March 31, 2022
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A Teacher of Distinction at HALB
78 Aish Kodesh Annual Dinner
Harmony Unites the Girls of the Community
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48 Mini Matzah Bakers Prep for Pesach
Your Favorite Five Towns Family Newspaper
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GUAC-A-MATZA! Crack a matzah to pair with a scoop of Haddar Guacamole. Made from ripe, quality avocados and seasoned just right for a filling dish, nourishing lunch, or a healthy snack.
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MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
e g a ll i v a s It take s s la g a e s i a r to by
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We do not make monuments for the righteous; their words are their memorial. (Yerushalmi Shekalim 2:5)
joins Klal Yisrael in mourning the loss of the Sar HaTorah,
Rav Chaim Kanievsky זצוק״ל His legacy of Torah teachings live on in his sefarim.
T THE PERFEC T A N IO N COMPA ! ER ED S R YOU
’S RAV CHAIM IC C L A SS ER MUSSAR SEF
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אֵין עוֹשִׂין נְפָ ו ֹת לְצַ ִי ִים ִבְרֵיהֶם הֵן הֵן זִכְרוֹנ ָן
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The Jewish Home | MARCH 31, 2022
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Dear Readers,
A
Queens who advocate for their communities while proudly wearing the Democrat badge. So perhaps, having a Democrat representative would best serve our community by giving us the opportunity to have our needs and concerns heard by the party in power. But there are others who do not agree with strategy. They point to the dismal programs and laws that the Democrat-ruled Assembly has passed – many of them antithesis to Torah-true and conservative values. Perhaps the most salient of these policies has been the recent stop-and-frisk laws that have led to hundreds more murders a year in New York State. People are fleeing the boroughs of New York City. With homelessness, murders, muggings, and assaults on the rise, New York is becoming an unbearable place to raise wholesome families. There are those who point out that Democrat values do not represent our community. In fact, they are hurting our community and the state in general. At some point, we need to stand up and voice our concerns. And what better way to stand up than by electing someone who will stand up for the community in Albany and vocally and loudly oppose policies that hurt and degrade our neighborhoods and communities? A Republican may not have the majority in the Assembly, but his values and his positions will at least reflect those of his constituents and will send a message to the majority that we are not happy with their left-leaning policies. This week, we offer you comprehensive interviews with the two candidates for NYS Assembly, so that they can tell you, in their words, why they should be representing you. The choice, of course, of whom to vote for is yours. One thing I do ask from you, regardless of which school of thought you’re from: Please make sure to vote. Our numbers at the polls make a difference. Early voting has started already. The election is being held on April 7. Make sure your voice is heard.
s a community paper, we don’t endorse political candidates. In fact, I believe that we respect our readers enough to not tell them what to do. Instead, we endeavor to provide the community with facts, so our intelligent readers can become more well-informed and knowledgeable about upcoming elections. This week, we are doing exactly that. As many of you know, Missy Miller was the Assemblywoman for the 20th District for quite a number of years. But just a few weeks ago, Ms. Miller stepped down from her seat and took over Bruce Blakeman’s vacant seat on the Town of Hempstead Council. That left the Assembly seat for our district open, and a special election for April 7 has been called to fill that seat. There are two people from our community running for New York State Assembly. Both candidates are wonderful people and have a deep desire to help our community. But this race presents a conundrum to many. You see, the Democrats hold a firm majority in the NYS Assembly. Currently, there are 105 Democrat Assemblymembers, 42 Republican Assemblymembers, 1 Independent Assemblymember, and 2 vacant seats. The Democrats have held a majority in the Assembly for at least 30 years. And that’s not likely to change – at least not this year. And that is where the conundrum comes in: should the community elect a Democrat Assemblymember to represent them, or should the community elect a Republican as their representative in the NYS Assembly? In a way, the conundrum is a conflict between practical concerns and conceptual ideals. Practically, electing a Democrat Assemblymember would mean that our representative would have the opportunity to be heard by the Democrat majority. As the majority, Democrats have no interest in listening to those across the aisle. After all, there’s no need to meet them halfway since Democrats hold such a large majority in the Assembly. Proponents of this idea point to frum Assemblymembers like Simcha Eichenstein in Brooklyn and Dan Rosenthal in
Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana
Yitzy Halpern, PUBLISHER
publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com
Yosef Feinerman, MANAGING EDITOR ads@fivetownsjewishhome.com
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Shabbos Zemanim
Weekly Weather | April 1– April 7
Friday, April 1
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Contents Letters to the Editor
8
COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll
8
Community Happenings
40
TJH Speaks with Ari Brown, Candidate for Assembly
100
TJH Speaks with David Lobl, Candidate for Assembly
104
NEWS
22
Global
12
National
30
That’s Odd
36
ISRAEL Israel News
22
Rescuing Anna by Rafi Sackville 96
JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Wein on the Parsha
84
Looking Forward by Rav Moshe Weinberger
86
The Jewish Approach to Leadership by Rabbi Shmuel Reichman
90
Delving into the Daf by Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow
94
PEOPLE My Mission to Ukraine by Shoshana Rockoff
108
Against All Odds by Avi Heiligman
132
HEALTH & FITNESS Love Your Kids by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn
116
The Up-and-Coming Chickpea by Cindy Weinberger, MS RD CDN
118
FOOD & LEISURE 124
The Aussie Gourmet: Salmon Pistachio LIFESTYLES Teen Talk
110
Dear Editor, I once heard a rav say that you are exactly where you’re supposed to be. Another time he discussed the notion of the difference between those who have a “piece” of olam haba versus those who are a ben olam haba. One who has a piece of olam haba can lose it, but a ben olam haba is one who is rooted in the Next World as if it’s a yerusha. This person will be welcomed to the Next World as a son who belongs. How does one reconcile the idea that you are presently exactly where you’re supposed to be in concordance with the fact that the goal is to be a ben olam haba, which requires mammoth growth and change? Perhaps from a life perspective you are, in fact, where you need to be in terms of where you were born, what your past was like, how you became what you became, where you live, who you are presently interacting with, what you’re accomplishing, and what kind of change you’re causing. But regardless of this, if you want to be a ben olam haba who has an indelible piece in the Next World, whereby you will be celebrated when you arrive, you must be pushing your spiritual cylinders at full blast. So, indeed, you are where you’re supposed to be, but to become a permanent member in the Next World, a tireless spiritual engagement in learning, mitzvot and chesed must be implemented. This ability to become a ben olam haba,
even when man’s birth embodies inherent impurity as Tazriah connotes, is celebratory. Steven Genack Dear Editor, I am so sick and tired of our “Jewish leaders” urging our community to support the Democrat candidate for office. Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. What exactly have Democrat elected officials delivered for our community? On the plus side, they throw a pittance in to our tzedakah boxes, i.e., they throw some money at our Yeshivas, community organizations and shuls. I can’t think of anything else. On the minus side, the list is long, very long. Let’s mention a few, confiscatory taxes anyone? How about unchecked crime. Unscientific mandates, open borders, and a blind eye towards increasing anti-Semitism. Have you heard anything from the self-described “shomer Yisroel “ or any of his ilk? Maybe I missed it. Are you in favor of the woke cancel culture? What about bail reform? Were you born in the United States or are a legal immigrant and naturalized Citizen as I am, you have less rights and freedoms than the multitudes streaming over our southern border. The list goes on and on. I am not a shill for Republicans. I have plenty of problems with them as well, but in my humble Continued on page 10
Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW 112
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Parenting Pearls
120
JWOW!
122
Your Money
140
Still Counting Down by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS
142
HUMOR Centerfold
82
POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes
126
Madeleine Albright Shaped a Generation by David Ignatius
129
Free Speech Gets Tossed by Marc A. Thiessen
130
A General’s Retirement is a Chance to Reflect by David Ignatius
131
CLASSIFIEDS
134
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CHAMPAGNE
shades of spring S U N 1 0 : 3 0 - 6 M O N -T H U R 1 0 - 6 & F R I 1 0 - 1 (winter) 1 0 - 2 (summer)
Continued from page 8
Opinion, if you consider the values, goals and aspirations of the frum community, their world view is much more aligned with ours. Make sure you vote. If you don’t, you forgo your right to complain. Thomas Lax Woodmere, NY
P H O N E 5 1 6 . 5 5 8 . 74 3 5 4 8 9 C E N T R A L AV E , C E D A R H U R S T N Y
Dear Editor, I am so happy that you brought up the topic of seminary in your recent Teen Talk columns. I can totally understand the stress and guilt that “Atara” feels in staying home for seminary. But as you see from her letter to TJH, she is only having those feelings after hearing comments from other people. She was perfectly comfort-
able and happy staying home for a wholesome year after high school in the United States. So as much as Mrs. Isbee’s answer to Atara was important, detailed, and spot-on, this is something that has to be changed on a community level. Why should anyone feel inferior because they are not going to Israel after high school? Interestingly, there are many girls
who go to Israel for seminary who come back essentially unchanged – taking home loads of photos on their phones and extra pounds from hundreds of visits to restaurants but coming back to the U.S. almost as if they never left. So Israel is not required to becoming a changed, growing person. How can we change what has become de rigueur in our community? Truthfully, change starts with one person. It starts with boys in shidduchim understanding that a girl who went to seminary in the U.S. is just as wonderful as one who went to a seminary in the Holy Land. It starts with mothers understanding that a girl who went to seminary in the U.S. can be the perfect spouse for their perfect son. It starts with rebbeim encouraging their talmidim to go out with girls who stayed home for seminary. If one of these people move past what has been “normal” in our community, then that helps to make staying home in the U.S. for seminary become part of the “new normal.” As a community, we owe it to all the wonderful girls who stay home for various reasons. No one should feel “inferior” or pressured because of this decision. I hope this helps to spark a conversation and a movement in this direction. Sincerely, A loyal reader Dear Editor, I can totally relate to this week’s column about seminary because I, too, did not go to Eretz Yisroel for seminary because my parents couldn’t afford it. There was no way, knowing about their limited finances, that I would put this extra pressure on them. To all the girls out there who choose or need to stay home for seminary, please know that there are wonderful options out there and please know that seminary is just one year. In twenty years from now, we will all – iyH! – be busy with our families and no one will ask/know/ care where you went to seminary. Your friends who you miss this year may or may not be friends with you years from now, but that has nothing to do with seminary. That has to do with what life choices you make after seminary. For those who can go to Eretz Yisroel for seminary, kol hakavod. For those who can’t, you will have just as amazing a year here in America. And you can always visit Eretz Yisroel and your friends there during midwinter break! Chana W.
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The Week In News
Volcano Erupts in Philippines
A volcano near Manila, Philippines, erupted on Saturday morning, sending thousands fleeing for their lives. Taal volcano erupted at 7:22a.m. on Saturday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in a statement. That eruption was followed by “nearly continuous phreatomagmatic activity” that sent plumes of
ash stretching 4,900 feet into the air. It raised the alert level from two to three. The Institute warned that further eruptions were possible and could trigger a tsunami, as well as flows of gas, debris, and ash. Residents of five fishing and farming settlements near the lake in which the volcano is located were ordered to leave their homes. Following the order, thousands of people fled their homes. Last July, the agency raised the alert level to three after Taal reawakened. The alert level was dropped back down to two before Saturday’s eruption. Taal is one of the world’s smallest active volcanoes. Despite standing at only 1,020 feet, it can be deadly. An eruption in 1911 killed more than 1,300 people. In January 2020, Taal shot a column of ash and steam as high as 15 km, which forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate while dozens of flights were canceled. Taal Volcano sits on the Ring of Fire – a horseshoe-shaped belt in the Pacific Ocean basin where most of the world’s active volcanoes lie. It’s also where 90% of earthquakes happen as tectonic plates push against each other, causing tremors.
Suspected Poisoning
This week, it was reported that Russian-Israeli Oligarch Roman Abramovich suffered symptoms of suspected poisoning after a peace talk meeting earlier this month in Kyiv. Ukrainian peace negotiators who participated in the meeting also suffered the same symptoms, according to the report by the Wall Street Journal, which cited people familiar with the developments. Sources in the article blamed the suspected attack on hardliners in Moscow who oppose talks to stop the conflict that has raged since Russia invaded its neighbor last month. Abramovich and at least two senior members of the Ukrainian negotiating
team developed symptoms of constant, painful tearing, as well as red eyes and skin peeling on their faces and hands. Their conditions have since improved; it was not thought that the poisoning was meant to be fatal. A Guardian reporter, Shaun Walker, quoted a source confirming the report and said the source added that “Roman lost his sight for several hours” and was treated in Turkey. Western experts who probed the incident said it is hard to verify if the symptoms were caused by a chemical or biological agent, or even possibly an electromagnetic-radiation attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who also met with Abramovich, had not been affected. Abramovich has been one of the only oligarchs who has spoken out publicly about his efforts to push Moscow to reach a peaceful resolution. He has shuttled between Moscow and Kyiv, as well as “other negotiating locations.” Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Zelensky asked Washington to not put sanctions on Abramovich, as Europe did to him and other oligarchs, telling U.S. President Joe Biden that he hoped the Russian-Israeli billionaire
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The difference is, David Lobl can actually do something. Why? With the Republicans outnumbered 104 -42 in the Assembly, all of the legislation and funding / allowances are directed by the Democratic representatives. David Lobl will be joining the majority together with Simcha Eichenstein, Simcha Felder, Dan Rosenthal, and others who have been working together to bring much needed support to all of their communities. Although we all agree on the issues our community is facing, only David Lobl has the majority on his side to achieve actual results.
VOTE FOR DAVID LOBL Take advantage of early voting from Monday, March 28th - Tuesday, April 5th For absentee ballots, visit AbsenteeBallot.Elections.NY.Gov
SPECIAL ELECTION – THURSDAY, APRIL 7TH Atlantic Beach | Cedarhurst | East Rockaway | Hewlett | Inwood | Island Park | Lawrence | Lido Beach | Long Beach | Oceanside | Point Lookout | Woodmere
MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
So are we. We all are.
The Jewish Home | MARCH 31, 2022
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would be able to help mediate between Kyiv and Moscow. Last week, the UK’s Financial Times newspaper reported that Putin personally approved Abramovich’s involvement in the peace efforts.
Maersk: Expect More Delays
Global shipping giant Maersk said a COVID-19 lockdown in China’s commercial center Shanghai is set to slow delivery times and push up transport costs even further. In an advisory statement posted on its website on Monday, the shipping company said, “Trucking service in/out Shanghai will be severely impacted by 30% due to a full lockdown on Shanghai’s Pudong and Puxi areas in turn until 5th April. “Consequently, there will be longer delivery time and a possible rise in transport costs such as detour fee and highway fee.” Shanghai is currently a hotspot for COVID-19 cases. Strict lockdown measures began this week to combat rising cases across the city. It has been split into two along the Huangpu River to allow for mass testing. Those living to the east of the river are currently locked down, while those in the west undergo testing. A four-day lockdown for people living west of the river will begin on Friday when testing will begin in the east. The city recorded 4,381 asymptomatic COVID-19 cases and 96 symptomatic cases on Monday. Maersk said that all warehouses would remain closed in Shanghai between March 28 and April 1, while a number of depots would be closed from March 28 “until further notice,” per the statement. China is responsible for around a third of global manufacturing. The latest lockdown in Shanghai is also affecting a number of factories. Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory is halting production for four days due to its location in the part of the city where the first lockdown is underway. China also placed other export hubs, including Changchun and Shenzhen,
under lockdown earlier this month. Restrictions have since been relaxed in Shenzhen, but a number of small businesses in the area had been affected by disruption in the supply chain.
Chinese Cyberattacks on NATO Increased 116%
The number of cyberattacks originating from Chinese IP addresses and targeting NATO countries has increased 116% since Russia invaded Ukraine, research shows. According to the report, trends analyzed by the Check Point research cybersecurity firm also showed that cyberattacks from Chinese IPs have increased 72% worldwide. Omer Dembinsky, data group manager at Check Point Software, noted, “As the Russia-Ukraine conflict intensifies, we grew curious around cyber-attacks originating from China. We’re seeing significant increases in cyber-attacks that originate from Chinese IP addresses.” The statement added, “As it is difficult to determine attribution in cyber security without more evidence,” it is clear to researchers that “hackers are using Chinese servers to launch cyber-attacks world-wide, especially NATO countries.” “The servers are likely used by hackers within China and abroad. The trend can have many meanings. For example, the increase can indicate where it is now easy or cheap to set up and operate a service or where it is more opportune to hide the real origin of the attack. It can also indicate how global cyber traffic is being routed at this moment in time.” The increase in cyberattacks from Chinese IPs is significantly higher than the overall increase since the invasion began, researchers added.
Russia to Reduce Assault On Tuesday, Russia said it would “drastically reduce” its military assault
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on the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv after talks took place between representatives of the two nations in Istanbul, Turkey, and as Ukrainian officials claimed Russian troops were withdrawing from battlefronts there because they had failed in their goals. The Russian defense ministry has decided to “radically, at times, reduce military activity” in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv, deputy defense minister Alexander Fomin said. Fomin noted that the ongoing discussions regarding the “neutrality and non-nuclear status of Ukraine” had contributed to the decision. More details on the steps to reduce hostilities will follow after the Russian delegation returns from Istanbul, Fomin said in remarks carried by Russian state news agency TASS. Ukraine echoed the announcement regarding the reduction in military action, saying some Russian troops were pulling back from Kyiv and Chernihiv. “The Russian enemy did not meet the goal of its offensive operation,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in an official Facebook update on Tuesday, adding that “certain units” of Russia’s military were withdrawing from battlefronts in the cities. Even so, Ukraine warned of a “high risk” of Russian troops attacking military and civilian infrastructure. The Russian military, it claimed, was struggling to reinforce and rotate in new soldiers, due to the “refusal of personnel to participate in the so-called special operation,” and are “not able to staff even one battalion-tactical group.” However, enough progress was made during Tuesday’s talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations to allow Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to meet, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak has said. Talks between the two parties will “continue online 24/7,” Podolyak said, adding that Ukraine needs “clear legal wording.” For now, it seems as if Russia is focusing on conquering the south and east of Ukraine.
Kim Jong Un Threatens Attacks North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has promised to develop more powerful means of attack. The news comes just days after North Korea launched its first
intercontinental ballistic missile in over four years. KCNA quoted Kim as saying, “Only when one is equipped with the formidable striking capabilities, overwhelming military power that cannot be stopped by anyone, one can prevent a war, guarantee the security of the country and contain and put under control all threats and blackmails by the imperialists.”
He emphasized that North Korea will develop more “powerful strike means” and “more vigorously perfect the nuclear war deterrence of the country,” KCNA added. Last week, North Korea performed its twelfth round of weapons tests this year, testing its new long-range Hwasong-17, which analysts say was designed to be able to strike anywhere in mainland USA.
How Oligarchs Hide Their Money
Countries around the globe are taking steps to track down Russian oligarchs’ big bucks. According to the Atlantic Council think tank, Russians have around $1 trillion of “dark money” hidden abroad. In its 2020 report, the think tank estimated that around one-quarter of the money is controlled by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian oligarchy. “This money can be exploited and steered by the Kremlin for espionage, terrorism, industrial espionage, bribery, political manipulation, disinformation, and many other nefarious purposes,” the report claimed. According to the National Endow-
ERIC “ARI” BROWN
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KOSHER FOR PASSOVER
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ment for Democracy, Putin encouraged those close to him to “steal from the state budget, extort money from private businesses, and even orchestrate the outright seizure of profitable enterprises.” By doing this, it claimed, these individuals have created large personal fortunes. BBC noted that, according to Russian opposition leaders Boris Nemtsov and Vladimir Milov, $60 billion was transferred from the oil company Gazprom to Putin’s cronies between 2004 and 2007. According to the Atlantic Council, $36 billion in Russian money was sent to Cyprus in 2013 alone, much of it via shell companies. Then, in 2013, the International Monetary Fund convinced Cyprus to close tens of thousands of shell companies’ bank accounts. Other destinations for the Russian money are the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands. Some of the money ends up in London or New York, where it is invested and brings in profit. The most common way Russian oligarchs conceal “dark money” abroad is via shell companies. According to the Atlantic Council, “These oligarchs hire the best lawyers, auditors, bankers, and lobbyists in the world to develop legal means to conceal
and launder their funds. “A serious oligarch has layers of anonymous shell companies in a score of offshore jurisdictions, and his funds move at lightning speed between them.” Meanwhile, since the start of the Ukraine-Russia war, various countries have taken steps to crack down on the oligarchs.
Khadka witnessed the signing of the agreement following talks in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu. During the dry season, Nepal suffers power shortages. The cross-border grid would allow electricity imports from China, alleviating the issue. In 2019, the two countries agreed to conduct a feasibility study for a railway network. No progress has been made on that project, officials said.
China and Nepal to Share Power El Salvador Reeling from Gang Killings
China and Nepal have agreed to conduct a feasibility study to construct a power line across the border. The high-voltage power transmission line would be constructed across the Himalayas, officials said on Sunday. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Nepal’s Foreign Minister Narayan
El Salvador’s parliament has approved a state of emergency temporarily suspending some constitutional protections after a wave of killings attributed to criminal gangs. On Saturday, police reported a total of 62 homicides – the highest in nearly thirty years. On Sunday, Ernesto Castro, the Congress’ President, said, “We approve the exceptional regime, which will allow our government to protect the lives of Salvadorans and confront criminality head-on.” The state of emergency will restrict
freedom of assembly, as well as the right to be informed of the reason for arrest and access to a lawyer upon detention. It will also allow administrative detention for more than 72 hours. President Nayib Bukele tweeted, “The measures to be taken will be implemented by the relevant institutions and announced only when necessary. For the vast majority of people, life continues normal. G-d bless us all.” El Salvador has a long history of organized crime groups fighting against security forces and among themselves to control territory and drug routes across Central America. The small Central American country – roughly the size of Massachusetts – led the world for the number of homicides related to the size of its population for several years in a row in the 2010s. President Nayib Bukele took office in June 2019 with broad support, after promising to stand tough against gang violence, which has racked El Salvador for decades. In 2020, he authorized the use of lethal force by the police and army against gang members he said were taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic, after a weekend of violence left at least 50 people dead across the country.
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Ukraine Refugee Wins Jerusalem Marathon
A Ukrainian refugee, Valentyna Veretska, won the women’s race at the Jerusalem marathon on Friday after fleeing her home country together with her 11-year-old daughter. A well-known Ukrainian athlete, Veretska, 32, completed the race with a time of 2:45:54, holding up Israeli and Ukrainian flags as she celebrated victory. Her husband remains in Ukraine, fighting against Russia.
Israel Hayom reported that Veretska had been planning to run in the Jerusalem marathon before the war broke out and that she hoped her participation would help focus the world on the Ukrainians’ plight. Israeli Olympic athlete Ageze Guadie won the men’s race, clocking in at 2:37:17.
Horrific Bnei Brak Terror Attack
Five people were murdered when a terrorist went on a shooting spree in Bnei Brak on Tuesday evening. Officer Amir Khoury, 32, a Christian Arab, had served on the Bnei Brak’s police station motorcyclist responders team. He was part of a team that drove in to stop the murder spree and killed the gunman. Unfortunately, Khoury died of his wounds. Two Ukrainian foreign workers were killed as they sat outside a grocery store
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talking to each other when the gunman shot them point-blank. Residents Yaakov Shalom, 36, and Avishai Yehezkel, 29, two frum residents of the Bnei Brak community were murdered in the attack. Yaakov Shalom was driving home when he was stopped by the gunman, who opened fire on his vehicle from a close range. Yaakov’s father was Rabbi Meir Shalom, a prominent leader of the Yemenite community in Bnei Brak, who died last year of COVID. Yaakov has four children. Avishai Yehezkel was taking his twoyear-old son for a walk on Tuesday night when he was murdered. He died protecting his son. His wife, now a young widow, is eight months pregnant. Ovadia Yehezkel, Avishai’s brother, mourned the loss at the levaya on Wednesday morning. “Last night the world turned upside down. You called me and said, ‘I hear shots, be careful, stay inside the house.’ And that’s it. I heard no more from you. You cared for us more than you cared for yourself,” he said. “You cared for your son, you did not give up, you took the bullets like an eagle. You said: ‘It would be better for him to hurt me than the child,’” Ovadia said, alluding to the allegory of the bird that protects its young. Just hours later, the Bnei Brak community joined together in loss once again at Yaakov Shalom’s levaya. Yaakov’s son, Uriel, told mourners his father was “wise, loving and caring.” Yaakov’s brother-in-law described the exceptional middah of kibbud av v’eim Yaakov had for his parents. The terrorist was identified by police as Diaa Hamarsheh, 26, a Palestinian from the town of Ya’bad near Jenin in the West Bank who was in Israel illegally. TV reports said there were celebrations outside his family home and in other Palestinian cities later Tuesday. Hamarsheh arrived in Bnei Brak in a vehicle and disembarked on Jabotinsky Street at 7:56 p.m, according to Channel 13. While standing in front of a local store, he pulled out his weapon and tried to fire at passersby, barely missing a pedestrian and a man on his bicycle. The attacker then continued to Bialik Street, but did not find anyone there, so he moved on to a nearby grocery store where he shot dead two people. Hamarsheh continued to fire at passersby, but his gun jammed briefly. A car being driven by Shalom then passed by. Hamarsheh shouted “stop” as he pointed his rifle through the window and fired,
killing Shalom. The attack, the third deadly terror incident in a week, underlined concerns about an escalating wave of violence ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. “Israel is facing a wave of murderous Arab terrorism,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett noted. “The security forces are at work. We will fight terrorism with persistence, diligence and an iron fist.”
Balloon Detects Missiles
The IDF last week received from the Defense Ministry a new balloon equipped with an advanced aircraft and missile detection system, the Times of Israel reported. The system, named “Elevated Sensor” or “Sky Dew,” works on radar and is currently deployed in northern Israel. It is deployed at high altitudes in order to detect incoming missiles and drones. Israel Air Force Commander Amikam Norkin said the new system will “enable [air traffic control] to build a more accurate and broader air surveillance picture.” It will also help “make the air force more prepared and assist it in continuing its mission — maintaining security in the skies of Israel,” he added. Moshe Patel, Director of Israel’s Missile Defense Organization, said, “The ‘Sky Dew’ system was a challenging task that we set for ourselves about a decade ago. “This aerostat system will cruise at high altitudes and provide an exceptional multi-directional detection capability against advanced threats.” The aerostat was developed jointly by Israel’s Missile Defense Organization and the United States’ Missile Defense Agency.
2 Killed in ISIS Terror Attack Border Police officers Yezan Falah and Shirel Abukarat, both 19, were murdered on Sunday evening in a shooting
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dition, three are in light condition, and the rest suffered shock. A polices spokesperson said, “A short time ago a report was received regarding a shooting incident on Herbert Samuel Street in Hadera. As a result of the shooting, two officers were wounded. The shooters were neutralized, apparently by police forces. A large number of police forces in the area are making their way to the scene of the shooting.”
The two terrorists who committed the attack were believed to be supporters of the Islamic State group. The shooting came days after a deadly terror attack in the southern city of Beersheba, which was also committed by a man who attempted to join the jihadist group, raising concerns of further attacks inspired by the terrorist organization. Meanwhile, officials had been warning of a flare-up of violence before and during the holy month of Ramadan, which begins later this week. Security camera footage from the scene showed the two gunmen, bearded and wearing white overalls, opening fire at passersby and police officers at a bus stop in the city, close to several restaurants. The video showed one of the gunmen shooting several times at a victim lying on the ground, before snatching that person’s rifle. He also opened fire on a man seen riding past the scene on a bicycle. The two terrorists were eliminated by two undercover officers who had been eating in a nearby restaurant.
Historic Negev Summit attack in the northern Israeli city of Hadera. The terror group ISIS seems to be behind the attack. Falah, from the Druze town of Kisra-Sumei, is survived by his parents, a brother, and a sister. Abukarat, a French immigrant and a resident of Netanya, is survived by her parents and a brother. According to the Ynet news site, Aboukrat’s mother told friends that she had moved the family from France be-
cause she wanted them to live in safety. “We fled France to have security and here she died, in our country. It does not make sense. I wanted to give them a good life and security,” she reportedly told friends. In addition to the two murdered officers, four other officers suffered light wounds during the shootout. In a statement, Border Police Commander Amir Cohen said, “The fighters fought heroically. We send condolences
and embrace the families of the heroes Yezan and Shirel who defended civilians with their bodies and thus saved many lives. A highly motivated young man and woman who gave their lives for the security of the citizens of Israel.” There were no civilian casualties in the attack, police said. Later, it became clear that 12 people were wounded in the attack. One is in serious condition, one is in moderate con-
Israel on Sunday held a historic summit in the town of Sde Boker in the Negev, with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) hosting the foreign ministers of the
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MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
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United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Morocco, Egypt, and the United States. The summit focused on the possibility of a new nuclear deal with Iran, expected to be signed in the coming days. At a press conference with Lapid, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that in U.S. opinion, a new deal is “the best way to put Iran back in the box.” Blinken added, “When it comes to the most important element, we see eye-toeye. We are both committed, both determined that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon…. Our commitment to the core principle that Iran can never acquire a nuclear weapon is unwavering. One way or another, we will continue to cooperate closely. “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is an important reminder.… With a nuclear weapon, Iran could become even more aggressive and act with a false sense of immunity.” Blinken added, “The U.S. will continue to stand up to Iran when it threatens us or our allies and partners. “A more stable, integrated region gives us a stronger foundation for addressing shared threats as these and achieving shared opportunities.” Lapid said, “We have disagreements about the Iran deal and its ramifications, but an open and incisive dialogue is part of the power of our friendship. Israel and the U.S. will continue to work together to prevent Iran from going nuclear. “Israel will do everything it thinks is right in order to stop the Iran nuclear program: everything. “That is not a theoretical threat for us. The Iranians want to destroy Israel. They won’t succeed. We won’t let them.” It’s not just Israel that is concerned about Iran. The other foreign ministers expressed their fear that Iran is hurtling toward nuclear proliferation. Israel’s relationship with the U.S., Lapid said, “is the closest friendship and the strongest alliance that Israel has. We share values and vital interests. We share a vision of peace through strength.” Aside from the issue of Iran, Israel attempted to weigh on in the war in Ukraine. Shortly after he arrived in Israel, Blinken was brought to the Foreign Ministry’s situation room in Jerusalem for the Ukraine crisis, where Israel’s humanitarian aid to the country is coordinated. He was able to speak directly to Israeli officials and doctors at Israel’s Shining Star field hospital in Ukraine, underscoring that Israel’s government is doing much in the humanitarian realm, even as it avoids alienating Russia.
Gantz Meets with King of Jordan
Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Amman on Tuesday to discuss concerns of spiraling violence amid the upcoming holy month of Ramadan. It was the third meeting between Abdullah and Gantz, with the first happening secretly in February 2021 and a second taking place publicly in January this year. The meeting focused on local security and policy topics. Gantz presented Abdullah with the steps that Israel intends to take in order to maintain freedom of worship for Palestinians in Jerusalem during Ramadan, as well as other moves intended to improve the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israel recently increased the number of permits for Gazans to work in Israel by an additional 8,000, to a total of 20,000. “The defense minister emphasized to him the importance of maintaining stability and calm, and the overall need to fight terror, and in particular the Islamic State organization, which is behind the recent terrorist attacks in Israel,” Gantz’s office said. For his part, the King told Gantz that “provocative actions that lead to escalation” must be prevented, the Jordanian Royal Court said. According to the court, Abdullah reiterated Jordan’s support for a two-state solution. The monarch also pushed for Israel to remove obstacles to Palestinian “freedom of worship” during Ramadan. “His Majesty stressed that maintaining the comprehensive calm requires respecting the right of Muslims to perform their religious rites in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, removing any obstacles that stop them from performing prayers and preventing provocations that lead to escalation,” according to the court. Before meeting the king, Gantz held a bilateral meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi. Israeli security forces are on high alert after two deadly terrorist attacks — in Beersheba last Tuesday and Hadera on Sunday. But officials are particularly
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concerned about Jerusalem on Ramadan, where religious tensions have often boiled over into violence. Last spring saw events in Jerusalem surrounding the Temple Mount and looming evictions of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood snowball into an 11-day war between Israel and terror groups in the Gaza Strip, as well as significant Jewish-Arab violence in mixed cities. Fearing a recurrence of that May 2021 violence, the Biden administration has urged Israel to take preemptive actions in order to prevent a similar eruption in April, which will see a confluence of the Jewish holiday of Passover, Ramadan, and the Christian holiday of Easter.
Students Lost and Found It was a tense hour or two on Monday when dozens of students went missing on a hike in the area of the Dead Sea, prompting a search-and-rescue mission that eventually found them using drones. The group of 42 students from grades 5-8 was part of a larger group on a school hike through the Nahal Og canyon river
when they become separated from the main body of participants. When the person leading the trip realized they were missing, he alerted the police, who said its Megilot Dead Sea Rescue Unit had launched a search operation.
Jordan’s King Abdullah Visits Ramallah Rescuers used drones to search for the children, and, after about an hour, spotted some of them. The rest were found soon after that. The search was made more complicated because the children who went astray did not stay together. Matan Murad, commander of the rescue unit, told media that some of the children had turned east along the streambed, while others headed west. In total, 39 children were found using the drones while a police helicopter spotted the remaining three, Channel 12 news reported.
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Numerous hikers have required rescue from Nahal Og over the years. The riverbed, which winds through steep, rocky canyon walls, is prone to flash floods. Though the end of last week saw stormy weather drench much of Israel, the forecast for this week has been dry and significantly warmer.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II made a rare visit to Ramallah on Monday, meeting with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. A video released by the Jordanian Royal Court showed Abbas as telling King Abdullah, “We and Jordan are one.” He added, “Our interests, concerns, pain and hope are the same.” King Abdullah told Abbas that Jorda-
nians are there to “listen to you and hear from you what is demanded of the Jordanians.” He added, “All unilateral measures, especially those in Jerusalem and the Noble Sanctuary [Temple Mount], must stop.” This was the first visit of the king to the area in nearly five years and came on the heels of a terror attack that claimed the lives of two Israeli police officers in Hadera. At the same time, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid held a historic summit in Israel’s southern Negev desert alongside foreign ministers from Morocco, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken also attended. Although Jordanian officials were invited to the summit, Amman declined the invitation. Instead, the two meetings went forward at nearly the same time early on Monday afternoon.
Polio Vaccination Drive Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of Israel’s public health services, announced
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this week that the Health Ministry will begin a campaign to vaccinate all children ages three months to seven years with the polio vaccine.
Coalition Whip Rejects Western Wall Plan Coalition whip MK Idit Silman (Yamina) on Sunday rejected the Western Wall compromise plan, which would change the status quo at the holy site.
Speaking to Kan News, Dr. Alroy-Preis said that the campaign’s goal will be to have all children born between 2005-2013 complete the two-dose vaccine regimen. The campaign will be called “Two Drops” and will begin in Jerusalem, after which it will be expanded to other areas of the country. Dr. Alroy-Preis added, “We are definitely seeing an outbreak of polio in Israel.” She noted that traces of polio have also been detected in sewage in both Tiberias and Modi’in Illit and that it “reaches unvaccinated pockets and is spreading.” According to her, the recently-diagnosed cases are “just the tip of the iceberg, under which there are many other infected children.”
Speaking to Kan News, Silman said, “There’s a status quo with the Western Wall that I don’t think is going to change. All of the attention around this is just demagoguery. This is a house of prayer. There’s a minority — a Reform minority — that is making a lot of noise as though it’s the majority. We need to say the truth: That’s not the case. “This government and certainly us — or at least I — need to preserve the Ortho-
dox character of the Western Wall.” The Western Wall deal was initially agreed upon by the government in 2016, but it was later abandoned due to charedi opposition. It would include the expansion of the current egalitarian plaza – which remains empty most of the year – and allow the formation of a council including representatives from the Conservative and Reform movements to manage the Western Wall plaza. The compromise is part of Yesh Atid’s coalition agreement with Labor. MK Alon Tal (Blue and White), who is a member of Israel’s Masorti (Conservative) movement, told the Times of Israel that the agreement “leaves the present [Western Wall] plaza as an Orthodox space. That’s the compromise.” He added, “I don’t have an issue with what she [Silman] said.” The Reform Movement in Israel responded, “The Western Wall compromise represents a suitable solution that addresses the needs of everyone who wishes to pray at the Western Wall.… We expect that there will be no surrender to the extremist voices and that the government will work to make the Kotel an open and respectful place of prayer for every Jew.”
suitable preparations and adjustment by the security services to the circumstances within which extremist elements of Arab society, directed by extremist Islamic ideology, are carrying out terror attacks and taking lives.” Digital, intelligence, legal, and economic tools to manage the new wave of terror will also be provided, Bennett added. Meanwhile, additional security forces will be deployed in areas where there is a threat of violence and will remain deployed until Israel’s Independence Day in early May. Social media networks will also be monitored. The Be’er Sheva attack took place in three stages, when the Arab terrorist, a Bedouin, stabbed a woman at a gas station, entered his vehicle and rammed into a bicycle rider, and then exited his vehicle to continue stabbing passersby. Four people died in the attack and two others were injured. Both the terrorist in the Hadera attack this week and the terrorist Be’er Sheva attack were known to the authorities, identified with the ISIS terror group, and had been served relatively short sentences after their respective judges decided to issue only light sentences.
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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday ordered security services to hold any terror suspects in administrative detention, without charging them. The instruction comes as part of a broader campaign focused on the Israeli Arab community, one day after two Border Police officers were killed in a shooting attack carried out by an ISIS-affiliated Israeli Arab. In a statement, Bennett’s office said the new guideline should be used in “appropriate circumstances in which it is possible to present a proper legal basis.” Bennett emphasized that the terror attack, which closely followed a similar attack last week in Be’er Sheva, is representative of “a new situation that requires
According to a recent analysis by the U.S. Census Bureau, people are leaving the Big Apple in droves. New York City experienced a significant population shift last year, with four of its five counties losing a greater percentage of people than almost any other major county in the United States. The New York metro area led all others in population loses, according to the census data. The combination of New York, Newark, and Jersey City reflected a population loss of more than 385,000 people, almost double that of the Los An-
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geles, Long Beach and Anaheim region. “The patterns we’ve observed in domestic migration shifted in 2021,” noted Dr. Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for estimates and projections in the Census Bureau’s Population Division. “Even though over time we’ve seen a higher number of counties with natural decrease and net international migration continuing to decline, in the past year, the contribution of domestic migration counteracted these trends so there were actually more counties growing than losing population,” Hartley continued. Breaking this trend was New York City. In a closer look at the city’s changing population numbers by county, Manhattan (New York County) had the greatest percentage drop. According to the census data, the island saw a 6.9% decline between April 2020 and July 2021. Manhattan wasn’t alone in the top 10 counties for percentage decline, however. Brooklyn (Kings County), Queens, and the Bronx were on that list, as well as Hudson County in New Jersey. Hudson and Queens both recorded a 3.1% dip in population, whereas the Bronx saw a 3.2% decrease and Brooklyn a 3.5% decline. Between that same 15-month period, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx also made up four of the 10 coun-
ties with the largest drop in population by numbers, the census data shows. Manhattan took the No. 2 spot with a drop of 117,375 residents. Brooklyn and Queens took fourth and fifth, respectively, losing 95,022 and 74,321 residents. A few spots down in eighth position was the Bronx, with a decline of 47,706 residents.
Slithering Smuggler
Jose Manuel Perez, 30, has ants in his pants. The California resident has been charged with smuggling more than a thousand reptiles – some endangered – into the United States. Perez was taken into custody when he attempted to cross the U.S.-Mexico border in February, with approximately 60 reptiles hidden in his clothes, authorities said. Authorities said Perez first denied he
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had anything to declare at the border, then said the animals were his pets. In total, Perez illegally imported more than 1,700 animals with a total value “exceeding $739,000,” according to the indictment. If convicted, Perez could face up to 20 years in prison for each smuggling count and five years in prison for each wildlife trafficking count. According to police, from 2016 to 2021, Perez, along with his sister and five others in the U.S. and Mexico illegally smuggled and sold reptiles, some of which were caught in the wild in Mexico and some of which were imported all the way from Hong Kong. They then shipped the animals to customers in the United States from Perez’s home. Perez allegedly illegally imported baby crocodiles, Yucatán box turtles, Mexican box turtles, Mexican beaded lizards, among other species, from Mexico and Hong Kong, without the necessary permits. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international treaty designed to ensure the trade of exotic animals does not threaten their survival in the wild, protects more than 35,000 species of animals and plants. In the U.S., CITES is implemented through the Endangered Species Act, which requires special “foreign export permits” for certain species.
Broken Windows is Back?
New York’s Police Department (NYPD) has begun cracking down on relatively minor offenses which have become part of daily life in some neighborhoods around the Big Apple. Included in the list are public urination, open-air marijuana sales, and public consumption of alcohol. According to the police department, these infractions lower residents’ quality of life and create disorder, which results in violent crime. Meanwhile, a Detroit plan to reduce violent crime during the summer connects “urban blight” and gun violence and promises greater enforcement for traffic
offenses and noise complaints, as well as better supervision of vacant buildings and lots. The strategy is referred to as “broken windows” policing and maintains that aggressive enforcement of petty crimes will restore order and safety to high-crime areas. NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said, “To be clear, this is not a return to ‘Stop, Question, and Frisk’ nor is it ‘policing for numbers.’ This enforcement will be responsive to community complaints and concerns.” “We are not going back to the policing that I fought to change,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said. “We won’t go back to abusive policing.” Police officers’ behavior will be monitored using video technology, Adams added. The broken windows theory was first proposed by criminologist James Q. Wilson in 1982. This criminal justice concept maintains that seemingly minor instances of social and physical disorder in urban spaces can contribute to an atmosphere of lawlessness that encourages more serious crimes. By making misdemeanor arrests for crimes like vandalism, the theory goes, police can reduce and prevent felonious activity in neighborhoods they patrol. New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani brought the broken windows doctrine to national attention in the 1990s with his campaign against squeegee men who harassed drivers with unsolicited windshield washing. Giuliani and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton also focused on cleaning up the New York City subway system, where 250,000 people a day weren’t paying their fare. They sent hundreds of police officers into the subways to crack down on turnstile jumpers and vandals. Police also ramped up misdemeanor arrests for things like smoking marijuana in public, spraying graffiti, and selling loose cigarettes. Very quickly, crime fell in the Big Apple. The murder rate plummeted. People felt safe again walking the streets. And Giuliani cruised to re-election in 1997.
Fatal PA Highway Crash On Monday, three people were killed and more than a dozen were injured when tractor-trailers and other vehicles lost control and slammed into each other during a snow squall on a stretch of an interstate highway in Pennsylvania.
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On Tuesday, officials were still attempting to clean up the mess of 60 to 80 cars, and sections of the highway remained closed.
On Tuesday, there were still vehicles on the northbound road, with some vehicles mostly burned and others melted onto the highway. Dr. David J. Moylan, the Schuylkill County coroner, said three fatalities have been confirmed and that number could rise. A Pennsylvania State Police incident report noted 24 people were taken to four hospitals. People who could get out of their vehicles and walk were taken by buses to a Wegmans Distribution Center and then to Good Will Fire Company in Minersville serving as a reunification center, according to the report. Estimates of the number of vehicles involved from the emergency management agency and state police ranged between 40 and 60, including multiple
tractor-trailers. In one video of the crash, an out-ofcontrol tractor-trailer smashed into a large dump truck, turning it nearly 180 degrees. Another large truck caught fire and spewed black smoke into the air, and an SUV struck a passenger car sending it spinning narrowly past a person standing on the shoulder in snow and fog.
George Floyd Protesters Awarded $14M
Jurors in the U.S. District Court of Colorado on Friday ordered the city and county of Denver, Colorado, to pay $14 million in damages to 12 plaintiffs who claimed police used excessive force against them in 2020 during the George Floyd riots.
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The jury, comprised of eight Coloradans, concluded that the city and county failed to properly train their police officers, thus causing the officers to violate the plaintiffs’ First and Fourth Amendment rights. Mark Silverstein, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, which represented the plaintiffs, said, “The verdict is a message to the police department, to the highest echelons of the police department, but also a message to police departments all over the country.” Though the city and county of Denver acknowledge that the police response was not fully appropriate, they argued that the protests caused an unprecedented “level of sustained violence and destruction” in the city. “We were prepared for a worst-case scenario, but we weren’t fully prepared for what transpired,” a statement, the Denver Department of Public Safety said. “Unfortunately, Denver Police Department officers and other law enforcement officers responding to assist encountered extreme destructive behavior from some agitators among largely peaceful protesters. We recognize that some mistakes were made.” The police department has since changed its protest response plans, the Department of Public Safety said. Over 80 police officers were injured during the riot as protesters hurled rocks, water bottles, and canned food at them, and the state Capitol, the hub of the protests, incurred $1.1 million in damage, according to the city. Lawyers for the protesters who sued stressed they were not accused of being violent themselves.
Madeleine Albright Dies at 84
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Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright, the U.S.’s first female Secretary of State, died on Wednesday at 84. Albright, a native of Prague, was born Marie Jana Korbelova. She arrived in the U.S. in 1948 as a young girl from war-torn Czechoslovakia.
Albright served as Secretary of State between 1997-2001 under then-U.S. President Bill Clinton. In 2012, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Albright first served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations before becoming the nation’s top diplomat in Clinton’s second term. She championed the expansion of NATO, pushed for the alliance to intervene in the Balkans to stop genocide and ethnic cleansing, sought to reduce the spread of nuclear weapons, and championed human rights and democracy across the globe. “Few leaders have been so perfectly suited for the times in which they served,” Clinton said in a statement. “As a child in war-torn Europe, Madeleine and her family were twice forced to flee their home. When the end of the Cold War ushered in a new era of global interdependence, she became America’s voice at the UN, then took the helm at the State Department, where she was a passionate force for freedom, democracy, and human rights.” She saw the U.S. as the “indispensable nation“ when it came to using diplomacy backed by the use of force to defend democratic values around the world. “We stand tall, and we see further than other countries into the future, and we see the danger here to all of us,” she told NBC in 1998. “I know that the American men and women in uniform are always prepared to sacrifice for freedom, democracy and the American way of life.” Throughout her career, Albright was known for wearing brooches or decorative pins to convey her foreign policy messages. When she found out that the Russians had bugged the State Department, she wore a large bug pin when she next met with them. When Saddam Hussein referred to Albright as a snake, she took to wearing a gold snake pin; when she was called a witch, she proudly brandished a miniature broom. When she slammed as “completely un-American” acting Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli’s suggestion that only immigrants who can “stand on their own two feet” are welcome in the United States, Albright wore a Statue of Liberty pin. U.S. President Joe Biden called Albright a “force” and said he worked with her during the 1990s. “When I think of Madeleine, I will always remember her fervent faith that ‘America is the indispensable nation,’” Biden said. He also ordered flags at the White House and all federal buildings to be flown at half-staff in Albright’s honor.
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NE Rep. Fortenberry Resigns
Nebraska Republican Rep. Jeff Fortenberry on Saturday resigned his office after being convicted by a California jury. The jury convicted him of lying to federal authorities about an illegal campaign donation from a foreign national. “It has been my honor to serve with you in the United States House of Representatives,” Fortenberry said in a letter to the House. “Due to the difficulties of my current circumstances, I can no longer effectively serve.” The resignation is effective March 31. After Fortenberry was convicted, both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy publicly called on him to step down. Fortenberry had held his office since 2005. He was indicted in October after authorities alleged that he lied to FBI agents about his knowledge of an illegal $30,000 contribution from his campaign from a foreign billionaire. Fortenberry’s resignation will create a vacancy in Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District, and Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican, will call a special election.
4 Marines Die in Military Crash
The bodies of four Marines who died in a military aircraft crash during a NATO exercise were transferred back to the U.S. on Friday. The U.S. Marine Corps said an Osprey aircraft crashed on March 18 in a Norwegian town in the Arctic Circle, killing the four Marines. Officials with the Marines said that hundreds of U.S. Marines, sail-
ors, service members and civilians rendered final salutes to the fallen Marines in Bodø, Norway, early Friday. The crash killed Capt. Ross A. Reynolds, 27, of Leominster, Massachusetts; Capt. Matthew J. Tomkiewicz, 27, of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Gunnery Sgt. James W. Speedy, 30, of Cambridge, Ohio; and Cpl. Jacob M. Moore, 24, of Catlettsburg, Kentucky. They were flown to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and will be buried according to their families’ wishes. The men were all assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261, Marine Aircraft Group 26, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing stationed at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina. They were taking part in a long-planned NATO exercise called Cold Response, which authorities said was unrelated to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Senators: No to UN Inquiry into Israel
Biden administration officials have insisted they will use the renewed U.S. membership to oppose one-sided measures targeting Israel and speak out against the 125-8-34 vote to launch the open-ended probe into Israel following last May’s war against the Hamas terror group. Besides the Israel-Hamas conflict, the commission is also to investigate “all underlying root causes of recurrent tensions, instability, and protraction of conflict” including discrimination and repression, according to the text. The only way to quash the probe after the UNHCR voted to establish a Commission of Inquiry and the UN General assembly voted to approve an annual budget of over $4 million would be for the council to adopt a resolution reversing the previous one — a rather unlikely possibility given the overwhelming support for the initiative. Monday’s letter followed a similar bipartisan letter penned in the House of Representatives, which was signed by only 42 lawmakers out of 435 representatives in total.
80-Ft Deep Alaska Avalanche
Over two-thirds of the U.S. Senate, including lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, have signed a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling for the Biden administration to quash a UN Human Rights Council inquiry into Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. “This one-sided approach is consistent with UNHRC’s continuing bias against Israel and the disproportionate use of resources in an ongoing campaign to disparage, discredit and denounce Israel,” reads the open letter sent to Blinken on Monday, signed by 68 lawmakers. The initiative, which was led by Democrat Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland and Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, was backed by 31 Democrats and 37 Republicans. The Biden administration rejoined the UNHCR earlier this year, after former President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the council over its alleged anti-Israel bias. Seeking to justify the reversal, the current White House has argued it was unable to influence the international dialogue on human rights without a seat at the table.
An avalanche in Alaska last Thursday cut off nearly 100 houses in Anchorage due to the mounds of snow that made the roads impassable. The avalanche measured between 60-80 feet deep and 300-400 feet wide. According to the Anchorage Police Department, the avalanche cut off residents on Hiland Road. There were no reports of anyone trapped in the snow, and no homes were damaged in the avalanche, police said, adding that snow removal could take several days. Mark Littlefield, an Anchorage municipality officer, said in a Facebook post that “right now we’ve got close to 100 homes that are stranded without power. “We are waiting for the avalanche assessment crew to make sure that the area is safe before we can begin any snow removal and opening of the road.” The Anchorage Office of Emergency Management warned, “Do not approach
or cross any part of the avalanche. Residents are asked to shelter in place away from area avalanche slide zones and await further instructions.” Still, police asked some residents to evacuate their homes, in case the mounds of snow begin to shift. Emergency shelters were set up for those residents asked to leave until police determine the safety of the area. “The size of this avalanche is massive,” Municipal Manager Amy Demboski said. “It has been described by avalanche experts as a once-in-100-year event.”
A Bomb Wedding
Molly Healy and Matthew Gnoza love snow. And so, when they got married earlier this month, it made sense for the two avid skiers to tie the knot on top of a mountain in Peru, Vermont. Their nuptials, though, were a bit of a blowout when a bomb cyclone swept through the area with high winds and blizzard-like conditions. Undeterred, the two snow-philes decked in skis and snowsuits moved their ceremony to a lower altitude instead of getting married on the mountain’s summit on March 12. “We did not anticipate the bomb cyclone,” Healy confessed. “It was a wild ride that day.” Healy said that neither she nor Gnoza are “warm weather” people. They both love “winter and snow and skiing,” so getting married on skis, atop a mountain, amid a snowstorm “made perfect sense.” In fact, the couple’s first date took place on a ski mountain. Despite the harsh weather conditions, Healy said that “it truly was a nice day for a white wedding.” Snow nice!
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to new heights. In 2027, the world’s first space hotel is due to open its doors.
While it might still seem a long time away, plans for the cruise ship-style hotel kicked off around three years ago.
According to the Gateway Foundation, the accommodation would float above the Earth’s atmosphere. At the time plans begun in 2019, the project was called Von Braun Station. It would comprise of 24 modules connected by elevator shafts to make up a rotating wheel simulating gravity towards the edges. Now, the futuristic hotel has been renamed Voyager Station. It is being built by Orbital Assembly Corporation. According to senior design architect at the Gateway Foundation Tim Alatorre, “We’re going to have a number of differ-
ent recreation activities and games that’ll highlight the fact that you’re able to do things that you can’t do on Earth. “Because of the weightlessness and the reduced gravity, you’ll be able to jump higher, be able to lift things, be able to run in ways that you can’t on Earth.” How would travelers get to this amazing experience? The SpaceX Starship could be used to shuttle space tourists to the Voyager Station, which would accommodate 280 guests and 112 crew members. Want to join? It will cost you. For now, estimates say that a trip would cost approximately $5 million. Passengers would need to undergo safety and physical training before boarding the shuttle for a 3½ day trip to the space station. Sounds like it’s out of this world.
around today,” Ben Shahar noted. The degree will incorporate aspects of various disciplines ranging from psychology, philosophy and neuroscience to finance and business to literature, religion, and music. So far, at least 38 people have applied for the program since it was announced at the March 18 World Happiness Summit in Miami. We’re guessing the college is happy about that.
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Want to be happy? Want to study what makes people happy? Consider going for your degree in happiness. A university in New Jersey is launching what it calls the world’s first “Master of Arts in Happiness Studies.” Centenary University’s program will “explore the implications of happiness for individuals, the workplace, and our broader society,” according to the college’s announcement. Becoming proficient in happiness is going to cost you. The course is set to start in the fall and will cost students $17,700. “Whatever profession you identify, there is a place – a very important place for happiness studies – for the science of well-being,” Tal Ben Shahar, a happiness expert and the director of the program, said. University President Bruce Murphy noted that professionals such as human resource employees can benefit from the degree. The college teamed up with the Happiness Studies Academy to create the happiness program. Ben Shahar co-founded the Happiness Studies Academy “When we’re talking about happiness, we’re talking about cultivating resilience, the ability to deal with hardships, with difficulties, and there’s plenty to go
He’s running a marathon – in real life and in the races. Chad Kempel recently ran a half-marathon in a mere 2 hours and 19 minutes. But that’s not why he is making headlines. The California man set a Guinness World Record for completing the race while pushing his quintuplets in a stroller. His five children are four years old. “They were saying, ‘Run faster dad!’ and I’m just dying sweating and I’m like, ‘I don’t even know if I can go any farther,’” Kempel said, “I had forgotten how heavy it could be, especially when we’re going up a hill, even if it’s barely a hill at all, I’m basically full-on holding the whole thing up.” Kempel finished his 13.1-mile run in 2 hours and 19 minutes on Sunday, beating the goal of 2 hours and 30 minutes set by Guinness World Records. “I’m the first person doing it, but when you’re the first person to set a record, Guinness gives you a certain cut off. and they gave me a cut-off of 2 hours and 30 minutes,” Kempel said. Kempel previously set Guinness World Records for running a 10k race and a full marathon while pushing his five kids. For now, Kempel says he is done trying to set more Guinness World Records, but he is planning to run more races in the future – and he hopes his children will run alongside him. He surely lives life on the fast lane, although, Chad, you do know that they say that he who travels fastest travels alone, right?
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Around the
Community Scenes of the Pre-Purim Men’s Club Tisch at Young Israel of Woodmere held at Traditions PHOTOS BY IRA THOMAS
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MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
Around the Community
CAHAL in BBY Learning Science
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S Mordechai Eliyahu and Gavi Shore on Purim with Rav Yaakov Bender and Rav Avrohom Bender
Pesach Learning in Full Swing at IVDU LI
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he students at IVDU LI have begun learning about Pesach and all the halachos that are pertain to this beautiful holiday. Morah Frumit Fruchtzweig and Mrs. Aliza Goldstein’s classes learned all about what makes something chometz, sorting through their everyday array of food into chometz and not-chometz items. They then completed a hands-on experiment to see the difference between 18-minute matzah versus 20+ minute chometz. The students measured out the flour and water, putting their math skills into practice, and mixing the two mixtures for both a short time and a longer time. They then set the timer, making sure that the 18-minute matzah was mixed very quickly and then rolled thin and placed in the oven. The students watched it bake in the oven and then analyzed the difference between the
tudents in Mrs. Rachelli Lonner’s CAHAL 1-2 grade class at Bnos Bais Yaakov learned all about crayfish during their science class with Mrs. Schwartz, the BBY Mainstream teacher. Students had a great time joining with the other BBY first graders and learning how to hold the crayfish carefully and watch out for their pincers.
Mezuzah Learning at Ezra Academy
T two products. They then had the opportunity to eat a piece of the two, comparing the taste and voting which one they liked more. They are excited to continue learning about Pesach and showcasing their knowledge at the Seder table.
his past Monday, Ezra Academy held a special Yom Iyun for their students on the mitzvah of mezuzah. Most would think that a Yom Iyun at this time of the year would focus on a Pesach-related idea such as matzah or redemption. However, the idea to focus on the topic of mezuzah came as a unique opportunity. Ezra Academy recently expanded! With the growth of their program and ensuring the class sizes remain small, they began using another floor within their current building. None of the rooms on that floor had mezuzot. As opposed to simply hanging the required mezuzot, the staff developed an amazing curriculum. Each class was taught about mezuzah, its origin, some
of the halachot, and, of course, some inspiring stories. After the learning was completed, each class went to different rooms and had the opportunity to hang the mezuzot.
“A Community of Support” Families Living with Disabilities Connect at Chai Lifeline Retreat
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t may not be summer yet, but the Camp Simcha campus was alive with laughter and smiles for Chai Lifeline’s LH Financial Retreat on March 2527. More than two hundred children and families living with disabilities, as well as Chai Lifeline volunteers and staff, convened for an exciting and inspiring weekend getaway at the Stella K. Abraham Family Center in Glen Spey, New York. “When a family faces illness or crisis, it is vital they have a community of support and understanding. These retreats provide an opportunity for children and families to connect with people navigating similar challenges in a warm, welcoming, and accepting environment,”
said Rabbi Simcha Scholar, Chai Lifeline CEO. From the moment they arrived, participants enjoyed a packed schedule of activities and entertainment. While their children attended day camp programming and thrilling game shows and magic performances, parents were able to bond with one another on a meaningful level through various peer support group sessions. “We quickly learned how much we had in common with these other families,” said Yitzchak, a Chai Lifeline father from West Palm Beach, Florida. “We shared the same joy, pain, relief, fear, and love. All at once, our differences dis-
appeared, and we were all there together as one family.” From heartfelt davening and delicious meals to a soulful Oneg and powerful talks, Shabbos provided a spiritually and emotionally uplifting experience for all. Following Shabbos, families took part in an energetic Melava Malka. Leah, a Chai Lifeline mother from Oak Park, Michigan, said she “had never participated in a support group before and the power of healing is indescribable. This retreat gave us the space to be vulnerable and to hear others’ vulnerabilities took our breath away.” She added, “The greatest gift we received this weekend was the validation.
To have our own feelings verbalized again and again was calming on a very deep level.” “These retreats allow every member of the family to relax and recharge and to leave with the comfort of knowing they are not alone in their battle against illness,” said Rabbi Mordechai Gobioff, Chai Lifeline National Director of Client Services. Chai Lifeline is an international children’s health support network providing social, emotional, and financial assistance to children with life-threatening or lifelong illnesses and their families. To learn more, visit www.chailifeline.org.
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NEW!
Bring the brilliance, warmth, and sheer holiness of the Gerrer dynasty to your Seder.
From the popular Maggid of Eretz Yisrael
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his unique Haggadah commentary tells the story of the creation of our nation, viewed through the wise and humble eyes of the tzaddikim of the Gerrer dynasty, starting from Peshis’cha and Kotzk. Most of the Torah thoughts are concise, designed to be shared with everyone at the Seder. And, of course, there are many stories! Stories that strengthen our faith and renew our hopes for the future. This Haggadah speaks directly to our neshamos, our souls, whether or not we follow the path of Chassidus.
abbi Yisrael Meir Druck, son of the famed “Maggid Meisharim” of Yerushalayim and a noted Torah scholar and popular speaker, gives us a whole new level of understanding of the words of the Haggadah. His insights, firmly based on dozens of classic Torah sources, are brief, readable, and very intriguing. Before, during, and, yes, even after the Seder, this is a haggadah to pore over, to learn from, to savor. An unforgettable Haggadah, for an unforgettable Seder.
The Children of Yaakov and Ilana Melohn Edition
Enhance your Pesach with the brilliance of Rabbi Chaim Yisroel Belsky
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abbi Chaim Yisroel Belsky was a brilliant rosh yeshivah and posek who used his astonishingly broad mastery in all areas to plumb the depths of Torah knowledge. Pesach with Rav Belsky weaves together fascinating insights and halachic rulings about the Seder, background on the Haggadah text itself and Chazal’s teachings on Yetzias Mitzrayim, together with practical lessons and guidance that will last a whole year!
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Perek 4 Mishnah 1-2
Perek 4 Mishnah 3-4
Available at your local Hebrew bookseller or at www.artscroll.com • 1-800-MESORAH (637-6724)
MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
New Pesach Titles from
The Jewish Home | MARCH 31, 2022
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Around the Community
Community Brings Hundreds of Mishloach Manot to Margaret Tietz By Shabsie Saphirstein
H
undreds of mishloach manos came pouring into Margaret Tietz Nursing and Rehabilitation from community yeshivas, shuls, and residents in celebration of Purim. Ezra Academy and Shevach High School both organized hundreds of bags, while Israel Root of the Five Towns once again coordinated a special delivery with many more boxes full of hol-
iday gifts for the residents of the center. The Queens community drive was led by Ellona Kravitz who joined with her family for the distribution around the facility.
The Purim spirit was brought into the center with a special Purim party that included staple holiday items and of course live music led by Tzvi Bennett on the keyboard and his
friends on the mic. Special mention is due to Dr. Edward (Ellie) Bennett of KGH Doc, Tzvi’s father, who thought of his son as the perfect musician to spread the joy on Purim.
rooms to find traditional holiday care packages had been delivered for the Jewish holiday of Purim. Each one contained edible treats and a note written by a child from the nearby BACH Jewish Center, the gesture represented the ongoing religious support that has been initiated by the synagogue’s leader, Rabbi Benny Berlin. Rabbi Berlin has characterized his burgeoning community’s relationship with the nursing facility as an “adoption of sorts,” as members of all ages have been organizing numerous events to engage the facility’s Jewish residents. “We are just a few blocks away from the Grandell, making residents who want some Judaism in their life an extension of our community,” said Rabbi Berlin. “Members of this synagogue have graciously taken it upon themselves to include and engage them, whenever an opportunity presents itself. This means visiting with them, writing letters, touching base with them before holidays and more broadly treating them as our community’s grandparents.” While the partnership with the facility materialized during the height of COVID-19 for last year’s first Purim basket preparation event, the recent loosening of the pandemic’s restrictions has inspired congregants to plan more inclusive and in-person activities. Some events planned include monthly Sabbath get-togethers, where the synagogue community will join Grandell residents in singing traditional songs, listening to Jewish-inspired ser-
mons on the weekly Torah portion, and creating an atmosphere of spirituality and happiness that is befitting of the day. Other aspects of this collaboration will further enable Grandell residents to participate in Jewish ritual activities whenever possible, including a program providing assistance to wheelchair-bound residents who wish to attend Sabbath morning services at the synagogue. Next month, with Passover approaching, the BACH’s youngest members are gearing up to put on a holiday-inspired show for the residents and have already started rehearsing jokes and other tidbits the residents will find amusing. “What cheese is served at the Passover seder,” one 10-year-old plans to open with. “Matzah-rella,” she finishes. “We wouldn’t pass over seeing you this Passover,” quips another 11-year-old. “BACH members of all ages feel a responsibility to ensure that we facilitate religious opportunities for the center’s residents, especially considering the tremendous isolation the COVID-19 pandemic brought on for these last two years. What makes the BACH community so special is their willingness to actively participate in programs like this,” added Rabbi Berlin. “Fostering these intergenerational relationships will not only have a transformative impact on the facility’s residents, but on our community members as well, and we are grateful to the Grandell’s leadership for welcoming this partnership.”
BACH “Adopts” Local Nursing Home
T
he leaders of the BACH Jewish Center and Grandell Rehabilitation and Nursing Center have created a unique collaboration of Jewish outreach that is enriching the lives
of synagogue members and the facility’s residents. One Thursday morning in March, elderly residents of the Grandell Rehabilitation and Nursing Center returned to their
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Around the Community
1,000 Student Activists Virtually Lobby NY Legislators in Largest Teach NYS Mission to Albany
T
he voices of 1,000 Jewish yeshiva and day school students advocating for their education and schools strongly impressed NY state legislators on Tuesday, March 22. As part of the Teach NYS Virtual Mission to Albany, students from around the state spoke up for increases in the state’s investment in STEM and school security programs, just two weeks before the state budget process for the next year wraps up. “State funding for STEM and security is essential to our children’s ability to succeed in our technology-based economy and for their everyday safety,” said Sydney Altfield. Teach NYS Grassroots Director. “Who can tell legislators that story better than the students themselves, joined by parents, teachers, and school administrators? Whether its virtual or in person, this mission, our larg-
SKA students on the virtual mission
est ever, is critical to our advocacy work.” The request for an increase in funding
How I Got My Tefillin Back By Ephraim Becker
was met with strong support by Governor Kathy Hochul in her address to the stu-
dents when she said, “That’s why in the executive budget, we proposed the highest level of state aid for education ever at $31 billion. It includes an 18% increase in funding for non-public schools as well as a $15 million increase in the stem reimbursement program and tripling funding for health, safety, and security projects through the Nonpublic School Safety Equipment Grant Program.” Teach NYS advocates for quality, safe and affordable nonpublic schools. As a champion of state funding for STEM teachers, school security and other programs, it has helped deliver more than $276 million to the state’s nonpublic schools this year alone. Teach NYS is a member of the Orthodox Union’s Teach Coalition that represents 90% of Jewish day school and yeshiva students nationwide.
Margaret Tietz Distributes 450 Mishloach Manos To Local Seniors
I
went on the 7:58AM Long Island Railroad train from Cedarhurst to Penn Station this week with my tefillin, but when I got off, I completely forgot my tefillin and got the AirTag notification too late. I went to customer service and Lost & Found, but both couldn’t help me. I couldn’t remember what track the train was on. I looked at the Find My app on my iPhone, and it said that my tefillin was heading towards Jamaica. I went back to Lost & Found and customer service, and they said to me that they couldn’t help me. I took the subway back to work and checked the Find My app, and it said that my tefillin was leaving Jamaica. I had no idea where it was heading to. Five minutes later, I checked the Find My app, and it said that it was leaving Queens Village. I checked again ten minutes later, and it said that it was at Floral Park station. Then fifteen minutes later, the app said that my tefillin was at Hempstead Station. There’s only one way the train goes off-peak when it’s at Hempstead and that is at Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. My boss let me take the subway to Atlantic Terminal, and I waited until 11AM
By Shabsie Saphirstein
and got on the train and, with the help of a LIRR worker, got my tefillin back. It was in the conductor’s cab the whole time. I took the subway back to work and now have my tefillin with me. You should definitely get an AirTag and put it in your tefillin.
M
argaret Tietz Nursing and Rehabilitation takes pride in the Jewish senior community of Queens. To celebrate the holiday of Purim, the administration of the facility coordinated the distribution of 450 mishloach manos to local seniors. Led by on-site rabbi Rabbi Zavel Pearlman, the staff bagged gifts for the residents of Boulevard ALP
Assisted Living, Commonpoint Queens Central Queens (Formerly known as Central Queens Y), Young Israel of Forest Hills Senior Center, and Young Israel of Queens Valley Senior Center. Paul Kershon and his wife are residents of Forest Hills. Paul has a propensity to give back to his community and chose to spend his day assisting in the packaging effort as the best way to share the smiles and joys of celebration.
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MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
DESTROY your CHAMETZ NOT your KITCHEN AS YOU PREPARE FOR PESACH, HERE ARE SOME VALUABLE TIPS THAT WILL HELP AVOID DAMAGING YOUR APPLIANCES.
When self-cleaning your oven try
Do not cover any of the oven exterior
Do not self-clean grates that have
and give yourself some time prior
with foil prior to self-cleaning. This
plastic or rubber feet.
to Pesach, if at all possible. This will
can cause serious damage to the oven
When lining your fridge/freezer
leave time for repairs should your
control components.
shelves, DO leave space for air flow along the length of the back wall.
oven malfunction. When covering an oven range with foil, DO leave air space between the cooktop and control panel section to allow the heat from the oven to escape.
Running grates and caps through a
If your freezer has coil shelves DO
self-clean cycle can cause these parts
puncture holes in the foil/plastic to
to crack and/or discolor. Call our
allow for proper cooling.
parts department to order separate grates and caps for Pesach. (Unless otherwise specified in the Use and
Using boiling water on grates and
Care Guide.) We do not recommend that oven racks be put through self-clean. The
While not recommended, before placing toys into a washer or dishwasher – DO make sure to place them inside a mesh bag so that loose parts don’t
have shattered their inner oven door glass. This is caused when the glass is hot and something cold touches it.
caps can damage the enamel and result in discoloration.
At this time of year, many customers
self-clean cycle can ruin their shine, and can cause the racks not to slide in and out as easily. You can purchase
DO NOT open the oven door right after you’ve self-cleaned your oven. Open it only after the oven has completely cooled down to room temperature.
new racks from our parts department.
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The Jewish Home | MARCH 31, 2022
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Around the Community
YOSS Megillas Esther Kriah Initiative
O
ver 50 YOSS Mechina students completed this year’s Megillas Esther Kriah Initiative. The initiative focused on reading Rashi script, reinforcing the skills taught in Yeshiva. Each student who completed the pro-
gram received his own Megillas Esther and was entered into a special raffle. Congratulations to the raffle winners, Benjy Twersky, Nison Hirsch, and Chaim Krauss!
Congratulations to HALB eighth grade social studies teacher Ms. Kristen Waterman, on being awarded the Long Island History Day Teacher of the Year! This is in recognition of the incredible work she has done with her HALB students over the years with the History Day program.
Purple Day at HAFTR By Andrew Berger
P
urple Day at HAFTR High School was a huge success! Purple Day is dedicated to bringing awareness to the issue of domestic violence in our community. The day comprised two goals: to educate the student body about these significant issues and to fundraise for a lifesaving organization dedicated to this cause. Both of these objectives went extremely well. To help with this task, HAFTR teamed with Shalom Task Force, an organization whose purpose is to promote healthy relationships and combat domestic violence. On Wednesday, March 9, students were encouraged to wear purple to help them get into the mindset of the day.
During first period, students were shown a video prepared by Shalom Task Force. The video was created to help spread awareness about domestic abuse, as well as the work that Shalom Task Force does. Following the video, students engaged in meaningful discussions pertaining to the message of the film. Throughout the day, students were able to purchase doughnuts, as well as raffle tickets for great prizes as a way to raise money for this organization. By the end of the day, students and faculty raised over $900 for Shalom Task Force and had a better understanding of healthy dynamics and relationships. It was great to see so many students supporting this cause, both through their donations and their purple apparel!
The children at Gan Chamesh enjoyed a hands-on, interactive matzah bakery that made the process of baking matzah feel very real
Digital Dissection or Hands-On Experience? By Mrs. Gittel Tova Grant
I
s real-life science dissection still relevant in our increasingly digital society? This science educator votes yes. Although a virtual dissection was available for students with more delicate senses, the HAFTR Middle School students and some intrepid parents joined together to perform dissections on frogs, rats, and even delivered over 20 newborn rats from a pregnant specimen. The experience was very real and drew students beyond the 3D renderings of internal organs and body systems available online and in their books. Despite the exactness of replication available digitally, the hands-on experience required to make the correct cut, choose the correct tool, and navigate the differences in speci-
mens that exist in real life is unreplicatable. Students gained so much by experiencing the sights, feels, and, yes, smells of the dissections – as well as gained the skills to navigate the safety and proper treatment of the specimen. We look forward to more opportunities to join together and engage in real-life learning.
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New from Rabbi Yechiel Spero
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n one enthralling story after another, Rabbi Yechiel Spero enlightens us, touching our hearts, opening our eyes, invigorating our neshamos. He finds untold determination in the steaming buildings of wartime Shanghai and breathtaking hashgachah pratis on a Haifa street. In these pages, you will meet amazing people and read about fascinating and unexpected events. And as you finish reading each tale, you’ll feel proud to be a Yid and wowed by the love of a Heavenly Father for His children.
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MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
New from
The Jewish Home | MARCH 31, 2022
50
Around the Community
MTA Learns About Operation Benjamin with Rabbi JJ Schacter
Mazal tov to SKA seniors who received acceptances to Macaulay Honors College – Leora Ellenberg – and to Stern College Honors – Adina Adelman, Gabriella Herman, Abby Katz, Tamar Axelrod, and Ariella Traube
A Sweet Celebration
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TA seniors were privileged to meet with Rabbi JJ Schacter, widely respected and beloved scholar at YU, grandfather of Senior Eli Knapp, and son of Rabbi Herschel Schacter, the chaplain who accompanied the U.S. Army in liberating Buchenwald in 1945. Seniors recently completed an American History unit on World War II, and were eager to learn about Operation Benjamin, an effort led by Rabbi Schacter in memory of his father, and his friend Shalom Lamm, to correct the gravestones of Jewish American soldiers who were killed in World War II. Many of them were mistakenly identified as Christians when they were buried, and as a result, they were buried under Latin crosses. Operation Benjamin’s goal is to replace those crosses with Jewish Stars. So far, the organization has been able to correct approximately 20 of these errors, and as Rabbi Schacter explained, statistically there should be many more. During World War II, more than half a million Jews served in the U.S. Armed Services, both an incredible number and an outsized amount considering the
small percentage of Americans who are Jews. Through Rabbi Schacter’s efforts, proper honor is paid to those brave Jewish Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice fighting for their country and a greater appreciation of the many Jewish Americans who served is cultivated. Talmidim were fascinated by the story of these brave Jews and enjoyed learning about this initiative to properly honor their sacrifice. They found the story to be truly empowering, as Operation Benjamin exists only because of Rabbi Schacter’s determination. He was bothered by the relatively small number of Jewish stars he found in a military cemetery in Normandy and conducted exhaustive searches to find Jewish soldiers who were improperly buried and then located their families so they could request a correction. This demonstrated the power that each person has to really make an impact on the world. MTA is grateful to Rabbi Schacter for sharing his inspiring story, which was an especially meaningful experience for his grandson, Eli. To learn more about Operation Benjamin and its incredible work, please visit www.operationbenjamin.org.
his week, Bruce Becker of Max & Mina’s ice cream shop in Queens celebrated a special young man on his 42nd birthday. Tuvia Gubin had become friends with Beckers when he was a young teenager, coming into the shop on Main Street with his mom and dad. The Beckers would throw parties for Tuvia in the scoop shop, in Flushing Meadows Park, and at Knicks games, and they became close. When Tuvia’s mother fell ill, he went to live in a group home in Ohel Bais Ezra in Brooklyn. For two years, due to the pandemic, Tuvia was not able to visit his favorite store. But this week, Tuvia came to Queens again! On Monday, he spent time with his friends in Max & Mina’s and enjoyed a sweet birthday. Happy birthday, Tuvia!
Bruce Becker, Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser, and Tuvia Gubin
Bruce Becker, Tuvia Gubin, and Jay Kestenbaum, co-president of Ohel
Jay Kestenbaum, co-president of Ohel, Faha Solomon, Gabe Solomon, Jacob Becker, Bruce Becker, Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser, Tuvia Gubin, and Syd Mandelbaum
bring your Pesach seder to Life!
INCLUDES FULL TEXT OF THE
HAGGADAH
V’hi She’amda
I
h / ֶׁש ָע ְמ ָדה
וְ ִהיא
Cover the matzos. Everyone should raise his cup and recite the next paragraph with great joy.
t is that promis e to Avraham that protected our fathers and us, because more than one nation has tried to destroy us. In every genera tion they try to destroy us, but Hashem always saves us from them.
,בֹותינּו וְ ָֽלנּו ֵֽ ִהיא ֶׁש ָע ְ ֿמ ָדה ַל ֲא ְו ּלֹא ֶא ָחד ִּבלְ ָבד ָעַמד ֶׁש ֶאּלָ א ֶׁש ְ ּֿב ָכל ּדֹור.ּלֹותנּו ֵֽ ָעֵֽלינּו לְ ַכ ,ּלֹותנּו ֵֽ עֹומ ִדים ָעֵֽלינּו לְ ַכ ְֿ וָ דֹור .ילנּו ִמּיָ ָדם ְ דֹוׁש ָּב ֵֽ רּוך הּוא ַמ ִּצ וְ ַה ָּק Put down the cup and uncover the matzos.
F
T T
4
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THE WEEKLY PARASHAH SERIES
V’hi She’amdah
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N IS A NATIO ORY OF THE ST ZRAYIM MIT YETZIAS D ON BASE HIM MIDRAS
T
he pasuk says that Hashem took us out with “a strong hand and an outstretched arm, with great awe, with signs and with miracles.” What part of the story is a “strong hand” and what part is “an outstretched arm”? Why “great awe”? What kinds of signs? Which miracles? Let’s explain the pasuk one phrase at a time. Ready? Here we go!
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croll.com
if to own chametz, even we are not allowed understand he Torah says that this paragraph — and why we have to say re, it know about it. That’s is still chametz somewhe sure that even if there it! By saying it we make anymore. us to doesn’t belong
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What’s the Secr et?
he pasuk begins by talking about Makkas Bechoros (Plague of the o matter Firstborn), what, we Jews the last of the Ten Makkos — have survived. the one that finally forced Pharaoh What’s the secret? because to freewe theare more clever Jews. It’s not or have a stronge else! r army than anyone Was this makkah done by an angel? By a messenger of Hashem? So, what is the secret of our survival No! ? The Haggadah tells us in the Hashem Himself passed through words that came Mitzrayim. He Himself killed the She’amdah. It’s right before V’hi firstborn Egyptians because of Hashem and destroyed the Egyptian gods. ’s promise Metal idols rusted and woodenBris Bein HaBesa to Avraham Avinu idols rotted. rim. These promise at the s are the secret THE WEEKLY PARAS of our survival. HAH SERIES HAGGA DAH
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Through an Angel? Through a Messenger?
In many homes, everyone at the Seder sings V’hi She’amda h together, in an outburst of pure joy.
t on ArtS
I did not see and in my possession, which not ny chametz that is shall be as if it does do not know about, remove, and which I of the earth. ownerless, like the dust exist and shall become we don’t
All-Mighty, All-Powerful
At checkou
ָּכל
rom the beginni ng of the Seder, when someone or sister — or maybe (your little brother you?) asked the Four Questions, we’ve read the until now, Haggadah and discussed it. Now, action. Everyon suddenly, there e at the Seder table is is holding up a juice!). cup of wine (or grape Why now? Picking up our cup of wine is a way of showing celebration. In special joy and the words V’hi She’amdah, we always protects will celebrate how us from our enemies Hashem his pasuk is still part of what who want to destroy a farmer said when he brought Manybikkurim times in to us. our history, our the Kohen. It describes how Hashem, enemies planned sometimes it looked Who is all-mighty to destroy us, and all-powerful, like they might and took us out of Egypt. succeed. But Hashem sure we would survive and continu always made e to be His great WE ARE STILL Torah nation. HERE! Isn’t that a reason to celebrate and happily raise our cups of wine?
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ָ ֲח ִמ ָיראַו ֲח ִמ ִ יעא ְּד ִא ָּכא ִב ְר ׁשּות ְּד ָלא ֲח ִמ ֵּתּה ְּוד ָלא ִבַע ְר ֵּתּה,י ְ ִל ָּב ֵטל ו,ְּוד ָלא יַָֽד ְענָ א ֵלּה .ֶל ֱהוֵ י ֶה ְפ ֵקר ְּכַע ְפ ָרא ְדַא ְר ָעא
Celebration!
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MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
NEW FROM THE SERIES YOU LOVE...
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The Jewish Home | MARCH 31, 2022
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This Passover Let’s Declare Dayenu
Around the Community
enough
The talmidos of the Ganger Early Childhood Division of TAG are so excited to be joining the elementary school talmidos to play their new Emotion Commotion game, as part of the school-wide Bilvavi theme. The talmidos are quickly earning so many colorful cards, as they internalize and apply the lessons they are learning – to use all of their emotions in the right way to serve Hashem!
Nachum Segal Network Studios in Manhattan Destroyed in Electrical Fire
In Israel, 2.5 million people are living in poverty, including over 1.8 million children, 50% are worried they can’t pay rent, and 1 in 5 experience food insecurity
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T
he studios of Jewish New York’s voice and top Jewish radio personality Nachum Segal burned tragically in an electrical fire Sunday afternoon. The Nachum Segal Network, based on the Lower East Side, had used the office, studio and headquarters space since 2002. An emergency crowdfunding campaign has been launched to rebuild and keep the network broadcasting. The network is continuing its programming remotely. Segal has hosted his Jewish Moments in the Morning – JM in the AM – program since September 1983 every weekday and non-holiday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. The show first aired on FM radio and has since transitioned onto an app and online stream which includes a variety of different talk show programs throughout the day. The walls of the studio were adorned with pictures illustrating the network’s – and Jewish New York’s – history through photos of notable interviewees over the last few decades. From leading rabbis, Jewish politicians at the forefront of New York and national politics, major league sports stars, a handful of Israeli cabinet
ministers and leaders of countless Jewish world nonprofits. Unfortunately, all were destroyed. It was in the very headquarters where Segal and his team founded the Jewish Unity Initiative, a nonprofit which seeks to amplify Jewish voices and promote religious identity and unity in areas that have experienced disasters. “Our studio served as a home for the Jewish community to come and share with our listeners about their organizations and the top news impacting the American Jewish community,” said Segal. “It is where we planned several missions to Jewish communities impacted by disasters such as hurricanes.” “We have an important mission in providing information and entertainment to the Jewish community and we are hoping to build quickly. With the help of our listeners here and across the globe, we hope to build a stronger NSN than ever before,” he said. Those wishing to donate can do so via: https://campaigns.causematch.com/donatefjb-fire.
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MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
The Jewish Home | MARCH 31, 2022
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Around the Community
SKA Reunion in Israel
By: Arielle Rosman and Rosie Ash
T
he annual Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls alumnae reunion is one of the most highly anticipated events of the year. SKA alumnae studying in Israel for the year were so fortunate to reunite with Mrs. Elisheva Kaminetsky, Principal, Judaic Studies, and Mrs. Paghit
Ralbag, 12th Grade Level Advisor, on Monday evening, March 7. The annual reunion, which took place in the Old City, was an opportunity for the class of ‘21 to catch up with each other and with their teachers. There was happy mingling, spirited schmoozing, and much reminiscing. Another highlight of the evening was hearing first-hand from SKA alum-
nae who made aliyah some time before. These alumnae spoke about their lives in Israel and about the challenges that they faced when making aliyah. Everyone was inspired and left with new perspectives and memories to come. The following evening, Mrs. Kaminetsky and Mrs. Ralbag invited SKA graduates who had made the decision to make aliyah after seminary, partic-
ipating in Sherut L’ami or studying at university, to join for dessert. Everyone enjoyed hearing how these life-altering decisions to choose to move to Israel were made. They discussed the joys and challenges of living in Israel and gave the recent graduates advice about their seminary year. It was truly a great night for all!
Birthright Israel Excel Summit in New York
O
ver 300 Birthright Israel Excel Fellows from North America and around the world will gather in New York City this weekend, April 1-3, for the Excelerate22 Summit. This will be the first time the annual Birthright Israel Excel Summit has been held in person since 2019, a welcome change from the virtual Summits of the last two years. Birthright Israel Excel is a prestigious business fellowship that offers a summer internship in Israel, followed by membership in an exclusive community of peers focused on professional development, personal growth, Israel engagement, and philanthropy. After their internships, Excel Fellows have maximized their expe-
riences by taking on positions at top-tier companies such as J.P. Morgan Chase, Bain & Company and Google, developing strategic partnerships with Israeli companies, and starting their own companies, often hiring other Fellows. According to Birthright Israel Excel’s Executive Director Idit Rubin, the pandemic has meant less live networking events but has also resulted in the growth and strengthening of global connections within the Excel community, a trend that the organization wants to continue to develop in upcoming years. Some 30 Fellows from Israel and several others from the UK, South Africa, Argentina and Mexico will join their North American peers for
Excelerate22, cementing those bonds. “Birthright Excel Fellows are active every day as recognized leaders in their professional arenas and within the broad Jewish community. As they gather this year for the first in-person Summit in two years, we are experiencing a sense of renewal and opening a new chapter in the history of what is considered the most prestigious program in the Jewish world today,” said Gidi Mark, CEO of Birthright Israel. “There is a sense of celebration around this year’s Summit. It’s the first time many of our Excel Fellows have a chance to be together in the same location. As they brainstorm and share ideas in an atmosphere rich with creativity and comradery, they will be forging a deeper sense of community,” said Rubin. Throughout the weekend, participants can look forward to plentiful networking opportunities, industry-specific panels and discussions about topics such as business development, Jewish identity and Israel engagement. Sunday will feature presentations by two recognized leaders in the world of business and entrepreneurship. Erin Schrode, activist, social entrepreneur and Congressional candidate, has developed eco-education for millions through her organization Turning Green and now drives
her nonprofit Conscious Kitchen to serve over 19 million organic nutritious meals to students and vulnerable populations in California. Schrode will offer her expertise on social impact, pro-Israel activism and the role of millennials in igniting change. The final keynote presentation will be given by David Blitzer, Global Head of Blackstone’s Tactical Opportunities Group, the company’s opportunistic investment business which invests globally across asset classes and industries to generate risk-adjusted returns in any market environment. Blitzer is also the Founder and Managing General Partner of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) and managing partner of the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Devils. An expert on business and sports ownership, he will offer insights and inspiration to emerging professionals in all areas. Since 2011, Birthright Israel Excel has been engaged in developing the next generation of Jewish business leaders. The Excel Fellowship selects extraordinary college students around the world for a summer business or tech internship in Tel Aviv at leading companies. After their return, Excel Fellows become part of a global community that provides resources for professional and personal development and Israel engagement, while also being dedicated to philanthropy.
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Around the Community
Signs of Kashrus at Darchei
I
n honor of Parashas Shemini, Rav Ami Cohen – a noted talmid chacham and expert in the field of kashrus – made a fascinating presentation to the fourth and fifth grade talmidim of Yeshiva Darchei Torah about the signs of kosher animals
The Haggadah of the Gerrer Dynasty ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications By Yisroel Besser
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e are a nation of beginners, reaching for new beginnings. On the Yom Tov of Pesach, the exalted Seder speaks of that perpetual drive for his’chadshus, rejuvenation, the aspiration to start again. The Chiddushei HaRim once turned to a respected chassid, Reb Baruch Stutchiner, and asked a question. “Do you remember how, when we were in Kotzk, they taught us to immerse ourselves in the parshiyos of Yetzias Mitzrayim, to analyze them like a Tosafos?” This story, our story, for the geulah endures, every individual in every generation experiencing it on his own, giving us the tools to rise higher, to find
redemption. Yetzias Mitzrayim taught us that we were worthy of being Hashem’s, and Matan Torah provided us with the means to serve Him. In Peshis’cha, the two experiences came together — Torah itself the means of attaining the clarity and faith we had tasted on that glorious night, transmitted from there to Kotzk, where it took root and spawned the glorious Gerrer dynasty. It is an ancient path, but under each stone there is a spark of his’chadshus, of Yidden finding the strength to start anew, to reach both higher and deeper. The Haggadah of the Gerrer Dynasty looks at the story of the creation of our nation through the wise and humble eyes of the tzaddikim of the Gerrer dy-
nasty, starting from Peshis’cha and Kotzk. Most of the Torah thoughts in this unique commentary are brief, designed to be shared with everyone at the Seder. Many are not wellknown, and all of them have the stamp of emes, of truth and authenticity. And, of course, there are stories! Stories of rebbes and simple Jews. Stories from Egypt and from our modern world. Stories that strengthen our faith and renew our hopes for the future. Stories we can tell at the Seder, or tell and retell ourselves, when we need
to give ourselves a powerful boost of emunah. The author, Yisroel Besser, has written many bestselling biographies and Torah works, including Nishmas: Song of the Soul and Just Love Them: The Life and Legacy of Rabbi Dovid Trenk. In The Haggadah of the Gerrer Dynasty, he has given us a wonderful gift for Pesach — a commentary that will enliven our Seder, as it enriches our lives. This Haggadah speaks directly to our neshamos, our souls. Read, enjoy, and be uplifted!
Shevach Students and Alumna Help Spread the Spirit of Purim
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n Taanis Esther, Shevach students went to visit local nursing homes to deliver mishloach manos provided by Agudas Yisrael of America and to bring the spirit of Purim to the residents. Dressed up in fun costumes, the Shevach students, along with the elderly residents, had a memorable and uplifting experience. Tanya Saiedian, one of the students who participated in this venture at The Boulevard Alp, shared a glimpse of the rewarding time spent there. “It was such
an amazing experience going to Boulevard Alp. I truly witnessed sparks of joy shining on the residents’ faces when we greeted them with a smile, gave them mishloach manos, and had conversations with them. It was energizing to see that we were, baruch Hashem, able to give them so much simcha. Full heartedly, I can say that I gained even more than the residents did, from this special event.” This was just one girl’s experience, yet it was clear that all the girls felt the same way.
Kudos to the following Shevach students who participated in this wonderful chessed: Shevach Chessed Heads Henna Bayla Goldish and Tova Ribowsky, accompanied by Shevach students Sophia Ben-Baruch, Shira Goldish, Nomi Gray, Devorah Lind, and Batya Orbach. In Kew Gardens, The Atria and The Homestead were both treated to a memorable visit by Shevach alumna Mrs. Batzion (Massis) Brody, her husband, and her three children, who in their delightful costumes, brought Purim joy to
all the residents. The seniors loved being visited by the charming children, some even remembering them from their previous Purim visits. As Mrs. Brody stated, “I started coming here on Purim when I was a Shevach student, and I will not give it up! This is the true spirit of Purim that I hope to impart to my children.” The Queens community can be very proud of the Shevach students as they continue to do their wonderful acts of chessed and amaze all with their willingness to give.
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Around the Community
At the Young Israel of Woodmere Purim Party PHOTOS BY IRA THOMAS
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ARE YOU BEHIND ON RENT DUE TO THE PANDEMIC AND LIVE IN QUEENS?
Around the Community
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The children at HANC ECC are working hard preparing for Pesach
Pesach math at Shulamith ECC
YCQ Celebrates Epic Purim 5782
The Last Boy
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he journey of The Last Boy…a new play with music reaching Broadway began in 2015 when choral conductor Steve Fisher overheard an 8-year-old boy say to another chorister, “You know, the Holocaust didn’t really happen.” Fisher thought to himself, “That’s it. Our next concert tour will include a visit to a concentration camp.” Fisher knew Holocaust denying was a reality, but he had never witnessed it nor did he ever expect it to come from a child who was part of a diverse organization in a progressive city. “Eight years old! I’m not even sure this kid knew what he was saying,” speculates Fisher. “But he certainly heard the statement from an adult who did.” Fisher then discovered the extraordinary story of the boys in Terezin Concentration Camp’s Dorm Number 1, who created the longest-running underground publication of the Holocaust. Every Friday night, the boys in the room would gather in secret to read aloud poems and prose they had written that week. If their literary magazine had been discovered, the entire room surely would have been immediately transported to Auschwitz. Sadly, eventually, that was exactly their fate. By 1945, every one of the young poets had been transported East, except 15-year-old Sidney Taussig. He had the foresight to bury the magazine so that the Nazis couldn’t burn it before fleeing the Russians. Today, Taussig is 92 years old living in West Palm Beach, Florida. Fisher’s boy choir concert tour to Terezin took place in 2016. The boys
learned about the Holocaust and even read some of the poems Sidney Taussig saved in the very room where they were written. Fisher was so inspired that when he returned he got in touch with Taussig and asked him for his blessing to write a play inspired by him. Taussig said, “On two conditions! One, include a lot of laughter – we were just ordinary boys in extraordinary circumstances. And two, write your play quickly so I can see it before time achieves what Hitler could not.” The Last Boy…a new play with music had its world premiere Off Broadway this summer, winning four Broadway World Awards: Best New Play, Best Production, Best Direction, and Best Performance. On April 27, there will be a one-night only benefit performance at The Town Hall, serving as a fundraiser for several non-profit organizations. Our 6 Million, an Israel-based non-profit, is sending over 1500 candles with the names of Terezin young people who perished. Audience members will walk one block to Times Square and light those candles, to mark the start of Yom HaShoah, as a way to honor all those who perished in the Shoah. Tickets for the benefit performance at The Town Hall (123 W. 43rd Street between Broadway and 6th Ave) can be purchased here. Fisher, along with some young cast members, will be presenting at Young Israel of Woodmere’s monthly Nefsharim on Wednesday, April 6 at 12noon.
An Interview with Mrs. Shirly Pourad-Kaikov, YCQ Purim Carnival Planner What were your original goals for the YCQ Purim Carnival? My goal was to create a “Wow” carnival. Each student, ages 3 to 14, had a great time. Watching the children walk in one by one, and seeing their shock and surprise, gave me so much joy! The one thing I wanted to accomplish was to make it the best carnival YCQ ever had. I’m proud to say we did accomplish just that! Our Purim Carnival Committee worked with Great Neck Games to create a creative and state of the art experience. What did you have in mind when planning the layout? I wanted the students to be able to see everything clearly and to have easy and safe access and regress to and from each attraction. How was this Purim carnival different than previous carnivals? We added more games and attractions this year. In addition, we were able to get Virtual Reality games and a selection of different type of Arcade games. What was the feedback from the students? Our younger students raved about the cotton candy machine and popcorn machine. They were counting day the days until the Purim Carnival. Grade 8 students enjoyed running the booths and watching the younger students have a great time. They especially enjoyed the end of the carnival when they were
allowed to use all the attractions and games. What was your favorite part of the day? I especially enjoyed the parade of students dressed in their costumes, as well as their first look at the entire set! The raffles at the end of each grade time were incredible prizes: Foosball Tables, Air-Hockey Tables, Class Pizza Parties, Class Trip to 7/11, $20.00 Amazon gift cards, and much more. Who would you like to thank for their help and support? I would like to thank Mr. Aaron Kessler, Facilities Manager, and his department, for making sure everything was working properly and that the carnival ran smoothly. I wouldn’t have been able to put any of this together without the support of Rabbi Mark Landsman, YCQ principal. His constant support inspires me to work diligently and creatively in planning YCQ student activities.
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Around the Community
Councilmember Visits Central
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ouncilmember Linda Lee recently visited Central. Councilmember Linda Lee represents the 23rd Council District in Eastern Queens. She was elected to the Council in November 2021, becoming the first Korean-American ever elected to the City Council and the first woman to hold the seat. Linda also spearheaded the creation of the only State-licensed Article 31 Mental Health Clinic serving the Korean-American community operating in New York. She chairs the Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addictions. Lee was previously President and CEO of Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, which, in 2015, became the “first and only state-licensed mental health clinic operated by a nonprofit serving the Korean American community,” according to her Council campaign website. She is particularly interested in the impact of Covid-19, school closures and learning disruptions on the mental health of students. During her visit, Lee and Ms. Bracha Rutner, Head of School, spent time talking about our educational philosophy of Torah Umaddah and our goal of keeping our school open during the pandemic to enable students to have as “normal” an experience as possible.
By Michal Mari
H They toured the building together, and Councilmember Lee was fascinated by the many opportunities our students have from art, to science, to humanities, to the multitude of co-curricular and after-school activities. This is the beginning of building a relationship with the local community to enable Central to build strong relationships with their neighbors.
Camp Shira – Breaking News!
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amp Shira has a new swim program for this summer! Camp Shira has secured exclusive swim slots at the North Woodmere Park pool. This is an exciting new feature for Shira campers. It was a much-needed program to enable more girls in the community to have access to a professional summer swim program through their day camp. Camp Shira is a popular girls camp in the Five Towns that serves girls from entering Nursery through 8th grade as well as boys entering Nursery through Pre1A. The camp offers trips, specialties, shows, a huge water park on campus and now swimming! The ability to offer this swim program is the result of assistance from County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s office, the Nassau County Parks Department, Sheya Landa, Special Assistant of Constituent Affairs, and Pesach Osina,
HAFTR HS Participates in Model UN Conference
AFTR High School’s Model United Nations team recently participated in YUNMUN, the Yeshiva University National Model United Nations, in Stamford, Connecticut. The convention, which was held Sunday, March 13-Tuesday, March 15, hosted students from dozens of high schools from all across the country. YUNMUN is described as “a student-run simulation of the workings of the real United Nations,” and it provides students with the opportunity to learn and understand the inner workings of international relations. Students play the role of delegates from countries that are actually members of the United Nations, and the participants represent a range of different viewpoints on current global issues, often representing those viewpoints with which they don’t agree. When preparing for the convention and advocating for their country, students must conduct thorough research about their country’s interests and policies across an enormous range of issues, developing their knowl-
edge of global affairs and improving critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as communication and public speaking skills. HAFTR students were assigned the difficult task of representing either Iran or Madagascar. HAFTR High School had an extremely successful conference, with three delegates receiving honorable mentions in their respective committees. Junior Andrew Berger received an award in the SPECPOL committee, having to come up with solutions about the issues of peace in both the Middle East and in space. Sophomore Kaitlin Pollack received an award in the UNICEF committee, the committee designated for dealing with global issues relating to children, and sophomore Maya Karasanti also received an award in the African Summit committee, the committee that discusses issues concerning Africa and its citizens. These students received recognition for their outstanding work coming up with solutions to the issues they were presented with. YUNMUN was an extreme success this year, and we are looking forward to many more successes for years to come.
VERONIKA ADLERSTEIN, LCSW Psychotherapist
Treating symptoms of depression, anxiety, life-transitions, decisionmaking, family and social relationships, loss and chronic pain. community activist. All of them helped arrange this access to the pools for the sake of the local community. Camp Shira can be contacted at campshirany@gmail.com or via text/call to 516-456-8392
Fluent in English, Swedish and Polish. Shomer Shabbat. 1234 W. Broadway, suite 1 Hewlett, NY 11557 (516) 209-7977 Veronika.lcsw@aol.com https://www.veronikaadlersteinlcsw.com
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MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
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Around the Community
Rabbi Paysach Krohn Inspires HANC HS Rav Shimon Galai gave a hesped on Rav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, at Yeshiva Darchei Torah this week
By Adina Lippman
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n Friday, March 25, HANC High School was honored to host Rabbi Paysach Krohn, who shared penetrating messages from the life of the gadol hador, Rav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, whose shiva concluded that day. Rabbi Krohn began by thanking Rabbi Slomnicki and to the rabbeim and Morot for their endless efforts and contributions to our Yeshiva. He then dove into the astonishing life of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky and the incredible legacy he has left with all of us. Rabbi Krohn explained Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky’s legacy by introducing his childhood. He shared, with astonishment, how The Steipler (Rav Chaim Kanievsky’s father) sang songs of Gemara and Shas every night to his son before he went to sleep. By the age of a young boy, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky already knew all of the names of Gemara and Shas and began on a path of incredible Torah learning. What is even more astonishing is that Rav Chaim Kanievsky would relearn the entire Tanach, Gemara and Shas every single year. He never missed a single day of Torah learning. We cannot fathom the sheer greatness of his Torah learning and connection with both the Torah and Hashem. Rav Krohn then highlighted one of the many perfected mitzvot of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky: kibbud av v’eim and mitzvos bein adam l’chaveiro. Regard-
less of his deep desire to learn all day, he would always take time out of his day to receive hundreds of Jewish visitors in his home in Bnei Brak, answer their questions, and daven for them. He was our connection with Hakadosh Baruch Hu in this world. Rabbi Krohn took these fascinating anecdotes of Rav Chaim Kanievsky’s life and connected it with the idea of the keruvim that remained in the Kodesh Ha’kedoshim in the Beis Hamikdash. Rabbi Krohn emotionally explained his intense grief and concern for our generation. “Who will protect us? What will we do now?” The answer, Rabbi Krohn said, is for us to learn constantly about Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky and try our very best to adopt any mitzvah in honor of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky every chance that we get. This is how to continue his legacy and elevate his neshama in Shamayim. We would like to thank Rabbi Krohn for sharing such a meaningful and beautiful talk about the gadol ha’dor, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, and we will keep his powerful words in mind as we try, in every way possible, to continue his legacy. We thank the Ahdout Family for sponsoring the inspirational program in commemoration of the upcoming yartzeit of Ben Chur Ben Farajolla, z”l, beloved father of Mr. William Ahdout and grandfather of Shayah Ahdout ‘22.
65 Apply Now for Fall ‘22! | Manhattan campus
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Around the Community
Feeling the Freedom This Passover By Hadassah Bay
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he past two years have taught us a lesson or two regarding advance planning (futile) and flexibility (crucial). And so, we at Meir Panim are continuing full steam ahead with operations to provide necessities for Passover, and where needed, a place at the Seder table – albeit with the knowledge that we must always be equipped with a “Plan B.” Meir Panim’s patrons come from across the spectrum of Israel society, including the elderly as well as single-parent families, people on disability allowances and the working poor, whose numbers have skyrocketed since the onset of the pandemic. This year, Meir Panim has been welcoming an unexpected, completely new demographic: refugees from Ukraine. They started to trickle in around Purim and have been arriving in Israel in steadily increasing numbers. While the various government agencies are scrambling to help them, they clearly are unable to do it all alone and
have been turning to organizations like Meir Panim. “We’ve seen a lot of refugees in Tiberias and in Or Akiva and have been endeavoring to fill in the gaps,” says Mimi Rozmaryn, Director of Global Development at Meir Panim. “We have the infrastructure, and we’re ready and happy to do whatever is needed.” As soon as the refugees started arriving, Meir Panim’s branch managers took the initiative to print up signs in Hebrew and Russian, welcoming the newcomers and informing them that they can seek assistance from Russian-speaking volunteers. “They’ve been through so much trauma just getting here,” Mimi observes. “We’re trying to help them feel more settled in any way we can.” As many refugees arrived with not much more than the clothes on their backs, Meir Panim has been collecting and distributing clothing as well as toys, coloring books, crayons, etc. for the many children.
“We were delighted to provide baby clothing for a woman who’d been in her ninth month, and who recently gave birth to the first Israeli baby of refugees,” Mimi relates. Dimona, one of the cities where Meir Panim is active, has been identified as one of the locations where the Israeli government plans to settle the masses of refugees. Meir Panim works in partnership with the municipality and will be taking an involved role in helping them further. As Passover approaches, Meir Panim is going into high gear. Last year, a communal Seder was organized in Tzefat and Dimona; this year, due to increased demand and need, Meir Panim is planning Seders in other cities as well. Additionally, Meir Panim volunteers and staff have been preparing and packaging all the Seder needs, from A to Z, for those who will be making their own Seder at home. There is a pantry basket, with staples for the week of the holiday, available for pickup or delivered to homes. Prepaid grocery vouchers are another way to provide food security for those who need it most. Against the background of those preparations, people still need to eat now. Accordingly, all five branches are working around the clock to cook and package the huge amounts of food distributed daily. “While it feels like the pandemic is over health-wise, the financial crisis continues,” Mimi observes. “We’re still preparing double the pre-2020 amount in all our branches.” In fulfillment of its mission to break the cycle of poverty in Israel, Meir Panim operates youth centers for at-risk youth in Sderot. At the height of Covid, kids and counselors at the three centers couldn’t meet due to health regulations; however, they were allowed to do so for volunteering. Consequently, the centers have integrated a strong volunteering component into their regular activities, with very positive results. Sderot teens are now in charge of
packaging and distributing care packages for the isolated and elderly, as well as for soldiers at the local military outpost. Before Purim, they distributed Mishloach Manot packages, and currently they’re busy with the Passover food baskets that will be distributed all over town. “The teens are delighted to see the seniors so overjoyed to receive the parcels, knowing that their volunteering really makes a difference,” says Mimi. “We can only hope that the situation continues to remain stable,” Mimi says. “We want the people, especially those who live alone, and who suffered for two long years in isolation, to finally feel safe and secure enough to once again come to our centers and gain from the social interaction — food for both the body and soul,” Mimi reflects. Donations can be made online at www. mpdonate.org, through our toll-free number at (1877) 736-6283, or by mail to American Friends of Meir Panim at 88 Walton Street, Suite B1 Brooklyn, NY 11206-4479. All donations made in the U.S. are tax-deductible under EIN# 201582478.
· MAY CONTAIN KITNIYOS ·
NO KITNIYOS MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
These statements have not been eval uated by the FDA. These products are not i ntended to di agnose, treat, prevent or cure any di sease.
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ככוכבים בלילה
Lighting Up the Night 225 Boys Thrive at Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s Middle School Night Seder Across Town
BAIS TEFILA OF INWOOD
AGUDAS YISROEL OF BAYSWATER
DAVID BENOLIEL
KHAL BAIS SHMUEL ABBA, FAR ROCKAWAY
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BAIS MEDRASH ISHEI YISROEL, WOODMERE
CONG. SHAARAY TEFILA, LAWRENCE
For more information or sponsorship opportunities please contact Rav Dovid Frischman: 718.868.2300 ext. 262 or dfrischman@darchei.org Special thanks to Rav Mottel Katz shlita of Khal Bais Shmuel Abba for his early and vigorous backing, and to R’ Tzvi Medetsky, R’ Yakov Skolnick, R’ Yitzchok Spiegel and R’ Aaron Wahl for their constant and unwavering dedication to the success of the Night Seder program. Photos by Naftoli Goldgrab & Yechiel M. Ungar
er htSed g i N / rg rchei.o a d t a s photo More
MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
Every weeknight finds sixth through eighth grade talmidim of Yeshiva Darchei Torah continuing their learning – eagerly and voluntarily – at these local shuls across the Rockaways and the Five Towns. With Darchei Torah rabbeim supervising and encouraging them with various forms of prizes and incentives, the boys study and thrive in a positive atmosphere.
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Around the Community
Mini Matzahs
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t Gesher, we are very busy preparing for Pesach! The children had a wonderful time making their very own matzahs from start to
finish with the Model Matzah Bakery. Each child had the opportunity to do all the tasks necessary to create flour including threshing, winnowing, select-
ing, and grinding the wheat. Once the flour was prepared, they sifted it, added water, and kneaded the dough. The children then baked their matzos in special
matzah ovens. They can’t wait to bring them home and enjoy them!
Harmony Embraces the Community Again! By Jen Reiz
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or two weeks, Lawrence High School was packed with hundreds of excited girls participating in the huge performance of Harmony Jr. 2022. Fifth graders through eighth graders from the local yeshivos came together in colorful costume to perform over fifteen choreographed dances and songs. Schools represented include Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam, Bais Yaakov Drav Meir, Bais Yaakov Queens, Bnos Bais Yaakov, Bnos Malka Academy, HALB, HANC, IVDU, Shefa, Shulamis, SKA and TAG. Attendees from near and far came Motzei Shabbos and Sunday nights to benefit JEP/Nageela. The auditorium was filled to capacity and with high energy for four nights with mothers, bubbies, sisters, aunts and friends shepping nachas for their star performers. “Being in Harmony for the first time was so exciting and fun. I waited for years while my oldest sister, cousins and friends were in it, and I couldn’t wait for it to be my turn finally! Singing and dancing every week, making new friends and getting to go on stage was amazing!” said Ruthy Haas, sixth-grade Harmony performer. Harmony is a labor of love to Mrs. Evy Guttman, director, chief choreographer and “wizard behind the curtain” of the incredible production which she produces while teaching at Torah Academy for Girls. “I am grateful for the help and support that so many gave to Harmony – the families and shuls that opened their doors for
rehearsals, the Lawrence School Board who facilitated getting the performances off the ground, the many high school girls who devoted countless hours in cultivating the talents of the children into a magnificent production, the wonderful group of grandmothers who sponsored the cast sweatshirts, and so on,” said Mrs. Guttman. “This really was a communal project, and seeing the fruits of our labor as all the girls were smiling and shining on stage is a tremendous source of nachas not only for their talents, but for our whole community to see them come together in achdus and simcha for a cause as wonderful as JEP. Each girl contributed her talents, creativity and verve to join in something that became bigger than the sum of its parts, and it is an honor and a privilege to be a part of it.” The fundraiser benefits JEP-LI, the local organization that provides fun educational programming to Jewish children year-round and through its sleepaway, Camp Nageela, in the summer. “This year we were grappling with
whether we were even able to orchestrate the Harmony production due to Covid restrictions,” said Rabbi Dovid Shenker, founding director of JEP/Nageela. “With the help of Hashem, the guidance and encouragement of Rabbi Eytan Feiner, coupled with the bitachon and drive of Mrs. Rivka ‘Ricki’ Molinsky and Mrs. Evy Guttman, the community was able to experience a seamless Harmony Jr. 2022.” Attendees received a full color Harmony Jr. 2022 Playbill featuring the program schedule, list of participants, “shout-outs” to their special performer, and local ads from participating sponsors. After intermission, there was a highly-acclaimed video presentation showing the compelling dynamic that takes place between the staff and the campers from JEP-LI’s Camp Nageela. “While watching the JEP-LI video during the Harmony performance, it made me believe so much in this organization,” said Shana Katz, former Nageela staff and current Harmony Jr. 2022 sponsor, Sweat with Shana. “To see how these
kids now view religion more as connections and relationships rather than black and white rules was a huge eye opener. Understanding how these children view staff as role models will help bond them to Judaism,” she added. Along with Sweat with Shana, Harmony Jr. 2022 generous community sponsors include Five Towns Builders; The Mishkowitz Family; Pin It Realty; Premier Assist; Precision Auto Body; Junee’s/Junee’s Jr.; Caring Professionals; Gourmet Glatt; Spring Gymnastics; Steven Krauss, DDS; Rubin Orthodontics; Fame; Yaeli Fine Art; Traditions Eatery; Prism Insurance; Comprehensive Audiology; Town Appliance; The Jewish Home; VentRight; Mosquito Shield; Healthy Home Services; Onyx; Catering by Michael Schick; and VacayWig. For more information, visit jepli.org/ harmony or call 516-374-1528. The Harmony Jr. 2022 video and online streaming will be available for purchase. More details to come!
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30 Shulem Lemmer Pre-Concert Dinner with the Stars for VIP Sponsors For Information call 516-295-3666 or e-mail concert@cahal.org
MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
SAVE THE DATE! th
Anniversary Concert
Benny Friedman
Joey Newcomb
5.29.22 Lawrence High School | 7:00pm
540-A Willow Avenue, Cedarhurst, NY 11516
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516-295-3666
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cahal@cahal.org
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www.Cahal.org
The Jewish Home | MARCH 31, 2022
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Thanks to all the incredible Harmony Jr. 2022 Heads and Performers! Tzipporah Deutsch - Tovi Eisikovic - Tamar Friedman - Ayala Gantz - Adina Esther Halali - Shana Hammer - Gavriella Korman - Racheli Merenstein - Nava Moskowitz Chana Tova Schuss - Shira Schwartz - Dasi Stern - Ella Adler - Aviva Baron - Kaila Berger - Rachelli Bistricer - Sarah Caplan - Atara Cohen - Leah Fogel Yael Hartman - Faigy Herskovits - Mindy Kagan - Shira Libman - Miriam Lichtman - Raquel Neiman - Bailey Newman - Kiki Sabo -Sari Schechter - Penina Schonkopf Tehila Sebrow - Tzippy Witkin - Maya Avitsedek - Rikki Bodner - Dena Bokow - Abby Feldman - Suri Francis - Sari Fried - Shira Friedman - Tzipora Gerstel Miri Goldman - Leah Gordon - Rochel - Gordon - Esti Greenfield - Leora Gross - Shayna Bluma Gross - Aviva Halpern - Sarah Leah Henoch - Temima Hirsch Noa Hirth - Gavriella Hyman - Ella Jaroslawicz - Lea Joszef - Aliza Kaplan - Ayala Katz - Zehava Krischer - Shalva Lader - Rochel Lang - Rikki Leiner - Adina Lesser Aliza Levine - Tzipora Lewis - Dee Dee Lowinger - Devorah Mendlowitz - Ahuva Moskowitz - Ahuva Nadelbach - Hudi Neuburger - Avigayil Olshan Leah Orbach - Raizy Ostreicher - Gali Pirutinsky - Shifra Posen - Miri Ritvo - Shira Roberg - Shira Salzman - Chayala Schlesinger - Esti Schmukler - Chavi Siegel Ahuva Slansky - Shayna Stern - Batzion Weinberger - Shoshana Wisotsky - Chaya Leah Witkin - Yali Wolfson - Rachel Yadgarov - Devori Agbashoff - Shira Aryeh Daphna Austein - Rachelli Barcan - Ita Bloom - Bracha Blumstein - Tamar Danzger - Hadassah Ebert - Rena Ershowsky - Michal Feltman - Itta Forman Dalia Friedman - Ariella Fuchs - Rivka Gamzeh - Sarah Gamzeh - Aliza Garbacz - Shaindy Glaser - Sari Glatzer - Nechama Goldberg - Shira Goldberg - Tova Grumet Ruthy Haas - Ahuva Helmreich - Bayla Herman - Tamara Hoffman - Noa Jacobowitz - Perela Karasick - Sori Kaufman - Aliza Kohn - Chayala Langer - Tzippy Levitin - Aliza Mandel - Bailey Mendlowitz - Tzippi Milstein - Shoshi Mosak - Mali Moskowitz - Chana Muller - Tzipporah Polatoff - Aliza Pollak - Miri Richman Ahuva Richman - Rachaeli Rubenstein - Bailey Schiowitz - Elianna Schloss - Shira Sinensky - Esti Slansky - Hindy Steinman - Rikki Taub -Jackie Teitelbaum Yocheved Teitelbaum - Leah Weinberg - Aviva Weinreb - Shira Wicentowsky - Bella Wolf - Miriam Wollman - Avigayil Yanofsky - Miri Yovits - Shana Rena Zlotnick Atara Zoldan - Hannah Adler - Rachel Avezov - Leah Tehilla Barax - Yaffa Bensoussan - Blimi Berkovics - Esther Bertram - Sara Boczko - Aliza Bryks - Zahara Burger - Naomy Fazlov - Toby Fireworker - Kayli Fox - Leeya Friedman - Ayala Gantz - Sara Goller - Shevy Grant - Adina Esther Halali - Naomi Jaffe - Chani Jaroslawicz Atara Katz -Liba Kay - Miriam Kohn - Leeba Koschitzki - Bruriah Kotkin - Nechama Rus Lang - Lonnie Levin - Sari Marx - Emmy Muller - Rachel Musheyev Leah Orbach Tali Rothberger Adina Schulhof Atara Shawel - Gittel Siegel - Chana Shifra Silverstein - Rivka Spitalny - Rachel Steinberg - Avigail Fein Rivka Merenstein - Chaya Messner - Devora Piio - Ettie Scharf - Tamara Taub - Shayna Wasser - Aliza Berger - Rachelli Benzaquen - Raquel Braunstein Leah Bugayer - Rachel Chait - Talya Cohen - Pearly Dahan - Leah Eisenberger - Leeya Feldberg - Dassy Feldman - Chana Fogel- -Zici Fraigin - Aliza Frechter Leah Fried - Dena Friedman - Simi Frisch - Rikki Genack - Nechama Gold - Bracha Gorlin - Nechama Greenberg - Blimi Guttman - Tilly Guttman - Dina Halberstam Malka Klein - Rena Kutner - Raizy Ostreicher - Leah Polatoff - Esti Richman - Goldie Rosenman - Tova Shechter - Dasi Storch - Yehudis Taub - Molly Ackerman Ahuva Agadi - Chana Bauman - Simi Berger - Mari Birnbaum - Rivka Bloom - Sari Bodner - Chani Dachs - Raizy Erlichman - Meirah Friedler - Rikki Friedman Chaya Halpern - Chani Heilbrun - Huvi Hersh - Shayna Hirmes - Shana Hornung - Chana Horowitz - Chayala Kahana - Zahava Klein - Yakira Kramer Bassheva Levison - Esti Litwin - Chaya Lorber - Devorah Lowinger - Rochel Messner - Esti Mosak - Riva Olshan - Kayla Pasternak - Devorah Pluchenik Esther Malka Rapfogel - Avigayil Rice - Fraidy Rosenzweig - Racheli Rossen - Shoshana Rotberg - Mindy Rubin - Chava Safier - Chaya Schreiber - Ahuva Schwartz Miriam Singer - Tehila Singer - Bailey Singer - Chaya Sara Stein - Adina Teller - Baily Tomaszewski - Batya Tropper - Tzila Walden - Menucha Yagudaev Mimi Zafir - Chaya Zlotowitz - Sari Adler - Shana Becker - Shoshana Berger - Chayla Berkowitz - Esther Blumenthal - Rivka Bobker - Gabi Buchinger - Naomi Dahan - Ahuva Donowitz - Gitty Engel - Bailey Feldberg - Meira Freedman - Kitchie Ganz - Naomi Gewirtz - Sara Goller - Chani Gralla - Rachel Gross - Nechama Halpern Elisheva Kagan - Malka Katz - Rena Kelemer - Goldie Knoll - Shira Landau - Chayala Loeb - Miri Mermelstein - Evie Miller - Lily Mishaan - Shoshi Mosak Eliana Munarov -Tova Olshan - Gitty Osina - Batsheva Perkal - Malya Renov - Penina Robinson - Noa Rosenbach - Racheli Rosenberg - Rena Rosenberg Yael Rosenberg - Ariella Rosenman - Molly Rubin - Leah Schuckman - Ayala Schwartz - Shayna Sichel - Rayna Snow - Dina Szafranski - Miriam Vogel Sophie Wieder - Chana Willig - Naftaliya Winter - Naomi Wolf - Tamar Abramson - Shanna Adler - Yahelli Azriel - Bella Weiss - Chedva Berman - Avigayil Blobstein - Simmi Bornstein - Brana Breskin - Rochel Leah Buckman - Chaya David - Sara Eisenberger - Tovi Eisikovic - Mindy Feuer - Laya Freedman - Mimi Fuchs Rachel Gersten - Hadassah Gold - Sara Gold - Rena Goldstone - Michal Gralla - Racheli Guttmann - Goldie Haas - Atara Hoch - Miriam Kleinkaufman Gellie Kopelowitz - Gavriella Korman - Elana Kramer - Rivka Lichtman - Livi Miller - Nava Moskowitz - Pori Mushell - Chana Paneth - Molly Pasternak - Mindy Posy - Hindy Rada - Atara Ross - Shayna Sabo - Esther Salzman - Leah Sambrowsky - Shira Sambrowsky - Zahava Samuels - Chana Tova Schuss - Rachel Simantov Ariella Taub - Esther Teitelbaum - Avigayil Waltuch - Miri Weichholz - Bayla Abramson - Tehilla Badian - Devora Bakst - Racheli Barasch - Leora Brandsdorfer Sorah Brecher - Ahuva Cohen - Pessy Cohen - Devora Dalezman - Shoshi Dancziger - Elisheva Dubin - Yitti Einhorn - Baily Ellenberg - Hadas Farbman Nechama Shoshana Feldman - Chana Tehila Fliegelman - Riki Gewirtz - Dasi Glenn - Chaya Dina Gluck - Meira Greenwald - Perel Greer - Suri Habib - Eliana Hawk Simmie Hershkovich - Ahuva Hoch - Nechama Hochman - Miriam Hoffman - Shira Jacobs - Ahuva Jungreis - Adina Kalaie - Elisheva Karpman - Aviva Melmed Bayla Meyers - Shoshana Moshayev - Miriam Pam - Mindy Pelman - Leeba Posy - Meira Reich - Lulu Rosen - Yehudis Rosenberg - Rachelle Ruzohorsky Elisheva Schonkopf - Shira Shlomi - Ahuva Silverberg - Esti Simantov - Naomi Stern - Ahuva Teitelbaum - Faigy Teitelbaum - Fraidy Vecselberg - Tamar Waltuch Abby Weiner - Chaya Wyner - Emuna Bernson - Shuli Bloom - Aliza Blumenthal - Deenie Bokow - Ahuva Dancziger - Kayla Deutsch Elana Edelman - Zara Grauman - Sheva Greenbaum - Sima Greenbaum - Shana Hammer - Simi Hornung - Zelda Indig - Eliana Jacobs - Chani Kaminetzky - Ahuva Krengel - Shifra Kutner Aviva Langer - Sara Lerner - Kayla Lewis - Etty Maidi - Racheli Merenstein - Faigie Muller - Atara Orbach - Ahuva Perl - Rikki Plawes - Racheli Roberg Chana Rosenholtz - Ahuva Rubinstein - Aliza Ruvel - Dina Scheininger - Chayala Schiff - Sima Schulhof - Ruchama Schultz - Miri Silverman - Eliana Steele Dasi Stern - Rochel Sussman - Basya Vogel - Yehudis Weissman - Devorah Wollman - Divorah Zucker - Aliza Abramson - Morielle Azriel - Tami Baum - Libba Berko Brocha Blumenkrantz - Adina Bollag - Adina Bryks - Shana Cohen - Aviva Deutsch - Chevy Dicker - Leah Edelman - Yehudis Edelstein - Raquel Eisenberger Sima Eisner - Dina Fishman - Shaina From - Ahuva Futersak - Shoshana Gade - Miri Gantz - Leah Glatstein - Racheli Gold - Ahuva Goldberg - Shoshana Goldman Tzivya Gorlin - Lili Grauman - Sheva Guttmann - Talia Hersh - Deena Hirmes - Tova Jacobs - Dina Jakubowitz - Basi Karr - Emunah Lachman - Rikki Lasker - Kaylee Lazar - Tova Leiberstein - Yehudis Lerner - Perri Levitin - Faigy Lewittes - Tzippy Litvack - Racquel Majeski - Yaffa Mandel - Sarah Messner Temima Meyers Chana Miller - Reena Moshayev - Mindy Moskowitz - Miriam Netzer - Aliza Panzok - Pesya Plawes - Mindy Ratner - Leba Richman - Ariella Rodkin - Tali Rosenfeld - Sorala Rubin - Aliza Rubinstein - Aliza Schwed - Devorah Singer - Elisheva Soniker - Leah Tova Spern - Leah Szafranski - Basya Tennenbaum - Pessy Ungar Vivi Weinberger - Esti Weinreb - Adeena Weiser - Ella Willig - Dahlia Yadgarov - Naomi Zafir - Tova Zauderer - Yael - Barcan - Sarah Miriam Biegeleisen Leah Breskin - Talia Cohen - Ayala Cooper - Daniella Feigenbaum - Hindy Feit - Sara Fest - Sara Fireworker - Chani Frisch - Meira Devorah Frishman - Aliza Fruchter - Risi Fuchs - Devorah Gitelis - Atara Gitelis - Kayla Goldberg - Rachelli Gordon - Temima Gorin - Avigail Gross - Rachelle Grumet - Chavi Jungreis - Anya Klein Leeby Kolodny - Rachelie Krimsky - Etty Kugielsky - Naava Landau - Lele Lesser - Leora Lobl - Rachelli Ludmir - Chaya Martinson - Rachel Melmed Ahuva Mendlowitz - Bayla Mendlowitz - Rikki Moller - Eliana Moskowitz - Aliza Neuman - Dina - Neuman - Avigail Obadia - Batsheva Olshan - Esti Ostreicher Rikki Ostreicher - Chaya Devora Petegorsky - Chayala Pollak - Rikki Rand - Baily Rapaport - Hinda Esther Rothman - Beena Roz - Ahuva Rubenstein Rina Rubenstein - Miriam Salamon - Bella Schwartz - Adina Schwed - Miri Sebrow - Meira Seif - Ita Siegel - Tzippori Silber - Esther Simai - Esti Sinensky Rachel Sipzner - Meira Sklar - Yael Trachtenberg - Miri Weiss - Ahuva Williams - Nechama Wolff - Avigail Yaroslawitz - Rose Yurman - Leba Zinber Shira Agbashoff - Rachel Augenbaum - Leah Bauman - Shira Bauman - Aliza Becker - Devorah Bloom - Esti Blumenkrantz - Michal Botwinick Aviva Malka Bronstein - Devori Dancykier - Tzipporah Deutsch - Rivkah Dubin - Emily Edery - Chana Fragin - Tamar Friedman - Dina Gade - Eliana Goldfeder Ariella Hammer - Atara Harary - Menucha Hardoon - Racheli Heskiel - Shira Kagan - Miri Klein - Rachel Kornbluh - Tova Kranzler - Ayala Lantsman Baila Mendlowitz - Mindy Neuman - Ahuva Oratz - Ariella Orlian - Esti Perl - Naomi Rapaport - Aliza Ratner - Ariella Reich - Kayla Renov - Rivka Rogoff Elisheva Rosenberg - Simi Schick - Miriam Schoor - Shira Schwartz - Tehila Simai - Atara Tepper - Racheli Vecselberg - Naami Zakutinsky
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Mrs. Evy Guttman, Mrs. Rivka "Ricki" Molinsky Lawrence School Board Members: Murray Forman, Asher Mansdorf, David Sussman, Heshy Blachorsky, Abel Feldhamer, Michael Hatten Jeremy Feder, Lawrence Schools Yisroel Wasser, Cedarhurst Village Trustee & JEP/Nageela board member Rabbi Eytan Feiner and The White Shul Rabbi Meyer Weitman and TAG Mrs. Penina Feltman All the Harmony Heads and Performers Participating families and supporters The hosts of rehearsals JEP/Nageela volunteers and staff
For more information, visit jepli.org/harmony or call 516-374-1528. JEP of Long Island - Jewish Education for All
MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
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Around the Community
BBY Annual Dinner
The Jewish Home | MARCH 31, 2022
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“Shloshim yom kodem lachag,” 30 days before Pesach, and the Chevra at Aish Kodesh in Woodmere are diving into the limud, twice a week, with shiurim in Arvei Pesachim, the tenth perek in Maseches Pesachim. Led by the indefatigable talmid chacham Rav Simchie Weingot of Woodmere, who weaves together so brilliantly the Gemara with our Pesach Seder, the chabura meets Monday and Thursday nights at 8:15 in the shul’s Beis Medrash. The shiur and learning should be a zchus for a Refuah Shlaima for Simcha Yitzchak ben Miraleh Liatka and is open to the entire community.
he balmy early spring air augured a magnificent evening of warm celebration on Tuesday, March 23rd as Bnos Bais Yaakov/Tichon Meir Moshe celebrated its twenty-eighth annual dinner. The Sands Atlantic Beach filled to capacity, as enthusiastic guests arrived, eager to show their support for this unique, burgeoning institution. Not a single parking spot was left open. The dinner opened with a wine-tasting event conducted by Spruce Divine to show hakaras hatov to several of BBY’s close friends and supporters. As the main event opened, attendees enjoyed a luxuriant buffet reception in the anteroom, after which the crowd adjourned to the main ballroom. An excited buzz filled the air, as people reveled in the ability to assemble in a way they hadn’t for several years and a sumptuous dinner was promptly served. Dinner Chairman and Master of Ceremonies Mr. Yehudah Zachter welcomed the record-breaking crowd, which included more parents, grandparents and alumnae than ever before. He announced the appointment of several new officers who have joined the ranks of BBY’s executive board. The dinner honored Mr. and Mrs. Charlie and Dena Harary as Guests of Honor and Rabbi and Mrs. Baruch Chiya and Michal Aryeh as Parents of the Year. Dr. and Mrs. Yair and Milka Keilson received the Keser Shem Tov award, and Mr. and Mrs. Moshe and Ashley Hammer received the Young Leadership Award. Each of these couples is a paradigm of chessed and oskim b’tzorchei tzibbur, and we are proud and grateful to count them among our parents and close supporters. Executive Director Rabbi Ephraim Blumenkrantz took the podium, speaking of the strong footing on which Bnos Bais Yaakov stands as the pride of the commu-
nity, a school bursting at the seams with more and more families clambering to join its ranks. Tichon Meir Moshe specifically has grown exponentially over the years, and Rabbi Blumenkrantz announced a campaign to construct a new high school building on the Bnos Bais Yaakov campus. Trustee Mr. Yoeli Edelstein then took the podium and thanked Dime Bank, represented at the dinner by Bank Manager Ms. Diane Duel and Vice President of Commercial Lending Ms. Giselle Sellino, for enabling this undertaking by arranging and executing a refinance package that greatly benefitted BBY. Dime Bank is committed to supporting BBY through this capital expansion endeavor. Concurrently, he announced BBY’s intention to join Torah Umesorah’s initiative in raising teacher salaries incrementally across the board over the coming years. Honoree Mr. Charlie Harary addressed a spellbound audience about what it is that makes Bnos Bais Yaakov tick. Mr. Harary identified the palpable simcha that permeates the entire school as the linchpin which enables the academic, emotional and spiritual growth engendered by BBY and TMM. The evening closed with a stunning musical performance by Baruch Chiya Aryeh of Shalsheles, Tzvi Sussman, Yaakov Kashi, Joey Newcomb, Eitan Katz and Eli Levin and Shlomo Reich, six fathers of BBY and TMM students, who sang “A Father’s Tefillah” – a stirring song composed for Bnos Bais Yaakov – as well as several of their own compositions, accompanied by a live band. Attendees left on a high, the glow of BBY evident in their smiles. We thank all attendees for their friendship and support of Bnos Bais Yaakov and look forward to continued success together.
A New Building at BBY
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nos Bais Yaakov/Tichon Meir Moshe is embarking on the construction of a monumental new building on the Bnos Bais Yaakov campus, with the capacity to house one thousand students. This building will house the rapidly growing Tichon Meir Moshe High School, which has swelled by 150% in just the last five years, as well as the junior high school of Bnos Bais Yaakov. Slated to have forty classrooms, the 70,000 square foot building will also boast a gym for each division, science
labs, libraries, and auditoriums. Several study areas and lounges, both indoors and out, will afford students space to complete assignments and projects. The outdoor amenities will include a rooftop yard, as well as several sitting areas. A large driveway will help to alleviate traffic on Caffrey Avenue and Beach Ninth Street. Please join us in this essential endeavor and enable us to continue to offer excellence in education to our growing student body.
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CONNECTING WITH OUR DAUGHTERS' EXPERIENCE AT BBY
MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
Thank you to all our friends and supporters for making our dinner a most memorable event.
The Jewish Jewish Home Home || MARCH MARCH 31, 31, 2022 2022 The
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Around the Community
YSZ Holds Chagigat Chumash L’Zecher Rav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l
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here’s perhaps nothing more powerful than beholding the sweet innocence of children as they embrace the depth and beauty of their heritage. Sunday’s Chagigat Chumash at YSZ was truly special. The celebrations for the 1st grade boys and 2nd grade girls each began with an address by Rabbi Fridman who spoke about Rav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, and how the Chagigat Chumash events were truly a fitting tribute to his living legacy – a life completely given over to Torah and Yirat Shamayim. The students sang songs about the sweetness and richness of Torah learning, and each student was presented with a Chumash with their name embossed in gold. The children were so proud to receive and hold their very own Chumashim! After the events, each student received a Chumash-themed package
filled with goodies. Special thanks to Rabbi Fridman, Mrs. Khaimov, and Mrs. Pahlaef for arranging the logistics of the events as
well as the dedicated teachers who went above and beyond to prepare their students for this important milestone. May our students hold onto their pride and
excitement for learning Torah for years to come. We wish them a hearty mazal tov and much success as they embark on this new journey!
Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services Thanks U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for $495K Grant to Support Inclusive Camp Kaylie
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hel Children’s Home and Family Services recently announced the approval of a $495,000 grant to support the organization’s Camp Kaylie located in Wurtsboro, NY. The funding was secured by U.S. Senator Majority Leader Charles Schumer in the 2022 federal budget. Founded in 2013, Camp Kaylie offers all campers, including those with disabilities, an exciting and memorable summer camp experience. The inclusive program encourages all campers to flourish and engage in a wide variety of meaningful
programming within a community defined by kindness, sportsmanship, personal responsibility, and mutual respect. “Camp Kaylie is a remarkable, fully-integrated experience that promotes individualization and acceptance of all campers,” said David Mandel, CEO of Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services. “We express the utmost gratitude to Senator Schumer as this funding will fuel maintenance updates throughout the campgrounds and provide campers better onsite experiences.” Senator Schumer noted, “Ohel’s
NYPD Shomrim Society Dinner
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n Thursday, March 24, members of The NYPD Shomrim Society hosted their highly anticipated Annual Dinner Dance and Installation of Officers. As we reconnect with friends and loved ones after over two years without large public gatherings, newly elected President Philip Weisbord greeted event goers with great pride. NYPD Chief of Department Kenneth Corey commended the NYPD Shomrim Society for their efforts in support of their Jewish membership
and the city as a whole. Chief Chaplain, and NYPD Shomrim Society Spiritual Director, Dr. Rabbi Alvin Kass led the prayer over the event and broke bread with special guest NYC Mayor Eric Adams. The newly elected board members were honored by Mayor Adams, who administered their oath of office and spoke passionately about fighting crime on behalf of all NYC residents. The NYPD Shomrim Society thanks all who attended their Annual Dinner Dance, in person and in spirit.
Camp Kaylie is exactly the kind of project that this process was designed to support. The positive impact of Camp Kaylie is priceless, and I’m pleased to support Ohel in their important work providing social and emotional services to campers and their families in New York.” The funding will impact two significant areas of Camp Kaylie: the installation of new generators and an upgraded infirmary. New generators will ensure that the camp sustains 24/7 power while preventing interruptions among vital equipment. As Camp Kaylie has grown,
the demands on the infirmary have also grown. These funds will allow the renovation of the infirmary, enhancing the camp’s ability to provide optimal care to all campers, including those that require medications. Senator Schumer added, “All of the upcoming improvements are designed to support the physical and emotional health of Camp Kaylie campers. I look forward to Camp Kaylie having another wonderful summer.” Learn more about Ohel’s Camp Kaylie by visiting https://campkaylie.org.
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MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
5TLL Sports Corner: Week 1
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his past Sunday, 5 Towns Little League, sponsored by FM Home Loans, opened the season with a practice week. The boys braved the cold, windy day and showcased their skills! Each baseball team enjoyed a practice with their coach followed by a scrimmage game against another team. The regular season starts next week. 5TLL is the premier local little league drawing boys from across the Five Towns and from schools like Darchei, YKLI and YOSS. The 5TLL Spring season starts in March and runs through June. Games are played each Sunday at Lawrence Middle School or the Inwood #2 School. There are divisions starting with kindergarten boys playing coach pitch tee ball and running up through middle schoolers playing competitive softball.
Soccer Recap The soccer division enjoyed evaluations and drills with the results being used to make teams for their regular season that also kicks off next Sunday. There is a K/P Division and a 1st/2nd Division. Swag Alert Every league participant received a
ֵמ ַע ְבד ּות ְל ֵחר ּות ש ְמ ָחה ׂ ִ ִמיָ ּ גוֹ ן ְל baseball bat bag courtesy of FM Home Loans. There were also other prizes and giveaways. Baseball Fun Fact The life span of a major league baseball is 5–7 pitches. During a typical MLB game, approximately 70 balls are used!
Will they enjoy Pesach without shame & heartache? It’s been 226 years and we’ve never let them down
MTA Skills Development Initiative
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TA recently launched a new initiative to help talmidim develop sophisticated research, reading, writing, organization, analysis, and presentation skills starting in freshman year that are of tremendous value during their high school years and beyond. This program was created by a group of teachers and administrators during regular think tank-style meetings aimed to devise creative and meaningful educational programming. The program consists of experiential learning opportunities as well as concrete assignments that enable talmidim to learn and practice these skills each semester, with the goal of crafting a final project during senior year that is worthy of being published in university-level academic journals. The program kicked off with workshops for freshmen and seniors that were organized by MTA’s History Department. The sessions were led by New York Public Library representatives, who distributed New York Public Li-
brary cards to each talmid and also gave a presentation to each grade on how to conduct research using the NYPL’s extensive database of academic journals. Although many MTA talmidim are not NY State residents, they are still eligible for NYPL cards since they are full-time students in a New York school, which is just one of the many benefits of MTA. “This program has generated a lot of excitement among both our talmidim and faculty,” shared History Instructor Mrs. Rivka Djavaheri. “Although the History Department has taken the lead on this project, the skills that we will teach talmidim through hands-on learning experiences, like this one, are cross-disciplinary. At the conclusion of the program, talmidim will be able to conduct their research in a field of personal interest to them – whether that be Science, History, Literature, Business, Political Science, Engineering, the Fine Arts, Psychology, Judaic Studies, or Math - the options are endless.”
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Around the Community
Aish Annual Dinner
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his past Monday evening, Aish Kodesh celebrated their 29th annual dinner at the Woodmere Club. The theme of this year’s dinner was, “Avodah Shebalev – The Selfless Service of Others.” Each one of the honorees exemplified this theme, all representing a Kehilla of individuals that have given of themselves to build and grow the shul into the world renown makom Torah and tefillah that it is today. Debbie and David Aidelson, longtime members of the shul and former president, were the guests of honor. Nataly and Eitan Magendzo were the Nahum Gordon, z”l, Community Service recipients, and Daniella and Sam Schertz were the Young Leadership awardees. As the shul continues to experience phenomenal growth over the last few years, the dinner was the first opportunity in over two years for the entire Kehilla to gather again in person and reflect on that growth. With new shiurim,
speakers, programming, classes, trips, chessed initiatives and so much more, the shul continues to play a vital role to the Five Towns community and beyond. The honorees, and so many of the chevra in the shul, play a crucial role in spreading the message and mission of Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, and Aish Kodesh through their selfless service of others. Mr. Charlie Harary, long time mispallel and talmid of Rav Weinberger, was the emcee for the evening, speaking passionately about the youth of our community and how they have been inspired through the Torah and tefillah that emanates from Aish Kodesh every day. Mr. Yaakov (Jeff) Zoldan, representing the shul leadership, presented to the crowd the staggering number of new members to join the shul in the last two years, welcoming by name every one of the 73 new members to join the Shul in the last year, 127 in the last two, including the names of the newest members who had only just joined the
morning of the dinner! Giving chizuk to new members to get involved and make a difference, he encouraged with “in dreams begin responsibilities; in dreams begin realities; and here at Aish Kodesh we dream big.”
Following the incredibly moving and inspiring video of the honorees, Rav Moshe Weinberger addressed the crowd speaking quite emotionally about the importance of the next generation and the role that Aish Kodesh plays in inspiring them to be true and committed Jews. The dinner was truly a beautiful event, with record participation, celebrating the 29th year of the shul. Members and friends left truly inspired to help spread the message of Rav Weinberger to their own families and community. Upon leaving the Club, the guests were presented with the newly published Haggadah by Rav Moshe Weinberger, which will be sure to enhance the Seder table. Aish Kodesh thanks the dinner committee, especially Ahron Rosenthal and Dov Perkal, for spearheading and capturing the essence of the shul through this dinner, and of course the honorees, for their efforts in this beautiful event.
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ast week, DRS held its tenth annual Nedivei Lev Service Society Induction Ceremony. This special ceremony recognizes DRS students that have shown exemplary service to their community and school through extraordinary acts of chessed and kindness. The ceremony honored members of the senior class who have served their school and the larger community with great distinction. The ceremony was attended by the entire student body, as well as faculty and parents. Rabbi Eli Brazil, Director of Student Activities, delivered some opening remarks and discussed the Nedivei Lev Service Society as well as the concept of chessed and giving to others. The keynote speaker was Micah Kaufman. After surviving life-threatening injuries in an accident in 2019, Micah Kaufman decided to spend his time encouraging others to perform acts of chessed – acts of lovingkindness – which he said helped see him through his ordeal. What made the program truly unique was that the students were given awards by the directors and founders of many of the organizations that were the beneficiaries of the great chessed done by DRS students. Mr. Andy Lauber of i-Shine presented Judah Leifer, Noak Krup, and Aryeh Klier, with an award for their involvement mentoring boys who have a family member struggling with illness. Rabbi Ephraim Polakoff lauded Josh
Aryeh for his dedication to Hatzalah Israel and other volunteer work. Rabbi Aaron Fleksher offered words of Hakarat HaTov to Aiden Weiss and Andrew Haller for all of their work on behalf of DRSLive, which broadcasts DRS Sporting Events to the internet. Rabbi Lieberman of the Premier Nursing Home in Woodmere applauded Reuben Gampel and Noah Birnbaum for playing music for the residents of the facility and lifting their spirits. Rabbi Wolowik recognized Shmuel Bennun for his contributions and volunteer work at Chabad’s Friendship Circle. Mr. Jeff Young of Shalom Task Force honored Tani Englander, Isaac Thurm, Spencer Beckerman and Marc Talansky for their work in spreading the message and mission of the important organization. Rabbi Storch commended Ephraim Herrmann and Zack Rosenberg for their hard work in producing and publishing DRS’s weekly Torah publication to shuls all across the neighborhood, spreading the Torah of DRS. DRS Alum Eitan Aryeh, who works for YACHAD, thanked Gabriel Trauring for his involvement with Yachad. Mrs. Brofsky, Volunteer Services Manager of the JCC, thanked Asaf Perl for his commitment to packing food for the needy through their chessed programming. A big yasher koach to all the honorees on their chessed and to Student Activities Director Rabbi Brazil who coordinates all chessed opportunities in DRS.
MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
DRS Nedivei Lev Service Society
ֵמ ֵא ֶבל ְליוֹ ם טוֹ ב ּו ֵמ ֲא ֵפ ָלה ְלאוֹ ר ָ ּגדוֹ ל They aren’t making it through the month. How will they cover Pesach expenses? Turn tension and tears into true tranquility
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718-871-7807
4813 16th AVE BROOKLYN NY 11204 // F: 718-871-7956 INFO@KUPATHRABBIMEIR.ORG // WWW.KUPATHRABBIMEIR.ORG
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Gedolei Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael Give Guidance and Express Excitement about New Dirshu Chaburas Hashas Iyun Program By Chaim Gold
“I am very excited about this program because it combines both yedias haTorah with learning b’iyun in a way that will tremendously enrich any participant.”
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hose were the words of HaGaon HaRav Dovid Cohen, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Chevron, about the new Dirshu Chaburas HaShas program, said at a pivotal meeting attended by HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of the Slabodka Yeshiva, and Rav Dovid Hofstedter, shlita, Nasi Dirshu, together with senior members of hanhalas Dirshu. That meeting was the culmination of several meetings with senior Gedolei Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael that included meetings with Hagaon HaRav Shalom Cohen, shlita, Rosh Yeshivat Porat Yosef, and the Sanzer Rebbe, shlita. Details of the Program The new Dirshu Chaburas HaShas iyun program is making waves throughout the world. The program, the first of its kind, has taken the olam haTorah by storm because it offers an opportunity to learn one masechta after another in a framework where people who want to learn the Gemara in a deeper, more comprehensive manner than achieved through the framework of the Daf HaYomi. The program enables one to learn Shas with Tosafos and the main Rishonim and Acharonim. One maggid shiur related, “For years I have wondered when I would be able to complete Shas. Daf HaYomi is not practical for me. Now, however, with Dirshu’s new Chaburas HaShas program I can learn two and a half blatt a week, which equals ten blatt per month of Gemara, Rashi, Tosafos, and the main Rishonim and
Acharonim on the sugya. In this way, I can complete the entire Shas with this type of ‘iyun kal,’ in less than two decades. It is such an opportunity! Such a windfall!” At the Dirshu convention held last month in Stamford, Connecticut, the highlight of the Melave Malka Siyum on Seder Moed was the announcement by Rav Dovid Hofstedter about a new Dirshu program, “Dirshu Chaburas HaShas.” At the time, Rav Hofstedter painted an outline of the exciting program with broad brushstrokes, but now as the program’s launch this coming Rosh Chodesh Iyar is coming steadily closer, Dirshu has released the details of the program and they have been met with great anticipation and joy by the olam haTorah around the world. The new Chaburas HaShas program will feature two tracks. Track one is Gemara, Rashi and Tosafos with a thirty-question test every month. Track two will feature Gemara, Rashi, Tosafos, and a list of maarei mekomos from the Rishonim and Acharonim prepared under the guidance of Rav Dovid Cohen, Rosh Yeshivas Chevron. Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch: This is Just the Program that Many Yungeleit have Been Waiting For At a fascinating meeting attended by Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, Rav Dovid Cohen, Rav Dovid Hofstedter and senior members of hanhalas Dirshu the program was discussed. The meeting focused both on the importance of the program and on the appropriate time for avreichim to learn the program. Rav Moshe Hillel explained, “Every yungerman needs to learn in a way that is fitting for him and in a way that gives him sipuk hanefesh – satisfaction. For many yungeleit, this kind of program, either the first track or the second track, is exactly what they have
been waiting for. I think this is a very good program for a person who wants to learn sugyos with some iyun; a yungerman who wants to go beyond the superficial but wants to simultaneously cover ground in a structured program. I always tell my talmidim and yungeleit who come to me that they must learn in a way that is fitting for them and their own individual needs. I think this program can bring tremendous to’eles, to many, many avreichim. “I think Rav Dovid Hofstedter and Dirshu are doing an amazing thing by offering such a program to Klal Yisrael.” Rav Dovid Cohen: Getting to the “Heart” of the Sugya Rav Dovid Cohen, Rosh Yeshiva of Chevron, related that Rav Yisroel Salanter writes that when it comes to learning Torah there are two distinct obligations. One is to understand the depth of Torah with pilpulim and the other is to understand the wide-ranging breadth of Torah. “What is so special about this program? What is the reason I am so excited about it? This program allows for the learning of both in a way that is very fitting for so many lomdei Torah. Of course, during morning seder, lomdei Torah learn with great iyun and hear shiurim on what they learn. Because of that, however, they generally do not cover so much ground in the morning seder. A program like Chaburas HaShas can allow a person to cover ten blatt a month but at the same time he can absorb the ‘heart’ of the sugya rather than learn it in a superficial manner. He can gain clarity from an important Rashba, Ritva or Rabi Akiva Eiger that sheds light on the entire sugya. When one learns just Gemara, Rashi and Tosafos, he may be missing the ‘heart’ of some sugyos. This program offers a beautiful synthesis of both cover-
Hanhalas Dirshu meeting with HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch and HaRav Dovid Cohen
the program as a program that would give tremendous cheshek to lomdei Torah and increase their knowledge exponentially. He praised Dirshu for designing programs that encourage limud haTorah at all times, filling up the “holes” in the weekly schedule with learning programs that increase yedias haTorah. Rav Hofstedter and hanhalas Dirshu also met with the Sanzer Rebbe who gave his heartfelt bracha to the program and spoke about the efforts that his father, the previous Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe, invested in ensuring that the generation would possess a cadre of Shas Yidden who not only learned Shas superficially but rather learned it with great depth and were able to be tested on it. The new Chaburas HaShas program and its details infused the Rebbe with great simcha. Rav Dovid Hofstedter concluded the meeting with Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch and Rav Dovid Cohen by mentioning the fact that all of Klal Yisroel is in deep mourning upon the petirah of Rav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, who so supported Dirshu’s efforts to spread Torah. “There is a tremendous Torah void in the world Meetings with with the passing of the Sar HaToRav Shalom Cohen and rah. We must all do our part to fill The Sanzer Rebbe that void by learning more Torah The hanhalah of Dirshu also both in quality and quantity. This met with Rav Shalom Cohen, new Chaburas HaShas program senior Sephardic Rosh Yeshiva, with the constant guidance of the in his home in the Old City of Gedolei Yisrael can help us fill Yerushalayim. Rav Cohen hailed that void.” ing ground while simultaneously really learning with an understanding that goes beyond superficial bekius.” Rav Cohen went on to say that for those learning Track Two, the iyun kal, the learning can be done either during afternoon seder or night seder, but for those learning in Track One that just covers Gemara, Rashi and Tosafos, it should be learned either during night seder or bein hasedarim. “I think this program is a great tikkun, it performs a great service to Klal Yisrael,” Rav Dovid concluded. Rabbi Avigdor Bernstein, a senior member of hanhalas Dirshu, explained, “Most night seder programs for kollel yungeleit in Eretz Yisrael do not have a structured program. Rather, the avreichim learn with chavrusos whatever they agree upon to learn. Chaburas HaShas is presenting a structured program with Tosafos or with iyun kal that can give a yungerman tremendous cheshek and an opportunity to learn masechta after masechta with a degree of iyun on which he can be tested and receive a stipend! It is a winwin situation.”
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New Book and Music Album to Enliven Your Yom Tov Preparations
ּו ִמ ׁ ּ ִש ְע ּב ּוד ִל ְ ּג ֻא ָ ּלה
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esach is coming… A n d wow! So is Uncle Moishy! With a brand new book and music album, Uncle Moishy will make the run-up to Pesach the best time ever – for both children and their parents! First, let’s take a look at Uncle Moishy: The Very Best Pesach Surprise. There’s great excitement in Meir and Malka’s house. Pesach is coming, and there is so much to do. Mommy has to rest because she’s just brought home the new twins! How will the family be ready in time for the Seder? No worries! Uncle Moishy is here to help! Together with Pesach food, he’s bringing Pesach lessons and Pesach fun. Like the other bestselling books in the Uncle Moishy series, Uncle Moishy: The Very Best Pesach Surprise will delight children as it teaches them lessons in responsibility, in teamwork, and in doing mitzvos with zerizus. With its engaging illustrations and charming rhymes, Uncle Moishy: The Very Best Pesach Surprise will make Pesach prep, and the holiday itself, a time of happiness and laughter, something the entire family will enjoy together. And now for the music album, Pesach with Uncle Moishy! Take about a masterpiece! This incredible Pesach album, produced and arranged by the multi-talented, world-renowned producer and arranger Doni Gross, is filled with mega musical arrangements and incredible, upbeat songs sung as only Uncle Moishy can, keeping kids entertained and engaged. Including 10 tracks of today’s popu-
lar songs, with new, carefully selected lyrics written by Chayala Neuhaus and Perry Binet, it is a fun, exciting, powerful, and educational album with beautiful Jewish concepts for everyone and practical lessons to carry you all year. Whether it’s lessons for younger ones or older ones, all listeners are bound to walk away with our Jewish pride, love for Torah, and an overall amazing positive feeling. “Uncle Moishy has a special way of tapping into kids while still keeping it fun and light, and bringing across important messages in such a positive way,” says Doni Gross. “Uncle Moishy’s focus is not just on teaching about Yiddishkeit, but giving children the feeling and warmth of Yiddishkeit.” Turn on Pesach with Uncle Moishy and sing along to the fabulous music as foundational Jewish values are being instilled. “By the time friends and family have joined one another on the Seder night, even our youngest guests will know the story and songs by heart and be ready to join in,” says Uncle Moishy. “But be prepared! The enchanting songs will enter the hearts of everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, enlivening everyone’s Pesach preparations.” Enjoy the Uncle Moishy book and music album, making memories while you’re making Pesach!
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Rewrite the saga of 2,000 families in Eretz Yisrael this Pesach. Call 24 Hours
718-871-7807
4813 16th AVE BROOKLYN NY 11204 // F: 718-871-7956 INFO@KUPATHRABBIMEIR.ORG // WWW.KUPATHRABBIMEIR.ORG
MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
Pesach with Uncle Moishy!
The Jewish Home | MARCH 31, 2022
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TJH
Centerfold
International Blunders It is not just international leaders that make embarrassing gaffes while abroad, many companies have had stinkers of their own, including the following:
Pepsi’s mid-1990s slogan, “Come alive with Pepsi,” was translated in China as “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead.”
In Italy, a campaign for Schweppes Tonic Water translated the name into “Schweppes Toilet Water.”
In the 1970s, American Motors launched a mid-sized vehicle called the Matador in Puerto Rico. Although the company intended to portray valor and strength, matador roughly translates to “killer” in the local language.
In 1987, KFC’s slogan of “Finger lickin’ good” was translated in China as “Eat your fingers off.”
Coors beer launched its “Turn It Loose” campaign in Spain, not realizing that the Spanish interpretation meant “suffer from a loose stomach.”
Salem cigarettes’ “Salem-Feeling Free” was translated into the Japanese market as “When smoking Salem, you will feel so refreshed that your mind seems to be free and empty.”
Mercedes-Benz entered the Chinese market under the brand name “Bensi,” which means “rush to die.”
Coca-Cola in Chinese is very similar to words that mean “female horse stuffed with wax.”
OctOber 29, 2015 | the Jewish Home
Riddle Me This A detective who was mere days away from cracking an international oil smuggling ring has suddenly gone missing. While inspecting his last-known location, officers find a note: 710 57735 34 5508 51 7718. There are three suspects: Bill, John, and Todd. The senior detective looks at the numbers and says, “Bill is the head of the oil smuggling ring.” How did he know?
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Answer: The numbers, if read upside down, say, “Bill is boss. He sells oil.”
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MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
NATO Trivia 1. What is NATO? a. An international trade partnership b. A nuclear watchdog c. An international criminal court d. An international military alliance 2. When was NATO established? a. 1924 b. 1949 c. 1956 d. 1986 3. Which emblem is on the official flag of NATO? a. White compass b. Two eagles c. Olive branch d. War ship 4. How many countries are members of NATO?
a. b. c. d.
8 14 30 52
5. Which of these countries was not one of the founding members of NATO? a. Denmark b. Norway c. Spain d. Luxembourg 6. Which is the only NATO country that does not have an army? a. Iceland b. Belgium c. Luxembourg d. Montenegro 7. Where is NATO’s headquarters? a. Madrid b. Haig c. Oslo d. Brussels
8. How much of their gross domestic product are NATO members supposed to commit to their defense spending? a. 2% b. 5% c. 10% d. 15% Answers: 1. D 2. B 3. A 4. C 5. C 6. A 7. D 8. A Wisdom Key: 7-8 correct: You are a fine diplomat indeed…with your fancy Belgium accent. 4-6 correct: You are not that strong…but, hey, we are all stronger together. 0-3 correct: You are hardly a diplomat…stick to sports.
Putin is getting a haircut from his personal barber. While cutting his hair, the barber keeps on asking him about Ukraine. Putin finally snaps at the replaceable barber and says, “Do you want to disappear? Why do you keep on mentioning Ukraine?!” The barber replies, “Every time I mention Ukraine, your hair stands up; it makes it easier to cut.”
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You Gotta Be Kidding Me!
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torah thought
Parshas Tazria by rabbi berel Wein
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OctOber 29, 2015 | the Jewish Home
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n this week’s Torah reading, we are informed, almost in passing, of the commandment regarding circumcision of male children at the age of eight days. This commandment, which has existed forever in Jewish life, is the symbol of the covenant with our father Abraham between the L-rd of Israel and the people of Israel and is one of the core rituals of Judaism. The circumcision ceremony itself is called a brit – a covenant. It is the dedication of Jews to their faith and tradition that has remained, despite all the various attempts to destroy it in each century of Jewish existence. Throughout Jewish history, this ritual of circumcision, like the Jewish people itself, has always been under attack and criticism from the outside world. The Romans and the Greeks, who worshiped the human body in its physical form and for its prowess, abhorred the idea of circumcision. They felt that it was a mutilation that defiled the body and its perfection. Jews, however, felt that circumcision sanctified the body and represented the better nature of human beings – the spiritual and eternal side of
human life. Jews always believed that inevitably the body weakens, withers, and eventually disappears, and it is only the intangible parts of our existence – memory, spirit, and creativity – that endure and can be passed on from generation to generation.
and hospitality that he represented and introduced into a pagan and hostile world environment. Even today, there are many forces in the world that seek to deny the rights of the Jewish people to perform this core basic commandment. These groups al-
Throughout Jewish history, this ritual of circumcision, like the Jewish people itself, has always been under attack and criticism from the outside world.
As such, circumcision was not so much a defilement of the human body, as it was and is a testimony to the enhancement and eternity of the human spirit. Every circumcision was a statement of renewal of the original covenant with our father Abraham and is a testimony to the values of monotheism, human kindness,
ways cloak themselves in the piety of self-righteousness. They claim to represent the eight-day-old infant, who apparently has no say in the matter. Mixed into this specious argument is the old Roman and Greek idea of the holiness of the human body and the necessity to protect it from mutilation, which still exists.
There are so-called democratic countries that even have legislated against circumcision, all in the name of some higher good and greater morality that only they possess and understand. It must be noted that in the Moslem world, also claiming the heritage from our father Abraham, circumcision is also an enshrined ritual and one of in its tenets of faith, but it is usually performed only when the child is much older than eight days. One of the decrees against Judaism instituted by the tyrannical Soviet Union government of the past century was the banning of circumcision. Yet, when the Soviet Union collapsed, an enormous number of Jews who were already adults chose to undergo circumcision to show their solidarity with their people and with the tradition of our fathers. This phenomenon attests to the strength and permanence of this commandment amongst all Jews, no matter what their status of religious observance may be. It is this supreme act of loyalty and commitment that binds the Jewish people together with each other, and with our past, our present and our eternity. Shabbat shalom.
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From the Fire Parshas Tazria
Looking Forward Versus Looking Back by rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf
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OctOber 29, 2015 | the Jewish Home
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he laws of tzara’as – which some translate as “leprosy” – are very difficult to understand. When the pasuk (Vayikra 13:2) says, “When a person has a se’es, sapachas, or baheres on his skin, and it is a blemish of rzara’as...,” it is difficult to understand exactly what these afflictions are. One thing that we see, however, from the Mishnayos explaining rzara’as is that a major sign of the impurity of tzara’as is the color white. This seems very unusual. Usually, the color white is associated with purity, not impurity. The pasuk in Yeshaya (1:18) says, “If your sins are like scarlet, I will whiten them like snow, and if they are red like crimson, they will be [as white as] wool.” Similarly, on Yom Kippur (Yuma 39a), when the “gold ribbon turned
white,” it was a sign that the Jewish people were forgiven. We see, therefore, that the color white is usually associated with innocence and purity, not impurity. Why, then, is the color white a sign of impurity for a Metzora, one afflicted with tzara’as? The Sefer Yetzira (2:7) points out that the word for the affliction of tzara’as, “negah,” has the same letters as the word “oneg,” pleasure or delight. It says that “there is nothing higher than ‘oneg,’ delight, and there is nothing lower than ‘negah,’ the affliction of tzara’as.” How do we see this? Even a person who is tamei because of tumas meis, contact with a dead body, is allowed to live in the community and he can even ascend to Har Habayis, although he may not enter the Bais Hamikdash. A Metzorah, on
the other hand, may not even live in the community. He must dwell alone outside the city. We see, therefore, that there is nothing lower than “negah,” the affliction of tzara’as. As the Sefer Yetzira explained, the letters of the words for affliction, a “negah,” and for “oneg,” delight are the same. The only difference between the two words is the placement of the letter ayin. In the word “negah,” the “ayin” is at the end of the word, and in the word “oneg,” the “ayin” is at the beginning of the word. This observation is also hinted at in the pasuk (Vayikra 13:25), which discusses the law of a garment afflicted with tzara’as which had been quarantined by the kohein but which retained its appearance even after the seven-day quarantine peri-
od. It says, “The affliction did not change its appearance, aino.” The word for “appearance, aino” can also refer to the Hebrew letter “ayin.” The pasuk is therefore saying that the garment was still afflicted with tzara’as because its owner did not “change” the “ayin” by moving it from the end of the word “negah” to the beginning of the word to transform his affliction into the delight of “oneg.” At the beginning of the parsha, Rashi quotes part of a medrash (Vayikra Raba 14:1) to answer the implicit question, “Why are does the Torah teach the laws of purity and impurity relating to animals at the end of last week’s parsha before the laws of human purity and impurity in this week’s parsha?” The medrash quotes the pasuk in Tehillim (139:5) homiletically
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Forward-Looking Forefathers
Don’t Look Back
tive thoughts... Instead of taking the camp’s difficulties as a test of their inner strength, they did not take their life seriously and despised it as something of no consequence. They preferred to close their eyes and to live in the past. Life for such people became meaningless... [W]e could say that most men in a concentration camp believed that the real opportunities of life had passed. Yet, in reality, there was an opportunity and a challenge. One could make a victory of those experiences, turning life into an inner triumph, or one could ignore the challenge and simply vegetate, as did a majority of the prisoners. Any attempt at fighting the camp’s psychopathological influence on the prisoner by psychotherapeutic or psychohygenic methods had to aim at giving him inner strength by pointing out to him a future goal to which he could look forward. Instinctively some of the prisoners attempted to find one on their own. It is a peculiarity of man that he can only live by looking into the future... And this is his salvation in the most difficult moments of his existence, although he sometimes has to force his mind to the task. My father also told us that in the camps they could tell when someone was about to die even without a Nazi standing over him. Near the end of the War, shortly before the liberation, the Nazis stopped providing the Jews with even the moldy bread were previously given. Many Jews stayed active, looking for a way to survive, and others just receded to the corners in a semi-vegetative state. The others tried to strengthen and encourage them, but it was often no use. The other prisoners knew that such a person had only a few more hours to live because they had stopped looking into the future and had given up on their own lives. Even outside of the concentration camps, we are faced with the choice between looking into the past, living in the world of “negah,” affliction, or looking at the opportunities of the future, the world of “oneg,” delight. May we merit to look at the world through the forward-looking lens of “kedem,” and our lives will be filled with delight rather than affliction. May the world soon be filled with the delight of “chadeish yameinu k’kedem” with the coming of Moshiach soon in our days.
Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, is the founding Morah d’Asrah of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, NY, and serves as leader of the new mechina Emek HaMelech.
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That is the meaning of the pasuk in Tehillim, “Achor v’kedem tzartani,” hom-
iletically translated as “at the beginning and at the end You have formed me.” A Jew must make a choice every day of his life whether to look at the world through the eyes of “achor,” where he looks back on his life as if he were at the end, as if everything has been predetermined because of his past. For such a person, everything is a “negah,” an affliction, the lowest thing in the world. Alternatively, he can put the “ayin,” his eye, at the beginning of the word, and keep his eyes focused on the future. That is the attitude of “kedem,” where one sees himself as standing at the beginning, where he feels that “today is the first day of the rest of my life.” This is the choice every Jew must make. Let me offer a simple example. Let’s say there are two Jews who take their service of Hashem seriously. Both of them are saying Shemona Esrei. Right before the last paragraph, “Sim shalom, establish peace,” each one realizes that he did not concentrate on one single word of davening. The one who looks backward, with the attitude of “achor,” looks back at his lackluster Shemona Esrei and thinks to himself “It’s over, this Shemona Esrei was a complete failure. It’s all over.” Such a Jew will speed through the last paragraph of Shemona Esrei as well. The other Jew will look into the future and say, “I may not have concentrated on the first part of Shemona Esrei, but there is still one paragraph left, which is a beautiful prayer. I will now have the best ‘Sim shalom’ possible.” We can now understand why white, usually associated with purity, becomes a symbol of impurity for a Metzora. Someone who looks at the word from the perspective of “achor,” who looks backward and sees only limitations and “nega-”tivity, sees even a symbol of purity as negative and impure. This choice between “achor” and “kedem,” between the forward-looking versus the backward-looking perspective, was the main focus of Viktor Frankl’s book “Man’s Search for Meaning.” As you are aware, Viktor Frankl was an accomplished psychologist before the War and was a survivor of the concentration camps. I want to quote a few sentences (p. 80-81) from this book, which encapsulate this choice between the perspective of “oneg,” looking into the future, and “negah,” looking toward the past: A man who let himself decline because he could not see any future goal[,] found himself occupied with retrospec-
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The way of the world is that when one encounters a person who is different, or who possesses a negative character trait, people ask what the person went through as a child or at some point in his or her life that created these problems. There is certainly a place for this approach, and good therapists who use this approach with people will follow up with a plan on how to move from the past into a more positive future. But for the most part, this is an approach of “achor,” looking back into the past. In this perspective, a person feels trapped by things that have happened to him or her in the past. The way of the Torah, however, is the approach of “kedem,” seeing himself as if he is starting at the beginning and looking forward into the future. In this approach, one asks himself, “How can I make tomorrow better than yesterday?” We see this approach with our Avos, our forefathers, many of whom had every reason to assume they would never be successful. I would like to offer just two examples. The first is Dovid Hamelech. He was a stranger to his own brothers, who did not understand him, as Dovid said, (Tehillim 69:9) “I became estranged from my brothers.” Even his own father, who was a tzaddik, did not think he would amount to anything. When Shmuel told Yishai that one of his sons would be the next king, it did not even occur to him to bring Dovid to Shmuel to see if he was the chosen son. When Shmuel sees that
none of Yishai’s other sons were meant to be king, he presses Yishai to find out if he has any other sons. Having completely forgotten about Dovid, he finally remembers (Shmuel 1:16:11), “There is one left-over younger son; he is tending the sheep in the field.” Shmuel has to press him to bring Dovid to him before he finally summons Dovid. Hashem then tells Shmuel to arise and anoint Dovid as the future king of the Jewish people. Even as the years went by, Dovid experienced pain and suffering. He was pursued by Shaul, endured a rebellion led by his own son, and witnessed the death of another one of his sons even after he davened like never before for his recovery. Dovid Hamelech had a greater excuse than anyone else to take the “achor” perspective and look back at all of his difficulties and conclude that he would never be successful spiritually or physically. But instead of looking at the past, he always took the “kedem,” the forward-looking approach. Not only did he not use his past as an excuse not to succeed, he took every difficulty he encountered and composed chapters of Tehillim! In this way, he attained an even higher level than Aharon Hakohein. Aharon achieved a great level when, immediately after his sons Nadav and Avihu died, the pasuk (Vayikra 10:3) says, “And Aharon was silent.” Dovid Hamelech, however, reached an even higher level. When he was faced with suffering, he said (Tehillim 30:13), “In order that I should sing a song of glory to You [Hashem] and I will not be silent.” Not only did the difficulties in his past not hold him back, he turned each one into a new chapter of Tehillim. Another example from our Avos is Yosef. No matter how bad our relationships are with our family, very few of us can say that our siblings tried to kill us and sold us into slavery. He was sold to Egypt, which was called (Bereishis 42:12) “the nakedness of the land” because it was the most morally degraded place on earth. In addition, he was isolated and alone in Egypt. He did not have even one Jew with whom he could share what was in his heart. Nevertheless, instead of accepting his fate as being cut off from the G-dliness of his forefathers, he lifted himself up to become a Yosef Hatzadik.
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translated as “at the beginning and at the end You have formed me.” According to the medrash, “Rav Simlai says, ‘Just as man was formed after domesticated animals, wild animals, and birds, so too, the laws [of man’s purity and impurity] are taught after [the laws of purity and impurity of] domesticated animals, wild animals, and birds.” The medrash further explains, “If man is meritorious, they say to him, ‘You preceded the whole act of Creation,’ and if he is not [meritorious,] they say to him, ‘Even the mosquito preceded you.’” The pasuk in Tehillim said, which means that man was formed both first and last. Therefore, if man merits to put the ayin first, then he is filled with “oneg,” delight and pleasure. If, however, he is not meritorious, and he puts the ayin last, then he is afflicted with a “negah” and is considered the lowest part of Creation. How does one move the “ayin” of “negah” to the beginning of the word, to transform it into “oneg,” delight?
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BUILDING BLOCKS OF ETERNITY Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s new capital project will encompass a Mesivta Beis Medrash and its first-ever Residence Hall. BEIS MEDRASH + CLASSROOM BUILDING Will serve 500 talmidim in grades 8-11 34,200 Total square feet 4 Stories 5200 sq. feet Beis Hamedrash for Mesivta 15 Classrooms
RESIDENCE HALL Will serve 271 talmidim in Mesivta & Yeshiva Gedolah 43,000 Total square feet 4 Stories 68 Dormitory Rooms 271 Beds 4 Student Lounges
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T H E S E V I S I O N A R I E S H AV E A L R E A DY S T E P P E D F O R WA R D . W I L L YO U J O I N T H E M ?
MR. & MRS. BERISH & HANNAH FUCHS
THE BIVETSKY FAMILY SHAAR HATORAH
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RESIDENCE HALL AND TORAH CENTER
ה ליב ע”ה-לע”נ שלום ראובן בן ארי
MESIVTA BEIS MEDRASH BUILDING
MESIVTA BEIS MEDRASH
ANONYMOUS
Camp Oraysa Sports Complex
ANONYMOUS Residence Hall Cornerstone
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לע”נ נחמן יהודה בן יעקב דוד ע”ה ואשתו לאה בת יהודה אשר ע”ה ולע”נ יעקב ליב בן שלמה ע”ה
Promenade Vestibule
Beis Medrash Vestibule Entrance
MR. & MRS. URI & ESTHER KAUFMAN
לע”נ הרה”ג ר‘ דוד בן הרב אברהם בנדר זצ”ל והרבנית בתיה חיה בת הרב יעקב הלוי ז”ל לע”נ זעליג בן מרדכי ע”ה לע”נ משה אלעזר בן נטע שלום ע”ה לע”נ דוד בן משה ע”ה הר‘ משה נתן בן יחזקאל ע”ה וישראל בן אברהם ע”ה לע”נThe children, bochurim, and all 45 neshamos of the Miron tragedy, Lag Baomer 5781
Dedicated by Mr. & Mrs. Yaakov & Rivky Jacobovitch
MR. & MRS. CHAIM & BRACHA SCHULHOF MR. & MRS. NISSAN & SARAH GITTY PROFESORSKE
לע”נ ישראל הלוי לעווין ע”ה ואלישבע בתיה קפלן ע”ה
Dedication of Rosh Kollel’s Office
MR. & MRS. MOTTY & HADASSA JACOBOWITZ
לע”נ חוה בת דב ע”ה
Entranceway to Mesivta Beis Medrash Building
THE BLOOM FAMILY
לע”נ ר‘ ישראל בן ר‘ בנימין הכהן ע”ה
MR. & MRS. CHAIM SHOLOM & RIVKY LEIBOWITZ Associate Dean’s Office
Sha’ar of New Beis Medrash
In Memory of Mrs. Marta Schron ע” ה
MR. & MRS. NACHUM & HENNY FUTERSAK
MR. & MRS. MENASH & MIMI ORATZ Basketball Court in Elementary School Gym
Mr. & Mrs. Barry & Paula Bokow
DEDICATED ANONYMOUSLY
Dedication Wall Mesivta Beis Medrash Building
MR. & MRS. CHAIM & ROCHELLA TREITEL
MR. & MRS. NASSAN & DEVORAH TREITEL
Gymnasium Wing
Preschool Cornerstone
MR. & MRS. ALON & CHANIE GOLDBERGER
MR. & MRS. NACHMAN & ESTHER GOODMAN Entrance of Beis Medrash Building
Sha’ar of New Beis Medrash
MR. & MRS. SHIA & ELANA OSTREICHER Beis Medrash Building Vestibule
Mr. & Mrs. Samuel & Beverly Goldberger Mr. & Mrs. Tzali & Chana Shira Gutman Mr. & Mrs. Ari & Aliza Haas Mr. & Mrs. Berel & Sherry Daskal Mr. & Mrs. Shlomo & Kayla Horowitz Mr. & Mrs. Binyomin & Leah Einhorn Mr. & Mrs. Menachem & Elisheva Jacobowitz Mr. & Mrs. Naftoli & Chani Einhorn Mr. & Mrs. Mordechai & Shana Jacobs Mr. & Mrs. Michael & Mimi Fragin Mr. & Mrs. Jeff & Tamar Landy Mr. & Mrs. Evan & Chaya Sara Genack Mr. & Mrs. Yosef & Vivi Moskowitz Rabbi & Rebbetzen Chaim Aryeh Zev & Avigail Ginzberg Mr. & Mrs. Yitzy & Rivky Orbach Mr. & Mrs. Simcha & Shani Applegrad
MESIVTA OTZAR HASEFORIM
NAYMAN FAMILY
Lobby, Mesivta Beis Medrash Building
Cornerstone, Mesivta Beis Medrash Building
Ner Tamid
DEDICATION OF CAMP ORAYSA CAMPUS
MR. & MRS. MOTTY & HADASA MENDELSOHN
DR. & MRS. YOSSI & ZIVIA SCHWARTZ
MR. & MRS. URI & DEVORAH DREIFUS
MR. & MRS. SHMULI & MIRIAM MENDEL
THE SCHRON FAMILY
MEMORIAL EXHIBIT TO THE YESHIVOS OF PREWAR EUROPE
GYMNASIUM WING
MR. & MRS. BENZION & MIRIAM HEITNER
MR. & MRS. DOVID & LEAH BRECHER
MR. & MRS. BENJAMIN & JUDY LANDA
MR. & MRS. YITZCHOK & SHOSHANA GANGER
THE K TEAM
Plumbing Training Center Dedicated
לע”נ אברהם שלמה בן יחיאל מיכל הכהן ז”ל לע”נ הר‘ אברהם בן הר‘ חיים מנחם בן ציון זצ”ל ALL BORO CONSTRUCTION
Mr. & Mrs. Ephram & Ilana Ostreicher Mr. & Mrs. Mutty & Bracha Ribowsky Mr. & Mrs. David & Sima Rosenfeld Mr. & Mrs. Dovid & Chani Roll Dr. & Mrs. Zvi & Dina Schreiber Mr. & Mrs. Andrew & Stephani Serotta Mr. & Mrs. Marvin & Judy Sigler Mr. & Mrs. Morris & Devora Smith Mr. & Mrs. Yehuda & Mindy Zachter
Get in on the ground floor of this monumental project. To choose from a wide selection of sponsorships at all levels, please contact: Rabbi Zev Bald 718.868.2300 ext. 232 zbald@darchei.org Rabbi Baruch Rothman 718.868.2300 ext. 406 brothman@darchei.org
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Self-Mastery Academy
The Jewish Approach to Leadership by rabbi Shmuel reichman
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fter years of research and preparation, James had finally secured a slot to speak at the prestigious international physics conference. He would be presenting his studies in the field of quantum mechanics and was looking forward to the largest scale event of his life. He had never before presented at an official conference, let alone one of such prestige. It had taken every ounce of courage within him to even submit his work to such an event, and he knew that a successful lecture could change the trajectory of his career. When the day of the presentation arrived, James woke up feeling nervous but excited. He was about to present his life’s work before a crowd of the foremost researchers in his field. After preparing his lecture notes carefully, he strode into the conference room. The room was completely empty. “Strange,” he thought. “Maybe the previous sessions went overtime...” He briefly reviewed his notes and then looked down at his watch again. It was now five minutes past the start time and not a single person had shown up. A bead of sweat rolled down his neck as he weighed his options. “Maybe this was all for nothing!” he thought anxiously. “Maybe I should just pack up and leave!” “No, just give it another minute or so,” a calmer voice in the back of his head insisted. Just then, an elegant-looking gentleman, probably in his mid-sixties, walked into the room. He slowly strolled to the front row and took a seat, focusing his piercing blue eyes on James. Slightly taken aback, James forced a smile and began his lecture, surprised by how engaged his single audience member was. Upon concluding his speech, the man came over and thanked James profusely for sharing such an enlightening
presentation. “Wow! I’ve been to countless conferences, but this was the greatest presentation I have ever been privileged to hear! You have a bright future ahead of you, son. I wish you all the success in the world and can’t wait to see all the incredible things you accomplish with your life.” James floated out of the conference, inspired and confident to begin his next big project. While unpacking from his
the keynote speaker, the featured scientist who had been flown in from London to lead the conference. This was one of the most respected and revered figures in the scientific world, and he had come to James’ speech! James spent the next several hours tracking down this man’s phone number. When he finally got him on the phone, James couldn’t contain himself: “I don’t
A Torah leader is an emissary of Hashem in this world and will lead the people towards the truth.
ent at a conference very similar to the one we just came from. This was the most exciting opportunity I had ever been given, and I prepared night and day for months in advance. When it was time for my presentation, not a single person showed up. I was crushed, defeated, and dejected. I seriously doubted my self-worth and almost gave up on my aspirations altogether. It took me years to overcome the emotional hurt. “Yesterday, when I finished my keynote address, I was on my way back to the airport to present at another conference. However, when I passed by your room, I saw you standing there in an empty room, and it was like looking at a mirror. A reflection of my past emerged, and I saw myself standing in front of an empty lecture hall. I knew that the best way to encourage you, to teach you, and to ensure that you would continue striving forward was to sit in on your presentation and show you respect, make you feel heard. “The greatest form of leadership is empowering others to be leaders.” James never forgot that conversation. The topic of leadership is both fascinating and fundamental to human society. What is the Jewish approach to leadership, and how does it compare to other perspectives on leadership?
Leadership to Serve Yourself trip, he found a crumpled-up copy of the conference brochure. He proudly looked at it again, when he suddenly noticed something, someone, staring back at him from the cover of the glossy pamphlet. It was his blue-eyed friend. As he looked closer, he remembered feeling that the blue-eyed audience member looked familiar. “Of course, he looked familiar!” he gasped, as he realized that this man was
understand! You are the greatest quantum physicist in the world. You knew everything I said and infinitely more. Why did you even bother coming to my presentation?” There was a small pause, and then a gentle reply: “I will tell you the truth. Thirty years ago, I was a young, ambitious scientist who wanted to make a big impact on the world. I got an opportunity to pres-
The most primitive form of leadership is selfish leadership, driven by the desire for power and self-gratification. In such a system, the leader represents only himself and his own selfish desires. He demands power, craving it for himself, and generally maintains leadership over his people through fear. In such a system, he demands the allegiance of his people and makes promises of food, shelter, and perhaps power and honor, in return for
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92 respect and obedience. This was the system of old, where kings, tyrants, and oligarchies ruled large provinces. Wealth, birthright, or rebellion served as the right for leadership, and the purpose of leadership was focused solely on the leader – the goal was to give the leader increased power, respect, and control. This system is inherently corrupt and resulted in endless bloodshed, as the king killed anyone who stood in his way. There were pointless wars, as the king would send the young men of his kingdom to die for no reason other than his own territorial expansion and glory. In essence, the king answered to no one other than himself.
Representing the People In response to such corruption, there became an increased desire to shift the focus of power. As history unfolded, leadership moved towards democracy, towards a balance of power. In such a system, the power belongs to the people, not the leader. The leader is appointed to serve the people. If he fails to do so, he is removed and replaced with someone who better fills the people’s needs. This is a far better system than the previous one, as
before
it stabilizes power and creates a society focused on the needs of the people, rather than on an individual king or elite few. Nevertheless, there is still a fundamental problem with democracy: a leader becomes nothing more than a puppet of the people. The flaw in this is apparent. Imagine if parents lost their parental license as soon as their child got upset with their decisions. As soon as the parents put their child to bed, they’d be out of a job. When a leader is fully subject to the will of the people, it is impossible to lead. Democratic leaders may appear to be leading, but in essence, they are following. (It is important to note that this chapter speaks only of ideals. In today’s day and age, the ideal political system is democracy. Additionally, not all democratic leaders share this pitfall. It is only a likely possibility, not a guaranteed outcome.) The Gemara (Sanhedrin 97a) states that Mashiach will come at a time when the face of the generation is like the face of a dog. Rav Elchanan Wasserman, zt”l, explains the depth behind this statement: When you see someone walking a dog on a leash, it appears as though the dog is leading. He is the one walking ahead of his owner; he appears to be calling the
after
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GRAVESTONES Restoring A Gravestone: 1,200 nis
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True Leadership: Connecting to Something Higher
Some leaders are the face of a nation, the ones who stand in front of large crowds and deliver extraordinary and inspiring speeches. But that is not the only type of leader. A leader is anyone who is on a mission, who empowers others, and who always looks for ways to contribute to the greater good. Leaders are great parents, great teachers, great friends. We are all potential leaders; we are all potential revolutionaries. We can all create change in the world. But to create any external change, we must first learn to develop ourselves and live with higher ideals. Let us all be inspired to become the greatest version of ourselves, with the hopes that our own journey of growth will inspire others to become the greatest version of themselves as well.
A Torah leader does not represent himself or the will of the people; he represents Hashem. A Torah leader is an emissary of Hashem in this world and will lead the people towards the truth, towards their true destination. Of course, he will care for and empathize with each individual, and deeply so, but the foundational goal of leadership involves driving people towards a transcendent goal. Traditional kings represented themselves and were therefore no greater than themselves. Democratic leaders are chosen by the will of the people and are therefore usually no better than the people themselves. A true leader is one who strives towards perfection and leads others on their own individual and collective
We are All Leaders Everyone is a leader in some capacity. Some will lead their families; others will lead the world. The scale is irrelevant; the principles remain the same. A leader must begin by leading their own life, devoting themselves towards their own personal greatness. In addition to self-development, a leader must have a strong moral conviction, a genuine love of others, and a sensitivity to their needs. Most important of all is the desire to lead lishmah (for a higher purpose), without any selfish or ulterior motives.
Rabbi Shmuel Reichman is the author of the bestselling book, “The Journey to Your Ultimate Self,” which serves as an inspiring gateway into deeper Jewish thought. He is an educator and speaker who has lectured internationally on topics of Torah thought, Jewish medical ethics, psychology, and leadership. He is also the founder and CEO of Self-Mastery Academy, the transformative online self-development course based on the principles of high-performance psychology and Torah. After obtaining his BA from Yeshiva University, he received Semicha from Yeshiva University’s RIETS, a master’s degree in education from Azrieli Graduate School, and a master’s degree in Jewish Thought from Bernard Revel Graduate School. He then spent a year studying at Harvard as an Ivy Plus Scholar. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife and son where he is pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago. To invite Rabbi Reichman to speak in your community or to enjoy more of his deep and inspiring content, visit his website: ShmuelReichman.com.
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journeys towards perfection as well. In an ideal society, everyone is devoted towards achieving their own unique greatness, while simultaneously devoting that individual greatness towards the larger collective greatness of the nation. A leader’s role is to enable each individual to embark on their own journey of self-discovery and achievement, while also helping them devote their lives to a greater whole, to that which transcends themselves, to Hashem, the Jewish people, and the world as a whole.
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Constructing a Gravestone in the style of “Minhag Eretz Yisrael”
shots. However, this is an illusion. The dog is completely subject to the will of its owner. One small tug, and he changes direction. The dog is the follower, in an illusory position of leadership. Many democratic systems suffer from this flaw. Leaders are appointed by the people and are therefore completely subject to the will of the people. They walk ahead, pretending to lead, while in fact, they are merely puppets. Whatever the people want, they’ll do. They create their policies and campaigns around the people and polls, not based on their internal values. They would change their policy in an instant if it meant more votes. A true leader stands for the truth, for their inner values, regardless of opposition. He or she walks ahead and doesn’t look back. Even if no one follows, they push onward. They never sacrifice their ideals for public approval. A true leader creates a direction for a greater future, a pathway to individual and collective greatness, and inspires the people to strive for that ideal. This is the nature of Jewish leadership. Let us briefly explore this topic.
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pesach time tours
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Delving into the Daf
Keeping It In the Family by rabbi Avrohom Sebrow
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ometimes, while learning Talmud and the commentaries, one can uncover new facts about the events recorded in Tanach. Tosfos in Yevamos (21a) states that Dovid HaMelech married the former wife of Shaul HaMelech, Ritzpah Bas Aya. There is no mention of this fact in the entire Tanach or the entire Talmud Bavli. Dovid HaMelech married Michal, Shaul’s daughter. So when he married Ritzpah Bas Aya, he was marrying his father-in-law’s widow. This proves that one is allowed to marry his father-inlaw’s former wife that is not his motherin-law. The Talmud Yerushalmi states, though, that even though this is permitted on a Torah level, it is forbidden rabbinically because of maaris ayin. It would appear to an onlooker that one is marrying his mother-in-law, which is a Torah prohibition. It is possible that this prohibition did not apply to Ritzpah Bas Aya. She was an agunah because, as the widow of Shaul HaMelech, she could not marry anyone else besides another king. However, the Talmud Bavli does not mention this prohibition. This leads many Rishonim to conclude that, as a practical matter, we do not follow the Yerushalmi on this matter. Tosfos quotes Rabbeinu Tam who vehemently disagreed. Tosfos relates a story about a man in Provence, France, who was set to marry his father-in-law’s ex-wife. The entire wedding meal was already prepared. Yet, Rabbeinu Tam ruled that the wedding ceremony could not go forward even in the face of such a significant loss. Rabbeinu Tam ruled that we must follow the Yerushalmi on this matter. Perhaps even the Bavli agrees and was not discussing the issue of maaris ayin. Alternatively, perhaps the prohibition was enacted at a later period in time. Tosfos states that the same issue is relevant to another question. May a man marry his step-sister? (A half-sister is certainly forbidden.) According to the
letter of the law, a man is totally unrelated to his step-sister and may marry her. However, the same issue of maaris ayin is at play. Perhaps the onlooker will assume that the man is marrying
father-in-law, this question is directly discussed in Talmud Bavli. The Gemara in Sota clearly rules there is no issue of maaris ayin when step-siblings marry. It is assumed that everyone knows they
The Chofetz Chaim spent time convincing his mother to agree to the shidduch to ensure the success of his shalom bayis plan.
his sister or half-sister. It is clear that if the step-siblings did not grow up together there is no issue. However, if they did grow up together, the Yerushalmi says that they may not marry. They may, however, travel to a distant place where no one recognizes them and marry. Tosfos notes that, as opposed to the issue of marrying the former wife of the
are only step-siblings. The Shulchan Aruch (EH 15:11) rules that step-siblings can indeed marry even if they grew up together. This ruling was followed by none other than the Chofetz Chaim. The Chofetz Chaim’s father passed away when he was only ten years old. His widowed mother initially moved to
Vilna and eventually married Rav Shimon Halevi Epstein. The Chofetz Chaim was offered many shidduchim. Indeed, he was offered substantial dowries that would enable him to study Torah without worrying about earning a livelihood. However, his step-father really wanted him to marry his daughter, Freidah. To promote sholom bayis between his step-father and mother, he agreed to the match. However, his mother was not in favor. The Chofetz Chaim spent time convincing his mother to agree to the shidduch to ensure the success of his shalom bayis plan. And so it was that the Chofetz Chaim married a poor girl who was older than he was for the sake of shalom bayis with little hope of financial support. However, the Chofetz Chaim credited everything he achieved in life to his wife, who ran their store while he became the Chofetz Chaim. The Chofetz Chaim once remarked that his friend married a specific woman for the sake of a promised large dowry. The intent was seemingly proper as with significant financial backing his friend would be able to delve into the secrets of Torah. However, his friend lost all his money and was no longer able to devote his life to Torah. Meanwhile, the Chofetz Chaim remained poor his entire life, married a woman who enabled him to study Torah. Although initially it may have seemed that his friend had the better shidduch, in hindsight, the Chofetz Chaim’s shidduch worked out fabulously. As an aside, it was reported in 2018 that this permit for marrying unrelated step-siblings was used in Yerushalayim.
Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow is a rebbe at Yeshiva Ateres Shimon in Far Rockaway. In addition, Rabbi Sebrow leads a daf yomi chaburah at Eitz Chayim of Dogwood Park in West Hempstead, NY. He can be contacted at ASebrow@gmail.com.
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Israel today
Rescuing Anna by rafi Sackville
Natan under a sign that reads “Food, free of charge for Ukrainian refugees”
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or the many expatriate Ukrainians living in Ma’alot, the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is more than just news items that keeps them glued to their televisions; it is visceral and heartbreaking. Many of them have family members who are currently caught up in the war. By my calculations, almost 50% of my students are from families who are from Russia or Ukraine. During one of my recent classes, the conversation turned to the current war in Ukraine. Eden, a 10th grader, mentioned that her father Natan, and his spouse Ludmila, were at that very moment on the Polish border with Ukraine, where he had planned to meet up with Anna, Eden’s 13-year-old step-sister. Their plan was to meet up with her just inside Ukraine and bring her back to Israel. Wrom nrael ot gnitnae, I met up with Natan after his return to Israel. We sat on his couch in his modest apartment where he told me about his adventure. Natan Goldgur is a young-looking 43-year-old, who came to Israel from Ukraine in 1990 just as the USSR was breaking up. He was born in Khmel-
nytskyi, named after the infamous 15th century tyrant. Upon their arrival in Israel, his family moved to Nahariya, before moving to Ma’alot a few years ago. For the last 31 years, he has lived a peaceful life. In telling me his story, he mentioned more than once that he had been under a lot of stress, which is hard to imagine,
is married, and his wife had just given birth. Anna, Ludmila’s young daughter, was staying with her father in Zhitomir, not far from Lviv. The bombing there suddenly became intense with factories and a hospital targeted. The plan had been to get Anna out earlier. However, due to
According to Natan, they were yelled at for being foolish enough to contemplate crossing into Ukraine.
as he is of calm disposition and quietly rational. In the weeks leading up to the war, he was skeptical that Russia would invade. When the war did begin in late February, his fears were quickly realized. For one, Ludmila’s eldest son living in Zhitomir was unable to leave, as he is of fighting age and must uniform up. Besides, he
Covid, many people like Anna were hampered in traveling freely. In fact, it was because of the pandemic Ludmila had spent the previous six months separated from Anna. In early March, Natan gathered his family and announced that he and Ludmila had decided to fly to the border to get Anna out of the Ukraine. Eden and Tomer
would move in with their mother. They flew to Warsaw, from where they drove east 280 miles to Hrushiv, a border crossing point a few miles from the Polish border. Hrushiv was the border crossing most convenient for Natan and Anna’s father. Knowing how unstable the situation was, they were prepared to improvise; Natan would travel to another crossing point if they came across any trouble. At least, that was their plan. In the meantime, Anna’s father would drive her southwest to Hrushiv from Zhitomir, a 450-mile journey. Zhitomir had been bombed. Anna had heard the commotion and was pleased to leave. Natan and Ludmila reached the Polish border but were prevented from crossing into Ukraine by Polish officers. The car they rented didn’t have the correct paperwork. Ludmila began to cry. She explained to the officers why she needed to cross. According to Natan, they were yelled at for being foolish enough to contemplate crossing into Ukraine. Eventually, they were let through. Natan says that it was easy enough
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Natan and Anna at the Ukraine-Poland border
Ludmila, Natan, and Rafi after Natan’s return home from Ukraine
in Berlin and caught a train to Germany. They were lucky enough to purchase tickets. The train was packed with travelers, many of whom had been allowed to travel free of charge. Natan showed me a video from the journey: the carriages were so full it was difficult to move. Upon their arrival in Berlin, they
went shopping for airline tickets back home, which they were lucky enough to find. Then the airline begged them to sell their tickets back to them. They even offered them more money. Only wanting to return home to Eden and Tomer, Natan refused all offers. In an unprecedented move, Israeli of-
ficials waved Anna through upon their arrival at Ben Gurion Airport. Usually, they process new immigrants before allowing them into Israel. That, however, was not enough for the Ma’alot municipality, who are waiting until she becomes a citizen before giving her benefits. Put yourselves in Anna’s shoes. She arrives in Israel not speaking a word of Hebrew or English. It would be akin to living in a mostly silent world. I asked Natan what his plans were for her. “I was in exactly the same situation when I moved to Israel at the age of 11. The best thing for her is to attend school,” he asserted. “She’ll be fine.” Once they allow her to attend, of course. Meanwhile, she is learning Hebrew. I’m sure she will succeed, regardless of how long it takes. Yet spare a thought for the millions of Ukrainian refugees who are not as lucky as Anna, who remain displaced, and whose futures are so uncertain.
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finding Anna. Years ago, such a rescue would have been unthinkable. Modern technology made locating Anna quite straightforward. Anna was happy to be reunited with her mother. Inside Ukraine, Natan felt heartbroken by the line of refugees along the side of the road. By his reckoning, the line of cars ran for miles. He saw no men – only women, children and house pets. He was stopped more than once by Ukrainian soldiers who, thinking he was a Ukrainian citizen, asked him what he was doing there. They thought he should be fighting. Despite having been born there, Natan is no longer a citizen. Along the road were makeshift tents distributing free food, clothes and medication. This was small respite for the suffering they witnessed. There were so many in tears at having been separated from their menfolk. Natan and Ludmila had trouble getting back into Poland. It took some doing to break the lines by proving they weren’t seeking refuge. Eventually, they made their way back to Warsaw where they discovered there were no flights leaving the country. They made a decision to try their luck
Rafi Sackville, formerly of Cedarhurst, teaches in Ort Maalot in Western Galil.
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Safety firSt TJH Speaks with Candidate for Assembly Ari Brown
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By SuSan Schwamm Ari, you’re a trustee in the Village of Cedarhurst but that’s not all that you do. What’s your day job? I swing a hammer for a living. My dad and I actually have the first home-improvement license in Nassau County. Next year, it’s going to be 50 years that I’m in the business. My father took me into the business at a very young age. We did all the work with our own hands. My build a lot of CVSs and Walgreens. Now, I’m doing three projects in Florida, one in Israel, one in Milan, and a couple of little ones over here. I think that’s why I was asked to do this, because I’m not a politician. I’ve been in office 24 years: trustee, deputy mayor, and every capacity. But I always like to be be-
hind the scenes. I just want to serve my community. If I can help and serve, that’s what I’m going to do. When I go out to places like Oceanside or Long Beach, I know all the mayors from all the years in the business. They’re the kind of people I grew up with.
I started with the Village around ‘97, ‘98, on the zoning board and as the board’s representative for the Business Improvement District in Cedarhurst. When I became a trustee a few years later, I stayed with the Business Improvement District. Usually, it’s passed on from trustee to trustee, but I never gave it up.
Where did you grow up? I grew up in Franklin Square. It’s a nice Italian neighborhood. I’m half-Italian. My mother and grandmother are Jewish Italian.
When did you move to Cedarhurst? Around 30 years ago.
So you still have it now? Yes. I love these businesses, and I work with them, and I always say they’re my stores. They really are. I started off with 20% vacancies. Now, I have less than 2%. I look out for each and every one of my 280-somewhat stores.
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What’s your favorite part about the job besides for walking the streets?
You’re running for the 20th Assembly District. What areas does it encompass?
I’ve been in office for so many years, so I know all the mayors, and I have a relationship with them. Having grown up on Long Island and having worked in all of these communities on many, many different levels, everybody knows me. I’ve spent much of my time in these communities. I’ve been in Oceanside a lot. I’ve been in Long Beach a lot. I am in Lido Beach, Point Lookout. I’ll be staying over at a friend’s house on Shabbat and walking to the Point Lookout Post Office after shul. It’s not like I’m a stranger who just moved in. I’ve literally worked in this community for almost fifty years. People laughed at me when I moved to Cedarhurst 31 years ago. Back then, who moved to Cedarhurst? But now, everyone is moving here.
How did Cedarhurst grow by leaps and bounds? When I came, I started buying a lot of houses and then sold them. Everybody couldn’t believe it; why was I buying property in Cedarhurst? But I knew that this was the place to be.
As a Republican coming in the minority in the Assembly, what can you do to effect change in a state with a Democrat governor and Democrat Assembly? Our New York State Assembly, and New York State Senate, and New York State governor are leaning so far to the left, it’s truly anti-Torah in every way. My opponent is Democrat, and he if wants to support the Democrats, that’s OK, but he’ll lose his constituents. It’s not what the constituents want.
When you speak to voters, what is primarily on people’s minds now? First and foremost, crime. What’s the job of government? First and foremost, safety and crime. People shouldn’t be scared when they hear a noise in the middle of the night. Two years ago, when there were riots across the country, my fellow trustees and I would actually patrol our Village at night. We take safety and crime very seriously. We did this during Sandy, too.
People need to feel safe. But when you handcuff the police, and even more so, handcuff the judges from doing the right thing in court and keeping people in jail because of bail reform, then you lose security. This was this guy – I think they named him “Man of Steel” Rodriguez – who was arrested around 47 times and he didn’t get locked up. How many times can we hear about these repeat offenders? I remember how bad things were before Giuliani came to town. I said to my father, “It will never get better.” And then Giuliani came, and he cleaned everything up. So it could happen. Things could change. The argument of, “Well, we don’t have the majority,” is not correct. We have to start somewhere. Who thought Governor Pataki could come in? Up until near the last election, Bruce Blakeman was down like 24 points, and he ended up winning. Laura Curran was wonderful, but she didn’t speak out enough. I know people will point to the good things that the assemblymen in Brooklyn give their constituents, like carnivals on Sukkos for the frum community. What good is a carnival if you think a bullet is going to come flying into your window or a child can get attacked? When you can’t go into Manhattan, or you can’t go to your job safely and you have to look over your shoulder? First and foremost is safety and security. People are not running through the borders to come to the United States for no reason. The American dream is alive and real. But specifically, in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, those liberals hate our country with a passion. And my opponent has time and time again throughout his short career aligned himself with those things. It is not the Torah values in any way, shape, or form. Let’s not talk about the social issues, which are big problems for our children, what’s being taught in school. The Democrat Party is not aligned with our values.
You recently were outspoken about Covid vaccinations. I believe that there should be freedom of choice. The liberals love to say, “Choice, choice, choice, choice,” except
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From Inwood all the way to Point Lookout. It skirts Rockville Centre but stays on the South Shore.
What are doing to get the vote out in other areas in the South Shore?
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Helping people. You know what I do every day at 11 o’clock? My phone alerts me, and I stop and I make a call to get somebody a job. I’ve always done that. Everyone can do this – to use their time to help someone get a job. I have been involved in many things, so I call people in the industry or in government to help place people. I also have been trying to get people shidduchim. I’m not as successful with this as I am with getting people jobs. But I still try. That’s what I can bring to this. And because I’m not a politician, really, by no stretch of the imagination, I’m a fresh voice that can effect change. I am here to help people and do what’s best for them.
“i am here to help people and do what’S beSt for them.”
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I’m also chairman of architectural review at the Village. Every sign, every flower that goes in the Village is under my purview. You can see the difference between my Village and the other Villages. We are the shopping district of the South Shore. A big part of my platform besides crime is small business. My opponent – I’m sure he’s a nice fellow – was part of the Cuomo government for years. Cuomo represented big government; he hated small government and wanted to do away with small business with a passion. But the best type of government is very small government. And Villages do it well. Think about it: the Village of Cedarhurst has the lowest taxes in the county – I’d like to say in the state, by far. I credit Mayor Ben Weinstock in a big way for this. We look to find ways to do things without spending taxpayer dollars. When we pave roads, we make deals with National Grid so it’s cheaper for us. We run it very efficiently, and because my downtown is very vibrant, people come here. We do a lot of business. People complain about the traffic. It’s a problem, but it’s a good problem. There is a lot of traffic because people want to come here and shop here. Every day, I walk the Village’s streets. I’ve done that for about 30 years. I am very close to my community and very close to my merchants. I call them “my merchants” because I feel like they’re family to the point where I set up a group chat where we all talk about any issue. We work together as a team. There’s a reason why my Sidewalk Sale and Midnight Madness raises tens of thousands of dollars for each and every store. I’m very, very small business-minded. That’s the backbone of our entire country. Big businesses try to crush and destroy. Amazon has looked to crush momand-pop shops. I’m a big mom-and-pop type of guy. That’s what created our country. That’s how our country will continue to thrive. It all starts in the small community. Support your local community. I’m going to look to help my 20th District in a very big way. And I’ve worked beautifully with all the local mayors and leaders from all the areas. They know me. We have a great working relationship already. It’s not going to take two years for me to figure it out. I’ve already figured it out 20 years ago.
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102 for this choice for your own body. I used to do competitive bodybuilding. I used to be 210 pounds. I have two serious gyms in my house. I haven’t had a drink of alcohol in 54 years. I don’t take any medication. Thank G-d, I never get sick. I’ve never smoked. I don’t use bad language. Why would I start taking medications? I lost four friends after they took their booster. My son went blind in one eye after his booster. He’s slowly recovering. I have a friend whose son went blind, a younger boy, 17, in two eyes. So I believe that people should make their own decisions and that government shouldn’t force them to do things. Democrats want people to become dependent on them. They want to be able to control them. And unfortunately, people like to be controlled.
Aside from security, what else are voters concerned with? Parental control, and we saw this in Virginia. I’m referring to education and masking, thinks like that. During Covid, if there was anything positive, it was that parents were actually seeing what has been going on in schools. Did you know that New York State has students with some of the least understanding of Holocaust studies? It’s amazing to me how a state with the most Jews doesn’t pass laws tackling BDS. Yes, Cuomo issued an executive order but why isn’t there a law? Because the members of the Assembly are against it. Holocaust studies is a big issue with me because all of my grandfather’s family was destroyed. He was the only one left.
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What are your thoughts on the 878? In the ‘50s, they were planning on making what’s now the 878 all the way to the Belt Parkway, a superhighway, but it never got built. When I started dating my wife in the mid ‘80s, they built this 878, and they divided up Lawrence. That was supposed continue all the way to the Belt so we had a place to get out. That didn’t happen. Yes, it’s a multi-billion dollar project, but is there a price for safety? Do you know what our coastal evacuation route is? You’re never going to believe this. I’m telling you the truth. Peninsula Boulevard all the way through Hempstead. We’re going to head further into the Island to get out in case there’s flooding? There is no other way out. So, yes, it’s expensive, but it needs to get done. Before that, we need to work on synchronizing the lights. That’s something that’s much more doable over there and would help in a major way.
The special election is taking place on April 7, although there is early voting as well. How are you going to get people to the polls? Like everything, you’ve got to work it. We’re focusing on social media and calling people and sending out mailings. Our chairman [of the Republican Party] has been wonderful. They are working with me every day. We need to save America. We need to turn it around. America is made up of a good conservative people. We think because we’re in San Francisco or New York City or Baltimore
that’s how the whole country is made up. But it’s not true. If you speak to Ambassador David Friedman, ask him how many Democrats came to the inauguration of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. Ask about Schumer and Nadler. They weren’t there. Why are they Democrats before the Jews? The entire platform the Democrat Party is totally against the Judeo-Christian ethic. It’s against Torah values. I never take off my yarmulke. My values never waver. And the Democrat Party is completely against the Torah values.
If you win on April 7, you will have to re-run in November. Yes. And I’m up for re-election every two years. But that’s the name of the game. I’m lucky that in Cedarhurst I only have to run every four years.
If you win the Assembly seat, will you be keeping your position as Trustee of the Village of Cedarhurst? Absolutely.
How does that work? Cedarhurst is first and foremost my priority throughout my tenure. You know, when Harvey Weisenberg was in the Assembly, I never saw him in Cedarhurst, and we didn’t get a penny from him. So I know how that feels, and I’m not going to do that to anyone else. I will be evenhanded. And I’m friends with all the mayors from the district, so I will make sure they get their share.
“having grown up on long iSland and having worked in all of theSe communitieS on many, many different levelS, everybody knowS me.”
eryone equally. I grew up in suburbia in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. It’s hard to understand what it was like. But I would ride my bike after school…it was a different world. It doesn’t make a difference if you’re Jewish or not. It’s all about respect. I always have had respect for the people on the other side of aisle. I may not agree with them, but I’ll listen to their dialogue. I’m half Italian. There’s always an accommodation that could be made. And you work with people.
Make them an offer they can’t refuse. Well, I don’t know about that, but if you’re a decent person, I can work with you.
You mentioned that you’re a bodybuilder. What else do you do on your off-time? I don’t have any off-time. All of my children – I have seven children and two grandchildren – come to me every Shabbat. I cook. There’s always 20, 30 dishes that I serve. This one’s vegan. This one’s is vegetarian. This one’s gluten-free.
You cook it all? Every last thing. Thursday night is when I do it. I’m not fancy, but I have service for 30, and I always set a very formal table.
What are your tricks for working across the aisle?
What’s generally on the menu?
The fact is that I swing a hammer for a living. You take anybody else who’s a lawyer or a doctor or some guy who’s in politics since he is a kid – but they can’t understand the average American. The people I work with are blue-collared people like me. You can’t even buy a 32-ounce hammer anymore – and that’s what I grew up on. There weren’t any power tools. We nailed everything by hand. I understand the average American’s mentality. I’m going to representing a really large district. I’m not just here for the frum community. I’m here for ev-
I always have new things. I make this chicken rice and raisins. My kids don’t eat red meat. I’ll make a pasta Bolognese. I’ll make a number of different kinds of squash dishes. I serve a lot of fish. I make sweet potato pies, carrot loafs, turkey.
What would you tell voters to urge them to come out and vote on April 7? Do what’s honorable and good. And do what the Torah tells you. Vote Republican.
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Majority Rules TJH Speaks with Assembly Candidate David Lobl By SuSan ScHwamm David, you are running for Missy Miller’s seat in the NYS Assembly. Tell us why you feel that you’re the perfect person to fill this position. I’ve spent the last 10, maybe more, years of my professional life in and around government, with the bulk of it working with the Jewish community. I was always the go-between, if you will, between the people and the principals. I understand how government works. I worked in the highest levels of government in New York. I have the relationships that I could leverage to benefit our community and the greater district at-large. And when this opportunity presented itself, it just felt like a natural progression of how I could do more and how I could be more effective in helping our community.
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What were those positions that you had? You said you worked with the highest levels of government. I was Andrew Cuomo’s chief Jewish adviser. What issues were you involved in to help the community? I actually started working for the governor in October of 2012, so the first big one was Hurricane Sandy. Talk about hitting the ground running early on. So early on – I think it was within the first week or first couple of weeks – I brought Jerry, Hauer, the commissioner of Homeland Security, to the community. We had a big meeting in the White Shul. Within, I think, 48 hours, we secured light poles that we placed throughout Far Rockaway, the 878, Lawrence, Cedarhurst, and Woodmere. And then I helped combat antisemitic legislation when they tried to eliminate the Village of Kiryas Joel. I secured the governor’s veto on that. When yeshivas needed funding, I was the point person for organizations like the OU, the Agudah. We secured one of the first in the nation type of funding for STEM teachers. We initiated the grant that provides funding for yeshivas’ security. I spearheaded and executed the governor’s execu-
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Were you the only person in this position? Yes. The Jewish community in New York is so vast and diverse – you mentioned Kiryas Joel and we live in the Five Towns, two very different communities. How did you balance and manage that to make sure that all the Jewish communities’ needs in New York were met and being addressed? You have to understand each community’s needs. What might work in the Five Towns doesn’t necessarily work in Kiryas Joel and vice versa. I had to cut through all the noise and really understand what people need and be able to deliver that. Where did you grow up? I grew up in Chicago. So how did you connect with Cuomo in New York? So I came to New York like every other out-of-towner. I married in New Yorker. My wife is from Kew Gardens Hills. My wife was in grad school at NYU at the time that we married, and we moved to Teaneck because she needed public transportation to grad school. After I learned a little bit, I started working for the Friedlander Group, which is a small boutique-y public relations firm. So, I was always into politics. That’s sort of how I got my feet wet in New York. And from there, I worked for a non-for-profit called Human Care Services, which deals primarily with developmentally disabled individuals, children and adults. And from there, well, one day, I got a phone call from the governor’s office asking if I could come meet with somebody to talk about this job. And the rest is history. What were your thoughts about Cuomo before the scandals came down? He was a tough boss. He was a demanding boss. But at the end of the day, he got stuff done. Forget about everything else for a second, airports were built or redone – new terminals in JFK, LaGuardia, new bridges. But then, I think, during COVID, everything shifted.
“If we’re able to elect a Democrat – and hopefully, by January, there’ll be six frum Democrats in the State Assembly – that will create a real voice that can’t just be ignored.” it purely on a party line. So if they don’t have a majority of Democrats to vote for something but it could pass with Republican support, they won’t do it. It’s just the way it is. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the way it is. If we have the opportunity as a community to elect a Democrat who shares our values – then that’s something that we need to do. I’m a Darchei parent. I’m a TAG parent. I have the same struggles as people in our community. I have the same values as my neighbors do. If we’re able to elect a Democrat – and hopefully, by January, there’ll be six frum Democrats in the State Assembly – that will create a real voice that can’t just be ignored. We’ve had an Assembly member for six years, and our community hasn’t seen results. And it’s not because she didn’t want to. She’s very nice, but she just can’t do it as a Republican. It’s simple. If 45 Republicans get up and say, “We hate this,” it doesn’t matter. But if five, six Democrats walk into the Speaker’s office and say, “Hey, look. This is a problem,” they can’t ignore it.
What about the real progressives that are in the Assembly? Six voices from the frum community are great. But if you have 10, 15, 20 people who are vocal about things that are antithesis to the frum community, will the frum voices be able to be heard? With this setup, you would actually have more frum Jews than you would have people that belong to DSA, the Democratic Socialists of America, so the frum community would actually have more of a voice. But haven’t we seen how the governor has had to bow to the progressives with, for instance, the mask mandates in New York? Well, I think the governor’s dynamics and my dynamics are much different, right? I A) have a different value set than the governor does. B) I’m not running for statewide office, right? The community of the district literally elects me. And this is a conservative-leading district. I know that the district will have my back when I stand up and talk about how these policies are bad. I have no problem standing up to a Democrat, and I have no problem standing with a Republican. You run for office to help the community you represent. So if it’s standing with a Republican, then so be it. If it’s standing up against a Democrat, then so be it. It doesn’t scare me. If and when you get to office, after April 7th, you’re going to have to rerun in November. Do you anticipate a Republican wave in November like we saw in the past election? I think there’s no question that there’s going to be a red wave or a Republican wave, especially here in Long Island. But I also think that I’ll have April, May, June, July, August, October, and November to prove myself and to show people that we could get results, we could get resources, we could get things done, and we can stand up for a community. We have to be able to vote and negotiate from a position of strength. Is it possible that come November, the majority will shift in the Assembly? No. Absolutely not. The last time it shifted was before I was born – literally. The Democrats are firmly in the
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Is that something that you think the Assembly has to work on changing? Is that one of the first things that you think has to be done in order to take New York City back? One-hundred percent.
Let’s talk about the pros and cons of being a Democrat in this race and in this environment. I think being a Democrat in this atmosphere in this district is certainly challenging. But at the end of the day, there are 150 Assembly members. 107 caucus with the Democrats; 43 members caucus with the Republicans. Now, in order to get anything done in the State Assembly, you have to be a Democrat. I challenge anybody: I will donate $100 to your favorite tzedakah if you could tell me in the last 20 years when a bill that was introduced by a Republican member of the Assembly actually passed. It doesn’t happen. It just doesn’t happen. That’s just the way it is. They won’t bring a bill to the floor for a vote if they can’t pass
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When people think about New York, their foremost thought is on their safety and security. What are your thoughts about that in relation to Cuomo? I left the governor’s office before the bail reform policies, but I think the bail reform was done terribly. It took away judges’ discretion. That is something that has to be brought back. I think the current governor’s new proposal on fixing it is a good first step. But it’s not be all to end all, and it shouldn’t be the be all to end all.
The Assembly members, though, are saying that they don’t want to change it. They’re actually not backing Hochul’s plan. Right. So what the governor did – and I think that this was smart – is that she included these reforms into the budget. So if you don’t want to do it, you have to vote against the entire budget. It’s sort of strongarming the legislature into making changes.
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tive order against BDS. I planned the governor’s trip to Israel. And I was just the general go-between when the Jewish villages in New York needed state funding.
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106 majority in the Assembly. One important thing to note is that the New York State Senate historically has been Republican. The last election cycle has shifted to Democratic control, but the margin in the Senate is much slimmer. So electing a Republican senator might make more sense because he or she would have a much easier time picking off, if you will, three or four moderate Democratic senators to agree with them on a certain issue.
OctOber 29, 2015 | the Jewish Home
What do you do to relax after your long days? So now, I’m spending a lot of time on Long Island meeting with voters. I live in Long Island, but I’m spending a lot of time in Long Beach and the other beaches. I love, love, love going to the water and listening to Ishay Ribo. It’s so beautiful at the beach and very relaxing. And I love to cook.
When you speak to voters, safety and security is number one on their minds. What else do they want from their representatives? They want help. I live in Cedarhurst. When I walk through the Five Towns, the sidewalks are a mess. The roads are a mess. The lighting is a disaster at night. And the same thing could be said anywhere else in the district. People want quality of life. The district is not just the Five Towns. It’s Long Beach. It’s Atlantic Beach. It’s Oceanside. How are you going to get your message out to the entire district? The same way I’m doing it in the Five Towns. Communicate with as many people as humanly possible, knock on as many doors as you possibly can, and just talk to people. I am going to tell people what I stand for and connect with people. That’s how this election is going to be won and lost. We have an incredible, incredible opportunity here to send a message and to fight with power and from a position of strength – enough of empty promises, empty talks. When I’m a member of the Assembly, I will not stand with an elected official who comes here just to hold a press conference. If you don’t have real action attached to what you’re coming to say, I’m not standing with you. It’s a waste of time. That’s not what our community deserves. We deserve a lot better. We deserve a lot more. And enough is enough. Leadership is actually doing something about an issue and not just talking about it. I don’t want to hear that antisemitism is bad. I know it’s bad. We deserve an action to go along with that.
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What plan would you like to see presented? How about this? If you touch a Jew, you’re in jail. Forget about bail. There should be no bail. If you touch a Jewish person or anybody because of their race, religion, or anything, you should go to jail. And you shouldn’t be out after a day. There should be real prosecution.
Are you supporting Governor Hochul in her run for Governor of New York? I haven’t even given that any thought. I will meet with both candidates. If the governor wants to meet with me, great. If the Republican nominee wants to meet with me, great. And I’ll make a decision that’s in the best interest of the community of the district. When you get to Albany, what are the two, three things that you want to tackle immediately? Public safety is my number one goal. After that, I want to bring resources back to the community to be able to fix our infrastructure. The way I view government is it’s like when you call customer service. You don’t want to be routed from one department to another department to another department. At its core, government is about providing results and making sure that your constituents have quality of life and are safe. That’s what people want, and that’s what I’m going to do. How would you be able to effect change in the Assem-
bly in terms of, let’s say, reforming the Bail Reform Act? What’s your vision? I’d work to fix the Bail Reform Act and then see how I could leverage the relationships that I’ve built over a decade to help residents of the 20th Assembly District. Have you encountered any pushbacks or any challenges because you’re a frum person when you’ve been dealing with people in the Assembly or in state positions? No. I wear my yarmulke wherever I go. I never take it off. And I’ve never had an issue. Have you seen more incidents of antisemitism in the state overall? There’s no question that antisemitism is on the rise. I think based on all the hate crimes in New York, antisemitic attacks were, by far, unfortunately, the highest type of hate crime. It’s disgusting. Hate crime is never good for anybody, but these types of situations always, always have a way of coming back to Jews. If there’s an attack on one ethnicity or one race, that’s where it starts. It’s not where it ends. It ends with us. We as a Jewish community have to start demanding real action. Something that bothers me so much is when there is an antisemitic attack, any elected official will put out a press release, “Antisemitism has no place in Long Island in New York City, New York State, etc.” And then we sort of applaud that. We call that leadership. But no, that’s not leadership. That’s like basic humanity 101 – to say that antisemitism doesn’t have a place in New York. That’s the least somebody could do. We’ve got to stop settling. We have to start demanding real, actual results. Saying that antisemitism is bad stops precisely zero attacks. No one stops from attacking a Jewish person because some a politician said antisemitism is bad. We need politicians to come to us with results and to come to us with a plan. Don’t just have a press conference. Give us concrete plans on what you are going to do to tackle it.
Oh, really? What do you like to cook? Cooking evokes memories of my childhood for me. And I love cooking with those memories going through my mind. I feel almost in a way that I carry on that kind of love and passion that my mother had when she fed me and when my grandmother had when she fed me. When I cook, I feel like I’m continuing that to my family and friends. I’m sort of a purist when it comes to food. So I have a charcoal barbecue in the backyard; I have a charcoal wood smoker in the backyard; I have a charcoal and wood pizza oven in the backyard. Sounds like you have a nice backyard. Feeding people brings joy to me, and it’s a safe space for me. Do you plan your menus in advance? No. I usually go to the supermarket, and I’ll get inspiration. With the primaries coming out at an odd time, your hardest job may be getting people to the polls. That’s so true. But if we keep on getting the word out and working with people in shul to get the word out to ehri members, we can hopefully get people to the polls. How many voters are there in the district? I think there’s about 80,000 voters for this Assembly district. How many do you think realistically will come out for the special election? It’s so hard to guess. You can get from 2,000 to 15,000, 16,000. That’s a pretty big swing. Yes, it’s impossible to guess. I want voters to know that my values are who I am at my core. It’s who I am fundamentally as a parent, as a father, as a husband, as a son, as a brother. That won’t change when I’m in the Assembly. And my values are the same as so many people in the district. By electing me to the Assembly, I will be able to bring those same values to the majority ruling party in the Assembly of New York.
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my mISSIon to HelP ouR SIblIngS In ukRaIne By Shoshana Rockoff
It
was 1 pm on a Friday afternoon when I closed Yeshiva University’s Zoom call informing us of everything we could possibly bring to Vienna for the Ukrainian refugees. It was crunch time, and we, the student volunteers, had until Shabbos and a little bit of Sunday to gather toys, games, costumes, crafts, Judaica, technology and medicines for the refugees. I was in Cleveland for a teaching fellowship at the time and racked my brain as to how I could fill one duffle bag by Sunday. I drafted up a text to send around to a few communal group chats and asked one of my siblings to put a small box outside my front door in the Five Towns to gather donations. Doubtful as to how this method of collection would fill even half a duffle bag, I sent out another text to the community in Cleveland informing them of my mission as well. What unfolded from the click of a button exceeded all of my expectations. Within minutes of sending out the text, my phone exploded with messages about different kinds of donations, as well as invitations by store owners to come to their warehouses and take what was necessary for the refugees. My siblings texted me around the clock that the box outside my house in the Five Towns was overflowing and needed to be taken in every few minutes. Schools in the community started mobilizing drives where students gathered around sorting, packaging and labeling duffle bags. I came home to a house covered in donations, and my expectation of a mere halffilled duffle bag was beautifully proven wrong; there ended up being around 50 duffle bags filled with goods for refugees halfway across the world. We couldn’t even fit all of the duffle bags in our car and needed the help of extended family to make shifts loading and unloading duffle bags from donation sites. I was able to bring a significant amount of the duffles to Vienna, and we are working on getting the rest of them out to other refugee missions. Almost two weeks later, I’m still amazed at how quickly people rose to the occasion. Witnessing the donation turnover was almost as impactful as the trip that followed. I saw firsthand the great lengths that people will go to in order to help another person in need. There is no nation like Am Yisrael, and this was my first taste of that on this mission. It also taught me that it is crucial to never underestimate what you are capable of achieving and making happen. Even before my trip, which in its own right was so impactful, I was changed by this community, a community that I am so proud to be a part of. Even more so, I am humbled by our community’s willingness to help without fully grasping where our help was going to. Many of us have written letters to soldiers or packed food packages for a family in need, but we don’t get to see the look on their faces as they read those letters or open those packages. It is the ultimate chessed to send without complete knowledge of the destination, but every so often it can give people a little boost to see where the fruits of their labor are headed. As someone who had the special privilege of seeing where your donations ended up, I would
love to share some highlights, lessons and pictures from my experiences in Vienna. Words are limiting, but I will try as best as I can to share with you all what I learned this past week about the resilience and kindness of humanity, the ability to change lives and worlds, and the unique connection of the Jewish people.
Real PeoPle, Real StoRIeS Before this trip, when I heard the words “Ukrainian refugees,” I pictured tears and the blurry faces of people miles away. After this mission, I can say that I now picture Avital, Leora, Gabi, Adele, Emily and Chaya Malka, a few of the many people I had the privilege of forming connections with. Although we didn’t speak the same language, broken Hebrew was common ground in order to connect with one another; for those who didn’t speak Hebrew at all, hand motions and gestures were key. Despite language and cultural barriers, I felt really connected to each person I met. Perhaps I even connected to them more deeply because I had to put in so much effort to form a bond without relying on words alone. Avital, a 10-year-old girl who escaped Ukraine with her pregnant mother and four sisters, is strong willed and developed an entourage of 10-year-old friends and fellow refugees who followed her wherever she went. Leora has such a chein to her, and although a little timid and shy, she insisted that I find her a bunny costume for Purim amongst the plethora of donations (which B”H we found in no time thanks to you guys). Gabi loves candy, and everywhere she goes she wears her sparkly wheely sneakers that the other kids admire. Adele is Gabi’s older sister, and she clearly makes it her responsibility to help her mother look out for her younger siblings. Emily has the most contagious laugh and was insistent on keeping her Purim costume a surprise from the other children (she ended up being a cheerleader). Chaya Malka, who made peace signs in every selfie we took, doesn’t speak Hebrew but would laugh hysterically when I misunderstood her hand gestures. When we arrived in Vienna, our first mission was to sort and organize the bags full of donations that we had brought for the refugees (from you!). Dispersed amongst
the clothes, toys, games and technology were letters written by American children to give to the Ukrainian children. That night after eating dinner with the refugees, Leora and I sat down to color together. I was brought back to my own home where I had sat with my own sister Leora just a day before while she colored cards for the Ukrainian children. The contrast between the lives of these two Leoras was striking. My Leora lives in a comfortable and happy home and neighborhood; this little girl Leora had just ran away from her home and everything she ever knew. My Leora has friends who also dressed as cheerleaders for Purim and who also wear sparkly wheely sneakers, but her friends drew the “thinking of you cards” while the Ukrainian children who dressed as cheerleaders and wore cool sneakers received them. Leora’s sister even asked me “what hotel I’m living in now.” For them, abnormality has become the new normal.
PuRIm Using all of your costume donations, we set up a “Purim pop up shop” where all of the children could choose whatever they liked. I will never forget the look on these children’s faces as they walked around the Purim party in their Purim costumes. I had watched those very costumes travel from attics in America, to a bin at my front door, into a duffle bag, and then flown overseas to Austria. They were people’s “Purim themes” from years ago, that costume in the basement that no one had looked at or thought about in years. To these refugees, however, these costumes were light in the darkest of times. They made little girls feel like princesses and little boys feel like policemen. I can’t begin to express the joy of bending down to place a crown on a girl’s head who just days before had to flee her home in Ukraine. In that moment I was also reminded of how much unnecessary stuff we have. How many of us even remembered those crowns lying on the bottom of our dress-up bins? Many of us are lucky to own so much “stuff,” stuff that we think of as a burden, stuff that simply sits and waits to be cleared out before Pesach. This “stuff” that can seem so miniscule to us holds the ability to provide an infinite amount of joy to somebody else. If we changed our mindset to think that
am yISRael
ImPact
tHank you One of my fellow students in Vienna shared a story about how they were sitting across from a refugee at dinner and the man didn’t speak a word of English or Hebrew. The meal was slightly uncomfortable, the man kept repeating a word in Ukrainian and my friend had absolutely no idea what he was saying. After a long meal, my friend finally pulled out Google Translate and asked the man to repeat what he had been continually saying into the phone. The Ukrainian word translated into English as “Thank you.” That man was thanking us, and thanking all of you, for changing his world during the most dire of times. Although words are certainly limiting, I hope I was able to give you all a little taste of where your kindness was headed. I hope that as a community we can continue to remember how fortunate we are to have so much, and how many people in this world can reap joy from the smallest of things that we give with love and care. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for helping me help others. Thank you for expanding your hearts and giving to people struggling halfway across the globe. Your donations, your consideration, and your kindness served as fuel for a week devoted to changing the world for the better. The Google Translate “thank you,” the mother who stopped me in the elevator, the children’s hugs – these were all for you, too. I hope that as a community we never forget that a text can start a donation drive, a costume can brighten a child’s year, a box of crayons can bring a sense of normalcy to the abnormal, a song can break down walls and barriers, and a single week can change lives. Thank you for enabling us to make a change, be changed and for setting the stage for future change in this world. The Viennese Jewish community of 8,500 has taken in over 500 refugees and is expecting another 500 refugees in the coming week and a half. The community is taking care of housing, meals, medical expenses, schooling, job training and anything they can do to assist Ukrainian Jews, costing them around $100,000 a week. The link to donate to help Jews worldwide is attached below. Tizku l’mitzvot! www.yu.edu/feedrefugees
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It was only one week, but time never correlates with impact and connection. As I said goodbye to each child, I bent down to their eye level and explained in broken Hebrew, “Now it is time for me to go on a plane back to America, and I will miss you very much. I hope one day we can see each other again soon.” They responded with hugs that were so tight, my heart swelled. In my mind,
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The sentence that keeps mulling over in my mind this past week is: “American Jews flew out to help Viennese Jews help Ukrainian Jews.” That is not just three different countries, but three different languages, nationalities, cultures and walks of life. Imagine any other group of random people from these countries joining together in a mixture of English, German and Ukrainian. It would be nothing short of a baalagan. The primary way of communicating and connecting three distinct worlds amongst Jewish people was with the Hebrew language. Even if none of us spoke it perfectly, it was the conduit to forming bonds and connections. At dinner, some of the YU boys broke out into the song “Hamalach hagoel” and slowly but surely, American Jews, Viennese Jews and Ukrainian Jews dragged their chairs into the center of the room and started singing together. We all knew the words to the bracha that Yaakov gave to Ephraim and Menashe thousands of years ago, and we continued on to sing “vihaikar lo lefached.” As we sang this song, in particular, I watched refugees close their eyes, surely picturing the scary times that
they are currently experiencing; the song must have felt so real, timely and relevant to them. I closed my eyes as well and felt the shared pain in that moment with the refugees, but also the shared history of all of us in that circle, regardless of language or country. That song has been necessary to us as a people all throughout Jewish History; reminding us never to fear and to stay strong no matter what trial attempts to bring us down. We could barely carry conversations with one another, but song has the power to shatter walls, break down barriers and show that we aren’t that different after all. We ended with “l’shana haba b’Yerushalayim,” a song which felt more pertinent than ever. On our last Friday in Vienna, our group had the opportunity to meet with the Austrian President of Parliament, Wolfgang Sobotka. Right outside of the room we were sitting in was the balcony that Hitler stood on when he conquered Austria and watched as thousands of Austrians cheered him and his terrorizing mission. It was a unique experience to be in sight of that balcony on a very different kind of mission, a mission driven by kindness instead of hatred. Sobotka is a unique individual who himself is the grandson of a Nazi and devotes his life to serving as a pro-semitic voice in Europe today. President Berman of Yeshiva University gave a speech in that room that I will never forget. He told Sobotka, the grandson of a Nazi, to look around the room at a group of 27 Jewish students, all of whose grandparents or great-grandparents survived the Holocaust. President Berman explained that this meeting of people represents the desire to move history forward, to change the world for the better. No more hate, no more putting people down, no more destroying people’s lives and worlds. I felt in that moment that we were representing what Am Yisrael stands for in this world. We showed the deep understanding that us Jews know better than anyone else that we cannot and will not stand on the sidelines of time while other people suffer. Sometimes it is when the world is filled with injustice and darkness that goodness and light shine all the brighter.
though, I wondered, would I ever see them again? I knew Avital’s family was headed to Germany the next day, another family to Boro Park and another to Yerushalyim. It’s crazy to think how closely our paths can cross with others before we all have to head off on our different journeys. Some people meet again, and many don’t. People may enter our lives for an hour, a day, a year, or a season, and we need to remember that the imprints left behind are strong, that they stay with both parties long after the meeting is gone. The tightness of our hugs with these children told me that. So while it’s true that I may never see a lot of these people again, I know I will never forget Avital’s strong-willed nature, Leora’s drawings and bunny costume, Gabi’s sparkly wheely sneakers, Adele’s commitment to family, Emily’s contagious laugh, and Chaya Malka’s dedication to those peace signs.
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way about every single thing we owned, we’d be running to all corners of the earth to spread this wealth. I learned an important lesson in that moment about attempting to grasp just how meaningful our possessions can be to others and therefore how impactful putting proper effort into the things that we give can be. While I unpacked donations, certain donations stood out to me for their dedication and mindfulness of the destination. I honestly nearly cried when I unpacked around 30 Ziplock bags with individually wrapped friendship bracelets, directions printed for each child on how to make the bracelets, and the exact number of strings needed for each child . Then I opened another bag filled with ingredients to make graggers, with barley, popsicle sticks, and directions printed in Ukrainian. I immediately became so excited about bringing these crafts to the kids. At the Purim party, as we twirled Cinderella, put Spiderman on our shoulders and gave lollipops to Mickey Mouse, I heard laughter erupt, saw eyes light up and worlds transform. The ecstasy was palpable and beautifully contagious. I saw adults, who had previously looked so solemn and down, laughing and dancing with us and their children. A mother stopped me in the elevator and in broken English explained to me that when she was fleeing Ukraine, the last thing on her limited packing list were costumes for her kids. With tears in her eyes, she explained how happy and excited her children were to dress up and told me that that night was the first time she had seen her children smile in weeks. I learned a profound lesson that night about the human experience. Life begs for food, shelter and clothing in order to survive, but it demands happiness, joy, satisfaction and fulfillment in order to thrive. These refugees were, understandably, singularly focused on leaving their country and finding food, clothing and somewhere to live. We were able to give them that dose of happiness that enhances life, enriches it and makes it more meaningful. The part of life that isn’t deemed warranted but is still demanded.
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teen talk
by Daniella Quinn
Dear Teen Talk,
I am an average student in school. In general, my teachers don’t have any problems with me, and I do OK. This year, though, it seems that one of my teachers has it out for me. The first week of school she kicked me out – and I was never kicked out of class in my life. (I’m
Teen Talk ,
a new colum n in TJH, is ge ared towards th e teens in our com munity. A nswered b rotating ro ya ster of tea chers, reb clinicians beim, , and peers (!), teens w hearing a ill be nswers to many que stions they had percolatin g in their minds and wishe d they ha d the answ ers for.
in tenth grade.) I try my hardest to not move a muscle during her class but even when I try my hardest, she’ll find something wrong. One day she even told me, “Stop looking at me like that!” I don’t know what to do. It’s ruining my year. By the way, I actually do well in her class and know the material well. It’s just that in class she seems focused on making it hard for me. I would appreciate your insights and advice.
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W
ow, this sounds like a tricky situation! In a scenario like the one you are describing, had it been with a friend, I would have right away suggested speaking to her about it. However, the relationship with a teacher is a bit different and has to be approached with a different level of respect. That being said, the first thing I would recommend is recognizing that she is an adult, and as with most people, there is more to the story that you are not aware of. I can imagine it is extremely frustrating to be treated the way you have described, especially when you have no clue why, and so it’s easy to get upset at the one who is, so to speak, “treating you badly.” However, it’s important that you take a step back and recognize that you don’t see the full picture, just as she may not realize how she is affecting you. There is often a lot going on in a person’s life that has nothing to do with us and yet we still find ourselves taking it personally.
The truth is we all do it, not that it makes us OK, but none of us are perfect as much as we may like to think so; we have our flaws and we make mistakes. You know from yourself that there may be times when you have mistreated someone just because you yourself were having a bad day. Sometimes we are not aware of the way we affect others and
nothing anyone says to you will get to you. But in this situation, it’s important to remind yourself that it most likely has nothing to do with you. When you find yourself struggling with a particular situation that is outside of your control, consciously remind yourself that this is not a “you problem.” If you are not doing anything that would cause your
When you find yourself struggling with a particular situation that is outside of your control, consciously remind yourself that this is not a “you problem.” to what extent we do. With that being said, while we can’t change the ways others act, we can be conscious of the way our own actions affect others. The important part is not to take it personally. Of course, this is one of those things that are easier said than done, and it takes more than a lifetime to get to the point where
teacher to react negatively, and you cannot find any way to improve on your behavior in class, it’s important that you don’t blame yourself for the way you are being treated. Now, I know all I have said up until this point is everything about the situation which is outside of your hands, so now it’s time to discuss what is. I want you to remember that
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Are you a teen with a question? If you have a question or problem you’d like our columnists to address, email your question or insight to editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com, subject line: Teen Talk.
t h at there is no doubt in my mind that there is more to the story. I know that me telling you this does not change the situation, and she may continue to treat you as if she is out to get you, but for yourself it’s so important, not just with your teacher, but with everyone, to judge them favorably. Lastly, if the situation does not get better, or worsens even, I would definitely recommend discussing it with your parents or
MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
this is your teacher that we’re discussing, and regardless of how she is treating you, it’s important that you still show respect. As much as it is for her, it’s for yourself, too, to show yourself that the respect you show others is not for any reason other than the fact that this is something that is important to you. If you find it difficult to feel respect for her, work on switching your perspective and look for the positive. I’m sure there is so much that is admirable about her purely from the fact that she is a teacher and there is so much that goes into teaching that we are not aware of. Even if the situation itself doesn’t change, you’ll find your attitude towards the class switching from one of dread, and you may even find that you enjoy the class. I want to emphasize this as much as I can
a mentor and going from there. Talking over the situation with a trusted adult can help to alleviate some of the stress you’re experiencing. Your parents or mentor may also be able to give you pointed advice on how to handle the class and your teacher, as they may be more familiar with your school and classroom dynamics. I hope that everything works out!
Daniella is originally from Houston, Texas, and recently moved to Baltimore, Maryland, after a year of seminary in Israel. She currently works in a school while studying for a degree in psychology.
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Dating Dialogue
What Would You Do If… Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LcSW of the Navidaters
Dear Navidaters,
After many years of dating, I finally am dating a really great guy. We connect on many levels, which is a big deal for me. For the sake of the letter, I’ll call him Eli. I have been set up with a lot of guys who are not driven and don’t have the intellectual capacity that I want or are professionally “figuring it out,”
which is such a turn-off to me. Eli is different. He is motivated, successful, and a hard worker. I feel so stupid saying this now since this is what I always wanted, but I feel like he enjoys his work more than spending time with me. We have been dating for four months, and it is coming to the point where I have to make a decision. We speak about this issue all the time; if I marry him, I have to understand he will travel for work, I OctOber 29, 2015 | the Jewish Home
will have to accompany him to parties, and we definitely won’t spend as much time together as I would have wanted. I’m so torn. I like him, and I respect him, but do I want someone married to his job? I just don’t know. Any clarity would be helpful. Thanks, Melissa*
Disclaimer: This column is not intended to diagnose or otherwise conclude resolutions to any questions. Our intention is not to offer any definitive conclusions to any
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particular question, rather offer areas of exploration for the author and reader. Due to the nature of the column receiving only a short snapshot of an issue, without the benefit of an actual discussion, the panel’s role is to offer a range of possibilities. We hope to open up meaningful dialogue and individual exploration.
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the rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S. elissa, you must understand that smart, ambitious people must invest in their professions/occupations to achieve their goals. He obviously has a good work ethic and is being very straightforward with you. He is saying that he wants you to be part of his professional world and not leave you out of it. He also does not wish to mislead you. Is that being married to the job? I don’t think so. But you apparently think he is making a choice between you and his work. That’s not very mature. Understand that his commitment to successful work and time commitments go together. Any woman who dates a doctor or corporate lawyer gets that she will not have access to her partner for many more hours beyond nine-to-five and will have to develop an independent life of her own. Do you want an escort, or do you
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want a successful spouse who values honesty and your company? Maybe he gets that you are lacking companionship and find it difficult to be alone. Maybe he gets that your love language is spending time together, and he cannot give you that as much as he would like. Perhaps he understands you better than you understand yourself. Think about your other love languages and your ability to communicate them and then discuss them with him. You need to be ready to accept reality, yourself, and your ability to accept his needs before committing. You are not there yet.
the Shadchan Michelle Mond
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hat a predicament! Melissa, if his working habits
bother you, he might not be the right one for you. As the famous adage says, when someone shows you who they truly are, believe them. Many hard-working men in top corporate positions are openly worka-holics. If these men are in successful marriages, their wives come along for the ride and enjoy the thrill of constant travel, work parties, conferences, and corporate life. The man you are dating is being completely open about the kind of lifestyle he would like to live, because he does not want to blindside you. I admire that he is communicating this with you rather than getting engaged and leaving you trapped on your own to figure it out. Melissa, there are hardworking men out there who still make lots of room for family time. There is a large gray area in between the guys you describe whom you have dated, those who have no financial plan, and no motivation to work, and this man you are dating who is married to his job. If you do not respect his choices now, you will be even more resentful when
Mutual respect is the most important ingredient needed for a successful relationship.
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The Panel
you are married. Realize, however, that men with a better work-life balance will choose time at home over being more successful or perhaps going to your daughter’s siddur play over spending more time in the office. There is always more one can achieve when it comes to earning. What matters the most is where his priorities align. Figure out which one you respect and that will help you steer yourself in the proper direction.
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the Single Tzipora Grodko utual respect is the most important ingredient needed for a successful relationship. Can you respect that Eli wants to be a source of financial security for his family, understanding that everything he is doing is ultimately for the benefit of his family (which would include you)? It is extremely important for a spouse to feel proud of his work and an extra bonus if he finds tremendous fulfilment and satisfaction. Finding purpose and meaning enables a spouse to feel their best self, furthermore, being the best husband, they can be. Clarify whether your feelings of being secondary to Eli’s responsibilities are true through communication. If they are not, recognize that there will be challenges with any potential soul mate. Things are not meant to be perfect. But
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you choose to accept them as your form of perfect.
the Zaidy Dr. Jeffrey Galler
T
his is a very tough question. I am not that concerned that your boyfriend is hardworking and “married to his job,” because, after all, in today’s world that is often required of highly successful people. Think of dedicated surgeons spending countless hours at their hospitals or corporate officers and their lawyers working through numerous all-night sessions. Spouses who love each other reluctantly understand and accept those situations. However, what does worry me is his need to travel frequently. Here is how I would frame the di-
lemma: Observation #1: I know folks who are jewelers and folks who are salespeople who must travel almost weekly. The good news is that, after decades of marriage, they are wonderful, loving, and loyal husbands and fathers. Observation #2: Unfortunately, I also know of husbands who, perhaps because of too much business-related travelling, have seriously strayed from Yiddishkeit and from their morals. Observation #3: After dating unsuccessfully for many years, you may have finally found “Mr. Right.” It would be heartbreaking, maybe even foolish, to walk away from such a potentially promising relationship. So, what should you do? Here’s my suggestion: See if the two of you can agree that, every so often, you would accompany him on his business trips. Think of the cities and hotels that you could enjoyably explore while he is working. And, when he isn’t working, he would not have to be alone in a strange city,
You need to be ready to accept reality, yourself, and your ability to accept his needs before committing. but could, instead, share some enjoyable experiences with you. And, as an added bonus, perhaps you could assist him in his work. Of course, you, yourself, would need a job that would allow you to work remotely from time to time. And, when you are blessed with children, you would need dedicated caregivers (grandparents?) who could watch the children from time to time. Bear in mind that there are no guarantees in life, but this might be the basis of a mutually enjoyable and trusting marriage. Good luck!
Pulling It All Together The Navidaters Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists
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D
ear Melissa, Thank you for your email. There is no such thing as a “stupid” feeling, especially when it comes to settling down with “The One.” I’m glad you’re paying attention to your feelings. G-d willing, Eli will always work and have business dinners, parties, and travel, and late nights will be a part of your life should you get married. No one else has to live your life, so no one can really advise you whether to move forward or to break up. I can only offer you some things to consider…
I have worked with women in your shoes, on the other side of the chuppah. They are married to doctors, attorneys and businessmen whose hours are long and not their own. Some women seem to be A-OK with the lifestyle, and some aren’t. Some adjusted, and some didn’t and report feeling lonely when apart. You have to be brutally honest with yourself about what you can and what you cannot
handle. If you truly don’t know, you may want to speak to a professional to figure this out. Not only is Eli’s schedule not going to change, but he is going to need your emotional support and understanding to help him keep going. If you’re a reader of the column, you may have read this question before… How do you walk away from healthy love? I ask you to consider what the quality of your relationship is and how you feel when you are together and how you feel in the relationship when you are not together. Can you imagine your life without Eli in it? Something else to consider is that in 2022, unless a person is independently wealthy or is supported by parents lock,
stock and barrel, he/she is most likely putting in long hours in some capacity. I noticed you wrote that you sometimes feel like Eli enjoys his work more than he enjoys spending time with you. It may be I’m reading into something that isn’t there, or it may be that this is worth your own personal exploration – the idea that you are somehow in competition with his work. Perhaps he is not making you feel special and cherished during your time together? If you feel it relevant, you guys may want to speak to a therapist together to iron out some of these concerns. Wishing you all the best and that your clarity arrives shortly! Sincerely, Jennifer
Jennifer Mann, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist and certified trauma healing life coach, as well as a dating and relationship coach working with individuals, couples, and families in private practice at 123 Maple Avenue in Cedarhurst, NY. She also teaches a psychology course at Touro College. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 718-908-0512. Visit www. thenavidaters.com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email JenniferMannLCSW@gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.
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Dr. Deb
Love Your Kid by Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.
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t’s hard to love a teenager who is way out of reach in more ways than one. Here are some things parents have said to me: Scenario #1 “Dr. Deb, how do I love a kid that is so disrespectful? Me: You have to regardless. Hashem loves us, even though we sin. Scenario #2 “Dr. Deb, I lose it. I’m trying to help him learn, and he just doesn’t get it. I get so frustrated.” Scenario #3 “Dr. Deb, this kid is mechalel Shabbos. He won’t come to the table with us; he’s on his phone.” Scenario #4 “Dr. Deb, he’s on the streets. He won’t come home….” Scenario #5 “Dr. Deb, this kid reported us to the Child Protective Services! And we are good, kind parents. We did nothing wrong.” I remember the first time I got the other side of the story. A couple came in for marital counseling many years ago, and it inevitably
uncovered all sorts of problems with the children. So they sent their teenage daughter to meet with me alone. She was 15. In one of our sessions, she said to me, “My parents don’t love me.” I was shocked. I asked her permission to tell her parents this, and she was only too happy for them to know. I knew that her parents were worried sick about her. I also knew they were frustrated with her and maybe let her have it on occasion. Isn’t that normal? Don’t most parents yell? How did this kid get a much worse message than the intended one? When the mom came in the following week, I shared this information, and she was beyond shocked. She just couldn’t understand it. So I relayed to her Gottman’s rules for fighting couples and how they would apply to a child. Apparently, in couples whose marriage makes it forward in spite of obstacles, there are compliments given to each other even when fighting. (Of course, when people are angry, they do not want to give compliments, and Gottman doesn’t have an answer for this. However, Richard Schwartz does
have an answer, and I’ve covered this in previous articles.) Applying Gottman’s rule, I told her that she must say positive things to her daughter throughout the day even if she was frustrated with her. You see, Gottman found that when people stayed together in a marriage, they would utter at least one compliment or positive statement for every 5 complaints when they were getting along, and even when they were arguing, the ratio became one to twenty. That positive just had to squeeze itself in there for the relationship to survive. Today, I got news that made me think maybe I saved that girl from death. You see, someone else I once knew died by his own hand. And I knew that person to not fit in back in those awful teenage years, not belong. Our kids, like that child, then desperately try to make a place for themselves, a place in which they feel they can be who they really “are.” Sometimes, to do this, the teenager joins the “wrong” group, or goes off the derech, or rebels in other ways. This scares us, and I get that. So we try to clamp down harder, which leads to
worse rebellion. Instead, see inside the kids. See the chaos they make and flames they ignite as the outer representation of anguish inside. See it. Feel their pain. Not only pain but fear. The kid who doesn’t belong wonders if even G-d loves him, wonders if he was “supposed to” be here in this world, wonders if he isn’t somehow so defective that he’s beyond repair. That’s what they’re thinking, wondering, and frightened to find out. Then, if they hate themselves enough, they will “find out” all the evidence that stacks up against them. All the evidence that makes them finally, after trying so hard and suffering so long, give up hope and give up life.
Unearned Fish Back in the first third of the twentieth century, Gregory Bateson, an anthropologist, was observing the training process for dolphins. The trainers were teaching the dolphins to come up with new tricks. That means that any trick they produced would get a reward in the session in which it appeared but would no longer be re-
love. “I love you just because I love you. It is not tied to what you do, what you say, or how well you conform to my expectations.”
But I’ve Been Really Upset When you have been in the habit of taking out on your child all your frus-
117 you a lot. I want you to know two things: One, I love you. I’ve always loved and cared for you. You’re important to me. Your feelings and your happiness are important to me. “And two, I want us to start over. I’m not going to freak out – or I will try very hard not to. So give me the chance to be
When Bateson asked why they did this, they explained that the unearned fish were needed to maintain the relationship between the trainers and the animals.
trations at their behavior, you see that it just recycles the same problem again and again. To start differently, you need to make a clean break from past behavior. I always suggest parents begin with an apology. Yes, an apology. Something like this: “I realize I’ve been very frustrated and come down on
the mom/dad to you that I want to be.” This way, your teenager expects changes and isn’t wondering what you’re up to. It also sets up a tremendous role model of taking responsibility. They see that even though they’ve messed up, you’re taking responsibility for some small part of it. From here, focus on the fish – the
ones that they earn and the ones that are unearned.
Where’s the Discipline in This? All children need discipline at times. If love were the only answer, there would be no such thing as narcissism. A selfish child can come out of a home in which he’s been given everything, and nothing was expected of him. A good balance is needed, and I would go with Gottman, here: Twenty positives to every negative. Count them. And make sure the negatives are encrusted with love. This means tone of voice could be more important than what is said. When you say, “Come help me, love,” or “Come help me, son,” regardless of the words, say it with love. I’m so glad to have written this for you. Maybe, just maybe, it will save some other kid. And may the lost neshama have an aliyah.
MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
warded in future sessions. As would be true of any animal with a bit of intelligence, the dolphins were starting to show signs of frustration at the beginning of each new session. From their experience with these sensitive mammals, the trainers were quite hesitant to let this go on because the dolphins might become hopeless and stop producing anything. So the trainers gave the dolphins unearned fish, fist that did not serve to reward their efforts at all. When Bateson asked why they did this, they explained that the unearned fish were needed to maintain the relationship between the trainers and the animals. It worked. Brilliantly. At some point, it looked as if the dolphins wanted to please their trainers. At the fifteenth session, they came up with several new, never-before-seen tricks. Imagine: as a result of unearned fish, the animals produced more than they would have from continuing to try to do new tricks that would be rewarded. I think you can see where I’m going with this. We’re talking about the glue that holds relationships together – unconditional
Dr. Deb Hirschhorn is a Marriage and Family Therapist. If you want help with your marriage, begin by signing up to watch her Masterclass at https://drdeb.com/myw-masterclass.
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Health & F tness
The Up-and-Coming Chickpea by cindy Weinberger MS, rD, cDN
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OctOber 29, 2015 | the Jewish Home
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eganism has evolved into a worldwide fad. In this diet, one abstains from all animal products. A vegan diet consists of mostly fruits, vegetables, and starches. A common base for many vegan foods is chickpeas. Chickpeas have been around for centuries and originated in the Middle East. This superstar legume is not only used for hummus or falafel anymore. Chickpeas are now being used as a base for ice cream, pasta, and flatbreads. Don’t make faces until you try it! Chickpeas are not only recommended for vegans. They are great for everyone. They have just become so popular in new foods, because veganism is a growing trend. What makes chickpeas so appealing – especially to vegans – is their high protein content. Like other legumes, chickpeas make a solid replacement for animal product protein. However, chickpeas are not a complete protein and therefore need to be paired with another incomplete protein, such as whole grains, for optimal benefits. Chickpeas are a great addition to a salad or a rice bowl as the protein for the meal. When looking for a high protein snack, chickpeas also make a great choice. In addition to being a great source of protein, chickpeas are also a rich source of fiber. Fiber helps reduce levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream, thus promoting heart health. The high protein and fiber combination help curb your appetite. Protein and fiber work together to slow digestion, keeping you fuller for longer. Thus, chickpeas are a great choice when trying to lose or manage weight. Aside from their high protein content, chickpeas have a low energy density, which means they contain few calories relative to the amount of nutrients they provide, also aiding in weight loss. Chickpeas, like all legumes, are a form of complex carbohydrate that the body is able to slowly digest and use for
energy. Chickpeas also have a low glycemic index, not causing a spike in glucose, making them a good choice for diabetics. Chickpeas are also a rich source of vitamins and minerals. The iron, phosphate, calcium, magnesium, manganese,
also prevents inflammation and slows the rate of tumor growth. Furthermore, chickpeas also contain folate, which plays a role in DNA synthesis and repair and helps prevent the formation of cancer cells from mutations in the DNA.
Aside from their high protein content, chickpeas have a low energy density, which means they contain few calories relative to the amount of nutrients they provide.
zinc, and vitamin K in chickpeas all contribute to building and maintaining bone structure and strength. Chickpeas contain the mineral selenium which helps the liver detoxify cancer-causing compounds. Selenium
Regardless of if you’re vegan, vegetarian or eat everything available, chickpeas should definitely be a staple in your diet. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends 3 cups of legumes per week (based on a daily intake of ap-
proximately 2,000 calories). Since chickpeas offer so many health benefits, they should be the legume of choice. Aside from the fact that you need to eat your required amounts of legumes, chickpeas are high in protein, fiber, help prevent cancer, promote heart health, facilitate weight loss, and have many other essential vitamins and minerals. Plus, they’re delicious. It’s a no brainer to consume chickpeas regularly. Chickpeas are versatile and can be used in a variety of dishes. They can be added to salads, soups, or sandwiches. You can mash chickpeas into falafel balls, burgers, or tacos, too. As mentioned above, they’re also a main ingredient in hummus, in which you can dip almost anything! You can buy hummus from the store or make it on your own. Whether you use it on Shabbos to dip your challah into, or as a snack with pretzels or veggies, hummus is definitely a healthy and recommended dip. You can roast chickpeas in the oven for a crunchy snack or add to a salad. You can buy chickpeas fresh, frozen, roasted or canned. You may be shocked when you see green chickpeas. Chickpeas can be harvested early and shelled in the field which, in turn, gives it a bright green color. These green chickpeas can be found frozen or as a hummus and falafel balls, too. Whichever way you prefer, make chickpeas a staple in your diet.
Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN, is a Master’s level Registered Dietitian and Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist. She graduated CUNY Brooklyn College receiving a Bachelor’s in Science and Master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Sciences. She is currently a private nutritionist. She can be reached at CindyWeinberger1@gmail.com or at 917-623-6237.
MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
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עם אוצר הספרים חדש של מאות ספרים על כל מקצועת התורה ובפרט לרבות ימי בין הזמנים הבעל"ט יהי' ההיכל התורה מוכן לכל הבחורים ואברכים החשובים למקום להגות בתורה. ההיכל התורה יהי' פתוח משך כל ימי השבוע – וימי שבת ויום טוב למקום תורה. ~~~
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Parenting Pearls
Derech Eretz on the Derech by Sara rayvych, MSed
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OctOber 29, 2015 | the Jewish Home
A
few years ago, I was in a local parking lot trying to make my way out of the area after completing my shopping. I didn’t realize a woman was trying to get out of her spot when I passed by, accidentally blocking her. I had the right of way, but I might have stopped as a courtesy if I had realized she was looking to exit. Perhaps she thought I wasn’t being courteous, I’m not sure, but she must’ve become frustrated and angry. She left her spot soon afterwards and intentionally chased after me in the parking lot so she could lower her window and scream unkind words at me. I shall not repeat her language. I kept my mouth shut and didn’t return her sentiments. I couldn’t help myself, and I took a quick peek to see if she had children in her minivan. My instinct was correct – she had a few kids in her vehicle. I was sad for those children that had to see such an ugly behavioral display by their mother. Whether I was right or wrong (I was right), the situation didn’t necessitate such poor middos on her part. She
could’ve ignored it or found a decent way to express herself. When one adult is obnoxious to another, that is a matter that is between those two adults and Hashem. When that loathsome interaction takes place in front of children, it can become a parenting article. Well, here it is! One thing I’ve noticed is that traveling, both vehicular and pedestrian, can result in poor middos. Sadly, I think it’s only gotten worse. Perhaps it’s because we’re in a rush. Maybe it’s because we feel more uninhibited with a stranger we’re likely to never see again. Whatever it is causes a decline in respect and safety. I’m sure I’m not the only one that’s noticed a few issues that arise when out and about and doing our weekly errands. During this busy yom tov season, it seemed like an appropriate time to address this topic as it relates to our child’s chinuch.
Continuous Role Models We are modeling for our children
what behavior we expect in the many situations they will encounter. They see us at all different times and watch to see our response. If we make a point of accepting the inevitable frustrations of driving, it makes a positive impact on our children. When we openly disparage others because they drive too slow, too fast, or take our spot, then we are teaching our impressionable youth that aggression is acceptable. We can, and should, make a point to educate our children during our many interactions with others. This need not feel formal or stuffy, and you can make it clear that it’s for the sake of their chinuch (ask your own shailos regarding hilchos lashon hara). It’s not too difficult to point out the danger of a speeding driver when they see one, the risk of biking without a helmet, or a child running near the street as cars whiz past. It actually makes your concerns clearer when the example is real. I can tell my kids the dangers of crossing the street for hours, but it won’t make the same impression as when my kids saw
some little ones jump into the street in front of us rather than cross carefully. Baruch Hashem, we saw them first and stopped our van. My children were also able to see the benefits of defensive driving because it was those measures (along with siyata dishmaya) that caused us to recognize the danger early enough to respond. As parents, we need to make sure that all our actions, even when driving and parking, are congruent with our chinuch goals. It may be more convenient to double park, but it creates a dangerous situation for the other motorists. It may be quicker to park without fully or accurately pulling into the intended parking spot, but both create difficulties for other drivers trying to pass or park. Excessive or angry honking, double parking, and illegal turns all give our future drivers the wrong message. Besides the obviously terrible driving lesson, all while causing risk to ourselves and others on the road, we’re creating an unhealthy outlook of entitlement where rules apply to others and not to ourselves. If we
121 crossing on the green, we shouldn’t run across the red with our children in tow.
Cross Safely
Texting
Most of our kids aren’t drivers but pedestrians. It’s so simple; we all teach our children from the youngest of ages on how to guide themselves from one side of the street to the other. Even the chicken can cross the road. Despite this, many of us have been shocked by the dangerous street crossings we’ve seen in actual practice. Crossing at a busy Central Avenue intersection is very different than at a quiet residential road. Crosswalks are safer than the middle of the road; lights are safer yet. Even if the light is green, we still should look before we leap. As our children get older and become more independent, it may be worth once again reviewing advanced street crossing skills on the more complicated avenues. Demonstrate in-person how to safely maneuver busy roads. What seems obvious to us may not be evident to a young teen. Besides the clear explanations, we need to ensure that we model what we preach. If we explain the importance of
Don’t text and drive. It’s an obvious rule, and there are plenty of ads to inform you of this one. Therefore, I will
a driver, I found it frustrating to have so many kids suddenly walking in front of a moving vehicle. What I started to notice was that now adults were doing it, too. V’nahafuch hu, our children are teaching their elders. It is incredibly dangerous for a pe-
I can tell my kids the dangers of crossing the street for hours, but it won’t make the same impression as when my kids saw some little ones jump into the street in front of us rather than cross carefully.
focus on the dangers of texting and walking. A number of years ago, I noticed that teens were crossing the street against the light, completely unaware of cars coming because they were texting. Rather than look both ways or even ahead, they were focused down on a screen. As
destrian to text while walking. The texting youth can’t see what’s ahead of them and can easily wander into the street, chas v’shalom. Pedestrians have nothing to protect them, unlike someone in a vehicle. While drivers do need to safely maneuver their vehicle, it doesn’t help if they’re driving legal-
ly through a green light and someone wanders in front of them, chas v’shalom. Safe phone usage includes knowing when to use your phone and when to put it down. This goes along with the other important aspects of safe texting. Just like phones should be turned off before davening, l’havdil, devices need to be put down before walking, particularly prior to crossing roads or traversing a parking lot. Taking this a step further, we need to make clear through our actions that, when walking, we too, are off our phones and focused fully on our surroundings. We live in a wonderful community with so much to do and see. We should take full advantage of what’s available while spending quality time with our children. In all we do, let’s make sure we are the example we want our children to follow and make a kiddush Hashem.
MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
don’t follow the rules of safety, then why should our children?
Sara Rayvych, MSEd, has her master’s in general and special education. She has been homeschooling for over 10 years in Far Rockaway. She can be contacted at RayvychHomeschool@gmail.com.
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jewish women of wisdom
Don’t Judge a Book By Its Genre by Sara N. brejt, esq., cPc
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A cookbook can also focus us on life’s small, precious moments. A cookbook may remind you of a special food you ate years ago. With special people. On a special day. During a special conversation. When we were dating, my husband and I were eating at the then-trendy kosher vegetarian Greener Pastures. Do you
honest, I was going on and on – about how cute the broccoli florets would look on a bed of brown rice. He seemed to hesitate and then he asked me, “Do you know how to make chicken soup?” “Yes.” I smiled. “That’s good.” He also smiled. And looked relieved. He also promised me he
Cookbooks of each cuisine open our minds and open our hearts to Jews of all stripes.
would try anything I make once. Even the stranger foods. And he has! A soup cookbook will warm our hearts on a cold winter day. The very picture of steam from a tureen, with the ladle at-the-ready, evokes the hearth, the table, the aroma …the opportunity to gather with family and with friends… the ultimate comfort food. Do you enjoy
JWOW! is a community for midlife Jewish women which can be accessed at www.jewishwomanofwisdom.org for conversation, articles, Zoom events, and more.
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remember that restaurant? It was near Bloomingdale’s on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. I was waxing eloquent about the title recipe from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, a cookbook from the proprietress of The Moosewood Restaurant, of counter-culture fame. This was very trendy at the time. Did I say that already? To be
your soup piping hot? And, in the summer, reading the recipes of iced desserts will cool our bodies, in an exceptionally non-caloric way. That refreshing feeling reminds us of summer vacations, with no care, and all the time in the world. A newer, more modern cookbook is fun-to-read, creative and inspirational. A cake-in-a-mug cookbook combines the seemingly contradictory values of today – speed and comfort. How very 2022! We may dream about producing the fantastic pictures in the new cookbooks, and we don’t even have to lift a finger. Dreams can be satisfying, even the ones that don’t materialize. We will internalize the creativity of the cuisine, the styling, the design. A cookbook can bring us to tears as it evokes the aromas of our youth. “I had no idea even how to make a good soup. I do not remember exactly what my mother looked like, but I remembered the smell of her chicken soup. I worked on it till I felt I had my Mom in my kitchen.” -From the “Holocaust Survivor’s Cookbook” Are “cookbooks” a genre of literature? I have been thinking about this since JWOW! hosted “The Joy of Books,” an interactive Zoom program in the fall. If cookbooks were just compilations of lists of ingredients with directions, then perhaps not. But cookbooks are so much more. Food is an essential part of our identity, our emotions and our moods. And, therefore, cookbooks enrich our lives. By helping us explore culture and history, they connect us to who we are, who we were, and who we aspire to be. I vote “yes!” Cookbooks are a genre of our literature. Happy reading!
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y husband and I were considering our mishloach manos theme options. I wanted to make Indian food. I figured we’d start with Hodu (India) and celebrate a different country each year until we arrived at Kush (Ethiopia). Based on the idea that Esther, as wife to King Achashveirosh, was the queen over 127 provinces, we’d be set for the next 126 years! My out-of-town chavrusa (learning partner) arranged for me to borrow a few of her fascinating cookbooks on Indian Jewish cooking. Who knew there was such a thing!? I learned about the Jews of India and garam masala, an authentic Indian spice, and how hard it was to obtain kosher versions of those traditional Indian spices, especially in Cleveland. So, we toned it down (a lot!) and sent a much simpler saffron rice and a small bottle of flavored vodka. Those Indian cookbooks certainly broadened my cultural horizons. As the well-known adage goes, “The way to a culture’s heart is through its stomach.” The ethnic variety of the traditional cooking in our Jewish world astounds the mind. From the range of the different Sephardic communities to the variety of European ones, cookbooks of each cuisine open our minds and open our hearts to Jews of all stripes. They can unify us as a people as we each become familiar with other sections of our community through the foods that we eat. If we are researching our own history, we will connect to our own past. If we research that of others, well then, we will connect to them as well. The Spice and Spirit cookbooks – or today’s equivalent, the Bais Yaakov cookbooks – are often our trusty kitchen companions. We find recipes that our families have enjoyed for generations. Sometimes, the book simply falls open to the pages of those tried-and-true recipes, the ones we go back to again and again. You know which pages – the ones with the oil stains and the little crumbs stuck on.
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MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
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In The K
tchen
Pistachio Crusted Salmon Parve / 6-8 servings Freezer friendly by Naomi Nachman
All over the world people stop me to tell me how much they love this quick, easy, and incredibly delicious recipe. The salty nuts, sweetness of the sugar, and the kick of the horseradish make this a perfect combination.
Ingredients
◦ 2 Tablespoons red horseradish (chrein) ◦ 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
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OctOber 29, 2015 | the Jewish Home
◦ 1 cup shelled salted pistachios
Preparation 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. 2 Mix the horseradish and mayonnaise together in a small bowl.
◦ ½ cup brown sugar
3 Place the salmon on prepared baking sheet; spread with horseradish mixture. Set aside.
◦ 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
4. In a food processor fitted with the “S” blade, crush the nuts until they are coarsely ground but not too fine. Add the
◦ 1 (about 2-lb) whole side salmon, or 6-8 slices
brown sugar and lemon juice; pulse until the mixture looks like wet sand.
5. Pat nut mixture onto salmon, covering the entire surface. 6. Bake for 25 minutes, until the center flakes when pierced with a fork. Tip: To freeze, prepare the recipe through Step 5; then freeze. Defrost fully before baking.
Naomi Nachman, the owner of The Aussie Gourmet, caters weekly and Shabbat/ Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities, with a specialty in Pesach catering. Naomi is a contributing editor to this paper and also produces and hosts her own weekly radio show on the Nachum Segal Network stream called “A Table for Two with Naomi Nachman.” Naomi gives cooking presentations for organizations and private groups throughout the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area. In addition, Naomi has been a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, magazines as well as other media covering topics related to cuisine preparation and personal chefs. To obtain additional recipes, join The Aussie Gourmet on Facebook or visit Naomi’s blog. Naomi can be reached through her website, www.theaussiegourmet.com or at (516) 295-9669.
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MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
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The Jewish Home | MARCH 31, 2022
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Notable Notable Quotes Quotes “Say What?!” “SayWhat?!” What?!” “Say
I]fI]fyou believe ininDr. Fauci, what you should do youbelieve believein Dr.Fauci, Fauci,what whatyou youshould shoulddo do I]f you Dr. immediately is go get stickers and make sure immediatelyisisgo goget getstickers stickersand andmake makesure sure immediately they are on the floor, everywhere you go, and theyare areon onthe thefloor, floor,everywhere everywhereyou yougo, go,and andaaa they yardstick so you know you are six feet away from yardstickso soyou youknow knowyou youare aresix sixfeet feetaway awayfrom from yardstick people — and Plexiglas. Carry Plexiglas around people——and andPlexiglas. Plexiglas.Carry CarryPlexiglas Plexiglasaround around people with you because Dr. Fauci thinks that Plexiglas withyou youbecause becauseDr. Dr.Fauci Faucithinks thinksthat thatPlexiglas Plexiglas with somehow, you know, reflects the virus away somehow, you know, reflects the virus away somehow, you know, reflects the virus away from you. fromyou. you. from – Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Fox News – Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Fox News – Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Fox News
All totosay Ketanji reminded me ofofObama little bit because he AllII have Ihave haveto sayisisisKetanji Ketanjireminded remindedme meof Obamaaaalittle littlebit bitbecause becausehe he All say Obama was also perfect. was also perfect. was also perfect. - The View’s Joy Behar gushing over Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson who stated that
- The View’s Joy Behar gushing over Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson who stated that -she TheisView’s Joy Behar gushing over Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson who stated that she isunable unabletotodefine definewhat whata awoman womanisis she is unable to define what a woman is
Quite frankly, looked like Ted Cruz commit hate crime, ininthat Quitefrankly, frankly,itititlooked lookedlike likeII saw Isaw sawTed TedCruz Cruzcommit commitaaahate hatecrime, crime,in that Quite that hearing room. hearingroom. room. hearing - MSNBC commentator Chai Komanduri commenting on Sen. Cruz (R-TX) asking Supreme Court
OctOber 29,29, 2015 | the Jewish Home OctOber 2015 | the Jewish Home OctOber 29, 2015 | the Jewish Home
- MSNBC commentator Chai Komanduri commenting on Sen. Cruz (R-TX) asking Supreme Court -nominee MSNBC commentator Chai Komanduri commenting on Sen. Cruz (R-TX) asking Supreme Court nomineeKetanji KetanjiBrown BrownJackson Jacksonquestions questionsabout abouther herrecord record nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson questions about her record
They canceled Joanne Rowling, the children’s author ——her books are Theycanceled canceledJoanne JoanneRowling, Rowling,the thechildren’s children’sauthor author— herbooks booksare are They her published all over the world — because she didn’t satisfy the demands ofof publishedallallover overthe theworld world——because becauseshe shedidn’t didn’tsatisfy satisfythe thedemands demandsof published gender rights. genderrights. rights. gender - Russian President Putin claiming that Russia is the victim of cancel culture like Harry Potter author J.
- Russian President Putin claiming that Russia is the victim of cancel culture like Harry Potter author J. -K.Russian President Putin claiming that Russia is the victim of cancel culture like Harry Potter author J. K.Rowling Rowling K. Rowling
Critiques ofofWestern cancel culture are possibly not best made by those Critiquesof Westerncancel cancelculture cultureare arepossibly possiblynot notbest bestmade madeby bythose those Critiques Western currently slaughtering civilians for the crime of resistance, or who jail and currentlyslaughtering slaughteringcivilians civiliansfor forthe thecrime crimeofofresistance, resistance,ororwho whojail jailand and currently poison their critics. poisontheir theircritics. critics. poison -J.K. Rowling responding to Putin’s shout-out -J.K. Rowling responding to Putin’s shout-out -J.K. Rowling responding to Putin’s shout-out
None ofofwhat he’s been for has worked. Not Noneof whathe’s he’sbeen beenfor forhas hasworked. worked.Not Not None what one thing he has advocated, other than the onething thinghehehas hasadvocated, advocated,other otherthan thanthe the one vaccine, and I’m not against the vaccine, but the vaccine,and andI’m I’mnot notagainst againstthe thevaccine, vaccine,but butthe the vaccine, interesting thing is this, and he won’t admit this interestingthing thingisisthis, this,and andhehewon’t won’tadmit admitthis this interesting totothe public: If you take a sample of blood from thepublic: public:If Ifyou youtake takea asample sampleofofblood bloodfrom from to the 1,000 people anywhere in the United States and 1,000people peopleanywhere anywhereininthe theUnited UnitedStates Statesand and 1,000 you measure to see if they have antibodies to the youmeasure measuretotosee seeif ifthey theyhave haveantibodies antibodiestotothe the you virus or antibodies to the vaccine, it’s over 95%. virus or antibodies to the vaccine, it’s over 95%. virus orwhy antibodies to the better vaccine, it’sthis. overWe 95%. That’s we are doing with That’s why we are doing better with this. We That’s why we are doing better with this. We have developed immunity, either from having the havedeveloped developedimmunity, immunity,either eitherfrom fromhaving havingthe the have disease or from being vaccinated, and that’s why diseaseororfrom frombeing beingvaccinated, vaccinated,and andthat’s that’swhy why disease we are doing better, in addition to the fact that weare aredoing doingbetter, better,ininaddition additiontotothe thefact factthat that we the virus has mutated to a less virulent or less thevirus virushas hasmutated mutatedtotoa aless lessvirulent virulentororless less the deadly form, but he won’t admit it because he’s deadlyform, form,but buthehewon’t won’tadmit admitit itbecause becausehe’s he’s deadly caught up in putting stickers on the floor, putting caughtupupininputting puttingstickers stickerson onthe thefloor, floor,putting putting caught masks on your face, putting goggles on you. The masks on your face, putting goggles on you. The masks on your face, putting goggles on you. The guy is a menace, and he hasn’t been right really guyisisa amenace, menace,and andhehehasn’t hasn’tbeen beenright rightreally really guy about anything since the start of this. aboutanything anythingsince sincethe thestart startofofthis. this. about - Ibid. - Ibid. - Ibid.
Worth noting even Hitler didn’t permit his Worthnoting notingeven evenHitler Hitlerdidn’t didn’tpermit permithis his Worth military to use chemical weapons, though he military to use chemical weapons, though he military to use chemical weapons, though he had them. hadthem. them. had -Tweet by former CEO and current senior chairman of Goldman
-Tweet by former CEO and current senior chairman of Goldman -Tweet by former CEO and current senior chairman of Goldman Sachs SachsLloyd LloydBlankfein Blankfein Sachs Lloyd Blankfein
It’s always good totoget reminder that the It’salways alwaysgood goodto getaaareminder reminderthat thatthe the It’s get people who run America are absolutely 100% out peoplewho whorun runAmerica Americaare areabsolutely absolutely100% 100%out out people ofoftheir minds. theirminds. minds. of their - Tweet in response by Jon Schwartz of the Intercept
3434 34
- Tweet in response by Jon Schwartz of the Intercept - Tweet in response by Jon Schwartz of the Intercept
127 For G-d’s sake, this man cannot remain in power. MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
- Pres. Joe Biden going off script at the end of a speech in Munich and calling for the toppling of Putin’s regime
I wouldn’t use this type of wording because I continue to hold discussions with President Putin. We want to stop the war that Russia has launched in Ukraine without escalation — that’s the objective. If this is what we want to do, we should not escalate things — neither with words nor actions. - French Pres. Emmanuel Macron responding to Pres. Biden’s gaffe
I think the president, the White House, made the point last night that, quite simply, President Putin cannot be empowered to wage war or engage in aggression against Ukraine or anyone else. As you know, and as you have heard us say repeatedly, we do not have a strategy of regime change in Russia — or anywhere else, for that matter. As in any case, it’s up to the people of the country in question. It’s up to the Russians. -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the following day
The president’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change. - Statement by the White House, moments after The President’s gaffe
There’s an essay in The New York Times: “Democrats are Making Life Too Easy for Republicans.” Well, they’re doing that because they’ve made life so dangerous for the American people.
A world where you can state a simple biological fact and face censorship, the loss of revenue and your livelihood, and excommunication from the public square for stating truth, no matter how satirical tongue-in-cheek your tone is, is a scary one indeed. As the famous Ron Paul saying goes, “Truth is treason in the empire of lies. – Statement by the Babylon Bee after it was thrown off of Twitter for making fun of the woke left
It’s time to take a stand, and that time is now. If we wait any longer, we may no longer have that chance. We’ve been incredibly blessed at The Babylon Bee in that we have a healthy number of paying subscribers who help us keep the lights on, and we’re going to use that to stand firm here and do what’s right. We’ll continue to spread our comedy and tell our jokes that communicate truth to a culture that hates truth on whatever platforms will allow us to, and we’re grateful for those who stand alongside us in this fight. – Ibid.
-Jesse Watters, Fox News
- Ibid.
The president is in Brussels right now for an emergency summit with our NATO allies. Together, the leaders of the G7 nations put out a forceful statement warning Russia not to use chemical or nuclear weapons on Ukraine, and also posed for a series of awkward photographs, starting with a group shot. — Jimmy Kimmel
Yeah, that’s either a NATO summit or a conference for “men who don’t know what to do with their arms” photo.
emoH hsiweJ eht | 5102 ,92 rebOtcO
Democrats don’t do things for our country. They do things to it. They’ve made life here more dangerous and more expensive. The Democrat brand is about as attractive as the Wuhan lab. They don’t speak for America. They speak for big cities and the D.C. suburbs. Nobody listens to them anywhere else
— Jimmy Fallon
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The Jewish Home | MARCH 31, 2022
128 • Over the last year there has been a marked increase of armed robberies involving victims wearing expensive jewelry while in public. If it is visible, it can be a target. • Traveling in groups and remaining in welllit areas can help deter opportunists from attempting a street robbery. • Always be aware of your surroundings and pay attention to those around you. • After shopping, make it a habit to take a different route home and pay attention to vehicles and pedestrians behind you. If you think you are being followed, change your route and call the police. • In the event a person is approached during a robbery, especially when armed with a firearm, the department encourages victims not to resist. No property is worth the risk of loss of life.
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- An advisory by the LAPD due to the spike in crime, caused by radical Democrat policies such as bail reform laws
Despite the current state of affairs, Vladimir Putin is still planning to attend the G20 summit with other world leaders in Bali this fall, which explains this year’s theme: “Awkward.” — Jimmy Fallon
OctOber 29, 2015 | the Jewish Home
Political crossfire
Madeleine Albright Shaped a Generation of Foreign Policy Leaders by David Ignatius
M
adeleine K. Albright, who passed away on Wednesday, shaped a generation of foreign policy leaders – gently and usually with a smile. She knew every senior official, mentored many of them, and managed to say a cheery word even to people who took “dour” as a compliment. Even into her 80s, Albright had the style of a college undergraduate, gossiping late into the night with her countless friends in the United States and abroad. At the opening dinner of each summer’s gathering of the Aspen Strategy Group, she would don a cowgirl dress and join other former luminaries in singing show tunes and, always, “America the Beautiful.” What made Albright truly special was that, throughout her career, as secretary of state and in the more than two decades after, she remained anchored in her values. In her 2018 book, “Fascism: A Warning,” she called the danger posed by President Donald Trump by its true name. “If we think of fascism as a wound from the past that had almost healed, putting Trump in the White House was like ripping off the bandage and picking at the scab,” she wrote. As a refugee from Czechoslovakia, totalitarianism wasn’t an abstraction. Her family fled the Nazis in 1938, and then the communists in 1948. Albright was clear-eyed from the start about Russian President Vladimir Putin. After meeting him in January 2000, just after he was first elected president, Albright wrote in a memo: “Putin is small and pale, so cold as to be almost reptilian.” Even then, she recognized that Putin was, in her words, “embarrassed by what happened to his country and determined to restore its greatness.” We’re living now with the horrifying consequences of that revanchism. Albright had a rare knack for establishing intimacy with what’s often a cold foreign-policy elite. She went “from Pole to
Pole,” as she liked to say, when she moved from advising Democratic Sen. Edmund Muskie to assisting national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski. When Brzezinski died in 2017, Albright gave a moving and
University of Denver, where one of his star graduate students was a young Russia scholar named Condoleezza Rice. Whenever Rice spoke of Korbel, she expressed genuine passion, and it sometimes appeared
After meeting him in January 2000, just after he was first elected president, Albright wrote in a memo: “Putin is small and pale, so cold as to be almost reptilian.”
very witty eulogy alongside former president Jimmy Carter. Her life was an unlikely story of self-discovery. She was raised a Catholic, and she said she had never realized her family was Jewish until Washington Post reporter Michael Dobbs uncovered the secret. Her emigre father Josef Korbel taught at the
that the foreign policy elite was really an extended family. Albright was always a passionate advocate of America’s role abroad, a stance that was severely tested during the Clinton administration. As U.N. ambassador, she pressed for U.S. military intervention in the Balkan war in 1995, and again four years
later after Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic attacked the province of Kosovo. Her positions were rooted more in American values than interests; but when talking about foreign policy, she didn’t recognize a distinction. Though she was a hawk about the Balkans, Albright’s gift was for the personal side of diplomacy. With a combination of flattery and teasing humor, she could talk to anyone and break through even the most reserved fellow diplomats. After she departed as secretary of state, she annually gathered a group of former senior officials from other nations for a retreat. She asked me to speak at one of these events, held at the lavish Rockefeller family estate in Pocantico Hills, N.Y., and it was a marvel to watch her charm even the Chinese diplomat in the group. As the first woman secretary of state, Albright was a trailblazer. But she was a person who took herself and her achievements lightly, even as she took the world seriously. She loved to gather friends for dinner at her home in Georgetown for an evening of good food and drink – leading the discussion with the restless curiosity she had through her life. When thinking about the men who were giants in foreign policy, such as Brzezinski and Henry Kissinger, we sometimes wonder why they didn’t reproduce themselves as strategists. It’s very hard to think of a younger version of Kissinger, for example. But Albright’s proteges surround us. Wendy Sherman, her devoted colleague for decades, is deputy secretary of state, and nearly every member of the Biden administration foreign policy team can trace a lineage to Albright. Albright had dizzying achievements in life. But she knew exactly where she stood, and she never lost her balance. (c) 2022, Washington Post Writers Group
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Political crossfire
Free Speech Gets Tossed at Yale Law School by Marc A. thiessen
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D
.C. Circuit Senior Judge Laurence H. Silberman sent an email to all federal judges nationwide asking them to think twice about hiring any of the more than 100 Yale University law students who attempted to shout down a speaker in a panel discussion on free speech as clerks. “All federal judges are presumably committed to free speech,” Silberman wrote, so they “should carefully consider whether any such student so identified should be disqualified for potential clerkships.” Silberman is absolutely right – no judge should choose these individuals for clerkships. In fact, based on their behavior, they should not be at Yale Law School in the first place. The incident took place at a forum featuring Kristen Waggoner of the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative group that defends religious liberty. As soon as Yale law professor Kate Stith began to introduce Waggoner, a group of students rose and began to shout her down, heckle her, with several reportedly holding up their middle fingers. When they refused to stop yelling, Sith told them to “grow up” and reminded them of Yale’s free speech policy. One protester shouted back that Sith was violating their right to free speech. Another reportedly threatened a student organizer of the event with violence, telling her she would “literally fight you.” The protesters eventually left the room, but, according to the Washington Free Beacon, stood outside the hall yelling and pounding on the walls. Campus police had to escort Waggoner out of the building. “It was disturbing to witness law students whipped into a mindless frenzy,” she said after the event, adding, “I did not feel it was safe to get out of the room without security.” These are not college kids. They are adults on the fast track to highflying legal careers, studying at an institution which
produces more clerks for federal judges and Supreme Court justices than almost any other law school in the United States. They should know better. Moreover, the Alliance Defending Freedom is not a fringe group. Since 2014, the ADF has won 12 cases before
business serving in a judge’s chambers. The job of a federal judge is to uphold the Constitution. If these students show so little respect for the First Amendment in law school, they probably won’t respect it while drafting opinions for a federal judge either.
Shutting down free speech is not free speech.
the U.S. Supreme Court. While the protesters may disagree with its positions on religious liberty, the Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed them. They might have wanted to listen and learn why. And Waggoner wasn’t just delivering a speech. She was participating in a discussion on civil liberties with a representative of a left-wing group, the American Humanist Association. If you want to clerk for a federal judge, listening respectfully as two sides discuss an issue is your job. If you can’t do that, you have no
Worse still, the fact that the protesters actually believed their right to free speech was being suppressed is Orwellian. Shutting down free speech is not free speech. When you shout someone down, you’re not participating in argument – you are trying to prevent the argument from taking place. This is antithetical to the purpose of a law school, which is to teach students how to argue the law using reason and persuasion. The fact that people who don’t understand this – and would behave in this
manner – were even admitted to Yale Law School is a massive admissions failure. And they are not in the minority. Incredibly, 417 Yale law students – nearly two-thirds of the student body – signed an open letter criticizing the presence of “armed police” at the protest and defending the disruption. The invitation of the ADF “undermined our community’s values of equity and inclusivity,” they claimed, while complaining about the “faculty moderator’s dismissal of our peaceful action as childish.” Actually, the moderator was far too kind. Their behavior was worse than childish; it was an affront to the legal profession. Screaming at someone who disagrees with you and giving the middle finger to a law professor is not how serious lawyers behave. No one who acts in this way should ever be anywhere near a federal judge’s chambers. Some will say what Silberman suggests is cancel culture. Sorry, cancel culture tries to cancel people for making unpopular arguments. These students were not making an argument; they were trying to prevent Waggoner from making one. They were the ones who tried to cancel her, knowing full well that their illiberal conduct was being filmed for the world to see. And then they voluntarily put their names onto a statement defending the effort to disrupt the event. The First Amendment protects their right to do so – but it does not protect them from the consequences of their noxious behavior. That letter should be read and filed away by every federal judge in America. Henceforth, anytime a Yale Law School student applies for a clerkship, they should take it out and check to see if the name appears on it – and throw out the applications of any who do. (c) 2022, Washington Post Writers Group
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Political crossfire
MARCH 31, 2022 | The Jewish Home
A General’s Retirement is a Chance to Reflect on America’s Standing in the Middle East by David Ignatius
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promenading in Jiddah. But the repressive face of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman lurked in the background. For example, we shared a lavish lunch with Gen. Fahd bin Turki, then the commander of Saudi forces in Yemen and a rising star in the Saudi military. A year later, MBS, as the crown prince is known, had him arrested. Iran flexed its muscles during our visit, seizing oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, and I flew with McKenzie to a U.S. warship in the gulf that had just foiled an Iranian drone attack. His message was to keep cool and avoid a direct military confrontation. Iran was “trying to gauge our intent and our commitment,” McKenzie told me and another journalist traveling with him. He preferred to show force but to try not to use it. The following January, with Iranian threats continuing, McKenzie recommended what was probably the most potent display of U.S. power against Iran
(c) 2022, Washington Post Writers Group
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the Gulf Arabs are also turning in secret to Israel to coordinate regional air defense against Iran. Facilitating that covert partnership might be the most important achievement on McKenzie’s watch. I made several trips to the region with McKenzie and talked with him often during his time as Centcom commander. Those conversations mapped the arc of American power. The two presidents he served wanted U.S. troops out of Afghanistan, against the recommendations of McKenzie and other military commanders. His job was to oversee that chaotic retreat last August – and deter Iran and other adversaries without starting any new wars. My first trip with McKenzie was in July 2019. We visited Saudi Arabia as the United States was installing new Patriot missile batteries to protect the kingdom. We saw startling modernization of Saudi society – I could never have imagined street musicians and unveiled women
since the revolution of 1979 – the drone attack that killed Soleimani. McKenzie told me in a recent interview that the United States had intelligence that Soleimani was planning new attacks that could have killed Americans in Iraq. The attack drew a harsh Iranian response: a pinpoint missile attack on Iraq’s al-Asad air base that was meant to kill Americans and would have if U.S. intelligence hadn’t obtained early warning that allowed U.S. troops to seek shelter. The retaliation demonstrated the precision of Iranian missiles – and the threat they pose to the region. But McKenzie argues that the net effect of the Soleimani tit-for-tat was that it reinforced American deterrence. Another military success during McKenzie’s tour was the battle against the Islamic State in Syria. We traveled in 2019 to Kobane to meet the United States’ partner in that fight, Syrian Kurdish Gen. Mazloum Abdi. The Kurds provided crucial intelligence that allowed McKenzie’s forces to target and kill Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi in February, another key operation during his tour. America’s chaotic retreat from Afghanistan seemed to mark the eclipse of U.S. power in the Middle East. That’s certainly the way the Saudis and Emiratis perceived it. But as McKenzie leaves his command, U.S. military forces remain in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Bahrain and Kuwait – not to mention Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. The Middle East remains a codependent habit that neither the United States nor its fickle friends seem able to quit.
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hen Marine Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie Jr. became head of U.S. Central Command in 2019, his chief worry was Iran. Now, as he ends his tour on April 1, Iran is still the priority. The abiding lesson for the region, says McKenzie, is that “Iran is not going to go away.” America’s power waxed and waned in the Middle East over the three years of McKenzie’s command of U.S. forces in the region. The United States quit its longest war in Afghanistan, and traditional partners such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates began to hedge their bets. But Iranian power remained a constant. McKenzie has been among the Pentagon’s hawks on Iran, and he carried out the order to kill Iranian Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani in January 2020. But he told me last week that as he hands over military responsibility for the region, he’s convinced that “we need to find an accommodation with Iran going forward.” Tehran’s centrality is likely to increase even more as the Biden administration moves toward a renewal of the Iran nuclear agreement soon. McKenzie’s retirement this week offers a chance to reflect on where America stands in the Middle East after spending so much blood and treasure there for decades as the region’s chief policeman. The honest answer is that the United States has been treading water much of the time, trying to maintain a status quo that was inherently unstable. McKenzie’s assignment was sometimes a thankless task. Even the countries that benefited most from America’s military umbrella, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are now flirting with China. But
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Forgotten Her es
Against All Odds by Avi Heiligman
The Dutch Ondina
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hroughout history, there have been many stories of unequal battles and military engagements where one side has a distinct advantage. The David vs. Goliath narrative has found its way into the lexicon with the famous story originating in Tanach. In Sefer Shmuel Aleph, the Navi relates the story of Dovid defeating the mighty Golias in single (oneon-one) combat. Against all odds stories have found their way into the history books with the most famous being the small Spartan army against the large Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae. During World War II, there were many occasions of small units taking on much larger opponents with some surprising outcomes. Here are two stories of small naval forces defeating the odds against much larger enemy ships during World War II. Oil tankers were the lifeblood of both the Allied and Axis powers. Sinking tankers was a priority of American submarines in the Pacific, and although it wasn’t a priority for the Japanese, they still looked at them as targets of opportunity. The German Navy had launched armed merchant cruisers and other surface vessels to strike at Allied oil ships, and the Japanese soon followed by converting fourteen freighters/passenger ships into auxiliary cruisers. On November 11, 1942, the Dutch-built
MV Ondina, an oil tanker owned by Royal Dutch Shell, was being escorted in the Indian Ocean by the small British-Indian warship HMIS Bengal. A lookout noticed two unidentified ships in the distance. The two ships were at first thought to be aircraft carriers, and the Ondina and Bengal sounded the alarm while turning away from the enemy ships. Then the Bengal turned again to meet the Japanese ships head on so that the Ondina could escape when she realized they were two auxiliary cruisers – the Aikoku Maru and Hokoku Maru. The cruisers were each armed with each 5.5-inch guns, while Ondina had a 102-mm gun and the Bengal was outfitted with a 3-inch gun. The Japanese fired first and, while scoring several hits, did little damage. The Allied ships returned fire and scored several hits on the Hokoku Maru. One round hit amidships and was so devastating that she eventually sank. The hits most likely came from the small gun from the Ondina which had fired a perfectly aimed shot that caused a massive explosion on the Japanese ship. The Ondina herself was badly damaged by the remaining cruiser, and her captain told her crew to abandon ship. However, Captain Willem Horsman was killed by enemy gunfire, and the rest of the crew climbed into rafts as the tanker again was pounded by enemy shells. Both
the Bengal and the remaining Japanese cruiser left the scene, but incredibly the Ondina did not sink. She was still on fire and listing heavily, and several sailors went back on board to see if she could be saved. They started pumping water out of the ship which slowly righted the Ondina, and eventually the fires were put out. Against all odds, the heavily damaged tanker started moving and eventually made its way to Fremantle, Australia. The Battle of Leyte Gulf took place on October 23-25, 1944 and was a series of four smaller battles. American forces had landed on Leyte in the Philippines on October 20 and were trying to build airfields in the mud as the infantry rapidly advanced inland. Japanese commanders assembled most of their remaining ships and formed task forces to try and stop the invasion. A large American battleship task force had defeated the southern Japanese force on the night of October 24. At about the time that the engagement was over, a frantic call for help was sent out. It came from the northern section of the 16 escort carriers screening the landing zone that had just sighted the massive ships of the Japanese Center Force. This section, called Taffy 3 under Rear Admiral Clifton “Ziggy” Sprague, had five escort carriers, three destroyers, and four DE (destroyer escorts). This tiny force was no
match for the 16- and 18-inch guns of the Japanese – the Americans’ largest guns were five-inchers. The largest battleship ever built, the Yamato, could lob shells over 22 miles. Called the Battle off Samar, it was truly a David vs. Goliath story. Admiral Bull Halsey and his powerful fleet were supposed to be protecting the northern approaches to the San Bernardino Strait, but his planes had sighted enemy aircraft carriers. Halsey gave the order to go after the enemy but was just playing into their trap. The Japanese had sacrificed their carriers, which had only a few aircraft on board due to attrition. Japanese Admiral Kurita turned around the 22 ships of Center Force and started to hit Taffy 3. In return, the destroyers laid down a smoke screen as the carriers grouped together, steaming as fast as they could away from the Japanese. Every available plane from the three Taffys was thrown helter-skelter into the battle even though most were armed for ground support. Very few had large bombs or torpedoes, and some didn’t have any weapons at all. However, that didn’t stop them from attacking, and even when their ammo was used up, they still made “dry” runs at the enemy. This forced the Japanese to attack as individual ships and not as a coordinated effort. The destroyer USS Johnston braved enemy fire and steamed straight into the
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General Douglas MacArthur, accompanied by Philippine president Sergio Osmeña (left), landing at Red Beach, Leyte, October 20, 1944
teeth of the enemy, firing her torpedoes. She scored a hit on a heavy cruiser but was hit repeatedly and sunk. The two other destroyers and tiny destroyer escort USS Samuel B. Roberts made a frontal attack on the Japanese. The frantic and wild maneuvers caused Japanese fire to be concentrated on the destroyers, allowing most of the escort carriers to escape. The USS Gambier Bay was shot by the Yamato and sunk. The destroyer USS Hoel and the USS Roberts were also sunk
despite their heroic attacks. It seemed that only a miracle could save Taffy 3, and then the unthinkable happened. Kurita turned around his ships and headed back to Japan. Observers were confused as to why Kurita turned around when it was clear he had the upper hand. In reality, he did not know the American forces’ disposition, and after losing two more ships to the two he lost the day before, he thought the American large carriers were in range.
In addition, he had no air cover, and there was a lack of communication among Japanese ships. Also, Japanese intelligence told him that they were fighting battleships, heavy cruisers, and large carriers when, in fact, they were much smaller ships. These two stories of lightly armed ships surviving against a larger, better equipped enemy are just two of the “Against All Odds” stories from the war. The names of those who served on the
ships are known, and many were awarded medals for their bravery. These Forgotten Heroes were called upon to fight the Axis powers and went above and beyond while facing overwhelming odds.
Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.
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SERVICES
SERVICES
SERVICES
PEACEFUL PRESENCE STUDIO Men's private yoga, Licensed Massage & Holistic Health Guidance 436 Central Ave, Cedarhurst Info. & free video training www.peacefulpresence.com 516-371-3715
Alternative Solutions Geriatric Care Management staff will assist you with: * Obtaining Medicaid and Pooled Income Trust * In-home Assessments, Individual and Family Counseling * Securing reliable home care assistance * Case and Care Management services Dr. S. Sasson, DSW, LCSW (718) 544- 0870 or (646) 284-6242
HAIR COURSE: Learn how to wash & style hair & wigs. Hair and wig cutting, wedding styling Private lessons or in a group Call Chaya 718-715-9009
GERBER MOVING FULL SERVICE MOVING Packing Moving Supplies Local Long Distance Licensed Insured 1000’S Of Happy Customers Call Shalom 347-276-7422 HANDYMAN AVAILABLE For big or small jobs, Sheetrock, carpentry, painting, electrical, plumbing, install & repair appliances Call Ephraim at 347-593-4691
SHALOM HANDYMAN Plumbing, heating, boiler, installation, sewer, locks, dryer vent cleaning and more… CALL 917-217-3676 MOONBOUNCE FOR RENT $100/day. Holds up to 500lbs. Perfect fun for ages 3-8 Call or text 516-220-0616 to reserve your date
WOODMERE WOODMERE
VACUUM SALES AND REPAIR All areas call Max Flam 718-444-4904
HOUSES FOR SALE WOODMERE PRIME LOCATION! 5 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths, LR, DR, EIK, pool, stucco siding Patino, Fenced yard. 2 car Garage, big driveway, must see! Call now All Going Realty at 516-206-2005 Hurry won't last! WOODMERE: Beautiful, brick, colonial boasting 5 bdr 3.5 Bth in pristine condition. Excellent location, near all! Move right in! RCUSA 516-512-9626
MEADOWMEREMEADOWMERE PARK PARK WOODMERE
HOUSES FOR SALE CAN’T AFFORD YOUR PROPERTY TAXES? MORTGAGE? Must sell for any reason? Call for FREE Consultation. Call now 212-470-3856 Cash buyers available!
DON’T GET STUCK WITH A TWO STORY HOUSE YA KNOW, IT’S ONE STORY BEFORE YOU BUY IT BUT A SECOND STORY AFTER YOU OWN IT! Call Dov Herman For An Accurate Unbiased Home Inspection Infrared - Termite Inspection Full Report All Included NYC 718-INSPECT Long Island 516-INSPECT www.nyinspect.com
WOODMERE
Price Reduced! 12 year New to market! Build your own dream Price Reduced! New to market! Build your own dream old colonial on quiet 12 year Renovated 4 bedroom, 3 home on this 73x177irr old colonial on quiet Renovated 4 bedroom, 3 home on this 73x177irr street in Woodmere bath high ranch, 2 dens, lot with water views, street in Woodmere bath high ranch, 2 dens, lot with water views, Park. 6 bedrooms, 3.5 large yard, bulkhead, comes with Park. 6 bedrooms, 3.5 approved plans! large yard, baths. bulkhead, comes with Donny (347) 992-6343 baths. Donny (347) 992-6343 Tamar (917) 902-0613 approved plans! Chana (516) 449-9692 $1,199,999
Tamar (917) 902-0613 $1,999,999
$1,999,999
FAR ROCKAWAY
FAR ROCKAWAY
$479K Chana (516) 449-9692
$479K
CEDARHURST
WOODMERE
CEDARHURST
Renovated 6 bedroom, 4 1 bedroom apartment in New construction bath duplex w nice yard the heart of Cedarhurst. colonial home coming Renovated 6 bedroom,Bryna 4 (516) 322-4831 1 bedroom apartment & private driveway. soon in ABCin Streets in bath duplex w nice yard the heart of Cedarhurst. Malka (516) 967-1967 Woodmere! $1,895/m & private Bryna (516) 322-4831 Avigail (516) 316-3452 $979K driveway.
Malka (516) 967-1967
$979K
$1,199,999
$1,895/m
WOODMERE
New construction colonial home coming soon in ABC Streets in Woodmere! Avigail (516) 316-3452
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HOUSES FOR SALE
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WOODMERE! MOVE RIGHT IN! Breath-taking Woodmere home over 7100 sq ft of living space. Majestic entry foyer, chef’s kitchen with island, 2 sinks, 2 dishwashers, and 2 ovens. Radiant heat, formal dining room, formal living room with fireplace, den, library, and office/bedroom. The second floor has a master suite with his/hers walk-in closets, 6 additional bedrooms, and 2.5 baths. Custom closets and radiant heat. Yard with in-ground pool, hot tub, brick pavers, and waterfall pond. 2 car garage, alarm, in-ground sprinklers, water filtration, and CAC. Lot Size 0.3168* acres. On a cul-de-sac, this home has it all!..P.O.R. Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com
WOODMERE JUST LISTED Beautifully maintained Split Level home in the heart of Woodmere. This home boasts 4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths, Eat-in Kitchen, Formal Dining Room, Living Room, Fin-ished Basement and office. Beautiful and spacious Backyard. Great location, SD#14. Close to all & houses of worship. P.O.R. Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey Interna-tional 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com
HEWLETT NEW TO THE MARKET Luxurious Exquisite 6 bedrooms, 6.5 bath home situated on approximate 1.8 acre property in prestigious Hewlett Bay Park. Formal Living room and dining room, library, chefs, Eat-in Kitchen, extraordinary great room leads out to veranda. large Gunite built-in pool + pool house with full bath, large slate patio, impressive sprawling property, school district #14 Hewlett-Woodmere. Close to all. P.O.R. Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com
CEDARHURST – Opportunity strikes! 4bdrm, 2.5bth, 1 fam home on 10,000sf property in grt cond. C/A, generator, pvt drv + 2 story 2 car gar Brisman RE/Raizy 718-677-0988 or 917-975-8550
WOODMERE BRIGHT & SUNNY 3 bdrm 3 bth townhouse, central air, hard-wood floors, skylights, eat in kitchen, formal living room and dining room, finished basement, enjoy the community pool and tennis court, close to the railroad, shopping, and the houses of worship $719k 5 Clubside Dr Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey Inter-national 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com
WOODMERE Magnificent Home in the Heart of Woodmere constructed in 2020, 5 Bedrooms, 3 Full Bathrooms, detailed moldings throughout, maple wood floors, Anderson windows + doors, custom closets, dimmers & timers, 2 zone CAC, EIK w/2 sinks, 2 dishwashers, 2 microwaves, double oven, Island, close to all. Sound system, camera system, 4 car driveway. Call for details Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com HEWLETT NEW TO THE MARKET Hewlett new to the market 5 bedroom 3 bathroom colonial, open floor plan, large eat-in kitchen, formal living room and dining room, main floor den and playroom, master bedroom suite w/full bath& sitting room/ nursery close to the schools, railroad, shopping and houses of worship $899K Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY APRIL 3 1:30-3:30PM 1361 KEW AVENUE HEWLETT
WOODMERE Beautiful & Spacious 2 Bedroom Apartment Across From The Golf Course. Elevator Building, Updated Kitchen, Gas Cooking, Granite Countertops, Washer/Dryer In Unit, High Ceilings, Great Closet Space, Storage in Basement, Close To RR, Shopping & Houses Of Worship.$349K Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com
COOP FOR SALE HEWLETT BRIGHT AND SUNNY 2 bedroom 2 bathroom co-op, elevator, doorman building, in ground pool storage, card room, indoor and outdoor parking, washer/dryer in the apartment, renovated kitchen with granite countertops, ss appliances, master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, formal living room and dining room, close to all $479k Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hatha-way Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com WOODSBURGH Magnificent 2K sq. Ft. Co-Op. 3BR/2BTH, EIK, LR, DR, W/D in Unit, GAR, 2 STOR UNITS, ELEV, NEAR ALL$775K 516-846-1032 NO BROKERS
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COMMERCIAL RE
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APT FOR RENT
HEWLETT TWO 3 BEDROOM 2 BATH CO-OPS with central air conditioning, terrace, washer/dryer, hard-wood floors, recessed lighting, magnificent kitchens, ss appliances, l/r, d/r, close to the railroad, shopping, and houses of worship. Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY, APRIL 3 1201 EAST BROADWAY H-23 11:30-1:30PM 1215 EAST BROADWAY A-12 1:30-3:30PM
INDIVIDUAL OFFICE SPACES AVAILABLE IN GREAT LOCATION. Rental fee includes electricity, taxes, internet, cleaning and parking. Large corner office $950 mo. Smaller interior office $625 mo. Please respond to 516-902-8006.
SF MEDICAL OFFICE SPACE Available, Reception Area, Waiting Room, Kitchenette, 2 Consult, 4 Exam Rooms, 2 Bathrooms, 30 Car On-Site Parking, For Lease …Call Ian 516-295-3000 www.pugatch.com
INVESTORS WELCOME GREAT DEAL IN WOODMERE, amazing location, double lot, low taxes ,SD 14 Asking $599, won’t last 25 CONKLIN AVE, WOODMERE Call Alexandra at Realty Connect 1-516-784-0856
EAST ROCKAWAY: Retail Stores on Busy Corner, 1000SF& Up Available, Great High Visibility Location, For Lease… Call for More Details Broker (516) 792-6698
CEDARHURST 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment, elevator building, eat-in kitchen, spacious rooms throughout, laundry room on premises, garage parking, close to all Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com
COMMERCIAL RE
LOWEST PRICES IN TOWN! 500-7000 Square feet gorgeous office space with WATERVIEW in Inwood! Lots of options. Tons of parking. Will divide and customize space for your needs! Call 516-567-0100
FAR ROCKAWAY-CAFFREY AVE NEAR GRONER 2 bedroom basement apartment for rent, separate kitchen, heat controlled by tenant, washer/dryer hookup $1450/month917-822-1726
WOODSBURGH Magnificent 2K sq. Ft. Co-Op. 3br/2bth, eik, lr, dr, w/d in unit, gar, 2 stor units, elev, near all $775k 516-846-1032 no brokers
APT FOR RENT
WOODMERE totally renovated bright and sunny 1 bedroom corner unit apartment with a washer/dryer. Features quartz countertops, ss appliances, recessed lighting, bathroom with chrome fixtures, close to the railroads, shopping and houses of worship. Call for details Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com
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APT FOR RENT
APT FOR RENT
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HELP WANTED
CEDARHURST 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment, elevator building, eat-in kitchen, spacious rooms throughout, laundry room on premises, garage parking, close to all Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com
FAR ROCKAWAY Brand new construction! 2 floor spacious Apt. 2 Bedrooms, 1BA, Impressive Kitchen with island, many cabinets and stainless applicnaces, Hardwood Floors, Walk in Closets. Close to Houses of worship and Rockaway Beach. Asking $2600 mollerrealtygroupllc@gmail.com
Renovated 3bd, 1.5bath duplex in house in Neilson area. Many closets. Dishwasher + 2 sinks. Backyard access, driveway parking. W/D hookup. Gas, water included. Call/text 347 804 7367
General Studies teaching positions for elementary grades available for ‘22-’23 school year, due to simchas/scheduling. Mon.-Thurs., afternoon hours. Far Rockaway/5T area. Competitive salary, warm supportive environment. Teachersearch11@gmail.com.
Renovated 3bd, 1.5bath duplex in house in Neilson area. Many closets. Dishwasher + 2 sinks. Backyard access, driveway parking. W/D hookup. Gas, water included. Call/text 347 804 7367 FAR ROCKAWAY: House For Rent. On Beach 12th. 3 1/2 bedrooms. Just renovated, Central HVAC,LR/DR, Finished basement.. $3300/m Call Raphael 917-822-1726
HEWLETT TOTALLY RENOVATED 1 and 2 Bedroom Apartments with washer/dryer, kitchen with quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances. Recessed lighting, hardwood floors, storage in basement. Close to RR, shopping, and houses of worship. Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hatha-way Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com
CEDARHURST 1,2 and 3 bedroom apartments, totally renovated, private entrance , central air condi-tioning, hardwood floors, washer/dryer, garage parking, dishwasher, recessed lighting, private playground, close to railroad, park, shopping and houses of worship. Call for more details Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com Alexander Hotel-Miami Beach 2 bedroom /2 bathroom apt Ocean view. Pesach rental Pls call :516-410-0683
Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam Elementary school is seeking growth oriented, Preschool and Elementary teachers, for the coming school year. Located in Far Rockaway. Professional and warm environment. Please email resume to rhorowitz@baisyaakovam.org
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HELP WANTED SPECIAL CARE SEEKS COM/HAB WORKERS: Cedarhurst : 12-year-old girl with an intellectual and developmental disability, Evenings after school, Friday afternoons, shabbos and Sunday during the day. Cedarhurst: 26-year-old boy with a mild intellectual disability for a few hours on shabbos afternoons Please contact: Pessy Lefkowitz: 718-252-3365 Ext 113, Pessyl@specialcarefor.com SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS CAHAL is seeking full time or part time SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS and TEACHER ASSISTANTS. We have supportive teaching environments, small classes and competitive salaries. Email your resume to shira@cahal.org or call 516-295-3666.
HELP WANTED
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HELP WANTED
Gesher (located in Cedarhurst is looking for a part-time Rebbe beginning in January for First Grade boys. · Approximately a half-hour a day, Monday through Friday · Small group lessons · The goal of the Rebbe is to provide faster paced exposure to higher level kriah and chumash skills · Curriculum support provided · One-on-one private pay tutoring opportunities may also be available. Please email your resume to jobs@gesher-ecc.org or contact (516) 730-7377 to set up an interview.
Special Care seeks patient Male or female com/hab worker 5:30-7:30 P.M. for 7-year-old boy with autism in Bayswater, full or partial coverage. 718-252-3365 ext: 102 or renay@specialcarefor.com
TEACHERS AND ASSISTANTS FOR SEPT. 2022 CAHAL is seeking full time and part time Special Education TEACHERS and TEACHER ASSISTANTS for the 2022-2023 school year. We provide excellent support and have small classes and competitive salaries. Email your resume to shira@cahal.org or call 516-295-3666.
5 TOWNS BOYS YESHIVA SEEKING ELEM GEN ED TEACHERS Excellent working environment and pay. Only lic/exp need apply. Email resume to yeshivalooking@gmail.com
TEACHERS AND ASSISTANTS FOR SEPT. 2022 CAHAL is seeking Full Time and Part Time SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS and TEACHER ASSISTANTS for the 2022-2023 School Year. CAHAL classes are located in Yeshivas and Bais Yaakov’s in the Five Towns, Far Rockaway, and West Hempstead. Please send your resume to shira@cahal.org. For more information, call Shira Cohen or Naomi Nadata at 516-295-3666. LIMUDEI KODESH CURRICULUM COORDINATOR Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island seeks a qualified candidate for our newly created Administrative position of Limudei Kodesh Curriculum Coordinator for grades 1-8. Must have at least 5-10 years of classroom experience (preferably in a 3rd-6th grade environment), and/or 2-3 years of administrative experience. Ideal candidate will have a solid working knowledge of Limudei Kodesh Curriculum, will have the ability to engage with the staff to implement and streamline the curriculum, will stress follow-up and accountability, and will interact seamlessly with our parent body. Good salary and benefits. Please email resume to tzern@ykli.org
Leah Scheininger Realty Connect USA Licensed Real Estate Salesperson (516) 884-6530 Lscheininger@realtyconnectusa.com @leahscheininger_realtor
Jordan Goldschmidt Guaranteed Rate Vice President of Mortgage Lending (516) 998-6201 Jordan.Goldschmidt@rate.com @Jordanthemortgageguy
NMLS 2012660 Licensed by The Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act. nlmsconsumeraccess.org 1400 Old Country Rd Suite 206N, Westbury, NY 11590, (212) 318-9432, Guaranteed Rate, Inc. NMLS 2611 3940 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago, IL 60613 (866) 934-7283 • rate.com Equal Housing Lender www.rate.com/privacy
A Yeshiva in Queens is looking for an experienced part/full time secretary, kindergarten morah, kindergarten morah assistant and 1st grade english teacher for the 2022-2023 school year. All positions are Mon-Fri . Nice and timely pay. Please email resume to mshelt613@gmail.com or call/text 718-971-9799.
Yeshiva Darchei Torah Middle School is seeking to hire teachers in all secular subjects for grades 6-8; excellent working environment and salary; Monday-Thursday, 2:305:30 PM. Interviews are being held now. Candidates should have prior teaching experience. Please send resume to mhorowitz@darchei.org Yeshiva Kol Torah is growing and seeking phenomenal teachers in all subject areas to join our amazing faculty. Warm, professional, supportive and growth-oriented environment. Excellent pay. Interested candidates should submit resumes to srada@yeshivakoltorah.org Bais Yaakov in Far Rockaway seeking Lemudei Kodesh assistant teacher for lower elementary grades. Please email resume to teachingpositions1@gmail.com General administrative support needed for busy Five Towns office. Part Time, in-office position. Flexible hours. Looking for someone who is detail-oriented and dedicated. Proficiency in Excel/Word a must. Please send inquiry/resume to flexiblestaffpositions21@gmail.com NEW YESHIVA IN QUEENS SEEKING SECRETARY Must be detail-oriented, have great organizational skills, able to multitask. Experience in school programs a plus. Send resume to: office@yeshivatbneitorah.org or call/text: 347-351-4573
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Experience in not-for-profit Jewish organizations is a plus. Excellent part-time opportunity with competitive hourly compensation. Candidate will work with the director in developing budget and fundraising initiatives and generating reports to present to our Board of Directors. Resumes to info@legacy613.org
JOIN OUR TEAM! NurNursing Home Management Company in Brooklyn Looking to fill the following positions: Administrative Assistant MS office suite proficiency required Administrative Assistant experience required WE ARE LOOKING FOR AN EXPERIENCED FULL TIME BOOKKEEPER Excellent growth potential Frum environment Excellent salary & benefits Email resume to: resumetfs1@gmail.com Please put position title and FTJH in subject line
GIRLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN THE FIVE TOWNS is seeking warm, dynamic, experienced preschool teachers for the school year beginning September 2022. Competitive salaries and benefits. Email resume to info@by5t.org Seeking a middle school STEM teacher for next year in a warm, supportive teaching environment. Excellent pay. Call 917-742-8909 ISO a Pre1 A and Grade 3 teacher for the 2022-2023 School year. Experience preferable but not a must. Seeking a seventh grade math teacher from 3:15-4:50 four days a week. Fine salary. MDS REGIONAL NURSE: 5 Towns area Nursing Home management office seeking a Regional/Corporate level MDS Nurse to work in our office. Must be an RN. Regional experience preferred. 2-3 years MDS experience with good computer skills required. Position is Full Time but Part Time can be considered. Great Shomer Shabbos environment with some remote options as well. Email: officejob2019@gmail.com DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT A multi-tasker needed for general office work. The ideal candidate is someone who is detail-oriented, responsible, and can take ownership. Looking for someone who is eager to learn, and expand his/her skill set while possessing the ability to work independently and as part of a team. Experience with Excel required. Five Towns location. In-office position only, not remote. Please send resume to 5tpart.timecareer@gmail.com
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Your
From Russia With Love by Allan rolnick, cPA
OctOber 29, 2015 | the Jewish Home
V
6
Money
ladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has made it an uncharacteristically rough time to be a Russian oligarch. Everyone, from western central banks to amateur yacht-tracking sleuths, has joined the effort to track down their riches. But a former Wall Street Journal columnist caught our attention in one especially entertaining report: “Western governments have quietly contracted multiple teams of ‘combat bookkeepers’ to secure the estimated hundreds of billions of dollars worth of sanctioned assets the Russian president and his oligarch cronies have spent the past 27 years legitimately laundering through international capital markets.” There’s a lot to unpack in that single sentence. “Hundreds of billions”? “Legitimately laundered”? But the reference to “combat bookkeepers” probably made you laugh. Did you know the Venn diagram illustrating “combat” and “bookkeepers” had any overlap at all? Did you suspect the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has a paramilitary wing? Can you close your eyes and picture their Special Forces rappelling out of helicopters with Brooks Brothers suits, briefcases in their hands, and Ka-bar knives in their teeth? Seriously, though, it shouldn’t sur-
prise you to learn how big a role the IRS is going to play in chasing Putin’s cronies. The IRS Criminal Investigations (CI) unit, with 3,000 employees, has launched more than 20 cases related to oligarch money laundering since 2017. Those efforts will kick into overdrive as sanctions tighten. Special Agents – who are the only IRS employees authorized to pack heat on the job – will scour the world like truffle
wards to snitches, including a $104 million payment to Bradley Birkenfeld, the whistleblower who ended illegal Swiss banking for most Americans. (Of course, Birkenfeld didn’t face potential retaliation from the sort of goons the oligarchs might enlist as bodyguards.) This won’t be the Service’s first rodeo when it comes to helping enforce sanctions. In 2004, CI agents flew to Bagh-
Can you close your eyes and picture their Special Forces rappelling out of helicopters with Brooks Brothers suits, briefcases in their hands, and Ka-bar knives in their teeth?
pigs for dirty money, sniffing out signs of new shell companies, suspicious crypto transactions, and efforts to park money in real estate, jewelry, and art. The Treasury has also launched a Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Reward program paying bounties up to $5 million for information leading to stolen assets linked to Russia. The IRS has a successful history of dangling cash re-
dad to track down Saddam Hussein’s hidden riches and uncovered $2 billion the dictator had looted from his country. Six of those agents even earned a medal, the Joint Civilian Service Achievement Award, the second-highest award that military commanders can present. The Service’s biggest roadblock moving into this role is going to be staffing and resources. For example, there are
only five agents in the entire CI unit right now who can use a specific software tool that lets them track oligarchs through international local government databases. And budget-cutters in Congress aren’t helping. Last week’s omnibus federal spending bill included $12.9 billion for IRS operations but specifically blocked administration requests for more money for criminal investigations. Florida Senator Rick Scott’s “Rescue America” plan would go even further by cutting IRS funding by 50%. (Naturally, IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig sees this as folly. “If the IRS budget was cut by 50%, you might be better off and save more money by just shutting it down completely,” he said last week.) Several of Putin’s oligarchs have already called for an end to his war. It’s too soon to say if sanctions (and seizing a dozen of their yachts!) have helped push them to that conclusion. But taxpayers who are used to grumbling about the IRS may be delighted to see the Service play a part in ending the conflict.
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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Life c ach
Still Counting Down by rivki D. rosenwald esq., LMFt, cLc, SDS
t
the other challenge: packing! Figuring out what to take and who they might see?! After all, after almost three years of being cut off from humanity you want to make a decent impression. At least that way, if friends and acquaintances
stores like crazy and so are the dresses. We are going to be telling about our long journey from slavery to freedom. And though our experience is nothing like that of our ancestors, somehow our stress level often runs a close second.
Do you always see the crumbs?
So let’s rethink this. Are we putting too much energy into the prep and not showing up for the main event fresh and ready to embrace its messages? Are we too beat and exhausted from cooking, cleaning, packing, traveling, etc. to enjoy the mitzvos hayom? This holiday is the one that teaches us G-d is always in our lives. Maybe we don’t always see G-d there. But do you
Rivki Rosenwald is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist working with both couples and individuals and is a certified relationship counselor. Rivki is a co-founder and creator of an effective Parent Management of Adolescent Years Program. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or at rivkirosenwald@gmail.com.
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don’t recognize you from before, they’ll be willing to befriend you all over again. The shopping for new food seems only to be outdone by the shopping for new outfits: The shanks are being scooped up and so are the tanks. The skirt steaks are jumping off the shelves, and the skirts and jumpers are, too. The dressings are running out of the
always see the crumbs? Only when you start really looking, do you realize they are hiding in every crease and crevice. So is G-d. Don’t be so wiped out that by the time Passover’s first night rolls around you miss this no-rolls epiphany! Follow this poem’s advice: Sweep into the sweeping with an air of glee. And pack knowing you’re not cooking; let that make you happy. Home or traveling, know we are a people blessed. So, smile and celebrate, and let’s stop being stressed!
emoH hsiweJ eht | 5102 ,92 rebOtcO
wo weeks to go… Should I have company or not? After all, I don’t want life to stop! Or maybe just a little bit? At least the mess. But I really don’t want more crumbs to accumulate. What’s a family to do? What day should we switch over? It’s definitely a giant challenge. Listen to this poem, which says it best: I bought the food. I got the meat. I have the pots. Ready for the feat. I just don’t know. And this is true. What day to become A chometz-free Jew! We are in that middle zone. Sort of a no man’s land. Neither quite here nor there. We are kind of like the racehorse positioned at the starting gate, chomping at the bit. But we’re just not ready to let go. Now, I know some people are battling
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