (5:5, see also Nazir 29b) says the youngest individual in the Torah referred to as a “man” is Levi.

The Torah (Gen. 34:25) says regarding Shimon and Levi that each “man” took his sword to recue Dina. At the time, he was 13 years old. It is at 13 that most males begin to physically mature and develop into adults. The physical transformation is usually paralleled by mental and emotional development.

Rashi brings an alternative approach that legal adulthood is determined by certain signs of physical maturity. The Sages estimated that these changes occur at approximately age 12 for a girl and 13 for a boy. The Rosh (responsum 16) maintains that these ages of 12 and 13 are laws that were given to Moshe at Sinai and were orally transmitted throughout the generations.

Full mental and emotional maturity is usually achieved at age 20. That is why man is not punished by G-d for the sins of his youth until he emerges from teenage adolescence. The source for this is from the Biblical narrative of the Golden Calf and the spies. Only those above the age of twenty were condemned to die in the wilderness.

While some maintain that there is no Heavenly punishment for sins committed under the age of 20, others disagree. The Chida (an 18th century kabbalist) writes that 20 is a generalization.

Should someone reach full mental maturity at a younger or older age, they are held accountable at that point―perhaps even a minor less than 12 or 13 can be

punished. Only G-d knows exactly what can be expected from each individual.

The Gaon of Vilna (Even Shlomo, chap.11) seems to suggest that from the age of 13 until 20, any heavenly punishment is postponed. This needs explanation.

Based on an idea that I saw from Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, perhaps this is it: Adolescents have minds in the process of developing. There is a transition occurring. Individuals begin to make choices independent of their conditioning and instinct. Experimenting with this independence means that mistakes will be made. If someone learns from his/her mistakes, they are given a pass on sins that were a result of immaturity.

After all, kids will be kids. If, however, they continue to disregard the Torah even after reaching full adulthood, it becomes apparent that even absent a lack of maturity, they would still have chosen do wrong. As such, they are held accountable retroactively for those sins committed between 13 and 20.

This can give us insight into a fascinating comment brought by Rabbi Yosef Engel (Cracow 1859-1920). He quotes (G.H. Shabbos 89) an early commentator that a convert, who is like a newborn, is not punished for the 20 years following his conversion. A newlywed man is likewise given a 20-year pass. Why? Perhaps it can take two decades for a convert to really adapt to full observance. Marriage too brings a whole new set of challenges and while our wives somehow manage to always be right, we husbands keep on making mistakes. But we are a work in progress.

Give us up to 20 years to get it together.

If you already had your 20th anniversary, I regret to inform you that there are no more excuses.

Best Wishes, Yehoshua Levy

Please note, the information written above is not meant as a rabbinic ruling. If you have any questions, please consult your rabbinic authority for clarification.

Yehoshua Levy, a teacher of Torah, is a writer and lecturer who dares to think outside the box to bring his thought-provoking insights and facts to his readers. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com.

Lola Lieber Schwartz

A World After This

A Memoir of Loss and Redemption

Continued Chapter 10: Bochnia From August 25 through August 27, 1942, the Nazis swept through the ghetto in what was called an Aktion but which I preferred to call a pogrom. Much of the ghetto’s population was taken away. At that time we did not know where they were taken. Later we learned that thousands had been taken to Belzec and all had been murdered. We lost the chief rabbi of Bochnia, his wife, and two of their three children then. About 1,000 people were left behind because they had labor permits known as Kennkarte.

Several hundred more had survived by hiding. In a short time, the ghetto was again overflowing with refugees on the run.

By now, another word came into use: convoy, which became part of our vocabulary of survival and existence.

The new inhabitants had escaped from the convoy trains of cattle cars taking people to certain death. Others had arrived for other reasons. Mechel and I were part of the latter group. The Judenrat was reorganized and the Bobover Rav was put in charge of the Hygiene Department. Not only did this protect him, it enabled him as the director of 



hygiene to turn a public bath into a mikveh (ritual bath). He was the chief rabbi of the Judenrat in many ways. He made sure that Mechel and I received a civil marriage certificate.

Although completely illegal, trading and bartering with the Poles con-

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

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

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

us that there were clandestine couriers.

These were people who knew exactly how and when to slip in and out of the ghetto undetected. When a courier was about to leave on a mission to deliver or barter goods, you were told where the courier was going. You could ask

I wasn’t calm. I was frightened to death but too exhausted to express any emotion.

tinued. People pried loose boards from the surrounding fence and slipped in and out. Forced labor continued, but at an increased pace of operation. We observed these wretched workers on our first day in the ghetto, slaves really, filthy, starving, and exhausted. People talked of “being prepared” and building “bunkers” before the next Aktion could claim more lives.

The rest of my family had gone to Plaszow but I had no word from my parents. I was terrified lest they had perished. We wrote letters and more letters.

I felt we were throwing pieces of paper into the wind. Then someone inside the ghetto’s network of operators informed





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

him to help you. We asked one going to Plaszow to deliver a message to my father and to bring one back from him – if my family could be found. These couriers or messengers could be relied on to bring true news back to the ghetto about the fate or the whereabouts of loved ones.

Concern about my family weakened me. Mechel was concerned about our own fate as well. He felt certain that we were slated for slave labor. After only a short time in the ghetto, Mechel felt that we had made an error and that we should have headed back to Krakow and into its ghetto. Part of Mechel’s thinking derived from a piece of information he had obtained. A friend of his named Lazer Landau had influence in Krakow.

Someone inside the Bochnia Judenrat made a deal on our behalf, probably with a bribe, so that we could venture outside Bochnia and return to Krakow again.

I found the very basis of the trip puzzling and the notion that Landau could help us dubious. However, Mechel’s ideas and strategies had been the means of our survival until then and we ordinarily worked as a team. I thought it unlikely that we would want to associate ourselves with Landau, who could only have influence with the Nazis because he had become a Kapo (Jewish policeman). When we reached Krakow all my worst fears were confirmed. Lazer Lan-

dau was a pompous and unsavory man.

He greeted Mechel in an overblown manner. He was indeed a Kapo dressed in the showy and disgusting white uniform of a Kapo.

“Mechel, Mechel, where have you been all this time? I’ve wondered about you.” It was as if he was playing for an audience, and I guess he probably was.

Mechel took him through our journey up until then, and introduced me as his wife. He said that officially, nobody knew that we were not still in Niepolomice, because we had not been officially registered yet in Bochnia.

“No problem then,” said this unctuous man. “I will get you an apartment and you can become one of my special deputies.”

With great drama, he officiously called over one of the Jewish policemen working under him to arrange immediately a good apartment for us. I stood frozen in place unable to speak, move, or look at Mechel. Had Mechel broken down? Was it all too much for him? I couldn’t imagine that this was my Mechel. My husband would not be a toady to a Kapo.

Just about when I was gathering the words to ask Mechel to step outside with me to have a word, Mechel took my arm. He motioned to his friend Landau that he would be right back.

“Lola, I had no idea he would be this bad. I want us to be safe and to live in an apartment that is decent and of course I need and want a job. But Lola, no, not this, to be a Kapo’s assistant? Never.”

I had tears in my eyes and Mechel did not know why, and I did not tell him.

I was crying with relief because I had no reason for concern. Mechel would never do anything dishonorable. I told him I shared his revulsion. I added that I thought Landau was completely repulsive.

It was Shabbos, but Mechel and I had our priorities straight and we knew Hashem would want us out of there as fast as we could go. So we ran to the

a p r i l 1 1 , 2013

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

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to get away from Krakow and returned to the Bochnia Ghetto determined to try to make the best of it.

Mechel was committed to finding a way not to end up as a slave laborer. Mostly, we were in constant apprehension about another communal slaughter in the ghetto. Not long after our bad experience in Krakow with Kapo Landau we learned that he had been murdered. He had been hanged.

At the same time that we learned of Landau’s fate, rumors increased about Plaszow. It was now clear that Plaszow was being “cleansed” of its Jews. Everyone was being deported either into the Krakow Ghetto or to Auschwitz. Because of the age of my parents, Mechel and I were certain that my parents would be sent to Auschwitz. I could not speak for several days as the rumors began to contain more details. I was polite to Mechel’s family, but I was withdrawn and depressed.

November brought the news we had hoped wasn’t coming. The Jewish police officers and the Polish guards spread the news that Gestapo forces were getting ready to surround the ghetto. This was the signal for another major Aktion. Everyone said to one another, “We must hide. We need places to hide immediately.” I thought it was a ridiculous idea.

Where would we hide inside the ghetto?

“We must dig real bunkers,” the men said to each other. I thought that was even more impractical. If you dug bunkers you had to do something with all the dirt you excavated. Where would we dispose of barrows full of fresh soil?

A novel idea was presented during a family conversation; I don’t remember who presented it. I think it came out of a more general discussion that we would be doomed if there were another Aktion.

Even though we were getting frantic and our nerves were fraying, we were in survival mode. Close to our shack was another shack and next to that was an old shed, which stood right by an old chicken coop. Needless to say, it was empty of its chickens. We decided we could dig a deep hole between the shed and the chicken coop. Because the coop was lighter than the shed, the men would pull the coop over the hole as camouflage. This would be our bunker where we would tough it out and survive – just like those who had escaped the last Aktion.

Everything was done secretively and mostly after dark. Everyone in the family participated in some manner. Most of us helped dig. Right behind the backyard of our shack was a frozen pond.

Gentiles used it as an iceskating rink.

We waited until it was late at night when there were no skaters left to watch us.

Then one by one, we crawled through

a hole we had made in the fence. We made holes in the ice with our shovels and carefully poured soil into the hole in the frozen pond. We did this slowly so that there would be as little trace of earth on the surface of the ice as possible. I think we deposited tons of soil.

Maybe we did. When we were done, we had a bunker with room for seven people.

This was an amazing accomplishment. We “furnished” it with bedding, medications, food rations we had hoarded, blankets, and pillows. I made a rag doll for Marilka, Baila’s three-year-old daughter, and tucked it into her pillow hoping it would comfort her. The family complimented me and said they were impressed that I was so calm. I wasn’t calm. I was frightened to death but too exhausted to express any emotion. We had become slave workers for our own survival.

Our construction work was completed just in time. On November 10, 1942, the ghetto became silent and

ter. Such behavior would only take me to the same unholy gutter he was in – and besides, what damage could a petite young woman do to a strong man?

He was talking quietly to Mechel.

From Mechel’s face I could see that whatever Schiller had said alarmed my husband. Schiller raised his voice so that we could hear his threat clearly.

“Look, I know all about your hideout.

I know where it is and how you built it.

Unless you take in my mother and my sister, I am going to turn each of you in to the Germans, right now.”

I walked the few feet to where they were speaking and stood next to Mechel.

Silently we looked at each other in utter helplessness. We had no option.

“Okay,” Mechel said, as if he had another choice. I nodded to Schiller so he knew I would not try to trick him.

There wasn’t enough room in our bunker for more than our own family. I did not know what we were going to do, but I knew Schiller’s family was going to benefit from our hard labor. I thought

We knew they were making the ultimate sacrifice.

They were trading their lives for ours.

absolutely still. That was the way it was before an Aktion. Rumors spread, people scattered into hiding places and holes. By mid-afternoon we knew the Nazis would come that night. Just before sunset their troops gathered at the gate and moved in, quickly deciding who to arrest and deport. With grim and swift determination we headed for our chicken coop’s “basement” earth bunker. Steps before we reached it, a man in his twenties startled us, saying that he was Moishe Schiller. He claimed he was a Belzer Chassid and a friend of my brother Moishe. This seemed plausible to me because Moishe had spent so many years studying in Belz.

However this Moishe was no longer a serious Torah student. He had turned into a Jewish informer to the Nazis. He admitted it without any shame. I was breathless with disgust. My spine tingled with fear and hatred. He was the worst possible form of a Kapo, and our fate was as much in his hands as in the hands of the Nazis. Was it the taste of power and authority that had corrupted a man like Schiller? Or was it his way of deciding for himself that he would survive whatever the means? The mentality of the Jews who became informers and Kapos for the Nazis remains a wound in the soul of all Jewish people. I wanted all of us to live, but I knew none of us would slip to these depths. I wanted to harm him physically, but I knew bet-

perhaps Mechel and I could find a tiny hole somewhere else. But we had to make sure the rest of our family got into the bunker.

My mother-in-law spoke first. “I am an old woman now, and my life is not that meaningful. I will stay in the house.

Whatever happens to me now is meant to be – it is not in our hands – it is all in Hashem’s power. You must use the bunker.”

I began to dispute my mother-inlaw’s reasoning. I did not want her exposed to the Nazis. Then another of Mechel’s sisters, also named Lola, who was single, spoke right after my mother-in-law, “I will stay with Mama. You have only been married for one year.

You must have a chance to live your lives. You have an opportunity to make a new life. There will be years ahead of you when this ends. Please, understand it is our wish that you go into the bunker.”

We stood together without speaking.

We knew they were making the ultimate sacrifice. They were trading their lives for ours. Their view was that their survival wasn’t as important as ours. How can one respond to such a sacred action?

One cannot. On one side of us was the traitor Schiller, and on the other side our family members, ready to die for us. I couldn’t tolerate the idea and I spoke.

“No, we are young and we can work. They will want us as workers.

Even slave labor is better than nothing.”

I didn’t convince any of them with my arguments, for we all knew that in the last Aktion the Nazis had scooped up young and able people as readily as the old and fragile ones. I insisted again we would not go into the bunker. I was adamant and Mechel did not object.

With love and tenderness, we got our family members settled into the bunker. As soon as she crawled into her space I made sure that Marilka found the doll. With bitter resentment I watched Schiller’s mother and sister get into the bunker. I locked my jaw and ground my teeth in order to keep from talking. Mechel’s face flushed with the same rage as he yanked the chicken coop securely over “our” bunker. We turned and walked away aimlessly, not having any idea what to do next. We had no place to hide. We were defenseless.

Just then we heard the voice of someone we knew. It was a member of the Jewish police whose last name was Farber. “What are you doing outside now?

Get into your hiding place. You must have a bunker or something. Everybody has been working on places for weeks.

Don’t you know the Nazis are here?

They are upon us. They will catch you immediately.”

We had different feelings about Farber than about Schiller. Farber had been drafted into the Nazi-controlled Jewish police. He had not volunteered. I was crying, “Farber, we have no place to go.

We do not have a hiding place now. We had one but Moishe Schiller took it away from us.” Farber spoke without emotion but with urgency. “You must come with me. I am going to take you to where my sister and her children are hiding. I will warn you that it is not completely safe or secure. The concierge knows about our place.”

It was a choice between nothing and a sliver of a dream that we would live past the Aktion. “Alright, we will go to your sister’s hiding spot,” Mechel said.

Farber explained exactly where to go and what the signal was that would permit our entry. The Farber family owned a tannery on a brook. As in all tannery operations, it had a large round metal tank outside. We were to climb the ladder on the outside of the tank and then knock in a special sequence that was the same beat used by soccer fans of a particular team. His sister was already in the tank with her small daughter and a baby. We waited a bit longer than was prudent because I was hoping to get another invitation. If the concierge knew where Farber’s family was hiding and there were babies who cried, it seemed like a lost cause. However, as sunset approached we knew time was running out, and so we went to the tank.

us back to his place and we sat in the kitchen. We asked how bad the Aktion had been and his reply was that it had been terrible. “Many have been killed.”

He stopped and looked at us. I knew that he was in shock about something that involved us. I realized Mechel couldn’t speak, so I asked Farber, “What do you know about our bunker?

Is everyone safe?”

“I saw something.” He said it in a faint whisper. “I want to blame Schiller, of course, but why would he want his own mother to die?”

“WHAT?” Mechel screamed. I had never heard Mechel scream before that moment.

“Mechel, Lola, I saw bodies. I don’t know…I don’t know who they were, but I saw dead people around there. You know the Germans had the dogs out everywhere. They were sniffing people out of deeper holes than yours. The Germans found lots of people.”

We sat for a short time more with Farber and his sister and her family. We knew what we might be facing. If the absolute worst had transpired, we knew what our faith would require of us. We slowly began to walk to our bunker. It was sometime between three and four in the morning. It was still dark. I thought if the Nazis had found the bunker, they discovered it because of the massive

amount of dirt we had poured into the 87 frozen lake. On the other hand, if Schiller knew about the bunker, it wasn’t really much of a secret. I did not continue further with my internal debate. I consoled myself with the thought that since we were safe, and they had been willing to sacrifice their lives for ours, everyone else would be safe and alive.

I was concerned about something else. Farber said he had seen dead people. According to Jewish law, you must stop if you find a corpse, no matter what or where, and provide proper burial. This is the commandment of the Torah and an especially important one to all Jews, even those who are less observant than we were. We knew what would happen if we did not take care of the bodies, even of strangers. In the previous Aktion anyone not buried was thrown into a common furnace and burned up like debris. I saw an empty pushcart and said to Mechel. “Let’s take this with us. It’s dark and nobody will see us. We are going to need it if we must bury the strangers in the Jewish cemetery.” Mechel nodded and we proceeded to our bunker, with Mechel pushing the cart.

Continued next week

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talk. We assumed that even whispers might echo to the outside. Finally at 2 a.m., gunfire pierced the silence. Then we heard shrieks and wailing that could only mean one thing. We heard the German’s guard dogs barking as they moved around sniffing for humans. At one point the dogs were outside the tank, barking. They had our scent even though we were standing in water. We heard a German scream, “Here. Some of them must be in here.”

We stood absolutely still. We did not want to ripple the water, in the event that even a drop would spill to the ground from a small opening. We held our breath. After what seemed hours, the dogs and the Germans moved away.

I heard one shout out the command, “Let’s go. Come on. We’re getting out of here.” There was a long interlude of absolute silence again. Finally we heard Farber’s knock, or what we hoped was Farber’s knock.

It was Farber. We had not been detected. We were alive. We climbed out of the tank, helping with the child and the baby. My hands were frozen and the rope in the tank had cut into my skin. My legs were swollen and my feet felt useless. I did not think I could walk. Farber put the ladder back up at the tank, which we had thrown down, once inside, at his instructions. He took

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Our knock was recognized and we were admitted. We lowered ourselves into the tank. We were crushed next to Farber’s sister and the child. Water was up to our knees. On the bottom of the tank we felt water rats scurrying past our feet and legs. However disagreeable rat bites might be, the rodents were the least of our problems. Farber’s sister was very intelligent in survival skills.

She had breast-fed the baby and given him sleeping drops so he would not cry. However, she was having trouble holding both children at once. The little girl would have drowned if her mother had lost her grip on her. Mechel immediately grabbed the little girl and held her tightly. I could see the child cling to him with relief and with perfect faith in Mechel. Now we waited silently. I felt the rats nibble at me. I shook my legs, one at a time. It was happening to all three of us. We did not speak. We just waited and waited.

The night passed. We could see the morning light coming through the cracks of the tank. The day went on and on, and another night came. There was nothing to do. Perhaps this was how it would end for us. Maybe the Nazis had liquidated the whole ghetto, including Farber, the entire Judenrat, and all the Jewish police. We did not know what to think and we could not

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Leisure & Travel

From Sea to Shining Sea : Missouri

W

hen the nickname of a state is the “Show Me State,” you know that there’s a lot to see when traveling there. The truth is, the nickname is related to the phrase, “I’m from Missouri,” which means “I’m skeptical and not easily convinced” and need to be “shown” the real reason for things. But even so, this Midwestern state has a lot to offer.

Missouri is a featured destination for tourists. Branson and the Tri-Lakes area are located within a day’s drive of 50% of the U.S. population. (Missouri is bordered by eight states!) 65,000 people visit the Branson area daily and it’s become a “rubber tire” destination with many of the tourists arriving in RVs and tour buses.

Some food favorites originated in Missouri. Iced tea was invented at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904.

Ice cream cones were also invented there when an ice cream vendor ran out of cups and asked a waffle vendor to roll up waffles to hold the icy confection. What would summer be without a double scoop on a sugar cone with a cherry on top?

The state animal is a mule, but don’t think that Missourians are a stubborn people. They are welcoming to visitors and friendly and sweet, just like their state insect, the honeybee. There was one notable Missourian whose obstinacy became national news. During Abraham Lincoln’s campaign for the presidency, a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat named Valentine Tapley from Pike County, Missouri, swore that he would never shave again if Honest Abe were elected. The willful man kept his word, and his chin whiskers went unshorn from November 1860 until he died in 1910, attaining a length of twelve feet six inches. And we thought that sefira was long!

Ready for a fun family vacation? Pack up the van, put some ice cream in the cooler, grab your shaver, and head out to good, ol’ Missouri.

Things You Won’t Want to Miss Gateway to the West When visiting Missouri, make sure to make its scintillating Arch a featured part of your vacation. The Arch consists of 630 feet of stainless steel and its soaring design embodies the spirit of western pioneers. Visitors can ride up to the top of the Arch and peer down at the city below. Don’t worry about the high winds in the forecast today—the Arch has foundations sunken 60 feet into the ground and was built to withstand hurricane-type winds.

The Great Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain, the author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, was born and raised in Hannibal, Missouri. Many of his riveting novels take place in the state, and it’s no surprise that Missourians are real proud of this writer. Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, the novelist was called the father of American literature. There’s a museum dedicated in his honor in Hannibal. Visitors can tour the author’s home, visit the home of the “real” Huck Finn, and learn more about the author.

Visit the Brew Ever wonder how good beers are made? Well, a visit to the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in St. Louis, the largest beer-producing plant in the nation, may give you some more insight. The complimentary tours are offered daily and visitors will learn more about the process, their famous Budweiser Clydesdales, and be able to sample some of their products. For those under the age of 21, soft drinks and snacks are offered as well, so you won’t leave thirsty!

Caves All Around Known as the Cave State, Missouri has over 6,400 caves to explore. Many of them are closed to visitors, but four of them are open for tours from April through October and closed during the colder months when bats use them for hibernation. Onondaga Cave is the most accessible cave with a paved walkway and 1.5 miles of passages of spectacular stalagmites and stalactites. Some of the more memorable features of the Onondaga Cave are the King’s Canopy, the Rock of Ages and the delicate Lily Pad Room.

Susan Schwamm

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Ask the Attorney Zehava Schechter, Esq

Of Co-ops and Condos I am currently renting an apartment and would like to buy a home while interest rates are low. A real estate broker is showing me condominium and cooperative units in my price range. Which is better to buy?

The Attorney Responds: While homes are sold and purchased year-round, the spring and summer are traditionally the best times of the year to find the greatest selection of available housing units. Many people with children (sellers and buyers) want to move after the school year ends and before the new school year begins so that the children are settled prior to the beginning of the term. Interest rates have risen a bit, but are still attractively low. Also, real estate brokers tell me that the current housing market is improving for sellers as the inventory of available homes is decreasing (i.e. more homes are being sold and not remaining on the market for long periods of time). So, the moral of the story is if you find a home you like, it may be a good idea to make an offer now as your dream home may not be available later.

As a purchaser, it is a good idea for you to see homes with a real estate salesperson or broker. The salesperson or broker is a licensed professional who is familiar with properties in your area and may advise you on appropriate options within your price range. Generally speaking, the seller pays your salesperson’s or broker’s commission, so you do not pay extra for the expertise of the broker. This is because the commissions of the seller’s and buyer’s brokers (often not the same person or agency) are usually built into the seller’s asking price. Because the seller pays the purchaser’s broker’s fees, please be aware that your broker actually works for and owes loyalty to the seller – not to you – unless you have a written buyer’s broker’s agreement. If you have questions about this issue, please ask your real estate broker to explain the options to you more fully.

Now, to your question as to whether it is better to purchase a condominium or cooperative unit. This is like asking whether an apple or an orange is a better fruit. The answer is that it depends upon your taste. Let’s review the basic guidelines concerning both. A condominium unit is considered real property, meaning it is considered land owner-

ship which is transferred via deed. It is a designated unit within a multi-story residential dwelling. Owners own and control both their individual units and the common areas of the property. Common areas include the building’s exterior walls, stairwells, elevators, yards, roofs, etc. The condominium declaration establishes ownership and rules concerning the rights and obligations of each unit owner. A homeowner’s association governs the property and files Articles of incorporation and adopts Bylaws, which concern the day-to-day operation of the property. Unlike a cooperative unit (which will be discussed below), a major advantage available to a condominium owner is the ability to freely sell or rent his or her unit without too much restriction or interference by the homeowner’s association.

Cooperative units are different from condominiums. While you may think you are buying a unit, this is not accurate. A cooperative is a corporation which owns the complex’s land, building, and all common areas. A person who wants to “buy” a unit actually purchases shares of stock from the cooperative corporation which relate to the square footage of the individual unit and the representative share of the common areas. A purchaser receives not a deed, but a stock certificate and a longterm proprietary lease which entitle the holder to possess the unit. Unlike the condominium setting, the owner of a cooperative unit is not free to sell or rent the unit as he or she wishes.

All decisions concerning the unit (and the cooperative corporation, as a whole) need to be approved by a board which governs the corporation. The board has the final say in approving a prospective purchaser of the shares corresponding to a unit or whether changes may be made to individual units or common areas. As you see, the board is quite powerful (which is why I counsel my clients who purchase cooperative units to run for the board so they may be involved in decision-making). If you are considering purchasing a cooperative unit, you or your attorney must review the financial statements, board minutes of meetings, and other official documents to verify the financial stability and viability of the corporation prior to purchase. Cooperative units are generally less expensive to purchase than condominium units (although this may

not correlate in Manhattan).

There are many more details involved in deciding whether a condominium or cooperative complex is right for you – all of which exceed the scope of this article. We have also not discussed the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing a house, as you did not ask. However, you may wish to ask your real estate broker to show you houses in your desired area and price range so that you may compare all available options and make an informed decision as to which type of home is best for you. If you decide that a condominium or cooperative unit is the best fit, make sure that you, your real estate broker, and your attorney do the necessary due diligence and research on the viability of the organization before you make any offer on a unit. The Latin phrase “caveat emptor” (let the buyer beware) definitely governs the purchase of any property.

Hatzlacha on your purchase!

W. Zehava Schechter, Esq. specializes in real estate law, estate planning and administration, and business law. Her private practice is located on Long Island. Please send your comments to SchechterLaw@gmail.com.

CNG Networking Group is an Orthodox Jewish networking group which meets in Queens and Long Island. The attorney sub-group of CNG specializes in Trusts & Estates, Real Estate, Matrimonial, Criminal, Personal Injury, Trademarks/Copyright, Tax, Non-profits, and Litigation. We welcome questions from readers on a wide range of legal matters. Please submit your legal questions to SchechterLaw@gmail. com. While we do not provide specific legal advice, we hope to present readers with a greater understanding of the issues presented and potential means of resolving difficulties. No column is a substitute for competent legal advice. Please consult with the attorney of your choice concerning specific legal questions you may have.

Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

The Lighter Side of Taxes

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p r i l 15 is almost here, and many of you are still scrambling to get your returns ready to file. Here’s a collection of fun quotes to help you “sprint to the finish” this tax season: “Another difference between death and taxes is that death is frequently painless.” Anonymous “A fine is a tax for doing something wrong. A tax is a fine for doing something right.” - Anonymous “A citizen can hardly distinguish between a tax and a fine, except the fine is generally much lighter.” - G.K. Chesterton “Alexander Hamilton started the U.S. Treasury with nothing, and that is the closest our country has ever been to being even.” - Will Rogers “A person doesn’t know how much he has to be thankful for until he has to pay taxes on it.” - Ann Landers

“The best things in life are free, but sooner or later the government will find a way to tax them.” Anonymous “People who complain about taxes can be divided into two classes: men and women.”

Anonymous “Once – just once – I’d like to be fixed up with a guy who earns in a year what I pay in taxes.” - Anonymous Female Lawyer “I’m putting all my money in taxes – it’s the only thing sure to go up.” Anonymous Cracking jokes about taxes is easy.

Paying less is usually a little harder— but it sure is worth the effort!

Best of luck on April 15th!

Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 years in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@ aol.com.

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Allan J. Rolnick CPA

Pounding It Out

tried to see a ing, “Penny wise nutritionist and pound foolthis week. But ish.” Well, things she said get in have changed line; she is solidly somewhat. Penbooked for the nies aren’t that next three weeks. wise anymore, Post-Pesach is her but the pounds busiest time of the still seem to be as year. foolish.

I fear in the interim I’ll open my Well if you know me, you know I’m mouth and flakes of matzah brei will always looking for the messages in life. come shooting out and bury my audi- Why set up a holiday with eight days ence. straight of constant consumption to What saved me this year from turn- commemorate the start of our national ing into a complete “pillar” of matzah identity? (characterization a la Lot’s wife), was The word that comes to mind is the boardwalk. If I wasn’t heading to commitment—commitment to an acthe dining room, I was heading to the tion, devotion to a purpose. We are conboardwalk. Fortunately, each cherished stantly being taught to elevate ourselves step took me one step further away through the physical. The recounting from the dining hall—unfortunately the of the story done on Passover conboardwalk eventually ended and I had nects us to the spiritual bond with G-d no choice but to turn around, and that’s that was created as we left Egypt. But when I got myself into trouble. it’s through the eating we elevate ourThe best diet selves physically. plan ever would We are learning have been cutting as we eat and eat off my bracelet. to embrace the We are learning Without that covimportant quality as we eat and eat eted bracelet— of “stick-to-it-iveyou can cry, kick, ness.” That is why to embrace the scream, even do we try to consume important quality of a hora, no one’s ever caloric conletting you near coction that can “stick-to-it-iveness.” a morsel of food. be created from That’s how these matzah crumble Pesach programs or potato starch. work; the only We are developpeople who can stuff themselves, patho- ing our stamina and tolerance and in the logically, for eight meals a day, eight process honing a valuable skill—persisdays straight, are those who signed up tence! to be inundated that way. The rest of This is a tool we can use in all areas Passover observers have to make it on of life—the skill of both achieving what their own: matzah pizzas, chocolate we want, and in not getting discouraged lollies, and the endless Yom Tov meals or giving up when things don’t work out supplied at home. Which I know can get right away. The message of the meal afjust as filling; I’ve been down that road ter meal after meal and our ability to as well. At least at a hotel they kick you stick with it so successfully, almost too out of the dining room at some point. successfully, teaches us that we are a Home meals can simply roll on – one people fashioned with the capability of into another, only interrupted perhaps, constantly being able to keep “poundby a brief nap. And the only exercise ing” it out. you can snag is that flight of steps to get Maybe those few extra pounds are there. worth it to remind us we have in us There’s simply no avoiding it. the ability to accomplish anything that Pesach and pounds—they go together. we put our energy into (even certainly First in Egypt we were “pounding” shedding those few extra pounds). bricks and mortar. On our escape we were “pounding” the pavement, and Rivki Rosenwald is a certified life coach and now, while reminiscing, we are pulling couples counselor. She can be contacted at in the “pounds.” There used to be a say- 917-705-2004 or at rivki@rosenwalds.com.

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Your Money

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Life Coach

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YESHIVA DERECH AYSON OF FAR ROCKAWAY joins with Torah Jewry the world over in expressing our condolences to

MR. YAAKOV MELOHN ‫נ”י‬ and the entire Melohn family upon the passing of their mother,

MRS. MARTHA MALKA MEHLON ‫ע”ה‬ ‫מלכה פערל בת ר' מאיר ע”ה‬ The Melohn name has become synonymous with torah philanthropy over many decades, and her legacy and that of her esteemed husband,

REB YOSEF MELOHN ‫ע”ה‬, is nobly perpetuated by their illustrious children and grandchildren.

Yeshiva Derech Ayson of Far Rockaway Rabbi Yechiel Yitzchok Perr Rosh HaYeshiva

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From My Private Art Collection Rebbetzin Naomi N. Herzberg

How Everyday Arts & Crafts Materials and Creative Expression Can Help Parents Nurture Their Child’s Growth

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any children have difficulties at school and at home that require the care of a specialist/ therapist. These specialists/therapists work with your child on an individual basis and are very valuable. There are some children who do not qualify for help but do need a little boost when it comes to any of these areas. There is

a lot that a parent can do to facilitate positive reinforcement in these areas that is available for little cost and is right there at your fingertips.

Keep your home stocked with all different types of arts and crafts supplies that can be purchased rather inexpensively at dollar stores, variety stores, craft stores, drug stores and even supermarkets. Many staples found in our kitchens can be used for these activities as well. These activities will help in the development of eye-hand coordination, hand coordination, bilateral coordination and cross midline coordination.

Make sure to pick an activity that will best support your individual child’s needs.

An activity that is adored by most children would be the preparation required for the baking of cookies, done by rolling the dough. That rolling motion is a wonderful exercise. Try to create an activity for the child that is repetitious, like cutting dough with cookie cutters. This motion will provide excellent repeated use of the hands and strengthen them.

Does your child have a problem with holding a pencil in their hand for an extended time? Make sure that they are holding the pencil correctly. This

simple mistake can cause the child to tire easily while writing. Parents can also work with their child in the development of muscle strength which is so important in helping a child develop a firm grip. Through writings, other problems can be detected early-on.

Practice drawing with your child by making simple shapes that overlap each other. Tell them to color in the shapes. How much of the shapes are made up of one color, two colors, three colors and so on?

Is it 50% red or 25% blue or 10% green and so on?

This will help them finetune their focusing skills.

Stencils of all shapes and sizes of pictures and letters can be used as a way to get them to learn control of their fingers and drawing tools.

These stencil drawings can be done on paper, tag paper or illustration board. The harder the surface, the easier it will be to trace. The amount of dexterity that they possess can be altered with these exercises. Many activities that are done at home and at school will be of great use. The activities that involve using scissors and cookie cutters as tools will help strengthen the use of the weaker arms. The astute parent will carefully measure the physical strength and how much the child can endure while performing a particular craft activity.

Giving a child visual activities to perform are important in order to gauge their levels. This can be accomplished with the use of art supplies such as: scissors to be used in the process of cutting straws. Beading is a great exercise. The manipulation of the fingers with the beads and threads has multiple possibilities. This will help with dexterity issues and the strengthening of muscles. The actions required in the use of a squeeze bottle of glue accomplish the art of movement control. This action will help determine the amount of strength used and the flow of glue, with graded control. It is important to teach the child not to squeeze too hard.

If they squeeze too hard, all the glue

will squeeze out. Tell the child that by using two hands together, the control of the flow of glue will occur. Tell them to follow the lines with the glue that has been drawn on to a paper. This will also help with dexterity in the hands. They can then glue small pieces of anything to follow the lines and make a collage.

Focusing and planning needed for organization skills are learned in the collage activity.

The use of hole-punchers to strengthen the muscles is also a great activity.

Making projects out of pieces of clay or play dough/modeling clay are other mediums that are beneficial. The movement involved will help in their physical development, adding to their muscle strength. Silly putty which comes in an egg-shaped container is also a good choice. The manipulation required to open the container can benefit the child.

Some of the supplies that are easy to get a hold of and use are: colored crayons, colored pencils and colored tissue paper, which can be used in a craft activity, as a means to determining the sense of color and balance. The various creative expression opportunities that can be used in active interaction with your child will help them in

coordination, communication skills and organizational skills.

Parents, take advantage of drawing, painting, sculpture, role-play, music, poetry, dance, movement, drama and

general arts and crafts at home. There will be so many benefits that your chil-

dren will reap from this exposure, other then just plain childhood fun.

Parents, take advantage of these bonding relationships and moments.

They can never be recaptured. As we grow older, we realize it more and more. They will linger on in your child’s memory as wonderful, fulfilling times spent with a parent. It is important for the emotional, physical and psychological welfare of your child. You and your child will never be sorry with this time spent. If there are any real issues that need to be addressed, make sure to call a licensed therapist.

I read in a Literature Review based on information that was taken from the American Journal of Occupational Therapy that “without art, occupational therapy would become the application of scientific knowledge in a sterile vacuum” (Peloquin, S. M. (1989).

Rebbetzin Naomi N. Herzberg is a professional art educator, artist and designer. Among her known artwork is a floral sculpture presented to Tipper Gore, Blair House, Washington, D.C. Presently she is the Director of Operations at Shulamith School for Girls. Please feel free to email nherzberg@optonline.net with questions and suggestions for future columns.

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Services Home Improvements General Contractor Entire renovations of bathrooms, kitchens and basements Tiles, floors, expert Roof repair available Free estimates and reasonable rates Call 718-907-0618 or 917-865-5033 Experience Math Teacher Available To tutor all subjects, algebra, geometry, Math A, Math B, Calculus etc.

Guaranteed improvement, first hour free Shomer Shabbat Call Yossi at 516-581-3930 Flordia Reliable Drivers Car and Van Service From Ft. Lauderdale and Miami airports, shopping malls By the hour, best price Call Ermiya 305-896-9717 Yiddish Home Study Program: The new book Yiddish in 10 Lessons along with 2 CD's has just been released to easily learn to read, write and speak the Yiddish language.

Call Chaim at 516 924 7694 or www.conversationalyiddish,com You can also sign up to receive a Free Weekly Taste of Yiddish LEARN TO LEAD A BEAUTIFUL DAVENING Do you love davening for the amud? Do you sometimes wish you could lead the Tsibbur but lack the knowledge and confidence to pull it off?

Call Yaakov 516-229-1948 Voice Coach Now Available In Five Towns Do you love singing? Do you wish you could reach higher notes? Not get tired?

Not get hoarse? Do you wish you had more power, depth and ring in your voice?

The answer is Voice Coaching – You can develop and maintain your true vocal potential.

Yaakov 516-229-1948

Counseling 4 Success!

Relationships, school, work, parenting.

Solution-Focused. Teens, adults, children.

20 yrs experience. Warm, understanding, supportive.

Confidential. Affordable. Rabbi Perry Schafler LCSW-R (516) 428-8525 Mailplace4-counseling@yahoo.com Mobile Websites Today 1 in 7 searches are from a mobile phone device Want your website especially designed for Smart Phones?

Contact Alex, mobilemelon2@gmail.com Jewish Lower East Side Walking Tours given by licensed NYC tour guide specializing in the area. Once a bustling Jewish neighborhood with struggling immigrants. Come connect to your heritage and experience the gateway to “Di Goldneh Medinah”. Private, Group, School tours booking now. Appropriate for ages 10 and up. Call 516-652-4527 Skin Brilliance Laser Spa Professional sanitary and experienced laser hair removal services Right in the heart of KGH Affordable packages to meet your needs.

By appointment only Call 718-801-3583

CUSTOM SUITS Expertly tailored hand made custom suits for men Hundreds of fabrics and styles We will come to your home or office day or night Design the suit you've always wanted From $649 Call 516-619-6264

Babysittin Guaranteed cheapest prices on strollers and baby gear!

Babyjogger, Uppa, Stokke, Britax,g Bugaboo and more!

Free next day shipping and no tax Available Call or text 443-208-8532, sthav@zment.com in Electrician - Chandeliers, Shabbos timers, Woodmer ceiling fans, AC lines, cameras, intercom work. Call Michael Guberman 917-681-1213 - 24-hour service e Mon-Thurs 9:30-2:00

Experienced Certified Life Coach for Men only Call Chaim 516 924 7694 For

more info please call Want Home cooked food for Shabbos Rochelwithout Cohen the516-456-7184 Hassle????

Call Alex Idov, personal chef- serving Far Rockaway & Lawrence (678)644-6168 gematria613@aol.com Reasonable rates- Extensive menu options-References available

Bubby babysitter available

Newborn and up Excellent references - Long hours Centrally located in Far Rockaway TLC 718-327-1932

Photos 4 your Simcha Professional Photography and Video We love what we do and it shows in our work! Competitively priced!

Check out our website & specials. www.photos4yoursimcha.com or call Yaakov 718-868-1800 Hair Course Learn how to wash and style hair and wigs Hair and wig cutting, wedding styling Private lessons or in a group Call Chaya 718-715-9009

Pickup and delivery dry cleaning business

looking to hire part time driver for Five towns and Rockaways.

Presentable with good driving record. Part time for now with possibility of expansion to full time down the road.

Must have own car and will have use of company van. Hire immediately.

Competitive pay.

Contact Marc mh@mahosch.com 917-612-2300

Drop off Babysitting Available in Woodmere Mon-Thurs 9:30-2:00 For more info please call Rochel Cohen 516-456-7184 Struggling with Shalom Bayis?

The Shalom Bayis Hotline 732-523-1112 Caring rabbanim answering your questions for free So far very positive results BS’D!

Real Estate for Sale For Sale by Owner

Huge 2 Family House In heart of Far Rockaway Features: Completely renovated Large 4 bedroom apt. over very spacious 3 bedroom apt., 3,158 sq. feet plus full basement, Oversized property with beautiful backyard, Lots of children on block, Lots of parking, Near shuls and schools, For inquiries please call 917-929- 3241

Cedarhurst – For sale by owner. 5 BR, 3.5 bath. Colonial on oversize lot.

Hardwood flooring throughout.

Beautiful Eat-in Chef’s Kitchen (Viking/Sub-Zero/Granite). Lrg LR & DR. Finished Basement. Central A/C. Walk to all. Move in Condition….$799k….917-685-0247 For Sale / North Miami Beach Apt. One Bedroom Deluxe, First Floor, Gym, 2 Pools...

Gated Community, Walking to all Shuls & Shopping Low Maintenance, Must be 55 or Older Call - 305-761-9323 Commercial R/E for Sale Would you rather PAY rent or COLLECT rent?

Several 5T & vicinity properties available

($200-$300K range & RE taxes starting $7K/yr)

Ideal for S-M business owner/investor C. Slansky, MBA, Broker: 516-655-3636

Far Rockaway. brand New Construction, 2fam house, Lrg 3BR, 2baths over 6BR, 3baths, Lrg LV/DR, C/A, drvway, huge bsmt. Walk to the beach. Only $765K. Call 718-643-7700

TJH TJH CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS Post your Real Estate, Help Wanted, Services, Misc.

Ads here every Thurs.

Weekly classified ads

up to 5 lines and/or 25 words

1 Week………………$20 - $10 2 Weeks……….……$35 - $17.50 4 Weeks…………….$60 - $30

Call or Text 443-929-4003 Or email ads to:

classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com Include valid credit card info

Deadline Monday 5:00pm

Century village. Boca Raton.

Mansfield area. 1 bedroom 1 bath.

No taxes. Fast sale $24,000.

Call 561 866 1238

Far Rockaway, Brand New 2 fam.

2 BR over 3 BR. Lrg Bsmt. LR/DR C/A, drvway, Walk to the beach. Only $495K. Won't last , buy with as little as 3% down.

Call 718-643-7700

House For Sale in Far Rockaway Fully detached, move in condition, four bedrooms, one and half bathrooms, enclosed yard, eat in kitchen. Asking $575,000. 516-234-8665

Real Estate For Rent Apartment Rental in Far Rockaway 2 bedroom 2 bath. Close to shuls Beautiful balcony with a great view of the ocean Call now for price and details 248-755-2692

Great Kosher Summer House Rental Long Beach NY 4b 3b CAC EIK LR DR W/D WiFi, enclosed yard, parking.

Near beach, shuls LIRR, 5T mailplace4-house@yahoo.com 516-428- 8525 For rent 2 bedroom apartment Far rockaway near BBY - Available NOW Kosher Kitchen New appliances Call 516-225-4558 Queens-Upper Ridgewood. Fresh Pond Rd./Forest Ave area. Professional space for rent. Ideal for medical office. 1st floor handicapped access, around 1000 sqf.

Call R.E. Agent for more info @347-8065414/Edyta - Grimaldi Realty

Business Opportunity HOME BASED BUSINESS Looking for a reputable online business?

Flexible hours, free training, great income and incentives, real support.

Please visit www.selectfreedom.net to apply

Job Available Due to expansion, Torah Academy for Girls in Far Rockaway, is seeking qualified, experienced and successful moros for our lower elementary school division for the September school term. Please fax resume, 718-868-4612, att: Morah Levin Teachers F/T General Studies PreK, 1st, 3rd, 4th Grades Co-ed progressive Brooklyn Day School Inspire students' hearts, minds & souls!

Email jobs@mazeldayschool.com call 718-368-4490 Growing shul in Inwood, NY seeking responsible, dynamic male to spearhead youth dept activites with an emphasis on geshmak. Starting with Shabbos morning groups, the leader will organize and spearhead davening, learning, and play for children in the Shul with plenty of room for growth.

Experience preferred and references required. Kindly submit qualified resumes in confidence to president@inwoodshul.com or fax to 516-813-4222.

Sales position available. Flexible hours, great commission, excellent communication skills needed, must have car. Please call 732-503-3760 if no answer leave message.

Position Available: Receptionist, Challenge EI Center F/T for Queens Office, mature, energetic, organized person with good computer skills and ability to multitask.

Good compensation pkg.

Fax Resume 718-261-3702 Or email at cara.challenge2@thejnet.com

Reach Thousands of People! place your ad in

The Jewish Home classifieds Contact: classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com

A wig salon in cedarhurst is looking to hire a full time shaitel macher with followers. (future potential partner ship) Please send resume by email tresjolieboutique@hotmail.com

Office Manager Challenge EI Center F/T for Queens Office, mature, energetic, organized person with good computer skills and ability to multitask.

Good Compensation pkg.

Fax Resume Att: Cara: 718-261-3702 Or email at cara.challenge2@thejnet.com Seeking a full time administrative assistant for a busy roofing company.

Hours are M-Th 9am - 4pm & Fri 9am - 1pm.

Skills must include: - The ability to multitask - Good phone skills -Basic bookkeeping - Proficient in MS Office - Proficient in Quickbooks Please email resume and salary requirements to info@islandexteriors.com or fax to 516 303 7664.

Local restaurant looking for responsible experienced shomer shabbos night time manager email relerner1@hotmail.com

Special Ed assistant needed immediately for boys high school inclusion program in local Mesivta. Solid knowledge of high school regents subjects required. Hours 11:30 am - 6:10 pm, Monday -Thursday. If interested, please call the CAHAL office at 516-295-3666 or send your resume to shira@ cahal.org or fax it to: 516-295-2899.

A local girls camp is accepting staff applications for girls entering 9th-12th grade and post high school for Summer 2013. You can fill out an application at campatara.com.

Leaders in Online Jewish Marketing are hiring Sales Superstars. Do you fit the bill?

Send your resume to sales@thejmg.com or call us @ 646-351-1808 x 111

Seeking Job

Experienced P-3 Provider, with M.S. in Education and Permanent N.Y. State Teacher Certification- Available to work with students in all grades Mondays through Thursdays- mornings until 11 A.M. and anytime after 5:30 P.M.; and Sundays anytime

Please call Tsivia: 516-526-2385

Misc.

Can you spare it? Donate it. Clear out a closet and help a needy Heimishe family today.

Tax deductible receipts available upon request. Call (866) GIVE2LIVE(448-3254) Simone's Bridal located at 71-05 Main Street has many elegant wedding gowns by designers Maggie Sottero , Enzoani , Morilee and Allure Bridal look on their site to see if u like the gowns we carry most samples . Custom made gowns and mother of bride and sisters are all welcome. Please call for appt.

718-793-5989 Two rings found in Sh’or Yoshuv women’s restroom on Simchas Torah.

Please contact Mrs. Dechter at 516-239-9002 x 0 Shaital gmach in Eretz Yisroel desperately needs shaitels.

To be a part of this great mitzvah please call Peninia @ 347-6756526 Tizku L’mitzvos FOUND Found ring a few months ago in the Stop & shop parking lot.

Please call (718)327-3807.

Lost white gold diamond bracelet/covered watch either at Kennedy Airport or in Boro Park. If found please call 347.578.4165

For Sale by Owner

Huge 2 Family House In heart of Far Rockaway Features:  Completely renovated Large 4 bedroom apt. over very spacious 3 bedroom apt.  3,158 sq. feet plus full basement  Oversized property with beautiful backyard  Lots of children on block  Lots of parking (massive driveway)  Near shuls and schools

For inquiries please call 917-929- 3241�

a p r i l 1 1 , 2013

Bayswater- massive 2 family home in a great area, close to all the shuls, beautiful cabinets & granite counter tops, lots of bedrooms, all tiled bathrooms, hardwood flooring all through the house, fireplace, etc., needs tlc, very motivated seller, asking 449k, call Yitzchok 847-691-6397.

Office space available for rent in Lawrence by owner.

Shared waiting room with other health related professionals. Utilities covered and internet access available. mymanagement360@yahoo.com

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Courteous Service Contemporary Styles

Dyes and Repairs Open until last minute before Pesach Overnight service available

718-327-0224

845-304-6668 (cell)

sale dates: 04/14/13 – 04/19/13

105 The Jewish Home n

liebers

8 slices

10oz

Pizza

$6.99 liebers

crisPy goodies 10oz

2/$3 GenerAl mills

trix 10.7oz

$2.99

butter thins

2/$3

liebers

15oz

89¢

2/$3 Gefen

8oz

28oz

99¢

chick Peas

10oz

liebers

mushrooms

liebers

choc chiP thins

GenerAl mills

cookie crisP

ketchuP

$1.99

GenerAl mills

honey nut cheerios 12.5oz

$2.99

PAs yisroel

11.25oz

$2.99

100% whole wheat & multigrain bread

yellow cAP

2/$5

coke 2l

89¢

liebers

beiGels blAck &

lAkewood

cAfé TAsTle

24oz

21oz

64oz

17.85oz

dill Pickles

2/$3

white cookies

$5.99

orange juice

2/$5

instant coffee

$12.99

size #27 GrAPefruiT - 59¢ each

fP rib sTeAk –$8.99/lb

bbq chicken – $5.99ea

honeydew - $1.49 each

dArk chicken cuTleTs $5.99/lb

kishkA – $3.99/lb

mAnGos - 99¢ each 5lb idAho PoTAToes $1.59 each hollAnd red PePPer – 99¢/lb

suPer fP chicken leGs – $2.49/lb boneless flAnken – $7.49/lb minuTe roAsT sliced – $6.49/lb

coleslAw – $2.99/lb cholenT - $4.99/lb hod lovAn Turkey breAsT AssT – $6.99/lb

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Amnons

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THE STUDIO I N T E R I O R

487R Central Avenue Cedarhurst, NY 11516

D E S I G N

T. (516) 612-2433 F. (206) 203-1157

Remodeling... Moving... Redecorating... Downsizing...

Welcome to The Studio. With over 15 years experience, we offer an outstanding display of upholstery choices, wall coverings, high quality home furnishings, lighting, accessories and in-house design services.

Enter at the municipal parking area off Cedarhurst Avenue

“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”

— walt disney

Designers... invigorate your style.

Prepare yourself for a unique and dynamic design experience.

Schedule design meetings with your clients and take advantage of our extensive collection of home decor.

A sophisticated atmosphere for design professionals.

THE DESIGN EXPERIENCE SUITS PROJECTS OF ALL BUDGETS, SIZES AND SITUATIONS. SERVICING THE PUBLIC AND THE TRADE.

by designers. for designers. with designers...

EQUIPPED OFFICES

MEETING ROOMS

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