Five Towns Jewish Home - 11-18-21 by The Jewish Home

November 18, 2021

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Song & Tefillos with Ishai Ribo in the Five Towns

72 Hundreds Join in Eretz Hakodesh Shabbaton

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The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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Dear Readers,

ast Shabbos, I was privileged to join the Eretz Hakodesh Shabbaton in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. With every room filled days before Shabbos, I figured that I would know a few people at the event. But truthfully, after spending more than 25 hours with the 300+ people who attended the Shabbaton, I came away feeling as if we were all part of one family. Outwardly, we may have looked very different from each other and may have represented different stripes of the charedi American community. There were Lubavitcher chassidim conversing with Ger chassidim. Lakewood businessmen chatting with schoolteachers from Chicago. Female executives speaking with full-time mothers. Kippah seruga-wearing Israelis davening next to black hatters. But all those who attended the Eretz Hakodesh Shabbaton were united with one cause that is dear to their hearts: their love for Eretz Yisroel and their desire to maintain kedushas Eretz Yisroel. And, when you spend time with so many Jews united in one mission, how can you not become friends? Over Shabbos, we were privileged to hear from many speakers who explained clearly why there is such a need for Eretz Hakodesh, what has been accomplished, and what the future goals are for the organization. For those of you who are not familiar with Eretz Hakodesh, I’m sure you are not alone. The group was formed only a few years ago. And even though it may have created a tremendous amount of noise when it was started, it is still a young organization. Rabbi Pesach Lerner, of Far Rockaway, is the force behind Eretz Hakodesh. A few years ago, Rabbi Lerner set out to create a charedi slate in the World Zionist Organization. Few in the charedi world understood that being part of the World Zionist Organization is key to maintaining kedushas Eretz Yisrael. Because so many programs and funds

are implemented by WZO-supported entities in Israel, without charedi representation, charedi programs and values were being left out of important discussions and policy changes. Rabbi Lerner wanted the charedi community to have a seat at the table. It wasn’t just his desire. Gedolei Yisroel gave him brachos and understood the value of what he was creating. Armed with their encouragement and a powerful team, Eretz Hakodesh managed to bring in an unprecedented amount of votes for a newly formed slate in the 2020 elections. Those thousands of votes earned the charedi community representation on committees and boards in WZO affiliates. The Shabbaton highlighted the importance of being on those committees. Each speaker who spoke over the Shabbaton gave attendees a clear understanding of EHK activities. As a delegate to the World Zionist Congress on the Eretz Hakodesh slate, I was thrilled to meet with my counterparts – many of whom I only knew of from their comments on our WhatsApp group. To schmooze in person, to hear about why they wanted to get involved, and to learn more about them personally was a real treat. One speaker over Shabbos spoke in Hebrew, as he was not comfortable addressing the crowd in English. Although they had a translator explaining his thoughts for attendees in English, I couldn’t get enough of hearing his words in Hebrew. The Hebrew language is so descriptive and eloquent; I felt his passion come through in the words he chose to bring across his points. Love of Eretz Yisroel and a drive to maintain the kedusha of the Holy Land was the underlying theme over Shabbos. After spending Shabbos with so many likeminded individuals, I feel privileged to be part of this movement. Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

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PUBLISHER

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editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Nate Davis Editorial Assistant Nechama Wein Copy Editor Rachel Bergida Berish Edelman Mati Jacobovits Design & Production Gabe Solomon Distribution & Logistics P.O. BOX 266 Lawrence, NY 11559 Phone | 516-734-0858 Fax | 516-734-0857 Classified Deadline: Monday 5:00PM classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com text 443-929-4003 PAYMENT VIA CREDIT CARD MUST BE SUBMITTED ALONG WITH CLASSIFIED ADS The Jewish Home is an independent weekly magazine. Opinions expressed by writers are not necessarily the opinions of the publisher or editor. The Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The Jewish Home contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly.

Shabbos Zemanim

Weekly Weather | November 19– November 25

Yitzy Halpern

Partly Cloudy

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Friday, November 19 Parshas Vayishlach Candle Lighting: 4:15 pm Shabbos Ends: 5:17 pm Rabbeinu Tam: 5:46 pm

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Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll Community Happenings

8 46

NEWS

108

Global

National

That’s Odd

ISRAEL Israel News

World Builders

JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Wein on the Parsha

The Many Faces of Evil by Rav Moshe Weinberger

Delving into the Daf by Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

PEOPLE The Wandering Jew

A Walk Down Memory Lane by Avi Heiligman

124

HEALTH & FITNESS She was Angry by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn

Healthy Traveling by Aliza Beer, MS RD

FOOD & LEISURE Emotional Support Chickens, Artisan Sourdough Pizza, and More at Kosherfest

104

TJH Speaks with Rivky Kleiman, Cookbook Author

108

A Sampling of Simply

112

The Aussie Gourmet: Pumpkin Challah

116

LIFESTYLES

Dear Editor, Although the overall topic of Rav Moshe’s teshuva pertains to a younger brother getting married before an older brother, at the very end of his teshuva, he is quite clear that a person is “required” to get married by twenty. Although not mentioned in the advertisement, in the teshuva, Rav Moshe adds that single men who aren’t married by twenty must seek merits in order to save themselves from the punishment mentioned in the Gemara that applies to older single men. Addressing the purported lack of maturity of younger men, Rav Binyonim Cohen, in his recently-published Chelkas Binyamin on Pru Urvu, argues that lack of maturity, if it is a heter to delay marriage, cannot be a blanket heter. Thus, parents must evaluate the maturity level of their son in order to determine whether he is permitted to delay his marriage before allowing him to delay. I would apply the following rule of thumb: If your son is old enough to drive, he is old enough to date. Ashi Lederer Dear Editor, The word Vayishlach brings to mind another parsha, Shlach. Both scenarios seem to share a commonality: there was a sending out in order to be safe. Why then is Yaakov

not punished for his sending out, but the mergalim are punished? It may be postulated that Yaakov lived on a plane called “Esav soneh Yaakov,” with an eternal struggle where only one side could prevail. In this struggle, it was imperative for Yaakov to take any action that was within that rubric. If at that moment Esav needed pacification within the struggle, then it was the proper thing to do. The meraglim, however, lived within an emunah rubric. All they needed to have was trust in G-d and no action would have been necessary. This didn’t relate to a power struggle but a choice of faith. This eternal struggle manifests itself in the yetzer hara as well, where we must take action to ensure Heavenly assistance. Steven Genack Dear Editor, I would like to publicize an incredible act of chessed which Achiezer, along with my wife, Sara, performed recently. About a month and a half ago, my elderly neighbor, who lived alone, was discovered to have passed away. The police and ambulances came as expected. But what was unusual was that Rabbi Baruch Ber Bender was at the scene as Continued on page 10

Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW 92

134

Parenting Pearls

100

Just Love Them by Shmuel Blitz

102

Your Money

132

Readers’ Recommendations by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS 134 HUMOR Centerfold 76 POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes

118

The Danger of Critical Race Theory by Marc A. Thiessen

121

The Attempted Assassination of Iraq’s Prime Minister by David Ignatius

122

Xi’s Heavy-Handed Reforms of China’s Tech Sector by David Ignatius

123

CLASSIFIEDS

128

If you had to choose, would you prefer to have your home a little chilly or a little too warm?

Little chilly

Little too warm

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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have opted to cremate if it not for the hard work of my wife, Rabbi Bender, and Shalom Jaroslowitz of Achiezer. My wife was in touch with the nifteres’s brother, cousin, and Achiezer for a week and a half. After going though loads of red tape, Mr. Jaroslowitz was able to arrange for a Jewish burial for my neighbor at no cost to her family. In fact, there was even a minyan for the levaya. I feel terribly that our neighbor had died alone. We certainly could have tried harder to form a more meaningful relationship. Her family was incredibly grateful to my wife and Achiezer for stepping in at a difficult time. I’m sure this story is one of many that goes unnoticed. Achiezer was able to help us complete a Chessed Shel Emes that this unaffiliated family, and we, will never forget. We are lucky to live in a community where such an organization exists. If someone knows of a family member or neighbor who needs help in these similar matters, lo aleinu, Achiezer is there to help. Jay Nathanson Dear Editor, Kudos to you for printing Sarah Rayvych’s article on children and their bodies in this week’s issue. These are important conversations to have. In an effort to be more “tziniusdik,” we sometimes don’t talk to kids about their bodies. But then those kids grow up and can’t speak clearly to doctors or medical personnel about their body parts. It’s a shame. Shirley Harnick

Continued from page 8

Make your voice heard! Be part of TJH’s weekly poll. Email the editor to be included in the weekly poll at Editor@FiveTownsJewishHome.com

well. I was told that it is common practice for the authorities to reach out to Achiezer or Hatzolah in the case of somebody dying alone, in case, there are religious matters to consider. My neighbor, Joan Dimen, a”h, did not have much family, and she did not have any children. There were no plans for a burial. The family that she did have would

Dear Editor, I am gratified that you chose to feature an Olympics-hopeful on your cover. He, too, is a role model for our children. Too often, we only feature gedolim as role models for the future generations. But not all our children will connect with gedolim, as the lofty heights they have reached are not always approachable for children living in our times. Edelman shows children that they can be proud Jews, shomer Shabbat, and involved in sports and other secular activities. Our children should grow up to be proud Jews and proud of following Torah values – regardless of where they end up in life. Chanan Rappaport

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NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

The Week In News BY MIMI'S WIG STUDIO

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It seemed as if another plague came to Egypt this week, when swarms of scorpions descended upon residents. Extreme weather – including heavy rain, hail, and dust storms – is being blamed for the scourge of stinging insects. Hundreds of people in Aswan were stung on Friday; at least three people died from their injuries. The rains forced the scorpions and snakes from their underground hideaways. Seeking shelter, they made their way into people’s homes. The fat-tailed scorpion, one of the most dangerous scorpion species in the world, lives in Egypt. The Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram reported, citing a health ministry official, that those who were injured have been hospitalized and are receiving treatment. Authorities have provided extra amounts of anti-venom medication to medical units in villages near Aswan. People have been urged to stay at home and avoid places with lots of trees.

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The last South African president to hold office during apartheid died of cancer at age 85 last week.

Frederik Willem de Klerk died of mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer that destroys the lining in the lungs. In a video released hours after his death, de Klerk apologized for the damages caused by apartheid. In that clip, de Klerk said, “I, without qualification, apologize for the pain and the hurt and the indignity and the damage that apartheid has done to black, brown, and Indians in South Africa. “Allow me in this last message to share with you the fact that since the early ‘80s, my views changed completely. It was as if I had a conversion. And in my heart of hearts, I realized that apartheid was wrong. I realized that we had arrived at a place which was morally unjustifiable.” In 1993, de Klerk jointly won a Noble Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela after eradicating segregation between black and white South Africans during apartheid. De Klerk also brought about Mandela’s release in 1993, allowing him to become the country’s first Black president a year later.

Austria: Lockdown for Unvaccinated

According to Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg, Austria will be being implementing lockdown measures this week for those older than 12 years old who are not fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Austria only boasts a 65% vaccination rate, one of the lower rates in the European Union where cases are surging. Under the measures announced on Sunday, the unvaccinated are ordered to stay home except for a few limited reasons; the rules will be policed by officers carrying out spot checks on those who are out. The lockdown plan, which was agreed to in September, called for unvaccinated Austrians to face a stay-at-home order once 30% of intensive-care beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients. Unvaccinated peo-

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

ple are already excluded from entertainment venues, restaurants, hairdressers, and other parts of public life in Austria. Austria is not alone with its lockdown measures. A three-week partial lockdown was announced in the Netherlands last Friday evening, as health officials are seeing a rapid rise in cases there. “Tonight we are bringing a very unpleasant message with very unpleasant and far-reaching measures,” Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in a televised address, ordering restaurants, supermarkets and non-essential retailers to close early and reimposing social distancing measures. “The virus is everywhere and needs to be combated everywhere.” Norway also announced new measures on Friday, while people in the German capital Berlin are preparing for fresh restrictions that come into place on Monday. Berlin announced last Wednesday it will ban people who are not vaccinated from indoor dining, bars, gyms, hairdressers and cinemas. For the second consecutive week, Europe was the only region in the world where cases and deaths were found to be climbing in the World

Health Organization’s weekly global report. Between November 1 and 7, there was a 1% increase in new weekly cases, the update said, and just over 3.1 million new cases were reported. The region also reported a 10% increase in new deaths over the last week.

Indonesia: Crypto Not Kosher

The use of crypto assets as currencies is not compliant with Sharia law and should be prohibited for Muslims, Indonesia’s religious authority recently declared. India’s top Muslim cleric body, the National Ulema Council, ruled that cryptocurrencies are “haram,” or banned, due to the wagering they involve, as well as due to their element of uncertainty and the harm ‫ב"ה‬

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they may cause. However, crypto-assets may be traded as commodities if they exhibit clear benefits and can abide by Sharia law, head of religious decrees Asrorun Niam Sholeh said following a Thursday hearing. The council’s ruling is nonbinding. According to Reuters, the trade ministry said that the total value of crypto trading in Indonesia reached $25.96 billion between January and May 2021. The Indonesian government does not limit digital asset trading or investments. It is not clear how the new ruling will affect India’s crypto trading.

Yemen: Iran-Backed Militants Storm U.S. Embassy The U.S. State Department is working to secure the release of several hostages who were taken by Iranbacked militants in Yemen last week. On Wednesday, a group of Houthi rebels reportedly stormed the U.S. Embassy compound in Sa-

na’a, Yemen, seeking “large quantities of equipment and materials,” regional reports translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) said.

MEMRI noted, “The alleged raid comes after the Houthis kidnapped three Yemeni nationals affiliated with the U.S. Embassy from one of the employee’s private residences in Sana’a on November 5.” The institute added that at least 22 other Yemenis have also been kidnapped by Houthis in recent weeks, “most of whom worked on the security staff guarding the embassy grounds.” Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department confirmed that the Houthis stole property following the raid and that the Yemenis have been detained “without explanation.” A U.S. State Department spokesperson shared, “The United States has been unceasing in its diplomat-

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ic efforts to secure their release. The majority of the detained have been released, but the Houthis continue to detain additional Yemeni employees of the embassy.” The spokesman said that those who have not been released are “detained without explanation, and we call for their immediate release.” The State Department also promised that the Biden administration will “continue its diplomatic efforts to secure the release of our staff and the vacating of our compound, including through our international partners.” The U.S. is also “concerned about the breach of the compound” and called on the Houthis to “immediately vacate it and return all seized property.” MEMRI noted that among those held by the Houthis are an economic officer, an employee of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and a former Embassy employee. Within a month of taking office, President Joe Biden removed the foreign-terrorist organization designation placed on the Houthis by the Trump administration. The designation had cut the Houthis “off from financial support and other material resources that are routed through U.S. banks or other American institutions.”

Deadly Protests in Sudan Six people have died during marches against the military takeover in Sudan, the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (CCSD) said on Sunday.

Five of those victims were killed by military forces on Saturday during the marches. The sixth, who died on Sunday, was a 15-year-old who passed away after suffering bullet wounds to the stomach.

CCSD also said that there had been “numerous injuries from live ammunition and the brutality of the military” across Sudan’s capital of Khartoum. There have also been reports of difficulties transporting the injured to hospitals. The marches are in protest of a Thursday declaration by General Abdel Fatah al-Burhan, head of Sudan’s Armed forces, of a new ruling sovereign council. Al Jazeera reported that the home of its Khartoum bureau chief, El Musalmi El Kabbashi, was raided over the weekend by Sudan’s military authorities. El Kabbashi himself was arrested. In a press statement, Al Jazeera wrote, “Al Jazeera condemns in the strongest terms the reprehensible actions of the military and calls on the authorities to release El Kabbashi immediately and to allow its journalists to operate unhindered, free to practice their profession without fear or intimidation.” It added, “In a world in which the media and journalists face increasing threats, Al Jazeera views this

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

as an attack on press freedom as a whole and calls on international human rights and media organizations to condemn this infringement of journalists’ safety.” The Sudanese police said that they did not use firearms during the protests and that the protests began peacefully but escalated later. They also said that nearly 40 police officers were injured, and police stations were attacked, leading to arrests.

UK Car Explosion

UK police have arrested at least four young men following a car explosion at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital over the weekend. The explosion killed the terrorist, Emad Al Swealmeen, 32, and left a second injured. It has been deemed

an act of terrorism. According to a Sunday tweet by the Great Manchester Police, “Officers in Merseyside have arrested three men — aged 29, 26 & 21 — in the Kensington area of Liverpool under the Terrorism Act.” Another person was arrested shortly thereafter. According to police, “So far we understand that the car involved was a taxi which pulled up at the hospital shortly before the explosion occurred.” After initial investigations, it was determined that the passenger in the taxi was holding the improvised explosive device. In a tweet, Liverpool Mayor Joanne Anderson called the news “unsettling and upsetting.” UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted, “My thoughts are with all those affected by the awful incident in Liverpool today. I want to thank the emergency services for their quick response and professionalism, and the police for their ongoing work on the investigation.” The driver of the taxi, David Perry, who was injured, is being hailed as a hero as he locked the doors of the taxi once he realized that the passenger had a bomb, thus decreasing possible casualties.

Gadhafi’s Son for President?

Seif al-Islam, son of late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, announced on Sunday that he would run in the country’s upcoming presidential election. Al-Islam is Gadhafi’s one-time heir apparent, and he is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of crimes against humanity. The crimes were allegedly committed in the first weeks of the 2011 uprising. In a video shared by an election official, Seif al-Islam, 49, emphasized that G-d will decide the right path for the country’s future. Al-Islam has stayed out of the limelight for years. In July of this year he gave his first public appearance in an interview with The New York Times.

“It is time for a return to the past. The country – it’s on its knees... There’s no money, no security. There’s no life here,” al-Islam told the newspaper. ICC spokesman Fadi El Abdallah declined to comment on al-Islam’s candidacy. “The Court doesn’t comment on political issues. As for the legal side, there is a pending warrant of arrest and that hasn’t changed,” the site quoted him as saying. Among the others expected to submit their candidacy for president of Libya soon are military commander Khalifa Haftar, Parliament Speaker Agila Saleh, and former Interior Minister Fathi Bashaga. Elections are scheduled for December 24.

New Labor Laws

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The country recently passed new labor laws which include a ban on bosses contacting employees outside of working hours. The new labor laws were passed by Portugal’s Parliament earlier this month and were introduced following an increase in people working from home amid the coronavirus pandemic. A document proposing the new labor laws, published at the end of October, explained that workers should have the right to at least 11 consecutive hours of “night rest,” during which they should not be interrupted unless for emergencies. The rules also require employers to contribute to their staff’s work-fromhome expenses, such as internet and electricity. In addition, bosses will be expected to meet with members of staff face-to-face every two months. Ana Mendes Godinho, Portugal’s minister of labor, solidarity, and social security, said at the recent Web Summit in Lisbon that the pandemic had shown telecommuting was a “game changer, giving workers the power to decide where and from who they want to work from.” Employers who do not abide by the new rules could be fined, but the laws

reportedly do not apply to companies with fewer than 10 members of staff. Not all of the proposed rules were approved by lawmakers, however. For instance, the Portuguese Parliament did not pass a proposal to give workers the “right to disconnect” and turn off their work devices at the end of the day. Data has shown that people have been working longer hours while at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

Taliban Parades with U.S. Weapons

spokesman Enayatullah Khwarazmi, the military parade was connected to the graduation of 250 newly-trained soldiers. The military exercise involved dozens of U.S.-made M117 armored security vehicles, as well as MI-17 helicopters overhead and soldiers carrying U.S.-made M4 assault rifles. The equipment was taken by the Taliban after Western forces left Afghanistan in August. When the U.S. forces fled, they destroyed over 70 aircraft and dozens of armored vehicles. Other aircraft were flown into neighboring countries by fleeing Afghan forces. Still, scores of weapons were left for the terrorist group to use. It is not clear how many of the aircraft adopted by the Taliban are operational.

Skirmishes at Poland-Belarus Border The Taliban forces on Sunday held a military parade in Kabul, Afghanistan, using Russian helicopters and U.S.-made armored vehicles. According to Defense Ministry

On Tuesday, violence erupted on the border between Poland and Belarus when migrants, trying to get into the European Union, threw stones at Polish border guards who

responded with water cannon and tear gas. Polish and Belarusian authorities have blamed one another for the ratcheting of tensions on the border, where thousands of people have traveled in the hope of making it into the EU only to find themselves stuck in freezing conditions.

There were chaotic scenes on the Bruzgi-Kuźnica border crossing, where crowds of migrants could be seen breaking up concrete blocks and gathering tree branches to throw toward the Polish side. Seven police officers were injured after being hit by projectiles, according to the Polish police. Women and children who, just a day before, had been camped out in tents near the border fence had moved back, and men, many of them voicing their anger about being left in limbo in awful conditions, were amassing in the most dramatic clashes to date.

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“We are fighting to stay alive,” one man said. The Polish Border Guard said on Tuesday that migrants camped out near the Bruzgi-Kuźnica checkpoint were behaving “aggressively,” throwing stones and various objects at the Polish services. “In order to prevent illegal border crossing, water cannons were used against aggressive foreigners,” the security agency said on Twitter. It is unclear what sparked Tuesday’s confrontations but there is a growing sense of frustration among migrants that Europe is not welcoming them. They’re now facing conditions the United Nations has called “catastrophic,” suffering from hunger and hypothermia camped out in flimsy tents in makeshift camps at the border. Rumors have been swirling over the past 48 hours in the camps that the Polish government might open the border and allow a humanitarian corridor through to Germany. Poland has adamantly denied this, and people amassed in the area have received text messages from Polish authorities saying the information was a “total lie and nonsense.” The SMS message reads in part: “Poland won’t let migrants pass to

Germany. It will protect its border. Don’t get fooled, don’t try to take any action.” The crisis has led the EU to prepare fresh sanctions on Belarus, which it accuses of manufacturing the crisis on the bloc’s eastern frontier.

Russian Weapons Test Threatens Astronauts

A Russian weapons test created more than 1,500 pieces of space junk now threatening the seven astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The U.S. State Department confirmed that the debris was from an old Russian satellite destroyed by the missile. “Needless to say, I’m outraged. This is unconscionable,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. “It’s un-

believable that the Russian government would do this test and threaten not only international astronauts, but their own cosmonauts that are on board the station” as well as the three people on China’s space station. In condemning Russia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said satellites were also now in jeopardy. The test clearly demonstrates that Russia, “despite its claims of opposing the weaponization of outer space, is willing to … imperil the exploration and use of outer space by all nations through its reckless and irresponsible behavior,” Blinken said in a statement. Once the threat became clear early Monday morning, the four Americans, one German and two Russians on board the station were ordered to immediately seek shelter in their docked capsules. They spent two hours in the two capsules, finally emerging only to have to close and reopen hatches to the station’s individuals labs on every orbit, or 1 ½ hours, as they passed near or through the debris. By the end of the day, only the hatches to the central core of the station remained open, as the crew slept. Even a fleck of paint can do major damage when orbiting at 17,500 mph

(28,000 kph). Something big, upon impact, could be catastrophic. NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, who’s midway through a yearlong mission, called it “a crazy but well-coordinated day” as he bid Mission Control good night. “It was certainly a great way to bond as a crew, starting off with our very first work day in space,” he said. A similar weapons test by China in 2007 also resulted in countless debris. One of those pieces threatened to come dangerously close to the space station last week. Anti-satellite missile tests by the U.S. in 2008 and India in 2019 were conducted at much lower altitudes, well below the space station at about 260 miles (420 kilometers.) The defunct Russian satellite Cosmos 1408 was orbiting about 40 miles (65 kilometers) higher.

Xi Jinping Holding Onto Power Chinese President Xi Jinping has been named by senior party officials as the nation’s most powerful head of

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state in decades. In their Thursday meeting, the officials also reassessed their party’s 100-year history and elevated Xi to the level of Mao Zedong

According to a statement from the officials, Xi’s leadership “has solved many tough problems that were long on the agenda but never resolved and accomplished many things that were wanted but never got done. With this, it has prompted historic achievements and historic shifts in the cause of the party and the country.” Equating Xi to Mao significantly raises the likelihood that Xi will win a third five-year term when elections are held in January 2022. China had a two-term limit for its leaders, but Xi eliminated it in 2018. As of now, he does not have anyone challenging him to lead the Communist country.

instigator himself. In this context, it’s hard to guarantee there won’t be other Ma Chun-mans.” Ma had pleaded not guilty to the charges. He did not testify, and one of his lawyers, Chris Ng, told reporters that he was not sure if Ma – the second to be convicted under the new security law – would appeal. Another defense attorney, Edwin Choy, said Ma’s chants and slogans were empty and had no real impact. He emphasized that Ma has not been violent and was not someone who promotes violence. In a letter to the judge signed with his nickname, Ma wrote, “I do not feel any regret. On my road to democracy and freedom, I can’t afford to be a coward.”

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A Hong Kong activist was jailed for nearly six years on Thursday. The activist, nicknamed “Captain America 2.0,” was ruled to be in violation of a security law when the court decided that he was promoting independence from China. In October, District Court Judge Stanley Chan ruled that Ma Chunman, a 31-year-old former delivery man who wore a superhero’s shield at protests, was guilty of inciting secession due to the statements he made to the media, the placards he held, and the slogans he chanted. According to the judge, “The defendant was incited by some politician, and he eventually became an

The Tel Aviv Family Court on Monday ruled that Eitan Biran, 6, who lost his parents and younger brother in a cable car crash in May, must be returned to Italy. In her ruling, Judge Iris Ilotovich-Segal rejected the claim of Eitan’s maternal grandfather, Shmuel Peleg, that the child’s place of residence was Israel, since his parents were Israeli and were in Italy for university studies. She also rejected the claim that Eitan’s paternal aunt Aya Biran did not have custody rights. According to the court ruling, Peleg violated Aya Biran’s custody rights in bringing the child to Israel without her knowledge or consent. “The court did not accept the grandfather’s claim that Israel was the minor’s regular residence, nor the claim that the minor had two regular residences – Israel and Italy. The minor, a six-year-old boy, moved with his entire family to Italy when

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

he was only a month old,” Judge Ilotovich-Segal wrote in her ruling. She added, “When the grandfather came with the minor to Israel, the grandfather removed the minor from his normal place of residence, an unlawful removal, thereby violating the rights of custody. This is not a decision regarding the benefit of the minor; the continuation of the conflict in Italy must be allowed.” The court also ruled that Peleg must pay court expenses amounting to NIS 70,000 ($22,539). Following the Israeli court’s ruling, an Italian court issued an international arrest warrant for Shmuel Peleg, on suspicion that he kidnapped his grandson.

Joint Maritime Exercise The militaries of Israel, the U.S., Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) kicked off last Wednesday a multilateral maritime security operations exercise, the U.S. Naval Forces Command Central (NAVCENT) said. The Red Sea exercise lasted five days and is the first public naval ex-

ercise Israel has held with the UAE and Bahrain since the signing of the Abraham Accords last year.

According to NAVCENT, the exercise includes training on the USS Portland and will “enhance interoperability between participating forces’ maritime interdiction teams.” Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of NAVCENT, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces, said, “Maritime collaboration helps safeguard freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade, which are essential to regional security and stability.” On Sunday, November 7, Iran kicked off a military exercise including air, ground, and naval forces, operating from the area north of the Indian Ocean to parts of the Red Sea. The Iranian exercise also integrated the use of drones, manned aircraft, special forces, and defensive and offensive missile systems.

Shin Bet Chief Met with Abbas

New Shin Bet security service chief Ronen Bar met last week with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. The two reportedly discussed security coordination in the West Bank and efforts to reach a long-term ceasefire between Israel and the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group. This was the first time the two have met. The new government, which took office in June, has taken steps to boost trust with the Palestinians, despite the fact that there are currently no public peace talks being held with the Palestinian Authority. Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Abbas in August, the first such public meeting between high-level Israeli and Palestinian officials in over

a decade. At a briefing following the meeting, Gantz called for the PA to be bolstered as a bulwark against Hamas and other terror groups. In October, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz and Regional Development Minister Isawi Frej, both from the left-wing Meretz party, met with Abbas in Ramallah. Horowitz said after the meeting that his party was working to “keep the two-state solution alive” within Israel’s current government, which is headed by the right-wing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Abbas has reportedly for months been trying unsuccessfully to hold a meeting with Ra’am party leader Mansour Abbas. Ra’am, an Arab Israeli Islamist party, is also a member of the Israeli government coalition. On Sunday, Bar reportedly visited Egypt for talks with his Egyptian counterpart that also addressed Gaza. He was reportedly part of an Israeli delegation to Cairo that included Bennett’s national security adviser, Eyal Hulata. The meeting, like previous ones in recent months, was aimed at discussing the situation in the Gaza Strip and the continuation of a potential comprehensive long-term truce process with the Hamas terror group.

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Fatal Shooting in German Colony

One person was killed and a second was injured in a Sunday shooting in Jerusalem’s German Colony neighborhood. The incident occurred near the city’s Orient Hotel. Both victims are residents of one of Jerusalem’s Arab neighborhoods. One of the victims, a man in his 30s, was treated at the scene and was evacuated in critical condition to a Jerusalem hospital, where he later died of his wounds. The other victim suffered light injuries. Initial investigations show that the incident was criminal, and not nationalist, in nature, and that the two victims worked together at a nearby construction site. United Hatzalah EMT Yishai Solomon, who was one of the first re-

sponders at the scene, said, “Together with other EMS personnel, I treated two people who were injured; one was in critical condition and another was in moderate condition. “We performed CPR on the young man who was in critical condition at the scene of the incident. Additionally, we also treated a man in his 40s who was transported by a United Hatzalah ambulance to Shaare Zedek in moderate condition.”

3 Top Mossad Officials Resign Three senior officials in Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency announced that they would resign following decisions by new Mossad chief David Barnea. According to Channel 13, the resignations took place over the past few weeks, and the three officials who resigned were at the top of the agency, comparable to major-generals in the IDF. Reports said that the three who quit were the head of operations, head of the technology division, and head of the counter-terrorism branch. The reports added that a fourth senior offi-

cial is also considering stepping down. Barnea has worked in the Mossad for 25 years and was appointed to be former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen’s deputy in 2019. In June of this year, Barnea took the reins of the spy agency from Cohen. It is claimed that the officials’ resignation was directly connected to organizational decisions made by Barnea regarding division of responsibilities and splitting existing branches.

New Electronic Warfare Systems

The Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) on Thursday revealed a unique family of new electronic warfare (EW) systems capable of combatting a variety of threats, including UAVs, ships, missiles, and radar systems. The “Scorpius” family of systems scans the entire surrounding area for targets, deploying narrowly focused beams to interfere with multiple threats and disrupting the operations of electromagnetic systems, including radar, navigation, electronic sensors, and data communications. The Scorpius also has “unprecedented” sensitivity and transmission power. The family includes five systems: ground, naval, air - self-protection, air - standoff jammer, and training. The training system was used during the recent international Blue Flag exercise. IAI Intelligence Division General Manager Adi Dulberg said, “The modern battlefield depends on the electromagnetic domain for sensing, communications and navigation. Protecting the use of the electromagnetic domain for our forces, while denying its use by the enemy, has become mission-critical for success in combat and for ensuring the superiority of our forces in the field.” He added, “The new technology, developed by IAI’s talented engineers, tips the scale of electronic warfare, providing world-first breakthrough capabilities for electronic defense and disrupting enemy systems.”

Israeli Couple Held in Turkey

A Turkish court on Friday decided to extend the remand of an arrested Israeli couple by 20 days. Mordy and Natali Oknin were arrested last week for photographing the palace of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erodgan. Although initial reports said they would be deported, according to Channel 12 News, the couple is suspected of espionage and the Turkish court has extended their remand. Channel 12 reported that, during the Friday hearing, a representative of the Turkish prosecutor’s office claimed that the couple photographed security positions and cameras, marked their photos, and sent them to a third party. Meanwhile, a local lawyer representing the Israelis said that they did not know it was forbidden to photograph Erdogan’s palace and that the photos were intended for their family. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid), and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud) have all spoken with the Oknins and emphasized that Israel is doing all it can to bring the pair home. The Foreign Ministry also said that the couple does not have connections to anyone in the Israeli government and is not acting on behalf of any government body. On Monday, the Turkish government approved a visit by representatives of Israel’s Consulate in Istanbul. A date for the visit has not yet been set. In a Sunday statement, Bennett emphasized the couple’s innocence and said, “The Foreign Minister and I, and additional officials, dealt with this throughout the weekend. These are two innocent civilians who have been mistakenly caught up in a complex situation. I spoke yesterday with the family, and we are doing everything to resolve the issue. I asked that the family stay strong, despite the great difficulty. We are with you. Beyond this, it would not be proper to detail at the moment.”

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Israel Participates in Dubai Defense Exhibition American Released from Myanmar Prison

The Israel Ministry of Defense will inaugurate the first-ever national pavilion in a defense exhibition in Dubai and will lead a delegation of Israeli defense industries participating in the event. “The partnership between Israel and the UAE, which has been expanding since the signing of the Abraham Accords, is a strategic asset,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz (Blue and White) said. “The participation of the Ministry of Defense in the exhibition reflects the deepening relations between our countries. I congratulate Sibat and all the Israeli industries for their participation in this important exhibition and am positive that this will serve as a launch board for further cooperation.” Israel’s pavilion will be headed by the Directorate for International Defense Cooperation (SIBAT) in the Israel Ministry of Defense. Sibat will establish an Israeli pavilion at “Dubai Airshow,” with the national pavilion inaugurated by the Head of Sibat, Brig. Gen. (Res.) Yair Kulas, along with senior members of Israel’s defense establishment and the managers of participating defense industries. The defense industries participating in the exhibition include: Elbit Systems, IAI, Rafael, Tomer Astronautics, Nir Or, and UVision, the Defense Ministry said. Head of Sibat Brig. Gen. (Res.) Yair Kulas noted, “The opening of an Israeli national pavilion in Dubai is a new and historic component in the strengthening relations between Israel and the UAE. “We are thrilled to have an opportunity to participate in this important exhibition and to showcase the advanced technological capabilities of Israel’s defense industries. Within the framework of the exhibition, we plan to hold numerous meetings to discuss new areas of collaboration.”

Danny Fenster hugged his parents on Tuesday morning at JFK Airport in New York. It had been six months since he was jailed by Myanmar’s military rulers and only one day after he was finally pardoned and released from prison. “It feels incredible,” the 37-yearold journalist said. Fenster arrived on U.S. shores with former U.S. diplomat Bill Richardson, who helped facilitate his release. “It’s a moment that I have been imagining so intensely for so long,” he told reporters. “It surpasses everything I imagined.” Fenster was handed an 11-year sentence last week for incitement, unlawful association, and breaching visa rules. He was freed on Monday, a day before he was to face terror and sedition charges that could have seen him jailed for life, and flew to the Qatari capital Doha. Myanmar’s military has squeezed the press since taking power in a February coup, arresting dozens of journalists critical of its crackdown, which has killed more than 1,200 people, according to a local monitoring group. Fenster had been working at Frontier Myanmar, a local outlet in the Southeast Asian country, for around a year and was arrested as he headed home to see his family in May. The junta said Fenster was pardoned and released on “humanitarian grounds,” ending 176 days spent in a colonial-era prison where many of Myanmar’s most famous dissidents have been held. His release was secured following “face-to-face negotiations” between Richardson and junta chief Min Aung Hlaing. Fenster was granted a pardon and

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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release with a “view to maintaining friendly relations between nations,” a report in state-run Global New Light of Myanmar said Tuesday. More than 100 journalists have been arrested since the putsch, according to Reporting ASEAN, a monitoring group. At least 30 are still in detention.

Pentagon Demands Vaccines for National Guard

The U.S. Department of Defense on Saturday emphasized that it will stick to its vaccine mandate for members of the National Guard, despite Oklahoma’s new Adjutant General Thomas Mancino’s vow that he would

not enforce it. In his memo this week, Mancino noted, “No Oklahoma Guardsman be required to take the COVID-19 Vaccine.” In August, the Department of Defense announced that all U.S. military members would be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. In a statement, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, “We are aware of the memo issued by the Oklahoma Adjutant General regarding COVID vaccination for Guardsmen and the governor’s letter requesting exemption. We will respond to the governor appropriately.” He added that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also backed the mandate. “That is why he has ordered mandatory vaccines for the total force, and that includes our National Guard, who contribute significantly to national missions at home and abroad,” Kirby added, according to the report. Oklahoma’s previous Adjutant General, Mike Thompson, had been abruptly removed from his position on Wednesday – and learned of his replacement from Twitter. Thompson had backed the vaccine mandate.

Bannon Charged with Contempt of Congress

Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Sunday praised the U.S. Justice Department’s decision to charge Steve Bannon with contempt of Congress. According to Schiff, the decision will “without a doubt” influence others to cooperate with the January 6 select committee’s subpoenas. Speaking to NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Schiff said, “And indeed even before the Justice Department acted, it influenced other witnesses who were not going to be Steve Bannon.” He added, “Now that witnesses see that if they don’t cooperate, if they don’t fulfill their lawful duty when subpoenaed, that they too may be prosecuted, it will have a very strong

focusing effect on their decision-making,” he said. “So it’s very positive. I view this as an early test of whether democracy was recovering. If our law is to mean anything, it has to be applied equally. And so I’m very glad that Justice Department has moved forward in this fashion.” On Friday, the Department of Justice charged Bannon with two counts of contempt of Congress, after he refused to provide documents and testimony to investigators examining the January 6 Capitol riot. On Monday, Bannon surrendered to the FBI. “This is going to be the misdemeanor from [a really bad place],” Bannon told reporters later outside federal court after making a brief appearance on Monday. “They took on the wrong guy.”

Did an FBI Raid Violate the First Amendment? An FBI raid last weekend against Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe and similar raids on some of his associates have raised questions

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regarding the Biden administration’s commitment to the First Amendment, according to Politico. The investigation was prompted by the alleged theft of the diary of U.S. President Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley. The diary reached O’Keefe’s Project Veritas, which did not publish anything on the issue and turned the document over to the police.

tigation into potential conspiracy to traffic stolen goods across state lines, misprision of a felony, and accessory-after-the-fact. However, under the First Amendment, media outlets cannot be held liable for publishing information that may have been obtained illegally, as long as they themselves obtained the material legally. Calli, Project Veritas’ lawyer, acknowledged that the group “agreed to pay money for the right to publish” the Biden diary, but told the court in a letter that sources told Project Veritas that the diary was obtained after Ashley Biden abandoned it in Florida.

However, last Saturday, the FBI raided O’Keefe’s home at 6:00a.m., seizing his cell phones pursuant to a court order. O’Keefe said he stood in the hallway handcuffed and in his underwear, as the agents searched for the phones. There were nearly a dozen agents conducting the search, he said, and one carried a battering ram. O’Keefe’s lawyers complained to a federal judge this week. O’Keefe’s lawyer Paul Calli wrote to prosecutors, “The Department of Justice’s use of a search warrant to seize a reporter’s notes and work product violates decades of established Supreme Court precedent.” O’Keefe’s lawyers are demanding the court appoint a special master to supervise the review of the information on his phones. On Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Analisa Torres issued a onepage order giving prosecutors one day to confirm they have “paused [their] extraction and review of the contents” of O’Keefe’s cell phones. Torres has not yet ruled on O’Keefe’s request for a special master. In a Monday letter to O’Keefe’s lawyers, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan wrote, “The Government hereby confirms that it has complied with all applicable regulations and policies regarding potential members of the news media in the course of this investigation, including with respect to the search warrant at issue.” Court papers indicate that the devices were taken as part of an inves-

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In July 1969, Theodore John Conrad came to work as a bank teller in Cleveland – and walked off with $215,000 stuffed into a paper bag at the end of his shift. After making off with the funds, Conrad, then 20, simply vanished. According to the U.S. Marshals Service, the bank robbery was one of the biggest in the city. The sum would be worth $1.7 million today. On Friday, the federal law enforcement agency announced that it had identified Conrad and that the bank robber – who changed his name to Thomas Randele – had been living in Boston since 1970. The U.S. Marshals Service said, “A year before the Cleveland bank robbery, Conrad became obsessed with the 1968 Steve McQueen film. The movie was based on the bank robbery for sport by a millionaire businessman, and Conrad ... bragged to his friends about how easy it would be to take money from the bank.” The case was finally solved after decades of investigation, when federal authorities traveled to Massachu-

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The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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setts last week and confirmed that Conrad had lived the rest of his life out in Boston. Conrad died of lung cancer in May of this year, in Lynnfield, Massachusetts. He was 71.

Flying A-fowl

found hundreds of miles from home. Eventually, though, after receiving TLC from the hospital, the waddling fowl was released in the Banks Peninsula in the hopes that it could find its way back home. Locals nicknamed the penguin “Pingu.” David Ainley, an ecologist and expert on Adelie penguins, noted members of the species are known to travel far when they are outside of their breeding season, but it was unusual for one of the birds to show up in New Zealand. Must have taken it a waddle to get there.

PhD at 89 A penguin flew a bit off course when it was found 1,800 miles from its home. This week, an Adelie penguin was found on a New Zealand beach – the third member of its species in history to be found so far from its homeland. The Kaikoura Wildlife Hospital said the young penguin, native to Antarctica, was fatigued and reluctant to return to the sea when it was

Want to retire? Nah, there’s so much more to do. Take the case of Manfred Steiner, who is celebrating earning his doctorate in physics at the young age of 89.

Steiner, who previously earned a medical degree and a doctorate in biochemistry, said his attention turned back to physics after he retired at age 70 from working as a hematologist at Brown University. He had always wanted to study physics, but went into medicine instead at his family’s urging. He said retirement allowed him to start taking physics classes at Brown. “It’s an old dream that starts in my childhood,” Steiner related. “I always wanted to become a physicist.” Steiner took it slow but steady – taking one or two classes a week until he had earned a degree. “So, I went to all the classes and eventually, I made it on to graduate school and I thought, ‘Why not continue now? I might as well get a Ph.D.,’” he told WPRI-TV. His passion for physics is driven by the field’s “precision.” “In medicine, I always felt there were so many variables,” he said. “In physics, there are some variables, a lot of them actually, but you can go to a precision that is unmatched anywhere in the other scientific world.” Steiner and his wife, Sheila, who is 93, have been married since 1960. They have two children and six grandchildren. He’ll celebrate his 90th birthday this month. He is hoping to continue to work in research and doesn’t plan on retiring any time soon. “I always tried to keep my brain sharp. Physics certainly helped me do that.” And that’s the heart of the matter.

Young and On the Run

Jocelyn Rivas is now the youngest person to have completed 100 marathons. The 24-year-old runner crossed the finish line at the Los Angeles Marathon and clinched the title. Rivas is originally from El Salvador. She became interested in running marathons after attending the Los Angeles Marathon as a spectator in 2013; she ran the race the following

year. Rivas decided after running a few more marathons that she wanted to pursue the Guinness World Record for the youngest person to complete 100 of the races. Finally, on Sunday, Rivas, nicknamed “The Warrior,” reached her goal at the finish line of the Los Angeles Marathon. The previous record was set in 2011 by British runner Elizabeth Tunna, who was only a few months older than Rivas when she completed her 100th marathon. I guess that should serve as an inspiration for me – who has been marathoning on my couch for many years.

95 Marathons, 95 Days

Speaking of marathons, Alyssa Clark is pretty cool, too. She is the record holder for running 95 marathon distances in 95 days. Clark, who is originally from Vermont, decided to pursue her goal while she was living in Italy in March 2020 while under the stay-at-home order. She soon discovered the summer marathons she had been training for were canceled. Instead of throwing in the towel, Clark decided to run the distance of a marathon during every day of lockdown, expecting the project to last for about 15 days. But Clark kept going – even finding time to run while moving to Naples, Florida. Clark, who used a treadmill some days and ran outside when possible, ended up running 95 marathon distances in 95 days. She had started a 96th marathon run but decided to stop partway through when she felt ill. She eventually learned that she had fallen sick with Covid. Clark recently received word from Guinness World Records that she was the record holder for most consecutive days to run a marathon distance. “I was and am definitely proud to have the record, but I hope someone will go out and break it one day soon,” she said. She’s on the run.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Excitement in the Jewish World: 94 Geonim “Shas Yiden” gather for the Annual Siyum of 470 Shasim and Public Farher on the Entire Shas By Rabbi Eliezer Sandler

The grand gathering of Maranan v’Rabbanan the Gedolei and Me’orei Hador, was presided over by Maran, Sar Hatorah, Hagaon Hagadol Harav Chaim Kanievsky, shlit”a – the Nasi of the Shas Yiden Kollel Network. In an emotional letter to the gathering, the Rav wrote: “These are Emesdike (TRUE) Shas Yiden. Meritorious is Hagaon Harav Avrohom Eisen, the Pozna Rov, who has been the Nachshon (the very first) to produce avreichim who conclude and are examined on the entire Shas every year.” * The Sanzer Rebbe, shlit”a, said: When the Shas Yiden Kollel opened, all thought that even with its lofty goal, it would only be able to produce a few individuals proficient in the entire Shas. Today, to our joy, we witness a

Dais at the Siyum Hagadol

significant and tremendous Torah institution. Its Founder, the Pozna Rov, is certainly doing the shlichus (mission) of Klal Yisroel” * When the Boyaner Rebbe, shlit”a, left the hall, he grabbed the hand of the founder of Shas Yiden, the Pozna Rov and broke into an emotional rikud (dance) * The Mashpiah, Hagaon Hatzadik Reb Elimelech Biderman, shlit”a: “At this time, the malachei hashoress on High are dancing in honor of the Shas Yiden avreichim, and singing: ‘M’ein Olam Hazeh’ with regard to this awesome gathering!” A TORAH REVOLUTION The Torah world has closely followed the exciting annual gathering at which the Shas Yiden geonim conclude the entire

Shas, once again. Before the Siyum, they faced a public examination on the entire Shas, which, in the last year alone, they have EACH covered a minimum of FIVE times. As has been done each year, the gathering is honored by the appearance of Maranan v’Rabbanan the Gedolei Hatorah of our generation. They all came to express their appreciation of the young geonim of the Shas Yiden Network. Founded by the Pozna Rov, Hagaon Harav Avrohom Eisen, of Brooklyn, NY. During these last 13 years, Shas Yiden has brought about a worldwide Torah revolution. Its watchword is: “Lo bashomayim hee” – “It is not in Heaven” to know the entire Shas in depth with all-encompassing knowledge and comprehension.” The magnificent gathering was an opportunity to recognize the rapid expansion of the Shas Yiden network. The dais seated some 94 avreichim

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

The Close of Cheshvan 5782

‫ חיים קניבסקי‬.‫ י‬.‫הרב ש‬ ‫ בני ברק‬,‫שיכון חזון איש‬ ‫ חיים קניבסקי‬.‫ י‬.‫הרב ש‬ ‫ בני ברק‬,‫שיכון חזון איש‬ B”H

In honor of the Yom Tov for Rabbanan, the Annual Siyum Hashas of the Avreichim Geonim of Kollelei Shas Yiden in Eretz Yisroel and in the Diaspora, under the leadership of our colleague, the Pozna Rov, Hagaon Harav Avrohom Halevi Eisen, shlit”a. Praised are these talmidei chachomim, most outstanding in Torah, who know the entire Shas Bavli in breadth and depth. They are true Shas Yiden whom I have tested personally and I saw that they were extremely knowledgeable in the entire Shas. And praised is the Pozna Rov, shlit”a, who merited to be the Nachshon with this idea to establish these kollelim and to train outstanding Talmidei Chachomim who merit to learn Gemora, Rashi and Tosfos and to complete the entire Shas every year through effort and clear knowledge. More recently, he added an additional kollel in the Torah city of Kiryat Sefer in addition to the new kollel recently opened in the city of London.

Farher Examiner’s Dais: Hagaonim: Harav Hechosid Yisroel Moskowitz, London; Harav Avrohom Dovid Olevsky, Rosh Kolel Shas Yiden-London; Harav Chaim Zalman Halevi Eisen; Pozna Rov, Founder Shas Yiden; Maran Harav Chaim Freund, Farherer; Reb Zundel; Maran Harav Avrohom Direnfeld, Farherer; Harav Moshe Isaac Samet

I send my blessing to the Rabbonim of these kollelim that they should merit to know the entire Torah, to learn, to teach, to observe and to do and to fulfill all the words of Your Torah in love. And may our colleague, Hagaon Harav Avrohom Eisen merit to open more and more kollelim and to increase and aggrandize the Torah, And I bless them that in this merit that all the wishes of their hearts will be fulfilled for the good with brocha and hatzlocha in all matters for a good and sweet year and for all the brochas that are said in the Torah, for a good livelihood, for healing and yeshuos until the coming of the Righteous Redeemer, Amen Chaim Kanievsky

Pozna Rov, Founder Shas Yiden; Maran Harav Avrohom Direnfeld, Farherer; Hagaon Harav Moshe Isaac Samet, Rosh Hakollelim

geonim, all completely proficient in the entire Shas. The network has six kollelim: Yerushalayim, Beit Shemesh, Beitar, Bnei Brak, Kiryat Sefer and Stamford Hill in

Shas Yiden Avreichim Geonim

London, UK. This Torah reality crushes the long-believed myth that knowing Shas in its entirety is something from the past. Here, for all to see, was the fulfillment of the brocho of the Sar Hatorah, Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, shlit”a, the Nasi of Shas Yiden. For over a decade, when Kollel Shas Yiden was just a minyan of avreichim in a small room in Beit Shemesh, Rav Kanievsky spoke of the vision of the Pozna Rov, and blessed and encouraged him to establish additional branches of Shas Yiden. To many it appeared to be a distant and, maybe, an impossible vision, but today it is clearly a vibrant reality.

THE NACHSHON HASHAS KULO”

Shas Yiden Avreichim Geonim

FOR “YEDIAS

This year, especially, Hagaon Harav Chaim was so enthused by the great growth of Shas Yiden. Aside from his personal appearance at the event, he also brought his personal letter to be read aloud at the Siyum on his behalf by his chavrusa,

Hagaon Harav Yisroel Meir Druk. In the letter, he praises the greatness of Shas Yiden. “Praiseworthy are these talmidei chachomim, outstanding in their great knowledge of Torah, the entire Shas Bavli in breadth and depth. These are Emesdike (true) Shas Yiden, whom I have personally tested, and I found them beki’im gedolim (exceptionally proficient) in the entire Shas.” Maran Sar Hatorah also noted the great revolution in the Torah world that the Pozna Rov began 13 years ago. As a result, the concept of Shas Yiden is not confined to history – rather, the Shas Yiden story has inspired other efforts in the Torah world to learn the ‘whole Shas’. He also highlighted the fact that the Shas Yiden avreichim are not only au fait in the Gemora of the Shas, but they constantly review all the Gemora, Rashis and Tosfos throughout the year to know it all b’al peh. “Praised is the Pozna Rov that he merited to be the Nachshon (the very first) with this idea to establish such kollelim, and to

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

All the Shas Yiden Avreichim ready for the Farher Hagadol

raise up incredible talmidei chachomim who merit to study Gemora, Rashi and Tosfos, and to do a siyum of the entire Shas each year, through great effort and with great clarity.” When he concluded reading the letter, Rav Druk added, in the name of Hagaon Yitzckak Shaul, son of Rav Chaim, how much his father enjoys and looks forward to the visits of the Shas Yiden avreichim when they come to be farherd.

A FATHER’S TEARS It is difficult to find the words to adequately describe this incredible gathering. From entering to exiting, the atmosphere was electric. Prior to the farhers, the 94 avreichim geonim came in and took their places and were rocking back and forth… Each had a sefer in his hand. Every minute of the day, they are bound up with their pages of Shas, including the time at the Siyum gathering. The fact is that Shas Yiden Kollelim are not limited to specific times.

Shas Yiden Avreichim opposite the Examiners

The avreichim are not at Kollel – they are the Kollel. They do not have time for functions - they have 9 blatt a day with four revisions to complete. On erev Shabbos /Yom Tov, and on Shabbos and Yom Tov themselves, they are required to complete 4 blatt with four revisions – ALL to enable each of them to complete five times Shas every year – a minimum total of 13,555 blatt. It was amazing to see all the Shas Yiden avreichim geonim all together, their faces shining with purity and Torah knowledge. ‘Ruach acheres’ - A different spirit encompassed them all. The test was about to begin. The avreichim from London and those from the newly established kollel in Kiryat Sefer, took their places among the others. Suddenly an older member of the audience had a tear rolling down his cheek and he tried to brush it away. It appears that he was the father of two Shas Yiden – two not one, from the same home. “Yes, my boys are learning

Psichas Hashas beginning of Bochos by the Pozna Rov; Sanzer Rebbe; Boyaner Rebbe; Hagaon Harav Chaim Zalman Halevi Eisen (Mo”tz v’Rosh Beis Horo’o Halishka L’inyanei Sta”m)

Gemora, Rashi and Tosfos, every day and night. Boruch Hashem, they really know Shas! As soon as the test starts, you will understand why I am so emotional and excited. Even though you don’t have a son here, you will be just as excited.” The father was asked, but isn’t this kollel for illu’im (remarkable scholars) - are both your sons illuim? “Actually, no. This kollel is for those who are serious about their Torah. It’s for those who learn with all their might and gevura, day and night. “Being an illui has never been a condition to becoming a godol in Torah,” finished the father.

A TORAH TIDAL WAVE – THE FARHERS Two farhers were conducted. This was the moment to which all the avreichim geonim had been gearing themselves. As with all the farhers that they have had to date, there was no way to anticipate the questions and direction of the examiners. Simply, the questions could emanate from any gemora, each within its own context and the approach of the examiners. They were each eminent talmidei chachomim occupying significant scholarly positions in limud Hatorah.

Sanzer Rebbe addressing the Siyum Hagadol flanked by Maran Harav Itamar Garbuz (Orchot Torah); Harav Moshe Shimon Edelstein (Ponevez); Pozna Rov; Sanzer Rebbe; Boyaner Rebbe, Harav Chaim Zalman Halevi Eisen

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Hagaon Hatzadik Harav Binyomin Finkel, Mashgiach Yeshivas Mir

Dais at the Siyum Hagadol

Sanzer Rebbe, Harav Hechosid Yisroel Moskowitz, London reciting the Kaddish; Boyanner Rebbe

Sanzer Rebbe; Boyaner Rebbe; Pozna Rov

Hageonim: Harav Yaakov Dovid Halberstam, Mo”tz Eidah Chareidis; Harav Moshe Ben Shimon, Rav, Bnei Brak; Pozna Rov

The Rosh Hakollelim, Hagaon Harav Moshe Isaac Samet, shlit”a, opened the gathering with the following words: “We are again entering an awesome gathering that is unique in its combination of yir’ah (trepidation) and rachamim (mercy), a holy gathering before Hashem. Lift your eyes and look about you, how our avreichim have gathered from across Eretz Yisroel and from as far as London – the talmidei chachomim of Shas Yiden. “Vihi noam…” May the pleasantness of Hashem our G-d rest upon us etc.”

Iyun of Belz, Rav of Kehillot Belz in Tel-Aviv and Beit Shemesh, a member of Badatz Machazikei Hadas. Interestingly one of the Shas Yiden avreichim being tested was his son. As with the first farher, no quarter was given in these Torah clashes. All those watching the farhers were ‘blown away.’ How could these young men master it all? But they certainly did.

moved to the adjoining hall for a true seudas mitzvah celebrating the Siyum of Torah She’b’al Peh. The Shas Yiden geonim were surrounded by their families – including their parents and their children, all basking in the nachas of the moment. They had all concluded a year of toiling in Torah. Each family, a full partner with their Shas Yid Gaon. Once again, as in past years, the wives were each given a present, as well as a generous cash-filled envelope and a personal letter from the Pozna Rov.

Without any further ado, he gave the microphone to the first examiner: Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Freund, shlit”a, Rosh Kollel of Yeshivas ‘Nachalas Moshe’ in Bnei Brak and Rav of Kehilas Lomdei Torah in Rechovot. After a brocho of good wishes he went to challenge the full complement of Shas Yiden with a barrage of questions. Each of the avreichim had a microphone and the collective and immediate responses sounded like a tidal wave of Torah, quoting sources from all over Shas and from the Rishonim. It was a battle of Torah titans. The second examiner was Maran Hagaon Harav Avrohom Direnfeld, Rosh Kollelei

Among the audience were many Americans studying in Yeshiva in Israel, and whose parents are supporters of Shas Yiden. They could not believe their eyes and immediately after the farhers, they were on their phones calling home telling their parents about the awesome gathering that they had just witnessed. At the conclusion of the second farher, Maran Hagaon Harav Avrohom Direnfeld, shlit”a, said: “After so many tragedies over this last year, we are fortunate to witness such a simcha as this. That in our midst are great geonim who know the entire Shas. This is an amazing Kiddush Sheim Shomayim!”

470 SIYUMEI HASHAS IN ONE GREAT SIYUM After the farhers, the entire gathering

Supporters of Shas Yiden participated, and were quite overcome by all that they were witnessing at this seudas mitzvah. The atmosphere became more intense with the arrival of the honored guests – Maranan V’rabbanan Gedolei Hatorah v’Hachassidus. It was clear that the Shas Yiden geonim merited special attention from the Gedolei Hador, shlit”a. This is a result of the many public farhers that the Shas Yiden avreichim undergo every few months, closely tested by the Gedolei Torah from across the Torah spectrum. It all reached a crescendo with the arrival of the Nasi of the Shas Yiden Network,

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Maran Sar Hatorah. The glorious singing and dancing was something to behold. With him on the dais were Maranan Hageonim Hagedolim shlit”a, including: Harav Boruch Dov Povarsky, Harav Shimon Badani, the Sanzer Rebbe, the Boyaner Rebbe and Harav Shimon Galai. Bearing in mind that each of the avreichim had concluded Shas 5 times during the course of the year, the total number of Shas completed by the avreichim geonim was 470! These were all combined into one grand and inspiring Siyum Gadol.

THE SANZER REBBE RECITES THE HADRAN The Sanzer Rebbe recited the Hadran and was very emotional when he addressed the gathering. He said that if just one individual does a siyum of a gemora, we make a Yom Tov lerabanan. Here, at the Siyum Hagadol we consider that almost 100 geonim have completed the entire Shas, b’al peh, with chazoras (multiple revising) in-depth study and

thorough comprehension. There is no greater Yom Tov than this! It was with wonderment that “we see before our eyes, the fulfilment of the Divine Promise “that the Torah will not be forgotten by his descendants.” What in yesteryear was the inheritance of the few, the Pozna Rov, shlit”a, has made into a gigantic revolution, and we see the Shas Yiden Network growing exponentially. It must be a mattonah (gift) that the Pozna Rov was granted from Heaven, for he is certainly doing the shlichus (mission) of Klal Yisroel.”

Harav Hechossid Yisroel Moskowitz, shlit”a, of London and patron of the London Shas Yiden Kollel. His son-in-law, Hagaon Harav Avrohom Dovid Olevsky, shlit”a, was one of the leading talmidei chachomim of Shas Yiden-Yerushalayim. He was appointed to serve as the Rosh Kollel of Shas Yiden, London. A second son-in-law, Harav Yisroel Shvirtz, is also one of the avreichim geonim in Shas Yiden-Yerushalayim.

The Sanzer Rebbe pointed out that he knows some of the Shas Yiden avreichim personally. Their faces reflect their cleaving to Torah. The chein they acquired through toiling in Torah, envelops them. This all clearly negates the power of the yetzer, hastens the geulah, and is a source of salvation for all of Klal Yisroel.”

Quite a way into the evening’s program, an emotional moment took place. The Boyaner Rebbe, shlit”a, was about to leave and the Pozna Rov escorted him to the building entrance. Unexpectedly, as they exited the hall, the Rebbe grabbed the Pozna Rov by the hand and began to dance with him, with the abandonment of Simchas Torah. He was overcome by the specialness of the simcha and expressed his amazement at the Torah revolution engendered by Shas Yiden.

THE KADDISH The honor of reciting the kaddish on behalf of all the geonim was given to

Hagaon Harav Yisroel Meir Druk reading the letter of the Sar Hatorah

Maran Hamashpia Hagadol Reb Elimelech Biderman addresses the Siyum

Hagaonim: Pozna Rov, Maran Harav Chaim Feinstein (Ateret Shlomo), Maran Harav Shimon Badani (Moetzet Chachmei Torah); Harav Shevach Tzvi Rosenblatt (Rav Bnei Brak)

Shas Yiden Avreichim Geonim seated at the Siyum Hagadol

THE BOYANER REBBE TAKES HIS LEAVE

Dancing on the Dais

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Some of the Shas-wide questions FIRED at the Grand Farher -all in short succession The avreichim hurled back page references and sources from all over Shas with a breathtaking knowledge. When they would pause, it was to refer and to determine the different sources and to debate with the examiners. All present were amazed at what their eyes were beholding. •

Where are kerem rivai and netta rivai mentioned in Shas, and what is the difference between them?

•

What are the halochos learned from the posuk, “Lo sochlu al hadam - You shall not eat over the blood?”

•

not from Torah verses? •

Where is it better to live? With a son or a daughter?

•

Where in Shas do we learn the din of biryah and in what context? How many halachos are derived from biryah?

How many times and where in Shas, does it declare that the Torah is not in Heaven?

•

What is the reason that there are no lashes for a lav she’ayn bo maaseh (a negative precept that has no action)? And where is this mentioned in Shas?

How many times in Shas does it say that one should not do miraculous actions?

•

How do we reconcile that the gemora says we do not listen to Eliyahu Hanavi and then mandates the opposite?

•

Why do we not learn that one who admits to a fine (knas) is freed from shvuas pikadon (and oath of deposit) rather from a different drasha? How many implications can be found in Shas regarding the din of modeh biknas (admits to the fine) and where?

•

Where does it refer to a transgression done by thought alone?

•

If a person shoots an arrow at another and converts to being Jewish, or it is the targeted who converts, before the arrow strikes the targeted person, how do we derive the applicable law from Shas?

•

What is the source of tosefes (adding time to) Shabbos & Shmittah?

•

Regarding bitul (annulling items in a mixture) – how many items are there that cannot be annulled in a mixture due to their importance? (This led to many unanticipated examples of chaticha hareuyah lehiskabed bah and davar shebeminyan mentioned in Shas)

Where in Shas do we learn a law from what occurred before Matan Torah? And where do we learn that it is not so? What does the Tosfos Yeshonim say in this regard? What does it say in Kesuvos, and where is this referenced in Yevamos and Zevachim?

•

Who may a Beis Din put to death without giving him a hasro’o (warning)

Where do we find that Bnei Aliyah (superior scholars) are few?

•

There are laws of mixtures regarding min bemino (an item in its same category) and besh’ein mino (or not in its same category). In what way are the two reflected? What if wine becomes vinegar? What about R. Yehuda and two bloods?

Who is to be preferred – the migmar (who learns) or misbar (who explains)? Sinai (filled with knowledge) or the uprooter of mountains (great reasoning powers)? Sefer Torah or talmid chochom?

•

Rav Direnfeld commented that these choices do not apply to Shas Yiden because they each comprise a combination of all these traits. To watch the live farher, please click on www.shasyiden.com

•

Which halachos are derived from kabbalah (tradition)and

HAMASHPIA ELIMELECH

HAGADOL

REB

All were privileged to hear the inspiring and warm words of Maran Hamashpiah Hagadol, Hatzadik Reb Elimelech Biderman, shlit”a, who has a special and close connection with Shas Yiden. In a dramatic speech, he described how the vision of the Pozna Rov, some 13 years earlier developed “skin and bones, veins and sinews” in such an amazing manner that there are now almost 100 Shas Yiden, something that is almost unbelievable and a cause for consternation. “In the beginning, I thought that this

developing of Emesdike (true) Shas Yiden was an exaggeration,” said the Mashpia when interviewed. “Perhaps the avreichim don’t really know Shas, never mind the entire Shas. Who had ever heard of training large groups to know the entire Shas? However, after I personally sat with them and farhered them, I saw that this was no exaggeration. Each of them knows Shas from beginning to end – the words of Shas are on their lips.” And then the Mashpia added excitedly: “On Shabbos Kodesh we are accustomed to sing “M’ein Olam Haba” (taste of the World-to-Come), but now, here at this

time, the Malachei Hashores in Heaven, in honor of the Shas Yiden geonim, must be dancing and singing: “M’ein Olam Hazeh” (a taste of this world). These Shas Yiden have shown how it is possible to really be mesameach (to rejoice) with Hashem in this world. Even now, just to sit under the same roof with the Shas Yiden avreichim is a true fulfilment of experiencing Olam Hazeh in the fullest sense of what Olam Hazeh could and should be.

OTHER GEDOLIM IN ATTENDANCE Other speakers and many Gedolim were in attendance. They included

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Pozna Rov and Harav Yerachmiel Ungarisher (Beis Medrash Elyon) expressing his appreciation of the envelopes of cash gifts for the wives of the avreichim

Hageonim: Harav ChaimPeretz Berman, Ponevez; Harav Itamar Garbuz, Orchot Torah; Harav Yaakov Dovid Halberstam, Eidah Chareidis; Maran Harav Berel Povarsky, Rosh Yeshiva Ponevez; Pozna Rov

Maranan Hageonim Hagedolim, shlit”a: Harav Shimon Badani, Chaver Moetzet Chachmei Hatorah and Harav Binyamin Finkel, Mashgiach of Mir Yerushalayim who both addressed the gathering, as well as Harav Yerachmiel Ungarisher, Rosh Yeshiva Bais Medrash Elyon; Harav Moshe Shimon Edelstein, Rav Neof Yosef; Harav Moshe ben Shimon, Rav Bnei Brak

and Rosh Yeshiva Or Elitzur; Harav Chaim Peretz Berman, Rosh Yeshiva Ponevez; Harav Shimon Galai, Kollel Taharos; Harav Itamar Garbuz, Rosh Yeshiva Orchot Torah; Harav Chaim Feinstein, Rosh Yeshiva Ateret Shlomo; Harav Shevach Tzvi Rosenblatt, Rav Bnei Brak. Many other Rabbonim and Roshei Yeshiva joined the dais during the gathering.

After many joyous hours at the gathering, the talmidei chachomim and geonim began dancing with the joy of Torah in their beings. The prayer in the hearts of the Shas Yiden avreichim was, Ribbono shel Olam, just as you enabled us to complete the Siyum Hashas for 5781, may You bless us to do so for 5782 and beyond. May the Torah never cease from our mouths and those of our children, through all generations. To watch the dynamic farher, or for more information on Shas Yiden; to donate click on www.shasyiden.com or call 718702-1528 or Mail: 1274 49th Street #562, Brooklyn, NY 11219. London: UK Registered Charity # 1191225 - 2 Timberwharf Road, London N16 6DB, England

The Shas Yiden geonim from the London Shas Yiden Kollel Arrived in Israel, and Graced Annual Siyum Hashas

On the morning after the Siyum they went to a Lechaim in the home of Maran Sar Hatorah, shlit”a. One of the high points of this year’s annual gathering of Shas Yiden, with its oral farher (examination) on the entire Shas, as well as the Siyum Hashas, was the participation, for the first time, by the contingent from London, UK. Shas Yiden-London was opened a year and a half ago by the Pozna Rov, founder of Shas Yiden, with the encouragement of Maran Sar Hatorah, Hagaon Hagadol, Harav Chaim Kanievsky, shlit”a. the Nasi of Shas Yiden. The London Shas Yiden geonim landed in Israel together with the patron of Shas Yiden-London, the honored philanthropist Harav Hechosid Reb Yisroel Moskowitz, shlit”a. Two of his sons-in-law are among the Shas Yiden geonim. One, formerly one of the top talmidei chachomim in Shas Yiden-Yerushalayim, Hagaon Harav Avrohom Dov Olevsky, shlit”a, serves as the Rosh Kolel of Shas Yiden-London. The other is Hagaon Harav Yisroel Shvirtz, shlit”a, who learns in Shas YidenYerushalayim.

The London scholars joined all the other Shas Yiden geonim from Yerushalayim, Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh, Beitar and Kiryat Sefer in the incredible public Shas examination. In just a few minutes it was clear that they all shared a deep knowledge of all the tractates in Shas. This received great acclaim in the Torah scholarship community that it had been established that the Shas Yiden kollelim had shattered the myth that such total knowledge only lay with talmidei chachomim of bygone times. Through the achievements of the five

Shas Yiden kollelim in Eretz Yisroel with these geonei Hashas who are also proficient in other Torah subjects, with the addition of Shas Yiden-London have shown that such achievements are possible in chutz la’aretz (the Diaspora) and are able to face the same rigorous testing. A special and unforgettable moment for the Shas Yiden-London avreichim geonim during their Israel trip, took place on the morrow of the Grand Farher and Siyum. They were invited to a Lechaim in the home of Maran Sar Hatorah, Hagaon Hagadol Harav Chaim Kanievsky, shlit”a. There Maran expressed his great excitement at the establishment of Shas Yiden branches in chutz la’aretz. He then made an exception to his custom by drinking a ‘lechaim’ with the visitors. Thereafter, each of the kollel rabbonim met with Maran Sar Hatorah individually, and who blessed them warmly that they should each merit to continue rising in Torah.

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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Community Ishay Ribo Brings Song & Tefillah to the Five Towns

his past Sunday night, November 14, Congregation Aish Kodesh of Woodmere hosted a historic Leil Hisorerus fea-

turing the world renowned singer and songwriter Ishay Ribo. The dream and vision for this unique event began almost three PHOTO CREDIT: BIG PRODUCTIONS

years prior, when the spread of Ribo’s music intensified, inspiring hundreds of thousands of Jews across the globe. Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, Mara D’asra of Aish Kodesh, found particular inspiration from the words in Ishay’s most widely known song, “Halev Sheli” (which itself is based on the words of the Ibn Ezra in Chumash), quoting from it during one of his darashos during the height of the corona outbreak when so many were searching for strength and hope in a dark time. And so began the aspiration of bringing Ishay Ribo live to Aish Kodesh, in order to personally bring his message of emunah and strength in Hashem to the Kehillah of Aish Kodesh and the wider community. After finalizing the date of the event, the planning committee quickly realized that the demand just from membership and friends would far exceed the capacity of the shul. The interest from Jews throughout the neighborhood and beyond was simply astounding; a true testament to the wide appeal and genuine desire that so many have for an authentic and inspiring spiritual experience. Should Aish Kodesh move the event into a larger venue? Would keeping it in Aish limit too many people from attending this incredible opportunity? With only three weeks to the big event, the shul decided to add an additional show to accommodate the tremendous demand. Working tirelessly over the next three weeks to run two back-to-back shows, the Aish event committee went into high gear arranging this special event which would be hosted with their Rebbe and in their beloved Beis Medrash, the home to so many years of

spirited davening, yomim tovim, Torah learning and fahrbrengens. With great excitement, the shul was going to host two historic shows with the now internationally recognized ba’al menagen from Eretz Yisroel. In the days leading up to the event, the shul was abuzz with activity as a full cadre of volunteers and event staff worked through the night setting up the shul and preparing their beautiful makom tefillah to accommodate two sold-out shows. Without an inch to spare, the shul set up separate seating for men and women and ensured that every seat would be able to enjoy the magnificent performance and experience of the Leil Hisorerus. As the crowds filled the room and took their seats, Ishay Ribo headed to the home of the Rahmanis in Woodmere, where he had a few minutes to meet Rav Weinberger and talk before the show. He and his band and production team had heard a great deal about the tremendous impact that Rav Weinberger and Aish Kodesh continue to have on the entire Jewish community far and wide, and the much anticipated meeting between these great leaders of the generation in their own rights was truly momentous and historic. Following the meeting, after an introduction by Rav Weinberger, where he praised Ishay through a short drasha contrasting the ba’al menagen vs. a singer, Ishay took the stage and led the audience in song and tefillah, with many in the crowd singing his songs and dancing to the music. He remarked to the crowd how impressed he was that Americans knew the Hebrew words to his songs and were able to sing along so beautifully.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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The crowd sang passionately to “Nafshi,” the gorgeous hit song of 2018, and a powerful version of “Tzama” had everybody on their feet as the energy had the walls shaking. “Hinei Yamim Baim” was uplifting and soulful, as Ribo hit his notes with such perfection.

As the night continued, Ishay took a moment in one of his songs to give a bracha to Rav Weinberger that he have the strength to continue in his leadership and guidance to Klal Yisrael. Ishay said that seeing so many “different stripes” of Jews gathered

together in unity for this event is exactly how Moshiach will come, finally bringing all the Jews back home to Israel. Ever so fitting was the finale, “Seder Ha’avoda,” Ribo’s hugely popular song taking lyrics from the Yom Kippur davening. This had Ishay and the audience pining for a

return to those days, k’kedem. The event was a monumental success, bringing joy and comfort to all present, as Rav Weinberger and Aish Kodesh continue to light up the world and help the klal navigate this generation’s galus.

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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This year, at the annual Chinuch Melava Malka at Siach Yitzchok, parents were zocheh to hear from Harav Nechemia Grama, shlit”a

Spirited Chessed

n November 11, Veterans Day, ten Shulamith eighth graders volunteered, on their day off from school, to meet with the Holocaust survivor group at the JCC. They sang and danced with them and brought overall ruach and simcha to the wonderful elderly people in the group. The director

of the program lauded our girls for their respectful demeanor and over-

all amazing behavior and contribution. We can’t wait for the next time

girls get to go do such meaningful chessed.

Yeshiva Kol Torah held its open house this past week in Bais Tefillah of Inwood. Its standing room only crowd attests to the unbelievable start the Yeshiva is having and will continue to have for many years to come! For more information or to apply, log onto www.yeshivakoltorah.org.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

WWW.EITANKATZ.COM | 718.770.7973 | INFO@EITANKATZ.COM

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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MTA Hosts Life-Saving Blood Drive

Light Up the Night

he Yeshiva of South Shore E2K 6th grade afterschool program was an introduction to electricity and circuitry. How ap-

n Thursday, November 11, MTA’s Arista Honors Society hosted a yeshiva-wide Blood Drive. MTA talmidim, rebbeim, faculty, and alumni aided patients in need of blood and donated life-saving pints. This is the first blood drive of the year, with more planned, in order to give back to the community and make a positive

impact on those in need, which is even more important now as we are facing an emergency blood shortage, according to the American Red Cross. Thank you to the Arista Honors Society for organizing this meaningful initiative. MTA is also grateful to the New York Blood Center for their continuous efforts to save lives.

propriate that the students built glow sticks, which added light to an early nightfall!

JIL at JEP

EP is taking its Jewish Individualized Learning (JIL) program to a whole new level as it brings the parsha to life with fun and creative projects for Nageela Girls. Last week, kids in the Five Towns made edible “Jacob’s ladders,” ate Hunki’s pizza, and colored parsha

sheets as they heard about Parshas Vayetzei. Similar programs by JEP/ Nageela took place in Merrick and Roslyn. For more information about how to get involved in the after-school local JIL programs and JEP/Nageela, contact 516-374-1528, ext. 240.

Meir Panim Spreads the Light, All Year and On Chanukah, Too By Hadassah Bay

eir Panim has one theme for the Chanukah parties it will hold this year for its clients: “We missed you. Come back!” “Since we were forced to close our Restaurant-Style Soup Kitchens with the onset of COVID-19, our clients became accustomed to picking up their meals and taking them home,” says Mimi Rozmaryn, Director of Global Development at Meir Panim. “Now, though, as infection rates continue to drop and Israel is, hopefully, getting back to normal, we want to retrieve the feeling of community, of course, while adhering to Health Ministry guidelines. At the end of the day, clients really benefit from the social interaction at Meir Panim, and this way, our branch managers are also able to keep tabs on the people living alone.” Mimi Rozmaryn explains that many of Meir Panim’s clients are hard-put to change their habits and go back to eating their meals in the Meir Panim dining rooms.

“This year, we want our Chanukah parties at the various branches of Meir Panim to do double duty, serving also as re-welcoming celebrations,” she said. One of the impressive aspects of Meir Panim is how their activities are focused not only on the people most in need, but also, on those who faithfully serve the community rain or shine, and who don’t usually get much recognition.

“On Chanukah, Ilanit, our branch manager in Or Akiva, walks around to all the local schools, delivering doughnuts and chocolate gelt to the crossing guards, security guards and local police officers. They really appreciate the gesture,” Mimi notes. But while COVID seems to be receding, the economic fallout is still reverberating strongly. “The cost of food has spiked, and people who were once managing are now coming to

us to supplement their food budget,” says Mimi. “We have a few families who come to us one day a week. They don’t feel right coming every day, but by depending on us for one day of week, it helps them scrape by and keep their heads above water.” One of the cornerstones of Meir Panim is to treat clients with dignity, as can be seen by the aesthetically pleasing food presentation and the fact that only real dishes and cutlery are used. Not only is the food delicious, it is served in abundance. “People who come to our branches are welcome to take seconds, or to fill up plastic containers with food to take home. If there’s one thing we want, it’s that our clients feel satisfied. That’s what we’re about,” Mimi sums up. This Chanukah, make your donation to Meir Panim online at www. mpdonate.org, through our toll-free number (1877) 736-6283, or by mail to American Friends of Meir Panim at 88 Walton Street, Suite B1 Brooklyn, NY 11206.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

For Parents & 8th Grade Bachurim

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2021 • c”pa, ukxf z”h 4:00 PM & 6:00 PM THE DIAMOND BEIS MEDRASH AT YESHIVA DARCHEI TORAH 257 Beach 17th Street, Far Rockaway, New York

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL 718.868.2300 EXT. 367

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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Packed House at HAFTR Open House

AFTR High School proudly welcomed almost 200 eighth graders and their parents from over 20 elementary schools around Long Island, Brooklyn, and Queens to participate in its Open House on Sunday. HAFTR is renowned for its academic excellence, school spirit, competitive sports teams, and most of all ruach and achdut amongst the entire HAFTR family. The Open House demonstrated to every prospective family that HAFTR High School students have many opportunities to actualize their potential and expand their interests and talents. The engaging, educational, and interactive program began with student and administrator presenters. HAFTR senior Abby Rabinowitz of Great Neck reminisced about her experience attending the open house four years ago and walking away with the sense that HAFTR was a warm and nurturing environment. By the time she graduates this spring, Abby will have completed eight AP courses. “These classes have allowed me to challenge myself in subjects that I am interested in,” she said. “While these courses may be tough, the support students receive from their teachers and the school overall makes it manageable. Teachers, in all classes, go above and beyond to make sure that all students understand the material. The

teachers at HAFTR aim for their students’ success and encourage questions, both in and out of class.” Principal Ms. Naomi Lippman, Associate Principal Dr. Joshua Wyner, and Dean of Limudei Kodesh Rabbi Yitzchok Riselsheimer discussed the warm and inclusive school culture, close kesher (connection) of staff and students, and academic excellence of HAFTR High School. “Our academics and Torah learning are extraordinary, and our guidance and mentoring programs are impressive in scope and substance, but there is one more quality that makes us such a wonderful and successful yeshiva high school: our unique school culture,” Ms. Lippman stated. “We have carefully and thoughtfully constructed a culture of warmth, kindness, support, and achdut. HAFTR High School is a joyful place of learning, in which students are treated with respect and empathy.” Associate Principal Dr. Wyner emphasized that HAFTR High School is on a mission to actualize the potential of every HAFTR High School student. Dr. Wyner highlighted the warmth, connectedness and positive relationships that drive HAFTR High School to provide students with opportunities for growth and personal actualization. He also detailed HAFTR’s com-

mitment to innovation, consistently investing in capital improvements to further the education of our students and offering positive and meaningful experiences for each individual. Dean of Limudei Kodesh Rabbi Riselsheimer noted that “being a HAFTR student means going beyond just learning subjects to infusing Torah into our daily lives. Our chessed programs at HAFTR promote achdut among our students, and throughout Klal Yisroel.” “The kesher our students have with our rebbeim and morot is created in and out of the classroom; during highly engaging shiurim, on school trips, Shabbatonim, mishmars at the rebbeim and morahs’ homes, Friday nights at a morah’s house, our Friday ‘Kumzitz and Kugels,’ at athletic games, or just shmooz-

ing in the halls,” he added. “Part of HAFTR’s uniqueness is that our students know that their rabbeim and morot are accessible for them any time of day, whether it is to ask a shaila, discuss a reflection from their shiur, share in their simcha, or just to say hi. Our rebbeim and morot have built relationships with their students that have lasted well beyond the four years of high school.” “It is nice to see that HAFTR’s reputation of academic excellence and inspirational opportunities for our students has excited the interest of so many families,” commented Executive Director Mr. Ari Solomon on the incredible turnout. “With our fabulous administration and talented faculty, it’s no wonder so many students are interested in attending our school.”

The Open House program continued with a tour of the building and interactive mini-lessons from engaging teachers and discussions with college, Israel, and guidance teams, student life team, and student leaders. Families were taken through the magnificent Technology and Innovation Center and Art Institute where they saw HAFTR’s broadcasting team in action in front of the green screen, and were invited to take part in an interactive art installation to ‘Make Your Mark’ at HAFTR High School. Applications are being accepted until December 2 at www.haf t r.org/hsadmissions/. For more information about HAFTR High School or to arrange a meeting, please contact hsadmissions@haftr.org.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

c"qa

High five 613 presents

Pre CHANUKAH Show

Sunday, November 21 @ 1:45 pm Young Israel of Hewlett - 1 Piermont Ave with

NICK THE BALLOONATICK $30 per family RSVP | $40 per family at the door All proceeds to tzedaka. Help support Torah learning. Refreshments available for purchase

RSVP to (845) 600-4613 or email Chanukahshow@highfive613.org SPONSORED BY: AVID HOMES

a division of Covid Treatment Initiative

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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Cards for Chanukah

ALB partnered with Chessed 24/7, an organization that brings food and treats to children and adults who are in the hospital. HALB students illustrated cards to accompany Chessed 24/7’s Chanukah toys. All together, HALB students wrote and decorated 400 cards!

Hatzalah Visits IVDU

Shulamith ECC appreciates Hashem’s colorful world

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VDU LI had the privilege of having one of our own fathers come down to teach the students about Hatzalah and what their role in the community is. Morah Frumit Fruchtzweig’s class has been learning a unit on community helpers in social studies, and they were fortunate to have Mr. Yankie Heilbrun come down to help bring this week’s focus of EMTs to life. Mr. Heilbrun brought his first aid equipment into the classroom and discussed the lifesaving work that Hatzalah does for those in need. He then gave the students a

tour of the ambulance, explaining in detail how all the equipment works and the need for Hatzalah in our community. The students got to sit in the ambulance, feeling what it would be like to be a patient in an emergency situation going to the hospital. The students had time to ask Mr. Heilbrun questions and were fascinated by the answers he gave. IVDU LI thanks Hatzalah and, in particular, Mr. Yankie Heilbrun for giving the students of IVDU the hands-on experience that brought the classroom to life.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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MTA Talmidim Embark on NCSY Chessed Mission

By: Yitzchak Hagler

ew Orleans, Louisiana, was the destination for 15 determined MTA juniors and seniors, who rushed to make their flight on Motzei Shabbos, November 6. Their mission: to help out in any way they could with relief efforts in areas hit hard by recent hurricanes

and natural disasters – and help out they did. Thanks to great organizations like NECHAMA, AmeriCorps, and, of course, NCSY Relief Missions, MTA talmidim cleaned out a cemetery full of fallen trees, gutted multiple flooded homes, and helped out in any and all ways needed over the course of two chessed-filled days. The talmidim also had a lot of fun, en-

MUSICIAN IN STREETS OF JERUSALEM YA E L I V O G E L . C O M | 5 1 3 C E N T R A L A V E C E D A R H U R S T

joying a horse and buggy tour of the French Quarter, an exciting bowling trip, visits to Brothers, and food from local kosher restaurants. They were accompanied on the trip by Head of School Rabbi Joshua Kahn and bowler navigator extraordinaire Assistant Director of Student Activities Rabbi Sam Dratch from MTA, as well as Rabbi Eitan Katz and Mr. Ari Greene

from NCSY. The MTA-NCSY New Orleans Chessed Mission gave these talmidim the opportunity to open their eyes to the suffering of others and begin to do what they can to help – to witness the very real needs of the greater world we live in and do something to make a difference.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

The Rochel Baron A”H

Chanukah

In the z’chus of Milton Ostreicher. Menachem Avrohom ben Moshe Binyamin. D E D I C AT E D B Y H I S C H I L D R E N .

ight to a chi l g ld! in r B

WE ARE ACCEPTING NEW, UNWRAPPED TOYS IN THEIR ORIGINAL PACKAGES TO THESE DROP OFF LOCATIONS

BBY • BYAM • Congregation Beth Shalom • Darchei • DRS • HAFTR • Seasons Express • Shulamith • YOSS • YILC • YKLI Toy Drive Committee Sara Austein • Rahely Fruchter • Lara Klein • Daphna Mishaan • Fraidy Osina • Devorah Pelman • Rebecca Richman

To Donate:

www.jccrp.org/donations

• Tamar Samuels • Tamar Scharf • Hudis Saltz • Esther Satt • Rocky Stem • Lily Weichholz

For more info 718-327-7755

1525 Central Avenue, Far Rockaway, NY 11691

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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No Jew Left Behind

t Har Sinai, the Torah was given to all Jews. Every Jew is entitled to learn Torah. Thousands of young Jews living in our midst, in Flatbush and surrounding neighborhoods, attend public school. Edward Murrow, James Madison, Midwood, Leon Goldstein, and other public schools are full of Jewish students. These precious Jews never had the benefit of a Jewish education. What are the chances that they will marry Jewish and build Jewish

generations? Unfortunately, and tragically, evidence shows that most often they are bound to assimilate and be entirely lost from their heritage. Who will save these young people and reconnect them to their heritage? Baruch Hashem, miracles are unfolding in Flatbush. BJX (Brooklyn Jewish Xperience) runs Torah learning and leadership programs for public high school students as well as for college students and young professionals. No one

would have imagined that these neshamos would be immersed in Torah! Kudos

Rav Naftoli Weitz, rov of Kehillas Ishei Yisroel in Woodmere, addressing the Yeshiva Darchei Torah middle school talmidim about zerizus, the middah that the boys are working on this month

to our public high school students, college students, and young professionals for

YCQ Visits Ellis Island and the 9/11 Memorial

By Eyal Traeger

O Nassau County Executive-elect Bruce Blakeman with Great Neck activist Dr. Paul Brody at Thursday’s Veteran’s Day program at Andrew J. Parise Park in Cedarhurst

taking time from their studies and work to come to BJX to learn Torah.

n Tuesday, November 2, Grade 8 boys from the Yeshiva of Central Queens were treated to a trip to Ellis Island and the 9/11 Memorial. On Wednesday, November 3, YCQ Grade 8 girls followed the same itinerary. The two classes both took the ferry to Ellis Island. On the way, students were able to see the Statue of Liberty. Once on Ellis Island, they explored the Immigration Site. Grade 8 saw the process of the immigration on Ellis Island. They

looked at the panels that contained the names of the immigrants that passed through on their way into the country to start their new lives. A few found their relatives’ names on these panels. Afterwards, the students visited the 9/11 Memorial. They visited the footprints of the Twin Towers and read some of the panels listing those who perished on that day. The rushing water of the reflecting pools was very meaningful. It was truly powerful to commemorate what happened there just over 20 years ago.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Mesivta Shaarei Chaim invites the men of the Woodmere community to join us for a shiur given by brandeecreative.com

Rabbi Yerachmiel Scheiner shlita Rosh Yeshiva

B’I n

C ha nu ka

ne i a y

Motzei Shabbos, November 27th | 8:30 pm Mr. and Mrs. Fagin | 125 Pine Street, Woodmere

Co-hosted by:

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island eighth grade talmidim received a tour of the Inwood Mikvah upon conclusion of learning the Sugyah of Mikvaos in Mesechta Maakos

Haschalat Gemara at YSZ

n Sunday, November 7, parents and staff from Yeshiva Sha’arei Zion joined together at Beth Gavriel of Valley Stream to celebrate the Hatchalat Gemara of the 6th grade boys. The event was attended by over 250 participants including many renowned rabbanim and notable educators. The program opened with a series of moving tunes, practiced and sung by the boys. Rabbi Ephraim Ben Mordechai, Menahel at

Yeshiva Sha’arei Zion, spoke about the important milestone, highlighting the significance of this new chapter in the boys’ lives. Rabbi Tuvia Lieff spoke about the importance of Yegiat Ha’Torah, and Rabbi Baruch Rabinowitz spoke about the tangible effect that learning Torah has on our lives. The boys were then each presented with a Gemara of their own, personalized with their name engraved in gold. They commenced their learn-

ing of Gemara right then and there, amidst a pride-filled crowd, as they learned the

SKAbbaton 2021 By Rosie Ash and Arielle Rosman

t wouldn’t be sufficient to say that SKA’s SKAbbaton 2021 was a blast. During the Shabbat of November 5-6, SKA’s sophomores, juniors, and seniors were taken on the most spectacular Shabbaton they could imagine. (The freshmen had their own retreat.) Staying in the beautiful Hilton Parsippany in New Jersey, the SKA

students got to experience Shabbat all together, something that they haven’t been able to do for such a long time. When everyone first arrived, they were treated to a delicious lunch followed by GVG (grade vs grade) practice. The students then had plenty of time for Shabbat prep and, of course, for pre-Shabbat pictures! They welcomed Shabbat with an uplifting Kabbalat Shabbat followed by the Friday night seudah which was accompanied by gorgeous zemirot.

first Mishna of Eilu Metziot with their Rebbi, Rabbi Wyszkowski. The event con-

Over the course of Friday night and Shabbat morning, the grades were given the incredible opportunity to listen to the fascinating story that Mrs. Smith of New Square told about her difficult experiences and her emunah through it all. There was also a round-robin that gave students the privilege to hear from their favorite teachers along with viewing skits presented by the Seniors. All these performances related to the theme of the SKAbbaton: Hakarat Hatov. After another delicious meal, there were many options given to the students during menucha. Students were able to learn b’chavruta with our Beit Medrash fellows or to hear shiurim by rabbis and teachers alike. The musical havdalah ended Shabbat on a beautiful note. Everyone then rushed to their rooms to start prepping for what was about to come – GVG! The sophomores, juniors, and seniors decked themselves out in green, blue, and purple respec-

cluded with spirited dancing. It was truly a night to remember.

tively. Once all dressed up, GVG was ready to begin! Students cheered, sang, and danced with tons of ruach. Ms. Fogel was the best MC that one could ask for. The night continued with each grade presenting their dances and videos. They were all amazing! In the middle of the presentations, there was a super-exciting surprise – the Class of 2021 made a video all the way from Israel, wishing the current students an amazing SKAbbaton! The winner of GVG was then announced; mazal tov to the sophomores for winning the first GVG that they have ever attended Surely exhausted by the fun of the weekend, the students had a great night’s sleep and then sadly left in the morning. Thank you to Rabbi Zak, Mrs. Storch, the Student Council, and all the teachers who helped make this weekend happen. We can’t wait for SKAbbaton 2022 IYH next year in Yerushalayim!

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Question and answers with SBA Loan Group founder Yankie Markowitz What is an SBA loan?

SBA – the U.S. Small Business Administration – is an independent federal government agency created in 1953 to aid, assist the interests of small business and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy. The SBA offers a variety of loan programs to small businesses. The SBA does not lend directly to businesses but rather sets the guidelines for loans and guarantees for these loans. The loans are then made by its partners – banks, community development organizations and others. When you apply for an SBA loan, you are actually applying for a commercial loan through a bank and the bank must adhere to the SBA requirements.

Why go for an SBA loan and not a regular commercial loan? Usually SBA loans are made to businesses where a longer term is needed or there is higher leverage. In addition, SBA loans do not carry the same covenant and collateral requirements as a standard commercial loan. Can I go to my own bank to acquire a loan? Yes, you can but that process usually will take much longer and has a much higher chance of running into unforeseen issues. This costs both time and money for you. Why work with SBA Loan Group? Working with SBA Loan Group will save you time and frustration because we focus exclusively on SBA loans, making it much easier for our team to be on top of every new rule that comes out from the SBA and delivering a better service to you. The SBA SOP contains the procedures and rules governing the program and is more than 400 pages of requirements which is updated regularly through Technical Issues memos distributed by the SBA. In addition, we have built long-term relationships with SBA lenders in order to understand their credit box and what they will approve, which saves valuable time upfront.

Could you give me a little more on what sets you apart in the Frum community doing SBA loans?

Firstly we have been exclusively focused on SBA loans since 2012, not a lot of companies could say that. Since we have done a large amount of SBA lending in the community we know many of the accountants. This saves a significant amount of time because loan use of proceeds and eligibility are important to efficiently moving a loan from start to finish. Additionally, we know many of the attorneys used and this assists during the closing process. We have in-depth knowledge of many industries and the SBA issues related to these including online businesses, food businesses and health care businesses. Our years of experience in SBA lending along with our focus on avoiding pitfalls in eligibility, relationships with banks, accountants, and attorneys put us in the best position to advise clients upfront on the best loan options. Finally, we have a team from different Frum backgrounds such as Monsey/ Monroe/ Lakewood/ Brooklyn, making it easier to communicate than working with a smaller group.

We are NOT doing disaster loans at this time

Call for more information! Mendy (347) 409-0101 mendy@sbaloangroup.com

Yankie (718) 744-7459 yankie@sbaloangroup.com

1650 Eastern Parkway, Suite 207 Brooklyn, NY, 11233 400 Rella Blvd., Suite 165 Montebello, NY, 10901 84 West Park Place, Second floor, Stamford, CT, 06901

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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The children at Gesher had a blast making mock weddings in honor of Parshas Vayeitzei last week

YOSS sixth graders enjoyed a Melave Malka and kumzitz with their rebbe, Rabbi Meltzer, at the Schindler residence this past Motzei Shabbos

Arista at Central

n Tuesday, November 2, 25 Central students were inducted into Arista, the New York City chapter of the National Honor Society. In order to qualify for Arista, students must be juniors or seniors who have achieved and maintained an impressive average for three consecutive semesters and have contributed to the Central community through leadership and involvement. Students must exemplify the principles of the school, which include leadership positions, service, and character. This year’s induction ceremony was held in honor of the memory of Rabbi Dr. Moshe David Tendler, z”l, venerated community leader and father of Central faculty member, Mrs. Ruth Fried. Rabbi Tendler was a professor of microbiology and Jewish

Chessed Shel Emes

hessed continues to play a major role in chinuch at Yeshiva of South Shore. Last week, YOSS Mechina students from Rabbi Rosenwasser’s shiur went to Mt. Richmond Cemetery in Staten Island to help in the cleanup of the cemetery where many poor and homeless Jews are buried.

medical ethics at Yeshiva University in New York, a distinguished clinical cancer researcher, one of America’s leading bioethicists, and a president of the Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists. He also chaired the bioethical commission of the Rabbinical Council of America and the Medical Ethics Task Force of UJA-Federation of Greater New York. In groups of four or five, students spent the past month, with the guid-

ance of Rabbi Joshua Strulowitz, researching one of Rabbi Tendler’s piskei halacha through watching videos of bioethics lectures that he gave on the topic and reading his articles. Topics included the Torah perspective on the Theory of Evolution, Brain Death, Organ Donation, Embryonic Stem Cell Research, and Right to Try. Each group then presented their research with slides as a synopsis of Rabbi Tendler’s view on

the topic. Mrs. Fried said of the evening, “The students independently delved into my father’s teachings and presented them with confidence, clarity and eloquence. They have provided me with true nechama in showing me that my father’s words and message are alive and well.” May the neshama of Rabbi Dr. Moshe Tendler, z”l, have an aliyah.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Hear from Expert Presenters Christina Coughlin, PhD. Assistant Commissioner of NYSED

Rabbi Yaakov Wasser CPA partner Wasser, Brettler, Klar & Lipstein LLP CPAs

David M. Pollock Associate Executive Director, Public Policy, JCRC-NY

Chaim Book Partner, Moskowitz & Book, LLP

Gain Powerful Insights TOPICS INCLUDE: HR 101 What works and what doesn’t: A case study of QTR and Parsonage Security Grants An overview of all funding opportunities on a federal, state, and local level Employment Pointers All you need to know about FMLA, PFL, workers comp, unemployment, disability and new COVID rules Focus on Funding Which programs are now available in NY State and how can you access them? (MSA, CAP, AIS, MST, NPSE)

A networking event geared to educate NYS/NYC yeshiva admins and personnel Arm yourself with crucial information, timely updates and influential relationships so you can run your Yeshiva with efficiency and financial stability.

Tuesday, December 7, 2021 Sleepy Hollow Hotel & Conference Center, Tarrytown, NY

Vendors: Demonstrate your services to a focused audience of yeshiva administrators

Be in the know

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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“V’ha’arev Nah” Continues at MAY

number of years ago, Rabbi Yehuda Orlansky, 12th grade rebbe at Mesivta Ateres Yaakov, introduced the “V’ha’arev Nah” program to his talmidim. The program, which was highlighted in Mishpacha Magazine, encourages talmidim through a variety of methods to engage in a tremendous amount of chazarah until they truly “own” a masechta. As one of the components to the novel approach to bekiyus learning, talmidim participate in several “retzufos sedarim” throughout the year. Aside from the delicious fare that is provided before and after the seder, the primary goal is for talmidim to learn completely uninterrupted for an extended period of time. This past week, both 12th grade shiurim at MAY remained in Yeshiva after a full day of learning and engaged in the first retzufah seder of the year, learning uninterrupted, some for three hours straight. The seder concluded with a deli-

cious seudah, divrei Torah, singing, and dancing. “Much of the success we are seeing from our talmidim has to do with the time and energy our senior rabbeim, Rabbi Yehuda Orlansky and Rabbi Yonason Sprung, expend for their shiurim,” commented Rabbi Yossi Bennett, S’gan Menahel. “They give over lev v’nefesh for our talmidim and the bochurim feel that.” Rabbi Yonasan Sprung added, “My goal is that my talmidim gain skills in lamdus and a geshmak in learning during our iyun shiur, and another geshmak in mastery of a masechta during our bekiyus shiur.” The talmidim from both shiurim took a trip a few weeks ago to visit Rabbi Dovid Neuman, the mastermind behind this groundbreaking movement, and inaugurated the program for this z’man. B’siyata d’shmaya, talmidim are learning b’hasmodah rabbah and loving every minute of it!

Rudy Rochman Fights for All Jewish Rights By Tammy Mark

udy Rochman is a Jewish-Israel rights activist, a noted speaker, and writer. He is also now a filmmaker working to shed light on what some may consider the “Lost Tribes of Judah” through his project “We Were Never Lost.” From his service in the Israeli Defense Force Paratroopers Brigade to his time battling anti-Semitism at Columbia University, Rochman rarely takes the easy route. He is consistently looking to see where he can

make the most difference, while encouraging others to do the same. His current project, “We Were Never Lost,” is a documentary film series focusing on the lesser known Jewish groups living in far-off countries. This project led Rochman to visit with the Igbo Jewish community of Nigeria, where his bravery and resilience were truly tested. In July, Rochman and his team flew from Israel to Nigeria to meet with the Igbo Jews. Rochman and his two colleagues were suspected by the Nigerian government to be politically

Did you know? Cranberries do not grow in water; they are grown on sandy bogs or marshes

involved with a regional conflict after their meeting. They were imprisoned for 20 days in horrendous conditions, but ultimately were released and officially cleared of all wrongdoing. Rochman considers the “We Were Never Lost” documentary to be a “heartfelt tribute to an ancient people yearning for inclusion,” examining the history, claims, stories, struggles, and aspirations of the Jewish/ Israelite tribes of Africa and spanning borders and boundaries of Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and beyond. More than just an academic investigation of a people’s history, it is set to be a moving portrait of the desire to belong, of community, of unyielding dedication to faith and what it means to be Jewish in the modern world. Anyone trying to follow Rochman’s travels online will see he rarely

stays put, taking every opportunity to speak out and inspire others. Rochman will be speaking in the New York area this coming weekend and regularly throughout the year. For information about his upcoming events or to find out more about his current project, visit www.instagram.com/rudy_israel www. wewereneverlost.com.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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Legendary Agudah Askan, Reb Shloime Werdiger, in Whirlwind Visit to Gedolim in Eretz Yisroel

eb Shloime Werdiger, a preeminent and selfless askan and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Agudath Israel of America, is involved in weighty Klal decisions for Jewry in America and beyond on a daily basis, and he stands at the helm of a massive activewear company. But his love and his loyalty to the Gerer chassidus – a movement in which the Werdiger family has been prominent for generations – are overflowing. This week, during a family trip to Eretz Yisroel with grandchildren who were celebrating their bar mitzvah, Reb Shloime visited numerous Gedolei Yisroel to seek guidance and encouragement

for his work facing the challenges of American Torah Jewry. Monday evening, the yahrtzeit of his beloved father, Reb Nechemia Werdiger, a dinner was held by the Gerer institutions in his honor – with the rare and unique attendance of the Gerer Rebbe, shlit”a. It was held within the confines of the massive, newly expanded Gerer Beis Medrash – after an unveiling of the dedication of the building the memory of his father, z”l, a vestige of Ger of yore, who survived the great inferno and raised his son to love, revere, and nurture the house of Ger which has continued to flourish through his generosity.

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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Father-Daughter Carnival at TAG YOSS Falls into Autumn

hat do you get when you mix Pre1A and first grade talmidos with fathers, grandfathers, booths, a moon bounce, projects, pizza and fun? You get a very successful TAG Women’s League event which took place on Motzei Shabbos, November 13. Many thanks to the following mothers: Mati Becker, Racheli Blumenkrantz, Nomi Friedman, Nava Jacobowitz, Rivka Katznelson, Estee Leff, Sara Shayna Rosenberg and Penina Sanders. Special mention to the volunteers from Machon Sarah HS who helped run the booths and added to the fun!!

ust as farmers are busy harvesting pumpkins and corn, it’s the perfect time for YOSS’s fourth graders to gather inspiration for their “Fall into Autumn” writing pieces. Part of their gathering of new skills has included exploring the five senses to produce the ultimate fall experience. Working through the writing process from brainstorming through

The Heart of the Matter By Soshie Hirth

isiting Morah Shuter’s kitah daled class, I came across an excited group of talmidos who had just learned another lesson in the amazing Bilvalvi curriculum. In keeping with a discussion about the Chanukah story, the girls discussed “Bilvavi ner dolek” and how to interpret its meaning in their own lives. Of course, they learned about what it means to do mitzvos with their whole “heart.” Many of the girls shared with me the mitzvos that meant a lot to them, including kibbud horim, giving smiles to everyone they meet, preparing for Shabbos or a yom tov, oneg Shabbos and davening with kavana, with a full heart. May the flame of ahavas Hashem and His mitzvos burn brightly in the hearts of all TAG talmidos.

publishing, the boys implemented new writing strategies. As the boys reflected upon their individual favorite fall activities, they not only edited their pieces with a personal checklist but had each classmate offer a peer review. From making s’mores to playing board games by the fireplace, our fourth graders are “grateFALL” for the opportunities to write this season.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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G.O. Brings Shemita Close to Home at BYAM

B The Ganger Early Childhood Center at TAG was treated to an amazing show by Dr. Shnitzel in honor of Rosh Chodesh Kislev

ais Yaakov Ateres Miriam’s GO has brought the theme of Shemita close to everyone’s heart. Students at BYAM have been applying the underlying messages of Shemita to their lives each month, and our life-size Shemita farm girl has added an extra dose of excitement to our theme. Our Shemita farm girl finally received her name at our Rosh Chodesh Kislev assem-

bly. The girls had to think of a name that connected to Shemita, and Batsheva was the chosen name. The students celebrated with a special Kislev kiddush, replete with doughnuts. Mazal tov Batsheva! May you continue to help the students of BYAM learn about Shemita and the lessons inherent in it.

Five Towns Resident Creates MoDate

n February 2021, Evan Harris, a 24-year-old from the Five Towns, decided that there was a void in the Modern Orthodox dating world. He had been in the dating scene for a few months and had tried using shadchanim, getting set up by friends, and Jewish dating apps. Ultimately, he found that what made him and most of his friends the most comfortable, aside from happening to meet naturally, was getting set up by friends. Evan always had a passion for side projects. While working full-time, he felt the need to take on another side project in MoDate – “The Mutual Friend You Wish You Had.” At first, MoDate was primarily a shadchan service, but instead of a traditional shadchan, Evan took it upon himself to help set people up. He had already set up one married couple and felt like he might have the skill. After

bringing along Noa Eliach as a partner, MoDate grew. However, most people that signed up for the platform were friends of Evan and Noa. There needed to be a major shift in the way MoDate worked in order for it to succeed. After speaking with Hadassah Raskas, the idea for the current iteration of MoDate was born. Hadassah suggested that the reason MoDate in its original state couldn’t grow was due to privacy issues. Together, they formulated a way for MoDate to become an anonymous dating platform through the use of aliases and an algorithm. After putting together a survey that asked religious and personality questions with the help of a team, Evan brought on his good friend and former roommate, Menachem Losev, to build the MoDate algorithm. Together, they came up with a way to create matches that were similar religiously and had

compatible personalities. The updated MoDate was officially off to the races midway through April 2021. The MoDate process is simple. People in the age range of 20-39 sign up to become Connectors and forward the MoDate survey to their friends who are looking to date (MoDaters). The MoDaters fill out the survey using an alias provided to them by their Connector. Once a week, MoDate runs the algorithm and sends matches to the Connectors. It is then the responsibility of the Connectors to reach out to the Connectors of their respective matches and reveal the identities of their MoDaters who matched. A MoDater’s identity is only revealed once they actually have a match, so although all of the Connectors have access to the MoDate database, all they can see are aliases. After more than six months of be-

ing active, MoDate currently has over 750 MoDaters and over 200 Connectors. MoDate has really become a force in the Modern Orthodox dating world and has even expanded into Israel. MoDate has giveaways, Connector of the Month awards, and dating vouchers for people who go on dates through MoDate. It has run various events on the Upper West Side of Manhattan over the past couple months and aims to continue to keep growing. Evan’s motto has always been “pump the volume” because the more dating suggestions one gets, the more likely they are to find the one. To become a MoDate Connector, all you have to do is follow @MoDate613 on Instagram and sign up through the Connector sign up form.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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Hundreds Join in Eretz Hakodesh Shabbaton By Susan Schwamm

s frum Jews, we pray three times a day for our Holy Land. Our brothers and sisters in Israel are always on our minds. Living in the United States, though, we sometimes wish we could do more to help preserve the sanctity of Eretz Yisrael. And we sometimes wonder if there was more we could do for our brothers and sisters in Israel. Rabbi Pesach Lerner, of Far Rockaway, NY, had those same questions – and he decided to act on them two years ago. It was then that, sitting in the office of a prominent activist, Rabbi Lerner noted that the charedi community in

the United States was not included in the World Zionist Congress. Although the World Zionist Organization may sound like an obscure organization, like many others which were created to improve Israel’s standing in the world, it is anything but that. Yes, it was established with the goal of uniting all Jews around the world with the shared mission of advocating for the Holy Land and for Jews worldwide. But, in order to make the organization viable, when it was created in 1897, it was used as the primary tool to distribute funds necessary to advance Israel as a Jewish state. In 1948, when the modern state of Israel was formed, the WZO was not disbanded. Rather, it was made

stronger – the Israeli government sanctioned it as the outreach arm of the State. Backed by the State of Israel, it became even more important and powerful. Even so, for many years, the WZO flew under the radar of charedi communities. While we at times watched with dismay how certain cultural phenomena were taking place in Israel, we didn’t realize that, often, the organization that can effectuate positive and negative change is not necessarily the Israeli government but the WZO. Recently, progressive movements have been attempting to hijack the Holy Land with their left-wing value systems. Although this theological

battle has been fought in America for years, and the left is slowly losing the fight in spirit – if not in numbers as well – it is a battle that is only now taking shape in Israel. With the left gaining power in the WZO, they asserted to the leaders in the Holy Land that they represent world Jewry and their value systems should reign supreme in Israel as well. And so began Rabbi Lerner’s quest to put together a charedi slate in the

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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U.S. to run in the upcoming elections for the World Zionist Congress. Rabbi Lerner, of course, faced an uphill battle. The word “Zionist” is not always palatable to the charedi community. But armed with the brachos and encouragement of gedolei Yisroel – among them Rav Chaim Kanievsky, Rav Gershon Edelstein, and Rav Elya Brudny – Rabbi Lerner set out to create a charedi slate of ohavei Eretz Yisroel. The gedolim expressed that even though participating in the WZO may have negative, semantic connotations for some, it is an available vehicle to advance our paramount cause of enhancing Kedushas Ha’Aretz and fighting a theological battle that is only beginning. Named Eretz Hakodesh, Rabbi Lerner’s slate generated a revolution when, just months after being formed, EHK managed to secure 25,000 votes in the World Zionist elections in 2020. Nabbing third place behind Reform and Mizrachi, Eretz Hakodesh – with 25 delegates to the Congress – tipped the balance of the World Zionist Congress in favor of the “right-wing” parties, who are aligned in their mission to preserve traditional Judaism and values in Israel. But even more than tipping the balance, Eretz Hakodesh highlighted how important, energized, and influential charedi Jews are in the United States. No longer could the liberal, left-wing, progressive movements boast that they represent American Jews. It was clear to members of the Knesset and Israeli leaders that the makeup of American Jewry does not

slant all the way to the left. For example, when left-wingers attempt to get the support of a member of the Knesset to support a policy change in geirus or kashrus or the Kotel, there is now a loud voice in the room reminding policymakers that many Jews in the Diaspora do not support – and oppose – those progressive changes. Eretz Hakodesh’s 25,000 votes also earned them key seats on certain committees in major agencies in Israel. Now, charedi members of EHK sit on the board of the American Zionist Movement, ensuring that charedi voices are heard when programs and funds are being allocated. Yisroel Schwebel represents Eretz Hakodesh in the World Zionist Organization. According to Schwebel, “The voice of religious Diaspora Jewry is finally being heard.” Programs such as trips for yeshiva and seminary students, festive events over chol hamoed Sukkos, and a Shabbaton for new olim to Israel were instituted because of EHK’s voice in the WZO. Not only that, but EHK has representation in KKL-JNF, which owns vast amounts of land in Israel. Shmuel Litov is the vice chair of the JNF Education Committee. Because of EHK’s efforts, for the first time, all JNF lands are observing Shemittah this year. Additionally, JNF funds are being used to purchase lands over the Green Line – purchases that were not allowed when the liberal camps were in the majority in the JNF. Last Shabbos, Parshas Vayeitzei, was a celebration of Eretz Hakodesh’s

efforts over the last two years. Hundreds joined in the spirited Shabbaton held in Woodcliff Lake, NJ, where Schwebel, Litov and others spoke of Eretz Hakodesh’s accomplishments. Yaakov Hagoel, chairman of the World Zionist Organization and acting chairman of the Jewish Agency, also attended the weekend. Hagoel, with his white-knitted kippah, is a supporter of EHK and was effusive in his praise of the group’s efforts over the past two years. R’ Nechemya Malinowitz, who is the director of EHK in Israel, impressed upon attendees how he has access to Israeli leaders who are committed to hearing his requests because of the revolution that EHK created. He spoke about his successful efforts to bring thousands of yeshiva and seminary students into Eretz Yisroel during Covid. Without EHK, all those boys and girls wouldn’t have been allowed into the Holy Land during those months of lockdown. R’ Yitzchak Pindrus, member of the Knesset, spoke of his love of Eretz Yisroel over Shabbos. He highlighted

the importance of maintaining the kedusha of Eretz Yisroel. Traditional Jews, he noted, have some semblance of Yiddishkeit. But there are many Jews in Eretz Yisroel who, sadly, are very far removed from their Jewish heritage. It is for all Jews that we need to fight to maintain the holiness of the Holy Land, especially those removed from tradition because they are the most vulnerable to being influenced by changes proposed by progressive movements. Rabbi Lerner, in his remarks over Shabbos, spoke highly about the dedicated EHK team in Israel, who work tirelessly for the cause. He marveled at the overwhelming amount of votes EHK managed to garner over such a short time in last election and set his sights on an even more lofty goal: 100,000 votes in the upcoming election. With such a dedicated team and with so much accomplished in just two years, EHK is intent on tipping the balance in an even more powerful way – ensuring the advancement of kedushas Ha’Aretz for years to come.

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Dirshu Secures Additional Hotels to Meet Enormous Demand for Shabbos Convention By Chaim Gold

Dirshu Convention is unique. Simply put, nothing can compare to it in the frum world today. It is a microcosm of the achdus through Torah that symbolizes the most beautiful qualities of Am Yisrael. It is a convention where men and women representing the entire gamut of Torah Jewry – Chassidim of all kinds, Litvish Yeshiva types, Ashkenazim, Sefardim – come together for one reason: to give and gain chizuk in the limud haTorah that both the men and women who attend know has transformed their homes, their family lives, and the chinuch of their children. Lomdei Dirshu look forward to the biennial Convention with tremendous anticipation. It is a breath of Torah oxygen as they meet with like-minded “brothers and sisters in combat” who set aside large portions daily to learn, chazer, learn and chazer again, learning the material for the comprehensive tests that every lomed Dirshu aspires to take successfully. This year, the demand was so great that within hours of the convention being publicized, it was sold out. Understanding the integral role that the convention plays in the lives of their lomdim and wives, Dirshu quickly worked to secure more venues. As of this writing, the Dirshu guests will be staying at the Armon Hotel [formerly the Crowne Plaza] in Stamford, Connecticut, and the adjacent Holiday Inn Hotel, as well as a third hotel in the area, to be announced. In addition, a massive tent for the shul will be erected where the multitudes of participants will be able to daven in an atmosphere conducive to the seriousness of a tefillah experience that a Dirshu Yid expects. Plans are also underway to secure a large ballroom in a nearby hotel to accommodate the anticipated overflow crowd of guests that will come after Shabbos to participate in the Melava Malka Siyum. The Armon and the Holiday Inn Hotel are already fully booked, and now Dirshu has secured a third hotel nearby to accommodate the tremendous response. “Unfortunately, even the third hotel will be insufficient to accommodate all those who desire to come,” said Dirshu’s North American Director, Rabbi Aharon Gobioff, “but it is simply not possible to secure more rooms within walking distance of the Armon Hotel where the seudos, davening, and inspiring shiurim and drashos from Gedolei Yisrael from across the spectrum, will be held.” The Unique Microcosm of Olam Habah The excited anticipation for this Shabbos is indescribable. It is a time when multitudes of talmidei chachamim come together, meet like-minded counterparts, talk in learning, and exchange tips on how to enhance yedias haTorah and retention of the vast amounts of Torah that they learn. The chizuk they derive from realizing that they are a

significant part of a massive global movement of yedias haTorah cannot be quantified. In addition, the wives of lomdei Dirshu walk away from Shabbos on a high. Not only are they deeply inspired by the special women’s programing, but perhaps even more so, from meeting other distinguished wives and mothers who truly understand what it means to be part of Dirshu with the inherent thrill of witnessing the hatzlacha of their husband after a test; or upon completion of a masechta, recognizing how, through Dirshu, the entire family becomes elevated and closer to Hashem. One Dirshu Yid, who called to register on the first day of registration, related, “I called immediately because I have not forgotten the last convention! Where else can one have Ashkenazim and Sefardim, Yeshivaleit and Chassidim, Yidden from Cleveland, Baltimore, and Toronto talking in learning with Yidden from New Square, Lakewood, and Williamsburg? Torah is truly the ultimate unifier and the Torah in which all lomdei Dirshu immerse themselves, day in, day out, week in, week out, year after year brings together all segments of Klal Yisrael in the most harmonious symphony of achdus.” The Climax: Melava Malka Siyum The climax of the Shabbos will be the gala melava malka siyum on Seder Moed that the Daf HaYomi has completed upon which thousands and thousands of lomdei Dirshu have been tested. Open to the public, the melave malka will be addressed by senior Gedolei Yisrael including a special guest senior Gadol from Eretz Yisrael. One prominent American Rosh Yeshiva put it succinctly, “How can I not participate? This is an event with no agenda other than increasing limud haTorah – no political agenda, no fundraising or organizational agenda. It is, simply put, a celebration of dedication to learning. We are just coming to celebrate with Yidden who have invested days and nights over many years to learn, chazer and be tested. How can I not come?” Indeed, who can forget previous conventions that were graced by the likes of HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Yaakov Borenstein, zt”l, whose shiur riveted the tzibbur and whose singing elevated them to a different plane? Who can forget the shiurim of HaGaon HaRav Berel Povarsky, shlita, or HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Feivel Schustal, shlita, or the shaila and teshuva session on all four orders of Shulchan Aruch with HaGaon, HaRav Yechiel Mechel Steinmetz, shlita? One of the unique chiddushim of a Dirshu Convention is the fact that nothing, not even a Dirshu Convention itself, can stop the relentless schedule of learning and chazering of lomdei Dirshu. At the Convention, Dirshu consecrates a large double conference room as a beis medrash open for learning 24 hours a day. By a previous Convention, Rav Yechiel Mechel Steinmetz, the venerated Skverer

HaRav Shmuel Yaakov Borenstein singing at the 2012 Dirshu Convention

Dayan of Boro Park, pointed out how despite the oneg Shabbos ending very late on Friday night, the designated beis medrash was literally full of people learning before it even became light outside! Rav Steinmetz, who was learning in the beis medrash in the early hours, was amazed, “Where else do you have a convention where not only is learning talked about, but it doesn’t stop! Where after the seudah on Shabbos afternoon, the ‘taanug’ of sleeping on Shabbos is replaced by the even greater pleasure of learning and chazering another blatt Gemara and another seif in Shulchan Aruch?!” Every person present at the Convention is one who has shown deep dedication to limud haTorah. The men show that dedication by learning, daily chazering, and taking monthly tests over a protracted period. Similarly, every Dirshu wife has displayed mesiras nefesh for her husband’s learning and spiritual ascent by enabling him to devote tremendous amounts of time to learning and then repeatedly reviewing so that he will sufficiently know the material to earn an exemplary mark on the test. This does not always come easily. It frequently means sacrificing a husband’s help in the most hectic times, such as the morning rush to school or the evening bedtime crunch. Yet, one Dirshu wife related, “I don’t know if I could make it through the years without the tremendous chizuk that I derive from a Dirshu Convention.” Kedushas Habayis, Kedushas HaTorah, and Dirshu On Dirshu participant told the following remarkable story depicting the impact Dirshu has on families. “My friend’s son became engaged. When the chosson’s father was discussing purchasing a ring for the kallah, the chosson insisted on paying for the ring himself. ‘From where do you have money?’ his astounded father asked. ‘Totty,’ the chosson explained, ‘during bein hasedorim and the pre-Shacharis hours, I have been learning Daf HaYomi with Dirshu and taking Dirshu tests. Every stipend that I earned, I put aside. I would like to use that money to buy the ring because I want my new bayis to be built upon the foundation of the kedushas haTorah that I have worked so hard to attain.’” Indeed, that was the underlying foundation throughout the Dirshu Shabbos. The kedushas habayis and shalom bayis of hundreds upon hundreds of families has been immeasurably impacted and often transformed by their connection with Dirshu.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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‫בס״ד‬

Time to flip over the record #OTRsideB Ava i l a b l e n e x t w e e k ! i n s t o r e s o n C D U S B / C A R S T I C K o r at w w w . b a r u c h l e v i n e . c o m

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Well Said 

Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often. - Johnny Carson

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Thanksgiving is when the Indians said, well, this has been fun, but we know you have a long voyage back to England. - Jay Leno

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Every Thanksgiving I think about how much Pilgrims had to sacrifice just so we could have a day off work. - Melanie White

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My cooking is so bad my kids thought Thanksgiving was to commemorate Pearl Harbor. - Phyllis Diller

I like football. I find it’s an exciting strategic game. It’s a great way to avoid conversation with your family on Thanksgiving.- Craig Ferguson

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Thanksgiving is a time to count your blessings, one by one, as each relative goes home. - Melanie

White

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Cooking Tip: Wrap turkey leftovers in aluminum foil and throw them out. - Nicole Hollander

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Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants. - Kevin Jam

I approximated the Black Friday experience at home by hurling myself into a wall a number of times and then ordering online. - Kumail Nanjiani

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The Thanksgiving tradition is, we overeat. “Hey, how about at Thanksgiving we just eat a lot?” “But we do that every day!” “Oh. What if we eat a lot with people that annoy the [daylights] out of us?” - Jim Gaffigan

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If you stand in the meat section at the grocery store long enough, you start to get mad at turkeys. There’s turkey bologna, turkey pastrami…. Someone needs to tell the turkey, man, just be yourself. - Mitch Hedberg

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Vegetables are a must on a Thanksgiving diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. - Jim Davis

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Most turkeys taste better the day after; my mother’s tasted better the day before. - Rita Rudner

You Gotta Be Kidding Me! Q: If the Pilgrims were alive today, what would Q: What did the mama turkey say to her they be most famous for? naughty son? A: Their age! A: If your papa could see you now, he’d turn over in his gravy!

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Native American Trivia 1. Where does the outdated term “Indian” come from? a. Native Americans are originally from the country of India b. The state of India has the most Native Americans, so in the 1800s people started referring to them as “Indians” c. It is slang for independent, since after the U.S. was formed the indigenous people did not become citizens of the new country d. Christopher Columbus thought he had landed in the East Indies so he called the people that he found here “Indians” 2. Which one of the following words is from the Arawakan Indian language meaning “framework of sticks”? a. Cabin b. Popsicle c. Barbeque d. Forest 3. The Indian Citizenship Act (Snyder Act) granted full U.S. citizenship to America’s indigenous peoples. When was it enacted? a. 1964 b. 1924 c. 1876 d. 1795 4. The terms “Native American” and “American Indian” are used in the United States. What term besides “Native Americans” is used in Canada to refer to Native Americans?

a. b. c. d.

Native Canadians Canadian Indians First Nations Ontarionians

5. Which of the following animals did Europeans bring to the Americas that the Native Americans had not seen before? a. Sheep b. Elephants c. Cats d. Zebras 6. How many federally recognized tribes are there in the U.S. today? a. 17 b. 65 c. 144 d. 573 7. Who was Pocahontas? a. A senator from Massachusetts b. A Native American female who assisted English colonists during their first years in Virginia c. She led Lewis and Clark on their expedition and saved them when a group of Native Americans wanted to eat them for dinner d. She created the plan that led to the Louisiana Purchase 8. Where did the term Buffalo Soldier come from? a. It refers to Native Americans stationed in Buffalo, NY, during the Civil War and who fought for the North b. Native Americans gave

the term to African American regiments fighting in the Civil War c. It referred to Native American warriors who wore buffalo headdresses d. It refers to Native Americans who hunted for buffalo 9. Which of the following games was created by Native Americans: a. Golf b. Hockey c. Tennis d. Lacrosse 10. Twenty-six states are actually formed from Native American words. Which one of the following is not one of those 26 states? a. Alabama b. Massachusetts c. Ohio d. Pennsylvania

Answer Key: 1-D 2-C 3-B 4-C 5-A 6-D 7-B 8-B 9-D 10-D Wisdom Key: 7-10 correct: Great job – you can add a feather to cap. 3-6 correct: You have enough knowledge of Native Americans to hold court at a framework of sticks! 0-2 correct: You must be from the Kookoo tribe!

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Torah Thought

Parshas Vayishlach By Rabbi Berel Wein

e seem to find our father Jacob always in some sort of flight. He flees from the wrath of his brother Eisav and spends decades in exile in the house of Lavan. Eventually, he is forced to flee from Lavan when it becomes obvious to him that dishonesty, corruption, and idolatry that characterize the house of Lavan endanger Jacob’s physical and spiritual survival, as well as that of his family.

Because of all of this, he ﬂees the house of Lavan to try to return to his home in the land of Israel. Pursued by Lavan, Jacob eventually molliﬁes Lavan, and continues his journey. But now he regards himself as a fugitive, constantly in danger and subject to constant threats from outside enemies from whom he cannot seemingly escape. The encounter with his brother Eisav, as described in this week’s Torah

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reading, is the culmination of Jacob’s realization of all his fears and of the futility of his repeated attempts to ﬂee and escape. Rashi points out that Jacob devised a plan of three options regarding the forthcoming encounter with Eisav: to purchase goodwill with money, with a prayer to heaven to help them escape trouble, and, if necessary, physical self-defense to preserve his life and his family. It is noteworthy that the option of ﬂeeing, of running away, does not appear in the literature as being an option that Jacob considered in this

It is this encounter with the angel that, somehow, brought home to Jacob the futility of attempting to escape the meeting with his brother. Jacob. He decides to confront his problems and not avoid them, and devises three options as to how he will encounter Eisav, but also confront him. There are many problems in life – and, in fact, life is a series of problems – that we often attempt to deal with by ignoring them or ﬂeeing from them. This tactic rarely proves successful. Eventually, we all must meet

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instance. He apparently is done running and now turns to face his problems and his adversary, head-on, face-to-face. Jacob is pre-empted by a mysterious confrontation with the angel of Eisav before the actual encounter with his brother. That encounter comes upon him suddenly and unexpectedly, and it is a threat that he cannot escape from. Jacob wrestles with his adversaries but in the ensuing struggle, Jacob is injured. He prevails, though, and emerges triumphant, so much so, that his adversary is forced to bless him and acknowledge his greatness.

up with our own Eisav – or at least with the angel – and ideas that the angel represents. Judaism has never attempted to escape from the world. Instead, it has always attempted to face it, argue, and debate, teach, and instruct, and retain its faith and values. History has shown us how impossible it is to avoid confrontation – certainly in the realm of ideas, beliefs, and normative behavior. Being able to face up to a problem and its ramiﬁcations is the ﬁrst step towards being able somehow to solve or overcome the problem with an adequate resolution. Shabbat shalom.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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From the Fire Parshas Vayishlach

The Many Faces of Evil By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

he Torah tells us that the night before Yaakov planned to confront Eisav and his four hundred soldiers (Bereishis 32:25), “And Yaakov was left alone, and a man struggled with him until the break of dawn.” There is a fascinating dispute in the Gemara (Chulin 91a) regarding the appearance of this man with whom Yaakov wrestled, who we know was the ministering angel of Eisav and represents the yetzer hara, the evil inclination: “Rabi Shmuel bar Nachmeini says that he [the man] appeared to him [Yaakov] like an idol worshiper... Rav Shmuel bar Acha said before Rav Papa in the name of Rava bar Ula that he [the man] appeared to him like a Torah scholar.” The Mussar seforim explain that the deeper meaning of this Gemara is that the evil inclination constantly changes its approach and its tactics depending on the situation.

The Gemara (Sukkah 52a) even says that the evil inclination goes by seven different names since it takes on a different approach depending on the person and the circumstances. The tests of this world are always changing. As Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, in Mesilas Yesharim, writes, “All aspects of this world, whether good or seemingly bad, are tests for a person; poverty on one hand and wealth on the other...” We see a clear example of this in Lot, Avraham Avinu’s nephew. When it came to the test of poverty, he passed with flying colors. When Avraham had to descend to Egypt because of the famine, Lot went with him into exile and stayed strong. But while in Egypt, Avraham, and Lot as well, became very wealthy, as the pasuk says (Bereishis 13:2), “And Avraham was very heavy with cattle, with silver, and with gold.” Unfortunately, when it came to wealth, Lot failed the test. He chose Sedom over Avra-

ham, saying (Rashi on Bereishis 13:11), “I cannot stand Avram or his G-d.” Lot passed the test of poverty but failed the test of wealth. There was a wealthy benefactor in Minsk, Reb Boruch Zeldhovitz, who supported all of the yeshivos and poor people of Minsk. Unfortunately, after some time, he lost everything he had and became so poor he could scarcely feed his family. He traveled to Brisk to meet Rav Chaim Brisker. When he spoke with him, he asked: “Doesn’t it say in Mishlei 28:27, ‘One who gives to the poor will lack nothing’? Indeed, the Rambam paskens (Mishna Torah, Matnas Aniyim 10:2) that the halacha is that ‘a person will never become poor from giving tzedaka and no damage or anything bad will happen to the person because of giving tzedaka.’ If so, how could I have become so poor after giving so much tzedaka?” Rav Chaim answered him with

a story from his father, the Beis Halevi. Soon after the Beis Halevi became the Rav in Brisk, he went to the Jewish cemetery in Brisk for the first time to attend a funeral. While he was there, he noticed a very unusual thing. He saw a man’s matzeivah, tombstone, with the pasuk (Mishlei 31:20), “Her palm is open to the poor and her hand is stretched out to the destitute,” quoting from a pasuk from Eishes Chayil, the song in praise of the Jewish woman, the woman of valor. He was very curious about the choice of pasuk because pesukim from Eishes Chayil are usually reserved for women. After the funeral, he went to the cemetery office and researched the man’s family. After learning more, he followed up with some of the older Jews in Brisk to learn more about the man. The Beis Halevi’s research revealed several interesting things about this fascinating person. He had been very wealthy, supporting

all of the local institutions and poor Jewish people. After doing so for a long time, his fortune took a turn for the worse, and he lost everything. One day, after becoming poor, two poor men came to his home for tzedaka. At first, he told that that he was terribly sorry but that he did not have anything left to give them. Despondent, they were about to walk away, when the man said to hold on and that he would check whether he could find anything to give them. He began rifling through boxes, and at one point, he lifted up a box and a small silver spoor fell to the floor. Ecstatic that he was able to give something to the poor men at his door, he returned to them. Because there were two men and only one spoon, he broke the little spoon in half and gave a piece to each one. It was because of this story that the community wrote the pasuk, “Her palm is open to the poor,” on his tombstone. The Hebrew word for “her palm,” also means “spoon,” and the Hebrew word for “open to” also means “to divide.” He divided the spoon in half, giving the usable portion of the spoon to one poor person. And in the second half of the pasuk, “Her hand is stretched out to the destitute,” the Hebrew word for “her hand” can also refer to the “handle” of the spoon, as if to say that he gave the handle to the “destitute,” the other poor man. After this man’s funeral, the Beis Din in Brisk began debating how such a giving person could have become so poor. They concluded that it must be because he transgressed the words of Chazal (Erchin 28a) by giving away more than a fifth of his wealth. Reb Baruch Zelchovitz spoke up, saying, “I understand the rebbe’s point. I am being punished because I violated the words of Chazal by giving away more than a fifth of my assets to tzedaka.” “No!” Reb Chaim responded. “I disagree with the Beis Din. But I do not see any difficulty in understanding how a rich person who gives tzedaka could lose all of his money. Our world is a test. At first, you were tested with wealth, and you passed that test. You are now being tested with the challenge of poverty. How will you fare?” The world is a gilgal ha’chozer, a

revolving wheel, in which the nature of our tests is constantly changing. Chassidus calls this world an olam ha’temuros, an ever-changing place. Sometimes, our evil inclination appears like an idol worshiper, attempting to entice us to do terri-

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

reminder not to run away from our battles with the side of evil. Rather, we must engage in battle with it, in whatever guise it appears. On an outward level, too, we cannot run away from the enemies who wish to destroy us. In seems

The evil inclination constantly changes its approach and its tactics depending on the situation.

ble sins. Other times, it appears like a Torah scholar attempting to fool us into believing that some haughtiness or false piety is truly a great mitzvah. The Mishna in Avos (2:5) says, “Do not believe in yourself until the day of your death.” Because one’s tests always change, one can never rest on his laurels even on his dying day. According to the Gemara (Kiddushin 30a), not only does a person’s evil inclination strengthen itself against him every day, but “a person’s evil inclination renews itself against him every day.” It places new tests before the person every day. The fact that someone passes a test one day does not guarantee that he will pass the next day’s test. The main thing is to recognize the battle and engage in the struggle without running away. The Rashbam explains that the angel with whom Yaakov wrestled fought with him all night to prevent him from avoiding the confrontation with Eisav. It was as if he was saying to Yaakov, “No more running! You ran away from Eisav years ago, and you ran away from Lavan. Now you wish to run away from Eisav again to avoid the confrontation?!” He therefore fought with Yaakov all night so that he would be forced to fight and would not be able to run away. According to the Rashbam, the prohibition against eating the gid ha’nasheh, the sinew injured by the angel, is meant to serve as an eternal

that in some of our recent battles with Yishmael, the Palestinians, we give up the battle before finishing off Hamas, or whichever group is attempting to destroy the Jewish people at any given time. While it is

difficult to sit in America and advise our brothers living in the shadow of deadly missiles regarding the best course of action, a pattern of not finishing the job does seem apparent. In both our internal and external battles with the side of evil, may we merit to always stand ready to engage in battle no matter what form our enemy takes and may we soon see the fulfillment of the last pasuk in this week’s haftara (Ovadia 1:21), “And the saviors will ascend the mountain of Zion to judge the mountain of Eisav and kingship shall belong to Hashem.”

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

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NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Delving into the Daf

Sky-High Sevaros By Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

astern Airlines Flight 885 took off from Miami International Airport at 08:56 on May 5, 1980. They were flying a three-engine Lockheed Tri-Star. The Tri-Star was headed to Nassau International Airport in the Bahamas. The flight was almost full, carrying 162 passengers and 10 crewmembers. At 09:15, during an ascent through 15,000 feet, a warning light went on indicating problems with Tri-Star’s #2 engine. The engine then flamed out. A decision had to be made – should they continue on to Nassau, which was only 54 miles away, or return to Miami, which was 110 miles away? The captain elected to return to Miami to land. This was due to the poor weather conditions in Nassau. It would have taken more time to land in Nassau than to land in Miami. (In response to a lawsuit, this decision was proven to be the correct one in a flight simulator.) En route back to Miami, warning lights for engines #1 and #3 illuminated. At 09:28, at an altitude of 16,000 feet, engine #3 flamed out. At 09:33, engine #1 flamed out. While the flight crew attempted to restart engine #2, the cabin lights went off and flight deck instruments stopped working. The aircraft descended without power from about 13,000 feet to about 4,000 feet, at which point the crew managed to restart engine #2. They skillfully executed an emergency landing at Miami. None of the 172 passengers and crew aboard were injured in the incident. The odds of an engine failing in midflight on this particular plane is estimated at one in a thousand. The odds of two engines failing simultaneously are one in a million. The odds of all three engines failing simultaneously are one in a billion. Was this an extremely rare and bizarre accident?

The Gemara in Taanis (7a) quotes Rebbe Chama B’Rebbe Chanina, “’Iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17).’ Just as iron sharpens iron, so, too, two sages that study together sharpen one another.” This is similar to what Rebbe Yosi ben Rebbe Chanina taught: “Sages who learn alone deserve a punishment by the sword. Moreover, they become foolish.” A Gemara in Makkos (10a) similarly emphasizes the importance of not learning alone. In a d’rash of the pasuk in Koheles (5:9), “U’mi oheiv behamon lo tevuah” (“Whoever loves a multitude, lo tevuah”), Rav Ashi offered the following: “Whoever loves to learn in a group will merit to acquire Torah.” The Maharsha says that if you meet an individual who says he consistently learns Torah in a group, yet appears to be an ignoramus, you know that he is lying. The Torah guarantees that an individual can reach new planes of Torah understanding if he learns Torah in a group. His claim that he is a part of Torah study group must have been concocted out of thin air. Even if we can understand why group learning is better, why does the Gemara practically state that it is a sin to learn alone? What is the basis for this? The Maharsha explains that Torah study is not like any other area of human knowledge. It has deep sevaros and secrets. These can only be properly understood by an animated give-and-take with other individuals. One who studies alone is equating Torah knowledge to the study of aviation. He is viewing the Torah as a simple textbook that one can read alone and successfully cram for any test. This is a disgrace of Torah and can make one liable for punishment. This is only true if one willfully

forgoes a Torah chaburah that is fitting for him and instead learns alone. One who is in a place or situation where he cannot join a chaburah is not disgracing the Torah by learning alone. Just the opposite; he is showing heroic courage by overcoming the evil inclination against the study of Torah and learning by himself. It is often much more difficult to learn alone, and one who nevertheless does so deserves great reward. Rav Yaakov Emden proves that someone who cannot join a chaburah should nevertheless learn by himself from an explicit Mishnah in Pirkei Avos (3:2): “And from where do we know that someone who learns alone that Hashem gives him reward . . .” It is evident that if you receive reward for an action, then it must be proper. The Gemara’s statement about one who learns alone becoming foolish can best be explained by the NTSB’s resolution of the mystery of the failing engines. Was it simply a coincidence that three engines failed on the same flight? The NTSB concluded otherwise. The same two mechanics serviced all three engines. They failed to seal the oil tanks properly with “O-rings,” and all the engine oil leaked out. They made the same error three times. In fact, internal documents later showed that they made the same mistake numerous times before. When one learns Torah by himself, he is prone to making mistakes. He can misunderstand one concept and then continually make the same error over and over again. With a chaburah, the mistake can be realized and corrected. The Gemara is

saying that learning alone is “plane” foolish. Therefore, one should try his utmost to join a chaburah to be able to soar to new heights in Torah. It is interesting to note that Rebbe Yakov Emden stated that the benefits of learning in Eretz Yisrael outweigh learning with a chavrusa. Suppose someone is able to learn on his own but would learn better with a chavrusa. He is therefore reluctant to learn in Eretz Yisrael where he won’t have an appropriate study partner. Rebbe Yaakov Emden said that this is not an issue. “The air of Eretz Yisrael makes one wise.” The kedusha of Eretz Yisrael will compensate for the loss of a chavrusa. The Sefer Chassidim writes though that there are situations when it would be better to learn alone. If one cannot find an appropriate Rebbe or chavrusa, perhaps he’ll be more successful studying alone. The Pri Megadim writes that some individuals find that they can’t learn in a noisy beis medrash. They, too, might be better served learning alone. The Bad Kodesh writes that, in fact, many gedolim throughout the generations studied alone for one reason or another. Yet, they were very successful. The upshot is that everything being equal one should strive to study with a group or chavrusa. Many, though, have had great success studying alone.

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

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

The Wandering

Jew

Puerto Rico By Hershel Lieber

Cabezas Nature Reserve

sort of dreaded tax season. It meant full days, late nights, myriad phone calls, and paperwork galore. I enjoyed seeing my clients, especially the ones I met only annually during tax season, but I can’t say that I appreciated the tension that preceded the April 15th deadline. Although my workload was full with year-end accounting work for corporations and preparation for personal taxes, I felt that a pretax season vacation would have a calming effect to help me pull through the impending storm. Pesi understood my needs and supported my wish to get away for a week. Where to? Israel and Europe were really out of the question. Too far a destination for so little time. Most U.S. states were too cold in January to spend there a week’s vacation. Florida? Been there, done that – a number of times. The Caribbean Islands? Everything revolved around beaches and the ocean – traditionally inappropriate. But there was one island that had enough to see and what to do that would be of interest to us.

The beautiful bioluminescent bay

And that was Puerto Rico. There was history. There was culture. There was natural beauty. And it was close enough to New York and had adequately warm weather. So in early January of 2011 we arrived in San Juan. It was Tuesday, and we rented a car and drove about forty-five minutes to Villa Sevilla near the El Yunque National Forest. We rented a small cottage situated on beautiful tropical grounds. There were a scattered number of rental cottages nearby, but all were empty since

we arrived just after the busy holiday season. We basically had the whole compound for ourselves. Other than one shopping trip to a local Walmart, we spent Tuesday and Wednesday just relaxing. We read, learned, talked, cooked and prepared meals from food that we brought along, and took more than one nap each day. Maybe it was a bit boring, but it was just what we needed at the time. By Thursday we were ready to take on the island! Early that morning we went to see the famed Luquillo Beach.

There were no swimmers there at the time, so we were able to sit and enjoy the tranquility of the white sanded seashore surrounded by majestic palms. From there, we went to see the Las Cabezas Nature Reserve. We took a guided tour, which included a lecture by a park ranger. We also hiked for a while along a mangrove habitat trail. The scenery was stunning, and I was constantly snapping away with my camera. We had to rush back to daven and eat supper since we had booked a very unusual night activity. We found out that there was a unique natural phenomenon nearby called Bioluminescent Bay. Microscopic organisms in the bay light up blue when the water is agitated. This natural wonder is seen only in five places on Earth, three of which are in Puerto Rico. This wonderous sight can only be seen during nighttime and to get out to the bay you have to rent a kayak. We bought water shoes and then rented a kayak. A guide went ahead of a group of ten kayaks and directed us into the bay. I never kayaked before

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021 The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

At San Cristobel Fort

Luquillo Beach

and neither did Pesi. We somehow managed to paddle into the bay and were overwhelmed as we dipped our hands into the waters. The waters lit up with a blue, fluorescent light as we lifted it and when they fell back into the bay. What a spectacular sight! On the way back, our kayak got stuck in the brushes lining the narrow channels leading into the bay. The water was not more than three feet deep with probably another foot of mud, and I had to get into the channel to maneuver the boat out of the brush. At that point, we somehow lost the ability to paddle and kept turning around in circles. When our guide no-

Now we knew why our destination had to be Puerto Rico. We started our day early since it was Erev Shabbos and headed for El Yunque Rain Forest. The only rainforest in the National Forest System, it is small in size yet is the most biologically diverse of all. We first took a one-hour self-driving tour along paved roads which took us to stunning sights. This was followed by a guided lecture tour along a winding trail. We learned about the flora and fauna and the wildlife of this beautiful treasure of a National Park. On the way back, we ran into Walmart to get more candles for our guests. We also

This natural wonder is seen only in five places on Earth, three of which are in Puerto Rico.

ticed our dilemma, he towed us back to the dock. I came back completely soaked, but we were thrilled to have this remarkable experience. Friday morning we noticed that there was a car parked by the cottage that was nearest to us. I saw a fortyish looking couple unpacking their luggage and walked over to welcome them. It turned out that they were Jewish and from the New Haven area of Connecticut. I invited them to join us for the Shabbos meal that night, and they said that although they had already made plans for dinner at a restaurant, they would join us for candle lighting and part of the meal.

needed a candlestick holder, which they didn’t carry. Pesi improvised by buying a set of salt and pepper shakers in which we were able to insert the candles. Shabbos was rapidly approaching, and we still had to shower, dress, set the table and warm up the food. Just before candle lighting time, Richard and Raizel (yes, she uses her Jewish name) came to join us for licht bentchen. They went back to their cottage while we davened and then returned for Sholom Aleichem, Aishes Chayil, and kiddush. We shared our challah, gefilte fish and hot potato kugel with them, and they shared their

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In El Yunque National Forest

Jewish backgrounds and experiences with us. Raizel asked that I sing Lecha Dodi, her favorite Shabbos tune, to which I acquiesced. Raizel was a student of Zalman Schachter, the founder of the non-Orthodox Jewish Renewal Movement. He took elements of his Orthodox and Chabad background and melded them into his own vision of religious spirituality. Raizel was ordained by Schachter as a “Mashpia Ruchanit.” Richard,

on the other hand, did not have any religious affiliation when growing up. Our guests were flabbergasted that they unexpectedly were able to experience Shabbos in Puerto Rico. And so were we! Shabbos was a relaxing day for us. We davened side by side, had our seudah, took a nap, and then studied Chumash together. On Motzei Shabbos, we spoke to all our children and our mothers, which was followed by

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At El Muno Fort

Melave Malka. We boiled plantains, which are a type of banana that are cooked and popular among Latin Americans and Caribbean Islanders. Un delicioso manjar! Sunday we spent all day in San Juan, the capital of the island. We took an audio tour of the forts of El Muno and San Cristobel and all the sights in between. There was an ongoing San Sebastion Festival, and the streets were lined with thousands of people. The atmosphere was very festive as marchers paraded through the streets accompanied by floats and musical instruments. Monday was our last day in Puerto Rico. We returned to El Yunque National Forest and took the Big Tree Trail to La Mina Falls. The trail took an hour. Then we did the Banja de Oro Trail, which took another forty-five minutes. On the way back, we passed Luquillo Beach again and I found a deserted section where I was able to swim for twenty minutes, while Pesi waited nearby. How can one go to Puerto Rico and not take a dip in the ocean? When we returned to our cottage,

Rum and popcorn with Richard and Raizel

we were invited by Richard and Raizel for drinks on their veranda. They bought kosher pineapple and coconut mixes to add to the local rum, and we brought a large bag of popcorn. We sat and talked for two hours and had a marvelous time. As we started packing, we reminisced about the experiences of the past week. Those fonds memories are still with us to this very day. Hershel Lieber has been involved in kiruv activities for over 30 years. As a founding member of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel he has traveled with his wife, Pesi, to the Soviet Union during the harsh years of the Communist regimes to advance Yiddishkeit. He has spearheaded a yeshiva in the city of Kishinev that had 12 successful years with many students making Torah their way of life. In Poland, he lectured in the summers at the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation camp for nearly 30 years. He still travels to Warsaw every year – since 1979 – to be the chazzan for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for the Jews there. Together with Pesi, he organized and led trips to Europe on behalf of Gateways and Aish Hatorah for college students finding their paths to Jewish identity. His passion for travel has taken them to many interesting places and afforded them unique experiences. Their open home gave them opportunities to meet and develop relationships with a variety of people. Hershel’s column will appear in The Jewish Home on a bi-weekly basis.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

‫בס״ד‬

F I R S

F O

Annual

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, ‘21

‫כ”ה טבת תשפ”ב‬

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HARBOTZAS TORAH AWARD

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WALDMAN

PARENTS OF THE YEAR

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World

Builders

Making a House a Home By Raphael Poch

A before-and-after photo of the bathroom

wo weeks ago, on Saturday night, United Hatzalah volunteers helped a woman give birth to her sixteenth child in her home in the Geula neighborhood of Jerusalem. United Hatzalah volunteer Avi, who was one of the first responders at the emergency birth, said, “Once the mother and her new baby girl were taken to the maternity ward in the hospital, we realized that the house was in terrible condition. As United Hatzalah volunteers, we respond to emergencies in all different places and see quite a few houses that aren’t the cleanest or the nicest. However, after seeing this home, we were shocked that anyone could live here. Not only was it extremely dirty, but it was also falling apart. It wasn’t fit for anyone to live in, especially not a family with many children. “We decided to raise money and renovate the house for them. To our delight, many people got involved and donated money for the cause.” There were many problems with the house that made it unfit for living. There were no windows, the paint was chipping off the walls throughout the house, there were no lights in the bathroom or a door, and the beds were broken. After a week and a half, the volun-

A well-stocked pantry

teers received enough generous donations to start work. United Hatzalah rented an apartment for the family to stay in while their house was under construction. A contractor was hired to manage the renovations, and they started right away. Many amazing and thoughtful people from the community, in addition to the United Hatzalah volunteers, heard about the project and came to chip in with the renovations

Doing a last-minute cleanup of the home

closets. The kitchen was stocked with food for the family. New windows were put in, and the house was repainted. They even bought them new linens, as well as various other necessary items such as hairbrushes for the girls. On Thursday night right before the family returned to their home, the United Hatzalah volunteers who responded to the birth, as well as others, came to mop the floors from

“After seeing this home, we were shocked that anyone could live here.”

and the cleaning. One man in particular, Nati Azarzar, managed to bring in a lot of donations for the sake of the family, some including beds, linens, and new appliances. Within just four days, the house was transformed. The entire house was renovated, from the bathrooms to the kitchen. It was equipped with working appliances and electricity throughout the house. They supplied the family with new furniture, including beds, a couch, and storage

all the dirt, make the beds, and complete all the final steps of the house renovation. They cleaned the house thoroughly and made the house ready for the family to move back in just in time for Shabbat. “It was a shocking sight,” said Yossi Moalem, “As we walked into the house for the first time, we became so emotional. It was hard for us to believe the conditions the family was living in. I am so proud of the work we did. Now, the house is finally a

place where the family, the newborn, and the recovering mother can live. I want to thank all the people who donated money and other necessities – this could not have happened without their help.” Avi added, “This project is not finished and will remain an ongoing one. The group of United Hatzalah volunteers who were involved in the initial response and then the renovations have taken it upon themselves to visit the family on a weekly basis to make sure that all their needs are being taken care of,” Avi said. “The volunteers continue to buy them food from the money donated, and a few have even volunteered to help with the cooking and the cleaning.” When president and founder of United Hatzalah Eli Beer heard about the story, he said, “The volunteer did such an amazing thing caring for this family the way they did. This is such tremendous chessed. To those who participated, all I can say is thank you. It is a true merit to have people such as yourselves in this organization. You make me proud, and I hope that you continue doing such amazing things for others. “You changed the world for the better, and you cared for this family as if it’s your own.”

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

FAR ROCKAWAY AND FIVE TOWNS COMMUNITY

Motzei Shabbos Tanach Shiur Please join us as we begin our 25th season!

NOVEMBER 20, 2021 7:00PM

‫שלח‬hu ,arp e"amun

PROGRAM HOSTED BY: Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst 8 Spruce Street

Rabbi Shaya Cohen will be learning

Perek 85 of Tehillim v"g jubn rzghkt crv ,c kyhd ,nab hukhgk

Dedicated in memory of Rabbi Mordy Kriger z”l Founder of the Tanach Shiur

Co-Sponsored By: Agudah of the Five Towns Rabbi Yitzchok Frankel Agudah of West Lawrence Rabbi Moshe Brown Bais Haknesses of N. Woodmere Rabbi A. Lebowitz Bais Medrash D’Cedarhurst Rabbi Dovid Spiegel Chofetz Chaim Torah Center Rabbi Aryeh Z. Ginzberg Cong. Bais Avrohom Rabbi Osher Stern Cong. Anshei Chessed Rabbi Simcha Lefkowitz Cong. Bais Ephraim Yitzchok Rabbi Zvi Ralbag Cong. Bais Tefila Rabbi Ephraim Polakoff Cong. Beth Sholom Rabbi Kenneth Hain Cong. Kneseth Israel Rabbi Eytan Feiner

Cong. Shaaray Tefila Rabbi Uri Orlian HILI Bais Medrash Rabbi Dov Bressler Kehillas Bais Yehuda Rabbi Yaakov Feitman Cong. Tifereth Zvi Rabbi Pinchas Chatzinoff Y.I. of Bayswater Rabbi Eliezer Feuer Y.I. of Far Rockaway Rabbi Shaul Chill Y.I. of Hewlett Rabbi Simcha Hopkovitz Y.I. of Lawrence-Cedarhurst Rabbi Yaakov Trump Y.I. of North Woodmere Rabbi Yehuda Septimus Y.I. of Woodmere Rabbi Hershel Billet

A Priority-1 Community Initiative

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A N Y WAY YO U L O O K AT I T, YO U C A N S E E E T E R N I T Y.

View from Yeshiva campus

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s new capital project will encompass a Mesivta Beis Medrash and its first-ever Residence Hall. This project will empower generations of talmidim to learn, thrive and grow in an environment conducive to their lofty calling. Long after the final brick is laid, your gift will continue to accrue dividends. Some look at these plans and see bricks and mortar. Our visionary builders see eternity.

MR. & MRS. BERISH & HANNAH FUCHS

THE BIVETSKY FAMILY SHAAR HATORAH

MR. & MRS. YUSSIE & SUSAN OSTREICHER

RESIDENCE HALL AND TORAH CENTER

‫ה ליב ע”ה‬-‫לע”נ שלום ראובן בן ארי‬

MESIVTA BEIS MEDRASH BUILDING

‫לע”נ מוהר”ר יחיאל מיכל‬ ‫בן ישראל יהודה ע”ה‬ MESIVTA BEIS MEDRASH

ANONYMOUS

MR. & MRS. BENJAMIN & JUDY LANDA

MR. & MRS. YITZCHOK & SHOSHANA GANGER

ANONYMOUS

MR. & MRS. BENZION & MIRIAM HEITNER

ANONYMOUS Residence Hall Cornerstone

Entranceway to Mesivta Beis Medrash Building

GYMNASIUM WING

Dedicated by Mr. & Mrs. Yaakov & Rivky Jacobovitch

‫לע”נ נחמן יהודה בן יעקב דוד ע”ה‬ ‫ואשתו לאה בת יהודה אשר ע”ה‬ ‫ולע”נ יעקב ליב בן שלמה ע”ה‬

‫לע”נ ישראל הלוי לעווין ע”ה‬ ‫ואלישבע בתיה קפלן ע”ה‬

THE BLOOM FAMILY

Dedication of Rosh Kollel’s Office

Beis Medrash Vestibule Entrance

MR. & MRS. MOTTY & HADASSA JACOBOWITZ

MR. & MRS. URI & ESTHER KAUFMAN

MR. & MRS. CHAIM SHOLOM & RIVKY LEIBOWITZ

Promenade Vestibule

DEDICATION OF CAMP ORAYSA CAMPUS

MEMORIAL EXHIBIT TO THE YESHIVOS OF PREWAR EUROPE

‫לע”נ חוה בת דב ע”ה‬

‫לע”נ ר‘ ישראל‬ ‫בן ר‘ בנימין הכהן ע”ה‬

DEDICATED ANONYMOUSLY

In Memory of Mrs. Marta Schron ‫ע”ה‬

MR. & MRS. MOTTY & HADASA MENDELSOHN Lobby, Mesivta Beis Medrash Building

DR. & MRS. YOSSI & ZIVIA SCHWARTZ

Cornerstone, Mesivta Beis Medrash Building

MR. & MRS. NASSAN & DEVORAH TREITEL Preschool Cornerstone

MR. & MRS. URI & DEVORAH DREIFUS

MR. & MRS. ALON & CHANIE GOLDBERGER

MR. & MRS. NACHMAN & ESTHER GOODMAN

MR. & MRS. SHMULI & MIRIAM MENDEL

MR. & MRS. MENASH & MIMI ORATZ

MR. & MRS. SHIA & ELANA OSTREICHER

Ner Tamid

Associate Dean’s Office

MESIVTA OTZAR HASEFORIM

THE SCHRON FAMILY

Sha’ar of New Beis Medrash

Basketball Court in Elementary School Gym

Entrance of Beis Medrash Building

Beis Medrash Building Vestibule

‫לע”נ נחמן יהודה בן יעקב דוד ע”ה‬ ‫ואשתו לאה בת יהודה אשר ע”ה‬ ‫ולע”נ יעקב ליב בן שלמה ע”ה‬

Mr. & Mrs. Simcha & Shani Applegrad

Mr. & Mrs. Berel & Sherry Daskal

Mr. & Mrs. Binyomin & Leah Einhorn

Mr. & Mrs. Naftoli & Chani Einhorn

Mr. & Mrs. Evan & Chaya Sara Genack

Rabbi & Rebbetzen Chaim Aryeh Zev & Avigail Ginzberg

Mr. & Mrs. Samuel & Beverly Goldberger

Mr. & Mrs. Jeff & Tamar Landy

‫ לע”נ‬The children, bochurim and all 45 neshamos of the Miron tragedy, Lag Baomer 5781

‫לע”נ‬ ‫זעליג בן מרדכי ע”ה‬

Mr. & Mrs. Ephram & Ilana Ostreicher

Mr. & Mrs. David & Sima Rosenfeld

Mr. & Mrs. Dovid & Chani Roll

Dr. & Mrs. Zvi & Dina Schreiber

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew & Stephani Serotta

Mr. & Mrs. Morris & Devora Smith

Mr. & Mrs. Yehuda & Mindy Zachter

Get in on the ground floor of this monumental project.

To choose from a wide selection of sponsorships at all levels, please contact:

Rabbi Zev Bald 718.868.2300 ext. 232 zbald@darchei.org

Rabbi Baruch Rothman 718.868.2300 ext. 406 brothman@darchei.org

darchei.org

View from Seagirt Boulevard

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Dating Dialogue

What Would You Do If… Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters

Dear Navidaters,

I’m writing to your panel because I am at my wits’ end. My daughter is a young, beautiful woman with a ton going for her. Because she is not yet married, people (friends and even family) give the most outlandish advice to try and push us into uncomfortable situations. One example, which was the straw that broke the camel’s back, is the following.

Someone very close to us called multiple times. When my daughter finally answered, this person explained how she heard that a woman in the community lost her husband, r”l. Since this woman lost a relative, she told my daughter to go to the shiva house because the woman dabbles in shidduchim. These kind of bizarre “requests” from family and friends happen regularly. My question is: how do we respond to such comments? How can we show the person that their efforts to help are only hurting?

Thank you Mrs. T.*

Disclaimer: This column is not intended to diagnose or otherwise conclude resolutions to any questions. Our intention is not to offer any definitive conclusions to any particular question, rather offer areas of exploration for the author and reader. Due to the nature of the column receiving only a short snapshot of an issue, without the benefit of an actual discussion, the panel’s role is to offer a range of possibilities. We hope to open up meaningful dialogue and individual exploration.

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

The Panel

The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S.

rs. T., I feel for you. Well-meaning friends and family give you unsuitable advice and urge unseemly activities, hoping to help your daughter find her mate. This is stressing you and you want to stop them from inappropriate initiatives and intervention. You can try to change behaviors; you cannot change people. If they are so socially inappropriate and insensitive with outlandish recommendations and pressure, don’t even try to fix them and make them see what they are doing. Just thank them for their concern and caring for your daughter. Say it again. And say it again. And say it again when they pressure you. The broken record approach works. You just have to have the stamina to keep at it. It’s easier said than done. It’s hard to let this bounce off you. Reassure yourself that you are doing what you are supposed to be doing. You’re making your reasonable efforts as hishtadlus and, of course, you are davening. Your daughter is wonderful, and the right young man will come along when Hashem wants him to appear and no longer. Don’t let the others get to you. The repetitive, polite thanks and appreciation will become easier, and some of them will probably modify their inappropriate suggestions.

even if I don’t have the right advice for you to turn the situation around, you have created awareness amongst our readers. The first thing I would like to stress is don’t make other people’s problems your problem. The people suggesting strange and awkward solutions likely have a strong need for control over others’ lives. There are people like this. The first step is for you and your daughter to acknowledge that this person has a problem. The second step is dealing with this person. You will never be able to change this person, no matter how hard you may try. You will also never be able to reason with this person, so suggesting that her idea was inappropriate will not help. What can you do? Here is where your acting skills will come in handy. Smile and thank this person in as few words as possible. Tell her you will consider her thoughts and advice and wish her a good day. Any questions or comments that come after this should be answered with an exact repeat of your first comment verbatim. Keep repeating yourself; you do not owe her any direct answers. She will eventually stop. Remember: You will never change this person, and it is not your job to. Just thank G-d that you have more seichel and emotional intelligence than this person, it should be a kapparah.

The Single The Shadchan Michelle Mond

earing stories like this validates the saying: common sense is unfortunately not very common. I thank you for writing in, Mrs. T. Because

Rivka Weinberg

hank you for writing in! I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this. It’s really not fun. I love how people play G-d and know exactly what will push the yeshua over the edge to have your daughter find her bashert. It’s so

hard to filter through the comments – to internalize the ones that give you chizuk, while dumping the ones that have the opposite effect. One thing to remember is that everyone means well. Everyone has good intentions when they’re suggesting those segulas, when they wish you “iyH by you,” and when they suggest off the beaten track ideas that are “just PERFECT!” I wonder if you can just say “thank you” to those who are making outlandish suggestions or hurtful comments. No need for follow up or added commentary. Just extend your appreciation to them for taking the time out to think of an idea for your daughter. It’s so nice when you know some-

You can try to change behaviors; you cannot change people.

one is thinking of your family. Just think for a moment of the flip side – of those who don’t get a single call. Of those who are waiting by the phone for someone to suggest an idea, a new shadchan, something for them to hold hope on to.

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Please know that I’m not negating your pain for even a second. People don’t always know what to say in these situations and are just trying their hardest to help out in the way that they know best. No one is malicious, and no one wants to hurt you. If you’re close to a specific person who’s reaching out with an outlandish suggestion, respectfully tell them that you are not willing to pursue this suggestion as of now and will follow up if you feel that it’s something that you need to do. No need to feel pressured into something that you’re not comfortable with and no need to feel pressured into answering them with an answer that they want to hear. Remember, Hashem runs this world,

and He runs it amazingly well. He has an incredible plan – one that we may not understand right now, but iyH will understand in the future. Hold strong and continue to daven. Hashem should help each and every single person find their shidduch b’karov, at the right time with astounding clarity.

The Zaidy Dr. Jeffrey Galler

sn’t it remarkable how “helpful

friends” can be so insensitive and clueless, when they make offensive comments, like: “Why are you still single?” “I never liked ‘So and So’ anyway.” “Don’t you want to have children?” “Maybe you’re too picky.” When well-meaning folks make impertinent remarks like that to you or to your daughter, isn’t it tempting to look them in the eye and respond, ever-so-sweetly, “Light travels faster than sound. That’s why some folks appear bright until they speak.” But no, unfortunately, you can’t do that. Instead, you need to have a prepared, consistent, polite response.

The remarks are not a reflection of you or your daughter, but a reflection of insensitivity within the other person.

Try, “Thank you for the advice. I can tell you really care, and we appreciate that.” Good luck.

Pulling It All Together The Navidaters Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

ear Mrs. T., Thank you for writing into the panel. I am sorry that you and your daughter are experiencing outlandish advice and are being pushed into uncomfortable situations. I’m sure many readers will be able to relate to your dilemma and to the way you are feeling. People say all sorts of insensitive things. Most people do not realize they are doing so and are genuinely trying to be helpful. Some, believe it or not, are intentionally inappropriate and most likely get some sort of rise out of mixing in and getting a reaction. But those are few and far between.

A lthough we may want to give others a piece of our mind when hearing these comments and suggestions – understandably so – the safest bet is to have a line or two prepared to respond with when these instances occur. Here are a few to choose from: Thank you so much for thinking of me. I am not interested. I won’t be attending the shiva house. I do appreciate your efforts. Thank you for letting me know.

Although everyone reading this paper, and I, would like to never be confronted by an inappropriate person saying inappropriate, intrusive, or downright hurtful remarks, we simply cannot control what other people say. Please know that the remarks are not a reflection of you or your daughter, but a reflection of insensitivity within the other person. Maybe your email and this week’s panel can serve as a helpful reminder to those well-intentioned people (the ill-intentioned people won’t stop, so I am not addressing them) who are genuinely trying to help. Before we make a suggestion or comment, let us imagine how this may land on a single person and/ or his/her family. Let us not make suggestions in front of others. Let us not draw too much attention to

someone’s marital status i.e. You’re gorgeous! How are you still single? Please let us never ask that question. It is hurtful because it highlights a person’s frustrations. That person wonders this every day. This is not a newsworthy chiddish and it is embarrassing. Let us always think of and speak with single people and their families with emotional sensitivity making sure not to embarrass anyone. Let us not send singles and their families on wild goose chases to shiva houses to meet a shadchan. It can make someone feel unworthy and small. May your daughter find her bashert very soon! Until then, the easiest way to handle to insensitive people is to smile and nod and say, “Thank you.” Wishing you all the best.

Sincerely, Jennifer

Jennifer Mann, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist and certified trauma healing life coach, as well as a dating and relationship coach working with individuals, couples, and families in private practice at 123 Maple Avenue in Cedarhurst, NY. She also teaches a psychology course at Touro College. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 718-908-0512. Visit www.thenavidaters.com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email JenniferMannLCSW@gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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Dr. Deb

She Was Angry By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

he was mad. I could tell because the text message went on and on listing for me once again all the terrible things her husband was doing and all the terrible eﬀects it had on her. “He’s an abuser, DrDeb!” she insisted, as if I didn’t know that many of the people I write for are married to abusive people. As if I hadn’t spoken with her numerous times in chats. I knew. Therefore, she added with great logic, he has a choice; he didn’t have to insult my Thanksgiving dinner last year by walking out with his whole family that I’d been catering to for hours. And he also could hold himself back from other temptations, if you know what I mean! Yes, he had choices every time. So, Dr. Deb, she concluded, you tell me, if you don’t mind. What’s the point of your speaking to me (in your articles) when I’m here and that horrible, mean narcissist husband never shows up – the abuser who doesn’t want to face his stuﬀ? Then she slapped me with two more complaints: Why are you making me feel like a whiner (in your articles)? Why are the victims told to just suck it up? How am I supposed to feel when I’m so badly mistreated? And finally, she said, why do you treat these abusers like victims? Like little children that need a free pass when they leave a trail of damages in their wake? Well, the first thing I did was thank her. I was so appreciative for her to be real with me and share with me her concerns. Thank you – you know who you are! Thank you! Regarding her first question, it would look like she is right: She’s there reading what I write and hearing my live presentations, but what good does it do if the abuser, the narcissist (as she calls him), is not there? And I will admit right up front that when you’re trying to go it alone

because your partner is not acting at all like a partner, it is much harder to get anywhere. But then your only other choice is divorce. If you want that choice, go for it. You’re allowed. Or you can take a chance on winning all by yourself. I’ll admit that the odds aren’t good. I recall the doctor asking me, many years ago, after my mother’s heart had stopped (a”h), if I wanted him to shock her heart in case maybe it would start working again. I said to go ahead because I did not want to lose my mother. I will always try out the risky thing if it means saving a life – or a love. It didn’t work to bring back my mother. On the other hand, this going it alone bit will sometimes work to bring in an avoidant spouse. I’ve seen that many times. So, of course, you want to know how that works. Well, it basically comes down to making your partner feel cared for even when he isn’t showing you love and care so that he will drop that defensive shield that he has put around

himself. See, the only - and I repeat, only - purpose for going it alone is to get him to join you in working on himself. It is not to be a martyr or a victim. I don’t want that for you. It is so that he feels safe enough to say to you, “You seem so calm lately. You’re not picking on me every moment anymore. I haven’t been nice to you – I realize that – and you’re still nice to me. What gives?” Why do I think this could happen to Ms. Questioner who wrote me? Simply because she also confessed that they took a couples training course over a quick weekend – those have no staying power – and the glow did last for two weeks just as I predicted in a previous article. During that time, it was heaven being with her husband. He was nice, sweet, attentive – perfect, in fact. I don’t know how it went oﬀ the rails, but I do know that in working with me I wouldn’t allow it to go oﬀ the rails. Not a chance. Because I’m there, after him, wondering why he missed the last appointment or the last Q & A session. Once a person has committed to working with me and has started

my program, I feel I have the right to hound them. I realize that this work isn’t emotionally easy at times – although most people find it liberating and a joy. But still, I can see where the secret moments alone with yourself could maybe not be so easy. Especially if a person has been neglectful, mean, rude, or abusive. That’s why I go after them with calls and texts to get back in the ring. And usually, they do. Which is all for the good. So I was/am optimistic that Ms. Questioner’s husband would, indeed, get back in the ring, too; he would see the benefits. But let’s move on to her second objection: She felt like I’m taking her to task, as if I’m not recognizing her victimhood. And that is probably true. I don’t want to see her as a victim. I want to see her as the beautiful, strong, capable, smart, kind, savvy person she really is. Not like a victim who has suﬀered terribly. I know that seeing her strengths doesn’t do anything to relieve the pain she’s in. But I’d like to ask her a question: Would she rather I commiserate with her now in the pain she’s in and spend I-don’t-know-how-manysessions validating it, or would she rather I point to her strengths and capabilities and cheer her on to get to her goals? Because I did not think she wanted to end the marriage. I thought she wanted to save it. So, yeah, she is a victim. And I don’t want to see her that way. And I hope she doesn’t either. On the other hand, if she and he were to work with me in my program, then the main focus for her would not be the marriage; it would not be him. It would be her – and her healing. Just as it would be for him. They both first need to heal from whatever pain they’ve suﬀered in order to come

together in a kindly, loving way to discuss honestly whatever they need to. Which brings me to her third question: Why do I treat abusers and narcissists like victims when they are so mean? The answer is because they are both. They are mean; they are abusive. And they are victims, too. Now here is where I do just the opposite of what I’ve done for her. I don’t want to see her as a victim right now, before she even starts to work with me because that’s not the real her. She is something better than that. She has strength. But for him, the truth is not the part of him that wants to put on a display of toughness. Because that superficial look at him doesn’t solve the problem. And it’s not the real him. And I am all about solving the problem. Let me back up. When I’m talking to her, solving her problem means finding the true strength, character, and self-love

that is within her (which have been hidden behind the terrible messages she’s been given) so that she can be the secret sauce that brings him safely to me for his work. But when I’m talking to him, solving his problem means that I must not look at the surface. His surface is meanness – which is the wrong place to start or I will accomplish nothing. For him, the truth is the goodness that got hidden under the meanness. The goodness was there a long time ago, maybe not showing much since he was a child. But it is there. After all, that must be what she was attracted to when they married. And we have to uncover it. That is where his victimhood lies. It lies in the childhood that was ripped away from him by divorce, bad words, neglect, insensitivity, being passed around to people who couldn’t relate, maybe even crime in the family. There is a scared, miserable child – a victim – still living inside his soul. And that victim needs healing.

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So let’s tie all this together. For her to heal, she needs to get him to stop the abuse. For her to get him to stop the abuse, the last thing to do is to retaliate. That just sets up escalations. Instead, she has to make him feel safe so that he doesn’t run the other way when he’s not saying nasty things. If he does feel safe with her, she might persuade him to work with me. If he works with me, he will get healing methods based on the principle that we are all good, however mean we may behave. He and I will begin the journey with cutting edge healing methods so powerful that they work every time. (For some people, that may take longer, but they literally work every time. And I have staying power.) She and I also will work with those same cutting edge healing methods. And we will not work together with him for a couple of months. In my program, I used to put “Have a Conversation” as the first

module of my program, complete with all the known rules of conversations in which people share, get along, and make progress. Except that no one would. They were afraid to fight so they wouldn’t talk – even with all my guidelines. Now “Conversations” is the last module in my training. It has to come after healing, after getting triggers under control, after reaffirming one’s love for oneself and commitment to continued self-valuing. But I totally understand where this Questioner came from. She was rightfully angry. It’s just that the anger won’t get her toward her goals.

Dr. Deb Hirschhorn is a Marriage and Family Therapist. If you want help with your marriage, begin by signing up to watch her Masterclass at https://drdeb. com/myw-masterclass.

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Health & F tness

Healthy Travels By Aliza Beer MS, RD, CDN

he holidays are fast approaching, and many people are scheduling their traveling plans. While trying different foods and cuisines is encouraged, good eating habits should not be neglected while on vacation. Nutrition doesn’t have to be perfect to be successful. The goal while traveling is to keep things balanced. Eating clean foods while traveling will ensure you feel energized for all of the activities you have planned for the trip. The key is to plan ahead, stay disciplined, and pick foods that are ﬁlled with ﬁber, lean proteins, and vegetables.

Preparing For the Flight Airplane food isn’t the tastiest or healthiest, so bringing nutritious foods with you is a must. If you are taking a longer flight during mealtimes, bring along a meal that can stay fresh if left out for a couple of hours. 1. If you are taking a morning flight and don’t have time for a proper breakfast, prepare a container of low-fat cottage cheese the night before with a Ziploc of berries with some whole grain crackers, a protein bar, low-fat cheese sticks, a diet cheesecake, or some hardboiled eggs. Although you may not feel hungry when waking up early, it is important to have a satisfying breakfast so you won’t feel the need to snack on foods throughout the flight. 2. If you are taking an afternoon flight and need to bring along lunch, opt for a salad, wrap, or sandwich. Low carb brown rice sushi is another easy and satisfying meal to pack and bring on the plane. These foods typically taste good even if they were made a couple of hours in advance. Include a protein such as grilled chicken, turkey, tuna, or eggs in your

lunch. This will ensure you feel full and will keep your blood sugar levels stable. 3. For a late evening flight, eat dinner before you leave to the airport. If you are flying during dinnertime, bring along grilled chicken with roasted vegetables, sushi, a tuna wrap, or a salad of your choice. 4. If you are taking a short flight and want to bring along a snack, pack a container of berries, sliced vegetables with hummus, cucumbers wrapped in turkey, or an apple with some PB2 on the side. Vegetables that stay fresh include baby carrots, cucumbers, and snap peas. If you want to cut up your apple before your flight, rub the apple slices with some lemon and wrap them in foil to prevent browning. If you are looking for quick snack options, bring along air-popped popcorn, a No Cow bar, grain-free crackers, or freeze dried fruit. Bringing wholesome snacks will prevent you from buying chips or pretzels in the airport’s newsstand. Unfortunately, airports and airlines usually provide unhealthy snack options, so it is best

to bring your own and be prepared. When we fly, our digestive systems are hard at work so limiting refined flour and sugar, caffeine, and sodium is a good idea. Instead, choose satisfying, unprocessed whole foods to help you feel your best. 5. Stay hydrated. Drink at least one cup of water every hour you are flying to prevent dehydration. It is a good idea to bring along an empty non-disposable water bottle so that you can fill it up after security and refill it throughout the flight. If you can, try to stand up and walk around the plane every once in a while to promote proper circulation.

Preparing for Your Trip 1. Pack a jump rope so you can do a quick 20-minute workout in your hotel room. Keeping active is very important for your digestive health, especially while traveling. 2. Walk wherever possible. The best way to stay active is to walk! Instead of getting in the car for that quick drive, see if you can walk. Walking is the best way to explore a new place and burn off any extra cal-

ories you may be consuming while on vacation. 3. Pack a bag of your favorite snacks so you are prepared when the mid-afternoon slump hits. Good options include air-popped popcorn, a pre-portioned bag of nuts, No Cow bars, apple chips, GoGo Squeeze unsweetened applesauce, and Made Good bars. Ideally bring fruits or vegetables as snacks. If breakfast is on the go, pack unsweetened- oatmeal packets or protein powder packets. The more you prepare before your trip, the less you’ll have to think about it while you’re away! 4. Make sure to eat three meals a day; often when we’re traveling, we can forget about breakfast or skip lunch. Even if it means bringing along a protein bar with you, don’t skip meals. This will cause you to be hungrier and will most likely cause you to overeat or make the wrong choices by your next meal. Instead, treat traveling like a regular day. Have breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a mid-day snack if you need it. This will ensure you stay full and don’t overeat at dinner. 5. Research restaurants in your area of travel. When selecting potential food establishments before your trip, look up the menu and make sure there are clean options to choose from. This will help you make the best possible choice because you will already know what they offer. 6. Stay hydrated. Water keeps your digestive system running smoothly and will help keep you full. It is especially important if you are traveling to a warm destination and will be spending a lot of time outdoors. Bring along your water bottle so you can reﬁll it throughout the day. Consuming enough water will help alleviate/minimize constipation, a common side effect of travel. 7. Mindful indulgence. A large

part of traveling is trying new foods and eating with family and friends. Planning a mindful indulgence will help you stay motivated to make good choices for the rest of your trip. Whether it be a dessert or savory food, plan out when you will have it so that you won’t overindulge and will look forward to your treat. The majority of your meals should be balanced and include proteins, vegetables, healthy fats, and carbs. 8. Get enough sleep. Sleeping at least 7 hours each night will ensure you have the energy to enjoy your trip and will help you make healthier choices. Prioritize sleep on your trip so you can get the most out of it! 9. Start your meals with a brothbased soup or salad. This is a great way to get in your vegetables, and will take the edge off the hunger, thereby inhibiting overeating.

Post-Trip Tips Even if you eat healthfully most of your trip, you may still come home

feeling a little bloated or sluggish. Luckily, if you step right back into your routine, you will feel like yourself in no time! The beauty of our bodies is that they thrive on routine and adapt when we get back into it. 1. Don’t skip meals. If you’ve gained some weight on your trip or just don’t feel good, skipping meals isn’t the answer. Instead, choose unprocessed foods and eat three meals daily. Include protein, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. 2. Don’t be afraid of the scale. When you come home, you should not be afraid of going on the scale and seeing the number on it. The scale is a tool that gives you knowledge, and knowledge is power. Seize the power. Once you know where your body is at, you’ll have a better sense of what you need to be mindful of after the trip. 3. Stay hydrated. Drinking water will help flush out your system and will help you get back to feeling yourself quicker. Aim to drink at least 8

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cups of water each day and avoid diet beverages as much as possible. 4. Resume your workout routine. Exercising will help jet lag, bloat, and fatigue. Schedule your workouts into your calendar on your way home so that you set yourself up for success. 5. Don’t stress. When you get home, be diligent about eating plenty of vegetables and lean proteins. Don’t stress about your vacation weight gain. It’s not irreversible damage, and once you are eating clean again, the body will naturally shed these unwanted pounds. Maintaining good nutrition while traveling can be a real challenge. It can be difficult to maintain a routine, eat clean properly, and avoid unhealthy foods. However, bringing along snacks, researching restaurants with good choices, and bringing activewear are a few ways to set yourself up for a successful trip. Packing a nutritious meal or snack for the plane and staying hydrated will help you feel your best when you arrive at

your destination. If you avoid overly processed foods, don’t overindulge, and stick to lots of vegetables and lean proteins, you should come home feeling good. Although coming home from your trip and stepping on the scale may seem daunting, knowing where your body is at and recognizing you will be back to yourself after a few days of eating home-cooked meals should motivate you to get back on track. Even if you’ve had a few too many indulgences, just hop back on the healthy train when you get home. With some planning and a little willpower, you should be able to stick to a clean diet while traveling.

Aliza Beer is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz show. Aliza can be reached at alizabeer@gmail.com, and you can follow her on Instagram at @alizabeer.

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Parenting Pearls

Extracurriculars are Extraordinary By Sara Rayvych, MSEd

eshiva schedules are a full day. After homework, dinner, and baths there is precious little time left. There is no doubt that school is not only a major part of a child’s day but also an important one. While adults go to work, children have school as their main occupation. It’s tempting to shun any form of extracurricular activities for kids. Kids and parents are both busy. Extra energy is certainly in low parental supply. Financial limitations can also be a deterrent for some families. Honestly, there are many reasons to deter you. Despite the many hesitations about outside activities, there are many benefits to extracurriculars for parents to consider. Children are not one-dimensional, and there’s more to life than just book work, as important as that is. Children, similar to adults, have many aspects to their personalities, and they deserve to express those talents. Balance is important in all areas, and a child’s routine schedule is

no different. Enjoyable and creative outlets, when combined with their regular academics, provide a more well-rounded child. Most schools provide many of the activities mentioned in this article. Some children will naturally gravitate towards the school-offered opportunities, while others may need a little encouragement. In addition, our community has many talented individuals that offer additional options. With a minimum amount of effort, parents should be able to find something within our area and their price range (or even free) that appeals to their child. Never assume that just because you don’t like something your child won’t find it enjoyable.

Becoming Successful Success breeds success, and children benefit from being successful in many areas of their life. Being involved in a variety of activities gives children multiple potential areas to improve themselves and succeed. Parents might be particularly hes-

itant to add to the schedule of an educationally struggling child. The fear is that if children divert their time and attention from an already difficult school day, they will do even worse in class. Children that struggle in school can easily see their self-worth plummet and become frustrated. By seeing how successful they can be in an area outside of their regular academics they can help maintain their self-worth even in the face of failure. Even more than this, the hope is that by experiencing how successful they can be in another environment they can then carry it back into the classroom. Children that find school stressful can also benefit from the healthy distraction that appropriate extracurricular activities provide. School is hard enough – even more so for children who find lessons difficult. Outside activities can give children a healthy outlet and respite from a stressful environment. Hobbies and extracurricular activities are known for being relaxing. Even kids need to unwind,

and this is a healthy outlet. Kids without a healthy outlet risk finding an unhealthy one, chas v’shalom. Many children can also find leadership roles within their chosen activity. A child who might be shy or hesitant may find they’re able to lead others in an activity that they excel at. This, too, can improve their self-esteem.

Chevra Kids have a circle of friends and acquaintances that come from a few places, predominantly from school, shul, and their immediate neighborhood. Many children benefit from expanding their chevra past their daled amos. Outside activities give children the chance to meet other kids, particularly children who have similar interests as them. This can be a wonderful opportunity for a child that has not been successful in forming appropriate friendships with the children they already know. Community-based activities offer a wider peer group than a

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child currently has. Even more importantly, the children that kids meet in these groups are other children they already have something in common with – they all enjoy the special activity they are doing together. Having an activity to do together can make socializing a little less pressured. As the kids focus on the task at hand, they have a more natural way to interact with each other.

Athletic Programs There are many sports-based programs in and out of schools. There is everything from leagues to classes, and parents can choose from competitive and non-competitive based sports. Not only are they an enjoyable outlet for many kids, but they’re a great way to stay healthy and fit – especially for kids sitting at a desk in class every day. Everyone benefits from being physically active. It’s great for both the body and mind. Kids’ bodies, in particular, are meant to move a lot, and athletic programs are an excellent option.

Skill-Based Programs Carpentry, robotics, music, and ceramics are some of the many new skills children can learn. In addition to learning a new skill, children can improve their fine and gross motor skills at the same time. Depending on the chosen skill, coordination, dexterity, and increased confidence are among the extra potential benefits.

Educational Programs I know I said that extracurricular activities can be a change from the usual educational schedule, but many children really do enjoy learning certain subjects in-depth, particularly subjects they may not be covering as much in school. There are kids that really like science, math, and geography. My kids have enjoyed spending their free time studying everything from engineering and forensics to maps and the Middle Ages. Many children enjoy writing, book clubs, debating and foreign languages. It’s ironic, because while many children might not like to do some of these activities, even in school, many children would really enjoy spending their extra time engaged in learning these very same subjects. This just

accentuates how unique each child is.

Torah-Learning Programs Acharon acharon chaviv. Learning Torah deserves its own category. There are so many wonderful learning

aged out of our local programs. Each week they attended “Likras Shabbos” (Ephraim Perlstein 646-346-0269) where they learned hilchos Shabbos in-depth and enjoyed kugel and prizes. It became a major component of

By seeing how successful they can be in an area outside of their regular academics they can help maintain their self-worth even in the face of failure.

programs in our area, both connected to schools and done independently. These programs not only provide your child with extra knowledge, but they try to do it in a way that is extra fun and creative. While teachers are definitely known for their creativity (it’s not coincidental that many of these programs are run by teachers), there is still a need to cover a certain amount of material in school along with other important school requirements. As these programs don’t have those necessary limitations, the children can be exposed to Torah in a way they don’t usually experience. Enjoying Torah and mitzvos, along with having positive Jewish exposure, can only benefit children. Learning about why they can’t do something on Shabbos, along with fun ways the melacha can be applied, not only brings Shabbos and the Mishkan to life, it also can make it easier for children to intellectually and emotionally understand when their parents say, “That’s a melacha. We can’t do it on Shabbos.” This same awareness can be applied to any area of Jewish life. Our community has many such programs available, many with no or minimal fees. There are a myriad of Avos U’banim and hasmada/masmid type programs, Tehillim groups, and Shabbos learning programs. It has been my experience that there is a very nice peer group at these programs. My children personally attended some of these programs and gained a tremendous amount. I can’t tell you how disappointed I was when my boys

their weekly Shabbos preparations and brought lively halacha discussions to our Shabbos table. My son looked forward to “Learn and Live” (learnandlivefr@gmail.com) each week where he learned a different one of the 39 melachos via a fun and creative presentation. The pizza served

101 55

didn’t hurt, either. They looked forward to both programs each week. The same organization as Learn and Live has a weekly Pirkei Avos shiur called Ashreinu. My son enjoyed both the shiur and the prize he won. By being a part of a continuous program they not only learned important topics but made good friends. In some of the programs, they even had the opportunity to assist and gain some responsibilities. As busy as we are, adding some extracurricular fun to our child’s week can enhance many parts of their life. As they learn and have fun, they can gain new skills and friends. With a little encouragement, our children can discover parts of themselves that had previously been hidden.

Sara Rayvych, MSEd, has her master’s in general and special education. She has been homeschooling for over 10 years in Far Rockaway. She can be contacted at RayvychHomeschool@gmail.com.

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NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Just Love Them By Shmuel Blitz

The Youngest Teacher

about the alef-beis. Both Dovid and Gerard were only 5 years old.

veryone knows that Rabbi Dovid Trenk was an

Dovid explained to his friend, “I know there are

amazing rebbi. But very few people know that

many things they do not teach you in public school.

he started teaching long before he was a grown man. It began when he was just 5 years old. A man named Gerard Wortkin was the head of a

Please let me teach you about being Jewish.” Every day, both of them would sit together. Dovid taught Gerard the alef-beis and a little bit about the holidays and some Chu-

famous museum in New York City. One day, while reading a newspaper, he saw an advertisement for the Adelphia Yeshivah. It mentioned its menahel,

“I know there are many things they do

mash. Then something ter-

not teach you in public school. Please

rible happened. Gerard’s

let me teach you about being Jewish.”

Gerard was only 9 years

father passed away when

its principal, Rabbi Dovid

old.

Trenk.

apartment every day to

“Oh my,’’ he thought. “Dovid Trenk? I have not seen him for almost 60 years. I must call him today.’’ But how did Mr. Wortkin know Rabbi Trenk? As a young boy, Dovid Trenk grew up in Boro Park, in

Dovid

visited

his

comfort both his friend and the family. Now, almost 60 years later, Gerard met Rabbi Trenk again. At their meeting Gerard told him, “You taught me the alefbeis. You taught me

Brooklyn. He lived in an

a little bit about

older building on 12th

being Jewish. So,

Avenue

my old friend, you

with

many

families.

His

are my rebbi. You

parents sent him to

were the only one

other

yeshivah. But many

who came to visit

of the other Jew-

my family after my

ish boys were not as

father passed away. I

lucky. They went to

want to thank you so

public school, and

much for that!’’

often they knew very little about being Jewish. Gerard was one of those

Even as a 5-yearold, Dovid’s greatest joy was mak-

boys. He lived in the same building as

ing sure people

Dovid, and they played together every

learned what it

day after school. Once, Dovid brought

meant to be a Jew.

a gift to his friend Gerard. It was a book

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

The Test

t was Thursday morning, and Dovid Trenk woke up bright and early. He had

been waiting for this day for a very long time. “Let’s go, let’s go,” his father called. “We don’t want to be late. Today we are going to RJJ Yeshivah. They will give you a test to see if you are accepted there. It is a wonderful school.” Dovid dressed quickly and ate breakfast. Then he and his father walked together to the train station. Both were nervous. Would Dovid do well? Would they accept him into the yeshivah? Soon after they arrived, the principal, Rabbi Hillel Weiss, called Dovid into his office. Both father and son walked in together. Rabbi Weiss asked Dovid the first question on Chumash. Dovid did not know the answer, so his father “Rabbi

answered for him. Rabbi Weiss asked a second question. Feeling a

Trenk,

I am very sorry,

little nervous, Dovid did not know the answer again.

but I cannot even read one

And again, his father answered for him.

Rashi. I do not know how to learn at all.’’

Rabbi Weiss thought for a moment, and then

Rav Trenk remembered that day, so long ago, when he was young. He

asked a third question. “Dovid,

can

you

play

ball?’’ This time Dovid answered himself. “Yes, I

“Rabbi Trenk, I am very sorry,

remembered how he was

but I cannot even read one Rashi.”

answer a single question

important. You are accepted into our yeshivah.’’ A giant smile appeared on Dovid’s face.

that the principal had asked. And he remem-

can. I can play very well.’’ “That is wonderful,’’ said Rav Weiss. “That is very

nervous and could not

bered how the principal had made him feel good and had accepted him anyway. A giant smile appeared on his face. “That, my

Many years later, when Rav Dovid Trenk was the

friend, is exactly why you are here. To learn. Wel-

menahel at Adelphia Yeshivah, a young man en-

come to Adelphia Yeshivah. Now we will teach you

tered his office, ready to be tested to see if he would

how to learn.”

be accepted into the yeshivah. As soon as Rav Trenk closed the door, and no one else could hear, the boy looked up and whispered,

Rabbi Trenk never saw weakness in his students. He saw only their strengths. He saw what they could do, if they tried hard enough.

These two stories were excerpted from Shmuel Blitz’s newest book, Just Love Them for Kids: Stories about Rabbi Dovid Trenk, illustrated by Lea Kron, and published by ArtScroll.

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NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

KOSHERFEST 2021

Emotional Support Chickens, Artisan Sourdough Pizza, and More BY SANDY ELLER

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

here were aisles of colorful booths, visitors toting logoed bags, and, amid the requisite tasting and schmoozing, deals being written in the key buyer’s lounge that will have products old and new making their way to stores shelves near you in the coming weeks and months. Making its post-pandemic return with plenty of enthusiasm, Kosherfest, the annual kosher food trade show, opened at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus for a two-day run on November 9. Now in its 32nd year, this year’s show drew nearly 300 exhibitors despite COVID-related issues, with companies coming from as far away as Dubai, South Africa, China, and the Czech Republic hoping to woo customers and spur sales. While Kosherfest 2021 was understandably smaller than in the past, there was plenty of energy on display given the large increase in kosher food sales in many markets. The show’s annual new product competition drew plenty of attention as always, its new location on the Kosherfest floor giving visitors ample opportunity to see which companies took home bragging rights in each of 15 categories. Setton Farms, a longtime Kosherfest exhibitor, snagged the top spot, with its 100% pure pistachio oil taking home the best in show award for its new salad oil. As always, in addition to the food on display, there was plenty to see at Kosherfest, although there were more than a few empty booths, thanks to COVID. In addition to serving up steaming cups of chicken soup, the David Elliot Poultry Farm offered a lighthearted nod to the pandemic with its whimsical lineup of squishable chickens accompanied by signs declaring, “This year’s chicken shortage has been stressful for us all. Emotional support chickens. Please take one.” Aqua e Grano, one of the show’s most popular booths, was a business born from COVID, with owner Frederick Bijou venturing into the world of sourdough when the pandemic hit. Bijou began using his sourdough as a base for a variety of artisan pizzas which he has been baking fresh at parties and events for the past year, with frozen pies debuting in the next few months. Visitors to Aqua e Grano’s booth eagerly snapped up their mushroom truffle, lemon artichoke, squash and margherita varieties and as the show’s end drew near on Wednesday afternoon, Bijou had run out of plates, a reality that

didn’t seem to faze visitors at all as they helped themselves to another slice or two before moving on. Macalicious Macarons’s story began seven and a half years ago, when then-eleventh grader Adele Zaga was intrigued by a recipe she saw on Pinterest for French macarons. While the results of her first attempt to reproduce the delicate goodies were less than stellar, she tweaked the recipe until she got it just right. Family and friends loved Zaga’s macarons so much that when she came home from camp that summer, she spent the rest of her vacation selling her confections, an effort that unofficially launched her business. When a customer reached out to Zaga during the pandemic for help with a baking activity for her daughter, she responded with a make-your-own macaron kit, simplifying the process of what is known to be a challenging culinary endeavor. “I put it together, made up an instruction sheets, and they came out amazing, so I put it on Instagram and everyone was asking me for it,” said Zaga. The customized kits came with step-by-step instructions, pre-measured ingredients, and a macaron template and were a huge hit with customers. Zaga recently revived the concept. Her new kits, which will hit store shelves soon, require the addition of just two egg whites, giving even novice bakers the ability to make what she describes as perfect, no-fail macarons. Her regular macarons are available nationwide in a rainbow of colors and an assortment of flavors including Twix, pecan pie, pumpkin spice, Fruity Pebbles, salted caramel, and red velvet, to name just a few. Also drawing plenty of interest was the Natural & Kosher cheese booth whose Stuff n’ Roll mozzarella took the show’s best yogurt or cheese honors. Similar in appearance to a log of puff pastry dough, the cheese can be unrolled, stuffed, and then rerolled and used in a variety of ways. “You can make it appetizer and fill it with the best things you like or put the whole thing into phyllo or puff pastry dough and make the best boureka in the whole world,” explained Natural & Kosher’s Smadar Shemtov. Already on store shelves, Stuff n’ Roll joins Natural & Kosher’s brie and blue cheese as sophisticated new entries to delight kosher cheese lovers. Yoni Schwartz of Promised Land Beverage was

105 73

busy pulling drafts of kosher l’Pesach hopped cider as well as the company’s newly introduced jalapeno lime, ginger hibiscus, and lemon mint sodas while dressed in a Moshe Rabbeinu-esque costume. Originally launched in 2020 just as the pandemic struck, Promised Land’s cider didn’t have the smoothest of starts, but Schwartz said that sales were solid last year as kosher consumers were excited to have a beer substitute that they could drink on Pesach. Schwartz was at Kosherfest hoping to grow Promised Land’s reach, taking it beyond its existing Five Towns distribution with a product line that also includes sweet and dry vermouth, a market that until now has belonged only to kosher wine and liquor giant Kedem. Refoel Sliw, kosher director for Cleanest & Greenest, was busy throughout Kosherfest educating visitors to his booth about indoor vertical farming and robotics as a means for growing produce that is completely bug-free. Currently based out of Chicago with a vertical farm built in a building that once housed a Super Target store, Cleanest & Greenest employs a three-step process to ensure a totally bug-free environment even before its greens are planted. “We’ve had six months of hashgachas checking on us, and so far there have been zero bugs,” reported Sliw. “It is the future of the world of greens, no doubt about it, and as we speak today, there is no company in the world who has been able to get to that kind of standard.” Cleanest & Greenest plans to expand to the East Coast and hopes to have its pesticide-free, spring mix, romaine blend, baby kale and spinach on store shelves in the area by January. Expected product life for its clamshell-packed green ranges from a week and a half to three weeks, depending on variety. Also of interest was Ceska Whisky’s Trebitsch Czech single malt kosher whiskey, which has already won several awards even as a six-year-old whiskey. Approximately 40 percent of Tretbitsch’s consumers are women who enjoy its smooth taste with flavors of vanilla, cream candy, and tones of bitter chocolate coming through as the whiskey ages in casks made of fresh oak. “We cut the wood and make the barrels ourselves,” explained Claudio Lio of Ceska Whisky. “Our whiskey is the first thing that goes into them.”

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NOVEMBER 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Ben’s Best was another Kosherfest favorite and winner of the best packaged meat award, with those who chose to be fleishigs flocking to Ben Lapin’s booth to sample the only USDA approved charcuterie. Lapin has been drawing on his experiences and travels in Europe to provide kosher consumers with serious charcuterie, his paper-thin slices providing a chance to sample authentic chorizo, bresaola, prosciutto and more. Also worthy of note was Cary & Main’s maple crème, a condensed whipped maple spread with a distinctly Vermont vibe. “This is a real niche product in Vermont,” said Cary & Main’s Owen Dumais. “This is a long-standing tradition that we wanted to bring

to the kosher market.” But perhaps one of the most interesting booths at Kosherfest wasn’t selling food, or even kashrus at all. Given the overlap between the worlds of kosher and halal, Circle H Certification, which offers halal supervision, is partnering with leading kashrus agencies worldwide on joint certification projects, programs, and events. The endeavor aims to offer greater market penetration on both ends, enhancing availability of both halal and kosher products and opening up new markets for both Muslims and Jews. “There are some small variations between kosher and halal, and alcohol is a big one, but 98 percent of what we accept as kosher would be accepted as halal,” said Uri Yudewitz, vice president of

business development for Circle H, which also gives halal certifications on finance, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, tourism, fashion, media and entertainment, and healthcare. Summing up Kosherfest 2021, Yitzchak Saftlas of the Bottom Line Marketing Group and host of the Mind Your Own Business radio show on WOR said that the show demonstrated that even in a tough economic climate, the potential for business is always there. “Anyone can always cheshbon a race to the bottom, but those people are not successful,” said Saftlas. “There are opportunities everywhere. Just show up, do your hishtadlus, and Hashem does the rest.”

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To find a site offering monoclonal antibody treatment, visit nyc.gov/health/map. To find a vaccination site, visit nyc.gov/vaccinefinder or call 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692).

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

ON APPLES, HONEY, SALT, AND FRENCH TOAST CHURROS Rivky Kleiman Talks About Her Newest Book, Simply BY SUSAN SCHWAMM

Rivky, I was amazed when I saw that you came out with another cookbook because I’m still delving into the depths of Simply Gourmet. I have my favorite recipes that I use all the time, but I still have some recipes I didn’t get to. How did you manage to put out another cookbook so soon after publishing your first one? Well, really, it’s not so soon. It’s about two-anda-half years. Simply Gourmet came out in May of 2019. And now we’re here with my newest book, Simply. I will be honest. When ArtScroll asked me, I didn’t know if I wanted to do it. But I had a little bit of a lull in my life. You know how sometimes you have a lot going on, and you just can’t even think about doing something? But I had the time, and I went into it like that. I was really grateful because, baruch Hashem, with my first book, I had five months from the time that we said, “OK, let’s do this,” until it was printed and in everyone’s hands. I still hyperventilate when I think about that. This time, baruch Hashem, I had a year. A year is just great to work on a book. You can have your more hectic times. You can have your less hectic times. When you have your yamim tovim, it really lets your creative juices flow. That’s how it all started and, baruch Hashem, I’m really grateful. The timing just couldn’t have been more perfect.

Did COVID contribute to that – did you have extra time at home to think about recipes? Absolutely. I found that when I looked at the

world at large, I felt that everybody was home. Everybody was cooking. I have a brother-in-law who is a rabbi. He called me up around Purim time – we were knee-deep in lockdown and it was so frightening – and he said to me, “Rivky, are you posting on Instagram?” And I said to him, “Look, I’m doing the best I can,” but we all were busy with cooking and cleaning and trying to ﬁgure out how to stock our houses without leaving because nobody really knew what to expect. There was so much fear. And I remember he told me, “Rivky, you have to. People really need it now.” And I deﬁnitely saw that – people were picking up pots and pans and their batters and doing so many things that they hadn’t done for a long time.

So true. And food, in a way, is a comfort to many people. I agree 100 percent with that. Then the trick is to make sure that your comfort foods don’t equate with your waistline, right?

Speaking about our waistlines, how do you manage to prepare really yummy foods but also make sure they’re healthy for your family? It’s something that, I think, the world at large has really made a

tremendous movement towards – healthier and cleaner eating. I feel like there’s much more of an awareness out there than before. And I guess, also, as you age – I’m not old, but I’m not in my teens anymore – all of a sudden, it’s like, oh, you got to start watching what you eat.

I noticed that you have a few salads in Simply. What else are more of your healthier dishes in the Simply cookbook? You know, I have a mantra. When you’re doing desserts, and when you’re making a cake, just do it right. And then worry about portion control. But if you’re going to do dessert, come on, enjoy it. It doesn’t have to be not tasty. Do it right. And when you’re baking as well, do it right. Truthfully, I do have a couple of really nice muffins that are really healthier-geared, because a breakfast muffin, to me, doesn’t have to be a fattening piece of cake. You can incorporate healthier ingredients. Use oatmeal or whole wheat flour or be cognizant of the sugar in the muffin. I will tell you, though, that in all of my baking and all my recipes nowadays, I’m so much more cognizant of the sugar intake than I used to be.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021 OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Sometimes you open up your old recipes and you see three-quarters of a cup of sugar going into something like spareribs. That would never happen now. There’s so much more awareness. In terms of side dishes, I am always aware of keeping it healthy. You’re going to laugh but I always struggle with my “sweet” component in my menus. In heimish cooking, people will always offer an apple crisp or sweet muffin to serve during the meal. And that’s what I struggle with – I always wonder how you can eat a piece of cake in middle of your meal. I always offer it, but I struggle with it.

Speaking of sides, in Simply, I noticed you have an interesting method for cooking your potatoes with the Salt-Baked Garlic Roasted Potatoes. Where did you come up with that method? Interestingly, I happen to have read that method in Cooks Illustrated, I believe. They had done it just as a baked potato with big potatoes. In my recipe, I used small potatoes with that same method. The whole concept of salt-baking is that you’re laying your potato in a bed of salt, and you cover the pan as it’s baking. The potato starts to release steam as it starts to bake, and the steam then gets absorbed because it’s covered by the salt. The potato then, in turn, becomes more porous, and begins to reabsorb the moisture that was absorbed into the salt. It’s almost like recycling, and it does not add salt to the potatoes. After they’re cooked, you actually need to add salt to your dish.

It looks like it’s almost the same method as the Salt-Baked Rib Roast in the book. You just took the words out of my mouth. So many people, when they see the method of making this roast, they’re so afraid. Please tell them don’t be scared. It is the most epic piece of meat ever.

Well, rib roasts in general just scare me because they’re expensive and they’re fancy. And I say to myself, “Oh, I don’t know if I can do that.” You don’t want to mess it up, right? So I will tell you, in the Simply Gourmet cookbook, I put in a guide for how long a rib roast should be cooked, depending on if you like it more to the rare side, medium-rare, or medium well. I also very much encourage everybody to use a meat thermometer when cooking meats and roasts. But interestingly, there’s one other way that you can actually gauge how your meat is doing. You can open your oven. It’s not like a cheesecake where if you open it up, it’s going to fall. I’ve learned there’s a method where you can actually press down on the meat with your ﬁngers. If it’s going to be very jig-

gly, it’s probably still raw. If it’s a little bit firm, but with give, like there’s a little bit of bounce to the meat, usually, at that point, it’s perfect. And if it’s very hard, it’s very possible that it’s very done. It’s also very important to realize that when you do take your meat out of the oven, it is going to still continue to cook on your counter for about another five minutes and it can go up even five more degrees. I will very often take my meat out at 125°F on the thermometer because I know that, ultimately, it’s going to bring it to 130°F, which is that perfect medium-rare.

Those are great tips for cooking meat. Which recipes did you have already in your repertoire before you decided to create Simply? I actually had the Mushroom and Leek Soup before I made the cookbook, which is oﬀ the charts. And the Lemon Maple Salmon, I also had before I

“The apple and the honey, how much more religious can I get with this muffin?” started. Those were totally there and ready. I ended up needing a ﬁller for Mishpacha one time, so I ended up putting the mushroom recipe in Mishpacha. There are not that many recipes that I had developed for Mishpacha that are in the book. Sometimes people think that my books are the “best of Mishpacha.” But they’re really not. I believe, out of the over-140 recipes in the book, maybe 20 or 21 recipes came over from Mishpacha. When I was doing Simply Gourmet, Renee Muller, my food stylist, told me, “Rivky, you must put in some recipes that people recognize as your fantastic recipes, recipes that are epic and game-changing. People want to see what they recognize as you in a cookbook.” So we did that. The apple galette is one recipe that I pulled over from Mishpacha. It was so good with apples, and my kids were like, “I don’t get you, Ma. Why are you

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trying to mess with perfection? If it ain’t broke, why are you trying to ﬁx it?” But in this book, I put it in as a dessert, as a plum galette. It’s just that good.

I love that galette and I make it all the time – as an apple galette and as a plum galette, too. But we never make it to dessert – it’s always finished in middle of the meal. It’s a great dish, and there is not a lot of sugar. Compare it to an apple crisp – the total sugar content is not that much. So if you want to use it as a side dish, by all means. There are some people who never serve sweet dishes during their meal, and for them, I say that it’s a great dessert. There was a bochur who ate meals at our house a lot of times. He used to quip, “Ms. Kleiman, I love eating by you. I get dessert in the middle of meal, and then I get dessert again at the end of the meal!”

Isn’t that true at every Shabbos table? Maybe he was from a more “Yekkishe” family, so maybe their eating habits are diﬀerent. But I got to tell you, I thought his comment was so funny.

Which recipe in Simply did you feel you had to try the hardest to get it to work for perfection? Now, that happens to be a great question, and hands down, it is my Honey Apple Muffin that was in my side dish section. It was a killer for me because I wasn’t willing to turn it into a cakey muffin. Every once in a while, you have this idea like, ah, I’m thinking Rosh Hashana. This is going to be epic for Rosh Hashana – a honey apple muffin. Right? The apple and the honey, how much more religious can I get with this muffin? But it just wasn’t working. What was interesting was that my flavor profile was spot-on. My children were like, “Ma, don’t change it. Don’t change it.” But I played with it a lot – with the baking powder and the baking soda, with the different additives. To maybe reduce some of the moisture, but it wasn’t yielding a really “good-looking” muffin. Is that horrible to say?

No, that’s very honest. And that’s a lot of work that I didn’t have to do in my house to get the perfect muffin, so I appreciate that you did the work for me. I appreciate you saying that, because I was about to pull it from the book. But then, I had my

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last photo shoot coming up, and the night before, I made four different batches of the muffin. Finally, I thought about getting rid of the honey because I thought maybe the honey was ruining it. In the end, I did a bit of research on leavening factors and honey, and I discovered that honey is an acid – which I knew already, and which is why I put baking soda in the recipe to equalize it. But then I realized that the lemon juice I used for the “ but ter mi lk” was perhaps causing all the problems. That was a game changer. I got rid of the lemon juice, and I used apple juice – which I thought was great. Think about it: apple juice for an apple honey muffin – aha! It’s so moist and so delicious and not too sweet. Baruch Hashem. Mission accomplished.

That is a great story and really tells us about the efforts that go into creating the perfect recipe. Let’s talk about Chanukah. What recipes do you feel people should really make on Chanukah from Simply? You know, at one point, I was slowly moving away from frying because of the unhealthy connotation frying was getting. But then I did some research and I found that if you pan-fry with just a little bit of oil, sometimes you end up with more oil absorption. So you may want to oven-bake instead. If you’re deep frying, you need to let the oil come to temperature properly and slowly, so the food doesn’t burn, but it’s not as bad as you think. I happen to have some awesome recipes in this book that get fried. The Sesame Chicken is awesome. My family is a real meat-and-potatoes type of family. But I served it one Sukkos, and they were eating it just as quickly as they were eating the standing rib roast. It’s really that good. The Tilapia Fingers in the fish section, with the batter, is so good. The batter is pillowy and soft and delicious. I had to play with that recipe as well. I didn’t want people to have to pull out a million different ingredients. But I did discover that the mixture of flour and cornstarch yields a crispier outcome, and it doesn’t get soggy. There are also some great stir-fries in the chicken section, which is a bit like frying.

I thought the French Toast Churros would be a fun dessert for a milchig meal on Chanukah. Absolutely. It’s the perfect party food. The chur-

ros are epic. My grandson, who is Mr. Picky, always begs me, “Bubby, Bubby, can you make them again for me?”

Let’s talk about the section in the book called “Simple Suppers.” The “Simple Suppers” section is there to help all of us, because we all work so hard, and we want to cram so much into a day. I tried to help take the guesswork out of that looming question that’s always there: what’s for dinner? All throughout the book there’s an icon that will show you the diﬀerent suppers that are “simple suppers.” At the end of the book, you’ll see I created diﬀerent “simple supper” ideas. I list how long it will take you to prep, to complete, what’s the total time from prep to table – it’s big and bold and clear to see. It also gives you tips and tricks for prepping this particular dish. Like, for example, there’s one that

day. Have it ready, and put it all together for dinner during the week on the night you serve it. I make it so simple for people.

We’re talking about preparing dinner early because of everything we juggle during our days. You’re a mother and a grandmother, and you’re a recipe developer, and you’re doing twenty million things and putting out cookbooks. How do you do it all? The ﬁrst thing I will answer you is I am so grateful to HaKadosh Baruch Hu. He has blessed me with physical strength. And I also think it’s very important to prioritize. Your family has to always come ﬁrst. And I also love that I love what I’m doing. It really helps because you can dive right into it then. I worked with the most amazing people in making this book. Renee Muller, our food stylist and prop stylist, is a legend. And Chay Berger, our photographer, had vision. She had such a good eye, that when you put Renee and Chay together, you get an amazing team. I felt like we were a dream team, and I thank Hashem for that as well.

What do you do to relax when you’re not working, even though you love to work? I love a good book. I’m very much a bookworm.

“I love that I love what I’m doing.” has a really, really spectacular ground beef sloppy-joe type of dish. In the book, I suggest buying a family pack of ground meat and that they make a double batch of the dish. Use one and make it, as I showed you, with the pasta. And the next time, take it out of the freezer, and you can use it as a sloppy Joe or in a soft or a hard taco. Or you can even roll it into an eggroll wrapper and turn it into a barbecue beef eggroll. It’s mind-blowing, all these diﬀerent ideas. Not only that, but I let people know how you can prep in advance. You’re a working mother. You can prepare your ground beef the night before. You can prepare your pasta the night before, and then just warm them together as soon as you come home, depending on what works for each person. If you want to prepare it fresh when you come home from work, it’s going to be on your table, the whole shebang, within 35 minutes. That’s also great. Everybody works diﬀerently. Some people like to prep on Sunday, so that’s great. Prep it on Sun-

I happen to also love reading. But I work at a newspaper, so people expect that of me. I really love reading. And it’s interesting, you should know that I also love perusing different cookbooks. I read them like a novel. Sometimes the recipes will inspire me – oh wow, I never thought to put these flavor profiles together.

When you go out to eat, what do you generally order at restaurants? I like to order interesting things and try new foods. If I go to a ﬂeishig restaurant, I won’t usually order a rib steak, because I think my husband makes a rock-star rib steak. I’ll go for the duck or the veal. I love new things, like lamb riblets.

Do you think people are scared to invite you to their Shabbos tables because it’s intimidating to have a recipe developer there? I really hope not. I am so not like that. We’re the most easy-going people, and we love to entertain. But I have got to be honest, I love to be pampered as well. Don’t hold back that invitation. If there’s a party, I’m in.

OK, great. Maybe you’ll come to my house next week. I’ll make you the plum galette – and there won’t be a crumb left.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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A SAMPLE OF SIMPLY BY RIVKY KLEIMAN FRENCH TOAST CHURROS Dairy Yields 12 roll-ups The most insanely delicious French toast you will ever have. When my grandson, who is really a picky eater, gave it two thumbs up, I knew we had a winner. Try it and see for yourself; every bite of these caramel-filled churro roll-ups will leave you wanting more.

Ingredients » 12 slices white bread, crusts removed » 6-8 Tbsp caramel sauce, homemade or store-bought » ½ cup milk » 2 eggs » 1 Tbsp sugar » 1 tsp cinnamon » ½ tsp vanilla sugar » Pinch kosher salt » Pancake syrup, optional » Whipped cream, optional Cinnamon Sugar Coating » ½ cup sugar » ¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed » 2 tsp cinnamon Chocolate Sauce » 3½ oz good quality chocolate, chopped » ½ cup heavy cream » 1 Tbsp butter, melted » 2 Tbsp light corn syrup

Preparation Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; coat with cooking spray. Using a rolling pin (or a bottle), roll out bread slices as thinly as possible. Place caramel sauce in microwave for 20 seconds to soften. Spread each slice of bread

with caramel sauce. Roll up, jelly roll-style, as tightly as possible. Set aside.

baking sheet. Bake 13-15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla sugar, and salt. Whisk until combined. Prepare the cinnamon sugar coating: In a small bowl, stir together coating ingredients until combined. Dip each roll-up in the milk mixture to evenly coat; then dip and evenly coat in the cinnamon sugar coating. Place on prepared

Prepare the chocolate sauce: Place chopped chocolate and butter into a bowl. In a small saucepan, heat heavy cream until bubbles start to form, but do not bring to a boil. Pour heated heavy cream over chopped chocolate and butter. Allow to sit for 5 minutes to melt the chocolate. Add corn syrup; stir to combine. Serve churros with chocolate sauce and/or pancake syrup and whipped cream.

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SMOKY CAULIFLOWER BITES Pareve Yields 8 servings Smoked paprika and crushed red pepper flakes give extra depth to a simple side of roasted cauliflower. Drizzling the honey and lemon during the final roast takes it over the top. This will definitely become your new favorite.

Ingredients » 5 Tbsp olive oil » 1 tsp smoked paprika » ½ tsp sea salt » ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes » pinch black pepper » 2 lb. fresh or frozen cauliflower florets (see Note) » 2 Tbsp honey » 1½ tsp lemon juice

Preparation Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large resealable bag, combine olive oil, paprika, salt, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Add cauliflower florets, seal bag, and shake until all pieces are well coated. Transfer cauliflower to prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Combine honey and lemon juice. Drizzle over cauliflower; toss to coat. Return to oven; bake an additional 15 minutes. Note: If using frozen cauliflower, run under hot water until fully defrosted, drain well, and place on paper towels to dry. Tip: Steps 1-2 can be done the night before and then cauliflower can be refrigerated in the resealable bag until ready to bake.

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SESAME CHICKEN Meat Yields 6 servings This sesame chicken is seriously so delectable, you’ll be tempted to toss those take-out menus. These crispy chicken pieces coated in a sweet and savory honey sesame sauce are perfectly delicious. I think this homemade version is even better than what I’ve had at many restaurants. My kids most definitely agree.

Ingredients » 1½ lb. dark chicken cutlets » ¼ cup nondairy milk » 3 cloves garlic, crushed » 1⁄₈ tsp crushed red pepper flakes » Canola oil, for frying » 2 tsp sesame oil » Chopped chives, for garnish Batter » ½ cup cornstarch » ½ cup flour » ½ cup cold seltzer » 2 egg whites Sesame Sauce » ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce » ¼ cup rice vinegar » ¼ cup dark brown sugar » ¼ cup honey » ¼ cup ketchup » 1 Tbsp cornstarch » 1⁄3 cup water » 1 tsp garlic powder » 1 Tbsp black and white sesame seeds + more for garnish

Preparation In a large resealable bag, combine nondairy milk, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Add chicken tenders. Coat chicken tenders; marinate and soften for 15-20 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine and whisk together batter ingredients. Add marinated chicken tenders. Discard remaining marinade. Mix to completely coat with batter. Heat 3 inches oil in a 2-3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add a few pieces of chicken at a time, taking care not to crowd the pan. Fry for 2 minutes, until lightly golden. Turn chicken; fry until lightly golden. Transfer fried chicken to a paper towel-lined cooling rack or pan. Repeat until all chicken is fried. Prepare the sesame sauce: In a small bowl,

whisk together sauce smooth. Set aside.

ingredients

until

Heat sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add sesame sauce. Bring to a boil; cook until thickened, whisking occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add fried chicken; toss to coat with sauce. Before serving, sprinkle with additional sesame seeds and chopped chives. Note: White chicken cutlets also work here, but dark cutlets are a bit juicier.

Recipes reproduced from Simply by Rivky Kleiman with permission from the copyright holders ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications, LTD

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In The K

tchen

Pumpkin Challah Pareve / Yield: 6 medium challahs

By Naomi Nachman

In 2013, Thanksgiving and Chanukah fell out on PAS CAL

the same day and so I created a pumpkin-flavored

PHO TO CRE DIT MIR IAM

challah for that Shabbos. This year, I am sharing this with you as they will fall out again on the

same weekend. This recipe was so popular that I included it in my cookbook Perfect Flavors.

Ingredients ◦ 4 cups warm water ◦ 2 cups sugar ◦ 2 tablespoons dry yeast ◦ 3 eggs ◦ ½ cup coconut or canola oil ◦ 2 cups canned pumpkin puree ◦ 5 pounds high gluten ﬂour, plus up to 1 additional cup ◦ 1 tablespoon salt ◦ 2 Beaten eggs whites, for egg wash ◦ Streusel Topping, recipe follows

Preparation

1. Into a large mixing bowl (or bowl of a Magic Mill),

eggs, oil, and pumpkin. 3. After the yeast has foamed, add pumpkin mix-

minutes, until the challah is golden brown.

ture to yeast mixture; mix together by hand or in

Cook’s Tip: An easy way to tell if the challah is

the machine for about 1 minute. While the ma-

baked through: Carefully tap the bottom of the

chine is running, slowly add half the ﬂour from

challah. If it sounds hollow, it’s fully baked.

the bag, then the salt, then the remaining bagged ﬂour. The mixture will start to form into a dough ball. It may be sticky, so you can gradually add up to 1 more cup of ﬂour. 4. When the dough is no longer sticky, let it rise for 2 hours, covered, in the bowl.

5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

6. Divide dough into 6 portions. Then divide each

portion into 3 parts. Roll each part into a rope;

place water, sugar, and yeast. Proof the yeast for

use 3 ropes to braid each challah. Place challahs

a few minutes until foamy.

on prepared baking sheets.

2. Meanwhile, in a smaller bowl, mix together

topping, if using (see below). Bake for about 45

7. Brush challahs with egg wash; add streusel

Streusel Topping (optional) Ingredients ◦ 1 cup ﬂour ◦ 1 cup sugar ◦ ½ cup coconut or canola oil ◦ 1 cup mini marshmallows

Preparation

1. Use a fork to combine all ingredients in a small bowl till crumbs form.

2. Toss marshmallows into the streusel before using.

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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Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

It’s an old dream that starts in my childhood. - Manfred Steiner, of Rhode Island, upon obtaining a PhD in physics from Brown University at 89 years old

I may go as far to say Mike ruined basketball. In the ‘80s on the playgrounds, you’d have everyone moving the ball around — passing to help the team. That stopped in the ‘90s. Kids wanted to be “Like Mike.” Well, Mike didn’t want to pass — didn’t want to rebound, or defend the best player. He wanted everything done for him. – Michael Jordan’s long-time Allstar teammate Scottie Pippen in his new memoir, dissing his former teammate

I keep forgetting that you’re still alive. Kamala Harris has an approval rating of 28 percent, which is — makes no sense, because she basically has nothing to do. I mean, it’s like criticizing a backup quarterback: “Tom Brady is OK — I don’t love the way Blaine Gabbert has his legs folded on the bench.” — Jimmy Kimmel

Kamala’s approval rating of 28 percent is even lower than the 30 percent who approved of Dick Cheney in 2008 after he shot a guy in the face. — Jimmy Kimmel

- Elon Musk, tweeting in response to Sen. Bernie Sanders who tweeted, “We must demand that the extremely wealthy pay their fair share. Period.”

More fires in the West burned to the ground homes, businesses and forests than the entire state of New Jersey... Why is it happening? Well, the severe storms that are knocking down all the wires, anyway, there’s a lot going on. - Pres. Biden touting his infrastructure bill in New Hampshire

The only good part of inflation — I was always jealous of those old guys who would go, like, “Back in my day, you could buy a house with a dollar!” It looks like now if inflation gets bad enough, we’ll get to be those old guys: “Oh, yeah? Back in my day, a million dollars could buy a whole lot more than just a haircut!” — Trevor Noah

How do I cross a bridge in a snowstorm? … What happens if the bridge collapses and there’s a fire on the other side? It’s gonna take ten miles longer to get to the fire. People could die! – Ibid.

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What I’m hearing again from company after company in the United States and around the world is a clear focus on making sure… that they’re not engaged in businesses with entities or countries that are producing things based on forced labor. - Secretary of State Antony Blinken in an interview with The New York Times when asked about whether companies should speak out against forced labor and other abuse that takes place in China

Schools are major transmission points for influenza, but not for COVID. While children do get infected, their risk for COVID death is minuscule, lower than their already low risk of dying from the flu. Throughout the 2020 spring wave, Sweden kept daycare and schools open for all its 1.8 million children ages 1 to 15, with no masks, testing or social distancing. The result? Zero COVID deaths among children and a COVID risk to teachers lower than the average of other professions. In fall 2020, most European countries followed suit, with similar results. Considering the devastating effects of school closures on children, Dr. Fauci’s advocacy for school closures may be the single biggest mistake of his career. - Martin Kulldorff, Ph.D., an epidemiologist, biostatistician, and Professor of Medicine, at Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, MD, Ph.D., a Professor of Health Policy at Stanford University School of Medicine in a Newsweek article titled, “How Fauci Fooled America”

No one is really cheering on a guy named Brandon. Instead, the phrase is being used in conservative circles in place of a more vulgar message directed at President Biden. – Tweet by NPR

Thoughts and prayers to all at NPR and their listeners who have been hurt by this. - One of many response tweets

Are you always this quick? - Ibid.

Pulitzer Prize journalism on this one - Ibid.

Nonsense. We LOVE Brandon and want Brandon to succeed. Why does he hate us / the American dream so much?!?!?!?!

– Ibid.

Will you be OK? Talking to someone will help you.

- Tweet by Florida-based hedge fund manager Adam Wyden, Sen. Ron Wyden’s (D-OR) son, criticizing his father’s proposed tax policies

– Ibid.

Reality is: most legislators have never built anything… so I guess it’s easier to mindlessly and haphazardly try and tear stuff down. Thankfully, I think I can compound faster than my dad and his cronies can confiscate it.

Pop back to bed!

– Ibid.

- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, to her toddler, who interrupted a Facebook live briefing

MORE QUOTES

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Pour one out for the Congress reporters who have to work today even though Congressional offices are closed for Veterans Day and chances of a returned call or email are nil. - Politico reporter Emma Dumain tweeting on Veterans Day what a hero she is for working on that day when everyone works, although some – hopefully – take the time out of their day to thank a veteran

More than a third of White students lied about their race on college applications, and about half of these applicants lied about being Native American. More than three-fourths of these students who lied about their race were accepted. - Boston University professor Ibram X. Kendi, the leading proponent of Critical Race Theory CRT, who posted and quickly deleted this study’s finding, which disproves his entire premise – that white students get preferential treatment when it comes to college admissions

Such moves are extremely dangerous, just like playing with fire. Whoever plays with fire will get burnt. - Chinese President Xi Jinping warning President Biden during a virtual conference not to encourage Taiwanese independence

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Political Crossfire

The Danger of Critical Race Theory By Marc A. Thiessen

y now, most Americans have heard of critical race theory. But many do not know just how radical or pernicious CRT is – because, as a new study from the American Enterprise Institute shows, the media does not explain its key tenets in its coverage. So I asked one of our nation’s preeminent historians, Princeton University professor Allen C. Guelzo, to explain CRT and why it is so dangerous. Critical race theory, Guelzo says, is a subset of critical theory that began with Immanuel Kant in the 1790s. It was a response to – and rejection of – the principles of the Enlightenment and the Age of Reason on which the American republic was founded. Kant believed that “reason was inadequate to give shape to our lives” and so he set about “developing a theory of being critical of reason,” Guelzo says. But the critique of reason ended up justifying “ways of appealing to some very unreasonable things as explanations – things like race, nationality, class,” he says. Critical theory thus helped spawn totalitarian ideologies in the 20th century such as Marxism and Nazism, which taught that all human relationships are relationships of power between an oppressor class and an oppressed class. For the Marxists, the bourgeoisie were the oppressors. For the Nazis, the Jews were the oppressors. And today, in 21st century America, critical race theory teaches that

Whites are the oppressors. In CRT, “all White people are instinctively white supremacists,” Guelzo says, adding, “I say ‘instinctively’ because this is not a function of reason.” This is why its advocates talk about “systemic racism” – a CRT term that has crept into our public discourse and has even been embraced by President Biden. “Systemic sounds like systematic, except of course that it isn’t,” Guelzo says. “When you try to ﬁnd something that is systematic, then you have to go ﬁnd evidence.” But “systemic implies something so deep and so instinctive that you’re not even conscious of it…[that] there is an instinctive bias that is built into people of certain colors.” CRT rejects democracy as a “relic of Enlightenment reason,” Guelzo says, and argues that White people “use tricks like democracy and the search for truth…to exploit and oppress and dominate people of color.” Don’t take his word for it. Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, authors of “Critical Race Theory: An Introduction,” state that “critical race theory questions the very foundations of the liberal order, including equality theory, legal reasoning, Enlightenment rationalism, and neutral principles of constitutional law.” Because critical theory rejects reason, it cannot be questioned. Under this rubric, Guelzo says, the only purpose of questions is to serve the interests of the oppressive class, and “any answer you come up

with, which doesn’t speak in terms of some hidden structure of oppression, can simply be dismissed as part of the structure of oppression.” For example, “if you believe, as the Nazis did, that the Jews are responsible for all political and economic events, then my pointing out that the overwhelming majority of political leaders are not Jews merely shows that I am either a dupe of the Jews or that I’m in on the ﬁx.” Similarly, if you question whether all White people are oppressors, “the questioning itself is an example of how you’re in on the oppression.” For advocates of CRT, the only solution to systemic oppression is the “inversion of color power,” Guelzo explains. So while most Americans oppose racial discrimination, critical race theory embraces it. Ibram X. Kendi, one of CRT’s leading advocates, openly declares: “The only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination. The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination.” This is the opposite of what the civil rights movement stood for. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. did not argue that America was systemically racist; he argued that racism was un-American. He appealed to the Enlightenment ideals contained in what he called our “magniﬁcent” Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and declared his goal was to take “the whole nation back

to those great wells of democracy, which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers.” King argued Bull Connor, head of the Birmingham, Ala., police, and the Southern racists were violating the principles of the American founding. But critical race theory argues the opposite – that Connor was the fulﬁllment of the American founding, because America was founded to perpetuate white supremacy. Why is this dangerous? As Richard M. Weaver famously said, “Ideas have consequences.” Critical theory has led to the rise of ideologies that have killed millions. “We have paid severe prices at those moments when people have lost faith in reason and decided to defect to something else,” Guelzo says. “Those are the moments when genocide rears its hideous head.” By rejecting reason, he argues, critical race theory could provoke a backlash that drives others “into equal, but opposite irrationality” such as “genuine white supremacy…. If your critical race theory is impervious to questioning and evidence, then ﬁne: I will retreat into my critical race theory, and it too will be impervious to evidence and the questioning. At which point then the only solution becomes violence.” This is why CRT is so dangerous – and must never be used to indoctrinate America’s children.

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Political Crossfire

The Attempted Assassination of Iraq’s Prime Minister Backfired Spectacularly By David Ignatius

ven by the brutal political rules of Baghdad, the recent attempt to assassinate Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi appears to have shocked many Iraqis – and undermined the Iranian-sponsored militias who had been trying to drive him from power. The “cowardly” attack, as Kadhimi described it, has been condemned by the United Nations, the Biden administration, a wide range of Iraqi politicians – and even Iran, a prime suspect in the strike by three drones last Sunday morning. Two of the drones were shot down, but one hit Kadhimi’s residence, a small villa decorated with modern art where I met with him just a few months ago. The implications of the Baghdad drone attack were summarized in an email from Randa Slim, director of conflict resolution at the Middle East Institute. “There is enough circumstantial evidence pointing to Iran-backed Iraqi militias having orchestrated this attack. But it already backfired on them. It was a stupid and shortsighted move that achieved the exact opposite of their objective to deny Prime Minister Kadhimi a second term. This assassination attempt made his second term in office almost certain.” Kadhimi is the rare personality in the Middle East who has defied threats from Iran and its proxies without flinching. He has been living in the crosshairs since he took office in May 2020 and has tried to steer a course between the United States and Iran. Since then, Iranian-backed militias have attacked the Green Zone, murdered one of his friends, and defied his

security oﬃcials in their campaign of intimidation. The Iranian-backed militias’ rage at Kadhimi is partly a matter of sour grapes after their failure in last

him as an independent, as they did last year. Kadhimi was expected to begin talks about a new government with Sadr and other leading politicians late this month or in early December.

If Kadhimi can stay alive, he has a better chance than a week ago of remaining in power.

month’s elections. The big winner was the mercurial, independent-minded Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr who, like Kadhimi, has tried to distance himself from Iran and promised he would “not leave Iraq in its grip.” Sadr’s party won 73 seats in the 329-member parliament, the largest bloc. The pro-Iran coalition known as “Fatah,” which includes the militias, won just 17 seats. Kadhimi didn’t run, hoping that Sadr and other leaders would turn to

Soon after the ballots were counted, the Iranian-backed groups began claiming fraud, although the polling had been monitored by the United Nations and other independent groups. The militias even dubbed their protest movement “Stop the Steal” in a bizarre reference to former president Donald Trump. The showdown turned violent last Friday, when the militants besieged the Green Zone and assaulted Iraqi se-

curity forces protecting government offices and foreign embassies there. The troops fired back, and two protesters were killed. An Iraqi official close to Kadhimi told me on Sunday that more than 80 security forces and about 27 militia supporters were injured. “This was a staged campaign to block Kadhimi’s reelection,” said the official, who said Kadhimi was planning to try to de-escalate the confrontation. Then came the assassination attempt early Sunday and expressions of anger from Iraqis who had hoped Kadhimi could reform Iraq’s gross corruption and thread the needle between America and Iran. “We will pursue those who committed yesterday’s crime; we know them well and we will expose them,” Kadhimi said in a statement from his office. Other Iraqi politicians issued supportive statements. Iran and its militia allies made a predictable attempt to suggest that the United States was somehow to blame for the confrontation and attempted murder. “Such incidents are in line with the interests of parties that have violated the stability, security, independence, and territorial integrity of Iraq over the past 18 years,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh. But this anti-American spin isn’t likely to gain traction, even among conspiracy-minded Iraqis. And it’s easily rebutted because the drones were recovered. If Kadhimi can stay alive, he has a better chance than a week ago of remaining in power and mobilizing the kind of reforms that Iraq desperately needs. (c) 2021, Washington Post Writers Group

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Political Crossfire

Xi’s Heavy-Handed Reforms of China’s Tech Sector Could Have an Upside for the U.S. By David Ignatius

apoleon is said to have advised his commanders: Never interrupt your adversary when he is making a mistake. Some American experts on China would offer a similar admonition as they watch President Xi Jinping’s heavy-handed regulation of China’s tech sector. Over the past year, Xi has conducted a mini-purge against Internet entrepreneurs whose companies had been the darlings of the tech world. The question puzzling U.S. analysts is whether Xi’s leftward turn is doing any permanent damage to China’s tech sector, or whether the Chinese economy is so strong and dynamic that it can absorb Xi’s mistakes and keep rolling. China’s economic strength or weakness will loom in the background next week as President Joe Biden talks with Xi during a virtual summit. Clearly, China’s growth is slowing, and Foreign Affairs posted an article last month with the provocative title, “The End of China’s Rise.” But past experience suggests it would be a mistake to bet on China’s inability to solve problems. Kevin Rudd, a former Australian prime minister who is also a China expert, says of Xi’s recent crackdown on Chinese tycoons: “I don’t think it will kill the goose. But it’s going to slow the goose.” A senior U.S. official offers a similar view: “Xi is taking incredible risks” in his recent economic purge. “But he has enormous margin for error. Like the U.S. in its heyday, China can absorb failure.” China’s Internet bubble certainly has deflated. Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, was silenced a year ago after he dared to criticize Chinese authorities;

regulators halted the initial public offering planned for his Ant Group last November. Advance orders for the stock had reached $3 trillion before Beijing pulled the plug. China’s antitrust regulator subsequently levied a $2.8 billion fine against Alibaba. Investors have suffered from Xi’s tech putsch. Shares in Alibaba Holding, the flagship of Ma’s empire, have declined nearly 41% over the past year. Didi Global, a Chinese ride-hailing company, has fallen 47% since July. Tencent Holdings, another Internet powerhouse, has dropped about 40% from its peak in February. Caution is now the watchword in a sector that was once as freewheeling and risk-tolerant as Silicon Valley. As Alibaba was being fined in April, antitrust regulators summoned 34 Internet companies and demanded self-criticism and compliance. A dozen companies duly issued statements promising reform. These encounters raised worries that Xi was returning

to the struggle sessions of the Cultural Revolution. But dunce caps aside, the irony is that Xi’s critique of Big Tech is similar to recent debates in the United States. He argues that the Internet boom, by creating new billionaires, is worsening inequality. Instead, he wants “common prosperity.” And he complains that social media companies have fostered gaming and other trivial pursuits, rather than a genuine technological revolution. Hard to disagree with any of that. What makes Xi’s reform campaign dangerous for the Chinese economy is that he’s imposing change with the iron ﬁst of a police state. In place of independent tech giants such as Alibaba and Tencent, he prefers stateowned enterprises, or “little giants,” that accept Communist Party authority. Docile, compliant tech executives may satisfy Xi’s commissars, but they may be less likely to produce the breakthrough ideas that can power

Xi’s “China Dream.” “People are watching,” says Christopher M. Schroeder, a global investor who talks frequently with young Chinese tech innovators. “Many entrepreneurs I’ve spoken to understand government concerns that Ant, as an example, may have had legitimate issues that needed to be addressed before going public,” he says, and he doubts there will be a “slowing of the astounding rise of tech start-ups in China.” But it’s a wary moment. Christopher Johnson, a former CIA analyst who now runs a consulting ﬁrm called China Strategies Group, notes Xi’s comments last month to a Politburo “study session on the digital economy.” Xi stressed that to “seize the commanding heights” of global technology, he wants to make China self-reliant in core technologies, such as semiconductors, “as soon as possible.” That means less emphasis on social media platforms and digital commerce, where China’s tech giants had been so successful. Xi’s message, says Johnson: “Elites and tech moguls need to quit their complaining and get on board, or they will be left to the dustbin of history.” For the United States, here’s the potential beneﬁt of Xi’s diktats on tech: Imagine a brilliant young Chinese computer scientist studying at Stanford, say, or working for Google. Returning home to China may look a bit less attractive – and certainly less lucrative – than it did a year ago. In Shanghai or Silicon Valley, brainpower doesn’t follow orders from politicians. (c) 2021, Washington Post Writers Group

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Forgotten Her es

A Walk Down Memory Lane By Avi Heiligman

any people have a passion for learning about military history and the ways warfare evolved through the ages. Generals and other heroes are often talked about in history class, but the vast majority of soldiers, sailors, marines, servicemen and servicewomen are overlooked. For over a Moe Berg decade, this column sought out the stories of many of these forgotten heroes. In fact, this is the 500th article of “Forgotten Heroes,” and in that vein, I would like to share some the favorite heroes that I have covered in the past. The first three “Forgotten Heroes” articles were all based on one man who refused to join the military. In recent years, the Moe Zvika Greengold, left, with Lt. Col. Aryeh Berg story has been told, Berger, commander of the 74th Armored but there are many parts to Battalion his spying career that are rarely told. the people. Berg was born to RusOn his way to another important sian Jewish immigrant parents in assignment in Switzerland, Berg Manhattan and had a passion for stopped in Florence, Italy. Dressed both baseball and academics. He played baseball in the majors for as a German officer speaking a speseveral years, all while becoming a cific dialect of German and garnerlawyer. At the start of World War II, ing salutes from German soldiers, he joined the OSS (precursor to the he walked around the Galileo munitions factory taking mental notes CIA). which he passed on to his superiors. Moe’s first big assignment was After hearing a lecture from the top to evaluate the political situation in German scientist, Moe came to the Yugoslavia. Berg met with leaders of conclusion that the Nazis were not both parties and sent back his report close to building an atomic bomb. to William Donovan. Moe informed This crucial piece of intelligence was the OSS chief that the Communist partisans under Marshal Tito were immediately forwarded to the U.S. stronger in force than the loyalists president who then sent his regards to the catcher. to the king and had the backing of

were greatly relieved. Little did they realize that it was a three-tank formation that was coming to assist in beat-up tanks. Soon it was just Zvika and his crew left fighting. He shot at a silhouette of a tank, and it burst into flames and then destroyed three more in succession. Zvika played cat-andJacob Farj Rafael Jacob with Indian Prime mouse with an advancing Minister Narendra Modi Syrian column, ducking behind natural boundaries as well as shot-up tanks. He destroyed several more tanks and moved to the slopes where only the gun and the turret of the tank were visible, thus making him a very small target. After an hour, the Syrians retreated, and his kill figure reached double digits. Things got tougher at Lydia Litvyak that point, as more Israeli tanks tried to join his force but were ambushed. Then, Zvika’s own tank was hit, and his driver was killed. Zvika Greengold was a 21-yearDespite his wounds, Zvika got into old tank lieutenant on reserve when the Arabs launched a surprise attack another tank and kept on fighting. Even though the Syrians had at the start of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. He quickly put on his uni- the upper hand at this point in the battle, they stopped advancing and form and hitchhiked to the northern front in the Golan Heights. Most of the Israelis were finally able to bring up more reinforcements. Zvika was the tanks in the Golan were badly damaged, and only a few were in any sent to a hospital to recover from his shape to continue fighting. When wounds and was given the Medal of he arrived on the battlefield, Zvi- Valor for his actions during the battle. ka got in one of the tanks that was still running and led another two Jacob Farj Rafael Jacob was tanks into battle. By 9 PM, he went to join the Barak Brigade – the sec- born in 1923 in British-controlled ond-in-command called him “Zvi- India and served in the British Army during World War II. He gradka Force.” Other tank crews heard that Zvika Force was coming and uated from officer school and, while

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serving in India, met the eccentric general Orde Wingate. Wingate, who was not Jewish, had helped the Jews living in Eretz Yisrael in the 1930s create a military strategy and defenses. Jacob stayed in the military after the war and by 1969 was a major general. Two later, during the India-Pakistan War, he orchestrated a surrender for the Pakistani troops. Unarmed and accompanied by only one staff officer, he flew to Dhaka. Jacob told the Pakistani that he had a half an hour to decide on their surrender or the Indians would be coming to Dhaka to destroy the enemy. While the general was contemplating the surrender, Jacob went outside and said Shema Yisrael. The truth was that Jacob had but 3,000 men some 30 miles away, and they were up against 93,000 Pakistani troops. Against all odds, the bluff worked. All of the Pakistani soldiers in the area surrendered, and Jacob

became the hero of the war. Lydia Litvyak was a Russian Jewish airwoman from Moscow who began flying when she was just 14 years old. When the war began, she joined the all-female 586th Fighter Regiment. Flying the reliable and versatile Yak-1, Lydia became the first female to attain the tile of ace. Altogether, she shot down twelve Nazi planes – 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. On August 1, 1943, Litvyak 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

Bf-109s. Lydia was awarded many titles and medals and is considered the best female fighter pilot in history.

was stopped, and the Union flank was saved. Cohn’s Medal of Honor citation simply reads: “During Battle of the Wilderness (Cohn) rallied and formed, under heavy fire, disorganized and fleeing troops of different regiments. At Petersburg, Va., July 30, 1864, (he) bravely and coolly carried orders to the advanced line under severe fire.” These are a sampling of some of our favorite forgotten heroes who have been featured in this column. There are many others that we will recap in future articles.

Prussian-born Abraham Cohn, who had entered the Civil War as a private with the 68th New York Infantry Regiment, rose to the rank of 1st Lieutenant and distinguished himself during a battle known as The Crater. In eleven engagements, he was wounded twice. The Battle of the Wilderness took place in Virginia by which time Cohn was with the 6th New Hampshire Regiment. His commanding officer ordered him to gather as many soldiers as he could and lead a counterattack. As the rebels advanced, they ran into the 6th New Hampshire’s lines and were stopped. Cohn had to cajole and beg retreating soldiers to join him, and with this ragtag force, he managed to stem the attack. Confederate General Longstreet’s advance

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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SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS CAHAL is seeking Permanent AM and PM substitutes for 2021-22 school year. Also, Secular and Judaic Substitute Teachers to cover Maternity leaves in the fall months. Send resume to shira@cahal.org. Call 516-295-3666.

Torah Academy for Girls seeks a vendor to provide breakfast, snack and lunch for our students for school year 2021-2022. To submit a proposal, contact Mrs. Obadia at nobadia@tagschools.org for bidding criteria. Respond by Friday, October 29, 2021 Nursing Home Management Company in Brooklyn Looking to fill the following positions: Administrative Assistant MS office suite proficiency required Administrative Assistant experience required WE ARE LOOKING FOR AN EXPIERENCED FULL TIME BOOKKEEPER Excellent growth potential Frum environment Excellent salary & benefits Email resume to: resumetfs1@gmail.com Please put position title and FTJH in subject line ASSISTANT TEACHERS CAHAL is seeking Assistant Teachers. FT or PT, AM or PM. Flexible Hours. Work with skilled Rebbeim and Teachers in small Special Ed classes located in yeshivas in the Five Towns/Far Rockaway. Send Resume to shira@cahal.org or call 516-295-3666 for information. Local yeshiva seeks a permanent substitute for limudei kodesh in grades 1 through 5. Please call Rabbi Avrohom Bender at 718-868-2300 extension 490 Or email abender@darchei.org TAILOR WANTED KGH dry-cleaners is seeking a tailor for p/t or f/t work. Monday, Wednesday and Friday preferred, other days available.

DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT A multi-tasker needed for general office work. The ideal candidate is someone who is detail-oriented, responsible, and can take ownership. Looking for someone who is eager to learn, and expand his/her skill set while possessing the ability to work independently and as part of a team. Experience with Excel required. Five Towns location. In-office position only, not remote. Please send resume to 5tpart.timecareer@gmail.com NEW YESHIVA IN QUEENS SEEKING SECRETARY Must be detail-oriented, have great organizational skills, able to multi-task. Experience in school programs a plus. Send resume to: office@yeshivatbneitorah.org or call/text: 347-351-4573

MISC Gemach Zichron Yehuda In memory of R’ Yehuda Aryeh Leib ben R’ Yisroel Dov We have a library of books on the subjects of loss, aveilus, grief, & kaddish. We have sets of ArtScroll Mishnayos to assist with finishing Shisha Sidrei Mishna for Shloshim or yahrtzeit. Locations in Brooklyn, Far Rockaway, & Lakewood. Email: zichronyehuda@yahoo.com

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Your

Money

A Rose, By Any Other Name By Allan Rolnick, CPA

onald Reagan won the White House in 1980 partly by campaigning against incumbent Jimmy Carter and partly by campaigning against the 70% top income tax rate. Reagan preached a new gospel of “supply-side” economics, arguing that tax cuts would put money back in the pockets of ordinary Americans and unleash a wave of new economic activity and growth. And while Reagan’s own running mate originally mocked it as “voodoo” economics, for forty years, that philosophy has influenced American tax policy, leading to more recent rounds of tax cuts in 2001, 2003, and most recently, 2017. Of course, tax cuts aren’t the only way the government can pump money into the economy. Sometimes it’s more direct. For example, we spend north of $700 billion every year on national defense. That money doesn’t just disappear into a black hole. It pays the salaries of 2.2 million active duty military personnel, 750,000 civilian personnel, and countless defense contractors. If you run a diner or a hardware store or a dental practice near a military base like Ft. Bragg, Ft. Campbell, or Ft. Hood, you benefit from that spending. But sometimes Uncle Sam pumps

money into pockets less directly, effectively passing a tax cut without actually cutting taxes. Businesses across the country may soon benefit from one of those moves. Google and Meta — formerly Facebook — are drawing increasing fire for dominating the digital marketing space. Together, they hoover up 54 cents out of every digital advertising dollar, like a desperate partier

Now Congress is considering antitrust action against the digital giants. How would that translate into “tax cuts”? Well, if Congress and the DOJ break up Meta — specifically, separating the Facebook and Instagram platforms — competition should go up, and advertising costs should go down. That means thousands of small-to-medium-sized businesses

As Congress starts to pressure Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, he looks more and more like a James Bond villain.

doing lines in a nightclub bathroom. But Meta’s tone-deaf responses to their endless string of scandals have won them no friends on Capitol Hill. (We call them “outrages”; Facebook calls them “days that end in ‘y’.”) Seriously, if you can put Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal on the same side of an issue, you’re doing something.

will enjoy higher net profits, either because they spend less to get the same customers or get even more bang from their current ad spend. From where we sit, government action that puts money into business owners’ pockets sounds an awful lot like a tax cut. Ironically, while we can characterize shifting income from Silicon Valley to Middle America as a tax

cut, it would actually mean more for Uncle Sam. Why? Because business owners generally pay a higher percentage of tax on their profits than Big Tech. Multinational companies like Google and Meta are famous for sidestepping tax on their billions in profits. From 2011-2020, Meta paid 12.7% in tax on $132.5 billion of income. But even if they paid the maximum corporate rate of 21%, that’s significantly less than the maximum 37% for the small business owners who would benefit from lower ad costs. As Congress starts to pressure Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, he looks more and more like a James Bond villain. (Don’t be surprised if next time they haul him in to testify, he shows up petting a white cat on his lap.) But really, if Uncle Sam’s antitrust action puts more money in your pocket, do you care if he keeps some of that windfall in the form of some tax dollars for himself?

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

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Life C ach

Readers’ Recommendations By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., LMFT, CLC, SDS

“D

o you have a good book for me to read?” Famous question. And kind of interesting. What makes them know what you think is good? Is there some secret society or code that explains the meaning of this question?! Really, how do people know what they are asking each other? People hardly ever agree on anything completely. With most topics, there needs to be clarification, operational definitions, discourse, or heated confrontation for any resolution. But here, this simple question seems to say it all. What makes the book good? Really, someone merely says, “I just finished such a good book” and everyone is like, “Can I have it next?” or “Can I read it after you?” They are immediately on board. No third-degree questioning, no lie detector test – just desire and desperation! Strange. You have no idea if they like investigation and drama or comedy and humor. You’re not sure if they like levity as opposed to substance or dragging narratives verses peppy dialogues. All you know is that they liked a book, and that’s enough for you to be dying to get your hands on it. Why?

Why do you trust them? Why are you so ready to lunge for their literary work? What are their credentials? Why are they so spot-on, in your book, that their book will interest you? Why are you groping to get to the

book and it stinks, you can just put it down. And if it’s another person’s copy, you haven’t even wasted a dime! Yet, it can still pose a problem. You wind up with time on your hands and no book to read! One minute you were psyched for a good read and feeling secure against potential

With the posing of one simple question, you’ve narrowed the whole playing field down significantly.

front of their line? Well, here’s the secret: you don’t really trust them! But what’s the alternative? The other choice is to read every book yourself – without even a sense of whether you might like it. You do not have endless time – and there does seem to be endless books written! Everyone wants a book that’s been vetted. And this way, you get a free reviewer. With the posing of one simple question, you’ve narrowed the whole playing field down significantly. After all, if you start reading the

boredom. And then the next, you are twiddling your thumbs, or worse, face to face with Harry Potter for the third time. Now, let’s say you hit the jackpot and the book does keep you interested. That is really great. And, on top of that, if the person wants the book back, that’s a win-win. You’ve enjoyed the book, and you’ve avoided the added clutter more books create. If they don’t give you the book, you may need to purchase it, and that means more books – ugh! There just aren’t enough bookcases in exis-

tence to hold all the books that wind up in people’s homes. That’s why I love when someone takes a book off my hands. Kind of tempts me to recommend one I didn’t even like. I said “tempts” – I don’t actually do it! The truth is that there are so many books flying around these days that if I don’t write a review in front after I read it, or at least write my name so I know I actually read it, I’d probably be sold on it again. That is, of course, till I think I have a good book in hand for the weekend and suddenly realize I already read it. Ultimately, the best experience is when a book is new to you, and someone says it’s good, and it actually is! So, does anyone have a good book for me?! And please check the inside flap to make sure you didn’t get it from me!

Rivki Rosenwald is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist working with both couples and individuals and is a certified relationship counselor. Rivki is a co-founder and creator of an effective Parent Management of Adolescent Years Program. She can be contacted at 917705-2004 or at rivkirosenwald@gmail. com.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 18, 2021 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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Articles inside

Readers’ Recommendations by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

Your Money

The Attempted Assassination of Iraq’s Prime Minister by David Ignatius

A Walk Down Memory Lane by Avi Heiligman

The Danger of Critical Race Theory by Marc A. Thiessen

Notable Quotes

A Sampling of Simply

TJH Speaks with Rivky Kleiman, Cookbook Author

Xi’s Heavy-Handed Reforms of China’s Tech Sector by David Ignatius

The Aussie Gourmet: Pumpkin Challah

Healthy Traveling by Aliza Beer, MS RD

Emotional Support Chickens, Artisan Sourdough Pizza, and More at Kosherfest

Just Love Them by Shmuel Blitz

She was Angry by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn

Parenting Pearls

The Wandering Jew

Centerfold

The Many Faces of Evil by Rav Moshe Weinberger

That’s Odd

National

Delving into the Daf by Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

Rabbi Wein on the Parsha

World Builders