Five Towns Jewish Home - 10-29-15 by The Jewish Home

October 29—November 4, 2015

Distributed weekly in the Five Towns, Long Island, Queens & Brooklyn

Pages 11, 12, 13 & 15

Around the

Community

Your Favorite Five Towns Family Newspaper

ORDER IN THE COURT

Appreciation and Gratitude with Chabad Mineola’s “Thank You Police Officer Day”

Judge Martin Ritholtz’s Odyssey from New Jersey to Ponevez to the Queens Supreme Court Bench

A Message of Dedication and Commitment

Congresswoman Kathleen Rice Lauds Rambam

TJH Speaks with Kate Murray, pg 110 Candidate for District Attorney

Your Vote is Your Voice!

Assemblyman Goldfeder Honors Summer Readers in Far Rockaway

Election Day is this Tuesday, November 3 Page 25 PAGE 28

– See pages 3 & 33

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Dear Readers,

a bad morning. It’s because in a fraction of a second they can tell whether you mean something to them or not (i.e. your community votes or not). This year, on November 3, the elections are mostly for local officials. Granted, local officials operate differently. We have some wonderful local politicians who genuinely care for the community. But do you know who watches the local elections? All the other politicians who may be running in a state election or even a national election next year or in two years. They mine the data (especially of off-year elections when there’s no presidential election which may cause a down-ballot spike in voting) and they say to themselves, “This is an important community” or “We don’t need to allocate any of the emergency funds to that community because they don’t vote anyway.” I once heard an amazing story from a leader of a large orthodox organization. He was scheduled to testify on a complex matter in front of a congressional committee; it would be the first time he would ever testify in Congress. He prepared for months and tried to anticipate what questions the seasoned senators would ask him. The big day came and he made his prepared opening statements and presentation to the committee. That was the easy part. Now would be the hard part, fielding the rapid fire questions. But that never happened. When he was done his statement he was asked a total of one question: “Sir, how many members do you have in your organization?” Members equals votes...hearing adjourned. We are uniquely positioned to be a key voting bloc for all politicians on the local, state and even national levels. We are a large, well-known and growing community which usually votes in sync with one another. But if we choose not to go to the voting booth, we give up that advantage. So put on your coat. And go vote! See you at the polls, Shoshana

ike me, many of you probably find yourselves at this time of year having to constantly beg, plead and cajole your children to put on their coats or at least wear a sweatshirt. And as you do it, you sort of think to yourself, as do I, “I don’t want to be a nagging mother, but it’s important that they’re not cold and that they don’t get sick.” Sometimes, the really important things in life are the things that people need to be reminded about the most. Just because something is important (like not getting a cold) does not mean that people will take the necessary action (like wearing a coat). So, why do I bring this up now? Because I want to remind you: put on your coat! It’s simple, easy to do, and good for you. That’s right—put on your coat on November 3rd and go vote. It’s simple, easy to do and good for you. We all work really hard to better our quality of life. We try to do what we can to make a living; we work with our schools, whether it’s being involved in committees or simply being active in other ways; we reach out to local leaders and politicians when there are issues of safety and other areas of concern. Yet, one of the most important – and easy – things that we can do to better our quality of life within our community is to simply put on our coats and vote. But, as the poll on the next page shows, many of us won’t bother to do that. They say that money controls the world. It is generally true. But, actually, when it comes to politicians it’s not just money that controls their world. It’s money and votes. Politicians comb the data and they know exactly how many people voted in every county, precinct and voting booth. That information becomes their guiding “principle” in how they allocate their resources and where they focus their attention. Sad state of affairs? Maybe, but those are the facts. So when you call some state or national politician’s office with an issue and they blow you off, it’s not because they had

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor, 8

COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll

Community Happenings

NEWS

Global

National

Odd-but-True Stories

ISRAEL Israel News

The Tenth Man by Rafi Sackville

PEOPLE Order in the Court by Naftali Halpern 96 Jewish Pilot Aces in World War II by Avi Heiligman

105

TJH Speaks with Kate Murray, Candidate for District Attorney by Tamar Sullivan 110 PARSHA Rabbi Wein

The Shmuz

JEWISH THOUGHT Good News is No News by Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz Why it Hurts so Much by Rabbi Naphtali Hoff The Pain of Raising Children … What Pain? by Rabbi YY Rubinstein

100

92 93 100

JEWISH HISTORY The Jarring Episode of Shabbetai Tzvi, Infamous Messianic Deceiver, Part III by Rabbi Pini Dunner 102 HEALTH & FITNESS How to Get Something Good out of Divorce by Deb Hirschhorn, PhD 106 Why People Go Nuts over Peanut Butter by Cindy Weinberger, MS, RD, CDN 109

Dear Editor, I was most inspired by your article this week on Rebbetzin Henny Machlis. I never visited the Machlis home, but I can picture her authenticity and the genuine warmth she shared with every person who walked through her door. It’s hard to imagine that someone with such a pure soul lived in the 21st century. Wishing you continued success, Devora W. Dear Editor, The Shabbos Project was a wonderful venue for us to get together and rejoice in Hashem’s gift to Yisrael. It was inspiring to get together with those who don’t necessarily keep Shabbos and show them a little of what we enjoy every week. I would like to point out that, like what was quoted in your paper last week, the Shabbos Project was not a kiruv project; it was an event geared towards achdus. I would like to add that achdus did not end with havdalah. If we truly want to show people how Yiddishkeit is so sweet, then we have to continue to reach out throughout the year. Even more so, it’s imperative that we always remember to reach out to our not-yet-observant neighbors and show them that frum Jews are polite, normal, menschlech people. Smile, say “hello,” “goodbye,” don’t cut in line, offer to help them

with their packages … these are just small ways in which we can show the world—and our brothers and sisters— how Torah enriches our lives daily. May klal Yisroel continue to become closer together and share in simchos together as a nation. C.L. Sontag Dear Editor, This Tuesday we have the opportunity to mold our local government – and determine its direction by casting our vote for the candidates that have our community’s best interest at heart. I’m running for County Legislator because I care deeply about our community and am dismayed by the direction Nassau is heading. This is where I’ve raised my five children. I love it here. That’s why I am so concerned by our rising taxes and fees, the overwhelming government corruption and the rising cost of living that is driving young adults and seniors off Long Island. I’m also deeply troubled by the secrecy surrounding where the new OTB Casino will be built. The current government refuses to reveal the Casino’s location until after the election, but our local papers reported two potential locations: one is here in the Five Towns. Despite what you may have heard about the Casino, only a few facts have Continued on page 10

FOOD & LEISURE The Aussie Gourmet: Sweet and Sour Turkey Breast Roast

119

LIFESTYLES Your Money

128

Picture This by Rivki Rosenwald, Esq., CLC

130

HUMOR

109

Centerfold

Uncle Moishy Fun Page

108

Rocky’s Rant: Article of Faith

120

POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes

112

Iran Marches, Russia Rules, Obama Watches by Charles Krauthammer 116 Failing the Ryan Test by Michael Gerson 117 CLASSIFIEDS

122

This Tuesday is Election Day. Do you plan on voting?

68 32 %

Yes

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Letters to the Editor Continued from page 8

been verified. We know that a new Casino will be built in Nassau because the County Executive and the Legislative Majority included Casino revenue in their budget proposals. Since the new Casino was revealed last month, I have been leading the charge to keep it out of the Five Towns and any Nassau community that does not approve. I’ve also been putting pressure on our officials to reveal all possible locations. I voiced my opposition to the Casino immediately, wrote a letter to our current legislator, started a petition against the Casino – we have hundreds of signatures – and on Sunday I hosted a protest to stop the Casino. As a Five Towns resident, I am upset that our current Legislator needed to be spurned into voicing an opinion

on this important community issue. We deserve representation that proactively protects our best interests, not reactive leadership that waits for petitions to be signed before protecting us. My desire to serve the county as a legislator is rooted in my deep commitment to help my community. I am an educator, the director of an early childhood school, and a Lawrence School Board Trustee. In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, I took three weeks off from work to help coordinate clean-ups and run a local relief center which fed hundreds of our neighbors each day. I also run a marathon every year with my children to raise money for Chai Lifeline, an organization that provides support for children with cancer and other life threatening illnesses. We need someone who is active in

Views expressed on the Letters to the Editor page do not necessarily reflect the views of The Jewish Home. Please send all correspondence to editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com.

the community and is willing to listen to the concerns of our neighbors. We need committed people – not politicians – in office. I want to represent my neighbors and do the right thing for the people of Nassau County. I humbly request your vote on Election Day. Thank you, Tova Plaut Cedarhurst Resident Candidate for Nassau County Legislator, District 7 Dear Editor, This week you published a story about how Israel is trying to divert payments that are being made to terrorists and their families. That is very commendable. I agree that terrorists should not be paid for their murders and attacks and that their families should not be lauding them for their grotesque actions. But I have a different idea, although I don’t think Netanyahu and the Knesset is reading The Jewish Home. Why don’t we show terrorists and those who support them that their actions truly do not pay? This way, instead of them being paraded down the streets and having funds siphoned into their accounts, their communi-

ties would feel less inclined to do so. How about, when a terrorist stabs, murders or attacks someone, that terrorist’s family—everyone, including siblings, cousins and all relatives— suddenly find themselves without a home. Oh, Mr. Abdul Mohamed Jamal, you want to stab an Israeli with a sharpened kitchen knife? Well, do you realize that your family will now have their home razed to the ground, with all their possessions—and their hidden cash—demolished as well? Do you realize that they will be left homeless? Oh, you think that their neighbors will take them in? Well, did you consider that your neighbors’ cousin also felt the need to attack an Israeli and now their home is in pieces? Soon enough, with just a few terrorists and their families seeing that Israel means business, they will think twice before perpetrating attacks against innocents. Because it’s hard to praise a terrorist when your home is in shambles and you are left with nothing. I doubt Abbas will come to pick up the pieces for them and then they’re truly understand that terrorism does not pay. Sincerely, Jay Bergstein Kew Gardens, NY

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

The Week In News

Drug SuperTunnel Shut Down

U.S. federal agents have unearthed a sophisticated super-tunnel near San Diego. The discovery has led to the arrest of 22 people and the

confiscation of 12 tons of marijuana, estimated at $6 million. Agents found a hole in the floor near a warehouse in Otay Mesa, a city south of San Diego, that led to a shaft descending almost 32 feet into the ground. The shaft connected to an underground passageway, which included lighting, ventilation and a rail system, leading to the U.S.-Mexico border. “We see a super-tunnel open for business once every year or so,” U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy told reporters. “Just when they think they’re ready to move, we put it out of business.” The Tunnel Task Force conducted a six month investigation that revealed the 2,600-foot long tunnel to be one the largest uncovered along the southern border in recent years. Since 2010, federal authorities have found more than 75 smuggling tunnels, mostly in California and Arizona. “The success of this investigation is yet another example of our commitment to secure the border while combating the increasingly dangerous underground smuggling activity,” said Dave Shaw, special agent in charge for ICE Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego.

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1 . 8 5 5 . CHAT ZOS

What Country is the Most Corrupt?

the world. On the other side of the spectrum, Somalia and North Korea tied for the title of the most corrupt country in the world. Sudan, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Libya, and Eritrea rounded out the top ten.

41 Killed in Tragic Collision in France Every country and government run by humans suffers from some level of corruption. Bribery, backroom deals, rigged elections, fraud, propaganda, terrorism… Some of the world’s most prominent countries are particularly plagued by corruption and scandal. Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) reveals how each country around the world scores. The United States of America received a score of 74 (that’s out of 100, where 100 equals no corruption). This is considered relatively low on the scale and is most likely due to our country’s extensive anti-corruption legislation. Ireland, Hong Kong, and Barbados also scored a 74. Japan, though, came in as less corrupt than the U.S., with a score of 76. The Japanese are fortunate to live a life relatively free of corruption in both the economic and political sphere. However, the county is let down by a practice called “amakudari” where senior politicians retire to executive or high-profile positions within the corporate realm, in particular the pharmaceutical, transportation, and construction sectors. The United Kingdom scored even higher, with a score of 78; they also have heavy anti-corruption laws in place. Iceland and Germany received a 79 and Australia an 80. Although 30% of business executives in Canada claimed that bribery and corruption are an issue with the nation not having any significant anti-bribery measures in place, the country scored an 81. Denmark, according to this study, is the least corrupt nation in the world, earning a score of 92. New Zealand, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland followed close behind. Singapore, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Canada rounded out the top ten least corrupt nations in

In France’s worst road accident in 30 years, 41 people on a bus carrying elderly day-trippers were killed when the bus hit a truck head-on and caught fire. Two people, including a young boy, died in the truck. Eight people were injured. The bus and the truck collided near a forested bend on a two lane road cut into a hillside near Puisseguin in the Gironde region, about 35 miles east of Bordeaux. The bus was carrying about 50 retirees south to the Bearn region from their homes in the village of Petit Palais and surrounding hamlets. The crash occurred just a few minutes after the pensioners had boarded the bus. Among the dead were the truck driver and a young boy who was in the cab. News reports said the child was about three years old. The driver of the bus was among the survivors who were able to exit through the front door he opened. The truck apparently veered onto the wrong side of the road as it came around a bend. President Francois Hollande said he had been “plunged into sadness by the tragedy” after hearing the news. Last week’s accident was the worst road accident in France since 53 people, mostly children, died in a bus crash in Burgundy in July 1982. Stricter road regulations and lower speed limits followed, and traffic deaths in France have fallen steeply since. According to official statistics, more than 16,000 people were dying

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

on the roads every year in the early 1970s. In recent years the annual death toll from road accidents has dropped below 4,000.

Can Processed Meats Cause Cancer?

Blair Admits Mistakes in Iraq

Although he admits that ousting Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was the right and moral thing to do, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has acknowledged that the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 was partly responsible for the emergence of the Islamic State militant group in the Middle East. Blair added in an interview that the Arab Spring revolutions, which began in 2011, had also played a part by allowing the Islamic fundamentalist militant group to flourish in civil war-torn Syria and then Iraq. And he said the “sectarian policy” of Iraq’s Shiite-led government was also a factor in destabilizing the country. Blair’s decision to take Britain into the Iraq war — based on claims of Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction — remains hugely divisive at home and contributed to his Labour Party’s loss of power in 2010. Blair apologized, as he has before, for failures in post-war planning. “I apologize for the fact that the intelligence we received was wrong,” he said. “I also apologize for some of the mistakes in planning and, certainly, our mistake in our understanding of what would happen once you removed the regime.” 179 British personnel died in Iraq between 2003 and 2009. A public inquiry into decisions and mistakes in Britain’s planning and execution of the war began in 2009 but has yet to issue its findings. The process has been held up while people criticized in the report are given a chance to respond. Critics of the war hope the inquiry will conclude that Blair was determined to back President George W. Bush in his invasion plans, whether or not it was supported by the public, Parliament or legal opinion.

According to the World Health Organization, processed meats may cause cancer and the organization is urging consumers to avoid consuming processed red meat. The WHO claims that cured and processed meats—including bacon, ham and sausages—are in the same toxic category as asbestos, alcohol, arsenic and tobacco. The report from the WHO’s cancer arm, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, said there is enough evidence to rank processed meats as group 1 carcinogens, because of a causal link with bowel cancer. Processed meats include hot dogs, deli, and non-kosher meats like bacon and ham. The WHO also warns of the dangers of red meat but labelled that group 2A, as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” Eating red meat is also linked to pancreatic and prostate cancer, the IARC says. The IARC’s experts concluded that each 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increased the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. “For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed,” Dr. Kurt Straif, head of the IARC monographs program, pointed out. “In view of the large number of people who consume processed meat, the global impact on cancer incidence is of public health importance.” The IARC made these discoveries a year ago and had international scientists reviewing the results to ensure that the findings are accurate. Quite expectedly, this announcement triggered an immediate and frantic response from the meat industry, who obviously rejected the comparison between cigarettes and meat, calling the comparison harsh and inaccurate. “What we do know is that avoiding red meat in the diet is not a pro-

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

tective strategy against cancer,” said Robert Pickard, a member of the Meat Advisory Panel and emeritus professor of neurobiology at the University of Cardiff. “The top priorities for cancer prevention remain smoking cessation, maintenance of normal body weight and avoidance of high alcohol intakes.” The World Cancer Research Fund has advised eating no more than 500g a week of red meat. Prof Tim Key, Cancer Research UK’s epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, said: “Cancer Research UK supports IARC’s decision that there’s strong enough evidence to classify processed meat as a cause of cancer, and red meat as a probable cause of cancer. We’ve known for some time about the probable link between red and processed meat and bowel cancer, which is backed by substantial evidence. This decision doesn’t mean you need to stop eating any red and processed meat. But if you eat lots of it you may want to think about cutting down. You could try having fish for your dinner rather than sausages.” The North American Meat Institute said defining red meat as a cancer hazard defied common sense. According to the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle one should consume 2-3 servings of protein a day and that includes red meat as an option.

Win for Poland’s Right Wing Party

The centrist party that has governed Poland for the past eight years has been voted out of office and replaced with a more socially conservative party that wants to keep immigrants out of the country and spend more on Poland’s poor. An exit poll showed the conservative Law and Justice Party winning 39 percent of the vote, enough to govern alone without forming a coalition. The ruling pro-European Civic Platform party received 23 percent

of the vote, according to the exit poll that prompted Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz of Civic Platform to concede. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Law and Justice, promised his party would govern fairly. “We will exert law but there will be no taking of revenge. There will be no squaring of personal accounts,” he assured. “There will be no kicking of those who have fallen of their own fault and very rightly so.” Kaczynski credited his late brother, former Polish President Lech Kaczynski, with the party’s strong showing. His brother was killed in a 2010 air crash in Russia that claimed the lives of the president and many of Poland’s top leaders. This election marks the first time in Poland’s post-Communist history that no leftwing forces appeared to have won enough votes to enter into parliament. Law and Justice is strongly pro-NATO but also more skeptical of the 28-nation European Union, of which Poland is a member. The party opposes adopting the euro currency and is strongly anti-immigrant, positions that are expected to have a broader impact on the whole EU. The Civic Platform party was seen as falling out of touch with what was happening in Poland and with ordinary voters. In her victory speech, Beata Szydlo promised to not let that happen. “We are the same as our countrymen, we have not detached ourselves from reality,” she declared. “We must always remember that we are serving.” Szydlo is tipped to be the next prime minister. Law and Justice has promised to reverse an unpopular rise in the retirement age and put more money into the pockets of struggling families with tax breaks, monthly cash bonuses for children under 18, and free medication for people over 75. It also wants to raise taxes on the mostly foreign-owned banks and big supermarkets in Poland and give tax breaks to smaller local businesses and those that adopt Polish technologies.

Russia’s Suspicious Underwater Movements Below the ocean runs thousands of miles of fiber optic cables that carry

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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telligence officials have been more direct. They report that from the North Sea to Northeast Asia and even in waters closer to American shores, they are monitoring significantly increased Russian activity along the known routes of the cables, which carry the lifeblood of global electronic communications and commerce.

almost all of the world’s international internet communications. They carry more than $10 trillion a day in global business, including from financial institutions that settle their transactions on them every second. Recently, Russian submarines and spy ships have been noted to be aggressively operating near some of these vital undersea cables. Their proximity has been raising concern among some

American military and intelligence officials that the Russians might be planning to attack those lines in times of conflict. Inside the Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies, the assessments of Russia’s increasing activities are highly classified and not publicly discussed in detail. American officials are secretive about what they are doing to both monitor the activity and find

ways to recover quickly if cables are cut. But more than half a dozen officials confirmed in broad terms that it had become a source of significant attention in the Pentagon. “I’m worried every day about what the Russians may be doing,” admitted Rear Adm. Frederick J. Roegge, commander of the Navy’s submarine fleet in the Pacific, although he did not elaborate. Privately, commanders and in-

NATO ally, Norway, is so concerned that it has asked its neighbors for aid in tracking Russian submarines. Adm. James Stavridis, formerly NATO’s top military commander, said in an email last week that “this is yet another example of a highly assertive and aggressive regime seemingly reaching backwards for the tools of the Cold War, albeit with a high degree of technical improvement.” The operations are consistent with Russia’s expanding military operations into places like Crimea, eastern Ukraine and Syria, where President Vladimir V. Putin has sought to demonstrate a much longer reach for Russian ground, air and naval forces. “The risk here is that any country could cause damage to the system and do it in a way that is completely covert, without having a warship with a cable-cutting equipment right in the area,” said Michael Sechrist, a former project manager for a Harvard-M.I.T. research project funded in part by the Defense Department. Mr. Sechrist noted that the locations of the cables are hardly secret. “Undersea cables tend to follow the similar path since they were laid in the 1860s,” he said, because the operators of the cables want to put them in familiar environments under longstanding agreements. The exception are special cables with secret locations that have been commissioned by the United States for military operations; they do not show up on widely available maps, and it is possible the Russians are hunting for those, officials said.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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Marc and Shavi Bodner

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Former Comedian Wins Presidency

Guatemala’s got something to laugh about. Its new president is actually a comedian. Jimmy Morales, a former TV comedian who has never held office, won Guatemala’s presidential election this week. Morales tapped into the public’s anger over a corruption scandal that deepened distrust of the country’s political establishment to win over constituents. Despite his lack of experience, Morales, 46, beat former first lady Sandra Torres in a run-off vote. Morales belongs to the National Convergence Front (FCN) party; 68 percent of the population supported him in

the landslide victory. Voters were weary after Guatemala’s political class was caught committing fraudulent transactions. It is currently under a U.N.-backed investigation into a multi-million dollar customs racket that led last month to the resignation and arrest of former president Otto Perez. “As president I received a mandate, and the mandate of the people of Guatemala is to fight against the corruption that is consuming us,” Morales said on Sunday night. He was a household name throughout the country following a 14-year stint on a popular TV comedy. The self-proclaimed centrist from a humble background wooed voters with promises to tackle corruption and hand out millions of smartphones to children. “We were tired of the same faces of people who get rich off our money,” said Eduardo Tablas, a maintenance man who voted for Morales. “He knows that if he does something corrupt, all of Guatemala will be demanding that he resign.” It was almost a joke when Morales started to run. Last year, he quit his TV show, but in April, he barely registered in opinion polls. Soon, though,

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his luck changed as Perez’s government and a candidate who was then leading the presidential race became caught up in corruption probes. Morales further targeted voter frustration with Guatemala’s failing institutions by pledging to tag teachers with GPS devices to ensure they attend class. He has also floated the idea of reviving a historic land dispute with neighboring Belize.

Rabbi Rothman’s daughter, Yaffa, confirmed her father’s death on Motzei Shabbos in an emotional online eulogy. She praised him for confronting the terrorists and saving others during the attack. “Dad is gone… He was killed by animals lacking humanity,” she wrote. “But he fought them, and saved other worshipers... May his memory be a blessing, and please, come join us in honoring the best man there is one final time,” she wrote. The Toronto-born rabbi, who immigrated to Israel 30 years ago, is survived by his wife and 10 children.

6th Victim in Har Nof Attack Laid to Rest

Role of Hamas in Recent Attacks

Thousands attended the funeral of Rabbi Chaim Yechiel Rothman, Hy”d, who died last Shabbos of injuries he sustained during the deadly terror attack on a Har Nof synagogue almost a year ago. Rabbi Rothman, 55, was laid to rest in the evening in an emotional ceremony at the capital’s Givat Shaul cemetery. He had been in a coma ever since two East Jerusalem terrorists armed with a gun, axes and meat cleavers stormed the Bnei Torah Synagogue last November and attacked whoever they could find. Five others were killed in the attack — four men who were davening in the shul and one policeman. The attackers were eventually killed in a shootout with police. The Rav of Bnei Torah, Rabbi Mordechai Hacohen Rubin, eulogized Rabbi Rothman. “It’s been almost a year and our hearts are boiling again,” Rabbi Rubin said. “It’s been a year since the attack and we cannot forget what our eyes have seen or return to a normal routine. Again death is at our window, as if the heavens are reminding us to ‘remember, and not to forget,’” he said. “Remember what Ishmael did to you,” he added. “The two villains slaughtered and shot people, leaving five widows and 35 orphans.”

It is clear that the Hamas terror organization is a very strong supporter and partaker in the recent slew of attacks against Israelis in their country. While the group which rules the Gaza Strip has a less prominent presence in the Palestinian Authority-controlled West Bank, its voice is still being heard with recent attacks perpetrated by those in the West Bank. Last week, a Palestinian teenager stabbed a soldier in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc south of Jerusalem; a day later, two 20-year-olds stabbed an Israeli man after unsuccessfully attempting to board a school bus full of children in the central city of Beit Shemesh. The latter two, after being shot by security forces, were both discovered to be wearing t-shirts reading “Izz ad-Din al-Qassam” — the name of Hamas’s armed wing. In recent years, all Hamas terror attacks in the West Bank have been directed and coordinated by the group’s “West Bank bureau.” The bureau is situated in Gaza and overseen by Hamas operatives originally from the West Bank who were deported to Gaza during the prisoner exchange for captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011. The bureau is headed by Abd el-Rahman Ghanimat and Mazen Fuqha, the former a member of the notorious “Surif squad” — a terrorist cell headed by Ibrahim Ghanimat that was responsible for a series of attacks against Israelis in the 1990s. Abd el-Rahman Ghanimat was serving five life sentences when he was released under the Shalit deal. The mission of the “West Bank

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

bureau” in Gaza no secret: to carry out as many attacks as possible against Israelis. Hamas’s calls for violence are made frequently and publicly on media outlets. Hamas's “instructions” for their West Bank operatives to carry out stabbing and shooting attacks have been largely supported by the Palestinian public. So far, Hamas in Gaza has not paid a price from Israel for its role in inciting and encouraging the ongoing surge in violence. The organization’s leadership, however, understands that if the current spate of attacks becomes more deadly, Israel may respond by striking Hamas targets in Gaza, a development the Islamist group wishes to avoid. A return to its 2000-2001 modus operandi would probably come with a heavy price tag.

Bad for Business The people of Israel are, of course, its most important asset. That being said, the latest rise in terror attacks have also affected the country in ways other than the extremely tragic loss of life. The Israeli business sector is also suffering, eroding mistrust between Jewish and Arab business partners. 60% of Israelis polled by the New Wave Economic Institute stated they have refrained from buying from Arabs or being in touch with Arab-owned businesses since the terror wave began last month. One-third of respondents said they have switched to Jewish business owners on a permanent basis or turned elsewhere to avoid dealing with Arab businesses.

Surprisingly, caution regarding Arab businesses is only second-highest in Jerusalem; 70% of Jerusalem residents polled have stopped business transactions with Arabs over the past month – a close second to the Sharon area, where 72% of residents have boycotted Arab businesses. 57% of Tel Aviv area residents

and Golan Heights/Galilee residents have also avoided business with Arabs, followed by just 51% of Negev-area residents.

Penthouse Rental Sets Record

And I thought my rent was high! In the very popular “old north” section of Tel Aviv, a Russian foreign resident has signed a record $45,000 a month deal to rent an apartment in the prestigious Remez Tower. The massive transaction was reported by Israel Sotheby’s International Realty, the local arm of Sotheby’s International Realty. Almost more unbelievable than the price is the fact that the foreign resident agreed on the rental without having seen the apartment – and that he was not involved in any of the negotiations. The rental period is for six months. The rental sum does not include management fees, which stand at around NIS 4,000 per month (a little over $1,000). The apartment is located near the top of the tower and spans an entire floor, covering 320 meters. It comes with a balcony overlooking the sea and includes six bedrooms, a guest quarter with its own entrance, and an electric heating system. The apartment is also fully furnished with Italian-made items. According to Sotheby’s Israel, the average cost for a standard apartment in a sought-after block in Tel Aviv is around NIS 60,000 (around $15,500) per month. What’s more, the current rate is around three times that of the market average. “Statistics such as these place Tel Aviv among the most expensive cities in the world along with New York and London,” says Isidora Fridman, an executive director at Sotheby’s Israel. On Fifth Avenue [in New York City], a similar-sized apartment to the one in Remez Tower goes for $50,000 per month,” Fridman added.

ISIS Video Threatens Israel A frightening and disturbing video was put online by the brutal Islamic State (ISIS) terror group last week. The threatening video was intended for the Israeli public in light of the wave of Arab terror sweeping the Jewish state in recent weeks. A masked youth, possibly an Israeli Arab, speaks in fluent Hebrew addressing Israelis in the video. YouTube removed the video for containing inappropriate content, but later it was posted again. In very clear Hebrew, the ISIS terrorist warns that “the true war hasn’t yet started— what you’ve experienced until now is a child’s war compared to what will happen soon. We promise you that not a single Jew will be left in the entire country,” he vows. The cowardly masked speaker was filmed with a weapon in his hand and only his eyes uncovered. He said, “Look how you responded to a few car attacks and stabbings – you fell on your heads, you shot anyone who drives fast and anyone with something in their hand. Think

what will happen to you when soon tens of thousands from all over the world will come to slaughter you and throw you in the trash,” continued the terrorist. In conclusion, he threatened: “We aren’t just speaking hot air – we are getting closer to you from every place, from Sinai and from Damascus and more. The account between us is getting longer and longer. The account will be closed soon.” Several links to the hateful video have been closed, but many remain in working order.

Netanyahu May Cancel East Jerusalem Residency Status In light of recent attacks and ongoing violence by Palestinians, on Monday it was related that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has raised the possibility of revoking benefits and travel rights of some Palestinians living in East Jerusalem. “There is no enforcement there,

WHERE ELSE CAN YOU GET THAT ? You have choices when it comes to selecting the right high school. Academics and serious learning are top considerations, but the student’s happiness and selfconfidence might rank even higher. Athletics at MTA goes beyond regular high school sports programs. Whether a student enjoys basketball, hockey, wrestling, baseball, fencing, soccer, softball or tennis, the MTA Lions will welcome his talents. But even those not able to join the teams in the Junior Varsity or Varsity leagues can participate; intramural competition in several sports is open to all. Many games are played in the incomparable Max Stern Athletic Center, Yeshiva University’s recently renovated NCAA level court. It’s just another way MTA and YU take the high school experience to another level.

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Educating thE nExt gEnEration of JEwish LEadErs

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efits and can move freely in Israel. Many of the Arab assailants in one of the worst waves of Palestinian-Israeli street violence in decades have come from East Jerusalem. Since October 1, ten Israelis have been killed in stabbings and shootings perpetrated by Palestinian attackers.

About 100,000 Palestinians—a third of Jerusalem’s Palestinians— live beyond the barrier within East Jerusalem. The wall was built around a decade ago during the Palestinian suicide bombing campaign against Israel. Jerusalem Palestinians are not Israeli citizens, but they hold Israeli-issued blue IDs that grant them permanent resident status.

Hamas Leader: No One can Stop the Intifada

HANC OPEN HOUSE hanc wEst hEmpstEad ELEmEntary schooL 609 hEmpstEad avEnuE, wEst hEmpstEad, ny 11552 novEmbEr 4, 2015 at 8:00pm PLEASE CONTACT US AT hanc609@hanc.org or (516) 485-7786 no law,” Netanyahu said. “We need to examine the possibility of canceling their residency. There needs to be a discussion about it.” Although he raised the notion of putting plans into place, some say a move does not appear to be imminent or feasible. Its mention, though, has raised concerns as it seems to go against a firm Israeli

assertion that Jerusalem is a united city where both Jews and Arabs can enjoy equal rights. Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the step, if adopted, would deprive Palestinians in Jerusalem of the most basic rights and services and provoke confrontations. “This alarming

escalation, an inhuman and illegal measure, must be stopped immediately.” Israel regards the whole city of Jerusalem, including East Jerusalem, which was captured along with the West Bank in 1967, as its indivisible capital. Unlike their brethren in the West Bank, Palestinians in East Jerusalem receive Israeli social ben-

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh declared this week that “no power in the world can stop the intifada.” Speaking at a demonstration in Beirut, Haniyeh said, “We are ready for political and popular unity at all levels and willing to agree on a united national strategy to protect the intifada, regain Palestinians’ rights, and adhere to the inalienable nationalistic principles.” He added that national unity was “embodied today by Palestinian people in the field” and should be maintained and deepened at a political level. “Some people thought that our people have tired from intifadas, revolutions and resistance, and even based their strategies on the thought

Th St is art W ing ee k!

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

In memory of Mrs.

Miriam Yormark vâ&#x20AC;?g, Memphis, Tennessee

w e l c o m e s p r o s p e c t i v e pa r e n t s f o r a

with our Menahel,

RABBI NOSSON NEUMAN

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MRS. LEAH ZYTMAN

Please join us at one of the following locations throughout Far Rockaway and the Five Towns

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FOX RESIDENCE 334 Longacre Avenue Woodmere, NY 11598 RABINOWITZ RESIDENCE 747 Park Lane Valley Stream, NY 11581 KRIMSKY RESIDENCE 169 Oakland Avenue West Hempstead, NY 11552

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

30 Y

1985

20,000 Sue Facebook for Allowing Enflaming Posts

EARS

2015

Congratulations to

The National Institute for Jewish Hospice Celebrating 30 Years

Rabbi Maurice Lamm

Shirley Lamm

Founder and President

Executive Director \

These Hospices Will Receive Accreditation At Our Annual Conference  Thursday, November 19 Renaissance Hotel, Newark International Airport Alive Hospice, Nashville, Tennessee  Ascend Hospice, Cranford, New Jersey Ascend Hospice, Riverside, California  Ascend Hospice, Overland Park, Kansas  Ascend Hospice, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania  Ascend Hospice, Marlborough, Massachusetts  Ascend Hospice, Glen Allen, Virginia  Ascend Hospice, Lee’s Summit, Missouri  Bristol Hospice, Roseville, California  Catholic Hospice, Miami Lakes, Florida  Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, Jacksonville, Florida  Cornerstone Hospice & Palliative Care, Tavares, Florida  Good Shepherd Community Care, Lakeland, Florida  Faith Presbyterian Hospice, Dallas, Texas  Hartford HealthCare at Home, Wethersfield, Connecticut  Harbour Hospice of Bexar County, San Antonio, Texas  HPH Hospice, Hudson, Florida  Hospice of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio  Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island, Providence, Rhode Island  Hospice and Palliative Care of Tidewater, Virginia Beach, Virginia  Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care, Kansas City, Missouri  LifePath Hospice, Tampa, Florida  Ohr Ami - The Jewish Hospice Program, San Diego, California  Nathan Adelson Hospice, Los Vegas, Nevada  Pathways Hospice and Palliative Care, Chesterfield, Missouri  Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western Ct., Danbury, Connecticut  Serenity Hospice Care, Bordentown, New Jersey  Silverado Hospice, Irvine, California  Silverado Hospice, Burbank, California  Sutter Care at Home-Sutter Hospice, San Francisco, California  The Denver Hospice, Denver, Colorado  The Martin & Edith Stein Hospice, Somerset, New Jersey  Tidewell Hospice, Sarasota, Florida  Vitas Healthcare, Irvine, California  Vitas Healthcare of Texas, Dallas, Texas  Vitas Healthcare – Central Florida, Maitland, Florida  Vitas Healthcare, Houston, Texas  Vitas Healthcare of Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, Florida  Vitas Healthcare of Fultondale, Fultondale, Alabama  Vitas Healthcare, North Miami Beach, Florida Vitas Healthcare, Daytona Beach, Florida  Vitas Healthcare, Gardendale, Alabama  Vitas Healthcare, Fort Lauderdale, Florida  Vitas Healthcare, Naples, Florida  Vitas Healthcare of Texas, Fort Worth, Texas  Vitas Healthcare of San Francisco, Milpitas, California  VNA, Dallas, Texas

LECTURES WILL INCLUDE: How Judaism Heals Grief: What works and what doesn’t?  Jewish Medical Ethics & End-of-Life Care  How To Help Families Get The Most Out of Jewish Hospice  “From Dying Until Burial”  “What I’ve Learned From Dying In The Past Five Years”

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Founded in 1985, NIJH was established to help alleviate suffering in serious and terminal illness. It is designed to inform & educate staff, clergy, doctors, nurses, social workers, volunteers and family about the care of the Jewish terminally ill. NIJH is a major resource for the Jewish community in providing referrals to NIJH accredited hospices around the country. With 55,000 members, it has served the community for 30 years.

For more information; 800‐446‐4448 www.nijh.org that our people would not rise again. However, the Al-Quds Intifada came to thwart all their plans,” added Haniyeh. The latest terror wave has been referred to by its inciters as the “AlQuds Intifada” over a false claim that the Al-Quds Mosque on the Temple Mount is being defiled by Israel and

that Palestinian Arabs must respond. Last week Haniyeh released a call for all Palestinian Arabs to continue this “intifada,” saying in a speech that was recorded and played at a conference in Istanbul that “the knife of the intifada” defends the name of the Palestinian people and the Arab Islamic nation at its holy places,

among them Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Hamas terror leader emphasized that the wave of terrorism will only escalate in force. Hamas has continued to incite terrorism against Israelis using both its educational institutions and official media outlets.

In a class action suit filed Monday in New York State Supreme Court in Brooklyn, 20,000 Israeli plaintiffs accused Facebook of ignoring widespread Palestinian posts calling for violence against Jews. “Facebook’s algorithms and platform connects inciters to terrorists who are further encouraged to perpetrate stabbings and other violence attacks against Israelis,” the suit said. According to a news release issued by the plaintiffs, many recent assailants “were motivated to commit their heinous crimes by incitement to murder they read on Facebook — demagogues and leaders exhorting their followers to ‘slaughter the Jews,’ and offering instruction as to the best manner to do so, including even anatomical charts showing the best places to stab a human being.” The suit alleges that Facebook has a “legal and moral obligation” to block much of this content but that it chooses not to. The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction against Facebook requiring the social network to “immediately remove all pages, groups and posts containing incitement to murder Jews; to actively monitor its website for such incitement that all incitement is immediately removed prior to being disseminated to masses of terrorists and would-be terrorists; and to cease serving as matchmaker between terrorists, terrorist organizations, and those who incite others to commit terrorism.” The lead plaintiff, Richard Lakin, 76, died of his wounds on Tuesday after he was shot and stabbed by Palestinian terrorists while riding on a crowded Jerusalem bus on October 13. Two other Israelis were killed and more than 20 were wounded in the attack. Three attorneys — Robert Tol-

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

chin of New York; Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, the director of the Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center; and Asher Perlin of Fort Lauderdale, Florida — filed the suit. An article published on Saturday by The Associated Press said that social media, particularly Twitter and Facebook, is the “number one source of news among young Palestinians.” Some 3.7 million Palestinians follow the Quds News Network, believed to be affiliated with Islamic Jihad, on the social media platform and 4.2 million follow the Shehab News Network, which is believed to be affiliated with Hamas. The Times of Israel reported last week that Facebook pages such asQuds News Network (3.6 million followers on Facebook, 264,000 on twitter); Shehab News Agency (4.1 million followers on Facebook, 99,000 on twitter), and Urgent from Gaza (282,000 followers on Facebook) flood Palestinian computer screens with gruesome images of dead Palestinians and caricatures encouraging more attacks, often accompanied by a hashtag ordering “stab!” or warning “al-Aqsa is in danger!” Approximately one third of Pal-

estinian society in Jerusalem and the West Bank is active on social media, said Orit Perlov, a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) who specializes in Palestinian social media. “There are no borders in social media,” she said. “The same message resonates in Gaza, Jerusalem and Umm al-Fahm.”

Trump, according to CBS News/ New York Times. Though within the poll’s margin of error, it marks the first time since the billionaire businessman’s dominant rise over the summer where he has been bumped from the top spot nationally. A little more than a month ago, Trump was leading Carson 27%-23%.

Carson Trumps the Donald

The results of this most recent poll has Trump telling MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” “I don’t get it.” CBS/New York Times pollsters found Carson outpacing Trump among women and evangelicals and running even with him among men. Trump performed better with moderate Republicans and voters without college degrees. No other candidate cracked double-digit support in the latest poll. Marco Rubio won 8% support,

On Tuesday, it was victory for the Carson campaign, as a national poll showed Ben Carson leading the Republican 2016 primary race—the first time Carson’s numbers trumped Donald Trump’s. Carson won the support of 26% of Republican primary voters, compared to 22% who are backing

Jeb Bush and Carly Fiorina tied for fourth place with 7%, and Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and John Kasich each got 4%. Trump shouldn’t be too worried: 70% of those polled said that had not yet settled on who they will be voting for come elections. Trump’s supporters, though, were more firm in their commitment to their candidate. On the other side of the political aisle, according to a Monmouth University survey released on Tuesday, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has opened up a 41-point lead over rival Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in Iowa. The poll finds Clinton taking 65 percent support among likely Democratic caucus-goers in Iowa, while Sanders takes 24 percent. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley garners a mere 5 percent support. Clinton leads among every demographic in the poll — men, women, very liberal Democrats, somewhat liberal Democrats, and self-described moderate voters. Her biggest lead is among women, with whom she commands a 73 percent to 16 percent advantage over Sanders.

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

First U.S. Casualty in War against ISIS Master Sergeant Joshua L. Wheeler is the first American combat death in Iraq since American troops returned in mid-2014 to train, advise and assist the Iraqi military to fight ISIS, military officials said.

Wheeler was part of a mission to free 70 hostages from an ISIS prison in northern Iraq; he was a veteran member of the elite Delta Force, U.S. military sources say. Wheeler, 39, of Roland, Oklahoma, “died Oct. 22, in Kirkuk Province, Iraq, from wounds received by enemy small-arms fire during an operation,” the Defense Department said in a statement, which also noted that he was assigned to “Headquarters U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.” He is survived by his wife and four sons. Wheeler joined the Army at 19 and was just a month short of turning 40 when he died – a long, 20-plusyear career in combat. In the course of that heroic career, Wheeler earned a stunning 11 Bronze Stars, including four with the “Valor Device” for particular acts of heroism. He served as a U.S. Army Ranger and then joined U.S. Army Special Operations Command in 2004, after which he deployed 11 times in support of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army said. Those deployments would have been as part of Delta Force, according to U.S. military sources. At a Pentagon briefing, Defense Secretary Ash Carter praised Wheeler’s heroism, noting he played a pivotal role in the mission’s success. “The plan was not for the U.S. advise-and-assist and accompanying forces to enter the compound or be involved in the firefight,” Carter said. But when a firefight ensued, Wheeler “ran to the sound of the guns, and he stood up, and all the indications are it was his actions and that of one of his teammates that protected those who

were involved in breaching the compound and made the mission successful,” Carter said. “It wasn’t part of the plan, but it was something that he did. And I’m immensely proud that he did that,” added. Carter also said he expects more raids in the future, noting the success in rescuing hostages and the significant intelligence on ISIS recovered as part of the mission. “When we find opportunities to do things that will effectively prosecute the campaign, we’re going to do that,” he said. “I suspect that we’ll have further opportunities in the future, and we would want to avail ourselves of them.” Col. Steve Warren, the U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said, “It is always a tragedy when we lose one of our own. In the end, we saved 70 people from an execution that was planned in a few hours.” Wheeler’s remains were returned to the U.S. on Saturday to the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. He gave his all for his country.

Joe Says No Joe Biden has gracefully stepped out of the presidential race. After months of speculation, last Wednesday, the vice president formally announced that he will not campaign for the 2016 presidential nomination. “I believe we’re out of time – the time necessary to mount a winning campaign,” the vice president said from the White House Rose Garden flanked by his wife, Jill Biden, and President Obama.

This past summer, Biden’s son, Beau, 46, died of brain cancer, and the vice president said one of the reasons he was slow to decide about running was that he wasn’t sure his family had the “emotional energy” to endure another campaign.

“As my family and I have worked through the grieving process, I’ve said all along – what I’ve said time and again to others – that it may very well be that process, by the time we get through it, closes the window on mounting a realistic campaign for president … that it might close,” Biden related. “While I will not be a candidate, I will not be silent,” Biden continued. “I intend to speak out clearly and forcefully, to influence as much as I can where we stand as a party and where we need to go as a nation.” The vice president said the Democratic Party and the nation would “be making a tragic mistake” if they were to walk away from or attempt to undo the Obama legacy. “Democrats should not only defend this record and protect this record, they should run on the record,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work to get done over the next 15 months ... but let me be clear that we’ll be building on a really solid foundation.” The vice president also declared his intention to work on curing cancer. While acknowledging the issue is personal for him, after his son’s battle with brain cancer, Biden noted

that the administration has increased funding for cancer research and development. “I’m going to spend the next 15 months in this office pushing as hard as I can to accomplish this because I know there are Democrats and Republicans on the Hill who share our passion to silence this deadly disease,” he said. “If I could be anything, I would have wanted to be the president that ended cancer because it’s possible.” Had Biden decided to run for the Democratic nomination and won and then ran for president and been elected, he would have been the oldest president on inauguration in the history of the U.S. He will be 74 on January 20, 2017, the day on which the next president of the United States will be sworn in.

The Aftermath of Ferguson It’s been almost a year since residents of Ferguson, Missouri, protested loudly against the police force while accusing them of racism af-

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

ter the shooting of Michael Brown, a young black boy who was shot by Darren Wilson, a white police officer. Although the protests have quieted down, the issue remains as there is severe tension between civilians and police, and many homicides happening each day across the nation.

FBI Director James Comey strongly supports the notion that restraint by cops, a result of recent protests, is partially to blame for a surge in violent crime in some cities. The crime spike is apparent in cities big and small. Cleveland and Milwaukee have suffered increased murders since 2014, with more than two months left in the year. Dallas and Tampa in recent weeks were on pace to surpass 2014 murder totals. “Far more people are being killed in America’s cities this year than in

many years – and let’s be clear: far more people of color are being killed in America’s cities this year. And it’s not the cops doing the killing,” Comey noted. Comey says that recent high-profile police shooting incidents, many caught on omnipresent camera phones, have caused protests over policing tactics that critics call heavy-handed. In some cities, police officers privately report holding back on making stops for fear of ending up the next YouTube “bad cop” sensation. They call it the “Ferguson effect.” The FBI chief repeatedly used the phrase “all lives matter” in various contexts during his discussion led by Ruby Garrett, editor of University of Chicago Law School’s Legal Forum and president of the Black Law Students Association. The phrase has drawn controversy because some view it as a response to the advent of the Black Lives Matter movement, which was counteracted by Police Lives Matter. Ray Kelly, the former commissioner of the New York Police Department, said on Monday that police are no longer “taking the initiative,” which he said accounts for some of

the rise in crime. “I commend Jim Comey for telling it like it is,” Kelly told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room.” “Officers are not engaging in proactive policing, not engaging in the levels they engaged in the recent past.” But White House press secretary Josh Earnest scrambled on Monday to say that there was no evidence that police officers were “shirking” their duties given increased scrutiny on law enforcement, seeming to rebut FBI Director James Comey’s assertion last week. “The available evidence at this point does not support the notion that law enforcement officers are shying away from fulfilling their responsibilities,” Earnest said at the daily briefing. New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton claims he is not seeing the so-called Ferguson effect in his city. In an interview with CNN, Bratton said he believes what’s happening around the country is part of the “evolution of policing” which will eventually make officers better. “A cop sitting in his car is not what a cop should be,” Bratton said.

Paul Ryan for House Speaker After much anticipation, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) officially announced that he will seek to replace Rep. John Boehner as the speaker of the House. Ryan previously ran for vice president alongside Mitt Romney in the 2012 elections. Earlier in the week Ryan told the House GOP conference that he will only run for Speaker if every committee endorses him, according to lawmakers in the room. By Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon, Ryan was endorsed by each of the House GOP’s major factions. Previously Ryan had firmly and adamantly said he did not want the position and many are wondering what changed his mind. Initially he had said that he wasn’t willing to sign up for the intense public pressure from the Republican caucus. He expressed concern that it would affect his family life as well. “It’s not a job I’ve ever wanted [or] I’ve ever sought,” Ryan said. “I’m in the job I’ve always wanted here in the Congress. I came to the conclusion

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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that this is a very dire moment, not just for Congress, not just for the Republican Party, but for our country. And I think our country is in desperate need of leadership.” “I cannot and will not give up my family time,” Ryan told reporters. “I may not be on the road as often as previous Speakers but I pledge to try to make up for it with more time communicating our vision, our message.” The speaker of the House is the third in line to the presidency.

Group Searches for MIA Troops from WWII

It’s been almost seven decades since the end of World War II but there are some relatives who never really got full closure. Over 100,000 American military personnel were killed during service in the Pacific War. A few years ago a private Japanese organization discovered the remains of five American World War II soldiers on Saipan. Saipan is one of the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. commonwealth in the Western Pacific. Four of the bodies were identified and returned to the U.S. for reburial. Now another excavation is being planned on the Pacific island in the hopes of finding more unmarked graves, including those of American servicemen still listed as missing in action. The leaders of Kuentai-USA related that a team of about a dozen Japanese and American volunteers plans to search an area of Saipan where the U.S. Army’s 27th Infantry Division was struck by the biggest suicide attack of the Pacific ground war. The division’s 105th Regiment had nearly 1,000 killed and wounded during what became known as the “banzai attack” on July 7, 1944. The New York National Guard unit suffered hundreds of casualties, many of them New Yorkers. The Defense POW/MIA Account-

ing Agency, the Pentagon arm in charge of recovering the remains of U.S. soldiers from foreign battlefields, said this week that the remains of the fifth soldier discovered by Kuentai a few years ago are still being analyzed. Mackenzie Waterston, a college student from Glens Falls, New York, will be accompanying the group on the excavation. She had met Kuentai’s leaders, Usan Kurata and Yukari Akatsuka, two months earlier when they visited the New York State Military Museum to research its records on the 27th Division at Saipan. Waterston, who was working as a museum intern that summer, departed on Friday for her second trip to Saipan. “If I ever had a family member who was an MIA, I would want him returned for burial,” said Waterston. The Pentagon isn’t involved in the Saipan project, although it pledges its support. “The department recognizes these efforts as critical to the mission and is eternally grateful for this assistance and support,” Air Force Lt. Col. Holly Slaughter said. Akatsuka said that the group’s main Saipan excavation will be conducted in an area where 17 soldiers from the 27th Division could be buried in unmarked graves. They’ll also excavate a nearby property where two U.S. Marines listed as MIA may have been buried. The group expects to start excavations next week and will continue until November 8. Hopefully their mission will be successful and will bring closure to many families still suffering from their loss.

Crash at Parade Leaves Four Dead

It was supposed to be a celebratory event but it quickly turned tragic when a car plowed into the crowd. On Saturday, Oklahoma State University hosted a homecoming parade in Stillwater when at about 11am tragedy struck. A car rammed into the crowd gathered for the parade, killing 5 and injuring 47 people, four in critical

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

condition. The youngest victim that died was just 2 years old. 11 of the injured were 13 years old or younger. The car was driven by Adacia Chambers who is now facing four second-degree murder charges after driving into the crowd at the homecoming parade. Each murder count could carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. Payne County District Attorney Laura Thomas said in a statement that prosecutors will consider additional charges in the coming weeks related to the surviving victims. “Based upon the Probable Cause Affidavit and information presented by the police, the state believes the acts alleged demonstrate a depraved mind and indifference to human life,” Thomas said. “The evidence suggests this was an intentional act, not an accident.” According to one Oklahoman newspaper, Chambers suffered from insomnia and had not slept for three days before the crash. This theory has yet to be confirmed. It was reported that she did not seem to be intoxicated. Her attorney said she may have been suffering from mental illness. The victims in the crash have been

identified as Nash Lucas, 2; Nakita Prabhakar Nakal, 23; and a married couple, Bonnie Jean Stone and Marvin Lyle Stone, who were both 65.

A Hard Look at Standardized Testing

Parents despise them, teachers fear them, and students agonize over them, and now Standardized Testing may undergo reform. According to a study of the nation’s 66 largest school districts, the average student spends about 20 to 25 hours a school year taking standardized tests. That study did not

account for the classtime students spend preparing for tests that became mandatory, starting in third grade, under the No Child Left Behind law. This week, President Barack Obama called for capping standardized testing at 2 percent of classroom time and said the government shares responsibility for turning tests into the be-all and end-all of American schools. “Learning is about so much more than just filling in the right bubble,” Obama said in a video released on Facebook. “So we’re going to work with states, school districts, teachers, and parents to make sure that we’re not obsessing about testing.” In all, between pre-K and 12th grade, students take about 112 standardized exams, according to the Council of the Great City Schools report. It said testing amounts to 2.3 percent of classroom time for the average 8th-grader. “How much constitutes too much time is really difficult to answer,” said Michael Casserly, the council’s executive director. Obama cannot force states or districts to limit testing, which has

drawn consternation from parents and teachers. But Obama directed the Education Department to make it easier for states to satisfy federal testing mandates and he urged states and districts to use factors beyond testing to assess student performance. The report also found that 40 percent of districts have to wait between two months and four months before getting state test results. While some pockets of the country had substantial numbers of students opting out of standardized tests, the overall opt-out rate was usually less than 1 percent.

6,000 Prisoners to be Released On November 1, 6,000 drug felons will be released from prison as part of a national effort to reduce what the U.S. Sentencing Commission now deems to be overly harsh — and expensive. The original drug laws were enforced during the era’s “War on Drugs.”

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

As thousands of inmates rejoice at their freedom, they may find entering the real world again quite difficult. Sadly there isn’t enough support in place for them despite the lawyers, prisoner advocates, parole officials and a federal judge working on their behalf.

“Some are coming out after three years, some after 20,” said Elizabeth Toplin, a federal public defender who reviewed about 800 drug cases in the Philadelphia region. “It’s a different world. These guys come out of jail and they’ve never seen a cellphone. ... Unless we intervene properly, when people come home, they just don’t have the resources not to go back.” The prisoners, though, are not anticipating a rocky transition, according to their petitions for early release. One prisoner, Jose Antonio Pagan, said he plans to seek work, possibly in marine mechanics, after his sentence for smuggling hundreds of kilos of cocaine by boat from the Bahamas to Florida was cut from 14 to 11 years. Pagan said his life derailed after he “drifted to a singular crime of monumental consequences.” He and his wife are divorcing, but he said his parents will take him in. “You’ve got a bunch of people coming back, and once they’re here they have very basic human needs, and those are housing, employment and the family reunification factor,” said Tina Naidoo, executive director of the Dallas-based Texas Offenders Reentry Initiative, which has 10 fulltime employees and hopes to recruit volunteers to handle the additional caseload. Each year, about 50,000 federal inmates are typically released from prison. The early release program will save taxpayers millions, given the $30,000 annual cost of a prison stay, compared with $3,900 for supervised release. About 2,000 of the 6,000 being released soon are set to be deported. In Philadelphia, five or 10 people of the 45 getting early release will be tapped for an intensive probation

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Ask us about our special discounted SEMINARY & YESHIVA STUDENTS airfares program for at-risk offenders known as Re-Entry Court. The program offers a broad array of social services, including counseling, tutoring, housing, health care and job training, most provided by volunteers. “They can’t do it alone. And I think for too long society really ignored that reality,” said U.S. Magistrate Timothy Rice, a former federal prosecutor who helped start the program in 2007.

“The odds are stacked against them unless somebody reaches out to help walk them through this.” The Bureau of Justice Statistics studies have found high rates of recidivism, a person’s relapse into criminal behavior, among released prisoners. One study tracked 404,638 prisoners in 30 states after their release from prison in 2005. The researchers found that within three years of re-

lease, about two-thirds (67.8 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested. Within five years of release, about three-quarters (76.6 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested. Of those prisoners who were rearrested, more than half (56.7 percent) were arrested by the end of the first year. According to the study, 76.9 percent of drug offenders were rearrested at some point.

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Clinton Remains Firm at Benghazi Hearings

On Thursday, Hillary Clinton appeared at the Benghazi hearings. As expected, she admitted to no wrongdoing, nor to breaking any laws. She repeatedly shirted the blame elsewhere and said mistakes were made by others. She claimed that security decisions were handled by lower levels of the State Department profes-

sional staff and not by her directly. At the hearing, Clinton insisted that she never received Ambassador Stevens’ requests for more security, implying that had she received the notifications, things would have panned out quite differently. Despite the nearly eleven hours of questions, Clinton remained calm and kept her cool. Interestingly, despite the scandal swirling around her thousands of emails, Ms. Clinton insisted that she didn’t even have a computer in her office as secretary of state. In terms of the work she did in the position of secretary of state, she related, “I conducted it in meetings, I read massive amounts of memos, a great deal of classified information. I made a lot of secure phone calls… If you were to be in my office in the state department, I did not even have a computer.” During the hearing it was revealed that Clinton met the plane carrying the bodies of the four Americans who died at Benghazi and that the Obama administration had initially lied about what happened. Experts believe that the Obama administration lied in order to win the election which

took place just eight weeks after the terrorist attack. As she stood over the flag-draped coffins of four dead Americans, Clinton blamed their deaths on an Internet video, which caused a demonstration outside the consulate to turn into a deadly attack. However, the then-secretary of state had already known the truth. Clinton was aware that the four Americans had died from a planned terrorist attack perpetrated by an Al Qaeda-like group. That’s what she told her family and foreign leaders, according to newly released emails.

The Nation of Zaqistan They say if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. Well, it seems that a New Yorker has taken this to heart. Zaq Landsberg is now living in Utah—I mean, Zaqistan. He has cre-

ated a yellow and red flag, official looking passports and a border control gate for his own sovereign nation. And he’s determined to make it happen.

“The conceptual goal is I want it to become a real country,” said Landsberg, its president. “I mean, that goal is not going to happen. It’s impossible, but going through the motions, [I’m] trying to make that happen.” The country of Zaqistan even has its own motto: “Something from nothing.” In fact, the area really is from nothing. When Landsberg bought the stretch of Utah backcountry a decade ago, he was amazed at

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

how removed it was: 60 miles from the nearest town and 15 miles away from a paved road. So how can one visit the country of Zaqistan and maybe buy some souvenirs? Landsberg is keeping that piece of info under wraps—he doesn’t want a wave of tourists getting lost finding the world’s newest country. Even so, he’s loving the desolate country of Zaqistan. “Out here, it’s not that crazy of an idea to have your own little spot, and to do your own thing and to have your own space and the privacy to do that,” said Landsberg. He does have some visitors, though. His friend, Mike Abu, can get his passport stamped when he visits Landsberg. “Legitimacy is one of those things that’s fairly subjective to begin with,” Abu, the philosophical tourist, said. “But when we’re talking about it, does it exist? There’s no question about it.”

A Costly Cookie It is the most valuable biscuit in the world and for good reason: it’s

worth almost $23,000 and is over 100 years old. A biscuit cracker that survived the sinking of the Titanic has sold for £15,000 ($22,968) at auction in England. It was bought by a collector in Greece.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge related, “It is the world’s most valuable biscuit. We don’t know which lifeboat the biscuit came from but there are no other Titanic lifeboat biscuits in existence to my knowledge.” It was part of a survival kit found on one of the lifeboats. James Fenwick, a passenger onboard the SS Carpathia, which went to the aid of survivors from the ship, kept it as a “souvenir” of the disaster. He put

the snack in a Kodak photographic envelope with a note that stated: “Pilot biscuit from Titanic lifeboat April 1912.” Aldridge added: “It is incredible that this biscuit has survived such a dramatic event – the sinking of the world’s largest ocean liner – costing 1,500 lives. In terms of precedence, a few years ago a biscuit from one of Shackleton’s expeditions sold for about £3,000 ($4,593) and there is a biscuit from the Lusitania in a museum in the Republic of Ireland.” Another item that was sold at auction was a “loving cup,” presented to the captain of the Carpathia. It was given to Captain Arthur Rostron by survivor Molly Brown and was paid for by donations from wealthy passengers after the disaster. The cup sold for $197,531, making it the third most expensive Titanic item ever. The Carpathia raced through an ice field to reach the Titanic on that fateful night. It rescued 712 people. The Titanic sank in April 1912 during its maiden voyage to New York from Southampton after the supposedly “unsinkable” ship struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912.The ship sank at around 02:20 on April 15.

A Bear on a Tear

Is that toy driving you crazy? Does it not stop singing—even at the worst times? Do you want to throw it at the wall just to make it stop? It seems that someone understands your pain—and just wants to make you hurt even more. Eight-year-old Mikayla Wilson, along her father, Cornelius Malcolm Wilson, has invented the toy of your nightmares: a teddy bear that won’t stop singing until you destroy it. The duo has spent more than two years developing the annoying bear, endeavoring to have it sing for hours on end. In fact, the bear can now sing “Happy Birthday” for three and a half hours straight. Mr. Wilson explains that he and Mikayla came up with the idea for the bear together. “We love to play

Discover Your Future.

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Home on the Range Rent in San Francisco is too high. So high, in fact, that some people are eschewing houses and living on the streets.

Katharine Patterson is one such person. With rentals going for exorbitant prices, the software engineer moved to San Francisco and is now living in her red 1969 Volkswagen camper van since starting her job at an unnamed “multi-million dollar office complex” in Silicon Valley.

Patterson notes that a single room with a shared bathroom in San Francisco can go for $2,000, rent for a bunk in a “hacker house” is $1,000, and a studio apartment is out of reach for the non-millionaires among us. Even if she was willing to pay rent here, she related, she would resent being unable to put that money toward student loans. Living in a van does have its price. Patterson spent what’s equivalent to around three months’ rent to buy the van, which came with two holes between the engine and the interior, broken gauges and a temperamental ignition. She ripped out the carpets, spent three hours sweeping and dusting, and scraped a “strange velcro-esque material” stuck to metal interior parts of the van. Then she went to the perfect store to outfit her new home: IKEA. In the do-it-yourself superstore, she bought a dresser, carpet and crates. She made her bed. And then on October 11, she finally came home. Her home, named Jamal Junior after a bike she had in college that she called Jamal, is now home sweet home. Sleeping in a car on public property in California is illegal, but so far Patterson hasn’t been ticketed. She parks in different places at night

and has friends who let her use their shower and other facilities. And there are others like her who are living in their cars instead of more stable, long-lasting places. “I am not technically one of them, and in doing this by choice I am inevitably appropriating their hardships,” she said. “However, I am also saving hard, trying to pay off my debts, and learning a few invaluable life skills — like carpentry and how to be a fairly competent mechanic — in the process.” She’s also learning how to live in a van—a most important life skill.

Child-Made Passwords

Mira Modi, an eleven-year-old from New York, recently started selling cryptographically secure passwords for $2 each. You can count on her password creations to be stronger than anything you would normally come up with, because she uses a method called “diceware.” Created by Arnold G. Reinhold in the ’90s, diceware is a tried-and-true method of designing a password that’s tough for a computer to crack—but dead simple for a human to memorize. (The problem with our passwords is that they are typically the opposite: relatively easy for a computer to guess, but end up becoming difficult for users to memorize.) For how technologically innovative it is, diceware works in a relatively lo-fi way. You start by rolling a six-sided die five times to create a string of numbers, which you then match to a numbered list of short and simple English words (16655 = clause, 16656 = claw, and so on). This is done a few times to create a random string of words, or a passphrase. The longer the passphrase, the higher its “entropy” or randomness, and the

Need a really good password? Just ask a sixth grader.

Continued on page 42

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jokes on people and thought what an awesome idea it would be to ship a musical teddy bear to someone that would not stop singing.” Sounds like they have a wicked sense of humor.

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

stronger it is, because it’s harder for a computer to guess. A five-word diceware passphrase looks like this: alger gene curry blonde puck horse. (Reinhold recommends using at least six words, to thwart modern-day computers.) Modi writes every password by hand and then sends it to customers through the mail. Worried that’s not secure? Well, Modi’s not concerned. She reminds customers that the government cannot open letters sent through the U.S. Postal Mail without a search warrant. (Smart girl.) And what about Modi stealing your

password and using it for her own gain? On her website, she recommends switching up the capitalization and adding symbols. Plus, she says, “In reality, I won’t be able to remember them all.” Yes, it’s true. Your kids really are smarter than you when it comes to computers.

Eat a Burrito, Win a Restaurant Want to own a restaurant? No problem, just chow down on this

30-pound burrito and one margarita and you’ll be the lucky part-owner of the Don Chingon Mexican restaurant in Brooklyn.

It’s a business transaction not for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach. For $150, Don Chingon patrons can take a stab at eating the toddler-size burrito made with steak, chicken, pork, rice, beans, salsa and drinking a ghost pepper margarita. Upon successful completion, the challenge’s winner will get 10 percent ownership of the restaurant. “Don Chingon is a modern taqueria, so we take a lot of traditional recipes and put our own spin on them,” owner Victor Robey said. “This is basically a modern take on an eating challenge.” He adds, “While we don’t just want to give away the restaurant, we do

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China’s Obama

Is he Obama? Well, he looks like Obama, he acts like Obama, he just

doesn’t speak like Obama. Oh, well. Xiao Jiguo, a Chinese Obama impersonator, says it’s all about the eyebrows. The migrant-worker-turned-actor lacks the U.S. president’s stature and, with limited English, can’t easily mimic the stop-and-start cadence of his speech. So when Xiao, 29, wants to channel his muse, he must focus on the face: A forceful furrow. Narrowed eyes. That contemplative, commanding frown. “It’s a look you can use all the time,” Xiao said, shifting from serious to skeptical with a signature tilt of the jaw.

A beat. More brow. “Pause like this if you run out of things to say.” Xiao has never met the American president, who he calls “Brother Obama” or “Brother Ma.” He hears about the United States on television and he’s seen some American movies. In 2008, a friend mentioned that he looks like President Obama. Xiao, then working as a security guard, said, “Who?” Seven years later, he spends most of his working life pretending to be the 44th president of the United States, whether it’s for television, an ad or the opening of a shopping mall in Hefei. Xiao likes to picture the two of them as stars in the same, vast sky. Obama fell to earth in America and grew up to be president. “Will my career in the entertainment industry also rise?” The presidential impersonator didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was born in 1986 to peasant parents in rural Sichuan province and was mostly raised by his grandfather in the village. He dropped out of school at 16 and went to join his parents, then toiling as cleaners in the southern city of Guangzhou. He found work as a waiter and later as a security guard

at a factory making shoes amid the “Made in China” boom. In 2008, when people noticed the resemblance between Xiao and Obama, “I looked in the mirror and I knew it was true,” he said. Eventually, he started marketing himself on social media, booked gigs and got some press. Business is pretty good, he said, but unpredictable. Xiao earns more than he did as a security guard, but not so much that he’s left the family home. (Is he saving for an apartment? “Yeah, right next to the White House,” he joked.) Xiao practices his Obama impression by studying pictures and videos he finds online. He’s also invented what he calls “jia-English,” or fake English, a stream of sounds that usually starts with “hello everybody” and devolves into “English-sounding” nonsense words. Crowds love it. His new life is happier and more hopeful but is also often strange. He commutes from Sichuan to far-flung corners of the country with a single brown suitcase and his Obama outfit — dress shirt, navy suit, tie. His hair, like Obama’s, is speckled gray. And then, at the end of the day, he sheds his presidential garb and turns into Xiao once again. The Oval Office is never truly within reach.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

The Hebrew Academy of Long Beach Lev Chana Early Childhood Center

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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Rabbi Eli Braunstein 11th Grade Rebbi

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Around the

Community Ten Kavod L’Torah

n Thursday, October 22, HAFTR High School was honored with a “Rimonim” dedication ceremony for the sefer Torah of its Sefardic Minyan. The ri-

monim were dedicated by the Robert and Hinda Mizrahi family in honor of their son Matthew’s Bar Mitzvah and the HAFTR Sefardi Minyan. Our Sefardic students from HAFTR

Middle School joined the high school students and were able to show proper kavod HaTorah. HAFTR High School takes great pride in its daily Sefardic Minyan which is led by HaR-

av Yitzchak Simantov as well as the daily halachot (laws) and minhagim (customs) which Harav Simantov teaches the students.

from Hayley Tanzman (10th grade) and a kumzitz, while the last dvar Torah was presented – a cool 2 person “back and forth” dvar Torah by Noa Eliach and Tamar Yastrab (12th grade). A beautiful havdalah was the perfect ending to Shabbat. The melaveh malka of the Midreshet Shalhevet Shabbaton is probably one of the most exciting events on the school calendar! The ruach carried over from Shabbat, as everyone then made their way to the gym and we started the festivities with a very enthusiastic game of dodgeball. Everyone participated, enjoyed and had a blast! After the games, the students changed into costumes corresponding to the theme of the Shab-

baton – authors and books. Some of the costumes included Harry Potter, Where’s Waldo, Cat in the Hat, Curious George, Dr. Seuss and so many more. The entire weekend was filled with zmirot, ruach and achdut from all the girls! Thank you to everyone instrumental in making the Shabbaton successful: Coach Ilona Diamond; G.O. - Tamar Yastrab, President, Zahava Fertig, Natalie Mosseri, and Nechama Schneider; our alumni Madrichot: Dani Elman, Zahava Schwartz, and Kayla Zeitz (Class of 2013) and Shalvah Goldschein, Malka Marmer, and Chanie Schwerd (Class of 2014); and especially to our generous sponsors!

Midreshet Shalhevet Shabbaton

Idreshet Shalhevet’s event of the year took place Shabbat, Parshat Noach, at Camp Seneca Lake. The Midreshet Shalhevet student body, along with alumni and faculty, joined together for the annual Shabbaton. The Friday afternoon activity, led by Coach Ilona Diamond, was a human board game, for each grade to go “head to head to head to head.” Everyone participated and had an amazing time. Shabbat kicked off with a beautiful Mincha, kabbalat shabbat, and Maariv. Right before dinner, Menahelet Mrs. Esther Eisenman welcomed everyone with a heartfelt, inspirational dvar Torah. Divrei Torah were given by Elianna Hersh

(9th grade) and Natalie Mosseri (11th grade) during dinner, followed by learning sessions, and a tisch of all different Torah-based questions and answers with a panel of Mrs. Eisenman, Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss, Rabbi Ariel Rosensweig, Ms. Atara Blumenthal and Mrs. Hindy Feder. Shabbat morning began with davening and a dvar Torah from Rabbi Ariel Rosensweig on Parshat Noach. Following kiddush, each grade participated in a learning session with a limudai kodesh teacher and enjoyed lunch with divrei Torah from Rikki Vatch (12th grade) and Becky Marks (12th grade). As Shabbat came to a close, everyone joined together for Seudat Shlishit with a dvar Torah

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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The Annual DRS Schoolwide Shabbaton

t is perhaps the most anticipated event of the DRS school year: the Annual Schoolwide Shabbaton. This past Shabbat, DRS sophomores, juniors, and seniors, accompanied by their rabbeim and their families, spent the weekend at the Mountain Laurel Hotel in White Haven, Pennsylvania. Students eagerly boarded the

buses bound for the Shabbaton on Thursday evening. Upon arrival at the hotel, the students were treated to a lavish BBQ and participated in the annual Shiur vs. Shiur Trivia Challenge, during which the students’ knowledge of Torah, DRS history, music, and pop culture were put to the test. But the night was still young, and the students

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entered the grand ballroom which was transformed into a full-out game room, replete with ping pong tables, basketball hoops, and 6 big screens which hosted the Madden X-Box tournament. On Friday morning, after Shacharis, a shiur by 10th grade Rebbe, Rabbi Friedman, and a hearty breakfast, the students traveled to a nearby park to partake in the annual Shabbaton Flag Football Tournament, where 13 flag football games were played simultaneously! The Pre-Shabbat festivities came to an end as students returned to the hotel to prepare for the holiness of Shabbat. After an inspiring Kabbalat Shabbat and spirited zemirot during dinner, students were privileged to hear from the Shabbaton’s unique guest lecturer. DRS hosted Mr. Saul Blinkoff, a ba’al teshuva who also happens to be an animator and movie director for Disney Studios. Mr. Blinkoff masterfully captivated students for over an hour as he told them about his journey from being a kid with a passion for movies and animation to becoming a professional animator and director – never giving up on his dream. Along the way, Saul decided to take a break from his incredible life and spent a month learning in Eretz Yisroel where he committed himself to becoming an observant Jew. Weaving together the lessons of the Mesilat Yesharim and the wisdom and creativity of such Disney classics as the Lion King, students were mesmerized by Saul’s life story and messages he imparted.

After some fun game show activities by grade, it was time for one of the highlights of Shabbat, the Friday Night DRS Tish led by Rabbi Kaminetsky. All 230 students packed into a section of the ballroom and the inspired singing went on well past midnight. On Shabbat Day, students were treated to a fabulous kiddush followed by parsha time with their rabbeim. The Seudat Shabbat included more lively zemirot and divrei Torah from various students. The students once again sat mesmerized for another hour with the incredible Saul Blinkoff, who also spent hours “hanging out” with students in the lobby all afternoon. After an incredibly inspiring shalosh seudot and havdalah, the students headed to the dining room for a spirited Melava Malka with lively dancing. Saul Blinkoff also spent two hours sketching Disney characters for each student up until the busses pulled away! The Shabbaton was a great way for students of different ages to strengthen friendships, as well as fortify their relationships with their rabbeim.

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HANC High School and the Shabbos Project “Rock”

ANC High School was pulsating with joy and exhilaration as we celebrated our first chagiga of the year. The chagiga was held in honor of the worldwide Shabbos Project, an initiative which began in South Africa. HANC High School embraced the Project and its spirit permeated the air throughout the week, culminat-

ing with Erev Shabbat’s high energy, awesome chagiga. The chagiga included: music by Mendy J and Yitzy Heilbrun, dancing, a Chulent Cook-off, Challah Bake (sponsored by Rachel and David Fryman for a refuah shleima for Chana bat Rachel Leah), and a special senior kumzitz. A highlight of our celebration was a personal and meaningful

video message from Chief Rabbi Goldstein to HANC that was recorded live by Assistant Principal Ms. Tziporah Zucker while on a trip to South Africa this past summer. The chagigah also served as the kickoff for the theme of the year, “Rock Simcha.” An amusing video produced in HANC was shown. Students, faculty and passersby were asked to clue us in as to what makes

them happy. In addition to the in-school festivities, over 20 HANC High School students opened their homes to others seeking a more meaningful Shabbat atmosphere. At one of the Shabbat meals, HANC senior Gideon Pollack made a siyum in honor of the Shabbos Project.

the l’hafrish challah and yehi ratzon blessing, and all participants felt a renewed personal connection to Shabbat as they joined and kneaded together. “Baking challah for Shabbat is an important mitzvah for women, and I am so glad to have the opportunity to

share that mitzvah with individuals at from our many OHEL residences.” Said Meital Starting in South Africa, the movement which is now called the Global Shabbos Project has brought hundreds of thousands of Jews together to open their doors to all of their Jewish neighbors regard-

less of denomination and celebrate Shabbos together.

OHEL Individuals Join Challah Bake in Honor of Shabbos Project

n Thursday, October 22, OHEL staff and clients joined the thousands of women across the world in preparation for this year’s Global Shabbos Project. A group of several women gathered into the home OHEL Event Coordinator Meital Fishhaut and spent an evening baking challahs in preparation Shabbat. Chanie, who lives in an OHEL Supported Apartment, had the opportunity to make

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MR. YAAKOV SERLE, CONGRESSWOMAN GRACE MENG AND COUNCILMAN RORY LANCMAN AT THE RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY FOR THE QUEENS JEWISH LINK

HARAV MORDECHAI GROSS DAVENING AT KEVER ROCHEL ON HER YAHRTZEIT ON BEHALF OF KUPAT HA’IR

Bais Yaakov of Queens Early Childhood and Parshas Noach

arshas Noach heralds the beginning of an in- depth study of animals at the Bais Yaakov Early Childhood Center. The children participate in a variety of meaningful and fun activities that will build important foundational skills in all of the important curriculum areas including language arts, math and science. The young Pre-1A investigators began the week by excitedly observing a variety of animals who visited their classrooms. Students and alumni of the early childhood center graciously lent them their pets. The children enjoyed getting up close and personal with a rabbit, guinea pig, hamsters, a frog and the frog’s lunch—live crickets! The teachers read non-fiction books to them about these animals, and the children eagerly absorbed information

and new vocabulary pertaining to their four-legged friends. They learned to be very quiet to encourage a scared animal to emerge from its hiding place and that singing “Twinkle, twinkle little star” very softly helps calm a frightened animal. They discussed the mitzvah of tzar baalei chaim and tried to be as kind to the animals as they could. They compared and contrasted the animals and then spontaneously compared and contrasted them with humans as well. They discovered commonalities such as having two eyes, a nose and a mouth, although body coverings, habitat and ability to talk differed greatly. As the children became comfortable with the animals they began to talk to them, confide in them and even read them books! When the petting zoo came, the

children were well equipped to meet and greet the animals. They were thrilled to feed and touch the friendly animals including a sheep, goats, rabbits, chickens, ducks, and baby rabbits. They excitedly waited for a turn to hold a real chicken! The zookeeper patiently answered the children’s many questions and showed them how to care for animals in a kind and safe fashion. Back in the classroom, the children are busy performing animal charades, researching animals, writing animal riddles in phonetic spelling and creating animal collages. They build magnificent zoos and farms in the block area and work with many animal-themed games in the manipulative area. They are learning and growing all while having fun!

Whatever happened to photo albums? See Rivki Rosenwald’s insights on page 136

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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Assemblyman Kaminsky Talks Civics with Students at Yeshiva Ketana

L-R: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RABBI ARI GINIAN, ROSH YESHIVA RABBI BAJNON, ASSEMBLYMAN TODD KAMINSKY, PRINCIPALS RABBI TZVI KRIGSMAN AND RABBIÂ SHLOMO PFEIFFER

n October 22, Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky spoke to students at the Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island. The assemblyman addressed students and spoke about his background as a former federal prosecutor and how that led him to

become an assemblyman. Kaminsky spoke to students about how state government works and gave advice about ways the students could get more involved in the community. He even found time to play football with the students before he had to leave.

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Post-Havdalah Festivities at the Kew Gardens Shabbos Project Event

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HANC Celebrates Shabbat

U’velchectecha B’derech In connection to Parshas Lech Lecha, the children of the Yeshiva of South Shore Hollander Early Childhood Center boarded a bus to learn about bus safety. The children

ast week, students at HANC’s Samuel & Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary School in West Hempstead were proud to learn about and do projects relating to Shabbat in honor of the Shabbos Project, a worldwide initiative designed to encourage Jews from all over the world and from varying backgrounds to celebrate Shabbat together. The week’s Shabbat programs were dedicated in memory of Mrs. Gila Reinstein z”l. Mrs. Reinstein loved Shabbat and she served as a life-long supporter and champion of children and of HANC. The week began with a schoolwide rockin’ Oneg Shabbat concert with Rabbi Shapiro. The lunchroom came alive as students sang Shabbat songs and danced. The sixth grade girls, with the help of Morah Jacobs, ran an amazing Shabbat Fair for the entire school. Each grade visited the fair, did a project and learned about Shabbat at each of the stations run by the sixth grade girls. Fair stations included lessons on how we get ready for Shabbat, the food that is eaten to celebrate Shabbat and the many

special mitzvot of Shabbat including kiddush, challah and havdalah. The fifth grade girls, with the help of Morah Glas, were really excited to pack Shabbat packages with grape juice, candles and Shabbat snacks which will be delivered to people in need. The first graders and the fifth and sixth grade girls all enjoyed kneading and braiding delicious smelling challah. We hope everyone enjoyed eating this special treat on Shabbat! The students in second grade created beautiful b’samim bags to be used during havdalah. Rabbi Sokol and the fifth grade boys challenged Rabbi Hoffman and the sixth grade boys to a fantastic “Chulent Cook Off.” The boys had a wonderful time making the chulent and then eating it. After the judges, Mrs. Deutsch, Rabbi Merrill and Morah Dafna, tasted both chulents, the results were in and Rabbi Sokol and the fifth grade boys were declared the winners of the cook off. The students at HANC were so excited for Shabbat that they couldn’t wait for it arrive!

Bent, Not Broken

ent, Not Broken is the first book to come out about the chessed and nissim that went on in the Jewish community having to do with Hurricane Sandy. As the anniversary of Hurricane Sandy is upon us, we are reminded of the challenges and nissim that so many families in our community faced. It was written by Jesse Vogel, a Far Rockaway resident, edited and printed by Targum Press, and is being distributed by KTAV to a Judaica store near you and on the KTAV

learned how to buckle their seatbelts, sit nicely, and of course how to make a kiddush Hashem wherever they go. Thank you to District 15 for sending us a bus.

website. This very special book not only has a forward that was written by Rabbi Yehoshua Kurland who is a Rebbi at Yeshiva Sh’or Yoshuv but it showcases in a persumei nissa fashion the chessed that went on in the Far Rockaway/Five Towns area before, during, and in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. This book takes you through his family’s trials and tribulations during and in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and showcases the unbelievable chessed that was going on in the community. This

book was not only funded by chessed money but all of the author’s proceeds will be going to the chessed organizations that were so vital to our communities healing in order assist them in their noble work. The organizations that will be receiving the author’s profits from this book are as follows: The Davis Memorial Fund, Achiezer, JCCRP, MET Council, The RNSP (Shomrim), Yeshiva Sh’or Yoshuv, and Hatzalah.

How good is no news? See Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz on page 94

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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Chabad Mineola’s “Thank You Police Officer Day”

POLICE OFFICERS JOIN COMMANDING OFFICER JAMES BARTSCHERER AND RABBI PERL

uesday, October 20 was designated by Chabad of Mineola, as a special “Tell a Police Officer ‘Thank You’ Day.” On this day, Rabbi Anchelle Perl and friends visited each of Nassau County’s Six Police Precincts and the Highway Patrol Center to extend greetings of appreciation and gratitude to the policemen and women who risk their lives to protect and serve their communities. Each precinct received their own “Thank You” Plaque and lunch donated by Brach’s Supermarket of Lawrence, NY. “Having served as a chaplain to police officers for several years and chaplain to the Nassau County Correctional Center,” notes Rabbi Perl, “I know firsthand the difficult job these men and women undertake every day and I think we often take them for granted. We must show support and appreciation for those that serve and

EACH PRECINCT WAS PRESENTED WITH A PLAQUE OF THANKS AND LUNCH

protect us—policing can be a thankless task. Police work breaks your heart, no matter how detached you try to be.” The delegation of community leaders included, Kayla Calmenson, Sandra Fox, Randie Greenberg, Hon. Gary Hudes, Laura May, Jonathon

FIRST PRECINCT GARY HUDES, SANDRA FOX, DEPUTY INSPECTOR JOHN GISONDI

3RD PRECINCT INSPECTOR JOHN BERRY, ZALMAN WATMAN, RANDIE GREENBERG, DEPUTY INSPECTOR ALAN HIRSCH, AND DEPUTY INSPECTOR GARY SHAPIRO

May, Robert and Fran Ross, and Zalman Watkin. At each police precinct a declaration was read to all the police officers saying: “We salute you, pray for you, honor you, and appreciate the contributions each of you makes every day, in every jurisdiction, as you protect and serve. Thank you.

You make the world a better place.” With the recent scourge of police personnel being attacked around the country, Chabad of Mineola, NY, launched this “Thank You Police Officer” project. Police officers risk their lives to protect and serve our communities.

Assemblyman Goldfeder Slows Down Dangerous Rockaway Roadway

n a major victory for families in Far Rockaway, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder announced a decision by the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) to install a new traffic signal on Seagirt Boulevard at Beach 13th Street. This comes after Goldfeder wrote to the agency to request improved beach access for families living along the dangerous, heavily-trafficked arterial roadway. “The boardwalk and newly renovated park are an extension of our homes and community and the installation of a traffic light at Beach 13th Street will improve access to the area and increase pedestrian safety along this busy stretch of Seagirt Boulevard,” said Assemblyman Phil Gold-

feder. “Commissioner Garcia and the Department of Transportation have shown considerable leadership in their proactive approach to keeping our families safe and I commend them for listening to our concerns.” In an October 20th letter to Assemblyman Goldfeder, DOT Queens Commissioner Nicole Garcia announced the agency’s decision to approve a traffic light at the intersection of Seagirt Boulevard and Beach 13th Street. According to the letter, installation will be performed by contract and is tentatively scheduled to be completed by February. The decision follows a February 2015 inquiry by Goldfeder into the lack of crosswalks along Seagirt

Boulevard. As Goldfeder noted at the time, residents in the area have no safe way to cross the busy boulevard between Beach 9th and Beach 17th Streets. This lack of access encourages pedestrians to cut across the busy road rather than walk the extra blocks to reach a crosswalk, Goldfeder argued. Seagirt Boulevard, which runs east-west in Far Rockaway, is a heavily-trafficked six-lane arterial roadway with grass medians that links the Rockaway Peninsula to nearby Nassau Expressway. The new traffic signal will be directly adjacent to the popular boardwalk and park on the southern side of the boulevard. In a 2014 study of the Far Rock-

away Central Business District, the DOT determined that the nearby intersection of Beach 20th Street and Seagirt Boulevard was among the most dangerous in the community, with 33 traffic accidents occurring between 2007 and 2011. The area was also the subject of a walkthrough organized by Goldfeder with DOT’s Queens Office and attended by Commissioner Garcia. “Our families and children deserve access to local parks without the fear of crossing dangerous streets, and this new traffic signal will ensure everyone can utilize everything our community has to offer,” concluded Goldfeder.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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The Learn & Live Program this week focused on the melacha of choresh. “Plowing Ahead” was presented by R’ Nochum Dinowitz. He used a flower pot and 4 small piles of soil to demonstrate the melacha. The boys were called up to race and find pennies that were buried within the dirt.

The Shabbos Project Comes to Central

ike thousands of Jews worldwide, Central was excited to participate in the Shabbos Project, an initiative to unite Jewry across the globe. We opened our doors to women from the extended Central family to join us on Thursday, October 22 for a morning of inspiration, fun, and—of course—food! Students davened alongside the important women in their lives, and parents enjoyed the sense of community Central students experience every day. Our FIRE (Friends Inspire Religious Experiences) interns—Yael Evgi (’17),

Atara Schreier (’16), and Leeba Sullivan (’18)—introduced the program with a video featuring an explanation of the Shabbos Project and humorous anecdotes of how challah is significant to Central’s students and teachers. Our own Mrs. Miriam Chopp and Ms. Leah Moskovich addressed the student body about the spiritual lessons they have gleaned from the mitzvah of hafrashat challah before sending everyone off to begin preparing their dough. Our entire student body, along with our guests for the morning, paused before making

the bracha, praying for cholim and for those injured in Israel, using both Sephardic and Ashkenazic texts. In one giant circle, all participants sang “Acheinu” and “Im Eshkachekh” before bursting into song and dance. We made the bracha on hafrashat challah with unity and joy. Thank you to everyone who made this special morning possible: to Ms. Miriam Borenstein for her leadership; to our FIRE fellows; to volunteers Penina Sturm (’17), Sarah Berger (’16), and our Varsity Volleyball Team. Tizku l’mitzvot!

A Difficult Decision Made Easy: A Soldier’s Message to Rambam Mesivta

vichai Peretz was just 13 years old when the IDF officers arrived at his house. The knock on the door indicated that something was wrong. The soldiers shared the somber news that the Peretz family has lost their son, Uriel, a member of the elite Golani Brigade, in an explosion in Lebanon. The year was 1998 and Avichai was just a teenager, but his brother’s death left him with lots of questions. He questioned whether or not when he grew up he should join the IDF. After all, he was exempt given the circumstances. He enrolled in a yeshiva in Atzmonah and found answers to his questions. In 2010 tragedy struck again. Eliraz, another brother who also was in the Golani Brigade, died in a fierce gun battle

in Gaza at the age of 32. Avichai eulogized his brother by saying that his brother did not go to the army in order to harm others but rather to continue the life of the Nation of Israel. Approximately one month before Avichai qualified to join Tzahal, his father passed away. His personal circumstances and army regulations dictated that he would not be required to serve. Avichai, after consulting with his mother, decided that he too wanted to enlist and become a Golani soldier. During his visit to Rambam Mesivta, he told students, “I felt it was my obligation to enlist. I was not afraid at all. I have tremendous faith in Hashem and when you have faith you have no fear.” Students listened intently as Avichai described what

he went through and the unswerving dedication he has to a life of Torah and mitzvot. Avichai emphasized the point that it is “a privilege not a burden” to risk of one’s life to perpetuate the continuity of Am Yisrael. At the conclusion of the assembly students asked pointed questions and where inspired by Avichai’s answers which exuded faith and commitment. Before everyone davened Mincha together, the students surrounded Avichai and broke out into spontaneous song of “Anachnu ma’aminim bnei ma’aminim,” “We are faithful, sons of the faithful and only rely on Hashem.” Avichai was clearly moved and inspired by the students, dancing along

with them joyously in a moment of triumph.

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Five Towns Marriage Initiative True Chessed Begins at Home We need to really take pause and reflect on this. An entire lifetime of doing chessed can be worthless if one does not take heed of the dictum “chessed starts at home.” While it’s easy to smile at the world, it can be a much greater challenge to keep up those very same acts of kindness, the joyful attitude, and the constant giving when a person is surrounded by familiarity and routine of being at home. Yet we know this is where it counts most. They say, “Gadol h’mitzuvah v’oseh v’shaino mitzuvah v’oseh” – greater is the one who iscommanded and does what he is told than one who does something completely of their own volition. The reason is actually rather straightforward; the command itself creates an apathy within us – a built-in urge to not listen and then rebel. We can all see this in our own lives; we find tremendous satisfaction and generally get surges of “feel good” emotions when we help a neighbor carry in their groceries or swoop in to babysit for another neighbor who had

an emergency and needed last minute help. But watching our own children isn’t babysitting, it’s parenting, and helping our wives carrying in the groceries isn’t as much a mitzvah as an obligation, so we are less energized and drawn to these acts. By doing good for the community we can also be “a star,” and like a superhero, “swoop in and swoop out” and know that whenever we choose, we can stop helping and go back to our usual lives with tremendous levels of appreciation for whatever we offer, as it was never expected of us in the first place. We can’t “pop in” or “easily pop out” when it comes to family and when we attend to those people and actions that are obligations. When we understand that we must put our basic obligations first, long before optional forms of chessed that come up and that we may even seek out, then we begin to own up to our obligations and come to understand what true chessed is truly all about. Before even focusing on doing

good, we have to start with turning away from bad. Inasmuch as we want to work to create a home of chessed, we need to begin by eradicating all that stands in the way of kindness towards our spouse and family. Anger, insults, hurtful words and acts all stand as barriers preventing us from creating chessed in our home. By first removing these barriers and then working to create constant acts of kindness within our homes and for our closest loved ones and especially our spouses, we can be assured that our public persona won’t be a farce and a cover-up of our true selves. Five Towns Marriage Initiative provides educational programs, workshops and referrals to top marriage therapists. FTMI will help offset counseling costs when necessary and also runs an anonymous shalom bayis hotline for the entire community Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 9:30-11p.m. For the hotline or more information, call 516-4305280 or email dsgarry@msn.com.

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’ Chaim Vital speaks of a person who does constant chessed (acts of kindness) and is certain that he will be sent straight to heaven. He imagines first meeting with Avraham Avinu whom he spent his entire life emulating. Yet this person in the story ends up shocked when he finds the gates to heaven entirely closed to him and protests, wondering where his reward is for all his acts of kindness. The heavenly court then tells him that while he certainly did do plenty of chessed, his behavior at home was under scrutiny. His superior love and passion for chessed had somehow not successfully carried over to the home front. Since he was not considerate of his spouse’s feelings, did not treat them with the proper and exalted respect and kindness but acted towards them with anger and ugliness, the gates of heaven had been closed for him. R’ Chaim then concludes by stating that when there is no chessed at home, all the chessed done for the public has no merit.

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Rabbi Daniel Glatstein Addresses Shevach High School “Chessedland”

n Thursday, October 22, Shevach High School launched its Chessed Program and introduced this year’s chessed theme, “The Sweetness of Giving.” Shevach Chessed Heads, Chani Gewanter, Aliza Goldman, Tziporah Horowitz,

Esther Kessler, and Yocheved Wagner, under the direction of Assistant Principal Rebbitzen Chani Grunblatt, coordinated an event which was both exciting and inspiring. The students were invited into a room vibrantly decorated in the motif of “Chessed-

land,” as a takeoff on Candyland, which was filled with artistic depictions of different candies and sweets and their connections to chessed. A wall decorated with candy canes encouraged the girls to “help Jews of all stripes” and a village of gingerbread

houses reminded them that “chessed starts at home,” among many other illustrations. To start off the program, the students heard from Rabbi Daniel Glatstein, outgoing Rav of Congregation Toras Emes and incoming Rav of Kehilas Ahavas Yisrael of Cedarhurst, who graced the event with words of inspiration about the importance of chessed in the fabric of the Jewish people. Chessed, he stressed, is not something we do in sympathy for others or for credit of any sort, but rather to emulate Hashem Himself. That was Avraham Avinu’s motivation in serving the angels that visited him in the royal manner that he did. Rabbi Glatstein pointed out that these are difficult weeks for those in Eretz Yisroel and for us, by extension. To counteract the middas hadin that is evident at this time, we need to double our efforts and reach greater heights in our chessed. Only then will Hashem shower His people with the chessed they need so pressingly. Just as the horses in Pharoah’s chariots were the ones who actually controlled those chariots, we should realize that we are the ones who truly “control” what happens on Earth through our acts of chessed. The realization of the tremendous power their acts of chessed have made a tremendous impact on the Shevach student body. The students were then treated to a chessed trivia game show, an exciting contest between the grades during which the class representatives had to answer trivia questions relating to the chessed theme. The girls enthusiastically cheered on their classmates as they raced to answer correctly. This Chessed “Breakout” truly inspired everyone present to commit to ongoing acts of chessed. The girls were presented with a broad range of chessed options in which to align themselves in order to continue making a difference in the greater Queens community. The students left uplifted, eager to start their chessed activities with enthusiasm and ready to reach outwards in order to “sweeten” the lives of those around them. We are confident that their acts of chessed will cause Hashem to shower all of Klal Yisrael with the yeshuos we so desperately need, may they come quickly.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Advocating for Israel at SKA

MR. ZEEV BEN SHACHAR SPEAKS AT SKA

he situation in Israel is on everyone’s minds these days. Over the past few weeks, the news from Israel has been so difficult. SKA students’ hearts and minds

are focused on tefilla and learning for Israel’s welfare and advocating for her safety and security. SKA’s Israel Action Committee, organized by Principal Grades 9-10 Ms. Raizi Chechik, has

SKA OHSAYNATION ONLINE COORDINATORS

been hard at work since the beginning of the school year. Our Fundraising coordinators, Esther Fruchter, Rachelli Helfgott and Abby Hofstetter, raised over $500 for the Banita and Lavi families in the aftermath of that attack. Our OhSayNation online lobbying coordinators, Sarah Evans, Zohar Reyhanian, Jaclyn Korman, garnered over 100 letters to thank the congressmen who made statements in support of Israel during this wave of terror. Our Super Thursday group, Sara Raizel Jedwab, Ahuva Fried, Gabrielle Spirgel, Adina Markowitz and Tamara Morduchowitz, has arranged with StandWithUs to present a monthly Israel Advocacy Training Seminar. SKA students are volunteering at the FIDF Gala (Gabrielle Spirgel, Rivka Dayan, Simma Hollander and Adina Schupack), the Kathleen Rice NORPAC Breakfast (Sarah Kurtz, Gabrielle Spirgel, Henna Storch and Shoshana Laufer) and the NORPAC Queens event for Congresswoman Grace Meng (led by Zahava Gros). Alumna Miriam Pearl Klahr, who learned at Nishmat, spoke at Senior Seminar on October 7 about Rabbi Eitam and Mrs. Naama Henkin a”h. SKA sophomores were privileged to hear from Mr. Zeev Ben Shachar, Director of Israel Education at Jerusalem University, on Tuesday, October 20, about the situation in Israel and the role the media plays. Using film clips to illustrate his words, Mr. Shachar painted a picture of what is

going on now in Israel and the negative portrayal by the media as to the truth of the terrorist acts. He discussed the power of social media and exhorted the students to get active in defending Israel against the lies and distortions that are being spread. Mr. Shachar addressed the larger picture in the Middle East and how the younger generation of Arabs is being incited to attack the Jewish citizens of Israel. Moral equivalence, he noted, doesn’t care who started the violence but blames both sides for attacks; Muslim countries and the secular media equally blame Israel for defending itself. ”Words matter,” said Mr. Ben Shachar. “Emotion decides, reason justifies.” On Thursday, October 22, the junior and senior students were honored to welcome Avichai Peretz, a member of the Israeli military reserve of Tzahal and a young diplomat and educator working in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office. Avichai is the son of Miriam Peretz, the inspirational Israeli mother who addressed our student body so poignantly last year. Mrs. Peretz spoke of the pain of losing two of her sons in battle during their service in the Israeli Army. The Israeli Army decreed that her youngest son, Avichai, should not serve in active battle, but he begged his mother for the opportunity to serve his beloved country. In his very powerful address, Avichai shared his story with SKA students and spoke about Israeli resilience and the current situation.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Around the Community

Moishe Hellman Guest of Honor at OHEL’s 46th Annual Gala

HEL Children’s and Family Services Annual Gala will celebrate 46 years of serving the community, while remembering and honoring OHEL’s builders – past, present, and future. The Gala takes place on November 22, 2015 at the New York Marriott Marquis at 5pm. The theme of this year’s gala is “Building the Future Together.” Special Guest of Honor is OHEL Co-President Moishe Hellman, an exemplary builder and leader – to OHEL and the wider community. The event provides an ideal opportunity to celebrate the commitment and accomplishments of Moishe Hellman, who has devoted his professional and personal life to our community, to re-building and elevating the lives of children and families in need served by OHEL and to building OHEL’s places and spaces. Moishe Hellman’s face lights up when he visits with the children and adults whose lives are changed forever through OHEL’s work. He loves every member of our community as he loves his own family. He listens with compassion and leads with humility. On any given day, you will find him delivering a gift to an OHEL resident who has asked for something special, meeting with family members or government officials who are advocating for children with

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disabilities, leading a board meeting, or raising funds for OHEL with his business partners and associates. More likely, he is doing all these things in a single day. It’s hard to imagine how Moishe Hellman has time or energy to contribute in any other way, yet he does! Moishe is known for saying, “OHEL belongs to everyone”. Moishe helped OHEL build the first-of-its-kind Domestic Abuse Shelters for Jewish women, more than 100 residences for people with disabilities and psychiatric disease, outpatient clinics, day rehab programs for adults with disabilities – while leading the expansion of OHEL services in New York, New Jersey, South Florida, and Los Angeles. Under Mr. Hellman’s leadership, OHEL has developed the highest ranked Foster Care Program in New York City. Most recently under his guidance, OHEL opened Camp Kaylie at OHEL, the groundbreaking inclusive summer camp for children of all abilities – which has become fully subscribed every summer since its launch in 2011. Mr. Hellman served on OHEL’s Board of Trustees for two decades before becoming co-president and has served on the board of the Maimonides Medical Center for twenty years, among the boards of many other organizations. He was Chazzan at Riverdale Jewish Center where he shared his passion for chazzanus. Moishe and his wife, Rozi live in Boro Park and Monsey where they have raised four children and welcome many grand- and great-grandchildren. President of Hellman Real Estate in Brooklyn, he is an accomplished business professional and exemplary community advocate widely regarded for leading with compassion and humility. He is a fierce advocate for our community and an effective and inspiring leader. Moishe asks that you join OHEL at this Gala and “give a pledge from the heart to contribute to our community.” Moishe has given his heart and soul to OHEL. Through your Gala gift, OHEL can continue to build for the future. This year, OHEL will also honor our beloved founder and past pres-

ident, Max Wasser, a”h. Max and his wife, Rose, are remembered with great affection and esteem as inspiring community advocates for children and people with disabilities. Team OHEL participant Bruce Prince and Team OHEL founder Tamar Sicklick will be honored, together with the Levi Family who will be recognized as Team OHEL Superheroes for participating in OHEL’s races alongside their brother Meir, who lives in an OHEL residence. Duvi and Rikki Janklowicz, young foster parents who have provided a loving home to children and teenagers in dire need, will be recognized with the Foster Parent Tribute. Rabbi Yaakov Lehrfield, the esteemed Rabbi of The Young Israel of Staten Island, will, together with the Rebbetzin, Mrs. Lehrfield, be presented with the OHEL Community Leadership Award. The Gala anticipates and celebrates the opening in 2016 of OHEL’s expansive new campus in Flatbush, Brooklyn. The event is an ideal opportunity to honor the places, spaces

MOISHE HELLMAN

and faces that contribute to building a dynamic future for our community. To make reservations or place journal ads, please call 718-9729328, visit www.http://www.ohelgala.org or e-mail gala@ohelfamily.org. Please honor OHEL’s guest of honor, Moishe Hellman, and our other honorees and thereby ensure that we can continue building the future together.

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Rabbi Yankelewitz’s first grade class in Yeshiva Darchei Torah starting learning Chumash from a real Torah this week. Each boy got “called up” to read from the Torah.

The Great Gan Chamesh Challah Bake

he young students of Gan Chamesh, Chabad’s Early Childhood Center, joined thousands around the world in taking part in a great Challah Bake as part of the Shabbos Project. The school took inspiration from the many activities going on in connection with the amazing Shabbos Project, to focus on the greatness of Shabbos and help the children internalize the beauty of this weekly gift. The Challah Bake was a magnificent event, set up with customized aprons, gorgeous tables and premeasured, labeled ingredients. The children worked together, pouring, mixing and kneading all the ingredients. The highlight of the event occurred when hafrashas challah was done and the children and teachers responded to the bracha with a resounding “Amen.” The students used this special opportunity to daven for peace in Eretz Yisroel and for the safety of all who live there. They davened together for the zechuyos of refuah shleimahs, shidduchim, children and other yeshuos and brachos for people in our community. We know that the tefillos of pure children are so precious to Hashem and we hope that by doing this special mitzvah, all those tefillos will be heard and answered. It is hands-on experiences like the Challah Bake that build a strong love of Torah and mitzvos, which is an essential component of the education at Gan Chamesh. If you would like any informa-

tion on Gan Chamesh, Chabad’s Early Childhood Center, please contact Susy Adler or Suzanne Wallin, the program directors, at (516) 2952479.

Michael Oren to Accept Touro Law’s Gould Book Award

ichael Oren has been selected as the Bruce K. Gould Book Award recipient for his bestseller, Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide. A book signing will be held on Thursday, November 12th at 5:00 pm, and the award presentation, including an acceptance speech by Oren, will begin at 6:00 pm. at Touro Law Center. The event is free and open to the public. “We look forward to recognizing Michael Oren, a member of the Israeli Knesset, and presenting him with the annual Bruce K. Gould Book Award,” said Touro Law Center Dean Patricia Salkin. Michael Oren served as the Israeli ambassador to the United States from 2009 to 2013. An American by birth and a historian by training, Oren arrived at his diplomatic post just as Benjamin Netanyahu, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton assumed office. During Oren’s tenure in office, Israel and America grappled with the Palestinian peace process, the Arab Spring and existential threats to Israel posed by international terrorism and the Iranian nuclear program. The Bruce K. Gould Book Award is presented annually to the author of an outstanding publication related to the law, legal profession or legal system. Previous award recipients include Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, former U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd, journalist Bob Woodward and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The award is named for its bene-

factor Bruce K. Gould, an alumnus of Touro Law Center, class of 1984. Gould is a founding member and second president of Touro Law Center’s Alumni Association, an active member of Touro Law Center’s Board of Governors, was Chairman of the Law Center’s Capital Campaign Committee and in 1994, endowed the Law Center’s First Faculty Chair. He is also on the Board of the Jewish National Fund and is passionate about U.S. and Israeli relations. According to Gould, “Ambassador Oren truly embodied the spirit and essence of a proud American/ Israeli Jew. I have read a number of his books and I am impressed by his knowledgeable grasp of the American kinship with Israel dating back to colonial times.” For additional information or to RSVP, please email events@tourolaw.edu or call (631) 761-7064.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

TMM, Bnos Bais Yaakov’s High School, Making a Difference

lam chessed yibaneh – and TMM is building worlds. The high school has long been known for the scope of its chessed program and the sincerity of its performers. This year’s program officially commenced at the Inaugural Chessed Dinner held on October 19th at the Ateres Nechama Liba Simcha Hall. Beautifully decorated and deliciously catered, the efforts that Mrs. Naomi Ullman, Chessed Coordinator, put into the dinner clearly showed the students in what high esteem chessed is held. Rabbi Yaakov Bender was the keynote speaker. Rabbi Bender specifically addressed the point of feeling the pain of the people for whom we do chessed. He cited numerous poignant examples of our gedolim who felt another’s pain so deeply. Rav Shmuel Kaminetsky was asked a she’ailah by a young boy whose father was very ill. R’ Shmuel realized that beyond the question itself was

the agony of being without a father figure and having nobody with whom to do homework. So R’ Shmuel became this young boy’s homework chavrusa! That is really feeling the tzaar. After Rabbi Bender’s eloquent and moving speech, the chessed theme “Staying in Shape with Chessed” was introduced by the Chessed heads, Miri Birnhack, Yael Halbertal, Shaina Muskat, and Devorah Schwartz. The chessed jobs were then distributed and an auction was held in order to raise funds necessary for the various initiatives. The program is ready to take off and change the lives of many Far Rockaway residents. Whether it be kiruv efforts, respite for families of special needs children, assistance for new mothers, or visits to the homebound – the girls of TMM are so ready, so willing and oh so able to make a difference.

HAFTR High School Expresses Hakarat HaTov to the Druze Soldiers of the IDF

MR. KOFTAN HALABI, CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER OF THE DRUZE VETERANS ASSOCIATION, PRESENTING PRINCIPAL RABBI GEDALIAH OPPEN WITH AN APPRECIATION PLAQUE

n Thursday, October 22, HAFTR High School hosted three former IDF Druze soldiers. The soldiers stressed to the students the bond and commitment that the Druze community has with the Jewish nation and their devotion and commitment to the State of Israel. Druze soldiers have participated in every war fought by Israel and they are

an integral part of Israel’s security. The soldiers are now part of the Druze Veterans Association whose efforts are significant in promoting the success of the veterans as well as Israeli society. Much thanks to our Hebrew Language teacher Ms. Mia Rubin who facilitated in bringing the soldiers to HAFTR High School.

Eat 4 the Sake of Jerusalem

ith tensions in Jerusalem streets running high, residents are venturing less and less outdoors to leisure activities and eateries. A combination of anxious citizens and an influx of security and emergency medical personnel have had an adverse effect on local businesses in general and restaurants in particular. Popular areas such as the Machane Yehuda Shuk and downtown Ben Yehuda are taking both an emotional and financial hit. The International Young Israel Movement (IYIM) sprung into action and launched a global campaign titled “Eat 4 the Sake of Jerusalem” to tackle both of these realities – bringing back smiles to the citizens and patrons to the local businesses. The response was overwhelming. Thanks to the many financial contributions, some with heartwarming messages and others with gratitude for being able to help Jerusalem in any way they can, even from a distance, IYIM has been able to support the struggling businesses in Jerusalem. Hundreds of pizzas, ice creams,

burgers, deli sandwiches and restaurant delicacies were purchased. They were given with a smile and a thank you to soldiers, medics, police men and women, security personnel, workers, tourists and residents in Jerusalem who were found in the downtown Ben Yehuda area. IYIM has now been able to expand its reach further with the goals of the campaign going above and beyond the initial expected amounts. Meals were sponsored at the Magen David Adom headquarters in Jerusalem, and the campaign is now extending to provide food and cheer to the underprivileged in Jerusalem, as well as schoolchildren throughout Jerusalem. IYIM will continue to do its part to support Jerusalem and its residents, while continuing to pray for the safety of Jews and Israel. We invite you to partner with us in this campaign. For more information on the Eat 4 the Sake of Jerusalem campaign, go to http://jewcer.com/project/eat-4the-sake-of-jerusalem.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Fall Learning in Full Swing at Gesher

he new Cedarhurst home of the Gesher Early Childhood Center is lit up with the smiling faces of happy children. The spacious classrooms, superior quality furnishings, and state of the art equipment create the ideal setting for the student’s success. Many local passersby have had the opportunity to observe the lively action in the colorful playground. The tireless dedication of the administration and teachers to provide the highest quality individualized chinuch to each child has made Gesher’s expansion incredibly smooth. Tremendous effort is allocated to advocating, coordinating, implementing, and overseeing the many different aspects of each child’s progress. And the lesson plans, as universal as they may seem, are an intricate web of educational goals. The nursery combined Parshas Lech Lecha with a lesson on transportation. In several classes sand was a focus, as

were the stars, and the multi-sensory projects reflected the themes that were taught. Fall colors provided the impetus for other lessons. All this while maintaining the standards and pace of the full yeshiva curriculum. One of the elements that make Gesher so unique is the focus on teaming. Parents, administrators, teachers, and related service provid-

ers work together to create the ideal environment for each student. A Board of Education speech therapist who recently began working in Gesher had this message for the Director. “Thank you for everything. Your staff is exceptional and accommodating and professional. It is a really great place to work.”

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Around the Community The Young Israel of Far Rockaway held their Fifty-Second Anniversary Dinner, Sunday Evening, October 25 at Ateres Nechama Leba Simcha Hall PHOTO CREDIT: IVAN H NORMAN

MICHELLE GREEN, YAD AWARDEE: ROBERT HAGLER, MICHELLE GREEN, ROCHY FRIED, AND PRESENTER RABBI SHAUL CHILL

SHLOMO & RAIZY SCHWED, YOUNG LEADERSHIP AWARD: ROBERT HAGLER, DINNER CHAIRMAN; RAIZY SCHWED; JAMIE FRAND, PRESENTER; RABBI SHAUL CHILL, MARA D’ASRA OF THE YOUNG ISRAEL OF FAR ROCKAWAY. SHLOMO SCHWED WAS NOT ABLE TO ATTEND.

SENDER HIRTH, HAKORAS HATOV AWARDEE: ROBERT HAGLER, SENDER HIRTH, DOVID GREENBAUM, AND PRESENTER RABBI SHAUL CHILL

RABBI SHAUL & TZIVIE CHILL, GUESTS OF HONOR: ROBERT HAGLER; D. BERNARD HOENIG, PRESENTER; RABBI SHAUL & TZIVIE CHILL; AND AKIVA FRIED, M.C.

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Winter Zman Commences in Kollel Chatzos Branches around the World

he winter zman at Kollel Chatzos is successfully underway, and the close to 100 talmidei chachamim who learn in the four kollel branches are filled with joy and gratitude for the privilege to participate in such a holy empire of Torah. Some shared how they feel blessed to be able to learn Hashem’s Torah at the holy hour of chatzos and described how the powerful growth in learning they experience throughout the nighttime hours is impossible to achieve at any other time. According to the menahalim of the kollels in Williamsburg, Monroe, Monsey and Meron, the zman started with an energized and uplifting kol Torah that echoed through the kollels as if it were in the middle of the day. Rabbi Zalmen Leib Friedman from the Monsey branch emotionally described the intense hasmadah as “inspiring

and heartwarming.” Citing Rebbe Hershele Ziditchover, who wrote that the winter nights have the kedusha of Chol Hamoed, Rabbi Zalmen Lieb Friedman exclaimed that this is clearly felt within the walls of Kollel Chatzos. Many seforim hakdoshim also bring that during the winter nights one can poel yeshuos like during Neilah on Yom Kippur. Unwilling to miss the opportunity to have talmidei chachamim be mispallel for them at such a powerful time, many special Yidden are grabbing the chance to be a part of the limud haTorah at Kollel Chatzos throughout the long winter nights. With the start of the heavy wedding season, there’s also a strong demand from mechutanim to reserve a “wedding night” with Kollel Chatzos, where Torah is learned as a zchus for the chosson and kallah throughout the entire wedding.

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At the start of the reception, Kollel Chatzos in Meron begins their learning, and at chatzos in New York, the kollels in Monsey, Williamsburg and Monroe begin to learn until dawn. This ensures that Torah as a zchus for the new couple is learned non-stop throughout the wedding night. The powerful segulah of midnight Torah is the greatest gift parents can give to chosson and kallah as they embark upon building their bayis ne’eman. Ensure your share of the power of Torah at chatzos on a winter night. Call today: 1-855-CHATZOS (242-8967). Kollel Chatzos in Meron fulfills the dictum of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who wrote about the greatness of rising at chatzos in the Zohar many times, by having chashuva, elevated talmidei chachamim learn every night without fail at the holy tzion of Rashbi.

Beautiful, new seforim shranks, courtesy of a generous donor, were installed in the Meron branch at the start of the new zman. The talmidei chachamim expressed appreciation for the new furniture, mentioning that they now have an easier time finding the seforim they need, which gives them peace of mind and enables them to be fully engrossed in their learning. According to the hanhala, the chairs and tables in the kollel are very old and in bad repair, which distracts the talmidei chachamim as they attempt to absorb themselves in their learning. A sponsor for new chairs and tables is urgently needed. We’re sure that someone special will take advantage of this opportunity to support the exceptional talmidei chachamim of Meron, whose primary goal in life is to toil in Torah with great devotion.

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

21st Commemoration of Yahrtzeit of Rachel Imeinu at the Rachel’s Children Reclamation Foundation Dinner

n Sunday, October 25, 11 MarCheshvan 5776, the Rachel’s Children Reclamation Foundation held its 21st Commemoration of the Yahrtzeit of Rachel Imeinu. “Not by Rachel’s tears alone” but by moral correctness was the main theme of the dinner held at Manhattan Beach Jewish Center, in Brooklyn. Parasha Noach shows the destruction caused by immorality and stealing. Parasha Lech Lecha leads us in the ways of Avraham and Rachel. We inherit the land because of truth, kindness, justice, charity and morality. The middos of Rachel Imeinu, together with tzedek and righteousness were presented as this year’s cureall. These middos emanate from our Loving Matriarch, Ima Rachel. RCRF has adopted the theme of derech eretz as an ongoing effort to develop middos of bnei Rachel to bring Torah, truth, unity and kindness to the world. The RCRF dinner program began with scenes from the moving Bas Mitzvah of Esther Sarah Schleifstein at Kever Rachel. It portrayed joy as well as the landscape surrounding Rachel’s Tomb. The Ohel was jampacked with those praying for health, wealth, family and peace for all. Our Bonei Yisrael Awardees, Dr. Paul and Drora Brody, spoke of their deep connection to Rachel’s Tomb and twinning their daughters’ Bas Mitzvahs there in 2003, with the daughter of Hillel Lieberman Hy”d, slain at Kever Yosef, and with the daughter of the murdered Binyomin and Tali Kahane Hy”d, the children of the Martyr Rabbi Meir Kahane Hy”d. Their entire class from Itamar was included and later taken to the Kotel and a tour of its tunnels. The esteemed Brody family is dedicated to everything Israel and Jewish and to the “good ideology” of family and Reclaiming the Jewish Foundation. They have chaired the Israel Day Concert in Central Park for the past decade, an affirmation for unity through music. The Brodys have also brought several dignitaries to Israel to enhance her image. The Keynote Speaker was Dr. Mordechai Kedar. His theme was “Not By Rachel’s Tears Alone.” He

PHOTO CREDIT: DEBORAH SCOP

At the 21st Rachel’s Children Reclamation Foundation Commemoration on 11 MarCheshvan, the Yahrzeit of Rachel Imeinu. RCRF distinguished group of honorees posed behind the delicious Kever Rachel dessert cake, donated annually by Presser’s Bakery of Avenue M, in Brooklyn. L-R: Lila Shleifstein and daughter, Esther Sarah, Actualist Awardee, for celebrating her Bas Mitzvah at Kever Rochel; Dr. Paul and Drora Brody, recipients of the Bonei Yisrael Award for activism ranging from Chairing the Israel Day Concert in Central Park to bringing dignitaries to Israel; Tiferet Levi, Bonei Mikdash Awardee for organizing Shidduch Events; Shani Hikind, MC; Evelyn Haies, Founder and President RCRF and majority owner and President, Bnei Rachel, Inc.; Shloimy Bluth and Reuven A. Stone performed their song, “Can They Hear Us?”; Dr. Mordechai Kedar, keynote speaker, elucidated why “Not By Rachel’s Tears Alone”; MC Elissa Grunwald, RCRF officer; Robert Sidi, Esq., Community Chessed Awardee, Israel Advocacy Calendar innovator, who was inspired by the extraordinary Israel activist and unifier, Charlotte Wahle OBM. (Not shown: Michael Chenkin, Breaking The Silence Awardee.)

emphasized that Israel is strong and victorious and described what Israel is facing, “The Big Lie” goes back to the time of Mohammed’s meeting with King Marwan, the Jewish leader of the metropolitan city of Medina. Mohammed approached King Marwan and said that he would like to become Jewish but he would like certain laws changed. The The Brody family at the dinner king said, “No way.” Mohammed started to employ terrorism presentation expressed the answer and then approached the king with a is to know the pogroms Israel is sufbig lie. He seduced him to meet with fering began 1400 years ago. Israel him, against his daughter Asma’s is here to stay and will survive this advice. King Marwan went with his attacking jihad empire, too. Truth entourage. They all got their heads must be spread; not repeating the chopped off. Asma pleaded with her shocking lies. Other Awardees included Tiferet people to be strong and emphasized that they were stronger. Moham- Levi who is working on getting singles med used the Butcher of Bagdad to involved in current issues and helping chop her to pieces while in her tent them to get married. Shloimy Blunursing her baby. That was the beth and Reuven A. Stone thrilled the ginning of the end of the Jews in Me- heart and soul with, “Can They Hear Us?” in memory of the three boys kiddina, Saudi Arabia. Dr. Mordechai Kedar of Bar Ilan napped and mutilated to death by the University is an expert on Islam. His knife and ax wielders.

Sgt. David Haies, a lone soldier, was a witness to the disengagement of Jews from “Gan Eden,” Gush Katif, where barefoot children had freedom and the sea, where Arabs worked for their parents in a 100 million dollar bug-free vegetable industry. Gaza is now planting hate not celery, growing bombs, not produce. Seventy-five innocents were murdered in in their memory the Gaza War. 75 Torah Scrolls were dedicated at the Kotel in memory of the 67 lost soldiers, the three boys and even a 4-year-old killed in his own home by rockets targeting Jews by the tens of thousands.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

This Tuesday! Tichon Meir Moshe

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Congresswoman Kathleen Rice Lauds Rambam

tudents of Rambam Mesivta High School were honored by a visit from Congresswoman Kathleen Rice who came to congratulate the school on being the only school on Long Island to be accorded Blue Ribbon status this year. In fact, Rambam is the only yeshiva high school on Long Island to have ever achieved this status since the program, which marks educational excellence, began in 1983. Rabbi Zev Friedman, Rambam’s Rosh HaMesivta, introduced Congresswoman Rice and praised her for her integrity and support of Israel. “She undoubtedly withstood tremendous pressure from the administration when she decided, independently, to vote against the deal with Iran. She did so forcefully, passionately and early on,” said Rabbi Friedman. “I’ve had the opportunity to meet with her on a number of occasions in private homes and in her office. She indicated that she can be indepen-

dent because she is not looking to be a career politician. She has the skills and wherewithal to work the private sector.” Turning to Congressman Rice, Rabbi Friedman jokingly said, “Whenever you are ready to retire we have a position for you teaching American Government and Politics here at Rambam!” Congresswoman Rice addressed the students and lauded them for their accomplishments. She praised both their academic achievement and social activism which is indicative of the moral fiber and values that they learn at home and in school. After praising the boys, Ms. Rice discussed the situation in the Middle East and how important it is that the United States government aligns itself with its only ally in the Middle East, the State of Israel. A question and answer period ensued and Congresswoman Rice deftly provided perspectives and policies

CONGRESSWOMAN KATHLEEN RICE ENTERS RAMBAM INTO THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

to the queries. She concluded the program by charging the students to live up to the legacy that earned them the Blue Ribbon and continue in their path of academic excellence and social responsibility. She pre-

YEARS

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Around the Community

Yeshiva Har Torah Shows its Support for Israel

n August of this past summer, Yeshiva Har Torah had the distinct pleasure of donating a sefer Torah to an IDF air force base in Ramle, Israel. Many YHT families united together and, in the course of only one short week, they had successfully raised the requisite funds for the sefer Torah. Parents and students were passionate about the opportunity to show their unwavering support of the IDF and all that they do for Am Yisrael. At the Hachnasat Sefer Torah, in a moving and joyful tribute, many YHT staff and families joined the air force base in Ramle, celebrating this momentous occasion together. With singing, dancing and tefillah, the atmosphere

was electric. Following the dedication of the Torah, all the participants were invited to a beautiful seudah to share words of Torah and thanks. It was a true kiddush Hashem, with many officers and soldiers visibly moved by the outpouring of appreciation demonstrated by Yeshiva Har Torah. YHT is committed in their support of Eretz Yisrael and was honored to have been able to contribute a sefer Torah to the army. While visiting Israel during the week of the Hachnasat Sefer Torah, Rabbis Menchel, Silverman and Rosenthal visited the communities of Sderot, Silwan and the Old City of Jerusalem, meeting with the leaders of

Project Kadima …Taking Steps Forward A single parent’s struggles are unique and often overwhelming. Together we can help families confront and overcome these challenges and move upward and onward. The Kadima Project at the JCC of the Greater Five Towns includes short term oneon-one counseling to single parents, support groups, entitlements assistance, lectures and workshops, telephone reassurance, family programs and special events. On November 17, the JCC of the Greater Five Towns invites you to a special workshop for Kadima members: “Ready to Jump Back Into the Dating Sea? How to avoid the sharks and other unpleasant encounters” with guest speakers Esther Mann, LCSW and Jennifer Mann, LMSW,

psychotherapists, coaches, contributing editors at The Five Towns Jewish Times and founders of The Navidaters. Dating after divorce is a complicated and sensitive issue, understandably fraught with additional fears and stressors. Learn how to navigate the dating scene with practical skills and sound advice in a warm, enjoyable setting. The event will be held on Tuesday evening, November 17, at 7-9pm. There is no fee to attend the women-only event. It will be held at the JCC, 207 Grove Avenue, Cedarhurst, NY. To register, call Rachayle (516)569-6733 ext. 222 or email Rachayle.deutsch@fivetownsjcc.org.

those respective communities. Daniel Luria, executive director of Ateret Cohanim, gave a personal tour of the current Jewish communities of East Jerusalem, a tour which at times definitely made the American visitors from YHT a little nervous! While in the neighborhood of the “Yeminite Village,” an old Jewish neighborhood now located within Silwan, Daniel pointed out an open area in which the community hopes to build a protected playground for the Jewish children. Upon hearing about this project, the staff of YHT jumped on the opportunity to connect children in America to children in Israel. It would be especially meaningful to help children that are unable to play

freely outdoors, enjoying the activities that children here in the U.S. take for granted. All of this came to a reality, and in the last month, the students of YHT embarked on a “Dollar Campaign” to raise money to help build a playground in the Old City of Jerusalem. Daniel Luria spoke to the children virtually and encouraged them to continue showing their support for Eretz Yisrael. He noted that more important than anything else, when the citizens of Israel see that Jews around the world take a deep interest and care greatly for their welfare, it gives them tremendous chizuk. YHT is proud to show its continuing support for Eretz Yisrael!

In Gear for ElderCare Plus

inal preparations are underway for ElderCare Plus, the much-anticipated Eldercare Conference that has changed the lives of hundreds. This year’s program will feature a tremendous array of information, ideas, and practical solutions, all designed to answer real-time questions culled from dozens of caregivers. A top-notch group of experts spanning every branch of eldercare (medical, financial, psychological, emotional, rabbinic, and technical) will address a myriad of sessions throughout the day, while nearly 50 vendors will exhibit products and services that can dramatically enhance lives. In addition to the return of the highly popular sessions on Medicaid/Medicaid, nursing homes, de-

mentia, financial planning, and selfcare, special sessions added for this year include a new track for caregivers of special needs children and adults; focus on the long-distance child; nutritional information and demos geared towards nourishing caregivers and their charges; and the truth about hospice. Slated to take place on November 8th at the LaGuardia Marriot hotel, ElderCare Plus is a one-day investment which has the potential to lighten your load and help your loved one for a lifetime. Looking forward to seeing you there. For more information and to register visit www.achiezer.org/eldercare or call (516) 791-4444 x 110.

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Around the Community

At the Rock Hall Country Museum Fair this past Sunday. The fair featured pony rides, a petting zoo, an outdoor concert, and vendors.

Chabad of The Five Towns Hosts Life-Changing Shabbos Project Weekend

an Face-to-Face replace Facebook and real conversation replace comments for a night of forming friends, listening to moving words both in song and speech, and enjoying delicious food that no one takes pictures of? As the hundreds who joined Chabad of the Five Towns for a successful and inspirational Shabbos Project with Chazzan Bentzion Miller and Shimmy Miller and his choir, the answer is not only a resounding “yes” but “can we do this again next week?” While Chabad of the Five Towns always strives to bring everyone from the community in for inspirational, educational, and social activities, Shabbos Project stands out as a unique and engaging format that thousands from the international community participate in. Perhaps it’s the special blessing of Shabbos, “And G-d blessed the seventh day and He hallowed it.” Beginning the night with the me-

lodious prayers sung perfectly by Chazzan Miller and Shimmy Miller and his choir, the full shul felt enveloped in the hallowed and cherished traditions. Sitting under the tent at the beautifully set tables, amongst 240 other guests at the special catered Friday night dinner, it was easy to feel blessed. The details, so carefully arranged by Rabbi Zalman and Rebbetzin Chanie Wolowik, Rabbi Meir and Rebbetzin Hadassah Geisinsky, with the help of sponsors Sholom and Pessy Jacobs and family, Jeremy and Elizabeth Kahn and family, Jerusalem Florist, Simply Sushi, Oasis Caterers, and Party Source, were seamless and delighted guests could sit back, enjoy the ambience, and let their souls soar to new heights. Beautiful, sunny weather greeted everyone the next morning as hundreds returned to Chabad for the Millers’ uplifting Shabbat services and a delicious Kiddush. Business-

men may enjoy a three martini lunch from time to time but are there any greater friends than those made over chulent? Rabbi Zalman Wolowik, director of Chabad of the Five Towns, points out that the timing was perfect for bringing people together. “This is a very special year in the Jewish calendar. It is the year following Shemitah which is known as the Year of Hakhel—Gatherings. In 1988, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, ob”m, encouraged all people to utilize the Year of Hakhel, to make as many gatherings as possible, as an expression of unity and to enhance yiras Shamayim.” The special Shabbat of gathering continued through Minchah, Ma’ariv, and havdalah and was capped off with a special melaveh malkah at the Jacobs’ home. More than 100 people enjoyed a kumzitz along with hot soup, sushi, salad, and desserts. Chocolate poured from a fountain while powerful emotions ran deep

inside. Candles and flowers set the scene as the singing went into the night. Many new people enjoyed Shabbos at Chabad, lured by the notes of world class chazzanim. Rabbi Wolowik encourages everyone to keep the spirit going, “The Zohar teaches that Shabbos is a culmination of a week and a source of energy for the upcoming week. This is the message that was emphasized throughout Shabbos—that the Shabbos experience should continue every single Shabbos of the year. Reach out to your friends, neighbors, and coworkers and help them experience the gift that is Shabbos.” To learn more about participating or sponsoring upcoming programs at Chabad of the Five Towns, visit www.chabad5towns.com, call 516-295-2478, or visit 74 Maple Avenue in Cedarhurst.

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Around the Community

Yeshiva Darchei Torah First Grade’s Chumash March

RAV SHMUEL STRICKMAN, MENAHEL OF THE LOWER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

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Shulamith Bounces into Fun

n Wednesday, October 21, the students of Shulamith Middle Division set out on their first schoolwide trip of the year to Bounce in Syosset. The five buses pulled out shortly after 9:30, filled with laughing, chatting, exuberant girls. Upon arrival, the girls listened to a brief orientation by the Bounce staff, and then they were ready for action! They bounced, bounced, and bounced some more. They played action-packed games of dodgeball, competed on bouncing basketball courts, and leaped, somersaulted, and flipped into foam ball pits. The outing gave the girls an opportunity to spend some time

with their friends and to mingle with students from other grades as well as with their teachers. After one and a half hours of bouncing fun, it was time to re-board the buses for the short trip back to school. Upon our return, everyone enjoyed eating lunch outdoors in the bright sunshine. The over 200 students and their chaperones had a wonderful time and look forward to future outings.

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

The 93rd Agudath Israel of America Convention

ew Venue. New Program. New Excitement. Building on the resounding success of previous years and other venues, this year’s convention will be held in the beautiful and newly renovated Crowne Plaza Hotel in Stamford, CT, November

The final chapter of Shabbetai Tzvi See page 106

12-15, Parshas Toldos. The convention will feature its trademark blend of camaraderie, inspiration and chizuk. A highlight of the convention will be the presence of the Sadigura Rebbe of Bnei Brak, member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Eretz Yisroel, as well as members of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of the United States. The convention will also be enhanced by the presence of Dayan Yonoson Abraham, Dayan of the London Bais Din. The convention will consist of a fascinating blend of interactive breakout sessions and major keynote sessions which will enable each participant to customize their “own” program. The Thursday keynote program will feature greeting from the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky, Rosh HaYeshiva, Yeshiva Gedolah of Philadelphia; an address by Rabbi Elya Brudny,

Rosh HaYehiva, Mir Yeshiva; Dayan Yonoson Abraham of London and Rabbi Ephraim Eliyahu Shapiro, Rav of Shaaray Tefilah, North Miami Beach, Florida, will address the convention theme. The Motzoei Shabbos program will be addressed by the Sadigura Rebbe; the Novominsker Rebbe, Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, Rosh Agudas Yisroel (via video from Eretz Yisroel); Rabbi Uren Reich, Rosh HaYeshiva, Woodlake Village; and Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Executive Vice President, Agudath Israel of America. The convention will conclude with a Sunday keynote session dealing with the poignant topic OTD: Why Are They Leaving, What Can We Do About It, addressed by Rabbi Moshe Tuvia Lieff, Rav, Agudas Yisroel Bais Binyomin; Rabbi Mordechai Becher, Senior Lecturer Gateways; Rabbi Dr. Yitzchok Lob, licensed psychologist.

The complete program is available at http://www.yourconvention. org/program/. The theme of this year’s convention is Igniting the Leader Within: Yourself, Your Family, Your Community. The convention organizers are promising a fascinating and exciting program with numerous, interactive breakout sessions which will enable everyone to get involved. In addition to the program there will be a large exhibit area, including an historic exhibit commemorating the life of Moreinu Yaakov Rosenheim and the first half century of Agudas Yisroel, produced by the Kleinman Holocaust Education Center (KHEC). A limited number of rooms are still available. For further information or to register, please call 212797-7380 or email convention@ agudathisrael.org.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Assemblyman Goldfeder Honors Summer Readers in Far Rockaway

ith yom tov in the rearview mirror, yeshivas are in full swing throughout Far Rockaway and for Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder that means one thing: summer reading certificate presentations. This month, Goldfeder brought his expanded 2015 New York State Assembly Summer Reading Challenge to frum students in Far Rockaway with special, yeshiva-friendly certificates to encourage reading among children in the community. “Every year, I look forward to personally presenting certificates to the students that complete my reading challenge,” said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder. “I’m especially honored to bring this great program to our local yeshivos here in Far Rockaway. These young readers deserve recognition for taking time out of their summer vacations to open a book and keep their reading skills sharp for the current school year. This is a good habit that compliments their daily shiurum and will help better prepare them for future success.” This week, Goldfeder visited three schools in the community – Yeshiva Darchei Torah, Bnos Bais Yaakov and Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam – with plans to visit TAG and Siach Yitzchok to present summer reading certificates to diligent readers. Assemblyman Goldfeder’s 5-year-old son Asher was among the students presented with certificates at Yeshiva Darchei Torah, the same yeshiva attended by Goldfeder. Every year, Assemblyman Goldfeder makes a point to visit each participating school and personally present students with their certificates. This year, nearly 40 schools participated in the challenge and Goldfeder’s office distributed 20,000 pamphlets to students throughout southern Queens and Rockaway. As part of ongoing efforts to expand the program, Goldfeder’s office successfully secured special, yeshiva-friendly summer reading pamphlets for students. The pamphlets were produced in consultation with local yeshivos and rabbanim to ensure they were appropriate for community children. The assemblyman’s 2015 Summer Reading Challenge encourages students to read at least 15 minutes each day on at least 40 days during

Assemblyman Goldfeder with Shmuel Chaim Halpern, a proud participant in the Summer Reading program

Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder presents the summer reading certificate to Leah Davis together with Rabbi Nosson Newman of Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam

Assemblyman Goldfeder with Zev Shultz, a proud participant in the Summer Reading program

Assemblyman Goldfeder presents the summer reading certificate to his own son, Asher, at Yeshiva Darchei Torah

the months of July and August. Students are given special pamphlets with a calendar to mark their progress. Once finished, students can return pamphlets to their school or mail them in to the assemblyman’s office. Continuing a tradition started by his predecessor Audrey Pheffer, Goldfeder has offered the challenge to students every year since his election, including 2012, when Superstorm Sandy devastated the community and closed schools for days after the storm. “With this program, I hope to provide students with the encouragement and chizuk that will make them strong, successful students,” con-

cluded Goldfeder. “It’s still not too late to turn in your pamphlets to my

office and receive your reading certificate this year.”

Chaverim of the Five Towns & Far Rockaway will be hosting a NYS-DMV Defensive Driving Class in conjunction with the JCC of the Greater Five Towns. The course will be held at the JCC of the Greater Five Towns (207 Grove Avenue in Cedarhurst) on November 11th at 7:30 PM. This is an easy way to get up to 4 points off your license, 10% off your insurance costs for 3 full

years, and to support Chaverim at the same time. Reservations are required. $60 admission. Please visit www.chaverim5t. org/driving to learn more.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

TJH

Centerfold

Mr. Met and His Colleagues (What are they mascots or something?) D When he debuted in 1964, “Mr. Met” was Major League Baseball’s first modern live action mascot. In April 2012, Mr. Met was voted as the No. 1 mascot in all of sports in a poll conducted by Forbes Magazine. (Hopefully this year we will have other things to celebrate!) D “Phillie Phanatic,” the big, green ungainly mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies, has been sued so many times he is known as the “big green litigation machine.” In 1994, a man who suffered back injuries after being hugged too hard by the Phanatic was awarded $2.5 million; in 1993, someone was awarded $25,000 after accidentally being kicked in the stomach by the Phanatic; in 2010, he was sued for climbing on an elderly woman’s knees, causing injury. (Sounds like he needs a little sensitivity training or something. People are feeble these day … they don’t like being kicked in the stomach or squeezed halfway to death anymore.) D “Crazy Crab” was the mascot of the San Francisco Giants during the 1984 season and only lasted the one year. He was meant as a mascot that the fans were supposed to boo. Things went south when the fans began the custom of throwing batteries at him. Yeah, he only lasted one season. (“Son, before we leave for the game we gotta remember to gather the batteries from around the house!”...Now, that’s real normal.) D “Slugerrr” of the Kansas City Royals—booooooooooo!—really did a “good job” in 2009 when he was shooting hot dogs into the stands and ended up hitting a fan right in the eye, causing permanent injuries. The injured fan lost his lawsuit because the court ruled that as an attendee at a baseball game he was responsible to be aware of everything going on around him. (Watch out all you guys making the trip with our team to KC!) D In 1998 poor “Oriole Bird” was trying to have a good time during a miserable season when a visiting Phillies fan (those Phillies fans are always so frustrated!) pushed him off of the right field bleachers,

Riddle me

this?

If brownie mix is on first base, chocolate chips on second, and cookie dough on third base, who is hitting at the plate? See answer below

causing him to fall 15 feet and injure himself. The injured dude who was acting as the mascot was awarded $60K. His lawyer said during the lawsuit, “It is kind of sick to attack the mascot. Why don’t you just take the candy out of the baby’s mouth and tip over the stroller?” (Really?! Leave it to the personal injury attorney representing a mascot to come up with the worse possible analogy in the history of the world.) D “Youppi,” who goofed around for the Montreal Expos, was the first mascot with the unique distinction of being ejected from a game in 1989 after Los Angeles manager Tommy Lasorda complained about him dancing atop the Dodgers’ dugout. (Lasorda should have been ejected for complaining about that… “Ow, I can’t concentrate on splitting my sunflower seeds properly if he is dancing on top of me.”) D “PAWS,” who is the Detroit Tigers mascot, was sued in 1995 when a foul ball hit a fan and he suffered injuries. So, what did PAWS do wrong? Well, the fan argued that he was concentrating on the mascot and therefore wasn’t paying attention to the foul ball that came flying into him. The fan not only lost the lawsuit, but was also required to reimburse the Tigers $8,650 for their legal fees because the case was so frivolous. (Who’s the mascot now?)

Answer to riddle: The cake batter

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Mets World Series Trivia 1. Who managed the Mets to their 1969 World Championa. ship? 1. a. Gil Hodges b. Wes Westrum c. Casey Stengel d. Yogi Berra 2. Which Mets pitcher won 2 games in the 1969 World Series? a. Gary Gentry b. Tom Seaver c. Jerry Koosman d. Nolan Ryan 3. The Mets beat the Orioles in five games in the World Series. Which was the only game that the O’s won? a. Game 1 b. Game 2 c. Game 3 d. Game 4 e. Game 5

4. In 1973 the Mets lost the World Series in 7 games to the Oakland A’s. What was historic about that World Series? a. The Mets only had 3 starting pitchers on the active roster. b. It was the first time that a team was down 3-0 in the Series and came back to win 4 straight games. c. It was the first time that every game was played at night. d. The Mets had the lowest season winning percentage ever of any team to make it to the World Series. 5. Who was the closer for the Mets in Game Seven in the 1986 World Series? a. Rick Aguilera b. Jesse Orosco c. Doug Sisk d. Bob Ojeda

You gotta be kidding A reporter wanted to know where Major League baseball player Alex Johnson’s power surge came from. So, while interviewing him, he asked, “Last year, you hit two homers and this year you have seven. What’s the difference?” “Five,” Johnson replied. (This really happened.)

6. Who was MVP of the 1986 World Series? a. Gary Carter b. Mookie Wilson c. Ray Knight d. Bob Ojeda 7. Who pitched the only game that the Mets won in the 2000 World Series? a. Mike Hampton b. Bobby Jones c. Al Leiter d. John Franco

Answers: 1. A 2. C 3. A 4. D 5. B 6. C 7. D Scorecard: 6-7 correct: Your blood is blue and orange! Stock up on Halls, you are really going to get hoarse this week! 3-5 correct: Not bad, not great. You are like the 1973 Mets. Unless you picked option “e” for question 3, in which case you are the Bill Buckner of TJH Centerfold trivia. 0-2 correct: So, Yankees fan: How does it feel now, Mr. October?

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Torah Thought

Parshas Vayeira By Rabbi Berel Wein

t first glance it may appear that the commitment between G-d and Avraham described in the opening words of this week’s Torah reading is in the nature of a singular and one-off event. There are various interpretations amongst scholars of Israel and the commentators to the Torah as to the level of prophecy that our father Avraham attained. The appearance of angels

in the form of human wanderers and their message to Avraham and Sarah is itself the subject of very different interpretations by the generations of scholars of Israel. However we understand the matter and whatever interpretation we will adopt, it is clear that for Avraham, the presence of G-d in Avraham’s daily existence and even mundane behavior was a constant

reality. It is not that G-d appears to him suddenly and unexpectedly on this hot desert day but rather Avraham sensed the Divine Presence in his life on a constant and permanent basis. In the house of our founding ancestors the presence of G-d was always an overriding factor that influenced their behavior and their worldview. Thus the opening words of this week’s Torah reading described for us a permanent feature of the house of Avraham and Sarah. In their hearts and minds, in their behavior and attitudes, they were always dealing with the presence and appearance of G-d. The Torah is describing for us not a one-time singular event but rather the single most vital attribute that made Avraham the father of all nations and with Sarah, the parents of the Jewish people. When dealing with the construction of the mishkan/tabernacle, the Torah is careful to point out to us that the L-rd, so to speak, intends to dwell not in a building but rather within the hearts and souls of the people of Israel. The goal of Judaism has always been to foster and cement a permanent relationship, one that is deeply felt and viscerally experienced, between the Creator and the created. One of the most characteristic features of Jewish life and society during the long centuries of exile and persecution was the fact that even the simplest Jew, relatively unlearned and certainly not a talmudic scholar, nevertheless experienced this deep connection with G-d. Tevye, the poor and harried dairyman, needs

no intermediaries or appointments to speak to G-d. For him, as for millions of other Jews throughout history, G-d was a member of the family, so to speak. He was to be found in their homes and shops, their barns and fields. He

Tevye, the poor and harried dairyman, needs no intermediaries or appointments to speak to G-d. was a permanent presence in their lives. In our more sophisticated milieu, G-d has become a much more distant and less intimate figure to us. We have relegated Him to the synagogue and the study hall and even then only for certain hours of the day or for certain circumstances in our lives. The rabbis taught us that there is a demand made upon us to emulate Avraham and Sarah in our own lives. That demand is not restricted only to behavior and actions but rather to the recognition that the relationship we have with G-d is constant and omnipresent – wherever we are and whatever tasks in life occupy us. Shabbat shalom.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island thanks Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky

We appreciate your ongoing support.

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Torah Shmuz Parshas Vayeira

The Prison Cell of Laziness By R’ Ben Tzion Shafier

“And he delayed, and the men held him, his wife, and his two daughters by the hand because of the mercy of Hashem, and they took them and left them outside of the city.” — Bereishis 19:16

ashem appeared to Avrohom and told him that the people of S’dom were wicked and would be destroyed. The only ones who would be saved were Lot and his family — because of the merit of Avrohom. Hashem then sent two malachim, Gavriel and Michoel, to accomplish this task. When they arrived on the scene, they explained to Lot that they were on a mission to wipe out the city, and he was to take his family and flee. Yet he didn’t move. “He delayed.” While he clearly understood the consequences, he remained glued to the spot. Finally, the malachim grabbed him by the hand and pulled him and his daughters away to safety. The Seforno notes that there is an apparent contradiction here. It is clear that Lot was being saved because of the merit of his brotherin-law, Avrohom. Yet in this pasuk, it says that he was saved because of “the mercy of Hashem.” Which one was it — the merit of Avrohom or Hashem’s mercy? The Seforno answers that both are true. Initially Lot was to be saved

because of the merit of Avrohom. However, he wasted that opportunity. The malachim told him to flee and he didn’t. The merit of Avrohom was now used up. However, Hashem still had mercy on him because “it wasn’t out of rebelliousness that he delayed, rather out of being overwhelmed by the situation and out of laziness.” This Seforno is very difficult to understand. The two reasons given are: being overwhelmed and laziness. Aren’t these two concepts contradictory? If Lot was “overwhelmed by the moment,” that means that he understood the gravity of the situation. The entire city — and every man, woman, and child in it — was going to be annihilated. Life as he had known it would cease to be. That understanding is enough to evoke terror in any man’s heart, and we can certainly understand why he didn’t move. He went into emotional overload. Too much was happening too fast. He froze out of fear. But the Seforno said there was a second reason: laziness. If he was gripped by fear, how could he be too lazy to move? Is it possible that a man could be standing in a burning building, knowing that his life is in danger, and be too lazy to move? To understand this we need a deeper perspective on the human personality.

UNDERSTANDING LAZINESS

When Hashem created man, He took two diverse elements and brought them together. One part of

man is pure intelligence, the Nefesh Ha’Schili. The other part is animal instincts, the Nefesh Ha’Bahami. Together, these two make up the “I” that thinks, feels, and remembers. The Nefesh Ha’Schili only wants to do that which is good, proper, and noble. It aspires for holiness and growth. More than anything, it desires to be close to its Creator. The Nefesh Ha’Bahami is made up of all of the instincts, drives, and passions in the human. Each part has its own nature; each has its own inclinations. To better understand the animal soul of man, we need to look for its corollary in the animal kingdom. Living at the very top of the food chain, the mighty lion is known as the king of the beasts. You would imagine that his life would be idyllic, until you watch his daily routine. In the African Serengeti, the male lion will wake up in the noon sun, let out a monstrously loud yawn, roll over and go back to sleep. A few hours later, he will wake up for bit, and then go back to sleep again. Not long after that, he will stir, let out another earthshaking growl, and go back to sleep yet again. On average, he will sleep twenty hours a day. When there is no food to eat and the pride is not under not under threat, there is a heaviness to his nature that is almost depressing to watch. Part of the human has that tendency. We know it as laziness, but it is actually a sluggishness that is part of his inner nature. As the Mesilas Yesharim describes it: “The nature of physicality is thick.” There is a part of me that just doesn’t want to move. It is a weightiness that makes we want to just stop and remain inactive — not out of tiredness, not out of fatigue, but because of a lazy streak that makes me just wants to vegetate. Even when a man may is fully motivated and driven to perform, this tendency can remain in the background and surface in almost undetectable ways influencing his actions and decisions. This seems to be the answer to the Seforno. Lot was fully aware that the malachim came to destroy S’dom, and because of that, he was in a state of extreme agitation. “Oh, my goodness! The entire city with everyone in it will be destroyed!” Yet at

the same time, there was a heaviness that influenced him. While he understood the gravity of the situation, he was still pulled by the heaviness of physicality, and when there was a decision to be made — do I leave or do I stay? — both elements had their say. He was indecisive because he was overwhelmed, but in the background, without his being aware of it, was also a sluggishness that made it even harder to choose. The chiddush that we see from this Seforno is that laziness will surface and factor into the equation even under such grave circumstances.

LAZINESS IN OUR LIVES

The concept is very helpful in understanding the dynamics of the human personality. It is almost unheard of that a single trait will drive a person’s behavior. Typically, there are multiple forces at work: some good, some bad, and some just nature. Within our actions, there may be many factors that weigh and shape the way we operate. While we may think that the reason we aren’t producing enough is that we aren’t sufficiently motivated, it may also be a simple dose of laziness. Held down by metal chains, tied to a ball of heavy iron, the lazy man can’t move. Everything is difficult; everything is a burden. Even the greatest motivation won’t get him to move. Lot could not have been more motivated to act. He was distraught because he understood that his very life and the life of his city was at risk, yet laziness factored in and prevented him from moving. For a person to reach his potential, it isn’t enough to be motivated to do the work necessary; he must attack this middah directly. When he does, Hashem will help him to acquire the opposite: the middah of alacrity, so he can change his very nature and become the great individual he was destined to be.

Rabbi Shafier is the founder of the Shmuz.com. The Shmuz is an engaging, motivating shiur that deals with real life issues. All of the Shmuzin are available free of charge at the www.theShmuz. com or on the Shmuz app for iPhone or Android.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

The Observant Jew

Good News is No News By Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

“Do you want the good news first or the bad news first?” This is a common question when a person has two pieces of information to share. However, I’d like to suggest that there is no such thing as good news. If it isn’t bad, it isn’t “news.”

hen was the last time the headlines read, “3,999 of Kfar Shnitzelfresser’s 4,000 Residents Escape Injury”? You don’t see it. Instead, it says, “One resident of Kfar Shnitzelfresser was injured today when the large community cholent pot in front of town hall exploded, casting scalding-hot barley all over the street and hitting a hotdog vendor in the nose. He also sustained minor injury to his hands while trying to save his sauerkraut.” I bet you’ve never seen such a headline. You see? Good news is not news! Why don’t you read a story that says, “In New York today, eight hundred and thirty two buildings under construction did not collapse, trapping workers and several Citibikes beneath them”? Instead, we always have to hear the negative news about the one building that did collapse! I tell you, it’s like they’re not even trying. The truth is that there is so much

positive stuff in our lives that we merely take it for granted and often don’t even notice. Take this article you’re reading, for example. Do you know that statistically speaking, if you’re reading this article, you’re probably alive? And that’s a good thing too, because studies have shown that when dead people were handed a pamphlet of information to read, over 78% of the time the dead person failed to grasp the material! Not only that, but since this magazine isn’t produced in Braille, if you’re reading this, the odds are that you are not blind, but able to see. Isn’t it amazing to think about? You’re alive and can see, but will that make it to the news? I daresay not! When people open the obituaries and see who died, it’s very sad. Until you think like the man who said, “I open the paper and turn to the obituaries. If I’m not in there, that’s a good thing and I start going about my day.” For some reason, the deaths, murders, and crimes seem to get all the coverage and not the happy things. Sure, they’ll mention the birth of a baby, but did you ever see a news item that read, “Erwin Freeblefenster, age 46, got out of bed this morning without lower back pain. Mr. Freeblefenster was unavailable for comment”? No, you won’t find it because people don’t seem to take an interest in it. Well, I think that’s a shame. If it were up to me, I’d start ev-

ery day with a press release saying, “I must publicly acknowledge my thanks to Hashem for giving me back my soul and granting me another day to do something noteworthy.” I bet I could even come up with a prayer with something to that effect. But it wouldn’t be news. So maybe, we don’t need to actually broadcast these things, but it would be enough for each of us to have our own rundown of the day’s news as it applies to us. We could just tell it to ourselves or maybe our families each evening. “This morning, Chaim Shea made the bus in record time, managing to eat his breakfast before the driver even honked a second time. Adina got to work to find that the project deadline she had for today

good things which are so often not considered newsworthy, we’d find ourselves realizing just how good life really is. Even with all the chaos and craziness going on, the majority of things are under control, and that should give us satisfaction. Now, finally, let me leave you with some bad news and good news, to get us back to where we began this piece:

“I open the paper and turn to the obituaries. If I’m not in there, that’s a good thing and I start going about my day.”

was postponed until next Wednesday, so she got a chance to review the plans and catch the typos she’d missed when rushing. Velvel had a sandwich for lunch and it was delicious. He was in such a good mood that he gave his cookies to a homeless man on the street who thanked him and blessed him for his kindness. When I came home, my house was still standing and the electricity had not been turned off. And, in weather news, we avoided a huge blizzard with six-foot snow drifts today. That’s fortunate because it’s June and we’re in the Northern Hemisphere.” I think if we were to take this new twist on news and focus on the

The bad news is that there is no key to happiness. The good news is … it isn’t locked. Jonathan Gewirtz is an inspirational writer and speaker whose work has appeared in publications around the world. You can find him at www.facebook.com/RabbiGewirtz and follow him on Twitter @RabbiJGewirtz. He also operates JewishSpeechWriter.com, where you can order a custom-made speech for your next special occasion. Sign up for the Migdal Ohr, his weekly PDF Dvar Torah in English. E-mail info@JewishSpeechWriter.com and put Subscribe in the subject.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

A Fulfilled L fe

he most recent spate of violence in Israel has deeply affected Jews throughout the world. We agonize over our brothers’ and sisters’ pain and their collective fear of being able to walk the streets safely. Each day we scour the news for updates while praying for the recovery of terror victims and for peace and calm to be restored to the region. We also wait impatiently for the international community to call out the murders and their bloodthirsty inciters for who they are. To us, nothing can be more obvious than the moral correctness of the Israeli people and the cruel depravity of their Arab attackers. Countless videos depict incitement and coldblooded savagery, making it clear as to who the bad guys are in this struggle. We are upset when the international community remains silent despite this deluge of evidence. More troubling is the moral equivalency that the Obama administration and others have imposed, as they continually insist that “both sides” bring an end to the violence. Even more disturbing is the false depictions of Israelis as instigators who wish to assume increased control over the Al-Aqsa Mosque or aggressors who wantonly use “excessive force” on the Arab population. The question, though, is why? Why does it bother us so much that the international community sees us in this way? Do we not possess our own moral compass? Can we not be assuaged by the fact that the IDF has taken every possible measure to avoid civilian casualties? Is it not reasonable for us to take solace in the fact that Israel’s government has made every effort to secure peace? So what if some reporter from MSNBC or CNN or the BBC fails to report key details or places the blame on “settlers”? Who cares if ignorant college kids rally on campus or if late-night talking heads point the finger at us? We know that we are doing the right thing and shouldn’t let someone else’s view, particularly someone with a clear pro-Palestinian agenda, change our behaviors. I believe that there are two answers to this question. The first is practical and pragmatic. We understand the importance of strong international backing and support. Without question, it makes many things easier when the

Why it Hurts So Much By Rabbi Naphtali Hoff

world community acknowledges Israel for its upstanding conduct while also acknowledging unilateral Palestinian incitement and aggression. These include ceasefires, peace negotiations, applications for foreign financial and military aid, and the ability to promote and sell Israeli products on the international marketplace. The other answer is deeper and harder to measure. As G-d’s Chosen Nation, we recognize our moral imperative. We understand that our job is to serve as a light unto the nations and are disturbed to no end when the world accuses us of moral corruption. How can it be, we ask, that we try so hard to do things right in every arena and still can’t catch a break? It seems like a collective application of “tzaddik v’ra lo” and “rasha v’tov lo” issues that have troubled every Jewish leader and thinker including Moshe Rabbeinu. Moshe said before (G-d): “L-rd of the Universe, why is it that some righteous men prosper and others are in adversity, some wicked men prosper and others are in adversity?” (Berachos 7a) Perhaps the greatest irony in all of this is that our nation has always gone above and beyond specifically when it comes to occupying the land of Israel.

Despite a divine promise that his children would inherit the land, Avraham refused to take possession of Maaras Hamachpeila without paying its owner. In fact, he greatly overpaid for the right to bury Sarah. (Bereishis 23) Later, when Yehoshua was commanded to capture the land, he first gave its inhabitants the option of remaining assuming certain conditions. Only those who refused were engaged in battle. Most recently, the State of Israel followed a rigorous legal process into existence and refused to cut corners in a quest to force its statehood into existence. Thankfully G-d, in His infinite wisdom, foresaw this eventuality. That is why, according to Rashi (commentary to Bereishis 1:1), He began the Torah with the story of creation. It was not necessary to begin the Torah except from “This month is to you,” (Exodus 12:2) which is the first commandment that the Israelites were commanded… Now for what reason did He commence with “In the beginning?” … For if the nations of the world should say to Israel, “You are robbers, for you conquered by force the lands of the seven nations [of Canaan],” they will reply, “The entire earth belongs to the Holy One,

blessed be He; He created it [this we learn from the story of the Creation] and gave it to whomever He deemed proper when He wished, He gave it to them, and when He wished, He took it away from them and gave it to us. This comment begs an obvious question. How does it help us that the Torah would proclaim the Jews’ rights to Israel when the only ones who would abide by it are the Jews themselves? Does it really help that we can point to a verse in the Torah as the basis for our claim if most of the world will simply laugh in our faces and still call us thieves and settlers? The answer is that the Torah is teaching us crucial lessons about morality. First, right and wrong is not determined by the human mind. Time and again the world has witnessed abject cruelty and twisted morality justified in the name of religion, social engineering, racial preservation and the like. If we leave morality and ethics in the hands of man alone, we are all but guaranteed some incorrect conclusions, if not much worse. Only G-d has the ability to provide the type of moral stewardship and guidance that can withstand the test. Second, we may never be able to change the minds of those who gang up against us, literally, verbally, politically or otherwise. Still, if we act the way that G-d expects us to, then we can rest assured knowing that we have fulfilled our moral imperative by living our lives as His true servants and ambassadors. So while we must remain vigilant that the world hears the right message and that key voices be held accountable to maintain factual and moral accuracy, we must also realize that the final statements about right and wrong, good and evil, fair and unjust cannot and will not be uttered by any foreign statesmen or news anchor. All such determinations lie in the hands of our moral Rock, and history will one day, hopefully sooner than later, prove the correctness of our stance and the veracity of our values.

Rabbi Naphtali Hoff is an executive coach and president of Impactful Coaching and Consulting (ImpactfulCoaching.com). He can be reached at 212.470.6139 or at president@impactfulcoaching.com.

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Israel Today

The Tenth Man By Rafi Sackville

The names in this story have been changed on the express request of one of those mentioned.

hile living in New York, my wife, Keren, in her capacity of working for the JCRC, had interactions with cults and the manner in which they tried to infiltrate Jewish circles. I knew little about their influence, but the many conversations we had led me to recognize the telling signs of a missionary on the prowl. How many readers of this paper have been accosted on a busy street by someone they initially believed to be Jewish or representing a Jewish cause? Yet the question begs: how would you react if you and the community you lived in had never been exposed to the subversive practices of Christian missionaries? What would you do if your naiveté led you to consider the tenth man in a minyan as Jewish when in fact he wasn’t?

Kobi is one of my oldest friends. We have known each other since 1976 when he was in a Nachal brigade serving part of his army service on the kibbutz I was living on. He currently lives in a yishuv in the foothills of the Golan from where the view of the Kinneret is stunning. On a clear day you can see right across the sea towards Bet She’an. Kobi is Sephardi by descent. He davens in a small shul. The yishuv is a mixture of observant and secular families. The latter outweigh the former. As a result, they struggle to make a minyan during the week. About a year and a half ago, a middle-aged couple moved into the yishuv. The man quickly became a member of the shul. He went by the name of Ari ben Canaan and claimed he was a Levi. He raised little suspicion, although his basic lack of understanding led some of the mem-

bers to question a leading rabbi from upper Golan. Assuming that Levites don’t lie about their lineage, the rabbi told them he could be counted in a minyan. Soon after they moved into the yishuv so did a young couple. She is Israeli, while he is from Canada. We’ll call him David. I got to speak with him during the Shabbat I recently spent on the yishuv. David is a well-educated, young man, the type of person who is methodical and very thorough in his thinking. Kobi told me that David was responsible for exposing Ari ben Canaan for who he really is. After his first conversation with him, David was gobsmacked that nobody in the kehilla had detected anything suspicious. David said that it took no more than a short conversation to raise doubts that he was Jewish. David noticed too many signs to give him the benefit of the doubt. Unwilling to allow his instincts to talk for him, David went to the internet to find out more about him. What he discovered was disturbing. A pastor, who later changed his name to Ari ben Canaan, is the author of the book, From a Christian Pastor to a Messianic Rabbi. The Amazon blurb explains how Canaan overcame “loss, failure, ridicule and public humiliation, [The author] followed God’s call and discovered his Jewish roots and the foundation of Christianity.” Reading between the lines it isn’t clear what conversion to Judaism, if any, he performed. He claims to have converted, but that didn’t stop the mysterious distribution of material of Christianity finding its way into everyone’s mailboxes. Maybe one of the humiliations he had to suffer is connected to some unusual real estate transactions that miraculously increased the value of a $100,000 piece of property some 14

times. Two well-documented articles on the web from 2009 exposed Canaan. In April 2009, an article titled, “The Money Making Intrigue of Ari ben Canaan,” noted that Canaan’s place of worship, The Baruch Hashem temple, found that he “acted as the agent representing the interests of the seller...transferring ownership of the [the] building from himself and his son back to the Temple.” Soon thereafter he moved to Israel onto the yishuv where, interestingly enough, I met him just before David moved there. There are a few Christian missionaries plying their wares around the area. One possible explanation for their presence is the Kinneret, which, according to their history, was prominent in the life of yashka. David invited him out for coffee. Not wishing to sound belligerent, he explained he was only looking to set the record straight, particularly the halachic ramifications of ben Canaan making a minyan. Over the course of their conversation the pastor said a few things that made little sense, the first being that he was born in a small farming community in Montana. There might be Jews in such places, but David became suspicious when ben Canaan added that on her deathbed his grandmother regretted she hadn’t lived her life as a Jew. Furthermore, there was the glaring oxymoronic title of “messianic rabbi” that is no more than a euphemism for a Christian looking to convert Jews. Finally, there was his status as a Levite that made little sense. How far did he trace that back? He answered that he had made

aliyah as a Levi. David jokingly mentioned to me that it appeared he was an apostate with yichus. The one question ben Canaan avoided—wiggled out of—like a politician on the hustings was whether he believed in yashka. He wouldn’t confirm or deny it. It got to a point when too many pieces of the puzzle didn’t seem to fit that David told the members of the shul what he had discovered and recommended they return to the rabbi they had initially asked for an updated psak. Ben Canaan has since been forbidden to enter the shul. Some members were outraged, others amused, and one extremely upset that they had relied on ben Canaan to make a minyan during the year this member was saying kaddish. The story might sound fanciful, but it is true. One only has to place oneself in the shoes of Israelis who have never been exposed to missionaries to realize how easy they were fooled. Today ben Canaan still lives in the yishuv, albeit with a diminished presence. He cannot be thrown out of the yishuv because he hasn’t done anything that breaks civil law. One can only wonder how long he might have continued “praying” in the shul had David not become of member of the yishuv and wonder how much spiritual damage he has caused while spreading his message.

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

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home OctOber 29, 2015 | the Jewish Home

Order in the Court Judge Martin Ritholtz’s Odyssey from New Jersey to Ponevez to the Queens Supreme Court Bench by Naftali Halpern

“It’s not what’s on your head that counts – it’s what’s in your head!” These were the forceful words declared by a non-Jewish member of the Queens County judicial committee when some of his colleagues questioned whether someone with a yarmulke should be elected to the bench. That statement laid down the gavel and silenced those opposed to Judge Martin Ritholtz’s election to the bench.

ifteen years later, that statement still resonates loudly with Judge Ritholtz. “I am proud to wear a yarmulke on the bench,” he says, “but I am even prouder of the opportunity that I have every day to inculcate the Torah’s wisdom and values into my job as a judge.” Judge Ritholtz received his undergraduate degree from Columbia College, where he already showed leadership skills while serving as the national president of Yavneh, which was a national religious Jewish students’ association on college campuses. His path from Columbia College to the Queens Supreme Court bench took a lengthy detour through Israel. He likes to say that his real Ivy League education came when he attended the Ponevez yeshiva, which is the “Harvard of Israeli yeshivos.” How did an American boy from

Salem, New Jersey, end up as one of only five Americans in a yeshiva of five hundred Israelis? “Well, I was in Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh and every other Shabbos I would visit a different yeshiva because I wanted to write a Barron’s Guide to Israeli Yeshivos for parents who were considering sending their children to yeshiva in Israel. I really liked Ponevez, but then I went back to America for college,” Judge Ritholtz relates. While in college, during three consecutive summers, he learned in Lakewood Yeshiva and got to know Rav Shneur Kotler, zt”l, who wrote him a letter of recommendation for Ponevez. After completing Columbia, his father’s close friend, Rabbi Avraham Berman, who was Rabbi Yaakov Bender’s grandfather, arranged for him to meet with one of the roshei yeshiva of Ponevez, and he was accepted into the yeshiva.

In the course of his two years at Ponevez, Judge Ritholtz developed relationships with the Ponevezer Rav, the mashgiach Rav Chatzkel Levenstein, Rav Shach, Rav Shmuel Rosovsky, Rav Dovid Povarsky and Rav Berel Povarsky. (Judge Ritholtz’s son, Rav Leiby, who serves as the mashgiach in Rav Shmuel Brazil’s yeshiva, Yeshiva Zeev HaTorah, followed in his footsteps and also attended Ponevez.) Judge Ritholtz also “attended” another “yeshiva” while in Israel, although this yeshiva was less wellknown: Yeshivas Goshen. Location? On the Egyptian side of the Suez Canal! That took place during the Yom Kippur War, when Judge Ritholtz and a group of his friends would travel to the warfront to entertain the Israeli soldiers. There was a group of religious soldiers stationed

in the Egyptian military airport, Fayid, and they would learn together. They called themselves Yeshivas Goshen. “We would travel there, and bring cholent and pairs of tefillin, and sing for them.” Judge Ritholtz’s singing group, which called themselves “Kolot Hanitzachon,” actually put out two albums, entitled Shma Kolenu, and their songs are still played on the radio in Israel today. That was not Judge Ritholtz’s last foray into music – he was also one of the founding members of Shlock Rock, although that took place at a later time. He explains that after returning to America, he worked as the youth director at Kew Gardens Synagogue, which – with its yekisher leanings – was not enthusiastic about rock ‘n roll, to say the least. After Mincha on Shabbos, he would have a closed door shalosh seudos

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 the Jewish Home | OctOber 29, 2015

Judge Ritholtz being sworn in as Supreme Court judge by Chief Judge of the State of New York Jonathan Lippman

with the teens, who would improvise their own zemiros and have a good time. Although all the “bros” were talented, Lenny Solomon had a special knack for taking pop songs

sands of frum CPAs, but there are barely any Jewish music stars!” Despite his musical talents, Judge Ritholtz chose the conventional path for a nice Jewish boy and became a

“When the settlement was finally reached and signed between the two main antagonists, I made them give each other a hug. They both had tears in their eyes.” and making Jewish parodies out of them. They would sit for hours singing these songs. Eventually, Lenny started Shlock Rock, which became a popular Jewish music group. Judge Ritholtz recalls encouraging Lenny and telling him, “There are thou-

lawyer. He attended Hebrew University of Jerusalem Law School, was admitted to the Israeli Bar in 1975, and worked at the Justice Ministry in Jerusalem. Upon his return to America, he was admitted to the New York Bar in 1976, and he worked in private

practice until 1978, when he became a law clerk in Queens Civil Court. In 1995, he was elected to the Civil Court, and in 2001, he was elected as a Justice of the Queens Supreme Court. Justice Ritholtz’s rabbinical training is not only a good background for one who is tasked with adjudicating complex matters but “it also plays a role in your overall judicial philosophy—in how you defuse contentious situations, in how you bring warring parties together, and in how you administer justice generally,” he points out. And, of course, when faced with novel issues which have no precedent, Judge Ritholtz may draw on his Torah knowledge to reach a decision. One such case was published and lauded in the New York Law Journal because of its sound logic and

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well-reasoned decision. In that case, a horse owner was sued when a horse he had rented out ran into a street and damaged a car. The question was whether the horse owner could be liable for the acts of the rented-out horse. In deciding that case, Judge Ritholtz drew upon the Torah concepts of strict liability for domestic animal owners. He issued a ruling which was replete with citations that impressed legal scholars, although the noted sources were undoubtedly unfamiliar to them: “Tractate Baba Kamma,” “Maimonides,” Mishneh Torah,” “Chazon Ish.” In another case with actual life and death implications, Judge Ritholtz was asked to make a determination whether one who is a healthcare proxy for another can withhold artificial nutrition and hydration from one with an end-stage illness. This case was similar to the Terri Schiavo case which gripped the nation and had taken place in Florida at around the same time, except that the handicapped person in this case was an elderly Jewish woman in St. Johns Hospital in Far Rockaway. One of the key questions in the case was whether the healthcare proxy acted in “bad faith” by withholding the feeding tubes. To answer that question, it was necessary to know the halachic views on the treatment of the critically ill and of end-of-life issues, as the terminally ill patient subscribed to those views. In Judge Ritholtz’s lengthy written decision, portions of which read like a complex Torah discourse, he determined that the healthcare proxy did not have the right to withhold the feeding tube. The decision relied upon piskei halacha by Rav Moshe Feinstein, the Steipler, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Rav Elyashiv, and many others in the Torah world. Then there is the “lulav hagozel” (stolen lulav) case. That happened when Judge Ritholtz walked into the courtroom one day and saw a group of Orthodox men waiting for a hearing. He inquired what their issue was and was told that they were two groups of esrogim distributors who had a monetary dispute and were suing each other. Judge Ritholtz ushered them into his chambers and pointed out that in accordance with Perek Lulav Hagozel in Tractate Succah, one cannot use a stolen esrog, “so we better resolve this

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OctOber 29, 2015 | The the Jewish Home OCTOBER

matter now.” One of the men—who saw that Judge Ritholtz meant business—pulled out a note from beis din which stated that nobody aside for that beis din could hear this dispute. He argued that Judge Ritholtz must abide by that note and stay out of the matter. Much to this man’s surprise, Judge Ritholtz reached over to the large phone on his desk and dialed the beis din. On speakerphone, with all parties present to hear, the beis din declared that Judge Ritholtz had permission to intervene. Within ten minutes, the case was settled. “Unfortunately,” he says, “conflicts exist everywhere, even within our community. When I am able to use my job to resolve some of these conflicts, that gives me great satisfaction.” One such event took place several years ago when two local tzedaka organizations had a bitter conflict over a piece of property. The case was set for trial in front of a non-Jewish judge. In a last minute effort, Judge Ritholtz called the parties into his chambers and impressed upon them that proceeding with this trial would be a great chillul Hashem. After working exhaustively with the parties, an agreement was reached. “When the settlement was finally reached and signed between the two main antagonists, I made them give each other a hug. They both had tears in their eyes.” Judge Ritholtz continues, “I also made them promise that one day each organization would host the other one for a tzedaka event.” He wistfully adds, “I really hope that happens one day… but there’s no way I can enforce it.” Judge Ritholtz points out, though, that “although there are many issues that come to my court which involve Jewish law and it’s important that those matters are handled in the right way, it is equally as important for religious judges to understand the limitations and recognize that they are not serving as rabbis.” In accordance with dina d’malchusa dina (the laws of the land are the laws by which Jews must abide), he points out that “an orthodox judge has to be able to separate Jewish law from the secular judicial system.” Indeed, Judge Ritholtz is known for his vast knowledge of the law and is affectionately known by many as “Dean Martin” due to his longstanding role as the Dean of

Judge Ritholtz (holding Torah) and members of “Kol Hanitzachon” dancing on a makeshift bridge crossing the Suez Canal in 1973

Judge Ritholtz’s oldest son, R’ Leiby, getting a bracha from Rav Shach zt”l

With his wife, “Morah Chana,” who just retired after teaching for 32 years in Bnos Bais Yaakov and other local yeshivos

From a book about Yavneh: The National Religous Jewish Students’ Association

the Queens County Bar Association Academy of Law. He also served for fourteen years as the chairman of the Continuing Legal Education Committee in Queens County. On any given morning the large courtyard and majestic steps leading

to the twelve Corinthian columns at the entrance of the Queens Supreme Courthouse are teeming with determined and zealous attorneys hustling into the building to carry out their business. Once inside the longstanding structure, which George Upton Harvey described as resem-

bling “a shrine of American justice,” most attorneys choose to bypass the double-bank of busy elevators and use the wide marble staircases to reach their destinations; it’s simply quicker…they have places to go and judges to see. A large percentage of these attorneys will be headed to Court Room 313, which is where Judge Ritholtz presides. Courtroom 313 is, in a sense, the nerve center of the courthouse. It is not the courtroom with the highest ceilings or the shiniest mahogany wood. Rather, it has a “taking care of business” feel to it. There are conferences with legal clerks; there are attorneys discussing their cases amongst themselves; and there are court officers arranging the room for a jury that is about to enter to return a verdict on a case. Every once in a while there is a quick hush as the judge’s chamber door opens, and he summons a group of attorneys into his chambers for an “in-chambers” conference. These conferences often result in cases settling on the spot. “The attorneys know that I am ready to try the case and that makes them more likely to reach a settlement,” Judge Ritholtz relates. Without giving away all of his secrets, he discloses that in order to facilitate settlements he suggests a settlement amount that neither side wants to accept right away, but that both sides know is reasonable. He notes that there are times when attorneys refuse to budge and think their case is worth more than the settlement amount suggested, or that they should have to pay less than the amount suggested. At times, those cases go to trial and the result may be far worse for the attorney who didn’t want to settle. “The next time that attorney comes into my chambers for a settlement conference, if I have to, I remind him about what happened the last time he refused to budge on his position,” he says. According to Tom Quinn, Esq., who has been practicing in New York courthouses for over 30 years, “There is no judge that I know of in the entire State of New York who is able to get things done as efficiently as Judge Ritholtz because he listens to both sides equally and fairly and he knows how to apply the law and resolve the issues.” Joseph Carola, Esq., who recently served as President of the Queens

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Bar Association, concurs and notes, “Judge Ritholtz knows the law probably better than the attorneys arguing in front of him; he listens to each side fully and fairly; and he is innovative and expeditious when it comes to resolving cases and, if need be, in conducting trials.” In fact, Judge Ritholtz held the first trial in New York in which one of the parties testified via Skype, as he lived out of the country in Punjab, India. Within the hustle and bustle of Judge Ritholtz’s courtroom and chambers, one may also encounter any number of interns who are either considering going to or are already attending law school. “When they see what goes on here, they are able to get a good view into many areas of the law because of the wide range of cases that we deal with, and they are able to start identifying areas of the law that they are attracted to,” says Brooke Rubenstein, Judge Ritholtz’s court analyst, in charge of the interns. Although many of those interns are Five Towns yeshiva boys and girls, the intern class is diverse and resembles the demographic melting pot of Queens. Judge Ritholtz notes, “We have interns of all races and religions working together and treating each other with dignity and respect.” For the past ten years, Bar Ilan Law School has been sending third year students for summer internships, as well. Many of Judge Ritholtz’s interns end up practicing law in the very same courtroom in which they once interned. One former intern, Megan Lynch, Esq., notes that she now practices in front of Judge Ritholtz and other Queens Supreme Court judges and “knows somewhat what things look like from the judge’s side of things.” She points out, “The view from that side of the bench helps you properly prepare your case for arguments and trial because you know what the judge’s perspective is.” Despite the parade of activity in his courtroom and chambers, everything comes to a halt for a few minutes every day, when Judge Ritholtz hosts a daily Mincha minyan during lunch hour in his chambers. Many of the very attorneys and judges who had been dealing with litigious matters just moments before stop what they are doing for a few minutes and daven together. After Judge Ritholtz says over a daily halacha and there

With some of his grandchildren

At Yeshivas Goshen, on the Egyptian side of the Suez Canal

With Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel zt”l

is a final Kaddish (which oftentimes is recited by a judge or attorney who, although not religious, joined the minyan that day to commemorate a loved one’s yahrtzeit), it’s back to business. On Thursdays, though, over the past twenty years, Judge Ritholtz has given a shiur to

other judges and court personnel on Pirkei Avos. He explains that judges tend to be highly intelligent and thoughtful and “they find the teaching of the Jewish sages to be very interesting and thought-provoking.” As an example, all of the judges are familiar with the famous baby

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dispute that was brought before King Solomon. It is easy to understand how King Solomon detected that the woman who agreed to split the baby could not have been the live child’s mother. But, as Judge Ritholtz related in a published shiur entitled “Solomonic Justice,” there is more to the story: The Malbim explains that Shlomo Hamelech listened to their testimony and asked them to repeat it several times. He observed that one of the women kept saying, “Your son is dead and my son is alive!” The other woman kept saying, “My son is alive and your son is the dead one!” Shlomo Hamelech deduced that the woman who was not the true mother kept starting her argument by saying, “Your son is dead”; she was focused on the negative, and only after that declaration would say, “My son is alive.” The one who was truly the mother of the live child started off with the frantic declaration, “My son is alive.” In fact, according to the Abarbenel and other meforshim, based on that observation, Shlomo Hamelech told his advisors what his conclusion was, and only afterwards conducted his famous test to show them that his conclusion was correct. “You can see why a judge would have an appreciation for the wisdom of Chazal and meforshim like this,” notes Judge Ritholtz. On November 3, the Far Rockaway and Queens Jewish community can be proud that Judge Ritholtz will once again be on the ballot for another term in the Supreme Court. “It’s important that we go out and vote, not just because as a community we need to be a strong voting bloc,” says Mr. Richard Altabe, “but also because it is very important for our community to have Judge Ritholtz on the bench.” He adds, “Judge Ritholtz is a most rare individual who makes a kiddush Hashem every day on the bench. He’s widely respected by all—Jew and non-Jew alike—for his fairness and intelligence.” Joel Kaplan, Esq., points out, “It’s not just that Judge Ritholtz is from our community and represents it well, but he also happens to be an excellent judge.” Which I take to mean: Don’t only vote for Judge Ritholtz because of what’s on his head, but also because of what’s in his head.

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The Pain of Raising Children ... What Pain? By Rabbi YY Rubinstein

Perhaps the scariest and most ominous phrase in the Talmud is “tzaar gidul banim,” the pain of raising children. “Pain,” what pain?

hey come into the world and into our lives as the most beautiful things we have ever beheld. Months pass and these fragile and vulnerable little creatures become the center around which life joyously revolves. They eat their first solid meal (usually a mashed banana most of which ends up in their hair) and we dance about in rapture, texting pictures to everyone we know. They start to walk, and we burst with pride. They say “Mommy,” “Daddy,” “Zeidy” or “Bubby” and tears fill our eyes as little prayers of thanks are offered up to heaven for this most special of blessings. They grow and we choose for them the best school. The big adventure called life is theirs to discover and we get to be

their guide. The pain of raising children. “Pain,” what pain? A few years pass. A thirteen-year-old boy approaches the sefer Torah to read his parsha with trepidation and the Mommy, Daddy, Zeidys and Bubbys (and everyone else you texted the banana pictures all those year ago) are tense and nervous as he begins. Seven aliyahs and a haftorah later and the chests are back to “bursting-withpride” mode. The bar mitzvah boy looks around at the tear-filled eyes of his Mom and Dad and smiles a happy and contented smile. He justified all their hopes, and he is as happy to belong to his family as they are proud of him and his achievement. And yet, just a few short months later, a strange metamorphosis occurs. The falsetto voice that read his parsha has long been replaced by a baritone whose most common phrase is, “Don’t wanna.” The simplest request is met by an automatic shoulders-rising, eyeballs-rolling, tongue-tsk-ing response. A short few months before you were so proud of

him and he was so proud to part of his family. A few months later and he views you as something from the Jurassic era and you have started to regard him as a fully paid up member of Al Qaeda. “Tzaar gidul banim.” Ah! Teenagers...that pain! The boys are angry, conflicted, confused, bored and belligerent. Then there are teenage girls. They are more or less the same as the boys only they tend to bring much more finesse and sophistication to the process of driving their parents to pull their hair out...one hair followed by another and another. Alas t’was always so. Shimon and Levy were only thirteen when they did something that appalled and horrified their father Yaakov. Actually it was the way they did it that so upset him. He criticized them for it, but found there was little willingness to accept his reproof. Instead, the brothers fired back, “And should our sister be made to be like a zonah?” Yaakov’s reaction to what seems to be chutzpah is intriguing; he doesn’t react. Or rather he doesn’t react then.

Rashi says he waits until the time when they will listen to a father’s words and that occurred many decades later. Of course that does not mean that Yaakov abdicated all responsibility for the upbringing of his teenage sons. Instead, he delegated some of it to others who had a better chance of being listened to, his oldest son, Reuven, and Yehudah. Their task would require subtlety and strategy but often those who are nearer in age and experience to a troubled young man or woman will succeed where an older voice won’t. The Kli Yakar makes a similar point when he notes that Avrohom sent Yitzchok away to the Yeshiva of Shem and Ever instead of teaching his son himself at home. The Torah learned away from home has an added element and quality. One of the reasons is that another voice, a different voice, may be listened to in a way that an old and familiar voice will not.

Getting young people, caught in the passion and turmoil of youth, to listen is often a job best left to those who will not be met with the default shoulders-rising, eyeballs-rolling, tongue-tsking response. The paradox of the phenomenon of the generation gap is that it is precisely at the age where important ideas and ideals are likely to be rejected, that it is most important that they take root. That crucial time is the teen years. The kiruv phenomenon has gone through major changes recently. After the Six Day War there was a flood of college kids redirecting their lives from secular to observant. That flood has now slowed from a torrent to a slow moving stream. In addition, today it is infinitely harder to encourage the current to move in the right direction than it was then. The reasons are too many for this column, but there is one area

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where things have stayed constant—teenagers. I just came back from speaking at a Shabbaton for NCSY’s North Eastern region. Two hundred high school kids from all over Massachusetts arrived for this annual event. It was my second such NCSY weekend. The first one was over Shabbos Chanukah, two years ago. The NCSY-ers menorahs consisted of candles and the hotel’s fire officer was concerned about the amount of heat being generated. He was so worried, in fact, that he decided to pour water over them. Molten wax and water don’t mix and the flames whooshed towards the ceiling and set off the fire alarm. All of us, rabbis and kids, had to go outside to await the firetrucks. It was freezing and we were all without our coats. That didn’t daunt these young Jews in the slightest.

One started a song and then a dance. Soon all the kids were singing along and turning and jumping on the spot in perfectly coordinated moves. Oblivious of the temperature, they generated their own heat. Their energy and passion was simply a delight to watch. The fire department was able to extinguish the candles but I clearly remember thinking that it would be a near impossible task to dampen the enthusiasm and excitement of these young Jews. If only someone could take that passion and direct it towards their Jewish heritage it would stay within them forever. That, of course, is precisely what NCSY did and as I saw again a few weeks ago still does. Clever parents, who are struggling with what happened to their little boy or girl and how they became

angry, conflicted, confused, bored and belligerent adolescents, delegate. They find others who have a better

Kohl (based here in the Five Towns) to offer advice and guidance, shoulder-rising, eyeballs-rolling, tongue-

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who know how to take all that energy, enthusiasm and passion and direct it toward their Jewish heritage.

With strategies, born of their own recent experience, they can calm and inspire a young man or woman to succeed in a way that an older voice won’t. chance of being listened to, peers who are a little bit older and wiser. With strategies, born of their own recent experience, they can calm and inspire a young man or woman to succeed in a way that an older voice won’t. With the subtle guidance of the Regional Directors like Rabbi Taylor of Massachusetts, his predecessor Rabbi Shmuel Miller or New York’s Rabbi Yeshuah

tsk-ing slowly fades. The young Jews that emerge from NCSY’s sixty years of experience have gone on to become some of the best and well-known rabbonim, rebbetzins and educators on the U.S. scene. So if you are wondering in perfect confusion about what happened to your little boy or girl, take Yaakov Avinu’s approach. Stand back and get in touch with people

It’s precisely when they are teenagers that important ideas and ideals that are planted skillfully and with care will take root and stay with them forever.

Rabbi Y Y Rubinstein is a writer and author who speaks all over the world. He lives in Inwood.

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Jewish History

The Jarring Episode of Shabbetai Tzvi, Infamous Messianic Deceiver By Rabbi Pini Dunner

Part III In the first two parts of this series we discovered how a charismatic Turkish rabbi suffering from mental illness, Shabbetai Tzvi, wandered for a number of years from community to community, dazzling and horrifying people with behavior that fluctuated from deep depression to public insanity. After a fateful meeting with a young kabbalist, Nathan of Gaza, Shabbetai Tzvi declared himself the long-awaited Jewish Messiah, redeemer of the scattered Jewish nation and the Divinely designated King of the Jews. This unlikely pair first tried their luck in Jerusalem, where they were

met with derision. Defiant despite the rejection, Shabbetai Tzvi and Nathan decided to launch a massive international Messianic campaign so they could gain recognition by Jew and non-Jew alike. It was a fateful decision that would devastate the Jewish world in an unprecedented debacle of hubris and disappointment.

fter their expulsion from Jerusalem, Shabbetai Tzvi and Nathan split up. Nathan returned to Gaza – which he declared the new holy city of Judaism – while Shabbetai Tzvi traveled back to Izmir. On his way he stopped at all the towns and cities with a Jewish community. The news of his Messianic declaration had traveled ahead of him and wherever he went he was enthusiastically welcomed. Although his behavior remained erratic, the enthusiasm generated by the

belief that he was the Messiah rendered any aberration irrelevant – whether he behaved normally or strangely, his personal conduct was completely overshadowed by the euphoric feelings of the thousands of Jews who believed he had come to liberate them from exile. As Shabbetai Tzvi meandered triumphantly from community to community, Nathan simultaneously launched a feverish propaganda campaign. In numerous letters dispatched to every major Jewish center he called for mass repentance in anticipation of the imminent redemption. He began to refer to Shabbetai Tzvi as “AMIRAH” – ‘Adonenu Malkeinu Yarum Hodo’ – ‘Our Lord, our King, may his majesty be exalted.’ His flowery predictions of the great redemption and how it would unfold became more fanciful with each letter. His “prophecies” were apocalyptic and supernatural. A blazing fire would surround Jerusalem and Hebron, he wrote, to prevent any uncircumcised gentiles from entering these holy places. Mosques and churches would spontaneously dis-

appear without trace. These predictions were lapped up by the masses, as fact and fiction became indistinguishable. With hindsight, it is evident that Nathan had set himself and the entire Messianic movement up for crushing failure from the very earliest moment. Shabbetai Tzvi arrived in Izmir in September 1665, and stayed there for four months. He secluded himself upon arrival, and rarely emerged. Throughout this time, letters from supporters and detractors piled up at the homes of local rabbis and leaders. Two distinct groups emerged – those who enthusiastically believed in him, and those who emphatically did not. At the head of the unbelievers was the Chief Rabbi of the city, Rabbi Chaim Benveniste, acclaimed author of the authoritative halachic work, Knesset Ha-Gedolah. Tension in the city mounted until, on December 12, 1665, coinciding with Shabbat Vayikra, Shabbetai Tzvi led a mob of supporters to the Portuguese synagogue, where he disrupted the service and read the

Torah portion from a book instead of the Torah. He announced that he was appointing one of his brothers as the new Sultan of Turkey, and another brother was to become Emperor of Rome. While everyone watched disbelievingly, he began to hurl insults at the rabbis, including Rabbi Benveniste. “Why has J-esus been so abused by Jewish tradition?” he asked them disparagingly, declaring that he would ensure J-esus would be counted among the Jewish prophets from now on. He then performed a number of weird rituals and announced to the stunned worshippers that the date of the Messianic redemption, led by him, would be 15 Sivan, 1666. At this point Rabbi Benveniste stood up and demanded proof that he was the Messiah. Shabbetai Tzvi sneered, hurled more insults at him, and then threatened him with excommunication. The synagogue erupted in complete pandemonium, with Shabbetai Tzvi screaming abuse and the rabbi’s supporters screaming back at him. Inexplicably, within a matter of days Rabbi Ben-

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veniste reconciled with Shabbetai Tzvi and he suddenly became one of the Messianic imposter’s most ardent supporters. Rabbi Benveniste was a man with a stellar international reputation, both as a pious Jew and as a wise and learned rabbi, and his support was a turning point in the Messianic campaign, as numerous doubters noted his support and changed sides to join the believers. In gratitude, Shabbetai Tzvi arranged for a rival local rabbi to be fired and began to treat the elderly rabbi with great respect. Izmir’s Jews, now led by their Chief Rabbi, erupted with Messianic fervor, and the unbelievers were utterly marginalized. Sadly, the respected Rabbi’s support for Shabbetai Tzvi persisted until the conclusion of the episode nine months later, a tragic mistake that stained his reputation for the remainder of his life. While all this was going on, Nathan continued his energetic campaign to promote the redemption. Believers began to proliferate throughout the Jewish world. The legend fed on itself – the more people who believed that Shabbetai Tzvi was the Messiah, the more ambassadors there were for the cause. With the excitement growing, and the anticipation increasing, Shabbetai Tzvi and his acolytes decided it was time to inform the Ottoman authorities, and in particular the Sultan, about his Messianic mission and to demand their full cooperation. In early 1666, Shabbetai Tzvi set sail for Constantinople. Rough seas disrupted the ten day journey, and the ship floundered for more than a month. Meanwhile, the news of his imminent appearance in the Ottoman capital created a massive stir, and the Jewish community leadership struggled to formulate a cogent strat-

egy. While they were ready to believe it possible that Shabbetai Tzvi was who he claimed to be, they knew that acknowledging him as Messiah, King of the Jews, was a treasonable offense, punishable by imprisonment or execution. On the other hand, if he was actually the Messiah, not welcoming him enthusiastically would be a blatant denial of his status, and would be a terrible dishonor, as well as a desecration of G-d’s name. There were also people in the community who simply refused to believe the Messianic claims at all, and some even urged the community leaders to arrange for Shabbetai Tzvi’s assassination. While all this was being deliberated in Constantinople, such was the power of the propaganda emanating from Gaza and Izmir that Jews as far away as Germany, Holland, Poland and North Africa were selling up their businesses and wrapping up their affairs as they prepared for the impending Messianic redemption and the long-awaited return to Zion. The Turkish authorities had by this time caught wind of the affair, and an emergency meeting was called with the Jewish leadership to decide what to do. After examining the evidence, and based on firsthand accounts of the pretender’s personal history, everyone concluded that he was, in fact, an imposter and that he had to be stopped in his tracks. And so, when Shabbetai Tzvi’s ship finally reached Constantinople on February 5, 1666, a group of Turkish soldiers sailed up to his vessel before it was able to dock, unceremoniously arrested him and escorted him to shore. The arrest essentially marked the anticlimactic end of the Messianic adventure in any kind of practical sense, and Shabbetai Tzvi was carted off into custo-

dy like a common criminal. The authorities were unsure what to do with this unlikely revolutionary leader, so it was decided that the Grand Vizier, a young but extremely powerful man called Ahmed Koprulu, would take personal charge of the case. Shabbetai Tzvi did not present a military threat to the Ottomans, and it seems no one was concerned by his political ambitions either. The main problem posed by the eccentric rabbi and

rates to ferry the believers to the prison fortress and back. This surreal pantomime continued for several months and meanwhile the date of redemption came and went. But the hysteria continued unabated. On the fast of 17 Tammuz, Shabbetai Tzvi ate heartily and so did his supporters. Then, during the traditional three weeks of mourning that followed, Shabbetai Tzvi announced he was cancelling the fast of Tisha B’Av, a deci-

Shabbetai Tzvi was brought to the palace for an audience with the Sultan, who was joined by a group of senior advisors, as well as the Royal Physician, who was a Jewish convert to Islam. Questioned about his Messianic pretensions, Shabbetai Tzvi simply denied that he was the Messiah and claimed that the entire story was a fabrication. When it was pointed out to him that a Messianic movement had grown around him and that

The synagogue erupted in complete pandemonium, with Shabbetai Tzvi screaming abuse and the rabbi’s supporters screaming back at him. his following was economic. With Jews in control of so many trade routes, the potential disruption to Turkey’s trade and industry as a result of a religious awakening provoked by the Messianic furor was of grave concern to the Ottoman ruling class, and they recognized that this matter needed careful handling. In the meantime, as his fate was being deliberated, Shabbetai Tzvi was treated benignly, a fact misinterpreted by his supporters as further proof that he was the Messiah. He was kept in a comfortable suite of rooms at the prison, and friends and supporters were permitted to visit him in a constant stream. Then, shortly before Pesach, Shabbetai Tzvi was transported just under two hundred miles to a fortress across the water from Gallipoli. Thousands of believers traveled from all over the world to catch a glimpse of their Messiah. So great was the influx of pilgrims that food prices began to rise, while local boat owners charged exorbitant

sion hailed by his followers as the ultimate crystallization of the redemptive era. But by now the penny was beginning to drop. Things were clearly not going as planned, and nothing that was happening seemed to match Nathan’s ever escalating predictions and “prophecies.” It didn’t take a great genius to work out that Shabbetai Tzvi was not leading the Jews to redemption. In fact, he wasn’t even getting out of jail. In addition, there were worrying rumors emerging from the jail of his immoral activities with young women who were being supplied to him on a regular basis. The Sultan, who had been receiving reports from his Grand Vizier about the strange prisoner and his following, decided that the matter needed to be addressed urgently before it got completely out of hand. In September, Shabbetai Tzvi was spirited away to Adrianople without any warning. Adrianople was where the Sultan resided during the summer months.

the movement was in danger of escalating into a rebellion against Ottoman rule, he just shrugged his shoulders dismissively. One of the Sultan’s advisors mentioned that he had heard Shabbetai Tzvi was a miracle worker and politely requested that he perform a miracle for them, but the now bashful Messiah tactfully declined. The apostate royal physician then told him that the situation was untenable, and that the solution to the crisis would be his immediate conversion to Islam, or the Sultan would have no choice but to have him executed on the spot on the grounds that he was a dangerous revolutionary. Shabbetai Tzvi didn’t bat an eyelid. He tore off his Jewish cap and spat on it, and began to speak viciously against the Jewish faith. A Muslim cleric was quickly summoned to convert him, and after the conversion was concluded, the Sultan presented him with a special turban and changed his name was to Aziz Mehemed Effendi. Without further ado he was appointed keeper of the palace gates

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and was awarded a generous government sponsored salary. Those who were at the meeting reported later that both Shabbetai Tzvi and the Sultan appeared delighted by the result of the meeting and parted from each other in good spirits. The Messiah’s conversion was widely publicized even before the day was out. At first the news was dismissed as a fabrication. For the believers, it was inconceivable that their Messiah would choose apostasy over martyrdom, while the unbelievers couldn’t believe that the Sultan had allowed him to remain alive. Confusion reigned. As the days went by, and Jews in Adrianople saw the turbaned Shabbetai Tzvi manning the palace gates, the news began to percolate through the Jewish world, and so began a long and tortured journey back to normality for the masses of Jews who

had been hyped up by this eccentric pretender, a man who had proven to be nothing more than a disappointing phony. Shabbetai Tzvi lived on for another ten years. At times he assumed the role of a pious Muslim and spoke ill of Judaism; at other times he associated with Jews and acted as a Jew. In March 1668 he claimed to have had a prophetic vision that revealed he was still the true Messiah in spite of his conversion, and that the conversion was a holy act meant to attract Muslims to Judaism as part of the redemption process. This and other shenanigans proved to be too much for the authorities to tolerate. His salary was terminated and he was banished to a Muslim district of Constantinople with strict instructions not to interact with the Jewish community. He was unable to stay

out of trouble. Within a short period he was discovered leading Jewish prayer groups and was immediately banished to a small coast-

tenaciously clung to his Messianic promises, finding convoluted kabbalistic explanations to prove that the conversion was part of

Shabbetai Tzvi and the mystical teachings he had espoused persisted for well over a century, and it wasn’t until the end of the 1700s

Shabbetai Tzvi didn’t bat an eyelid. He tore off his Jewish cap and spat on it, and began to speak viciously against the Jewish faith. al village in Montenegro. There he died in isolation, possibly on September 17, 1676, which coincided with Yom Kippur. He was hastily buried in an unmarked grave, and his burial site is unknown to this day. The vast majority of those who had believed that he was the Messiah rejected him as soon as the truth of his conversion to Islam was confirmed. But there was a significant group who

the Messianic scheme. Most prominent among these believers was none other than Nathan of Gaza, who spent the remainder of his life traveling nomadically around the world, shoring up belief in the Muslim Messiah, even after he had died. Then, in 1780, Nathan unexpectedly dropped dead at the age of 37, in Skopje, Macedonia. Despite the death of the movement’s main life-force, belief in

and only after numerous notorious and bitter battles that the remnants of Shabbetai Tzvi’s Messianic movement finally disappeared from the mainstream Jewish world, bringing to an end one of Jewish history’s strangest and most damaging affairs.

Rabbi Pini Dunner is the Rav of Young Israel North Beverly Hills in California.

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Forgotten Her es

ive kills for a fighter pilot is considered elite status, and he or she is given the title of ace. A kill is downing an enemy aircraft whether it is a fighter, bomber, cargo, observation plane or any other type of manned vehicle that flies. (I’m not sure about the status of drones. However, many daring British pilots were able to nudge German V1 flying bombs headed for England with their wingtips and make the warhead crash. The pilots were not given “kill” credits for their heroic actions.) Jewish pilots served with the Allied air forces since the outbreak of war in 1939 and a select achieved the status of ace. Here are some of their stories. Lydia Litvyak holds many firsts for female pilots. The Russian-Jewish airwoman from Moscow began flying when she was just 14 years old and before the war had been a flight instructor at an air club. When the war began she had to try twice to enter military aviation before being accepted and ultimately joined the all-female 586th Fighter Regiment. Flying the reliable and versatile Yak1, Lydia became the first female to attain the tile of ace. Altogether, she shot down twelve Nazi planes and this number still stands as the record holder for all female pilots in history. Known as the White Rose of Stalingrad, Lydia saw combat for one year with a Junkers Ju-88 multipurpose aircraft as her first kill. Her next kill was a Messerschmitt Bf-109 flown by ace pilot Erwin Maier who had eleven kills to his name. After parachuting into Russian lines, Maier was shocked to find out that he had been out-flown by a woman. Twice wounded, Lydia continued her pursuit of Nazi aircraft. An observation balloon had evaded all attempts by Soviet fighters to shoot it down. Intensive anti-aircraft fire had been sent to protect the balloon and warded off all planes until Lydia came up with an ingenious plan. She would come in a wide circle over German-held territory and come in with guns blazing. The plan worked, and the balloon went down in a ball of fire. On August 1, 1943 she did not return from a mission over the Ukraine. The 21-year-old had been seen by a fellow Soviet pilot in her smoking plane after a dogfight with

Jewish Pilot Aces in World War II By Avi Heiligman Bf-109s. She was thought to have been the pilot found in 1979 under the wing of a downed airplane and was given a state funeral. Lydia was awarded many titles and medals and is considered the best female fighter pilot in history.

nicknamed “Whistling Death” by the Japanese, with seven other planes in his squadron on an escorting mission over the Solomon Islands. Suddenly they spotted a group of 40 Japanese planes and the marines dove in for the attack despite being

“My dive practically carried me into his cockpit with all guns blazing. He hit the sea a mass of flaming wreckage.” Marine Lieutenant Harold Segal is credited with twelve victories in the Pacific. Interestingly enough, while information on his Jewish background is scarce (the author is assuming he is Jewish based on certain facts), he hailed from the Five Towns and even attended Lawrence High School. On July 11, 1943, Segal was flying a Corsair F4U fighter,

Lydia Litvyak, the best female pilot fighter in history

outnumbered. Segal recounts what happened next, “I caught the top Zero [a nickname for the best Japanese fighter plane] first. He blew up like matchwood. The second Zero never knew what hit him. My dive practically carried me into his cockpit with all guns blazing. He hit the sea a mass of flaming wreckage.” He shot down a third Zero before being

Emil Fechtner was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross

knocked out of the sky by four more Zeros. His plane sank into the ocean but Segal was able to escape the wreckage. After spending 22 hours floating around in his lifejacket, he was rescued by an American destroyer. The marine ace was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions that day. Some pilots were refugees from other countries including Emil Fechtner who had a very interesting background. Fechtner was a Jewish-Czechoslovakian pilot who escaped his native country before the war started. He made his way to France and joined their air force until France fell. Escaping again, he found himself in England with dozens of other Czech pilots. Any pilot with combat experience was needed to defend the air space of England during the Battle of Britain. He was assigned to Czech Squadron 310 and had a couple of hair-raising experiences including a midair collision and a landing crash. There is a dispute as to how many Nazi planes he shot down but most accounts make him an ace with five kills. Fechtner was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross but was killed after a collision forced him to crash on October 29, 1940. There are at least ten more World War II aces that can be identified as Jews with countless others who were probably Jewish but the records are lost to history. Most of them are either from the U.S. or England and their stories are just as fascinating (British pilot Robert Sanford Tuck’s story needs a full article). These pilots not only served their countries for the greater good but excelled at one of the most dangerous jobs in the military. While their survival rate was higher than submariners (about one-third of American subs never returned to port, many pilots sacrificed life and limb. After World War II aerial combat changed with the invention of jet planes which makes most propeller plane fighter pilots truly forgotten heroes. 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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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Dr. Deb

How to Get Something Good out of Divorce By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

n the case of divorce, could it be possible that something good would come out of it? Even in the case where you are thrilled to be out of a deeply hurtful situation–and what divorce isn’t preceded by pain?– there seems to be nothing good about it. The very least amount of pain is in the disappointment: Months, perhaps years, perhaps even decades of a life were invested in another human being who didn’t come through.

DIVORCE BRINGS SAD THOUGHTS OF LOST YEARS

And then there is the sense of total waste: If I invested all this time for no return on my investment, not only do I have a right to be disappointed in my partner, but I have to ask myself, “Why didn’t I have sense enough to avoid this pointless relationship from the get-go?” Or at least, “Why didn’t I get out earlier?” So along with the “other blame” comes the inevitable self-blame. Let’s see if we can answer these questions. Because, if we can figure this out together, not only do you significantly improve your likelihood of not making the same mistake over again, but you get an even greater, more weighty benefit: Lost years will not be for nothing. You see, right now, you don’t understand what you could have done differently in that relationship. Right

now, you don’t understand how finding out the answer to that question will, in retrospect, give meaning to a failing, or failed, relationship. So let me give you an analogy to facilitate that understanding.

SOMETHING GOOD THAT CAME OUT OF A DRUNK-DRIVING STORY

Back when I lived in Florida, there was a young lady, a high school girl, who was driving while intoxicated. She had just left a party where alcohol and illegal drugs were available. When she reached down to pick up a cellphone, she killed a pedestrian, a fellow student much beloved by their classmates. She was given an interesting sentence. In addition to the jail time, she had to go around speaking to other students about driving while intoxicated. Her parents had been on their way to a trip abroad for business when this accident occurred. Why wasn’t she with them before they were to leave the country? Why didn’t they know what she was up to? How was it that she preferred partying with drugs at that moment? The reason she was in the car at that point in time was that she wanted desperately to catch them before they left. In her inebriated state at her party, she suddenly remembered that they were leaving her without money. A high school girl. One has to wonder what level of connection existed in

that family. Now, when you look at it from the point of view of the parents and friends of the dead child, there is no good in the world that could come out of this situation. Nothing, absolutely nothing could make up for the loss of this precious life. I will admit that as I read the stories, I cried (just as the news makes me cry lately, too). On the other hand,

Given the type of sentence this girl received, do you suppose she is the same person she was before the accident? it is absolutely necessary for the rest of us to look at the Big Picture. Part of living means extracting some meaning from events. What can we learn from this that is a good in the world, a positive addition to the world?

PEOPLE BENEFITED FROM HER STORY – INCLUDING HER

Given the type of sentence this girl

received, do you suppose she is the same person she was before the accident? This is just a young girl, both spoiled (driving her own car with much, too much, freedom) and neglected. It’s likely she has changed from her experience. It’s even more likely she has changed from her lesson dictated by the court. It’s likely she had reconsidered–or perhaps considered for the first time– the meaning of life. It’s likely she had thought deeply on the relative value of the material things in her life–her car, her cellphone, the cash she wanted– versus the value of life itself. It’s likely she has often wondered how life, her life, would be different if she had not had those wrong values in the first place. Do you suppose that as a consequence of all this, it is possible that she has become a much deeper person than she ever would have been in the normal course of her life? Perhaps even a better person? And what of her parents? I’ll bet they had to do some heavy thinking. If they are anything like the many parents of adults that I speak to who subscribe to the frustrating “hear no evil, see no evil, do no evil” philosophy, they are still lily white in their own eyes, blaming luck and circumstance rather than the emotional neglect of their child for the terrible outcome. On the other hand, perhaps a few parents might see themselves in this story. Perhaps some other parents got

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

to thinking about the importance of being present in their children’s lives. Perhaps. And what about the young, impressionable audiences that the perpetrator must speak to? Do you suppose it affects some of the people in those audiences? I would think so.

BEGIN YOUR SOULSEARCHING BY MAKING TWO LISTS, ONE FOR YOU, ONE FOR YOUR EX

I think you now get my point. Pain can be an opportunity for soul-searching and that is always a good thing. If the soul-searching leads to some real, specific, concrete answers, that is a very good thing. So what are some of the things you have learned from your divorce? Let’s make two lists, one for your ex and one for yourself. For your ex, can you think of some of the red flags that you ignored? List 1–Here are things some of my clients have said to me about the red flags they missed: “It was a momentary thing, when he yelled at his sister. I

didn’t think it meant anything.” “He was looking for just the right job. I could understand that. I didn’t think that would mean he would never get a job.” “We were just having fun. It was a party after all. How would I know that drinking was a way of life for her?” “She was after me right from the beginning. She loved me so much. It never occurred to me that she would get tired of me so quickly.” “I knew she was cold from the beginning. But I thought that with a lot of attention, she would warm up; I would warm her up. I guess I was wrong.” “When he said to me, ‘While I’m gone, don’t go to that restaurant with anyone else; I want to be the one to take you’ on only our second date, I was flattered. I didn’t see it as a sign of being controlling.” “We were just on our first date, and he pointed out that I really shouldn’t chew gum at dinner. It seemed like such a small thing. I never realized that was a major invasion of my boundaries.” List 2–Here are some of the things some of my clients are still in the process of learning about them-

selves: “I thought he knew more than me because he was so smart. I didn’t realize that my opinions were really just as valuable a contribution to the family as his.” “When he made fun of me, I just shriveled up and wanted to die. I don’t know why I attached so much importance to the stupid things he said.” “She was such a grump and I was always trying to smooth things over, accommodate her, be nice, and the nicer I was, the more nasty she was. Now you’re telling me I was too nice? What should I have done?” “When he slapped me around, I felt cowed. If I stood up to him, it would have escalated. And for some reason, I couldn’t live without him. I still loved him. I still love him today. I don’t know what else I could have done differently.” “I did everything for her. I worked; she stayed home. I had a cleaning lady for her. I even shopped and cooked. And no matter what I did, she didn’t appreciate it. She thought my job wasn’t good enough. She thought I spent too much time out of the house doing things for other people and not her, but I already was doing

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lots for her. It was never enough.” “I think you’re right; he’s ADD. So he doesn’t remember anything I tell him. Once he forgot to feed the dog when I was away. I could scream. I do scream. But nothing works.” Do you see yourself in these examples? You have the time now to reflect on everything. That is a good thing. You may end up wiser than you were before, spiritually richer than you were before. That, too, is a good thing. And it may be that there would be no other way for that to happen except through the suffering you are experiencing now.

Dr. Deb Hirschhorn, is a Marriage & Family Therapist and best-selling author of The Healing Is Mutual: Marriage Empowerment Tools to Rebuild Trust and Respect—Together. Attend the Food For Thought lectures at Traditions Restaurant in Lawrence on Tuesdays at 12:30 PM. (There is a lovely optional lunch menu for $12 cash.) Any questions, call 646-54-DRDEB or check out her website at http://drdeb.com. All stories in Dr. Deb’s articles are fabricated. See Dr. Deb on TorahAnytime.com.

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Health & F tness

Why People Go Nuts Over Peanut Butter By Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

As a kid, there were probably few things in life better than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. As you get older, you become more health conscious and many tend to shy away from PB&Js, worrying that it’s no good for the diet. But it turns out there’s no need to ditch your PB&J. In fact, peanut butter has many health benefits to offer.

eanut butter is packed with protein. Two tablespoons of peanut butter contain 7 grams of protein. The body uses the amino acids found in protein as building blocks for our muscles and tissues. In addition to building muscles, protein-rich foods like peanut butter help keep you feeling fuller for longer which prevents snacking. However, the protein found in peanuts is considered an incomplete protein. An incomplete protein is a protein

that is missing one or more of the nine essential amino acids; complete proteins are foods that contain all nine of the essential amino acids. Eating a combination of two or more incomplete proteins as part of one meal is called a complementary protein and helps to create a complete protein. For example, many consume rice and beans as complementary proteins to create one complete protein. Legumes can create a complete protein when eaten together with dairy. So enjoy a glass of milk with your peanut butter sandwich to complete the set. Another health benefit of peanut butter is that it promotes heart health. Peanut butter promotes heart health for a variety of reasons. Firstly, peanut butter contains what we call hearthealthy fats. Although peanut butter is perceived to be high in fat, in reality, peanut butter is low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. The monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat found in peanut butter has been linked to lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease by reducing the amount of cholesterol in the blood stream and by preventing type II diabetes. Two tablespoons of peanut butter contain 16 grams of total fat, including 7.4 grams of

monounsaturated fat and 4.5 grams of polyunsaturated fat. Peanut butter also contains vitamin E and resveratrol which are powerful antioxidants associated with lowering the risk of heart

butter is a good friend of the heart! The combinations of the many nutrients in peanut butter have more to offer than the simple nutrients themselves. Besides for the pro-

meal, or peanut butter with whole wheat crackers, Melba toast, apples, celery sticks or just about anything crunchy makes a delicious and nutritious snack! Please note: be cautious

Peanut butter with whole wheat crackers, Melba toast, apples, celery sticks or just about anything crunchy makes a delicious and nutritious snack. disease. Furthermore, high levels of sodium put excess stress on the cardiovascular system. Peanut butter is rich in potassium which counteracts the negative effects of sodium, helping protect the heart. It is a wiser choice to choose the unsalted version of peanut butter, however, even the salted version contains almost double potassium than sodium. Two tablespoons of peanut butter contain 238 milligrams of potassium and 147 milligrams of sodium. Lastly, two tablespoons of peanut butter contain 2 grams of fiber. Fiber promotes heart health by lowering cholesterol levels. Fiber binds to cholesterol causing it to be excreted from the body, thus reducing the levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream, promoting cardiovascular health. Bottom line: peanut

tein, healthy fats, fiber, and vitamins themselves, when these nutrients are found together in high amounts, the benefits escalate. The combination of protein and fiber helps prevent spikes in blood sugar, thus helping manage type II diabetes. The combination of protein and fiber also helps keep you fuller for longer which means you are less likely to crave junk food and snack on unnecessary calories which lead to weight gain. The combination of protein and healthy fats is an energy booster. So indirectly, peanut butter aids in weight loss! The extra energy boost also helps endurance in physical activity, helping shed those pounds. Now you can think twice before you nix the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Peanut butter on whole wheat bread makes a great

when serving peanut butter. Despite its many health benefits, some individuals are severely allergic to peanuts.

Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN, is a Master’s level Registered Dietitian and Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist. She graduated CUNY Brooklyn College in 2013 receiving a Bachelor’s in Science and Master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Sciences. Her Dietetic Internship was completed under Brooklyn College primarily in Ditmas Park Care Center and Boro Park Center where she developed clinical and education skills to treat patients with comprehensive nutrition care. She is currently a dietitian at Boro Park Center and a private nutrition consultant. She can be reached at CindyWeinberger1@ gmail.com.

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A Message of Dedication and Commitment TJH Speaks with Kate Murray, Candidate for District Attorney By Tamar Sullivan

Born and bred in Nassau County, Kate Murray has dedicated her life to public service. Since leaving a private practice, she served as an Assistant Attorney General in Manhattan for three years, a New York State Assemblywoman for three years, a Hempstead Town Clerk for one year, and as Supervisor of the Town of Hempstead for nearly 13 years.

TS: Ms. Murray, you’ve been the Supervisor of the Town of Hempstead for over a decade. What were your greatest accomplishments? KM: I have maintained strong fiscal stability during economic times, without having to reduce any of our programs or lay off staff members. My environmental legacy is also second to none. Our county now uses a hydrogen fueling station and a wind turbine, and we are the first completely solar-powered government office. Incorporating alternative energy operations not only conserves our environment, but saves taxpayer dollars as well. Why are you interested in pursuing the District Attorney position now?

I’ve been looking at what has been happening to our communities in the last few years, and I’ve been growing concerned. First of all, there is a real rise in heroin usage, and overdose deaths are at 100%. Unfortunately, the acting DA, my opponent, is staying silent while drug dealers and potentially dangerous offenders are admitted to diversion courts instead of to jails, which eventually send them back onto the streets of our neighborhoods. I intend to strongly object to sending drug dealers to diversion courts when they should be going to jail. Secondly, there is an increase in domestic violence, which the acting DA is also mishandling. Drug dealers and domestic abusers must be prosecuted to the fullest

extent of the law. Furthermore, there are guns and gangs on our streets. When I was a kid, there was none of that. Today we have both and far too many. The DA’s office must work harder with the police to break up gangs and get them off the streets. Nassau County is in a crisis, and it’s going in the wrong direction. With a soft-on-crime stance, we could turn into New York City, which has seen a rise in these crimes. We need stronger penalties to send a message to criminals that they will pay the price. The previous DA, Kathleen Rice, was very strong against drunk driving. What are your intentions regarding drunk driving offenders? Drunk driving is a serious offense, and out here in Nassau Country, in suburbia, nearly every family is driving. I would absolutely prosecute drunk driving to the fullest extent possible by law.

You were the first female to be appointed to the Supervisor position. Did you feel any pushback? I was not just the first woman to be appointed Supervisor. I was also the first woman to represent the 19th Assembly District and the first woman to serve as Clerk of the Town of Hempstead. I didn’t feel any pushback. In today’s day and in our county, we have sophisticated voters. If you do a good job, people support you. I have the support of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents – I’ve earned broad support from all political stripes because I’ve done a good job of delivering services and keeping taxes low. In fact, I just passed the budget without raising taxes again this year. I hope people recognize that sense of leadership and valuable experience in me for the DA’s office. I have years of experience running a large government office. In general, are women making strides in this

county? Yes. The voters in Nassau Country are a sophisticated community. People are looking at job quality, what you bring to the job, and whether you are an effective leader, rather than whether you are a man or a woman. You haven’t practiced law in a long time. Why do you feel you are best suited for this role of district attorney? The DA’s office is about leadership. The district attorney must be is a visionary, a leader of the office. The DA sets the agenda and determines where resources will be allocated. I have a wealth of experience in running a large government office, have led America’s largest township successfully for many years, have been in private practice, am licensed in two states, and have served as an Assistant Attorney General. My opponent has complained that I’m not a prosecutor, but her lack of experience in what qualities really matter for the DA’s

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office is showing. She hasn’t presented any of her own proposals or priorities. I intend to put my wealth of experience to work and tackle the issues and priorities I’ve mentioned to straighten out and reform the DA’s office. How do you intend to ferret out corruption swirling around some players in Nassau County? I will prosecute any wrongdoing in our community, no matter the political stripe. The buck stops with me. In fact, I have a far better record of getting out public corruption than my opponent who has never prosecuted any public figure. A few years ago, while serving as the Hempstead Town Clerk, a member of my own

party and someone I liked personally was allegedly involved in wrongdoing. Because I found the allegations credible, I called Kathleen Rice [the district attorney at the time] myself to turn him in. He was convicted, and his conviction was just upheld on appeal. The fact that I turned in a member of my own party shows that I will prosecute someone for wrongdoing regardless of the uniform he or she wears. I intend to ferret out all public corruption. We need a DA who is aggressive, and I’ve demonstrated my ability to do that. What do you do in your free time? I really like to go to museums and movie theaters, but a Supervisor’s job is a 7-day-

a-week job, so I rarely have the time. Who is your role model? My parents, who instilled a real sense of civic duty in my siblings and me. I am one of seven. They were active and good participants in my community and inspired me to go into public service. My father was an FBI agent, so the idea of protecting our community was familiar from a very young age. I have had one dream job after the next in being able to serve the residents in the Town of Hempstead, and I hope to continue a legacy of public service. Ms. Murray, thank you for speaking with us and good luck in the election!

“I’ve earned broad support from all political stripes because I’ve done a good job of delivering services and keeping taxes low.”

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This is the AlAqsa Mosque that Adam, peace be upon him, or during his time, the angels built.

Notable Quotes

- Muhammad Ahmad Hussein, the Muslim cleric in charge of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, arguing on Israel’s Channel 2 that there was a mosque on Har Habayis “since the creation of the world”

We have seen Iran almost serially violate the international community’s concerns about their ballistic missile program. In contrast to the repeated violations of the U.N. Security Council resolution that pertains to their ballistic missile activities, we’ve seen that Iran over the last couple of years has demonstrated a track record of abiding by the commitments that they made in the context of the nuclear talks - White House press secretary Josh Earnest, when asked about Iran’s recent ballistic missile activities

“Say What?!”

Well, I had my whole team come over to my house, and we sat around eating Indian food, and drinking wine and beer. That’s what we did. … We were all talking about sports, TV shows. It was great, just to have that chance to, number one, thank them because they did a terrific job, kind of being there behind me, and getting me ready, and then just talk about what we’re going to do next. - Hillary Clinton on MSNBC, when asked what she did after she completed her full day of testimony in front of a Congressional panel investigating the terrorist attack in Benghazi which killed Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans

I’m glad that Mrs. Clinton had an Indian food, A new study of the candidates’ Facebook fans found wine, and beer that Donald Trump’s fans have the worst grammar. party. It’s too Which isn’t surprising, since Trump’s whole bad my nephew campaign has been one, big run-on sentence. “We and Ambassador need to build a wall and fix the economy and get back Stevens, you know, at China and Rosie O’Donnell and I’m very rich and couldn’t show up.

here’s a red hat and...” – Jimmy Fallon

PS!

- Michael Ingmire, the uncle of Benghazi attack victim Sean Smith, on Fox News

We failed to look close enough at the Mel Gibson quote which was printed last week. Turns out that it is totally false, he never said that, and he doesn’t have a daughter who converted. We regret the error. Our bad.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Jeb Bush’s campaign has a contest now where someone will be flown to Houston to meet him, his dad, and his brother. No word on what the winner gets. – Conan O’Brien

The history that you know is not the real one, the version that you know from movies and books is written by the Jews, and all the world accepts that history. He wasn’t a bad person, he obeyed orders and did not personally kill anyone. – Adolf Eichmann’s daughter-in-law, Carmen Bretin Lindemann, who was running for mayor in a village in Argentina, in a TV interview. (Due to backlash from her comments, she was forced to withdraw from the race)

I want to play for a long time, maybe 10 more years. - Patriot’s QB Tom Brady, who is 38 and has already been in the NFL for 15 years (the average NFL career lasts 3.3 years), when asked last week what his plans on for the future

You know, I am soft-spoken. I do have a tendency to be relaxed. I wasn’t always like that. There was a time when I was, you know, very volatile. But, you know, I changed. As a teenager, I would go after people with rocks and bricks and baseball bats and hammers. And, of course, many people know the story when I was 14, and I tried to stab someone. And, you know, fortunately, you know, my life has been changed. And I’m a very different person now. – Republican candidate and famed neurosurgeon Ben Carson on Meet the Press, responding to Trump’s allegation that he is low energy

Can I give you my take on this race? You have two frontrunners on the Democratic side, right? The number two guy went to the Soviet Union on his honeymoon — and I don’t think he ever came back. The leader felt that she was flat broke after her husband was president for eight years — and that’s maybe why they stole the china. On our side, you’ve got the number two guy [saying he] tried to kill someone at fourteen years old and the number one guy is high energy and crazy as he[ck]. How am I losing to these people? – Republican candidate Lindsey Graham giving a very honest assessment of his own campaign skills on MSNBC

I’ve got a lot of really cool things I could do other than sit around, being miserable, listening to people demonize me and me feeling compelled to demonize them. That is a joke. Elect Trump if you want that. - Jeb Bush at a town hall meeting stating that he will only take the job as president if there is bi-partisanship (because there are cooler things to do than be president)

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Donald Trump was supposed to be here tonight. Last night his people called and canceled on us and were cryptic as to why he canceled. They said he had a major political commitment but wanted me to relay the message to you that if he had been here, he would have been great… I’m dying to find out what this major political commitment was. Usually that means he had to go on CNN and call someone an idiot… Don’t worry. Tonight we’re going to give everyone in the audience a basketball dipped in cologne so you can fully experience what it would have been like had Donald Trump been here. – Jimmy Kimmel, after Trump canceled an appearance on his show

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Oprah Winfrey is buying a 10 percent stake in Weight Watchers. Oprah’s financial advisor asked her if she wanted to buy a large stake and Oprah said, “Oh, yeah!” – Conan O’Brien

Bush has no money. He’s meeting today with Mommy and Daddy, and they’re working on his campaign. He’s a guy [who] wants to run our country and he can’t even run his own campaign. Think of it. - Donald Trump commenting at a Florida rally about news that Jeb Bush spent several days conferring with family members about the state of his campaign

Last week, the firefighters’ union announced that it was no longer supporting Hillary for president. You know your campaign is in trouble when firefighters are like, “Even we can’t put out that many fires.”

The Chinese community, the Communist Party, has banned gluttony, excessive drinking… Hey, if you guys don’t want American tourists, just say so!

– Jimmy Fallon

– Conan O’Brien

#soooooogood

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Meet the Mets… Meet the Mets. – The song that Congressman Adam Schiff (R-CA) sang on the floor of the House of Representatives last week, after losing a wager to Congressman Steve Israel when the Mets defeated the Dodgers

This guy [PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas] is responsible for the wave of murders that’s going on in the streets of Israel... Would anyone talk to ISIS? Would anyone talk to bin Laden? We’ve got a murderous regime who’s trying to kill as many Jews as possible right now. If you’d have people running around the streets of London stabbing dozens and hundreds of British citizens, you wouldn’t be talking to [those who carried out the stabbings]. You’d be fighting them and defending yourselves, and that’s exactly what Israel is doing right now. - Naftali Bennett, Jewish Home chairman, in an interview with the BBC

What has been going on is due to the combination of the Internet and Islamist extremism. It has been Osama Bin Laden meets [Facebook founder] Mark Zuckerberg. - Prime Minister Netanyahu at a cabinet meeting

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Political Crossfire

Iran Marches, Russia Rules, Obama Watches By Charles Krauthammer

uess who just popped up in the Kremlin? Bashar alAssad, Syrian dictator and destroyer, now Vladimir Putin’s newest pet. After four years holed up in Damascus, Assad was summoned to Russia to bend a knee to Putin, show the world that today Middle East questions get settled not in Washington but in Moscow, and officially bless the Russian-led four-nation takeover of Syria now underway. Does the bewildered Obama administration finally understand what Russia is up to? President Obama says Russia is doomed to fail in the Syrian quagmire. But Russia is not trying to reconquer the country for Assad. It’s consolidating a rump Syrian state on the roughly 20 percent of the country he now controls, the Alawite areas stretching north and west from Damascus through Latakia and encompassing the Russian naval base at Tartus. It’s a partition. It will leave the Islamic State in control in the interior north and east. Why is this doomed to failure? Putin’s larger strategy is also obvious. He is not reconstructing the old Soviet empire. That’s too large a task. But he is rebuilding and reasserting Russia’s ability to project power beyond its borders. Annexing Crimea restores to the motherland full control of the warm water Black

Sea port that Russia has coveted since Peter the Great. Shoring up a rump Alawite state secures Russia’s naval and air bases in the eastern Mediterranean. Add to that Russia’s

Obama’s response to all this? Nothing. He has washed his hands of the region

launching advanced cruise missiles from warships in the Caspian Sea to strike Syrian rebels 900 miles away and you have the most impressive display of Russian military reach since the Cold War. For Obama, of course, these things don’t matter. “In today’s world,” he told the U.N. last month, “the measure of strength is no longer defined by the control of territory.” That he clearly believes this fantasy was demonstrated by his total abandonment of Iraq, forfeiting U.S. bases from which we could have projected power in the region (most notably preventing, through control of Iraqi airspace, the Iranian rearming and reinforcement of Assad’s weakening regime).

While Obama counts on the arc of the moral universe bending toward justice, Putin acts. As soon as the ink was dry on the Iran nuclear deal, Iran’s Qasem Soleimani flew to Moscow (a sanctions violation that we blithely ignored) to plan the multinational Syria campaign he is now directing. His Shiite expeditionary force is comprised of Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Iraqi Shiite militias and Lebanese Hezbollah fighting under the cover of Russian airpower. They are pounding non-Islamic State rebels, many equipped, trained and allegedly supported by the U.S. and Obama’s vaunted 60-nation coalition. What a comfort to be pulverized by 60 to 90 Russian airstrikes each day but to know that Belgium is with you. The immediate Russian objective is to retake Aleppo, the eastern part of which is the rebels’ last remaining urban stronghold. Russia is not fighting the Islamic State. On the contrary. Its attacks on the anti-government, anti-Islamic State rebels have allowed the Islamic State to expand, capturing rebel-held villages north of Aleppo, even as the Shiite expeditionary force approaches from the south. Apart from the wreckage to Obama’s dreams of a “reset” with Russia, think of how these advances mock Obama’s dreams for Iran, namely that the nuclear deal would

moderate Iranian behavior. What has happened since the signing of the deal in July? Iran convicts an American journalist of espionage, contemptuously refusing to offer even the most minimal humanitarian gesture. Iran brazenly tests a nuclear-capable ballistic missile that our own U.N. ambassador said violates Security Council resolutions. And now Iran’s most notorious Revolutionary Guard commander takes control of a pan-Shiite army trying to decimate our remaining allies in the Syrian civil war. Obama’s response to all this? Nothing. He has washed his hands of the region, still the center of world oil production and trade, and still the world’s most volatile region, seething with virulent jihadism ready for export. When you call something a quagmire you have told the world that you’re out and staying out. Russia and Iran will have their way. “60 Minutes” asked Obama: Are you concerned about yielding leadership to Russia? Obama responded dismissively: Propping up a weak ally is not leadership. I’m leading the world on climate change. Upon hearing that, anyone in any conflict anywhere who has put his trust in the United States should start packing his bags for Germany. (c) 2015, The Washington Post Writers Group

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Political Crossfire

Failing the Ryan Test By Michael Gerson

aving tested the thickness of the political ice, Paul Ryan seems convinced it will support the weight of a House speaker. Given the nature of the Republican coalition (in parts fractious, restless and heedless of political reality), he will end up in the water. But perhaps not immediately, and perhaps not until after considerable accomplishment. The most knowledgeable, thoughtful conservative in the House is now likely to lead the House, which is the sign of an institution still capable of random acts of sanity. And the manner of Ryan’s victory is worth

vulnerable to challenge. Rather than an inconsistency, this is an expression of Ryan’s broader political outlook. He is proposing to strengthen mediating structures – in this case, committees that allow members to exert influence and make their voices heard – within an institution capable of, and interested in, governing. The weakening of committees in both the House and Senate has been a source of dysfunction, encouraging frustrated, angry, political freelancing and crackdowns on political freelancing that cause further bitterness. But the Ryan Test has a larger

This has been the main question posed to Republicans since the wave election of 2010: Governing or rage? considering, because it is the only way that Republicans will regain the presidency. What might be called the Ryan Test – give me a meaningful job with a reasonable prospect of governing success and a shot at personal happiness or leave me alone – applies most immediately to the workings of the House. In consultations with GOP colleagues, Ryan has made clear that he wants to empower committees more than the leadership, while also making the speaker less

application. Ryan is essentially asking conservatives within the GOP: What is your actual goal? Is it to govern in the public interest according to a conservative vision while building a political coalition capable of supporting needed reforms? Or is it the expression of outrage, rooted in a right-wing populism that is in fundamental (and continual) revolt against the political establishment? This has been the main question posed to Republicans since the

wave election of 2010: Governing or rage? The fault line is clearest in the choice of political enemies. For some conservatives, the politically ascendant and intellectually exhausted liberalism of the Obama era is the target. For others, the real enemy is a Republican establishment complicit in a corrupt political order – a GOP establishment that “reflexively surrenders on every issue” (in Sen. Ted Cruz’s words) and must be razed before anything good can grow. The House Freedom Caucus has exemplified the demolition option. During the last five years, some 30 or 40 House members took up permanent residence off the reservation, denying John Boehner an effective House majority. Cruz has been their instigator. Conservative media, particularly talk radio, have provided incitement and attention. Some of these legislators, no doubt, are acting out of conviction. But at least some of their zeal has come from the fear of a primary challenge from the right, which has left self-preservation to masquerade as principle. But now a clear majority of the Freedom Caucus has come out for Ryan, the peppy poster child for the governing option. This accommodation will quickly be tested on the debt ceiling and next year’s budget. Will the whole conference unite behind an approach to governing that doesn’t rely on showdown and shutdown politics? But right now House Republicans are providing a lesson to their party.

Which is being roundly ignored by the Republican presidential primary electorate. The two current front-runners, Ben Carson and Donald Trump, are favored for their complete lack of governing experience. The main qualification to be president, apparently, is a lack of relevant qualifications. This is generally not the way airline pilots, neurosurgeons or speakers of the House (apparently) are selected, but voters can employ whatever criteria they wish in choosing the commander in chief. Republicans should, however, be under no illusions. They are currently failing the Ryan Test. Trump is the truest RINO on the GOP savanna. He has no background or interest in governing. He has one thing to offer: a talent for outrage. And for many Republicans, this (so far) has been enough. The movement that stands to lose the most is conservatism. Maybe the GOP’s back to the future is 1964, when Republican primary voters chose the candidate of outrage, Barry Goldwater, who promised “extremism in the defense of liberty.” The anti-Goldwater landslide entrenched the Great Society in American life. A right-wing populist who loses the 2016 election in a landslide would entrench Obamacare and the rest of President Obama’s legacy. Ultimately, to govern is to win. (c) 2015, Writers Group

Washington

Post

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In The

K tchen Sweet and Sour Turkey Breast Roast By Naomi Nachman

With Thanksgiving coming up next month, I have started testing new turkey recipes. I have always looked forward to this time of the year; it’s usually not too cold outside, and I love the foliage. On Thanksgiving itself, we usually get together with friends and play board games, eat fabulous food and even catch a little football. (Boy, I have become so American!) This week, while I was recipe-testing, I used a turkey breast roast rather than a whole turkey. It was so juicy and moist. Using a temperature probe to help with the cooking helps get the turkey just right and helps prevent overcooking. All poultry should be cooked to the internal temperature of 165°F.

SWEET AND SOUR TURKEY BREAST ROAST For the Turkey Ingredients 5 pound boneless turkey breast roast tied with string Garlic powder Onion powder Paprika Kosher salt Canola oil (enough to cover the bottom of your sauté pan) Preparation Rinse and then pat the turkey dry. Season with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Heat pan, then add oil. Once oil is hot, add turkey and sear on all sides for a few minutes. Place turkey in a baking dish. For the Sauce Ingredients 2 onions, cut into rings 4 carrots, sliced into rings 4 cloves garlic 1 cup ketchup ¾ cup brown sugar Pinch cinnamon 1 can pineapple chunks with liquid 1 cup water 2 TBS cornstarch

Preparation In the same sauté pan, place onions and carrots and cook until soft. Add garlic and stir for two minutes. Add ketchup, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pineapple. Bring the sauce to a boil and then simmer for ﬁve minutes. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water until smooth. Add it to the simmering sauce. Bring back to a boil until sauce thickens, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over turkey and then insert a temperature probe to the thickest part. Cover the turkey. Set the probe to 165 and bake for 1 ½ hours at 350°, making sure to not overcook it as turkey dries out fast. Slice when it has cooled. Serve warm with sauce.

CURRIED BUTTERNUT SQUASH Ingredients 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed 2 TBS olive oil 1 tsp curry powder 1 tsp cumin Salt and pepper, to taste Preparation Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss all ingredients together on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast until fork tender and edges are tinged brown. Serve alongside the turkey roast.

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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Rocky’s

Rant

Article of Faith By Rocky Zweig

have alluded to my illness fairly often within these pages without ever really going into the gory details. Frankly, I never felt it was necessary. Before now, anyway. Now I’m going to have to fill you in on what happened back in February of 2010, so I can tell you the hashgacha pratis story that I’ve been promising you. Remember? There was my dad’s diploma story (I did that), my 47 th Street/Dov Shapiro Esrog story (G-d did that) and now there’s this story (G-d did it, but I get a definite assist). I got deathly ill with what was ultimately diagnosed as Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia back in late January-early February of 2010. Cryptogenic is a fancy word meaning we have no idea where it came from. After it was determined that Beth Israel Hospital on Kings Highway had no idea what to do with me (please understand: this is not an indictment of Beth Israel — there were just a handful of medical facilities in the city that could have handled my case), I was transferred to Columbia Presbyterian. I was immediately put on a respirator and remained on it for about eight or ten days. Upon being weaned from the vent, it was determined that I was still unable to breathe on my own, so a tracheostomy was performed and a tracheotomy tube was inserted. I spent five weeks in Presbyterian, mostly in the MICU, pretty much convinced that I was never going home, and even if I was eventually discharged, I was sure I would have to be tethered to an oxygen source for the rest of my life. There was only one thing of which I was completely certain: I did not want to live that way. But wonder of wonders, on March 15, I was discharged into the care of Silver Lake Specialized Care Center. Silver Lake is a nursing facility on Staten Island that specializes in respiratory problems. It was there that

I was to receive my physical therapy (my arm and leg muscles had atrophied from disuse while I was on the respirator) and hopefully be weaned off the trach. The director of respiratory therapy at Silver Lake is a kind, compassionate, patient human being named Elliot Spiro. He all but guaranteed me that with G-d’s help, he’d free me of my oxygen dependency. After a few weeks, he slowly started “capping” my trach so I’d be breathing nothing but room air. He did it for an hour the first day and increased the time it was capped gradually over the next few days. Soon I was breathing on my own pretty much all day. Shortly thereafter, Elliot came into my room and remove the trach completely. For the first time in three months, I was no longer attached to an oxygen machine. Then he said the three words I had been waiting to hear for what seemed like an eternity: “You’re going home!” Okay, so here comes the amazing stuff. I started a blog about my journey through the medical community, just so that I’d never forget it. I just checked, and it’s actually still there, all 187 posts: http://oxygenquest. blogspot.com. Anyway, then I decided to write an article about it too, so I did. Unfortunately, it was 2011, so I was not yet the world renowned columnist of the world renowned The Jewish Home. In fact, I don’t even know if The Jewish Home even existed back then, did it? Anyone? So I wrote an article and used it as a doily under the Murano Millefiori dish that I put my old esrogim in. But then I felt, sheesh! What a chaval! What with me being a creative genius and all, the article deserves better than that, by gum! It deserves to see the light of day, to be read and enjoyed, and, dare I say, cherished by the masses! So I contacted my old buddy, Yossi Toiv. Yossi Toiv is now called Country Yossi. In fact, I’m not quite

sure he’ll even turn around if you say, “Hey, Yossi Toiv!” Personally? I am guaranteed to turn around if someone calls me Y’rachmiel during Tishrei, but during other months it’s kind of iffy. Actually, calling Yossi my old buddy is something of an overstatement. We know each other because we were both involved in the infancy of the New Wave of Jewish Music started by The Mark Three, The Noam Singers, and the one and only Rabbis’ Sons. Yossi and Josh Goldberg produced The Ohr Chadash; Heshy Walfish and Yehuda Isaacs produced The

this just an exercise in ego-stroking? Was it just about seeing my name in print? Yes, there was a d’var Torah included, but was I actually trying to share something with the readers that was worth sharing or was it all about me? Didn’t take long to find out the answer. A few weeks after the article went to print, Country Yossi emailed me. A woman who had read the article wanted to speak to me, and he wanted to know if it was okay if he gave her my number. I assured him that it was. The call came the next day. It was

What with me being a creative genius and all, the article deserves better than that, by gum! It deserves to see the light of day, to be read and enjoyed, and, dare I say, cherished by the masses! Messengers; Yonah Weinrib, Yaakov Salomon and Bency Schachter produced Simchatone; Rashi Shapiro produced Rashi and the Rishonim; and I was part of Neginah (first album was “Ura,” with that incredibly ugly orange cover). So I contacted Yossi Toiv who I knew a little and asked if he’d be interested in running the article and he said yes. The piece ran in Country Yossi Magazine in 2011. I would tell you the exact issue, but I recently inadvertently threw out the only copy I had, so I am very sad. Strangely, after the article appeared, I started second-guessing my decision to have it published. What was the point? I chided myself. What was my true motivation? Was

a woman with a very gravelly voice, who told me a heartbreaking tale: she was a married chassidishe woman in her 40s who had been so morbidly obese that she literally could not breathe. Her pulmonologist had put in a trach three years earlier. Since then, she had lost one hundred fifty pounds on her own. So, in theory anyway, she should have been able to breathe on her own. Her doctor was unwilling (or unable) to remove her trach. She had gone to see several other specialists as well; no one wanted to touch her. “I’m only in my forties, Mr. Zweig,” she said, her voice cracking, “I can’t take care of my kids. I can’t help my husband. I’m at my wit’s end.”

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

I just listened, not knowing what to say. “I read your article. You have no idea how much chizuk it gave me. Do you think Mr. Spiro will be able to help me? I simply can’t go on like this.” “I don’t know if Elliot can help you,” I said, “but if anyone can, he can.” I gave her the number for Silver Lake and wished her good luck and refuah shelaimah. A few weeks ago I drove out to Silver Lake to interview Elliot for this article. I wanted to know exactly how it all went down. What follows is a direct quote from Elliot: “So she calls me and she says in her raspy voice, ‘Hello, are you Elliot Spiro?’” “Yes, can I help you?” She says, “Well, I read this article in a magazine in Brooklyn, and I need help. I have a trach, and I want to know if you can help me.” “Article?” I said. I wasn’t even aware of the article. Then she says, “Yeah, I spoke to this guy Rocky Zweig,” and I said, “Oh, yeah, I know him.” Anyway, she told me she had a

trach for three years and no one can remove it, and she wanted to know if I could help her. I sent a nurse to her house fill out a PRI [Patient Review Instrument] and we brought her in. When she came in, we changed her trach. While it was being changed, we noticed that she had some granulated tissue growing around the old trach [in laymen’s terms: scar tissue]. This was why she couldn’t tolerate having her trach capped: she had a blockage! So we cauterized the tissue, cleaned it up, and we were able to cap her trach. And because she was now on the thinner side, within about two to three weeks, we had her trach out and she went home, all because of your article…amazing! On my drive back to Brooklyn (I hope you appreciate the toll I had to pay to cross the Verrazano!) all I could think about was why some very high profile pulmonologists had failed this poor woman for so long. There are several obvious, unfortunate answers: they were too busy, they were afraid of being sued, they simply didn’t care. Also, Silver Lake has roughly seventy-five patients

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with tracheotomies under their care at any given time, each of whom they try desperately to send home oxygen-free. So they’ve got a tremendous amount of experience and dedication. But the deeper, more ethereal answers are, as always, more satisfying: Hakadosh Baruch Hu chose Elliot Spiro to be this woman’s shliach and planted the kernel of an idea in my brain to maybe, just maybe, write a silly little article to get her there. Oh, and by the way? She called me a few weeks after she got home to thank me. I never learned anything about her. Don’t know her name, or where she lives, or what she likes to do in her spare time. But I do know she can breathe, and I know that I’m at least partially responsible. Wow, what a feeling. Rocky Zweig has been writing since he was sixteen and was the Editor-in-Chief of the late and decidedly unlamented Modieinu, the mimeographed (remember mimeographs?) newspaper of the Tenth Avenue Pirchei of Boro Park, where he wrote everything from stories to news articles to hashkafa articles to... yes (now it can be told!)...letters to the

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editor. Rocky was sixteen a very long time ago. He is the proud father of three marginally neurotic children. He has been married three — count ‘em — three times and has finally determined that he’s probably not very good at matrimonial bliss. He lives in his Fortress of Solitude in Flatbush with a small menagerie: Clarice, a European Starling; Rabbi Horatio LeZard, a Bearded Dragon; an aquarium filled with Lake Malawi African Cichlids; and a ten gallon tank that functions as a Home for Unwanted Goldfish, or H.U.G., collected over the years by his grandkids and great nieces and nephews at myriad street fairs and carnivals (rather than face the unpleasant task of flushing these unfortunate piscine creatures when they are eventually, inevitably ignored by their own obnoxious progeny, the parents simply call Uncle Rocky who then feeds them and cares for them until their ultimate natural demise three or four or even ten years down the pike). So apparently Rocky seems to get along better with animals than with his fellow homo sapiens. Or sapienses. Or whatever. Rocky’s column will be appearing every other week in The Jewish Home. Rocky can be reached at anidaati@aol.com.

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355 Central Avenue, Lawrence NY 11559 (Across the street from Seasons)

P: 516.791.6100 | F: 516.374.7059

www.WeissmanRealty.com CEDARHURST

FELTER AVENUE

Only

HEWLETT

Lovely 2 bdrm 1 full bth co-op with washer/dryer. Light and bright apt comes with an underground parking spot and a storage unit. Call Sherri 516-297-7995

FAR ROCKAWAY APARTMENT RENTALS

*House Rental – WOODMERE: HOUSE RENTAL – Lovely 5BR Exp-Ranch, Lr, Formal DR, Eik, Den, Lovely Property in “Academy Area”, SD#14...$3,200/mo Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com CEDARHURST 500-3,500 +/- SF Beautiful, newly renovated space for rent. Ideal for Retail or Executive offices. Prime location. Convenient Parking. Call Sam @ 516-612-2433 or 718-747-8080 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom single family condo $2,400 / month. Newly renovated, newly refinished hardwood floors throughout entire house, living room, dining room, large eat in kitchen with pantry, lots of windows, new porcelain flooring, laundry room with washer / dryer, garage, backyard with space for sukkah, access to communal pool, Central Air/heat, parking space, Near Darchei and beach. Call / txt 323-314-8773 or email rivkalock@gmail.com ON SEAGIRT AVENUE 2 & 3 bedroom. Newly renovated. Washer and dryer hook up. Granite countertops. More info call or text 917-602-2914

1 Left!

4 Houses. Brnd New Const. 4 rs. 5BR, 3 full bths + 2 half bths. EIK, LR/DR, den area oﬀ kit. Lndry on 2nd r. Full bsmnt w/ half bth. 4th r has prvte brs and bth. Prvte drvwy. Call Chaya Moller for a showing. 516-506-3347 $625K

FAR ROCKAWAY: Brand new luxurious 2 bedroom apts for rent. Central A/C, washer/dryer hookup, 2 sinks No brokers fee. Call Avrohom Sobel 347-524-6530 Milky Forst Properties

Newly renovated colonial 5/6 Bdrm, 3 Bth split. Hi-end nishings & xtures. Granite kosher kitchen, Full nished basement & attic $899K

INWOOD

Clean and kept 4 bdrm, large kitchen, LR, Den, enclosed porch, beautiful backyard, bsmnt with laundry. Over 2,000 square ft. Great for a family. Asking Call Moshe 516-697-2504 $550K

5 TOWNS & CEDARHURST OFFICES

1-2 Rm executive oﬃces available all utilities & internet included. Varied conference room. Locations & pricing. Call Sherri 516-297-7995 Large 4 room suite 2,250 Sq. Ft. 4 private oﬃces, kitchen and reception, Cedarhurst location. Call Sherri 516-297-7995

#1 Far Rockaway and 5 Towns Rental Specialists

SELLING BEAUTIFUL MAHOGANY AND GOLD DINING ROOM SET. Includes 13-ft. table (which opens up to 16-ft. and is 48in. wide); 14 chairs; 9-foot breakfront; and 8-foot buffet. All in excellent condition. Will enhance your dining room. Asking $7,500 for the set. Call 516-551-4888.

HELP WANTED Hamaspik is looking for Community Habilitation workers to work with special needs individuals in the evening in Far Rockaway, Five towns, and Flushing. Please call 718-408-5401 Seeking dedicated and motivated Elementary School General Studies Teachers, PM Sessions Email: fivetownseducators@gmail.com Licensed Practical Nurse seeks position in homecare with the elderly or pediatric care. I am skilled, caring and dependable. Please call me at 631-759-0025 Physical Therapist Assistants (PTA’s) & Occupational Therapists Assistants (COTA’s)For 200+ bed Nursing Home in Queens. Must have Hospital or Nursing Home experience. Please email resume to promrehab@aol.com

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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Classifieds classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com / text 443-929-4003 HELP WANTED

WANTED:

HELP WANTED

CATAPULT LEARNING

MISC

EXPERIENCED GRAPHIC DESIGNER

THAT KNOWS HOW TO USE A MAC & IS KNOWLEDGEABLE IN ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR, INDESIGN, AND PHOTOSHOP PART TIME: MONDAYS & TUESDAYS

FOR INFO PLEASE CALL: 718 377-8016 OR EMAIL YOUR RESUME TO: graphicdesigner613@gmail.com

Assistant – no experience necessary. Capable, reliable person with computer skills needed for data entry, scanning, filing, project coordination and follow-up. Helping out where needed with opportunity to grow. Please email your resume to FTSadresponse@gmail.com

SALES POSITION $1000/week (based on exp) Unlimited commission potential. 3 positions available Call: Fidelity Payment 516-262-3134 Or apply online: www.fidelitypayment.com/ salescareer

Teachers for Title I in Boro Park andWilliamsburg Chassidic boys schools *College/Yeshiva Degree Required *Strong desire to help children learn *Excellent organizational skills *Small group instruction

Tutors desperately needed for Zichron Etel, a gemach providing free tutoring to those who cannot afford it. Now in Brooklyn and the Five Towns! Kindly visit our website at www.zichronetel.com

*Competitive salary Email resume:

TJH Classifieds Post your Real Estate, Help Wanted, Services, Miscellaneous Ads here.

nyteachers@catapultlearning.com. Fax (718) 381-3493 Seeking teacher assistants for special education pre-school in

Found stroller on Central Avenue. If anyone has lost their stroller or knows someone who has, please contact me at SL11691@yahoo.com

Far Rockaway. Email resume to scohen@onourwaylc.org

Weekly Classifed Ads Up to 5 lines and/or 25 words 1 week ................ $20 $10 2 weeks .............. $35 $17.50 4 weeks .............. $60 $30

Seeking a warm, capable Preschool Teacher for Preschool in Port Washington (near Great Neck) Good pay, beautiful facility and atmosphere. Please email your resume sara@chabadpw.org

Email ads to: classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com Include valid credit card info

Deadline Monday 5:00pm

Senior Jewish looking to rent a garage for storage in or near Far Rockaway ASAP 646-657-3131

Afternoon teachers’ assistant needed, Brooklyn school, immediate opening, email: fivetownseducators@gmail.com

Yehalomim Shelanu Special Programming Presents An after school program for the special children of our neighborhood! Every Monday afternoon from 4:45- 6:15 Fun and educational run by talented and experienced staff Call 516-732-2949 for more information or to register

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Meat Broilers

Family pack

Marinated

Chicken Cutlets

$2.49 Lb.

$4.49 Lb.

$8.99 Lb.

$12.99 Lb.

Family Pack

Chicken Fingers

Family pack

$4.49 Lb.

$5.99 Lb.

$13.99 Lb. $2.49lb.

Ground Beef

Short Ribs

Family pack

whole or cut up

Flanken

Rib Steaks

Chicken Legs

Super Weekly Specials We at Kosher World are proud to have Levi Baron back in The Five Towns / Far Rockaway area.

Sale valid 10/29/15 – 11/04/15. Cash & Carry only. With $10 min. purchase, sale items & cases excluded. Not responsible for typographical errors. While supplies last. May limit quantities

Full Line of Kosher Vitamins

1913 Cornaga Avenue • Far Rockaway • T. 718.471.7555 • F. 718.471.9102

FREE PARKING • FREE DELIVERY • FRIENDLY SERVICE

Store hours: Sun 8-8 • Mon. - Tue. 7-8 • Wed. 7-9 • Thu. 7-10:00 • Fri. 7-1 ½ hour before shabbos

We accept WIC checks & Food Stamps

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Your

Money

Tax Man Makes $1=$10,001 By Allan Rolnick

Here in the United States, Uncle Sam imposes a “progressive” income tax. As your income goes up, so does your tax rate. However, those rates go up incrementally. If you’re married, filing jointly with your spouse, the 39.6% top rate kicks in at $413,201. (We use the term “kicks” deliberately because that’s how it feels when you’re giving Uncle Sam nearly 40 cents on the dollar.)

he good news, if there really is any, is that the higher tax applies only on the amount of income above the new threshold. If your income is $413,201, you’ll pay the higher rate on that 413,201st dollar of income, but no higher on the first $413,200. Paying the higher tax on that last dollar hurts a little more, but not as much as if it meant paying more on every dollar. But not all taxes are progressive

in the same way. Sometimes governments impose taxes on certain transactions that kick in at a certain level but are based on the entire amount. Naturally, those sorts of taxes get buyers and sellers to sit up and take notice before they act. And we may be about to see that effect in one of the country’s frothiest housing markets — the “Big Apple.” In 1989, New York Governor Mario Cuomo signed the “mansion tax” into law. It’s a flat 1% surcharge you pay to close on property costing $1 million or more. Last year, it raised $362 million. That’s a drop in the Empire State’s $72 billion bucket. But it’s a big deal for the buyers! If you pay “just” $999,999 for your new home, your mansion tax is zilch. But pay one dollar more, and you owe the tax on the entire $1 million. That single extra dollar of price just took $10,001 out of your pocket! Back in 1989, $1 million really bought you a mansion. But today in Manhattan, the median sale price is a record-high $999,999, according to the Corcoran Group real estate brokers. You can drop $1 million just for a one-room studio. At the high end, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman just paid $91.5 million for a condo at the One57 building in the heart of 57th Street’s new “Billionaire’s Row.” (He’s not actually going to live there, mind you — he’ll just host an occasional party and

watch his equity climb ever higher.) Drive two hours east to the Hamptons (or better yet, fly 45 minutes on a helicopter) and the story is much the same. A million bucks buys you something the real estate agent might describe as “shabby chic,” but that anyone without

apartment sold there went for $71 million (do the math), it adds up fast! Here’s the lesson for the week. Buying big-ticket items like a house, an apartment, or business equipment can involve much more than just running down to the store

Want to join New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, fashion designer Vera Wang, and the rest of the billionaires hanging their bespoke hats at 740 Park Avenue?

a vested interest in the sale price would just call “shabby.” You’ve really got to make it rain to get something most of us would consider a “mansion.” Governments aren’t the only ones to hustle some extra cash when a property changes hands. Many of the city’s finer cooperative apartments impose a so-called “flip tax” to buy or sell. Want to join New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, fashion designer Vera Wang, and the rest of the billionaires hanging their bespoke hats at 740 Park Avenue? You’ll pay the building an extra 3%. That might not sound like so much — but considering the last

and whipping out your American Express card. And selling those sorts of assets the wrong way can cost you even more. So don’t make those decisions alone. Make sure you have a plan to buy and sell right!

Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 yea rs in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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‫בס״ד‬

YOUR GIFT TO THE FUTURE. E

Make your mark on Five Towns history LIMITED DEDICATION OPPORTUNITIES STILL AVAILABLE AT GROVESTREETMIKVAH.ORG

RECOGNIZE NEED > PURCHASE PROPERTY > DRAW PLANS > POUR FOUNDATION > DRILL WATER WELLS > BOR FOUNDATIONS > STEEL STRUCTURE > POUR BORO

Completed August 2015

A magnificent Mikvah to fit the Five Towns community’s needs Construction underway at 134 Grove Avenue Contact: info@grovestreetmikvah.org | PO Box 485, Cedarhurst NY 11516 Grove Street Mikvah is a non for profit 501c3 organization

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Life C ach

Picture This By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

h my gosh! Look at this gorgeous little baby. That was her at one years old. Oh, and look at her here eating ice cream, it’s all over her face. She was about three there. But now I can’t find her anywhere – except on my cellphone! Remember those days of large picture albums? The hours of perusing old memories. The pictures you’d scream over... • “Seriously, did I really wear my

hair like that? What was I thinking—or did I put my finger in a socket?” • “Did we really ever have a convertible sports car? Now look at us clunking around in a SUV!” • “Everyone thought she was a boy. We thought her hair would never grow in!” Today, I have bookcases full of albums but they kind of stop at the year 2005. After that, it’s almost like

we cease to exist! It was fun having those picture albums at a glance. Not that they don’t take up plenty of space-They do! Not that they don’t fall apart. Not that they weren’t a pain to put together. But they are accessible. And they are shareable and pass-aroundable. And best of all, you can see the pictures, even if you don’t charge a battery! And guess what? You can probably see some of those pictures even without hunting down your reading glasses – a torturous task! And for Sabbath observers, who are forbidden to even touch their cellphones, Shabbos was a great time to sit and

In fact I’m not even sure why people take pictures anymore. No one looks like themselves by the time they are done. look through old albums and bond with family or friends. Now families need to buy even more books and games to keep busy on Shabbos. Let’s just hope the Kindle doesn’t replace actual books and the industry continues to make board games! And get this, though those picture albums could fade a bit, at least the pictures didn’t disappear altogether,

as it does on “snapchat.” A moment captured; a moment gone! I’ll admit that it’s nice not to have to schlep your camera around and to still be able to capture an image. But half the time I’m on my phone when the opportunity arises so I wind up taking a picture of my ear. I have a whole series entitled, “My ear from every angle.” If you’d like to see it, I can send it to you. Also there was something fun about those adjustable lenses on those fancy cameras. You felt so professional turning them around and around and setting up the shot. Now why would you bother? You can change it after the fact. You can change your eye color, crop off parts of the picture, or Photoshop it altogether! In fact I’m not even sure why people take pictures anymore. No one looks like themselves by the time they are done. And can we just discuss selfies?? People’s arms are just not long enough for all the people who they try to stuff in to a “selfie.” And no one really cares how they look or if the whole shot is distorted or just one eye or half their face got in ‘cause, after all, it’s a selfie! Special distortive license exits there. The one good thing I can say about photography these days is that it’s the one safe act of terrorism around. Everyone’s photo bombing – but it’s all in good fun!

Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and career and life coach. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Shulamith School for Girls invites

PROSPECTIVE PARENTS to learn about our

Exciting Program

Unique Hashkafa New Facility

Sunday November 8

8:00pm

At the home of

Stephen & Deborah Plotsker 237 Oakford Street West Hempstead

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