Five Towns Jewish Home - 3-9-17

March 9, 2017

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

Your Favorite Five Towns Family Newspaper

MAYOR INSTITUTES CONTROVERSIAL FIVE TOWNS BAN

Pages 9, 10, 11, 13 & 35

Around the

Community

And Other “Real” News Stories See TJH Purim Supplement Page S21

Purim

37 Torah Academy for Girls’ Triple Chai Anniversary

40

Be Included in TJH Purim Photo Album!

Send us your photos at editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com Subject Line: Purim Photos ~ Deadline: Monday, March 13 at 10pm

Yeshiva of South Shore Celebrates 60 Years of Yeshiva Education

In This Issue:

A Freilechen Purim!

Bobker on Purim

38

Supporting Torah Leadership at Kollel Tirtza Devorah Dinner

We Will Laugh Like Never Before by Rabbi YY Rubinstein

S14

A Purim Secret by Rabbi Yerachmiel Michael Tilles

S18

TJH High Fives with Meir Kay by Malky Lowinger

S32

Nosh, Nosh, a Hamantash by Nina Safar

S34

Triangular Tradition by Jon Kranz

S38

Page 87

PESACH VACATION SECTION Starts on Page 93 – See page 3

SEASONS LAWRENCE

330 Central Avenue, Lawrence, NY 11559

S6

2

MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

yeshivas mir yerushalayim bicentennial celebration march �6, ���� . ‫כ''ח אדר תשע''ז‬ bell works . ��� crawFords corner road holmdel, new jersey ����� guests of honor

Roshei Hayeshiva Rabbeim Marbitzei & Lomdei Torah ,

,

of Yeshivas Mir Yerushalayim

Welcoming

‫ראש הישיבה‬

‫הגאון הרב אליעזר יהודה פינקל שליט''א‬

‫הגאון הרב אהרן חדש שליט''א משגיח‬ ‫הגאון הרב יצחק אזרחי שליט''א ראש ישיבה‬ ‫הגאון הרב נחמן לבוביץ שליט''א ראש ישיבה‬ ‫הגאון הרב בנימין קרלבך שליט''א ראש ישיבה‬

event schedule pre-event shiurim

3:15-4:15 pm

‫שמחין כנתינתן‬ ‫שיעורים מאת‬

‫הרב הגאון יעקב משה כ''ץ שליט''א‬ ‫הרב הגאון יוסף אלפנט שליט''א‬ ‫הגאון הרב גדליה פינקל שליט''א‬ ‫הרב הגאון משה בינשטוק שליט''א‬ ‫הרב הגאון משה אהרן פרידמן שליט''א‬ ‫הגאון הרב יצחק הלמן שליט''א‬ ‫הרב הגאון שמואל פרידמן שליט''א‬ ‫הרב הגאון יהודה וגשל שליט''א‬ ‫הרב הגאון ניסן קפלן שליט''א‬ ‫הרב הגאון שמואל וואלמאן שליט''א‬ ‫הרב הגאון אלימלך רזניק שליט''א‬ ‫הרב הגאון בנימן כהן שליט''א‬

4:15 pm

live video hookup of

‫הגאון הרב אשר אריאלי שליט''א‬ bicentennial event

4:30 pm

Reception . final k’sivas oisios

6:00 pm

dinneR pRogRam

7:15 pm

simchas siyum sefeR toRah

8:00 pm

event conclusion approximate

Buses Depart 15 minutes after event conclusion hanhallah participation has been made possible through the generous sponsorship by the jeremias Family

journal ad deadline friday, march 17, 2017

reserve your seat & journal ad

today

call 718.972.0500 . fax 718.851.1999 email dinner@themir.org

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

i m r ! u P y p p a H Help us decorate for Purim

Bring your colored-in page to your local Seasons store, and we’ll hang it in our windows!

the

family

CLIFTON • LAWRENCE • QUEENS • SCARSDALE • MANHATTAN • LAKEWOOD • LAWRENCE CLIFTON • LAWRENCE • QUEENS • SCARSDALE • MANHATTAN • LAKEWOOD • C O M I N G S O O N ! ! B A LT I M O R E , C L E V E L A N D , A N D C E D A R H U R S TLAWRENCE

COMING SOON!!

B A LT I M O R E , C L E V E L A N D , A N D

CEDARHURST

SSHHOOPP 2244//66 SSEEAASSOONNSSKKOOSSHHEERR. .CCOOMM •• I INNFFOO@@SSEEAASSOONNSSKKOOSSHHEERR. .CCOOMM

3

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

PESACH 2017

Your Choice of 6 Magnificent Passover Destinations BOCA RATON, FLORIDA

Boca Raton Resort & Club

A WALDORF ASTORIA RESORT

• Gorgeous half-mile stretch of Private Beach • 2 Championship Golf Courses • 30 Clay Tennis Courts • Enjoy the exciting Surfing Simulator • Fantastic Scholars-in-Residence • 40,000 sq. ft. World Class Spa • Exceptional Cuisine by Prestige Caterers • NK Glatt Kosher Supervision

FLORENCE, ITALY

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA

PHOENIX, ARIZONA

PGA National Resort

Arizona Biltmore

A WALDORF ASTORIA RESORT

• Entire Hotel Kosher for Pesach • AAA 4-Diamond Resort • All Rooms Have Private Balconies • 5 Tournament-Ready Golf Courses • 19 Har Tru Tennis Courts • Fantastic Scholars-in-Residence • Delectable Cuisine by Foremost Ram Caterers • ORB Glatt Kosher Supervision

• Condé Nast Traveler, 2016 Gold List Top Arizona Resort • 8 heated swimming pools •7 Tennis Courts • Two 18 hole championship golf courses • Fantastic Scholars-in -Residence • Professional Day Camp • Haute gourmet cuisine by VIP Ram Caterers • Glatt Kosher supervision

Four Seasons Florence

FIUGGI (ROME), ITALY

Grand Hotel Palazzo Della Fonte

RYE BROOK, NEW YORK

Entire La Villa building Kosher for Pesach • Luxury 5-star resort • Hotel set amidst a 350,000 sq.ft. botanical garden • Gourmet cuisine by Michelen rated Four Seasons chefs • Daily services, outstanding lectures & children’s program • Glatt Kosher supervision by Rabbi G.M. Garelik

• Entire Hotel Kosher for Pesach • Member of the Leading Hotels Of The World • Haute Italian Cuisine • Beautiful spa, indoor & outdoor pools • Free daily shuttle to Rome • Daily services, outstanding lectures & children’s program • Glatt Kosher Supervision by Rabbi G.M. Garelik of Milan

• Entire hotel Kosher for Pesach • Only 30 minutes from New York City • Hotel beautifully renovated • Spectacular lineup of Scholars-inResidence • Fantastic entertainment & daily activities • Professional day camp • Exceptional cuisine by Prestige Caterers • ORB Glatt Kosher Supervision

Leisure Time Tours www.leisuretimetours.com

59

Hilton Westchester

NEW YORK TOLL FREE

718-528-0700 800-223-2624

5

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

Matanos L'evyoniM through Kupat ha'ir

‫קו‬ ‫העפת‬ ‫יר‬

Harav Chaim Kanievsky Shlit"a: "I have the custom to give matanos le'evyonim to Kupat Ha'ir immediately after krias hamegillah

and that is what I do every year."

1

Kever oF MorDeCHai & eSTHer Messengers of Kupat Ha'ir will mention each name and personal request at the Kever of Mordechai & esther .

2

3

26 GaTeS oF Heaven

For a SpeCiFiC YeSHuaH

at each of the 26 places messengers of Kupat Ha'ir will mention each name and personal request.

Zivug – Kever of the Chazon ish; Children - Kever rochel; refua – Kever of the Maharal Diskin; The whole sefer Tehillim will be completed at each place, after which each name and personal request will be mentioned.

To SubMiT naMeS Call now:

1-888-KupaTHair 5

8

7

2

8

4

2

Donations can be sent to: American Friends of Kupat Hair - 4415 14th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11219

Donate online: www.kupat.org

‫קו‬ ‫העפת‬ ‫יר‬

6

MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Dear Readers,

I

her children and their love of Yiddishkeit.

Purim is perhaps the day when it is most obvious how valued women are in Judaism.

Mordechai played a pivotal role in the salvation of klal Yisroel, and yet, the megilla is called Megillas Esther. Ultimately, it was Esther who risked her life to save her nation and the miracle of Purim came through her. Because the Purim story reads just like that – of a story – it’s easy to forget that Hashem was the One Who pulled the strings thousands of years ago. But it was He Who chose Esther to be the conduit to salvation; it was He Who chose her to reign as queen.

This Purim, while we’re helping our children into their costumes and affixing more ribbon to yet another mishloach manos, perhaps we should remember that our value is highlighted not in our “days off,” but in the times when we put forth the most effort and energy.

Purim is a day that celebrates a time when a woman took action and helped rescue her people from ruin. It may be hectic, but without Esther, it wouldn’t have been a day of sasson v’kor. Make sure to enjoy!

’m writing this on Wednesday, which is the day before Taanis Esther this year. It is also the day that the media has dubbed “A Day Without a Woman.” A lot of headlines today are focused on the few women who have taken off from work in protest and many others who have considered that taking off from work just isn’t practical. So, once again, this “nationwide protest” hasn’t really made any waves.

But I thought about it. Do you know what I was doing on the day when other American women went on strike? What I did wasn’t unusual; I am sure that this was played out by most mothers in our community. First, I got my kids ready for school. I prepared their lunches and kissed them goodbye. I did carpool. I put in a full day’s work. I went shopping and prepared dinner. I gave out some teachers’ mishloach manos. I helped my kids with their homework and spoke with them about their day. I fed them supper, helped them shower, and put them to bed. But wait, my day was not over. There were dishes to be done and more hamantashen to be made.

There were more mishloach manos to prepare and Shabbos prep to begin. I am sure that your day was just as busy. So a lot was accomplished on “A Day Without a Woman.”

In Judaism, a woman’s role is valued and appreciated. There is no need to take a “day off” to prove to the world our worth. The woman of the house is given three special mitzvos – mitzvos that, in a way, define a frum home.

She is the heart of the family, the one who provides the warmth and love when she nurtures

Wishing you and your family a freilechen Purim, Shoshana

Yitzy Halpern PUBLISHER

publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Yosef Feinerman MANAGING EDITOR

ads@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Shoshana Soroka EDITOR

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 Classifieds: Deadline Mondays 5PM classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com text 443-929-4003

P.S. Make sure your family is included in our TJH Purim Photo Album. Email your photos to me at editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com; Subject line: Purim Photos. Deadline is Monday, Shushan Purim, at 10pm. Can’t wait to see them!

The Jewish Home is an independent weekly magazine.

Opinions expressed by writers are not neces­ sarily 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 | March 10 – March 16

Friday, March 10 Parshas Tetzaveh 10

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13

14

15

16

Candle Lighting: 5:38 pm Shabbos Ends: 6:39 pm Rabbeinu Tam: 7:10 pm Sponsored by

AM Snow / Wind

Partly Cloudy / Wind

Partly Cloudy

Partly Cloudy

Rain / Snow Showers

Partly Cloudy

Mostly Sunny

40° 20°

29° 18°

32° 18°

32° 29°

38° 26°

33° 20°

37° 23°

eretzhachaim.org

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

I S T O R Y

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

8

COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll Community Happenings

8 36

NEWS

S34

Global

13

National

22

Odd-but-True Stories

33

Purim “Real” – or is it Fake? – News

S21

ISRAEL Israel News

18

Refugees Come Here Too by Elana Dure

78

PEOPLE American History – Purim-Style by Avi Heiligman

100

Meir Kay Spreads His Unique Brand of Happiness by Malky Lowinger S32 PARSHA Rabbi Wein

S4

Upholding the Torah by Rav Moshe Weinberger

66

THOUGHTS ON PURIM Expect the Unexpected by Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

70

An Earned Inheritance by Eytan Kobre

72

Bobker on Purim

S6

Doubtless Joy by Rabbi Naphtali Hoff

S12

We Will Laugh Like Never Before by Rabbi YY Rubinstein

S14

A Purim Secret

S18

HALACHA Mishloach Manos

S16

JEWISH HISTORY

Dear Editor, President Trump’s nomination of David Friedman for the position of United States Ambassador to Israel comes at a critical time. The Middle East is in turmoil, but together with the erosion of stability there are new opportunities as well.

Iranian expansionism has created the potential for a strategic realignment of the traditional regional allies of the United States into a unified bulwark against their common enemy, Iran. The United States is in the position to orchestrate this strategic regional realignment in which Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Emirates join together and present a united front to stymie Iran. Israel and its Arab neighbors sitting on the same side of the table to address their common strategic concerns may well also create a more positive environment for addressing the Israeli-Palestinian stalemate.

This realignment would have been unthinkable during the Obama administration, which adopted the misguided policy of ignoring the United States’ traditional allies and courting Iran. In order for Israel to participate in this realignment,

however, it will need to perceive a sense of genuine friendship and backing from the United States, a sense that was sorely lacking during the Obama administration.

David Friedman is uniquely qualified to provide that sense of friendship and backing and would be an excellent choice as the United States Ambassador to Israel. Not only does he possess extraordinary intelligence, he also is intimately familiar with the region, speaks Hebrew fluently, is at home with Israeli culture, and is sensitive to Israel’s concerns. While some of Mr. Friedman’s past pronouncements offered in the heat of an extremely partisan political battle were decidedly intemperate, they in no way disqualify him from ably serving as Ambassador, and the portrayals of Mr. Friedman by the media and by his detractors are a caricature composed of half-truths and statements taken out of context. For example, American Friends of Bet El, an organization that David Friedman is president of, attracts support from across the denominational spectrum and I frequently attend its annual fundraiser and am proud of Continued on page 12

Memoirs of a Forgotten Rabbi: The Troubled Life of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Ferber by Rav Pini Dunner 74 HEALTH & FITNESS Does Tzaar Mean We Can’t Enjoy Purim? by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn

84

Purim Shpiel by Aliza Beer, MS RD

86

Separate and Not Equal by Dr. Hylton I Lightman

89

FOOD & LEISURE The Aussie Gourmet: Spiced Braised Flanken Nosh, Nosh, a Hamantash by Nina Safar

90 S34

LIFESTYLES Education is Broken. So Let Me Fix It! by Chaim Homnick Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW

S30 80

Your Money

108

Two for the Price of One by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

110

HUMOR Centerfold Triangular Tradition by Jon Kranz

64 S38

POLITICAL CROSSFIRE

S6 CLASSIFIEDS

Revolt of the Attorneys General by Charles Krauthammer

91

Notable Quotes

92 102

Purim is here! Do you have a “theme” for your mishloach manos or family’s costumes?

53

%

YES

47

%

NO

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Sale Dates: March 12th - 17th 2017

Weekly Heinz Ketchup

Snapple Iced Tea

Green Giant Whole Kernal Corn

38 oz

64 oz $ 99

......................................................

Spaghetti, Thin Spaghetti, Elbows, Ziti, Ziti Rigati, Penne Rigati, Rotini, Rigatoni, Medium Shells - 16 oz

2/$

.................................................

.................................................

.................................................

12 oz

8 oz

Assorted - 9 oz - 15 oz

99¢

99¢

5

4/$

......................................................

48 oz $ 99

3

.................................................

.................................................

Assorted - 18 oz

Chicken Flavor - 2.29 oz

Hunt’s BBQ Sauce

3

2/$

.................................................

Kitchen Collection Steel Wool Soap Pads

Easy Off

Heavy Duty, Fume-Free - 14.5 oz

10 Count

1

$ 49

3

$

2

99

.................................................

......................................................

Palmolive Dish Liquid

Heavy Duty, Lemon, With Bleach 32 oz $ 99

$

25 oz

Fantastik Trigger

.................................................

Always Handy Vinyl Gloves 100 Count

249

1

$ 99

1

Miller’s String Cheese

Tropicana Orange Juice

18 oz $ 99

7

La Yogurt

Assorted - 6 oz

59 oz

1

349

$

......................................................

Sabra Hummus

.......................................

64 oz

Assorted - 10 oz 2/$

4

99

Assorted - 32 oz $ 99

1

Tradition Cup-a-Soup

79¢

10 oz

.................................................

Windex Trigger Assorted - 23 oz

18 oz

.................................................

.................................................

20 Count

Summer Citrus 40 oz

299

699

$

Weiman Silver Wipes

399

$

299

$

Mehadrin Cottage Cheese

10

399

$

Super Pretzel

Original or Cinnamon 13 oz

5

.......................................

Original Only - 22 oz $ 99

6 Count

24 oz

24 oz

easy dinner ideas!

NOW 2 locations!

Cedarhurst STORE HOURS

49

Ha’olam Shredded Cheese Except Reduced Fat - 8 oz

3 Pack

5

5

2/$

137 Spruce Street

4

$

2/$

(516) 569-2662

SUN -TUE: 7 AM-9 PM WED: 7 AM-11 PM THURS: 7 AM-12 AM FRIDAY 6:30 AM-2 HRS. BEFORE CANDLE LIGHTING

Woodmere STORE HOURS

Flaum’s Sour Pickles

10/$

.......................................

B’gan Chopped Broccoli

5

4/$

Mehadrin Leben

.......................................

Mama Mary Thin & Crispy 7” Pizza Crusts

Assorted - 5.3 oz

399

......................................................

2

Fage Yogurt

$

2/$

5

Mr. Clean

48 oz

399

99

Goddard’s Silver Polish Foam

$

$

$

.................................................

Assorted - 6 oz

4 Count

Luigi’s Italian Ices

no sugar added

649

$

2/$

Ungar’s Gefilte Fish

Gourmet Glatt Klein’s Natural Dried Mango Cheeks

.......................................

Yasso Greek Yogurt Bars

5

.................................................

......................................

299

14.5 oz/14.8 oz

299

.......................................

$

Aunt Jemima Pancakes

Cavendish French Fries

13 oz

Assorted - 16 oz

8 oz

3

$

Quaker Life Cereal

2/$

Givat Whipped Cream Cheese

Skim Plus Milk

.................................................

$

299

Extra Virgin, Extra Light - 17 oz

.................................................

Lemon, Oxi, With Bleach, Gel with Bleach - 24 oz/28.6 oz $ 99

Nabisco Chips Ahoy Cookies

.................................................

499

Soft Scrub Cleansers

5

3

3/$

$

$

......................................................

Stella D’Oro Swiss Fudge Cookies

Except Low Sodium 2.75 oz

2/$

Bertolli Olive Oil

Wesson Canola Oil

1

15.25 oz

French’s Spicy Brown Mustard

Ronzoni Pasta

Goodman’s Onion Soup Mix

33.8 oz

$

299

1

Vintage Seltzer

Pardes Cauliflower Florets

Macabee Pizza Bagels 6 Pack

299

$

.......................................

Pardes Strawberries 16 oz

599

$

499

$

Barilla Marinara Sauce 24 oz

1

$ 99

1030 Railroad Avenue

(516) 295-6901

SUN - THURS: 7 AM-9 PM FRIDAY 7 AM UNTIL 2 HRS. BEFORE CANDLE LIGHTING

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

Sale Dates: March 12th - 17th 2017

Specials DARK CHICKEN CUTLETS $ 79 5 lb.

TURKEY WINGS

CHICKEN LEGS

149 lb.

279 lb.

$

$

Super Family Pack

PELLEH SEMI-BONELESS DUCK new item!

1749 lb.

$

Family Pack

1149 lb.

1st Cut Brisket

Shoulder Lamb Chops

1099 lb.

...................

Corned Beef Deckle

$

Beef Patties

$

...................

8

..................

Neck & Skirt

949 lb.

$

Untrimmed

$

...................

$

Shoulder London Broil

Veal Spare Ribs

849 lb. $ 99 8 lb.

Breast of Veal

$

...................

99

lb.

gluten-free!

Breaded Chicken Fingers & Cutlets

499 lb.

649 lb.

$

...................

Neck & Skirt

499 lb.

$

Ground Beef

269 lb.

$

Chicken Breast

Super Family Pack

Sunkist Oranges

Red & Green Grapes

6/$2

$

Granny Smith Apples

Italian Kiwi

Cello Lettuce

White Potatoes

Cello Mushrooms

99¢ lb.

6/$2

99¢ ea.

79¢ lb.

2/$3

Bosc Pears

Plum Tomatoes

Sleeve Celery

Spanish Onions

Spaghetti Squash

99¢ lb.

79¢ lb.

99¢ ea.

59¢ lb.

79¢ lb.

1

99

Postiv Romaine

...................

$

Family Pack ...................

Wing On

579 lb.

12 Pack

$

Ground White Chicken

129 lb.

$

Chicken Bones

389 lb.

Chicken Cutlets

Super Family Pack ...................

Persian Cucumbers

8 oz Bag

3

$

lb.

Idaho Potatoes 5 lb Bag

99

1

$

ea.

Head

89

2/$4

lb.

order your shabbos platters early!

Mexican Chicken Schnitzel $ 99 lb.

Fresh Homemade Cheese or Potato Blintzes 6 Pack $ 99

Swedish Meatballs or Chicken $ 99 lb.

Greek Salad with Feta Cheese $ 99

11 7

24 VARIETIES!

10

$

Hawaiian Roll

$

Royal

9

1195

1195

Red $ Dragon Roll

..........................................................

Asian Sesame new!

Ginger Dressing

595

Salmon Crisps

new!

$

Herb Crusted Tuna $ 99 lb.

Breaded Tilapia $ 99 lb.

14

Cinnamon Parve Bobka

699ea.

Ossie’s 3 oz Lox $ 99 ea.

5

399ea.

$

Small White Flat Onion Bread Rolls 4 Pack $ 49 49 $ 49 ea. lb. ea.

9

$

1

1

Mushroom Dip

299ea.

$

Charif Dip

Bunch

6

$

99

Mums Bouquet

9

$

99

gourmetglattonline.com

Large Colored Calla Lilies Bunch

24

$

99

/gourmetglatt

Diet Beet Salad

499ea.

$

$

Creamed Spinach

Butternut Squash Soup

Marinara Pasta

299ea.

Mini Carnations

1195

$

Diet Spinach Kugel

4

Assorted Mini Fancy Cookies

$

595

$

595 Roll ..........................................................

Veal Patties with Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Broccoli $ 99

7

Boston Roll

Quart

599ea.

$

499lb.

$

399lb.

$

We reserve the right to limit quantities. No rain checks. Not responsible for typographical errors.

11

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Continued from 8

the work they do.

The appointment of David Friedman as United States Ambassador to Israel would be a giant step in the direction of capitalizing, for the benefit of both the United States and Israel, on the new opportunities for dramatic change presented by the current situation in the Middle East.

Rabbi Menachem Genack CEO Orthodox Union Kosher Author, Letters to President Clinton Dear Editor, Regarding your article last week regarding Rabbi Ferber and Yosef Goldman please alert your readers that the article was based on a one-sided conversation. Although

you requested a picture of my brother, Yosef Goldman, a”h, from his wife you did not ask her to confirm the facts in your article. I believe it is accepted journalistic practice to present a balanced picture of the subject. Although I am not privy to the facts surrounding this purchase the readers should know that Yosef Goldman was an outstanding talmid chachom and an outrageous seforim lover. I have no doubt that he dealt fairly with all his sources. Unfortunately he is not here to present the facts as they occurred.

Sincerely, Esther Burton Dear Editor, The levaya of Chaim “Lobo” Silber took place last week on Thurs-

Keep the Purim Spirit Going!

BE INCLUDED IN THE TJH PURIM PHOTO ALBUM Email photos to editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com Subject line: Purim photos Jewish Home ofDeadline: the Five Towns Monday, March 13, 4.65x5.875 Shushan Purim, at 10pm

Friends don’t let friends drink irresponsibly on Purim. /OrthodoxUnion /OrthodoxUnion

Safe Homes. Safe Shuls. Safe Schools.

day morning. I sat and wept along with hundreds of others, a sea of people, whose lives this great man touched. He was a gift. A precious gift, who Hashem gave us for 70 years. The depth of sadness is beyond description. Chaim, a”h, was a man whose life was filled with countless acts of chessed that knew no bounds. A man of integrity and dignity. Filled with kindness and love for his family, friends, and all humankind. Chaim, a”h, had a heart of gold. A genuine, beautiful smile that would light up a room.

He was strong, yet so sensitive and understanding. A gentle giant. Bigger than Life. He was witty, and filled with wisdom. Chaim knew when he had to be tough, and when to be soft. He was a lifeline for thousands. There will be a deep chasm, a painful void, for myself, my husband, who worked for Chaim most of his working years, for my family, and for all who were blessed to have Chaim, a”h, in their life. Let’s hope that moving forward we will learn and follow his stellar example of being there in any way we can for each other – what a wonderful and more beautiful world this will be for us and for generations to come.

It’s unbearably hard to imagine the world without him. We pray that dear, special Chaim, a”h, will watch over us all, just as he did in life. I will always remember him with abundant admiration and respect, for the amazing man he was. He is sorely missed. May he be a melitz yosher for us all...y’hei zichro baruch.

Esther Mochan Kew Gardens Hills, New York

In last week’s issue of TJH we printed an article titled “Memoirs of a Forgotten Rabbi, Part III.” Against our general policy, some seemingly negative information was inadvertently included about someone. We apologize to anyone who may have been slighted due to what was written and will proudly continue our policy of never including anything that could be perceived as negative or hurtful.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

The Week In News

Denmark: Work More, Save More

There’s no such a thing as a free lunch – even in Denmark. The European country previously known as being one of the most generous and least austere is now embracing policies which place cuts on many of its erstwhile liberal welfare policies.

The country intends to slash taxes on some of its highest earners and in turn raise its minimum retirement age from 65 to 67.

Denmark’s economy remains strong, and unemployment there is nearly nonexistent. The country forecasts that it will be able to sustain its lavish welfare programs for years to come. Unlike its European counterparts like Greece and Italy, it does not suffer from heavy sovereign debt burdens. So why the sudden embrace of conservative policies? The answer has more to do with ideology than practicality.

“We want to promote a society in which it is easier to support yourself and your family before you hand over a large share of your income to fund the costs of society,” the government of Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen recently wrote. The Danish government has recently shifted to the right and is now looking for ways to reduce the tax burden on its workers.

Bootstraps, anyone?

Tensions Rise between N Korea and Malaysia Last month, Kim Jong Nam, half-brother of North Korean lead-

er Kim Jong Un, was murdered with poison by two women in a Malaysian airport. Three North Korean nationals who are wanted for questioning in connection to the killing are hiding in the North Korean embassy in Malaysia including Hyon Kwang Song, the embassy’s second secretary, Kim Uk Il, a staff member at North Korean national carrier Air Koryo, and Ri Ji U. “It is a matter of time before they come out,” Royal Malaysia Police Inspector-General Khalid Abu Bakar said. “We will wait. If it takes five years, we will wait outside.” Photos show police gathering around the embassy.

North Korea, ever sensitive to its citizens’ wellbeing, has barred all Malaysian citizens from leaving North Korea in retaliation.

Malaysia says that the ban suggests that North Korea is holding 11 Malaysian citizens hostage, marking a new low point between the two countries. The Malaysians believed to be in North Korea include four embassy staff members and their families and two UN employees, a Malaysian government official told CNN. “This abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage, is in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms,” Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a statement on Tuesday.

The hostage situation has led Malaysia to bar North Koreans from leaving Malaysia until the country is “assured of the safety and security of all Malaysians in North Korea.”

It’s not clear how many North Koreans are in Malaysia, but travel to the country was visa-free for North Koreans until Malaysia stopped doing so on Monday. Since Kim Jong Nam’s death, both countries have expelled their respective ambassadors.

“This is what needs to be done when a country that has diplomatic relations with Malaysia does something that is beyond diplomatic norms and etiquette and Malaysia is forced to take action,” Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

“We want to send a clear message to North Korea not to point fingers at Malaysia and don’t belittle the status of Malaysia as a sovereign country.”

Violence Fills El Chapo Vacuum

The arrest and removal of the world’s deadliest drug kingpin, El Chapo Guzman, has only exacerbated the drug-related violence in the Sinaloa, the area controlled by Mexican drug cartels. Guzman’s arrest has created a vacuum of leadership in the Sinaloa cartel and has left various factions fighting to fill it.

In Culiacan, the Sinaloan capital, businesses have been forced to close early and school classes have been

suspended due to the daily murders which abound. “It is a nightmare, but one we have lived many times before,” said Rosita Méndez, a mother of two young children who lives in Culiacan.

While El Chapo’s sons are seeking to become the heirs to their father’s empire, the kingpin’s former lieutenant, former state police official Dámaso López, aka “El Licenciado” or “the Graduate,” is heading up a rival faction which is looking for control. So far, Lopez has murdered El Chapo’s sister and has wounded two of his children in his quest for power.

“It appears that we are seeing a generational transition from El Chapo to his sons,” said Alejandro Hope, an independent security expert in Mexico City. “It is the greatest such power shift within the organization for many years, and all is breaking loose.” In January alone, 2,152 murders were documented in Sinaloa.

There is fear that the recent violence is just the tip of the iceberg.

Some assume that Lopez has recruited the help of other cartels in order to gain power in the Sinaloa. It’s suspected that Lopez has forged an alliance with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a breakaway organiza-

tion that once functioned as a paramilitary wing of El Chapo’s group and is now competing with them for trafficking routes and territory, analysts say.

Russian Journalist Poisoned – Again

What’s the best way to know that you’ve been poisoned? Well, if you’re a Russian journalist who has been poisoned before by the government,

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then you should be pretty familiar with the symptoms. Vladimir Kara-Murza, a journalist who has been a vociferous opponent to Vladimir Putin’s government, woke up one morning in February and knew he had just minutes to save his life.

“The heartbeat was just getting faster and faster, and I could feel it,” he said. “I started having trouble breathing and it was very painful. It felt like no air is coming out, like I was suffocating.

“I knew straightaway what it was because this was the second time in two years that this happened, and it – and it began almost identically in the same way,” he said.

After being rushed to a hospital in Russia and contacting the same doctor who saved his life just two years earlier from another poisoning episode, Kara-Murza survived.

The journalist vows to get back on the case of cracking Russian government corruption, regardless of the consequences. He feels that his work is doing a great service to society, which can prevent the abuses carried out by Vladimir Putin and his ilk. “It is similar to what we had back in the Soviet days. We have media censorship. We have no free and fair elec-

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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nations also share a common denominator of violence and conflict.

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tions in our country. We have political prisoners in Russia,” Kara-Murza said. “But there’s also one major difference: The members of the Soviet Politburo did not send their kids to study in the West. They did not store their money in Western banks. They didn’t buy yachts and cars and real estate in Western countries.”

Devastating Drought in Somalia In just two days, 110 people died from hunger during a severe drought that has rocked Somalia. The Somali government has declared the drought

a national disaster, and the United Nations has estimated that 5 million people in the Horn of Africa nation are in need of aid. The UN is warning that the drought may lead to a fullblown famine in the region.

Somalia, Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen were all singled out by the UN secretary-general in an $4.4 billion aid appeal to counter the upcoming hunger and famine. All four

The Somali capital of Mogadishu has been overwhelmed by the swarm of incoming Somalis in search of food and water. The drought is the first crisis being faced by the newly elected Somali-American leader, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed. The country has not been in great shape due to previous droughts and ongoing attacks by the al-Shabab extremist group.

According to the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Famine Early Warning Systems Network, 363,000 acutely malnourished children in Somalia are in need of “urgent treatment and nutrition support, including 71,000 who are severely malnourished.” Lack of clean water has also led to outbreaks of cholera and other diseases.

The UN humanitarian appeal for Somalia was $864 million to help feed its 3.9 million people. The UN World Food Program has recently added another $26 million due to the drought conditions.

N. Korea Launches More Missiles Kim Jong Un is signaling to the world that he means business. The North Korean despot launched four ballistic missiles out to sea as a sort of warning shot over what the country views as an invasion rehearsal by the U.S. and South Korea, which are staging military exercises in South Korea.

Three of the missiles, which traveled 620 miles on average, landed in waters deemed by Japan as its exclusive economic zone.

In recent months Pyongyang has staged multiple missiles tests and

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

conducted two nuclear tests in 2016.

Kim Jong Un has been a vocal advocate of increased weaponry for his country, which he claims is under attack by U.S. and South Korean interests.

Both the U.S. and South Korea condemned the launches. European Union foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said the launches were “in utter disregard” of several UN resolutions. U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, “We remain prepared — and will continue to take steps to increase our readiness — to defend ourselves and our allies from attack, and are prepared to use the full range of capabilities at our disposal against this growing threat.”

The recent military exercises conducted by the U.S. and South Korea occur annually until April. The drills force the North to respond with costly drills and military deployments, which stretches the resources of the insolvent state.

Mubarak is Acquitted on Appeal

The final ruling has come down from Egypt’s top appeals court acquitting former President Hosni Mubarak of the charge that he had protesters killed during the 2011 uprising that ended his almost 30 year career.

Prosecutors had appealed the 2014 acquittal verdict and now the Court of Cassation has had the final word on the matter. The top judge also rejected the civil petition that

was put together to give compensation to the families of the hundreds of protestors that were killed during the 18-day Arab Spring uprising.

The 88-year-old Mubarak had served two years of his life sentence in prison after being convicted of failing to protect the demonstrators in 2012. However, another court threw out the previous verdict due to technical flaws in the prosecution. He has resided in a Cairo military hospital for most of the past six years and has spent three of those years serving a sentence on a separate corruption charge. Though he is technically free to go where he pleases, it is unclear if he will leave the military facility due to his ailing health.

Though many of Mubarak’s colleagues were vilified after the uprising, a number have returned to public life and are now active in the government. The government is now run by the military and has cracked down heavily on dissent and activism. All unauthorized demonstrations have been banned, and thousands of people have been jailed – mostly Islamists and secular activists.

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has defended the government’s actions. El-Sissi contends that the government must take strong action now in order to restore political and economic stability. El-Sissi has insisted that his government is trying to strike a “balance between human rights and security measures.”

Pollution can be Fatal

The air is a killer, according to the World Health Organization, which just released a damning report titled, “Inheriting a sustainable world: Atlas on children’s health and the environment,” which alleges that 1.7 million children are killed by air pollution and other unsanitary conditions every year.

“A polluted environment is a deadly one – particularly for young Continued on page 18

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

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children,” WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in a statement.

“Their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water.”

Exposure to harmful substances can start in the womb and can continue after birth as children are exposed to secondhand smoke and other pollutants. Exposure to these chemicals can cause pneumonia and an increased risk in contracting asthma later in life. Some third-world households still cook with unclean fuels such as coal and dung.

The WHO is urging governments to do more to protect children from exposure to unclean air. “Investing in the removal of environmental risks to health, such as improving water quality or using cleaner fuels, will result in massive health benefits,” said a WHO expert.

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Iconic Photographer Dies at 92

brating the U.N.’s partition plan for Palestine.

Eventually, Rubinger was freelancing for HaOlam Hazeh, Yedioth Ahronoth and, later, the Jerusalem Post. In 1954, he was hired by Time magazine, who he worked for until he was well into his 80s. For over 30 years, Rubinger served as the Knesset’s official photographer, gaining exclusive access to the inner circle of Israel’s leaders. Rubinger was able to form close bonds with many of Israel’s leaders over the course of his lifetime. Ariel Sharon once famously said, “I trust Rubinger even though I know he doesn’t vote for me.”

The IDF also gave Rubinger exclusive access. During the Six Day War, he caught an image of three paratroopers standing in awe at the Western Wall, a photo that has become an icon in the history of the State Israel.

In 2007 Rubinger wrote a book containing his images titled, My Lens – Sixty Years as a Photojournalist. The forward was written by then-President Peres and the cover photo was of those three paratroopers gazing at the Western Wall.

The legendary photographer won the 1997 Israel Prize for his contribution to the country. He is survived by his two children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

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David Rubinger, who was once called “the photographer of the nation” by Shimon Peres, died last week at the age of 92. Born in Vienna in 1924, he moved to Israel in 1939 when he was only 15 years. His mother was killed during the Holocaust and his father escaped from Dachau and made his way to England until after the War. When Rubinger was 18, he joined the Jewish Brigade of the British Army, serving in Africa and Europe.

While on leave in Paris, he was given a camera by a friend and discovered that he loved photography. His first professional photo was of Jews climbing a British tank in 1947 cele-

The PLO Executive Committee Head is calling on Britain to recognize a Palestinian state immediately.

Zakaria al-Agha, the leader of Fatah’s Gaza Branch, is also calling on Arabs to put aside their differences and join forces to end the “occupation” in Judea and Samaria and fight Israel’s attempts to “Judaize” Jerusalem.

In a speech he made at a refugee camp, al-Agha insisted that Britain compensate Palestinians for the Balfour Declaration “crime” by sup-

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

porting a Palestinian state. He also praised PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas for his recent trip to Lebanon and underscored the importance of the Arabs’ “Right of Return” to Israel.

The last call on Britain to apologize for the Balfour Declaration was made in December. The demand was made by Mahmoud Abbas and was immediately rebuffed.

Israel to Ban BDS Supporters

organizations calling for a boycott.

The law defines boycott as “deliberately avoiding economic, cultural or academic ties with another person or body solely because of their affinity with the state of Israel, one of its institutions or an area under its control, in such a way that may cause economic, cultural or academic damage.” The reference to “an area under its control” means the law also applies to activists’ calls to shun dealings with Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan defended the law on Tuesday, saying “every country has the right to determine who enters its borders.” He called it “another step in our struggle against those who seek to delegitimize Israel while hiding behind the language of human rights, and they do it from time to time.”

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Camp of Terror On Monday, a new Israeli law banning entry to Israel to foreigners who support BDS was approved. But nothing is simple in politics in the Holy Land, and Tuesday saw criticism from human rights groups and those in the opposition who called the law “thought control.”

Israel sees the BDS movement as a threat to its survival and a crusade with anti-Semitic tones. Supporters of BDS say that they only want to end Israel’s presence in the West Bank.

The law follows other recent measures seen as targeting left-wing NGOs, and human rights groups said it could affect their work.

Israel has been faced with boycott calls for decades, but the movement known as BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) has raised its profile in recent years with help from famous backers such as Roger Waters, the former front man for the band, Pink Floyd.

In response, Israeli politicians have become more combative under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Last year, Israel budgeted NIS 118 million ($32 million) to fight the movement.

This week’s bill, which passed by a vote of 46 to 28, means visas and residence permits will not be given to those who have “knowingly issued a public call to boycott the State of Israel or pledged to take part in such a boycott,” a Knesset statement said. It applies to those who are not Israeli citizens or permanent residents, and includes those who are members of

The Palestinian Authority insists that it wants peace but has been known to laud murderers and urge followers to martyr themselves.

Take the Brothers of Dalal youth camp in Ramallah. The children’s summer camp is named after Dalal Mughrabi, who led a 1978 attack in which terrorists hijacked a bus on a highway in Israel and killed 37 people – including 12 children. 70 people were wounded in the attack.

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Laila Ghannam, the Palestinian Authority’s district governor for Ramallah, used the Facebook page of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Supreme Council for Youth and Sports to praise the initiative of remembering “pure-hearted Martyrs,” according to Palestinian Media Watch. Ghannam also “ordered all of the parties involved to do all that is necessary so that the solidarity rally will take place in a fashion worthy of Martyr Mughrabi, her comrades, and all of Palestine’s Martyrs.”

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everyday “Palestinian reality.”

“This is the exact opposite of what should be done in order to foster relations between Israelis and Palestinians – promote understanding and create dialogue – all this creates is abhorrence and hatred and the next generation, both Israeli and Palestinian, do not deserve it.”

The Brothers of Dalal youth camp will start activities next month. Will their theme song be about “peace”?

Gazans Want Sharia Law

rorist. Another summer camp was named after Baha Alyan, who murdered three people. And in 2015, the PLO Council and Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education sponsored a table tennis tournament named for Muhannad Halabi, who killed two people.

The council is headed by Jibril Rajoub, who in 1970 was sentenced

to life in prison for throwing a grenade at an Israeli Army truck but was released in a deal between the Israeli government and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

“When you make everyone who kills Israelis a martyr, you make the very idea of coexistence impossible,” points out Dennis Ross, a former U.S. diplomat with extensive expe-

rience in the Middle East. “Instead of educating Palestinian kids on the virtues of peace, here is an example of teaching them that terror is a good thing – this does not serve the Palestinian cause, just the opposite.”

Ron Prosor, a former Israeli ambassador to the U.N., said that naming the camp after Mughrabi is not a “twisted virtual reality” but rather an

Gaza is facing an electricity crisis and surprisingly only a quarter of Gazan residents are blaming Israel.

A poll carried out by the Jerusalem Media and Communication Center (JMCC) randomly selected homes in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria, and almost 50% blamed “the Hamas government in Gaza” for the aggravation of the electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip. Another 21.2% blamed the Palestinian National Authority and only 25.8% of Gaza residents blamed Israel.

The poll also asked about what type of law system should be implemented in Gaza. Over 85% of respondents said that their preferred law system is Islamic Sharia law. Half of those said that law should be based exclusively on Sharia codes and the other half preferred a law system based on both Sharia and civil law. Only 14.7% of Gaza residents would like to see an exclusively civil law system.

Another interesting question was: “What is the best method of ending the occupation and establishing a [PA] state?” In Judea and Samaria, 27% said, “Armed resistance.” In Gaza, 35.6% gave the same answer. Only 37.6% chose “peaceful negotiations.”

When asked to choose one word to define themselves, 58.1% of Gazans chose “Palestinian” while only 21.7% chose “Muslim” and merely 5.3% chose “Arab.”

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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On Monday, President Trump came out with his revised immigration executive order. The previous order was stymied by the courts and the president endeavored to roll out a new plan that would hold water under scrutiny.

So what changed?

The previous plan involved seven countries: Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen. The revised plan removes Iraq from the order. The new plan still imposes a 90day suspension of entry to the United States for nationals of the other six countries. According to the administration, the Iraqi government agreed to increase cooperation with the U.S. government with regard to vetting travelers to the U.S. and so was taken off the list. The new order also clarifies that foreign nationals with valid visas to the United States as of January 27 from those six countries will not be included. Legal permanent residents are also exempt from the plan.

Syria is treated a little differently than the other countries on the list in both the previous and the revised orders. Both orders call for a temporary suspension of all refugees from any country while measures are put into place to vet them. But the new order drops language regarding an “indefinite suspension” of Syrian refugees.

They will no longer be singled out, addressing an issue the courts had with targeting Syrian refugees. According to the revised order, returning refugees are an exception.

In the first 20 days of the order, the Department of Homeland Security will perform a global, coun-

try-by-country review of identity and security information that each of the six countries provides to support U.S. visa and immigration determinations. Countries then have 50 days to comply with U.S. requests to update or improve the quality of that information, prior to issuing a travel visa.

The Trump administration also plans to cap the number of refugees it accepts to 50,000 a year – down sharply from the 110,000 accepted by the Obama administration.

Much of the chaos that resulted from the previous order came from the lack of time given to people to prepare for the order. The order affected some people on planes who were heading into the United States.

The protests that ensued resulted in bad optics for the Trump administration. It has learned its lesson. The new executive order will take place on March 16 at 12:01am.

What is America?

America is more divided than ever, even on what it means to be an American, it seems. A recent Associated Press survey reveals that depending on one’s political orientation – Democrat or Republican – one’s definition of American values and culture changes. Republicans like to cite the country’s early European ancestry and religious values, while Democrats believe that the country’s history of acceptance to all refugees and its melting pot culture make up the United States of America.

One Republican respondent summed up his party’s position as, “If you lose your identity – what are we?

We’re not a country anymore.”

“Our sense of identity is almost inseparable from the subject of immigration because it’s how we were built,” Patrick Miller, a political science professor at the University of Kansas, said. “Given what we are and how we’ve come about, it’s a very natural debate.”

Still, almost all – 7 out of 10 –

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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24

MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

people agree that the U.S. seems to be losing its identity, whatever that is. “There’s so much turmoil in the American political situation right now. People’s ideas of what is America’s place in the world are so different from one end of the spectrum to the other,” said one respondent, a Democrat.

Despite their differences, Republicans and Democrats agree that the U.S.’s fair law system and the achievement of the American Dream are uniquely American.

Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election has bolstered Republicans’ belief that the U.S. is still the strongest nation in the world – up to 52% from 35% just a year ago.

And 4 out of 10 people, Democrats and Republicans alike, are concerned with foreign influence on the country in the aftermath of the election.

Social Media Makes You Lonely

also perceived themselves to be more socially isolated.

But researchers are still trying to define if social media leads to loneliness or if a lonely person tends to be attracted to social media as a way to “connect.”

The study posits that this question could be tackled by examining the kinds of social media people engage in: Do they actively post and chat with friends, or do they passively scroll and observe activity without engaging?

Though these questions have yet to be answered, the researchers point out that feelings of isolation are often associated with negative health effects on weight, sleep patterns and immune function. So looking into social media usage and its effects or motivations could help combat more than just loneliness.

Perhaps we’d all be better off if we left our phones at home and joined a friend on a walk down Central Avenue.

Arrest Made in Anti-Semitic Threats

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You’ve heard it before and here’s more research to solidify the point.

Despite the amount of “friends” and social interactions we have with our buddies online, our lives are more lonely and less social than ever before.

New research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine highlights the loneliness that young people feel when they’re online.

The study, put together by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, reveals that increased social media use is linked to higher levels of perceived social isolation.

The researchers asked 1,787 participants ages 19 to 32 about their social media habits and how they feel about their places in the world. They gauged their agreement with statements like “I feel that people barely know me” or “I feel that people are around me but not with me.” According to the study, participants with high usage of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Reddit

The rise in anti-Semitism in the U.S. has been a talking point for the last few weeks. There have been cases of vandalism at Jewish cemeteries and threats to JCCs across the country.

On Friday, Juan Thompson was arrested in Missouri for being the man behind eight bomb threats to Jewish institutions over the course of a month. The former journalist was fired as a reporter from The Intercept in February 2016 for falsifying sources and quotes. He told authorities that the threats were part of a ploy to harass a woman he used to date.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York Police Department, and New York State Police worked together to nail Thompson, and the FBI says they are still looking for suspects in the other anti-Semitic

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

incidents.

Thompson, 31, was charged with cyberstalking for allegedly stalking a woman by making the threats in her name to Jewish community centers and the Anti-Defamation League’s New York headquarters, according to court documents. The charge carries a maximum of five years in prison.

Unfortunately, Thompson’s arrest doesn’t explain all the recent threats.

Thompson’s first threat came nine days after the first wave of bomb threats hit JCCs across the country.

Most of the bomb threats, which as of March 3rd totaled 103 at 77 Jewish community centers and nine Jewish schools, came in five waves. Thompson issued his first threat to a Jewish Manhattan school on January 28 and his final threat on February 20, according to court documents. On that day, 12 centers received threats, although authorities consider the cases unconnected.

“The defendant allegedly caused havoc, expending hundreds of hours of police and law enforcement resources to respond and investigate these threats,” New York Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill said.

The ADL, together with the Jewish Community Center Association of

North America, praised the FBI for the arrest.

Who Talked to the Russians?

These days, Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak has become the most avoided man in Washington. In light of the Democratic Party’s assertions that Russia attempted to influence the elections and the Trump White House’s explicit denial of any contact with the country prior to the election, any correspondence with anything Russian can mean a political death

sentence: just ask disgraced National Security Advisor Michael Flynn or Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was forced to recuse himself from investigations after his correspondence with Kislyak came to light.

Now reports are surfacing that another two of Trump’s advisers had talks with Kislyak back in July at a conference in Cleveland. What those two officials – J.D. Gordon and Carter Page – discussed is still unknown, and the advisers claim that nothing of sensitive nature was discussed with the Russian. “I’d consider it an informal conversation just like my interactions with dozens of other ambassadors and senior diplomats in Cleveland,” Gordon said. “I had no substantive discussions with him,” echoed Page.

“This was a widely attended 4-day event with dozens of ambassadors and hundreds of attendees,” the White House said in a written statement from its communications office. “No interaction was substantive, and to insinuate otherwise is deeply dishonest.”

Page was forced to leave the Trump campaign in the summer after controversy erupted over a speech he gave in Moscow which criticized U.S.

25

sanctions against Russia.

Trump spokespeople have denied on numerous occasions that members of the president’s team had any contact with Russia. Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks insisted in November, “The campaign had no contact with Russian officials.”

Obamacare Replacement Announced

Most Republicans – and Americans – see Obamacare as a disaster.

Despite Obama’s assurances that it would heal all of America’s wounds, many have said that it has Band-Aided a few old scratches but has deepened other festering cuts. The Affordable Care Act, Republicans have said, has got to go.

On Monday, House Republi-

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

cans introduced a bill to repeal Obamacare’s individual mandate that also aims to maintain coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and allow children to stay on their parents’ plans until the age of 26.

The measure would offer individuals refundable tax credits to purchase health insurance and restruc-

ture the country’s Medicaid program so that states receive a set amount of money from the federal government every year. It also largely would keep Obamacare’s protections of those with pre-existing conditions, but allows insurers to charge higher premiums to those who let their coverage lapse.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said Obamacare is “rapidly collapsing” and it is “time to turn the page.”

“The American Health Care Act is a plan to drive down costs, encourage competition, and give every American access to quality, affordable health insurance. It protects young adults, patients with pre-existing conditions,

and provides a stable transition so that no one has the rug pulled out from under them,” Ryan said in a statement.

“Obamacare has proven to be a disaster with fewer options, inferior care, and skyrocketing costs that are crushing small business and families across America,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer said in a statement. “Today marks an important step toward restoring health care choices and affordability back to the American people. President Trump looks forward to working with both Chambers of Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare.”

But Republicans shouldn’t yet exult. Democrats have vowed to fight them determinedly on this issue, and it’s guaranteed that Congress will be tied up in the battle on health care for at least a year.

The two top Democrats on the two House committees that crafted the bill – Reps. Frank Pallone of New Jersey and Richard Neal of Massachusetts – railed on Republicans for writing the bill without broader input. They invoked Trump’s prior commitments, saying the proposal “would rip health care away from millions of Americans, ration care for working families and seniors, and put insurance companies back in charge of health care decisions – contrary to everything President Trump has said he would do with his health care plan.”

Conservative and moderate Republicans have raised concerns about key provisions within the bill. Conservatives say have argued that refundable tax credits are little more than a new entitlement program and some Republicans from Medicaid-expansion states have said they would not support plans that could kick millions of people off the Medicaid rolls.

Bowing to pressure from the right, House leaders instituted an income cap on the tax credit to prevent wealthier Americans from claiming it.

The House plan would also retain the so-called Cadillac tax – which has never gone into effect – in order to hit the budget targets required under the maneuver used to pass the bill, called budget reconciliation.

Still, Republican leaders are committed to moving forward with major tenets of the legislation and are hoping that President Donald Trump and his administration can bring wavering members on board and get the bill across the finish line. 218 votes in the House and 51 votes in the Senate are needed to pass the “repeal-plus” measure along with President Trump’s signature.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Dubya the Artist

Former President George W. Bush has been in the headlines recently but not for political reasons. Bush has been promoting his newly published art book titled, Portraits of Courage.

The book is a collection of stories, 66 portraits, and a four-panel mural that he painted to honor military veterans.

“I know each person I painted,” the former president said in an interview with NBC. “I was thinking about their backgrounds, their service, their injuries and their recovery.”

Bush began painting as a hobby after he left office in 2009 but kept it under wraps. He hired an experienced art teacher to teach him technique and skills. He said he was inspired

by British Prime Minister Winston

Churchill who painted extensively. In 2013, his secret hobby was revealed after his sister Dorothy Bush Koch’s email account was hacked and several images were posted by a hacker known as “Guccifer.”

Once Bush’s hobby was revealed to the world, he began to allow his paintings to be seen by others. Many of his portraits have been displayed at his presidential library in Dallas, including paintings of major world figures like Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Dalai Lama, and his father, former President George H.W. Bush.

“It keeps me active, so I’m not on the couch chewing potato chips all the time,” Bush said. “It’s one of the great learning experiences.”

Freddy Ford, Bush’s spokesman, said in a statement that proceeds from the book will go toward the George W. Bush Institute, a policy think tank.

The recent slew of interviews that are all part of the press for the release of the book is uncommon for the former leader who has shied away from the public eye since leaving office. His last public stretch was when he joined his brother, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, in South Carolina in an attempt to save his

failing presidential campaign.

When the media asked Jeb Bush about his brother’s new hobby he said it was “really weird,” but added, “he’s gotten pretty good at it.”

$60M Book Deal for the Obamas

After earning $400K a year in his position as commander-in-chief, Barack Obama is now out of a job and no longer earning a steady paycheck. But don’t start pouting for the former president. He will never be lacking for cash.

Aside for the ginormous speaking fees he and the former first lady will undoubtedly charge, it has recently come out that Penguin Random House will be publishing two books written separately by Barack and Mi-

chelle.

The auction to secure the publishing deal for the two books topped $60 million. The figure is a record-breaking total for presidential memoirs, the Financial Times reported. The rights to Bill Clinton’s 2004 autobiography, My Life, netted $15 million; George W. Bush’s 2010 Decision Points scored an estimated $10 million.

Obama, who left office in January at the age of 55 (young by the average standards of previous presidents), has said his immediate post-presidency plans include a vacation with Michelle and writing a book. The books are expected to be released sometime in 2018. We can hardly wait.

Both of the Obamas have previously written books, though Michelle Obama has never written an autobiography. Barack Obama’s autobiography, the 2004 Dreams from My Father, and the 2006 The Audacity Of Hope were both bestsellers. In fact, more than 75 percent of the Obamas’ income since 2006, when Barack Obama first became a U.S. senator, has come from book sales, according to Forbes.

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‫‪The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017‬‬

‫‪...‬פתחו‬ ‫לבכם לרחם עליהם‬ ‫בימי עניים ומרודיהם‪,‬‬

‫והושיטו שני ידיכם במתנות‬ ‫הגונות שיש בהם ממש ובכך‬ ‫תהיו נמנים לדבר מצוה‪...‬‬

‫כ"ק אדמו"ר‬ ‫מסקולען שליט"א‬

‫‪...‬כל מקרה‬ ‫ומקרה בפני עצמו זועק‬ ‫ומשווע עד לרקיע‪ ,‬וחלילה‬ ‫לנו להתעלם מהם‪ ...‬לא‬

‫מה רבו‬ ‫ונפלאו מעשי החסד של‬ ‫קרן החסד‪ ...‬ופעולתם אמת‬ ‫שעוזרים עניים נכבדים ותלמידי‬ ‫חכמים‪...‬לכן נכון שעסקנים‬ ‫יתקבלו בסבר פנים יפות‪,‬‬ ‫ביד פתוחה וברוח נדיבה‪.‬‬

‫הרב משה וואלפסאן‬ ‫שליט"א‬

‫תעמוד על דם רעיך!‬

‫‪Matanos‬‬ ‫‪L’evyonim‬‬ ‫בהמלצת גדולי ומאורי הדור שליט"א‬

‫‪EZRAS YISROEL‬‬

‫מקיימים מצות מתנות‬ ‫לאביונים בהידור רב‪...‬‬

‫הרב שמואל‬ ‫קמנצקי שליט"א‬

‫של כל אחד הנוטל חלק‬ ‫במפעל כביר זו‪...‬ולקיים‬ ‫בזה מצות מתנות לאביונים‪..‬‬

‫המפעל‬ ‫הנשגב עזרת ישראל‪...‬‬

‫הרב אפרים פישל‬ ‫הערשקאוויטש‬ ‫שליט"א‬

‫‪...‬והתיצבו‬ ‫לימין העסקנים המסורים‪...‬‬ ‫כי עיניהם של עניים נשואות‬ ‫לתרומות הללו‪ ,‬וחלילה‬

‫להתעלם מקול זעקתם‬ ‫הבוקע מתוך לבבם‬ ‫הנשבר‪...‬‬

‫‪Your Matanos L'evyonim will help‬‬

‫!‪from utter despair‬‬

‫!‪Join Us In Helping Them‬‬

‫צדקה נפלא‬ ‫וכביר בשם עזרת ישראל‪...‬‬ ‫לזאת אליכם אישים אקרא‬

‫להיות שותף וליטול‬ ‫חלק נכבד עבור אותם‬ ‫משפחות‪ ...‬ונא להרים‬ ‫תרומות הגונות‪...‬‬

‫הרב ארי' מלכיאל‬ ‫קוטלר שליט"א‬

‫‪bring Happiness to Thousands of‬‬ ‫‪People and will save their families‬‬

‫כ"ק אדמו"ר‬ ‫מנאוואמינסק שליט"א‬

‫מסייעים ותומכים‬ ‫למשפחות נצרכים‪,‬‬ ‫חולים גלמודים עניים‬ ‫ואביונים‪...‬‬

‫‪will help you fulfill your obligation to give‬‬

‫מתנות לאביונים‬ ‫לעניי עירך בו ביום!‬

‫‪...‬אין ערוך‬ ‫למצוה רבה זו וחשיבות קרן‬ ‫הצדקה הנ"ל‪ ...‬אשרי חלקו‬

‫הרב יחזקאל ראטה‬ ‫שליט"א‬

‫‪...‬ויכולים‬ ‫לקיים בזה מצות מתנות‬ ‫לאביונים כהלכתו‪ ...‬באתי‬

‫לבקש לקיים מצות פתוח‬ ‫תפתח את ידך וגו' ולתרום‬ ‫ביד נדיבה סכומים חשובים‬ ‫ולחוס ולרחם על הנצרכים‪...‬‬

‫‪...‬חובה‬ ‫גדולה לעמוד לימינם‪..‬‬ ‫להיות להם לעזר ואחיסמך‬ ‫בעושה ובמעשה‪...‬שכן‬ ‫מפעלם מפעל אדיר‬ ‫הוא‪ ,‬והרבה נפשות‬ ‫מישראל צריכים להם‪...‬‬

‫הרב מתתי' סאלאמאן‬ ‫שליט"א‬

‫!‪The More You Give - The More We Can Help‬‬ ‫‪All donations received by 5:30pm on Purim day will be distributed on Purim‬‬

‫"‪Tax-deductible contributions payable to "EZRAS YISROEL‬‬

‫הרב אברהם יהושע העשיל‬ ‫ביק שליט"א‬

‫‪...‬כי המקרים‬ ‫נוגעים בפיקוח נפש והצלת‬ ‫נפשות רבות מישראל‪ ,‬ומצוה‬

‫גדולה הוא עד מאוד‪,‬‬ ‫להיות שותפים במפעל‬ ‫קדוש ונשגב זה‪...‬‬

‫כ"ק אבדק"ק וויען‬ ‫שליט"א‬

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

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the stage to categorically deny the claims. “Absolutely, I can deny it,” said Obama’s director of national intelligence, James Clapper, on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” who also said that he had “no knowledge” of a request for a FISA, or Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Act, order for a wiretap, which requires at least some evidence of illegal activity.

(Interestingly, Clapper also said in that interview that there is “no evidence” to his knowledge on any collusion between the Trump team and the Russians during the U.S. election.)

Press Secretary Sean Spicer said that Trump’s allegations are based on “very credible” reports and that Trump expects Congress to “exercise their oversight authority to determine whether executive branch investigative powers were abused in 2016.”

But top Democrats are crying foul.

“It’s called a wrap-up smear. You make up something. Then you have the press write about it. And then you say, everybody is writing about this charge. It’s a tool of an authoritarian,” Nancy Pelosi cried.

Congress is taking its directive at a deliberate pace. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that the committee “will make inquiries into whether the government was conducting surveillance activities on any political party’s campaign officials or surrogates.”

Supporting their President

Wiretapping Allegations Does Donald Trump know something we don’t know? Trump’s recent allegations that President Obama had his phones at Trump Tower wire-

tapped during the election have left some pretty senior intelligence officials scratching their heads, not only as to their veracity, but as to Trump’s source to begin with.

Trump let out a series of tweets over the weekend that accused Obama of ordering his phones tapped and compared it to Watergate. “How

low has President Obama gone to tapp [sic] my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!” he tweeted.

The allegations implicate the FBI, and the FBI director was forced to issue a stark rebuttal to the president. Senior Obama officials took to

They are coming out for their man, albeit in small doses. Across the country, thousands of Trump supporters are turning out at small rallies

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

in support of the president, whom they feel is being unjustly attacked by the media and other groups.

In Berkeley over the weekend, a small rally turned into a scuffle between Trump supporters and counter-protesters. In St. Paul, a group of 400 ended up clashing with 50 protesters, and six people ended up under arrest. More rallies took place in Tennessee, Ohio and Florida.

“They love their country and they love what Donald Trump represents, which is about making America first,” a rally organizer in Pennsylvania. “We are here to meet and make sure all Americans are prospering.”

“We’ve got to get the whole country united behind this man,” said Richard Brozell, who attended a different rally in Pennsylvania.

Well, maybe not the whole country...

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and policies that matter – maybe even more – to their American residents. It is a constitutional law to allow states to cater to the needs and wants of their people. “Powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution... are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

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Massachusetts New Hampshire Minnesota North Dakota Washington Iowa Utah Maryland Colorado Vermont

Scandal in Baltimore Police Dept Recent research analyzed education systems, healthcare, economy, crime, poverty, opportunity, infrastructure, and government efficiency across all fifty states. Massachusetts seems to be the best-run state in the nation. Where did the Big Apple fall?

Perhaps not too far from the tree, at a cozy 17 on the list. California ranked 23 and the Sunshine State, Florida, came in at 22.

According to U.S. News and World Report, these are the top ten states for residents:

Seven Baltimore police officers were indicted last week for federal racketeering crimes and dishonest and fraudulent business dealings.

Last year the Department of Justice initiated an investigation into the Baltimore Police Department for use of excessive force, which led to these discoveries. For the past year, the racketeering investigation has been underway covertly, as part of what officials described as a sweeping reform effort across the department.

On Thursday, a federal judge ordered that the officers be held in detention pending their trial in order to ensure public safety. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie Gallagher said the allegations suggested “an egregious breach of public trust” and a “flagrant disregard of consequences of their actions.” She said the detectives’ extensive law enforcement experience provided them with an “unusual ability to find ways around” potential conditions of their release.

The officers arrested were Detectives Momodu Gondo, Evodio Hendrix, Daniel Hersl, Jemell Rayam, Maurice Ward, Sgt. Wayne Jenkins, and Marcus Taylor. Five of the officers pleaded not guilty, one did not enter a plea, and the seventh officer had a separate hearing held on Friday.

According to federal prosecutors, the cops robbed Baltimore residents, fabricated court documents, and filed fraudulent overtime claims.

“This is not a case of overzealous policing. These are robberies and ex-

tortions,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Leo Wise.

On Thursday, Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis responded to the scandal, saying that he plans to crack down. He said he already ordered plainclothes officers to wear uniforms, and said there would be “a lot of reviews, a lot of investigations and a lot of audits” with regard to overtime pay and other areas of the agency.

“That scandal – and that’s exactly what it was – has ramifications, and it has ramifications for policies, procedures, protocols. It has ramifications for people who were in leadership positions as well,” Davis said.

According to Wise, witnesses in the case are “terrified” they will face retribution from the officers. These officers have used their contacts and privileges to evade the police department and the U.S. Department of Justice. He claimed that the suspects would attempt to evade whatever conditions are put upon them by pretrial services if they were released.

Wise said the officers are well trained in “counter law enforcement tactics.”

He also claimed that the corruption goes further and that other officers in the police department and an assistant state’s attorney in the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office had tipped the officers off to the federal investigation into their actions before the investigation was concluded, suggesting they could have connections in law enforcement that they could continue to use inappropriately if they were released before trial.

Obesity Linked to Cancer

Many of us constantly deal with the nagging voice in our heads to lose those extra yom yov or post-baby pounds and it’s about to get louder.

By now, we all know that obesity can lead to many medical conditions. A recent study reveals that being overweight may lead to even more serious conditions.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

A new study by an international team claims that being overweight can increase the risk of 11 different types of cancer including colon, breast, pancreas, ovary, kidney, gastric cardia, biliary tract system, and certain cancers of the esophagus and bone marrow. According to research, almost three quarters of people are expected to be overweight by 2035, with 700,000 new cases of obesityrelated cancer expected over the next 20 years.

“I think now the public and physicians really need to pay attention to obesity with respect to cancer,” said Marc Gunter, a co-author of the research from the International Agency for Research on Cancer. “Telling people to avoid being overweight not only reduces their risk of, say, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, it also reduces their risk of many different cancers.”

The study examined evidence from 204 previously published studies. Analysis of these studies revealed that as BMI increased, the risk of developing certain cancers amplified.

Being overweight has the second strongest link to cancer; only smoking has a stronger link to risk of the dreaded disease.

Sneakers for a Slice

These shoes were not meant for walking.

Recently, Pizza Hut released a limited run of “smart” basketball sneakers. How smart are these kicks?

So smart that they can order a pizza for you.

Only 64 pairs of the “Pie Top” sneakers are available. Wearers press a secret pizza ordering button in the tongue on the shoe and their pizza order is on the way. The pizza chain created the magical sneakers to celebrate the upcoming NCAA College

Basketball tournament.

“Designed by the Shoe Surgeon, the Pie Tops are a special-edition sneaker that uses Bluetooth technology and geolocation so wearers can get their favorite pizzas quickly ordered and delivered, with just the press of a button on the shoe’s tongue,” Pizza Hut’s website boasts.

Wonder what type of pie will come to your door? The sneakers function through a mobile app that allows users to set their order defaults and change the button press settings.

As of now the sneakers are not for sale. Pizza Hut has said a “handful” will be released to the public in the future. Better be released soon. We’re waiting for our pie.

A Royal in Colorado Move over Queen Elizabeth. Allan V. Evans is here to claim his rights to the throne.

The Colorado man took out a two-column ad in the “public notices” section of England’s The Times newspaper claiming to be a descendent of the first King of Wales and demanding his right to the throne. Out of

respect to the queen, though, he will wait to start his reign until after her demise.

In the advertisement, which Evans said serves as a “legal notice” to all Britons, Welshman, Scots, Manx and other interested parties, he claimed to be a descendent of Cunedda Wledig and to have maintained “an unbroken primogeniture line” while living in the United States.

The posting read: “And shall further pursue an injustice of history by claiming by right the Throne and Sovereign Crown of Great Britain at Westminster, upon whence the sad future death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as he will not out of greatest and most deepest respect depose her in life for the great service and selfless sacrifice that she and her husband HRH Prince Philip has rendered to this great nation,” Evans

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wrote.

Evans stated that he will return in 30 days to claim his historical property, which includes a total of 17 estates.

In addition to his Wales estate, Evans believes “historical injustice” robbed his family lineage of the “Throne and Sovereign Crown of Great Britain.”

It seems that Evans has a lot of royal claiming going around. In 2012, he filed a claim in Twiggs County, Georgia, asserting his family ancestry entitled him to ownership of 35 homes, a church and a shooting range. His claim was shot down eventually.

Evans concluded his notice to Britons by comparing his return to J.R.R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings.

“For the Legend was not a myth but was indeed true, and more than a mere Tolkien story, that the men of the West are now returning and now is the time of the return of the King,” he said.

Uh oh. England better watch out.

Gandalf and Gollum are back!

Taco Bell Wedding Bells

On February 14 of this year Taco Bell announced that it will be holding weddings in its Las Vegas location. After all, who wouldn’t want to be married in a taco food chain surrounded by ground beef, shredded lettuce and tomatoes? The chain has offered one lucky couple a free trip and the chance to be the first couple married in the restaurant. Yo quiero Taco Bell wedding!

Diane Nguyen is vying for the prize and, in the spirit of Purim, I hope she wins. She created a wedding dress entirely made of Taco Bell wrappers and posted the photo along with some witty lines about why she should win the wacky wedding.

“It’s time to spill the beans. We have been engaged for 4 years...

Taco Bell has been there through the years, from the after school runs, to late meals after work (or a night of partying). Our love for each other is as cheesy as a quesadilla,” she wrote in her entry. “We’re nachos getting

married, it’s going to be a Las Vegas tacover. Lettuce celebrate our love at the Taco Bell Chapel in Vegas, ‘cuz we are ready to guac and roll.”

She asked viewers to vote for her entry to win. “If you don’t want to vote for us, that’s cool too,” she wrote.

“I hope you enjoy the ‘trashy’ photo.”

Yes, we were truly “tac-en” with it.

Adulting 101

It seems like millennials are confused about growing up. An Oregon library is endeavoring to help them along with the real world with a series of classes called “Adulting 101.”

The monthly classes, which are open to all ages but are geared towards those 16-25 years of age, have varying themes related to learning valuable “adult” life skills.

“On the first class of Adulting 101, we covered basic cooking skills that you can do in your dorm,” Assistant Director of Library Services Teresa Lucas said. “We also talked about ways to stretch your dollar in the grocery store and how you can get the most bang for your buck.”

Clara Piazzoli, an Adulting 101 instructor, said she is passing on the skills she learned as a young adult. “I also lived in a dorm in my first year of college, and I lived in varied apartments, some of which didn’t have kitchens and didn’t allow you to have kitchen supplies,” Piazzoli said, “and so I left home not really knowing how to cook and I ended up getting very inventive and teaching myself a lot of these tips.”

It’s not just cooking that will be taught. Classes will include vital information such as balancing a checkbook and building credit; writing a resume and cover letter; how to understand and find “real” news on the internet; how to live with roommates, talk to your landlord and find an apartment; and how to check your car’s oil, reset an outlet and clean your oven.

What about a class about teaching millennials how to get a real job that pays the bills and keeps them busy so they don’t have to get all their information at the library on a monthly basis? Wouldn’t that be great?

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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Around the

Community Dr. Paul Brody of Great Neck taught the students at North Shore Hebrew Academy Middle School how to chant megillat Esther. This is the 16th year that Dr. Brody has taught students to lein the megillah – with 275 students under his tutelage

Mother-Daughter Dinner, A Smashing Success

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idreshet Shalhevet (MSH) recently invited all current students, mothers, and grandmothers, as well as its incoming freshmen, to gather at the Annual Mother Daughter Dinner. The night began with music and food, as well as an audio visual presentation documenting the year to date. The MSH choir enchanted the audience with a set directed by seniors Rivka Raizel Goldschein and Aviva Chait, as well as Morah Andrea Schulman.

Following the performance, everyone enjoyed a preview of the upcoming (which took place at the Queens Theater February 28) school production of High School Musical.

Menahelet Mrs. Esther Eisenman gave a dvar Torah about the qualities of Miriam in Tanach and drew on those to reflect on the qualities of women and the MSH girls.

The night was filled with music, laughter, great food, and amazing company. Incoming freshmen were given the opportunity to socialize with current students, everyone got excited about the play, and current students had the chance to celebrate all of the teams, arts, and activities at MSH.Â

Mrs. Cindy Frankel, sophomore Shira (L), senior Shayna Laya (M), and incoming freshman Miriam (R) of West Hempstead

Mrs. Elana Fertig, junior Hadassah (L), and senior Zahava (R) of Woodmere

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Around the Community

Torah Academy for Girls Celebrates a Triple-Chai Anniversary PHOTO CREDIT: IRA THOMAS CREATIONS

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capacity crowd gathered at The Sands of Atlantic Beach last Wednesday night to celebrate the triple-chai anniversary of the Torah Academy for Girls. The mood of those gathered was noticeably upbeat and the hanhala and members of the board derived tremendous chizuk from the very positive feedback they received.

This year’s annual dinner allowed TAG to express its hakaras hatov to Mr. and Mrs. Zev Golombeck, Dr. and Mrs. Dan Geisler, and Morah Faye Metz, presenting each with a special award. In addition, there was a very moving tribute to Mr. Izzy Mayer, a”h. In his memory, his family received this year’s coveted Rab-

bi Moshe Weitman, z”l, Memorial Award.

The highlight of the evening was when TAG’s current dean, Rabbi Meyer Weitman, eloquently spoke to the crowd. On behalf of everyone who is involved with and benefits from TAG, he thanked all those who helped to make this year’s dinner so successful. He then focused on the roles of both the school and parents in properly transferring the mesorah to the next generation. His message that our children not only need to see us performing mitzvos but they need to see that we are doing them b’simcha, with joy and a full heart, was warmly received by all in attendance.

Ashreinu’s Trip to Montreal

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his past Shabbos, Parshas Mishpatim, Ashreinu of Far Rockaway joined up with Pirchei for the Annual Mishnayos Siyum that took place in Montreal, Canada. It was a beautiful trip – in all ways! The bus took off with over thirty boys on Thursday afternoon. After a fun trip, we arrived in Montreal and were welcomed by the very beautiful community there.

Although the weather was extremely cold over the whole Shabbos, the warmth inside the homes of our hosts more than made up for the frigid weather!

On Friday, we joined up with boys from Passaic, Toronto, and Montreal. We had a beautiful Shacharis together followed by an interactive shiur on shaatnez. Following the shiur, we all boarded buses to go rollerblading followed by pizza and an awesome science show.

On Friday night, we all ate together in the Yeshiva Gedolah of Montreal. The zmiros we all sang together was extremely uplifting and helped bring us all together. For the Shabbos day seudah we were honored with the pleasure of eating at the homes of our hosts. We then joined together again for Shabbos afternoon groups, followed by Mincha and a beautiful seudah shlishis in the yeshiva again.

After havdalah, we all packed up, met again and boarded buses to the Grand Siyum Hamishnayos. We ate a delicious melave malka, enjoyed music and dancing, and received a beautiful bracha from the av beis din of Montreal, Rabbi Weiss. Rabbi Dovid Frischman spoke eloquently about his rebbe, Rabbi Yisroel Belsky zt”l. Pirchei presented two amazing slideshows: One showing the outstanding work that Pirchei

does in Montreal year-round, the other was an inspirational overview of Rabbi Belsky zt”l’s life.

On our way home, we made a tremendous kiddush Hashem at the border. The border guards commented to R’ Daniel Waldman how it has been a really long time since he’s seen a group of such well-behaved

boys. Kol hakavod to all our Ashreinu boys!

For more information about Ashreinu programs or to join the email list, please send an email to ashreinufr@gmail.com or call 917202-4056.

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Around the Community

Hundreds Celebrate Torah Leadership at Kollel Tirtza Devorah Dinner

PHOTOS BY NAFTOLI GOLDGRAB VIDEOS CAN BE VIEWED AT WWW.DARCHEI.ORG/KOLLEL-DINNER-VIDEOS-2017

L-R: Ronald Lowinger, Rav Yaakov Bender, Moish Greenfield, Toras Chessed Award, Rav Shlomo A. Altusky, Rav Dovid Bender, and Rav Chaim Altusky

L-R: Ronald Lowinger, Rav Yaakov Bender, Rav Shmuel Rodkin, Kesser Torah Awardee, Rav Shlomo A. Altusky, Rav Dovid Bender, and Rav Chaim Altusky

L-R: Ronald Lowinger, Rav Yaakov Bender, Rav Shmuel Rodkin, Kesser Torah Awardee, Rav Shlomo A. Altusky, Rav Dovid Bender, and Rav Chaim Altusky

Rav Yaakov Bender (left), Rav Shlomo A. Altusky (second right) and Rav Dovid Bender (right) with Yaakov Marmurstein after his speech introducing the Eitz Chaim Award

Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky, Rosh Yeshiva

Mr. Ronald Lowinger, president Mr. Shmuel Grossman speaks during the commemoration of Yeshiva Darchei Torah and in memory of his son founder of Kollel Tirtza Devorah Avinoam Grossman, a”h

Rav Dovid Bender, Rosh Kollel, delivering closing remarks

Avrumi Schwebel and Gavriel Drillman led the zemiros

The Schwadel family accepting the Eitz Chaim Award in memory of their father, Rav Elchonon Schwadel zt”l. Standing, L-R: Binyomin Senderovits, Zvi Schwadel, Ben-Z Schwadel, Ronald Lowinger, Rav Yaakov Bender, Rav Eli Schwadel, Dovy Schwadel, Rav Yitzy Schwadel, Yaakov Marmurstein, Rav Shlomo A. Altusky, Rav Dovid Bender, and Rav Chaim Altusky

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Around the Community PHOTO CREDIT: IRA THOMAS CREATIONS

YOSS 60 Years Strong

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t was a wonderful evening, on Sunday, March 5, as hundreds of community members across the spectrum of age, neighborhood and affiliations, packed the ballroom of the Sands Atlantic Beach in celebration of Yeshiva of South Shore’s 60 Years of Jewish Education.

The powerful and engaging program, chaired by Dinner Chairmen Moshe Hirsch and Moshe Reich, opened with a warm and passionate speech by the Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, about the true meaning of the Mishna in Avos that describes the 60th year, as the year in which one acquires zikna. He elucidated on the concept of zikna explaining its meaning as ze kanah – this one has acquired – in discussing all that the Yeshiva has acquired in 60 years.

He highlighted the primary force and source behind the success of the Yeshiva and the community, and of course any personal accomplishments by extolling the virtues and leadership of his father, Rabbi Binyamin Kamenetzky, shlit”a.

The audience enjoyed lovely videos featuring the honorees and their families, Guests of Honor, Berel & Sherry Daskal; Parents of the Year Awardees Binyamin and Sori Laufer; Abba & Fraydie Kloc Young Leadership Awardee; and William Bonesso as Man of the Year. A special memorial tribute was shown in gratitude of Rabbi Morris Friedman, a”h, with a Ohev Yisrael Hakaras Hatov Award presented to his children David Friedman and Dr. Mark Friedman.

Noted attorney Ben Brafman introduced Ambassador Designate David Friedman with wit and wisdom that highlighted their longstanding relationship both in court and in shul.

Ben navigated the path of diplomacy

US Ambassador Designate David Friedman Speaking at the YOSS 60th Annual Dinner

and politics and the love he has for South Shore Yeshiva education with his inimitable class and style.

David Friedman responded by highlighting the warm friendship that his father had with Rabbi Binyamin Kamenetzky by sending families to learn and donors to contribute to Yeshiva of South Shore. He spoke of the early days of the Five Towns when a Vaad HaKashrus did not exist and his father’s leadership in helping create that Vaad as well as other institutions like the mikveh which served as the foundation for the Torah community has today.

He shared the pride that he knew his parents have knowing that every one of their grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, have received a wonderful and comprehensive Yeshiva education.

The evening was capped off with a unique video presentation of the Yeshiva with a delightful spin of seeing the Yeshiva through the eyes of the children, only to be buoyed by a delicious Viennese dessert and an amazing celebration of song and dance by the YOSS fourth grade, directed by Rabbi Shlomo Drebin.

It seems that the hundreds of attendees all agreed with the thoughts of a veteran dinner-goer, who proclaimed, “I have been at many dinners in my life, but I have never enjoyed myself and have never been as inspired as tonight’s YOSS Dinner.”

YOSS 4th Grade Choir

Guests of Honor Sherry & Berel Daskal, Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, Journal Chairman Moshe Reich, Rabbi Dovid Kramer & Dinner Chairman Moshe Hirsch

Parents of The Year Binyamin & Sori Laufer with Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, Rabbi Dovid Kramer and Dinner Chairman, Moshe Hirsch

Rabbi Dovid Kramer, Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, presenting the Ohev Yisroel Award in memory of Rabbi Morris Friedman to David Friedman, Dr. Mark Friedman with Ben Brafman

Rabbi Dovid Kramer, Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky and Young Leadership Awardees Abba & Fraydie Kloc

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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Around the Community PHOTO CREDIT: IVAN H NORMAN

Scholarship Fund in Memory of Robbie Schonfeld, A”H

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he untimely passing of Robbie Schonfeld, a”h, shocked the entire community who were familiar with his perpetual smile and extraordinary generosity. Robbie worked diligently as the proprietor of Ossie’s Fish, a company started by his father, but his top priorities were his beloved Mesivta and chessed activities.

Robbie was the Co-President of Mesivta Ateres Yaakov, a founding trustee of the institution, and received the Amud Hachessed Award in 2005. He was instrumental in Ateres Yaakov’s relocation to its campus in Lawrence and the creation of its thriving Yeshiva Gedolah and Kollel.

Robbie had a clear vision for the yeshiva’s future and worked continually to make that future a reality.

Another of Robbie’s cherished chessed activities was the Ossie’s Toy Fund, which he founded and directed.

Each year, Robbie would personally bring hundreds of toys to sick children in Eretz Yisroel, along with Lev Leytzan clowns l’kavod Chanukah.

A mother of one of the sick children commented upon hearing of Robbie’s untimely passing, “Chanukah without Robbie, just won’t feel like Chanukah.” In addition to the toy fund, Robbie was extremely involved in many other communal endeavors.

Robbie’s wife Judy and his family were keenly aware of how important MAY was to him, and in particular his interest in making the unique MAY chinuch available to as many talmidim as possible, regardless of their financial situation. They hope that the Robbie Schonfeld Scholarship Fund will be a means to perpetuate Robbie’s memory by helping needy families experience the kind of chinuch he worked so hard to develop, year after year.

Tomchei Shabbos Yad Yeshaya of Far Rockaway and The Five Towns held their annual breakfast at the home of Debbie & Michael Alpert in Lawrence this week. The guest speaker was Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz, Rav of the Beis HaKnesses of North Woodmere. Pictured here are Mr. Moshe Lamm, Mr. Michael Alpert, Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz, Hylton Lightman, MD, and Rabbi Eliyahu Alpert.

Rosh Chodesh Adar Yom Iyun: The Pursuit of (Meaningful) Happiness

Color War Breakout at SKA By: Rachel Ash, SKA ‘18

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olor War 2017 was surely one that will go down in SKA history as one of our most fun and competitive Color Wars!

In order to break out Color War on Monday, February 27, Rabbi Yosef Zakutinsky, Director of Student Programs, and his staff brought in a little girl that the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls students had befriended on their Shabbaton for the monthly Rosh Chodesh breakfast.

Making the morning announcements, Velvet officially broke out Color War! After the gym exploded with rousing cheers and spirited dancing, each grade’s team themes – Daat, Shma Kolenu, Kibutz Yisroel, and Yibaneh Yerushalyim – captains and generals were announced. The teams split up into groups to decide who would handle what (theme, cheer ,stomp, banner, etc). At night each team worked together on various projects.

Students and faculty members all showed up in colorful Color War gear on Tuesday morning while the hallways of SKA were imaginatively decorated with each grade’s hues.

The entertaining activities included

By: Leora Gershkovich

O a madcap game of musical chairs, wacky races, a four-way game of Dodgeball, a Chopped cooking competition led by Mrs. Naomi Nachman, the Aussie Gourmet, and so much more! At the end of the day, each team presented their beautiful banners, great stomps, exciting cheers and inspiring theme songs.

As the grades all danced together, the judges tallied up the scores. Congratulations to the seniors on their first place win and to the juniors who were a close second. It was so hard to pick the winners since every grade was terrific. Thanks go to everyone who worked so hard to make this an amazing Color War. We all had a wonderful time!

n Monday, February 27, HAFTR High School conducted a Yom Iyun revolving around the celebration of Rosh Chodesh Adar and the importance of simcha, happiness, in Jewish life and practice. In addition to the pursuit of happiness within a Torah context as a Jewish objective being the topic of discussion in all Judaic classes, the faculty created a program to achieve happiness within every student while providing an educational experience.

Each grade was called to the gym during separate periods of the day where they participated in a series of challenging games that required the students to work together as a unit.

In that moment all that mattered was overcoming the challenge they had been given. When the students successfully completed their assigned task, their eyes lit up with excitement as they took pride in themselves and each other. In that moment they felt united but most of all they were happy.

Each experienced a palpable feeling of

satisfaction, completion, accomplishment and … happiness. The program culminated with our Judaic Studies Principal, Rabbi Gedaliah Oppen, explaining that besides creating a fun activity, the program was designed to demonstrate to each student that true simcha, true happiness, is achieved when you overcome a challenge; when you achieve a goal; when alone, but especially when working with others, you succeed at a valid, worthwhile task. The lesson was also learned that no matter how many times you fail, it’s important to never surrender your goals, but rather to always strive to make the right decisions that will keep you on the path of real happiness. As Shlomo Ha’Melech taught us in Mishlei, (24:16), “Ki sheva yipol tzaddik v’kam,” the righteous may fall even seven times, but never give up. They rise, dust themselves off and try again. That effort, especially when it culminates in success – but even when it does not – provides meaningful happiness, and when we pursue meaningful happiness we will find everlasting simcha.

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

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Mesivta Ateres Yaakov Annual Dinner

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esivta Ateres Yaakov’s annual dinner will be held on Monday, March 20, at the Sands in Atlantic Beach.

Guests of Honor: Yakov and Nechama Goodstein

Yakov and Nechama Goodstein personify the essence of Mesivta Ateres Yaakov (“MAY”). Exemplars of yiras Shomayim, ahavas Yisrael and chessed, the Goodsteins continue the legacy of their illustrious forbearers.

A descendant of the Taz, zt”l, Yakov grew up in Brooklyn, where he attended Yeshiva Chaim Berlin High School, Bais Medrash Ner Moshe in Eretz Yisroel, and kollel Ner Moshe in New York. He graduated Touro College, earned a law degree from Cardozo Law School, and now practices as a successful real estate attorney.

Yakov served as a Trustee of Kehillas Bais Yehuda Tzvi, while providing pro bono legal assistance to individuals in need and numerous community organizations such as KBYT, Achiezer and the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation.

Always at the forefront of chessed endeavors, Yakov literally salvaged people’s homes and properties in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. He is one of the founders of KBYT’s popular Shabbos morning Chaburah and is a member of MAY’s Board of Trustees.

Nechama (nee Hertz) shares Yakov’s passion for klal activities. Raised in a home steeped in Torah and chesed, her maternal grandfather, HaRav Moshe Dovid Maruch, z”l, was a talmid of the Mirrer Yeshiva in Vilna, who, together with the yeshiva, escaped to

Shanghai, and was key in reestablishing the Mirrer Yeshiva here in New York.

Growing up in Boro Park, Nechama attended Prospect Park Yeshiva High School and Bnos Chava Seminary in Eretz Yisroel. She graduated from Brooklyn College with a 4.0 GPA, and NYU Law School, where she was editor of the Law Review. Nechama worked as a securities litigator at the prestigious firm Skadden Arps and then became Assistant General Counsel of AST, a large financial technology services company.

A true partner in Torah and chessed in the Goodstein home, Nechama raised five wonderful children while finding time to have active roles in KBYT and TAG. She also mentors young women who are working wives and mothers and is a wellknown lecturer and panelist.

Yakov and Nechama are proud MAY parents, with two sons currently enrolled in the Yeshiva. The Goodsteins recognize the outstanding Torah values and chinuch and academic excellence as well as the Yeshiva’s warm atmosphere and professional, caring staff, and chose to partner with it.

Their daughter, Daniella Deutch, and her husband, Simcha, live in Los Angeles, where she runs a real estate development firm, and Simcha is CEO of WaiveCar, a car sharing start-up, and are proud parents of 2-year-old Lily.

Their son, Avi, and his wife, Esti, live locally, where he works as a real estate analyst, while Esti completes her honors psychology studies.

Moshe Dovid (Momo) is a MAY senior, where he is editor-in-chief of the school newspaper. A top-tier student and sports enthusiast, he is a young ben Torah who is destined to a bright and successful future.

Shimon Ariel (Riri), a MAY 10th grade student, is personable with a penchant for politics. He is an asset to MAY’s entire student body, shares Momo’s affinity for sports, and

is a stellar student.

Talya, a TAG 4th grader, is an avid reader who enjoys participating in a plethora of extra-curricular activities, all the while excelling in her studies.

A devoted family that has made themselves available for Torah and the klal, Yakov and Nechama Goodstein are richly deserving of being MAY’s Guests of Honor.

Parents of the Year: Yankee and Tammy Hirsch

Yankee and Tammy Hirsch represent the very best traits of a MAY family, making their avodas Hashem, chinuch habanim, and community leadership top priorities in their lives, while managing active professional careers.

They reside in Flatbush with their four children (k”ah), and are active members of their community. Yankee, for example, serves as president of Khal Shalheves Kodesh, where he also leads a Sunday morning chaburah. In addition, Yankee has served on the Board of Trustees of Shulamith School for Girls L.I. for the last decade.

Tammy is involved in a number of different local chessed projects, including helping to feed families in need.

Yankee grew up in Mill Basin, Brooklyn, attended Kaminetz High School and learned in Yeshiva Mercaz Hatorah in Eretz Yisrael. He graduated Brooklyn College and Cardozo School of Law (YU) and has a Masters in Tax Law from NYU. He currently works at Morgan Stanley, where he is Global Head of Tax for their Private Funds business. Tammy (nee Klapper) grew up in Flatbush, attended Prospect Park Yeshiva and re-

ceived her undergraduate degree and Masters in Reading from Brooklyn College, where she and Yankee met. After becoming certified in Special Education, she works as a SEIT provider in Brooklyn.

The Hirschs’ daughter, Atara, is following her passion to help special needs individuals by pursuing a degree in Occupational Therapy from Touro College. Their son, Yitzchok, MAY class of ’14, continued his limudim at Mercaz Hatorah and Yeshiva Toras Chaim in Eretz Yisroel, while maintaining a close relationship with his MAY rabbeim. He is currently learning in Yeshiva Sh’or Yoshuv and is attending Touro College. Their son Yosef is a MAY junior who is also establishing strong relationships with the MAY rabbeim. The Hirschs’ youngest, Moshe, is in third grade in Yeshiva Toras Emes in Brooklyn.

Tammy and Yankee are influenced heavily by their parents and families in believing in the importance of quality Torah and secular education, of active community involvement, and of devotion to Eretz Yisrael and Am Yisrael. It is these ideals that led them to choose MAY for their sons and which make them ideal Parents of the Year.

guide for every talmid in the growing yeshiva.

A talmid of Yeshiva Torah Vodaath from first grade through kollel, Rabbi Horowitz always attributed his successful approach to guiding his talmidim to his own rabbeim, Horav Elya Chazan z”tl, Horav Simcha Sheps, z”tl, and Horav Avraham Pam, z”tl, from whom he received smicha. He has also been a very close talmid to the famed Mashgiach, Harov Moshe Wolfson, shlita, Rav of Bais Medrash Emunas Yisroel, where Rabbi Horowitz davens and learns. Rabbi Horowitz earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, but at the urging of his rabbeim, he chose to apply himself wholly to chinuch.

R’ Yehuda is married to Etti (nee Tauber), daughter of Reb Herschel and Malka Tauber of Monsey. Her modesty and the beautiful manner in which she raises her children is a reflection of the chinuch she received in her home from her dear parents.

Through his caring and Rabbi Yehuda Horowitz, warm approach, Rabbi HorowShlita, Marbitz Torah itz has developed a strong kesAward her with countless talmidim Rabbi Yehuda Horowitz, throughout the years. He is shlita, the beloved Mashgiach able to adapt his guidance to Ruchani at Ateres Yaakov has cater to each talmid and is a been helping shape talmidim shining example of how hard in the Mesivta for more than Mesivta Ateres Yaakov’s rab25 years! After fifteen years beim work to maximize the poas a dedicated MAY rebbe and tential of their talmidim. mentor, Rabbi Horowitz has The Mesivta is honored to spent the last decade as mash- pay tribute to Rabbi Horowitz giach of the yeshiva, where for his quarter of a century of he has become a mentor and dedication to MAY talmidim.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

line d a e d l a journ th march 14

MESIVTA ATERES YAAKOV

annual dinner SHAPING the FUTURE

MONDAY, MARCH 20TH, 2017 THE SANDS

1395 BEECH STREET, ATLANTIC BEACH NY

DINNER: 7:00

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Yeshivas Ohr Chaim Avos U’Bonim of Queens hosted its grand melava malka last weekend. Over 200 boys attended.

Last week, Reb Yitzy Haber came to Yeshiva of South Shore to share his personal life story. The boys in the 6th-8th grade were held spellbound as he regaled them with stories that strengthen emunah and bitachon even in the most difficult situations. In his own unique way, Reb Yitzy inserted funny anecdotes and situations that arose in his childhood against serious medical challenges. The entire audience was left inspired and emotionally moved by his presentation.

Remarkable Partnership Opportunity for Matanos L’evyonim and Mishloach Manos

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orah-true Jews have no greater desire than performing all mitzvos with hiddur. But some mitzvos have multiple prerequisites: for matanos l’evyonim the recipient must be a true evyon, and the funds must be delivered on Purim day and used to actually feed him. As for mishloach manos, it is ideal as readyto-eat foods, namely for the Purim seudah.

Thankfully, according to the psak of HaGaonim HaGedolim Harav Elyashiv zt”l and Harav Wosner zt”l, the best way to fulfill your matanos le’evyonim and mishloach manos obligations is by providing edible food for the poor and needy on the day of Purim. And that’s just what Jerusalem Open House-Linas HaChesed has been doing for the past decade and a half.

Established in the late 1980s by

HaTzadik Rabbi Chaim Cohen shlita, it operates as a soup kitchen for the needy in the heart of Jerusalem. Its doors are open seven days a week, and two warm meals are served every day of the year. Hundreds of Yerushalayim’s destitute Jews find their way to these inviting doors. The nourishing hot meals are a lifeline for so many poor almonos, yesomim, elderly and infirm, who cannot even rub two shekalim together to buy some bread.

Hundreds of innocent, hungry children stop by every morning on their way to cheder, reviving their bodies and souls so they can pull through another day of learning. Even those who are too weak or too proud to walk into a soup kitchen are tended to, with meals discreetly delivered to them b’derech kavod.

This is not a periodical “food drive”; Jerusalem Open House-Li-

nas HaChesed runs seven days a week, providing food for the needy throughout the year, including Shabbosim, yomim tovim, and all other days. On Purim, the Jerusalem Open House-Linas HaChesed soup kitchen serves thousands of festive Purim meals to poor, hungry Jews throughout Eretz Yisroel, in Jerusalem, Haifa and Emmanuel.

This year for the first time, the organization’s volunteers will also hand-deliver personal mishloach manos to hundreds of innocent little orphans.

With the global economy still weak, Jews in Eretz Yisroel must make do with next to nothing. Jerusalem Open House-Linas Hachesed is now the emergency support system for hundreds of additional Jewish families in these trying times.

They now turn to acheinu b’nei

Yisroel with an urgent request and worthwhile exchange: Help us and we will help you. Join us. Feed at least two evyonim, as required by halacha, for just $36. Feed more evyonim for an even greater mitzvah. For $540 and up, the meals will bear your name to mark your generosity at the time and location of its distribution.

A gift to the poor. An opportunity for you.

With your donation of $36 and up, Linas Hachesed will hand over your kvital with your personal request to the hands of Reb Chaim Kanievski on the day of Purim.

To donate and have your names and bakashos recited during these auspicious days please call 1-800216-8905.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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Around the Community

Stars of Israel Far Rockaway Shabbaton

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he eighth graders of Stars of Israel spent an inspirational and fun filled Shabbos in Far Rockaway this past week and were transformed by the experience. The trip began after school on Friday with pizza, bowling and ice cream. While enjoying their ice cream in Berrylicious, the owner, R’ Eli Cheshin, announced to the boys that effective immediately they are entitled to Buy One Get One any time they visit the store with their rebbe. Thank you R’ Eli for your amazing display of ahavas Yisrael.

Rabbi Naphtali Sudwerts, principal and executive director of the yeshiva, brought the boys to his hometown and placed the boys in various homes around the community for lodging and the Friday

night seuda. The impact that these special families made on the boys was palpable as they were exposed to such warmth and love of Shabbos and Yiddishkeit. Rabbi Yonatan Maggazenich from the organization GoSephardic shared words of Torah and inspiration at the oneg after the seuda. His words were especially poignant to the boys who are not privileged to experience Shabbos on a weekly basis at home.

Shabbos morning, after a beautiful davening in Yeshiva Sh’or Yoshuv, the boys had the privilege of meeting privately with the Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav Naftali Jaeger shlit”a, who imparted upon them an everlasting message that they are the future of Klal Yisrael and being that they have the zchus of learning Torah

in yeshiva, they are charged with the great responsibility of making a kiddush Hashem in their homes and communities. When told of their backgrounds, the Rosh Yeshiva was blown away by how much the boys have grown in just three years in the yeshiva as they all prepare to continue to mainstream yeshiva high schools.

After a beautiful seuda at their rebbe’s home and an afternoon of Shabbosdik fun and games, we headed out to the White Shul where Harav

Eytan Feiner shlit”a set aside a few minutes to meet with the boys. His words of loving Torah and its sweetness penetrated their hearts and neshamos. Rabbi Feiner was amazed at their inquisitive questions and sincere yearning for more of his divrei Torah. The boys couldn’t get enough of the Rav’s sincerity and warmth, asking how they can hear more of his shiurim and begging for him to come visit the yeshiva in the near future.

Shabbos reached its cli-

max with a beautiful Shalosh Seudos hosted by the Hamel family and was then ushered out with an inspirational and emotional musical havdala led by Rabbi Hamel. The Shabbaton was joined by the yeshiva’s Menahel, Rabbi Baruch Gottesman, and his family. For many of these boys, Shabbos is not a weekly reality as it is in our homes, and we thank the community and the rabbanim for leaving such a sweet taste in their mouths and inspiring them to bring Shabbos back to their homes.

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

HAFTR Early Childhood Celebrates 100 Days

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e were so excited that we reached our 100th day of school. The children have been counting every day since the beginning of school and they finally reached their goal. They counted to 100 by 10s and 5s and then by 1s.

To celebrate our 100th day of school, they clapped 100 times, jumped 100 times, stomped their feet 100 times, and took 100 steps to see where they would end up. Also, we have been

adding a penny to a jar each day, since Day 1, as a means of observing the concepts of zero, “plus one,” more and less, and heavy and light. Each child even wrote a book all about the concept of 100! The next day, the children immediately started our new mathematical focus: a countdown! How exciting for our little ones to count down the days until they become kindergarteners!

Rosh Chodesh at BYAM

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osh Chodesh Adar generated achdus and simcha at Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam.

Students in grades 2-4 were paired with preschoolers and helped them decorate smiley face cookies in honor of Rosh Chodesh and created their own as well. The elementary school students were patient and caring as they explained the project to the preschoolers, and the kindergarten and pre1A children looked on adoringly at their big helpers. The girls had a wonderful time spreading icing on their cookies and creating a smiling face from all the delicious toppings.

Everyone went back to class with

a smile on their faces as well as on their cookies.

Inwood Mikvah to Begin Construction

By Chaim Homnick

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ast week, the Inwood Mikvah committee hosted men’s and women’s meetings to discuss updates to the mikvah, announce the anticipated groundbreaking timeline, and enjoin Inwood residents to partake in the builders club in an effort to allow the project to progress to the building stages. Rabbi and Rebbetzin Feiner of the White Shul were featured at each session respectively.

The men’s session on Thursday, February 23, began with an address

by Rabbi Pinchus Weinberger, the Rav of Bais Tefillah of Inwood. He commended Simcha Stoll and Yehuda Michaeli, the heads of the Inwood Mikvah Board, for their tireless efforts in enabling the project to reach this point.

Rabbi Feiner spoke about the

koach of mayim and how mayim falls under Hashem’s dominion. He expressed the beauty of immersing ourselves under Hashem’s control and how we are reborn as a new briyah.

He also stressed that the Inwood Mikvah is a necessity for Far Rockaway, Bayswater and the entire Five Towns due to the tremendous growth of the collective neighborhoods.

Simcha Stoll and Yehuda Zachter both spoke briefly and described the progress of the mikvah. The architectural drawings were finalized under the guidance of two rabbanim who are prominent mikvah experts and with the design oversight of Yossi Fischler of Inwood. The mikvah will include a women’s mikvah, men’s mikvah and a keilim mikvah.

The board presented a plan to begin construction after Pesach.

This would complete the project that

commenced a few years ago with the dedication of the mikvah name and the purchase of a centrally-located property on Roosevelt Street, right off of Doughty Boulevard, in Inwood.

After the event, the Inwood Mikvah has now raised $827,000 to date of the $1.3 million cost with the hopes of raising the remainder in the near future with the support of the collective Five Towns.

During the women’s meeting on Motzai Shabbos, February 25, Rebbetzin Feiner delivered a speech on the sanctity of taharas hamishpacha and how a mikvah elevates a community. The women then received an update on the project and were asked to join with their husbands in helping make the project a fully-funded reality.

Thursday’s men’s event was hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Dovy Brazil. The

mikvah, Mikvah Sara Laya Binyan Liba, is named after Inwood residents R’ Yanky and Dovy Brazil’s mother as well as Simcha Stoll’s great-grandmother. The women’s event was held in Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island.

Yehuda Michaeli, one of the driving forces behind the mikvah, asserted, “This project has grown and flourished to match Inwood’s growth as a community. The 100th frum family has closed in Inwood and we are close to the culmination of a multiyear, joint effort to provide a topnotch mikvah for Inwood’s residents and all of our neighbors in the Five Towns and Far Rockaway.”

To donate or for more info, go to Inwoodmikvah.com or Mikvah Sara Laya, 312 Sprague Rd, Inwood, N.Y. 11096.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Third Annual Bowl-A-Thon Raises over $15K for Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem

Podiatry Goes Kosher

From L to R: Eli Halpert, MD, Yan Katsnelson, MD and owner of USA Vein Clinics, Jeffrey Kass, DPM, and Afshin Ganjian, DPM

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By Moshe Weiner, Grade 12

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ver 100 students from HAFTR High School participated in the third annual Bowl-AThon, raising over $15,159 for Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem on Thursday night, February 23.

Shaare Zedek is currently working to complete a new neurological center that will encompass a stroke unit, neuroradiology, and neurosurgery units. This important neurological area will save the lives of stroke victims, treat all brain/head traumas and disorders as well as post-traumatic stress disorder patients. The Bowl-A-Thon is a wonderful event, as each student raised at least $100; this money will go to benefit the new neurological center. Shaare Zedek is a very worthwhile cause that treats more than 850,000 patients each year, including more than 65,000 children, and delivers more than 22,000 babies each year.

Many HAFTR students related that they felt that they were doing something special by helping to provide aid to these patients. Even though Israel may seem faraway, HAFTR students feel a true connection to our homeland, especially in times of distress. The team that had the honor of raising the most money was “Rolling Thunder,” whose captains were David and Jonathan Lederer. Placing second for most money raised was Captain Shelly Koppel’s team, “Team Nadelbach.”

By emailing family and friends to ask them to contribute to a worthwhile cause, HAFTR students managed to accomplish something truly amazing. The Bowl-A-Thon was held at Woodmere Lanes and was organized by Rabbi Nadelbach. Hopefully next year’s Bowl-A-Thon will be as successful as this year’s event, allowing students to have fun while contributing to a great cause.

hursday night, March 2, marked the first time ever the Nassau County Podiatric Medical Association held an all-kosher divisional meeting.

Local Cedarhurst resident, and President of the Nassau Division, Dr. Jeffrey Kass kept a promise he made to himself to have at least one all kosher event. This was done with the help of his colleague, Afshin “Josh” Ganjian, DPM who practices in the Five Towns. The event was held at

Colbeh Restaurant in Great Neck and had the largest turnout for a divisional meeting in years. “The venue was perfect, the food was delicious, it was great seeing Jewish colleagues not having to eat out of tinfoil using plastic ware. This was my podiatric Sandy Koufax moment, if you will.”

The Dinner was sponsored by USA Vein Clinics and a lecture was given by their Clinical Director, Eli Halpert, MD.

Tefillah Week at Yeshiva University High School for Girls

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dar is a time of tefillah: just as the Jews in Shushan prayed and saw great miracles, our actions and words can inspire personal miracles each and every day. As Chodesh Adar began, so did Central’s Tefillah Week, an opportunity to reflect, reconnect, and restructure tefillah at Central. Each morning opened with a themed tefillah to inspire us to daven a little bit better and gain an extra boost of concentration. Introducing the program last week were members of the JUMP club: Esty Awendstern (‘17), Sharoni Borenstein (‘17), Shternie Fredlender (‘18), Racheli Maidi (‘17), Bru Rabin (‘17), Sarala Robinzon (‘18), Yael Yehoshua (‘18), and Sophie Zwiebel (‘17).

Using complex poetry as an analogy, the students drew parallels to the discomfort that often accompanies davening when we don’t understand the words and consequently cannot sincerely express our emotions. Using a live online survey, everyone submitted their feedback about their personal connections to davening. The results, conveyed with raw honesty, revealed that everyone needs to work on tefillah. The student representa-

tives explained that this year’s Tefillah Week was crafted for the students, by the students, and with information from the students.

Monday morning featured a silent tefillah, for which students davened at their own paces before coming together in a communal, musical Hallel. Tuesday offered students a choice of davening silently in the cafe or attending a tefillah workshop led by a member of the JUMP team.

As part of a rearranged schedule on Wednesday, special guest speaker Amit Yaghoubi addressed the student body before tefillah to inspire them as they prayed Shacharit afterward. On Thursday morning, everyone moved upstairs to the gym for a “Tefillah Shuffle.” At each chair was a card, drawn from responses generated by students, detailing what a member of our student body davens for. Students internalized these messages as they davened together. The closing “Tefillah Remix” on Friday was led by our visiting Ulpana exchange students as they spent their final day in Central. As everyone wore blue and white, our guests took us on a virtual tour of the holiest places in Israel.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

Around the Community Eliana Hirsch and Shira Frankel, students at Shalhevet High School, were the winners of the “Singing with Hope for the House of Hope” Talent Show this past Motzei Shabbos at HANC in West Hempstead. House of Hope is a special home in Eretz Yisrael that provides for the residential, educational, and material needs of approximately 100 girls.

For over 50 years, House of Hope, or Bayit V’Tikvah, has provided a home for girls who have no home of their own to grow up in.

HANC March Celebrations

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he nursery students at HANC’s Samuel & Elizabeth Bass Golding Early Childhood Center in West Hempstead welcomed the month of March with enthusiastic celebrations!

In honor of the month of Adar, students enjoyed a music and funfilled Rosh Chodesh celebration with music teacher Morah Kayli and Preschool Director Trudy Rubinstein.

Students wore silly hats, banged Purim graggers, and sang and danced to Purim songs.

Students celebrated Dr. Seuss’ birthday by coming to school dressed in “wacky” and mismatched clothes to celebrate the many silly and zany things that take place in Dr. Seuss’ books! The students also read Dr. Seuss books, in both Hebrew and English.

Morah Sara’s class gets ready to celebrate Rosh Chodesh Adar

Morah Michele, Morah Cheryl and Morah Nazli’s class celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday

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Around the Community

Special Events and Celebrations at Gesher

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ebruary was quite an exciting month at the Gesher Early Childhood Center.

As the parsha stories reached a climax with yetziyas Mitzraim and the special days of the Jewish calendar excitingly came, the Gesher staff was hard at work.

First, in recognition of the miracle of Krias Yam Suf, Gesher students had a chance to experience the splitting of the sea. The main hallway was transformed into walls of blue, with seemingly nowhere to go. The children got a bird’s eye view of the tense situation with the Mitzrim pressing from behind. Suddenly, thanks to

some well-placed Velcro, the sea split.

The hallway opened up and the walls were adorned with special treats that the newly freed could enjoy as they escaped. With fish visuals along the route, this was truly an immersive learning experience.

Next up was the Tu B’Shvat fair.

Gesher students celebrated the birthday of the trees by planting beans, making fruit skewers, and discussing the differences between fruits that

grow on trees and those that grow on the ground. Additional activities included pin the fruit on the tree and fruit loop necklace/belt stringing.

Certainly, the most important produce are the students themselves and their accomplishments. The first grade siddur play marks a great milestones in the children’s growth.

Morah Elisheva Rabinowitz and her assistants, together with Director of Student Support, Mrs. Dahlia Weiss,

spent months preparing the students for this celebration. Setting their kriah fluency goals early in the year created a target date for the children to lovingly receive their own siddur.

Parents, grandparents, family members, and friends reaped tremendous nachas. Recognizing the significance of the accomplishment while enjoying the seamless performance was a real highlight for everyone in attendance.

It’s leibedik in Long Beach – HALB celebrates Purim!

Yeshiva Har Torah Celebrates 100th Day of School

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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JOURNAL DEADLINE paying tribute EXTENDED TO MONDAY MARCH 13TH! Mrs. Chaya Gornish

TO OUR DISTINGUISHED PRINCIPALS MENAHELES, TICHON MEIR MOSHE HIGH SCHOOL

Mrs. Surela Koenig PR I NCI PA L , J U N IOR H IGH

Mrs. Esther Kuessous M E NA H E L E S , J U N IOR H IGH

Morah Devorah Kurland PR I NCI PA L , E L E M E N TA RY

BNOS BAIS YAAKOV

Mrs. Adina Mandel PRINCIPAL , TICHON MEIR MOSHE HIGH SCHOOL

Morah Penina Neuberg M E NA H E L E S , E L E M E N TA RY

Morah Yehudis Oppen DI R ECTOR , SH E R RY GA R BE R PR E-SCHOOL

twenty third annual dinner

Mrs. Ruchie Sokoloff DE A N OF ST U DE N TS , T ICHON M E I R MOSH E H IGH SCHOOL

honoring MR. AND MRS.

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Shulamith Students Join Albany A Week in Yeshiva of Central Queens Mission

By Sara Stein, Grade 8

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n Wednesday, March 1, the OU organized a mission to Albany, sending representatives of numerous schools, including Shulamith Middle School, to advocate for private school funding. The purpose of the trip was to gain support and funding for STEM so that we, the students, can be anything we want to be in the future. These funds would help private schools hire teachers for science, technology, engineering, and math.

Not only was this the first time

that most of us had made the long journey to Albany to make our voices heard, but it was also a truly incredible experience just to be sitting in the Egg, listening to Governor Cuomo and to many other influential people speak. In addition to hearing from government officials, we also participated in games and discussions and took pictures. Hopefully, the mission will prove successful and funds will be channeled to all of our local private schools. Going to Albany certainly was worthwhile, and I, for one, am glad to have been part of this important mission.

Yeshivat Kol Yaakov and Bnot Yaakov Welcome Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi to Great Neck

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n Sunday March 5, Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi was invited by Yeshivat Kol Yaakov and Bnot Yaakov of Great Neck to deliver a shiur in Great Neck for the very first time. Over 300 women from across Long Island, Queens, and Brooklyn gathered at Congregation Torah Ohr to listen to the Rabbanit’s heartwarming messages directly from Yerushalayim. Mrs. Khavi Rosenshein, Assistant Principal of Limudei Kodesh at Bnot Yaakov, introduced Rabbanit Mizrachi and described to the crowd how the women of the Great Neck community are mevakshot and mekablot, as they are always accepting more upon themselves. She described how she sees these traits

and middot carry over to her students, the daughters of these women, as children are watching their parents and learning from them at every moment. Mrs. Rosenshein said she couldn’t wait to see how the lessons of Rabbanit Mizrachi will permeate into Bnot Yaakov’s classrooms the next day. Indeed, Rabbanit Mizrachi then brought laughter, tears, and inspiration to the crowd of women as she shared divrei chizuk about the power of simcha during the month of Adar.

The Yeshivat Kol Yaakov and Bnot Yaakov PTA would like to extend hakarat hatov to the sponsors for the evening as well as Congregation Torah Ohr for opening its doors for the evening’s program.

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t was a busy week at YCQ. The JHS girls attended their Shabbaton at the Raleigh Hotel. Shoshana Fisher said that Shabbat was a very uplifting and spiritual experience. Mrs. Jackie Bitton spoke to the girls during the program. Rebecca Szlechter said, “We learned how we can achieve happiness by finding moments when Hashem is with us.” Dvora Finkel said, “Mrs. Bitton taught us how important it is to understand that Hashem is always with us in every situation,” and Ruthie Alon said, “I found the ruach at the Shabbaton made us all feel united.”

The YCQ anti-bullying campaign continued with the members of the Mix It Up club visiting the elementary school classes to read to them books about bullying and the danger of it.

The books were donated by Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz as part of his support for YCQ’s anti-bullying campaign. The idea behind the program is to teach students about the effects that bullying has on a person as well as to teach them the importance of standing up against bullying. Another component of the program attended by the students was a Mix It Up basketball tournament. Students were placed randomly on teams in order

for them to get to know other students they may not otherwise socialize with.

Talya Katri said this program is very important: “It teaches us how to treat people with respect and how to get along with others who we might night hang out with on a day-to-day basis.”

The sixth grade students as part of the language arts curriculum had a visit from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

They taught the students about the effects of land pollution using a water table. Students were able to notice world-to-text connections on the environment in “The Giver.” In addition, this connects with the next unit of study – reading nonfiction expository text and using this information to write an informational essay on environmental issues.

To celebrate Rosh Chodesh Adar, the elementary school students enjoyed Crazy Hat and Sock Day. Students, faculty and the elementary school administration donned some of the craziest hats.

The YCQ eighth grade students played in the yearly Rebbe-Talmid game. Though the Rebbes made a big comeback, winning 56-44, all of the boys showed amazing sportsmanship.

Snap, snap! Take those Purim pictures!

Send them to editor@ fivetownsjewishhome.com

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community Senator Elaine Phillips recently welcomed North Shore Hebrew Academy students in Great Neck to the State Capitol. The students, together with Head of School Rabbi Jeff Kobrin, traveled to Albany to discuss issues with Senator Phillips and other state legislators. Senator Phillips met with the group in the State Capitol and answered questions from the students.

Couture for a Cause: Laughter is the Best Medicine

Learn & Live took a little twist this week as we moved away from the lamed tes melochos and had Hakohen R’ Eli Katz present “Eight clothes including a gartel.” R’ Katz went through the bigdei kohanim and of course the bigadim of the Kohen Gadol. As R’ Katz presented each article he had a boy come up and try it on. At the end, one of the boys, Levi Yitzchok Rayvych, got a chance to dress in (almost) all of the eight bigadim. L&L would like to thank R’ A. Oppen and R’ E. Milstein for the bigadim.

For more information regarding L&L please email us at learnandlivefr@ gmail.com.

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Pheffer Amato to Host E-Waste Recycling Events

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tate Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Rockaway) announced this week, in partnership with the Lower East Side Ecology Center, the NYC Department of Sanitation, Rockwood Park Jewish Center and Bayswater Jewish Center, that her office will be hosting e-waste recycling events at both locations from 10:00AM to 4:00PM, on March 26th in Howard Beach and on April 23rd in Bayswater.

Pheffer Amato urges those who are cleaning, whether for Passover or just “spring cleaning,” to set aside eligible items for proper disposal.

“Around this time of year, I know that many people like to organize their homes and clear the clutter while cleaning for Passover. These e-waste events allow for everyone to get rid of items just sitting in their

homes which may not be placed in regular garbage, while at the same time helping the environment! I highly encourage everyone to come on down and take advantage of the opportunity to dispose of their old computers, phones and more, safely and for free!”

The drop-off opportunity is open to everyone. Accepted items include working and non-working computers, monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards, mice, cables, TVs, VCRs, DVD players, phones, audio/visual equipment, cellphones and PDAs. The drop off locations are at Rockwood Park Jewish Center, 156-45 84th Street in Howard Beach on Sunday, March 26 from 10am-4pm; or at Bayswater Jewish Center, 2355 Healy Avenue in Far Rockaway on Sunday, April 23 from 10am-4pm.

By Tammy Mark

hey say the show must go on, and that it did. Thursday evening at Temple Beth El in Cedarhurst, Couture for a Cause held another sell-out fundraiser, this time to benefit Lev Leytzan. The Couture for a Cause team has produced fashion shows for charity since 2007, working tirelessly to make each event more memorable and successful than the last. This year they embarked on a mission to create a unique event suited for the chosen charity and as they honored the work of Lev Leytzan, the organization that brings compassionate clowning to the sick and elderly, the comedy and casino night theme couldn’t have been more fitting.

The untimely passing of Couture for a Cause co-founder Esther Silber-Berg’s father the previous day rocked the CFAC network and may have possibly put the event on hold. As a beloved pillar of the Jewish community and a tremendous philanthropist, Chaim “Lobo” Silber’s passing shook the organization and the community at large. Silber-Berg had dedicated her work for CFAC to her father and credited him for her lifelong passion for charity. As she knew that the cause was bigger than the celebration, Silber-Berg insisted that the show must go on, and it did – dedicated to her father’s memory.

After the introduction and moving dedication by CFAC co-founder Michal Weinstein, guests viewed a short video about Lev Leytzan. The video offered but a glimpse of the tremendous and compassionate work of the organization founded by Dr. Neal Goldberg and its troupe of medical clowns specially trained to bring joy to those most in need.

Actor and comedian Elon Gold kept the crowd in stitches as he kept his

promise to stay mostly kosher for “his people.” Joking about the unique Jewish culture, holidays and customs, his appearance couldn’t have been better suited to the cause and certainly provided a much needed opportunity for levity.

With a crowd of 350 in attendance, including Nassau County legislator Howard Kopel, Temple Beth El provided the perfect venue, flawlessly transformed to accommodate the comedy and casino theme and setting the stage for the festive fundraising.

The joy of the pre-Purim season filled the atmosphere with eating, drinking and laughter galore. Compassionate clowns from Lev Leytzan joined in, manning the photo booth along with comical props, allowing guests to get into the spirit and clown around.

Casino tables were set up by New York Fun Factory with winnings given in raffle tickets – ensuring that the focus would be on the fun and simultaneously supporting the long list of generous businesses that donated luxurious goods and services as prizes to benefit Lev Leytzan. Malka DJ Entertainment kept the party flowing throughout the night with DJ Mario as a superb master of ceremonies.

Every CFAC production is a joint venture and each year the fellowship grows, with eager volunteers, creative vendors and generous sponsors all working to cultivate the vibe that defines Couture for a Cause. From the transformative lighting and elegant décor by Event Planner NY and Gitty Lowinger, to cocktails by Southern Glazers Wine and Spirits and Herzog and Seaview Caterers’ gourmet food, with Jerry Meyer Studio on hand to capture all of the moments, it was the ultimate display of community resources coming together to create something larger than the sum of its parts.

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HALACHA

Purim

by Rabbi Berel Wein

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Bobker on Purim

by Joe Bobker

IS THIS FOR REAL?

Doubtless Joy

by Rabbi Naphtali Hoff We Will Laugh Like Never Before

by Rabbi YY Rubinstein

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Mishloach Manos

by Rabbi Moishe Dovid Lebovits

“Real” News – Or is it Fake?

Education is Broken.

So Let Me Fix It!

by Chaim Homnick

IN THE KITCHEN

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Nosh, Nosh, a Hamantash

by Nina Safar

KEEP SMILING

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A Purim Secret

by Rabbi Yerachmiel Michael Tilles

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Meir Kay Spreads His Unique Brand of Happiness

by Malky Lowinger

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Triangular Tradition

by Jon Kranz

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Torah Thought

Purim

By Rabbi Berel Wein

T

he Megillah of Esther itself tells us that the memory and commemoration of the days of Purim will continue until eternity and never disappear from Jewish life.

Extraordinarily, the Talmud expands this statement to mean that even at the end of days when the other commandments of the Torah may no longer be necessary because of the exalted state of spirituality within the Jewish nation and mankind as a whole, the commemoration and memory of the days of Purim will continue even then.

Jews live with a constant Purim story unfolding in all generations and over all time. The story of Purim, as it has come down to us through the writings of Mordechai and Esther, is a story replete with individual characters whose personalities and actions define the story itself. These characters are prototypes for later personalities, ideas, plots and events that occur throughout history.

Every generation is charged with reviewing the story of Purim in its time and to see the events and characters of its generation in the light of the grand heavenly scheme that Purim represents. Surveying today’s scene and events, I think that I can identify someone who can fill the bill as far as King Achashveirosh is concerned. I can also cast someone as a humble and destroyed Queen Vashti.

There also are an abundance of tyrants, haters and corrupt officials

who certainly can represent Haman in our current reconstruction of the Purim story. Even some of the minor characters of the Megillah, such as Charbonah, can be discerned in our current world. But my fantasy Purim story has, as of yet, been unable to fit in the two main characters, the heroic figures that make the story of Purim timeless and eternal.

Who is to play the roles of Mordechai and Esther in our current Purim

Esther, have set very high standards for Jewish behavior for all later generations. Criticized from within and persecuted from without, they persevered, and through their loyalty and commitment to the Torah, people and the Jewish nation, brought about salvation and triumph.

There are such people amongst us today as well. Our task is to recognize and identify them, strengthen them in their efforts and support them against

Who is to play the roles of Mordechai and Esther in our current Purim scenario? Where are they when, seemingly, we need them most?

scenario? Where are they when, seemingly, we need them most? Against all odds, ignoring advice from friends and threats from foes, Mordechai will not kneel nor bow down to false gods and cruel tyrants. Queen Esther for her part risks life and limb, position and honor, wealth and comfort, to come to the aid of her people in their hour of need. She is a Jewess first and only secondarily is she the queen of Persia.

These two people, Mordechai and

the misguided other Jews and nonJews. All of us have the ability to fill in our own playbill with the characters – the heroes and villains, if you will – and construct our own current living Purim story. We live in momentous times where miracles abound for the Jewish people. Just as in the original Purim story the miracles were hidden and not necessarily obvious to all, so too is this the case in our time as well.

It apparently requires dangerous circumstances to bring about some

semblance of Jewish unity. Even then, there are always those who dissent, carp and criticize. They were present in Persia long ago when the original Purim story unfolded, and they exist today in various forms, organizations and institutions. They always profess great human goals and deep concern for the future of the Jewish people while at the same time taking actions that are detrimental to the Jewish present and outrightly dangerous to the Jewish future. Mordechai and Esther are a little too Jewish for them.

They are too brash, too stubborn, too clannish and are unnecessarily provocative. Mordechai and Esther in their time did not receive universal approbation. It is only history, in its unfolding of events, that has proven them correct and heroic. We cannot expect that people who aspire to be Mordechai and Esther in our time should be universally accepted, loved, admired…and followed.

This is a reality of Jewish and human life that must be accepted and factored into the general pursuit of the good and noble. Hidden miracles abound in our current world as far as the Jewish people are concerned.

Anyone who has the good fortune of living in the Land of Israel today instinctively realizes this on a daily basis. Let us strengthen ourselves and be determined and strong as our current Purim story unfolds around us.

Purim sameach.

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

BOBKER ON

PURIM

By Joe Bobker

P

urim seems to be a busy, busy day. No time to stop, hardly a moment to take a breather. One could be forgiven for thinking it’s jam-packed with halachic duties.

It is not. There are only a few legal requirements for this day. The first is mikra Megillah, derived from Esther’s wish that “these days should be remembered [nizkarim].” The Megillah is read twice publicly, “at night and by day.” Hearing it takes precedence over all other halachic obligations except for tending to the dead (kevura) and the saving of lives (pikuach nefesh). One must interrupt talmud Torah, tefillah, and even a bris in order to fulfill this mitzvah.

Unlike the Torah, which must be read in traditional Hebrew, the Megillah can be read in any language – as long as it is the language understood by the masses.

The second requirement is the exchange of gifts in the form of food

baskets, shalach manos in the Yiddish vernacular. This is not to be considered charity or a gift of compassion and originally consisted of food and wine. Why? According to Nehemiah who was instrumental in the rebuilding of Jerusalem with Ezra in the 5th century BC, they were ancient symbols of friendship. In addition, there are donations to the poor, matanos la’evyonim.

Notice the expression is in the plural. The mitzvah requires giving to two (or more). Is there a minimum? There are several guidelines.

Enough to buy a meal. A larger amount than that spent on shalach manos. And no one is to be turned away. Does it have to be money? No. It can be in food or something that helps increase the simcha of Purim.

These practices were initially intended to encourage Jews living in gentile societies to remain united (all recipients must receive the donation at the same time, on Purim), pool their resources, and maintain

communal necessities. Is there a difference? Yes. The former has specific guidelines such as z’man (when?), chovas (by who?), and tzuras kiyum (how?) it is performed. An aside: If organizations are not careful with how, to whom, and when they distribute the money the donor has given tzedaka but is deprived of the specific Purim mitzvah.

So here’s the question: what’s better? Giving $50 each to two people or $1 to 100 people? R’ Shmuel Sirkis (Bach), a prominent 16th-17 th century posek in Belz, Brisk, and Kraków, prefers the latter because it makes “more Jews happy.” R’ Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh Admor of Chabad, agrees for a different reason: more interaction between Jews is a good thing and leads to more good deeds. R’ Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, on the other hand, says it’s better to give larger amounts to less people because no one’s happy with small amounts.

Which brings us to the third ob-

ligation of Purim: to be happy, or as Mordechai put it, mishteh v’simcha, indulge yourself with “drinking and gladness.” I once received a booklet titled Purim Guide: Hints on How to Party, which outlined the following instruction: “Read the megillah, eat, drink, sing, drink, read megillah again, drink, give money and gifts, drink, eat, drink, drink, sing, drink, sleep, wake up with hangover ’n’ headache.”

The desired Purim delirium is to be joyous in one’s celebration. Thus the costumes and masks. Thus the food – after the Pesach seder, the seudah on Purim afternoon is the second most important feast in the Jewish calendar. Thus the alcohol.

Megillas Esther contains more references to drinking parties (mishteh) than the rest of the entire Torah! But in the pursuit of not telling the difference between arur Haman (“Cursed be Haman!”) and baruch Mordechai (“Blessed be Mordechai!”) one’s level of intoxication is not to harm oneself

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or others. “Woe, woe, woe,” cries one rabbi in the Talmud to his drunken Purim congregants, “lest your behavior be the cause of another Tisha b’Av!” In anticipation of the month of Adar we get the Torah’s first mention of an obligatory collective contribution to the nation of Israel known as machatzis ha-shekel. Specifically: half-a-shekel. Who was obligated?

Males above 20. How does one give “half” a coin? With difficulty, no doubt. Perhaps by giving 50 cents, considered half-a-dollar in America; or in England, a half-pound Sterling.

Maybe by considering that half the money given goes to this cause and the other half to another? Or two Jews can give three coins together so each gave “half.”

Why three? Because the Torah word trumah (gift/offering) and machatzis ha-shekel (“half-a-shekel”) appear 3 times in Ki Tisa which contains the half-shekel obligation.

Who got the money? The treasury of the Temple. What was the money for? To cover the cost of buying animals during the year for daily, Shabbos, Rosh Chodesh, and yom tov sacrifices (korbanos), akin to an annual appeal which began on the first of Adar. What if there was

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money left over? The treasury used it to pay for the Temple’s deferred maintenance. In pre-war Europe, some communities frowned on this custom to “remember” in case it was confused with the weightier obligation of matanos la’evyonim.

A “weightier” remembrance, and certainly much more confusing is, in three short verses, the Torah’s demand in Parshas Zachor, the portion that contains the largest number of mitzvos, to forever remember “that which Amalek did to thee (Zachor es asher asah lecha Amalek).” Amalek is identified as the eternal persona of all evil – in fact, the only one whose nefarious memory all Jews through all generations must “wipe out.”

Amalek’s mother was Timna, an aristocratic royal princess and the concubine of Eliphaz; his grandfather was Esau, Jacob’s twin brother. He was raised in the tents of his angry grandfather in an atmosphere of constant rage at bnei Yaakov after his birthright was “snatched away.”

Not surprisingly, this constant exposure to hatred produced an angry young man. Amalek became a clan leader of nomadic slave traders from “the land of Edom [Eastern Idumea]” and then the chief of an obscure nation in the southern part of Canaan.

These folk were sinister and menacing; their descendants are known as Amalekites. As the Jews fled Egypt they attacked them in the desert, determined to destroy the notion of a Jewish G-d and prove to the world that “they feared [Him] not.”

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The audacious Amalek nation had no faith in the Egyptian system (where multiple gods ruled) nor in Abraham’s revolutionary concept of monotheism (where One G-d rules).

As the influential nineteenth-century chassidic Rabbi Tzaddok HaKohen of Lublin (Pri Tzadik) put it: they believed in nothing (i.e.: atheism). And to prove it, they tried to destroy the departing Jewish tribes in the desert. They failed.

Here’s an interesting glimpse of the episode through the prism of Jewish history. The failed attack occurred as the Jews were trying to reach the Promised Land. The second attack occurred with the rise of Haman, a powerful Amalekite descendant, in Persia. This coincided with King Cyrus’s declaration that encouraged the Jews to return to their Holy Land and rebuild their Temple. Haman also failed. Adolf Hitler appeared suddenly after the November 1917 Balfour Declaration granted the Jewish folk a national home in Palestine. And that attempt failed too. A coincidence? Probably not. Does that make Hitler & Co. Amalekites?

The question is not academic. In the context of the duo of mitzvos, zachor and lo tishkach, we need to know. Do we?

R’ Yisroel ben Eliezer, the Ba’al Shem Tov of Medzhybizh, Ukraine, points out that the gematria of Amalek is 240 which equals the Hebrew word safek, doubt, an implication that there swirls uncertainty about who is Amalek in contemporary times.

Why the doubt? The problem goes back 2,500 years to King Sancherib and his Assyrian Empire’s aggressive policy of assimilating populations which caused the loss of the Ten Tribes of Judea. Since then, the Talmud warns us that “all the [Biblical] nations have become mixed up” which has made it virtually impossible to identify a purebred Amalekite descendent.

The Rambam was fully aware of the dilemma and reiterated as late as the 12th century that the Amalek mitzvos to “remember to destroy” were still in force as a halacha l’maaseh, “a positive commandment upon the entire Jewish community.”

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

But the Rambam understood that identifying a true Amalek heir was no longer a possibility so he solves the conundrum by creating not a person but a concept within the ominous Haggadah’s warning of V’hi she’amda omdim aleinu l’chaloseinu: Amalekism is a way of being and not a predisposed generic racial trait. This shifted the elusive search for the “right” Amalek into a variety of forms.

Consider Polish Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heschel, the Apter Rebbe.

In his Sefer Oheiv Yisrael, a classic chassidic Torah commentary, he turns Amalek into a spiritual, not physical, evil: “[Jews should be careful not to succumb to the] spark of the evil inclination, yetza hora, buried in every human heart. We must be extremely careful at all times to blot out the memory of this ‘inner Amalek’ from our hearts.”

Jews were not the only ones to adopt the Amalekite theme of evil.

In the 1700s American Christian preachers considered native-Americans Amalekites and called for their total destruction. In 1864 slave abolitionist David Einhorn identified the American Confederacy as “Amalek’s seed” and urged the country to “make war upon this Amalek!”

After Ephraim Deinar from Odessa, publisher of the first Zionist Yiddish newspaper in Newark, NJ (of which, unfortunately, no copy exists), brought out Milchama La’shem B’Amalek in which he states that the Greeks are descendants of Armenians who were Amalekites, there was a rabbinic call in 1892 for a boycott of all Greek esrogim. And after the September 11, 2001, attack on the Twin Towers by Osama bin Laden, American Evangelists argued that Saudi Arabia was the modern-day Amalek based on their Arabic name Amaleka Arabiya al-Saudia.

The first suggestion that Jews could fall into this evil category was in 600 when R’ Eleazar Kallir, the most influential piyuttpoet in Palestine, called the early Jewish Christians “Amalek.” Fast forward to the 1930s. On the eve of World War II R’ Elchonon Bunem Wasserman, the saintly rosh yeshiva of Baranowicz who would later be murdered by the Germans in July 1941, asserted, “Amalekites can be found among

those Jews who had ‘cast off the burden of the Torah.’”

Seventy years later R’ Zalman Leib Teitelbaum of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY, continued Reb Yoelish’s Satmar ideology that “the Zionists are the real Amaleks and therefore every Jew must engage in an all-out war against them.” When Yair Lapid, Israel’s Finance Minister, suggested that orthodox draft-dodgers should go to prison, Rabbis Shimon Badani and Shlomo Cohen, members of Shas’s Council of Torah Sages, called on their disciples to “remember the evils

of the phonetic resemblance and because they were always fighting – already suggested that Germany had the status of safek Amalekim. This led R’ Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, the Ashkenaz chief rabbi of Jerusalem, to boycott an official state visit to the holy City by the German Kaiser in 1899.

In the 1920s, after World War I, two top Agudas Yisrael leaders from Germany, R’ Phinehas Kohn and Dr. Emanuel Carlebach, approached Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter, the powerful Rebbe of Ger, and asked

R’ Chaim Soloveitchik, the formidable Brisker Rav, echoed the Rambam’s definition: Any Jew-hater can become an “Amalakite” because the resume of bigotry can be applied to anyone of any background at any time and place to one who harbors an irrational, unconditional hatred of the Jewish people.

of Amalek and wipe him [Lapid] out.”

Stretching the Amalek analogy into a wider tent was the English edition of Yated Ne’eman. In 2012 they decided that New York’s Mayor Bloomberg and the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene were pursuing Amalekism by demanding that Jewish parents sign a consent waiver before ritual circumcision (metzitzah b’peh) in order to lower the risk to newborns after eleven infants contracted herpes from the procedure.

The obvious Amalek of the 20th century was the little despot from Vienna with a funny mustache and a stiff right arm. Two centuries before Adolf Hitler finessed his pathological hatred against Jews, R’ Eliyahu Kremer, the formidable Vilna Gaon, surely influenced by the Megillah’s reference to a descendant of Amalek as “Germamia” – the Talmud term for the location of Gomer, the Biblical father of Ashkenaz, chosen because

him to support one of their institutions. The Gerer Rebbe refused to help anything “German” and was blunt, “I believe that the Germans are descendants of the Amalekites.”

R’ Chaim Soloveitchik, the formidable Brisker Rav, echoed the Rambam’s definition: Any Jew-hater can become an “Amalakite” because the resume of bigotry can be applied to anyone of any background at any time and place to one who harbors an irrational, unconditional hatred of the Jewish people.

His grandson, R’ Joseph B. Soloveitchik, head of Yeshiva University, echoed the definition (“Amalek is any people or group who are committed to one purpose: the destruction of the Jewish people….There is no doubt that in halachic terms Hitler and his entourage were Amalek”) and extended the usual suspects to include Joseph Stalin and all Arab-Islamic jihadist enemies of the Jewish state who “are infused with irrational ha-

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tred against Knesset Yisrael.”

In agreement was R’ Yaakov Shapira, rosh yeshiva of Merkaz HaRav, Jerusalem, who gave a eulogy for eight of his students who were murdered in a terrorist attack in March 2008. He defined the Arabs as “the Amalek of our day coming to remind us [on Rosh Chodesh Adar, the traditionally merry month] that Amalek has not disappeared, just changed its appearance.”

So, who’s Amalek? G-d only knows.

On Purim, everything is upside down, against the norm. I once got a Purim Torah booklet that included a serious halachik debate on “What came first: the chicken or the egg?” between “Reb Roosta and Reb Chicka.”

From Shushan to Berlin to Tehran: the names may change but the lesson of Amalek and the spiritual significance of Purim remains the same. It is found in the day’s Shacharis: V’im kol hamo’adim yihiyu beteilim, yemei haPurim lo nivtalim; that is, even though the mesorah is that all yom tovim will no longer be observed after the Messiah’s arrival, Purim will still be celebrated. Why? Consider the careful choice of words. It is not “Purim” but “the days of Purim.” The difference is subtle, but important.

It emphasizes that Purim represents all the days of exile so central to the formation of Jewish identity. In the times of the Messiah, Purim will provide a striking contrast to what will be the idyllic existence of the Jewish people and will serve as a reminder of “those days” of exile in which Amalek, in its various shapes and forms, was under constant threat of attack and annihilation – unsuccessfully, thank G-d!

Have a kosher un freiliche yom tov!

Joe Bobker, alumnus of Yeshivas HaRav Kook in Jerusalem, is the former publisher and editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Jewish Times, author of the popular Torah With a Twist of Humor and the 18-volume “Historiography of Orthodox Jews and the Holocaust,” the first of which, “War Against the Rabbis: Hitler’s Assault Against Judaism,” will be published this year around Shavuos. Mr. Bobker can be reached at jbobker@ gmail.com.

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

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Downstairs to the bedroom , we all tipto Though bab e in y is sleeping our search mus It’s not near t begin. the toys, it’s not in the crib It’s there on the dresser, next to the …

Can you find the ten pieces of chametz?

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by Helene Ribowsky and Rachel Zlotowtiz illustrated by Elisheva Black Pesach is such a wonderful time for children. And what is more exciting for little ones than when they search for ten pieces of bread during bedikas chametz?

In this unusual and totally charming book, children will join Ari and his family as they search for chametz all over the house. And what fun when the young readers gleefully spot the pieces of bread hidden in the pictures!

FOR AGES 3-6

One in the bag slipped in with the spoon Nine more to follow; we’ll find them all soon. ent together we walk Down to the basem but still may not talk.

We’re very excited, or on the toy chest It’s not on the dryer r, next to the …

It’s on the new washe

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With its clever rhyming lyrics and engaging illustrations, this is a wonderfully interactive book. It is sure to infuse our children with excitement for the Pesach holiday, as they play a unique “hide and seek” game — with ten pieces of bread.

Available at your local Hebrew bookseller or at www.artscroll.com • 1-800-MESORAH (637-6724)

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

A Fulfilled L fe

Doubtless Joy

By Rabbi Dr. Naphtali Hoff

F

or many of us, Purim is the most joyous day of the year.

The streets bustle with noise and activity as we step well beyond our comfort zones, donning festive attire, sharing and consuming sizable amounts of festive food and drink, and engaging in the type of boisterous activity that we would typically shun and even frown upon at other times. Where does this mindset and energy come from?

Surely, there is a mitzvah for us to be cheerful on Purim. We are told, “When the month of Adar comes we increase our joy.” (Taanis 29a) But we also know that there are some mitzvos that we admittedly fulfill at more basic levels (or perhaps even below standard). What is it about Purim that motivates us to maximize the day to its fullest and celebrate with a particular gusto? To answer this question, I believe that we need to look a bit deeper at the Jewish concept of joy and its special connection to Purim.

A central concept to any discussion on happiness is achieving clarity. “Ein simcha ela k’hataras

hasefeikos,” there is no joy as that experienced with the removal of doubt. Joy, then, emerges from lucidity of purpose and direction, a feeling of inner contentment that develops from connecting deeply with our personal pathway and role in this world. Our joy deepens when we get past our fears and limiting beliefs and take the necessary steps to fulfill our purpose and mission.

Confusion, unease and the real threat of annihilation sit at the center of the Purim story, already from its outset. So much so that any objective observer of the period would be left scratching his head from the wide pendulum swings of the time and the superficiality, incompetence and comical nature of the day’s rulers.

In one of his earliest acts, Achashveirosh invited the Jews of Shushan to a royal feast. They went en masse, reasoning that their absence would invoke the ire of their new ruler. At the party they were treated to all forms of pleasures and seemed to have gained the king’s favor.

But their attendance at the event

was by no means correct. Mordechai, the leading sage at the time, had forbidden them to go. The kashrus was never in question, as there were no concerns about the acceptability of the food and drink that was served (see Esther 1:8). Still, Mordechai was concerned over potential lewdness at the feast and the unhealthy sociability that their involvement would engender. Furthermore, it soon became clear that the king’s primary objective was to celebrate the fact that Daniel’s “seventy year” redemption prophecy would not come to fruition, and even utilized the vessels of the Bais HaMikdash as part of the festivities (see Megilla 11b).

None of the attendees seemed to have been bothered with their decision at the time. If anything, the situation was further enhanced when Vashti was executed and a young Jewess, Esther, was selected to replace her. Try to imagine how they must have felt at that moment. They were just shown the highest royal honors at the banquet and now one of their daughters would represent

them in the palace! Mordechai must have been wrong after all.

But just as soon as things began to look up, their fortunes reversed sharply. After promoting Haman to chief minister, Achashveirosh gladly removed his signet ring in exchange for a sizable fortune. The two men drank to their hearts’ content while “the city of Shushan was bewildered.” (Esther 3:15) We see more evidence of uncertainty elsewhere, such as with the strong disagreement that existed amongst the Jewish nation about how to deal with Haman. The people as a whole chose to demonstrate respect by prostrating every time they crossed paths with the egotistical minister. Understandably, the people were enraged to see Mordechai bait the maniacal Haman by going out of his way to see Haman and then continuing to walk without bowing.

Such turmoil was felt on a personal level, on both sides of the struggle. Achashveirosh, for one, repeatedly demonstrated confusion.

First, he was shocked and offended

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

by Vashti’s refusal to appear before him. Later, he fell for Memuchan’s (Haman’s) ridiculous suggestion for the king to proclaim that all women in the empire must listen to their husbands. Then, he allowed Haman to legislate to destroy an entire nation under his watch in exchange for cash. Still later, he stumbled upon the heroic story of his personal delivery from Bigsan and Seresh at the hands of Mordechai. After failing to act for some time, he sprang into immediate action to express his belated gratitude. Finally, he followed his initial decree of death with a new proclamation, permitting the Jews to engage in self-defense, as if such permission was necessary.

Haman’s story is also uneven. We first meet him as Persia’s new political whiz, Achashveirosh’s key advisor and confidant. But that status is not enough for him, particularly when Mordechai adamantly refuses to honor him. He feels the need to protect his honor by annihilating an entire nation. Later, his honor is again diminished, this time by the king. Instead of supporting Haman’s plan to hang Mordechai, the king instructs his minister to publicly honor his long-time nemesis through the streets of Shushan. Haman’s pride is temporarily restored when he surprisingly receives an invitation to attend Esther’s VIP banquet with her and the king. But after returning for a second evening, Haman’s shame and confusion reach a head, literally, when his prepared gallows become his personal downfall.

Esther’s rise to power is also a bit bumpy. She rises quickly and suddenly, as if without warning. (There was no logical reason for the king to choose her as Vashti’s successor.

Even according to the opinion in the Talmud that she was of the world’s most beautiful women, she deliberately had tried to remain off of the king’s radar and had not groomed herself in advance of the competition.) Achashveirosh marries her while knowing very little about her; even her national identity is unknown to him. Most significantly, as queen she is largely removed from the public eye. When she is given an opportunity to make an impact, Esther expresses a lack of clarity,

balking at the opportunity (at least at first) to step up and save her beleaguered nation. (See Esther 3:11.)

In fact, the only character of significance that seems to avoid confu-

Not only will she advocate for her people, but they too must act. The entire community would need to fast and pray for her success. Only with their collective efforts and newfound

reconnected with Hashem to such a degree that they came to “reaccept” His Torah (kimu v’kiblu – kiblu mah shekiblu kvar, Shavuos 39a, based on Esther 9:27). In so doing, they invoked Hashem’s compassion and brought about their own stunning and complete reversal of fortunes, a true v’nahapoch hu (Esther 9:1).

Our joy deepens when we get past our fears and limiting beliefs and take the necessary steps to fulfill our purpose and mission.

sion and haziness was Mordechai.

He was clear from the outset as to what needed to be done to combat the glittery lure of Achashveirosh’s feast and then the existential threat of Haman. He immediately sprang into action after hearing of the latter’s decree, donning sackcloth, fasting, praying and taking things up with the queen. When Esther hesitated, Mordechai responded with one of the most powerful lines in the annals of Jewish history, a jarring statement that spoke not only to the Jews’ collective peril at the time, but to the capacity of each individual to impact their own future and perhaps even their nation’s.

And Mordechai said to relay to Esther, “Do not think that you will escape [the fate of] all the Jews by being in the king’s palace. For if you will remain silent at this time, relief and salvation will come to the Jews from another source, and you and the house of your father will be lost.

And who knows if it is not for just such a time that you reached this royal position.” (Esther 4:13-14) By being inactive, Esther would not even save herself. If the decree in heaven was for Haman’s edict to be realized, it would affect her as well (a lesson born out repeatedly in our history). Moreover, this was her opportunity to act and to make a difference. Finally, the reason for her ascension to the throne had become clear and she would be wise to take full advantage.

It was at this moment of breakthrough that Esther reverses course.

When we celebrate on Purim, we will certainly give much consideration to our special salvation. But we raise our standard “celebratory threshold” well beyond normal because we recognize that on Purim we were able to do something that we have not been able to do to the same degree either before or since.

commitment to their Maker would they survive this most harrowing experience.

Not surprisingly, it was a breakthrough in emunah u’bitachon – the clarity to realize that salvation is always possible despite the enemy – that turned the tide. Through fasting and repentance, the Jewish people

Rabbi Naphtali Hoff is an executive coach and president of Impactful Coaching and Consulting. He can be reached at 212.470.6139 or at nhoff@impactful coaching.com.

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in the best possible way by calling in your donation to be distributed to the elite scholars of Kollel Chatzos on Purim day.

‫להצלחת נתנאל דוד‬ ‫בן רות‬ '‫וכל משפ‬

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Another L

k

We Will Laugh Like Never Before

By Rabbi YY Rubinstein

I

don’t know if you’ve ever given any thought to what makes us laugh. One well-known English comedian is also an intellectual who lectures at Oxford and Cambridge.

His name is Rowan Atkinson (you may know him as Mr. Bean) and he splits humor into different categories. One is physical humor, or slapstick.

The second is incongruity, when something appears where it doesn’t belong.

I once saw a funny picture of a row of ten dogs sitting and looking straight into a camera. The dogs were all different – one was a German shepherd, another a collie, a third was a poodle (which I find funny in its own right!) – and sitting right in the middle of all those dogs, also looking up at the camera, was a cat. It shouldn’t have been there, and it made me laugh.

A third category of humor, and perhaps the most common, is the surprise or unexpected. In fact, the funny part of a joke is called the “punchline.” Like a punch, it is sudden and you usually don’t see it coming!

Pharaoh certainly didn’t see it coming in Egypt, which is why he was quite happy to climb into his teeny weenie pajamas (remember he was a dwarf) and tuck himself into his teeny weenie bed despite Moshe’s bloodcurdling warning that Egypt’s

firstborns were going to die that very night.

The ruler of Egypt was quite convinced that his god’s power (the Egyptian’s chief god was the sheep and if that’s not funny I don’t know what is – a lion, yes! But a sheep?) would be recharged as the earth moved close to the constellation called the “Tleh” or Sheep.

Pharaoh and Egypt’s immense occult power came from their ability to manipulate the forces that flowed from those stars. They could even look into the future sometimes and turn sticks into snakes. Now fully charged, Egypt’s mystical arts would place chains back around the necks of the Jews.

It didn’t work out too well for Pharaoh.

Generations of Jewish children with sparkling eyes would learn to sing, “Pharaoh in pajamas in the middle of the night…” Pharaoh didn’t see it coming. He led an army and found the Jews with their backs to the sea and nowhere to go. “Aha!” He must have thought as he picked up his bow and arrows, “Gotcha!”

Then the sea split, the Jews went through, and the Egyptians, led by their king, decided that it would be a simply brilliant idea to chase after them. It wasn’t and the rather obvious conclusion occurred, glug, glug, glug. Yisgadal vyiskadash!

Another person who didn’t see it coming was the Jew-hater Haman.

He was so sure of himself that he arranged all of the components of Mordechai’s execution ahead of the King giving him permission to carry them out.

He must have felt very much the fool when instead he found himself leading Mordechai in a procession of honor. He certainly looked quite the fool when he was confronted by Queen Esther’s revelation that she was a Jew and that he was trying to have her killed.

And he certainly didn’t see it coming when he was led to the steps of the same gallows he planned to hang Mordechai on and remembered that the day he had chosen for his holocaust was the one when the Jews were now arming themselves ready to kill his followers.

I recall meeting one of the most remarkable Jews I ever came across, Natan (Anatonly) Sharansky. Today, of course, he is the head of the Jewish Agency dealing with immigration to the Jewish State.

Probably the former Soviet Union’s most famous dissident, Sharansky was sentenced in 1977 to 13 years hard labor in the Gulag for the trumped up charge of spying for the United States. He was detained in “Perm 35,” a so-called “strict regimen colony” in Siberia. He kept his

sanity during solitary confinement by playing chess with himself in his head. He likes to joke that the advantage of playing this way meant that he always won.

On one occasion, Sharansky had someone carve him a Chanukiah out of wood. He managed to secure some matches, wax and thread to make candles. As he was about to light his improvised menorah, the door to his cell burst open. He had been betrayed and the components of his improvised Chanukiah were confiscated. Sharansky announced to the guards that until they were returned to him, he would go on hunger strike.

The anti-Semitic guards shrugged, if the Jew wanted to starve, bon appetit!

The second day of Chanukah became a taanis for the Refusnik as did the next five. On the eighth and last day of the festival, a remarkable thing occurred.

The Soviet Union was a signatory to an international convention wherein it agreed to allow its prisons be inspected by international human rights lawyers with only twenty-four hours’ notice.

The commandant of the camp received a call that such a delegation would be arriving later that day. It did not escape the Communists’ notice that if they found that his most famous prisoner was starving himself to death because his religious

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

rights had been violated, he might end up joining Sharansky as an inmate in his own prison. He had to persuade Sharansky to give up his protest.

The dissident was brought before the commandant and the guards were told to wait outside. “Prisoner Sharansky,” began the Russian, “this hunger strike is stupid. You are putting your health in danger. Vot can ve do to make you stop?”

Sharansky knew something was up.

“It is very simple,” he replied. “I want my Chanukiah back!”

To give in was, of course, to lose face, but to refuse might mean that he was finished.

“If I give you Jewish candelabra back, you give up hunger strike… yes?”

“Yes,” replied the prisoner. The commandant went to a cupboard and returned the wooden Chanukiah to the prisoner.

“Now you give up hunger strike!” he declared “No,” replied Sharansky.

“But I gave you back Jewish candelabra!” complained the head of the camp.

“I want my candles and my matches!” demanded Sharansky.

This was a much harder concession. Matches in a wooden camp could be used to start a fire. The Russian considered and said, “If I give you candles and matches back, you give up hunger strike…yes?”

“Yes,” replied the prisoner.

The commandant returned these too. “Now you give up hunger strike!” he declared.

“No,” replied Sharansky. “It is the last day of my festival. I want to light the Chanukiah now, here in your office!” he demanded.

“If I let you light the Chanukiah here you give up hunger strike…yes?”

“Yes,” replied the prisoner but added one last condition. “If I am go-

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ing to light them here, I will have to make a blessing and you will have to answer Amen!”

The commandant had no fight left in him and promptly agreed to this condition too.

He stood up and put on his hat while Sharansky prepared his menorah. Having lit the match, he began to recite the bracha while the Russian looked on nervously waiting for his cue to say, “Amen.”

“Boruch ato Hashem,” began the prisoner and then translated the words into Russian. “Asher kiddishanu b’mitzvotov…Who has made us Holy through his mitzvos…vitzivonu l’hadlik ner shel Chanukah,” which he translated as, “and who will destroy our enemies.” Sharansky then nodded at the commandant who answered, “Amen!”

the life of Hashem, who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but rather ‘By the life of Hashem who lifted and brought the seed of the house of Israel from the north land and all the lands.’”

The downfall of Pharaoh and Haman and so many others will be nothing compared to what will happen when Hashem decides to end this long and bitter galus.

Instead we will be talking about how today’s Hamans “didn’t see it coming.” Their arrogance and evil will blind them to Hashem undoing the plans they are hatching against us. When that happens, they will indeed look like fools and we will laugh…as we have never laughed before.

The Prophet Yirmiyah 23:7-8 says, “Behold, days are coming, said Hashem, when it will no longer be said, ‘By

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

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Halachically

Speaking

Mishloach Manos

By Rabbi Moishe Dovid Lebovits

THE MITZVAH One is obligated to send mishloach manos on Purim to his friend, etc. This mitzvah was introduced during the time of Mordechai and Esther and is considered a divrei kabbalah mitzvah and not a d’oraisa. There are two basic reasons for this mitzvah: The Terumas Hadeshen says the reason is in order that everyone should have food for the seudah. The opinion of the Manos Ha’Levi is in order to promote friendship on Purim one should give gifts to one another. The obligation is to send two items (which items will be discussed later) to one person. However, the poskim encourage that the more mishloach manos one sends the more fortunate he is.

When one sends mishloach manos he should fulfill the mitzvah and satisfy both reasons. For example, one who sends clothing has not satisfied both reasons, since he cannot use it for the meal (refer below). The

poskim offer different reasons as to why there is no bracha recited on the mitzvah of mishloach manos (see footnote).1

EATING BEFORE SENDING MISHLOACH MANOS There are some poskim that say one should not eat (a substantial amount of food, tasting is permitted) before performing the mitzvah of mishloach manos. However, most poskim say that one is permitted to eat before the mitzvah is performed.

The reason for this leniency is because one will not forget to send the mishloach manos, since most of the day people are busy sending him mishloach manos, therefore, he will remember to give as well.

MISHLOACH MANOS FIRST OR MATANOS L’EVYONIM? Many say that one should give

matanos l’evyonim before giving mishloach manos. Others maintain that mishloach manos should be given before matanos l’evyonim since mishloach manos is stated first in the posuk.

an who is working for a frum-male boss should say that her mishloach manos is from her husband.

WOMEN’S OBLIGATION

It is good chinuch for one to train his young children in the mitzvah of mishloach manos. Some say this can be accomplished by appointing your child as your mishloach manos deliverer. Others say one should give mishloach manos or money to the child to buy mishloach manos so that they can fulfill this mitzvah.

Some poskim hold that children over 13, even those who are being supported by their parents, are obligated, while other poskim maintain that they are exempt and are included with their parents.

Some poskim maintain that women are not obligated in this mitzvah, however, most poskim say that women are obligated to send mishloach manos. Women should be careful and only send to women and not to men. Some poskim maintain that a woman who is sending mishloach manos may send clothing. Many women are busy preparing the mishloach manos, and the men do not get involved. However, the men should have a role in the mishloach manos as well. Some say it is sufficient for a husband and wife to send mishloach manos together, thereby the mishloach manos is coming from both of them. A wom-

YOUNG CHILDREN PARTICIPATING IN THE MITZVAH

THE CORRECT TIME The correct time to send mishloach manos is on the day of Purim,

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

and not the night of the Megilla reading. If one sent his mishloach manos at night he was not yotzei his obligation and he must fulfill his obligation of mishloach manos by day.

(However, one must keep in mind this is only the first one that one is sending. The mishloach manos that he will be sending to other people may be given at night).

WHAT TO SEND? Some say that one may send the same type of food as long as it is two separate pieces, for example, one may send two of the same type of fruits. Most poskim maintain that it has to be two separate tasting foods.

For example, one may send a piece of meat and a cracker, etc. One is not yotzei two minim with sending an ice cream sandwich. The reason is because sending one min with two brachos is considered one min. Two different brachos are not required to be considered two different manos according to any opinion. One does not have to only send food items; a drink is considered a food item as well, therefore, one may send one drink item and one food item. Many poskim maintain that one may not send raw food as mishloach manos.

Others say that raw food is permitted since one can cook the food if he wishes. One may send a frozen food since it is possible that one may defrost it. One may send packaged food even though it is not fit to eat “as is,” since he has to open the package prior to eating the food. Sending bread with a tavshil is considered two minim. Some send candies or chocolate as mishloach manos. One should send food that can be eaten by the seudah to at least one person.

The custom is that the two manos may be given in one utensil and it is still considered giving two manos. Initially, one should give both manos at the same time; others maintain that if one gave them one after the other it is fine.

NON-FOOD ITEMS One who sends non-food items as mishloach manos was not yotzei his obligation of mishloach manos.

A person may not send a sefer as mishloach manos. Money may not be sent either. Some poskim say that one may send non-food items, however, this does not seem to be the custom.

THE SHIUR There is a certain amount of uncertainty as to exactly what the shiur of mishloach manos is. Some say that the food sent should consist of 6-7 oz. of food, while others maintain one should send the amount of food he would serve his own guest.

The poskim stress that an important size (daver chashuv) should be given. One may send a candy tray since it is different minim. The minhag seems to be to send cake and chocolate as mishloach manos.

SENDING A ITEM WITHOUT A GOOD HECHSHER One who sends food to someone who does not trust that specific hechsher was still yotzei his mitzvah of mishloach manos. The same holds true for someone who sends a certain item to his friend who is on a diet and does not eat that specific food.

DO YOU NEED A MESSENGER? Some poskim maintain that one should only send the mishloach manos with a shliach, messenger.

Most poskim maintain that one does not have to send it with a shliach, and one may deliver it by himself. Nonetheless, one should send at least one set of mishloach manos with a messenger to go in accordance with all opinions. One may send the mishloach manos through a young child or a goy. Some say the reason why the mishloach manos recipient gives money to the young child when he delivers the mishloach manos is because this way the sender is assured that the child accomplished his shlichos.

If one is unable to prepare his own mishlaoch manos and he arranges for an organization to prepare and send it for him, he was yotzei his mitzvah.

WHO TO SEND IT TO? One should send the mishloach manos to his friends since the posuk says “r’eyhu.” Some poskim maintain that one should not send the mishloach manos to someone that he does not get along with since he is not his r’eyhu. Others maintain sending mishloach manos to someone you do not get along with is encouraged, since it will hopefully bring r’eyhus. One’s rebbe is

considered a friend, and therefore, one may send mishloach manos to his rebbe. A person may send mishloach manos to his in-laws. There is a discussion in the poskim whether if one sends mishloach manos to his parents he is yotzei the mitzvah. It would seem that sending mishloach manos to them is a fulfillment of the mitzvah. Many poskim maintain that one is not yotzei mishloach manos when sending to a child under bar mitzvah. A person’s wife is considered his friend and therefore one may send mishloach manos to her.

A mourner has an obligation to send mishloach manos on Purim like everyone else. A mourner who is within the year for his or her parents or a mourner who is within the shloshim of other relatives may not receive mishloach manos.

One may send mishloach manos to a mourner’s wife. A Rav who is a mourner may still accept money on Purim which is usually given to him as an expression of hakaras hatov.

Some poskim maintain that the rav should not be given food. If one’s parent is a mourner, one may send them mishloach manos anyway.

BEING YOTZEI THROUGH A SEUDAH, ETC. One who hosts the seduas Purim for his family/friends may be yotzei the mitzvah of mishloach manos through this meal. When one accepts mishloach manos it becomes his own personal property, and he can do whatever he likes with it. For example, he may send what he received to someone else, and it is still considered as if he bought the mishloach manos. Once the sender sent mishloach manos, it does not make a difference if the recipient used it at his meal, the sender was still yotzei his obligation.

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maintain that one was not yotzei.

The Recipient Is Mochel- If for some reason the recipient says he does not want the mishloach manos, the sender was not yotzei in his obligation.

Sent it Without a Name- If one sends mishloach manos and his name was not written on the package he was not yotzei his obligation.

Left It by the Door- It is very common for people to leave mishloach manos at the door when no one is home. In this situation if the recipient plans on coming home before nightfall, the sender has fulfilled his obligation.

If One’s Wife Accepted The Mishloach Manos- In a situation where one’s wife accepted the mishloach manos on behalf of her husband the sender is only yotzei if the wife tells her husband that he received mishloach manos from this and this person.

1 Refer to Rashbah 1:18, Rambam Hilchos Berochos 11:2, Mikroei Kodesh Purim 40, Taamei Haminhagim 892, Shalmei Todah (Purim) pages 280-281. Some say the reason is because who knows if the recipient and the sender are really friends. (Sifsei Chachumim ibid).

Some say reciting a beracha will lessen the love that is supposed to come about from sending mishloach manos (Rivevos Ephraim 4:173:9, Moadim V’zemanim 8:188, Be’er Sarim 4:76:6, see Serdei Eish 1:61, Halichos Shlomo Moadim 19:footnote 15, Rivevos Ephraim 6:391). The Arugas Habosem O.C. 207:pages 177-177b says the reason is because we only recite a beracha on actions that we would not do if not for the mitzvah. For example, lulav or sitting in the succah these mitzvahs we would not perform if it not for Hashem who told us to do them. Giving presents is something everyone does all the time, therefore, it is not recognizable that we are doing it because it is mitzvah, therefore, no beracha is recited.

DIFFERENT SCENARIOS If one is only sending mishloach manos to only one person and the following occurs: Sent it But Got Lost or Stolen – If one sent mishloach manos and it was lost or stolen one was not yotzei and he must send it again.

It Was Sent Before Purim – According to some poskim if one sent mishloach manos before Purim and it was received on Purim one has fulfilled his obligation, while others

Rabbi Moishe Dovid Lebovits is a former chaver kollel of Yeshiva Torah Vodaath and a musmach of Harav Yisroel Belsky shlita. Rabbi Lebovits currently works as the Rabbinical Administrator for the KOF-K Kosher Supervision.

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

A Purim Secret

BY RABBI YERACHMIEL MICHAEL TILLES

R’ Nissan

Zucke r mandel, the wealthy owner of a glass-blowing factory, lived in Yargin, a small town near Pressburg, which was one of the most important cities in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. As a youth, he had studied at the famous Pressburg Yeshiva. Under the leadership of the world-renowned scholar, the Chatam Sofer, this yeshiva had become among the largest and most respected in Europe.

Nissan and his wife were married for many years without the blessing of a child. When a son was born to them at long last, in Shvat 5583 (Jan.-Feb. 1823), he immediately notified the Chatam Sofer and requested of his former teacher, who was also a mohel, to honor him with the mitzvah of performing the brit mila (circumcision). However, due to their infant’s ill health, the event

was postponed for several weeks. As it happened, the baby was judged to be strong enough to withstand the ceremony on a most auspicious day…

Purim!

At the brit, the Chatam Sofer was glowing with “light, happiness, joy and honor.” Was his incandescence a response to the joy of Purim Day? Happiness for his former talmid?

Both? Nobody knew. When, following custom, he dipped his finger in the wine to place a drop in the infant’s mouth to soothe the pain, the Rosh Yeshiva loudly proclaimed the Talmudic expression: “When wine goes in, secrets come out.” No one could understand why he recited that, but no one had the nerve to ask him either. The father pleaded with the sandek, the head of the rabbinical court of Pressburg, Rabbi Daniel Prustnitz, to ask the Chatam Sofer about the intention of his words, but

the chief rabbi also was reluctant to do so.

The baby was given a perfect name for a Purim circumcision: Boruch Mordechai. It means “Blessed be Mordechai,” from the lyrical paragraph recited after the Megillat Esther readings.

At an early age he stood out from others his age, due to his excellent character traits and dedication to religious observance. Although his parents thought they sensed a certain deficiency in his learning ability, his difficulties were not particularly apparent while he was a child. But after his bar mitzvah, he enrolled in the Pressburg Yeshiva, and then it became impossible to deny that he had distressing, major difficulties in Torah study.

In truth, he was very diligent.

He would sit absorbed in the holy books from morning to evening. But

whenever he was asked to repeat or explain anything he was unable to respond. He simply sat in silence.

His less-sensitive classmates sometimes found it irresistible to mock this behavior. Once, when he briefly left his seat, they switched his volume of Gemara for another, opening it to the same page number he had been on. When Boruch Mordechai returned he continued as before, apparently oblivious to the switch and even to the accompanying snickers.

When he turned eighteen, the Ktav Sofer (who had succeeded his departed father as the head of the yeshiva less than two years previously) advised his parents to send him to the Land of Israel. Maybe there, where “the air of the Holy Land makes wise,” his studies would flourish.

His parents agreed. They had an-

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

other agenda as well: their son had reached marriageable age, and they hoped that the Jerusalem environment would also improve his marriage prospects.

Boruch Mordechai arrived in Jerusalem with a letter of recommendation from Rabbi Shraga Feldheim, mashgiach at Pressburg. The letter enumerated his many exemplary qualities: “This young man is sincerely pious and prays with great devotion, and his desire to study Torah is sincere and enormous.” Presumably, the letter’s recipients were able to read between the lines and divine the student’s lack of intellectual abilities.

One of the scholarly leaders of the Jerusalem community, Rabbi Yeshaya Bardaki, “adopted” Boruch Mordechai, concerning himself for all of his needs. He was suitably impressed with the young man’s sterling character and piousness, but could not fathom how anyone with a lifelong, single-minded pursuit of Torah study could have retained so little.

Just before Boruch Mordechai reached the age of twenty, Rabbi Bardaki managed to find him a bride. She was a simple girl from a good family in Jerusalem, for whom, apparently, the groom’s Talmudic deficiencies were of no concern.

Several years after the wedding, the tall and sturdy Boruch Mordechai began to work as a water-carrier, serving the residents of the Bati Machseh section of the Old City. At that point in time, he was the only Ashkenazi Jew to have adopted that trade in Jerusalem. He was honest to an extreme, and as a result became the most popular of the twelve water-carriers in Jerusalem. Every Rosh Chodesh he would deliver water for free to his regular customers; he worried that if he had inadvertently spilled any drops of water over the course of the previous month, he would be stealing by having charged for full buckets.

He calculated that in three solid hours of work each day he could earn enough to provide for his family. The rest of the time he sat in a corner of the beit midrash (study hall) with a volume of Talmud or Scripture open before him, mouthing the words.

Boruch Mordechai toiled at his chosen profession for more than forty years, in joyous spirit and with gratitude to G-d for his lot. He derived special satisfaction from serving the many Torah scholars within the walls of Jerusalem; he considered this a great merit and refused to accept payment from them. It pained him that the great scholar, Rabbi Yehuda Leib Diskin from Brisk, refused to order his water from him. “I will not allow myself to be served by the likes of Reb Boruch Mordechai Zuckermandel,” he would say, but refused to explain his words.

On

Purim 5653 (1893), in mid-afternoon, most of the chassidim and notables of Old City Jerusalem crowded, as every

special strong wine was poured and passed to Boruch Mordechai, who speedily dispatched it as commanded. It had an immediate effect; the elderly water-carrier climbed onto the table and began to sing and dance energetically.

The sage’s reaction was surprising. He looked up at Boruch Mordechai and with shining eyes but without a smile called out loudly, “It would be nice if you would stop fooling around already and honor this holy assemblage with some strong words of Jewish law & lore (halacha and agaddah) about Purim.”

Suddenly there was silence. Everyone’s gaze shifted in amused anticipation to the tipsy Boruch Mordechai who opened his mouth and began to stutter helplessly.

But then, the Rabbi again de-

All of a sudden, Boruch Mordechai called out to the host in a loud voice from the midst of the swaying chassidim: “Rebbe! Today is exactly seventy years since my brit mila.” year, into the home of Rabbi Shneur Zalman Fradkin of Lublin, the celebrated rabbinic authority, leader of the Chabad chassidim in Israel, and author of the scholarly book Torat Chesed. The atmosphere was exceptionally joyous, even for a Purim celebration. The men were constantly erupting into lively song and dance amid a flow of wine and learned words.

All of a sudden, Boruch Mordechai called out to the host in a loud voice from the midst of the swaying chassidim: “Rebbe! Today is exactly seventy years since my brit mila.”

Everyone smiled tolerantly, attributing the uncharacteristic outburst from the simple water carrier to all the Purim wine he had imbibed.

“If so,” responded R’ Shneur Zalman, “you deserve an extra-large measure of ‘l’chaim.’”

Immediately a large tumbler of a

manded that he speak, and so he did. All the grins slowly gave way to wide-eyed stares of astonishment!

Their old friend the water-carrier was discoursing enthusiastically on scholarly Purim topics and peppering his words with learned citations from the commentaries on Tractate Megillah and a variety of midrashim and works of Jewish law. The rabbi asked him questions about several other related Talmudic tractates, and he answered them too, waxing eloquent, on and on for two hours.

Indeed, those present thought that if the strong wine hadn’t finally taken its toll, he might have continued indefinitely! When he finally passed out, they carried him over to a bench in the women’s section where he slept soundly till the end of the day.

Before Purim ended, the news of the extraordinary scholarship of the unassuming Boruch Mordechai

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Zuckermandel had spread throughout Jerusalem. The community was in an uproar. How had they disdained the accomplished scholar in their midst, allowing him to labor as a mere water-carrier for so many years? How had his extraordinary erudition remained hidden for so long?

A few elders of the community who had associations with Pressburg recalled hearing of the mysterious words of the Chatam Sofer seventy years before. Now, some clever minds were saying that these words could finally be understood. “Nichnas yayin, yotzai sod” – “Wine enters, secrets emerge.” Yayin (wine), which is spelled yud-yud-nun, has a numerical value of seventy, and so does sod, spelled samech-vov-dalet, the word for “secret”!

Author’s note: On the day of the brit of my grandson, Aryeh-Leib Tilles, who was born on Purim 5774 (2014), and on the Shabbat preceding, I had a good time telling this story at several different venues in Los Angeles. Two questions were thrown at me at each event: Did Boruch Mordechai always keep his Torah knowledge hidden, or was it bottled up inside without his realizing it? And what happened after that Purim revelation? My answer to both was the same: “I don’t know – I did not hear.” A year and a half later, as I was completing this manuscript, I found in Yerushalayim Shel Maalah that he had always had this knowledge and was brokenhearted that his secret was exposed. The community refused to let him toil further as a water-carrier, and many students attached themselves to him. When he passed away, the Kabbalists of Jerusalem eulogized him as one of the thirty-six tzaddikim hidden in each generation.

Translated and adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles. (First published on // AscentOfSafed.com.) Reprinted with permission from Festivals of the Full Moon by Rabbi Yerachmiel Michael Tilles, Menorah Books, an imprint of Koren Publishers Jerusalem. Copyright date: 2016.

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

PURIM 5777

KEEP THEM SAFE.

DON’T ALLOW CHOICES WITH LIFELONG CONSEQUENCES. LET’S KEEP PURIM A

Joyous Day!

• NEVER SERVE ALCOHOL TO MINORS • KEEP KEYS AWAY FROM ANYONE WHO DRINKS • KNOW WHERE YOUR CHILDREN ARE AT ALL TIMES

Wishing You a Happy & Safe Purim!

COMMUNIT Y RESOURCE CENTER

One Community. One Resource.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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Certified Funny

m i r u P

A

fter failing to “shatter that glass ceiling” twice now, Hillary Clinton is setting her sights on a more attainable objective – she is running for mayor of the Five Towns.

“I have always loved the Five Towns,” she said, “and I think it’s time that the Five Towns has a mayor who is a champion, a real winner and a person whose ideals resembles those of Karl Marx...I mean Rabbi Marx.”

Hillary will appear at a debate in Peninsula Library with the other candidates...as long as she is given the questions beforehand.

The former first lady and secretary of state spent the first day of her campaign patronizing local stores along with her longtime aide, Humus, who, ironically, is married to a guy named Frankfurter. They were spotted at Fame but didn’t buy anything. Hillary expressed surprise that the popular store didn’t carry fashionable pantsuits.

The campaign briefly got tripped up when Ms. Clinton collapsed as she exited Traditions after a luncheon with bigwig donors. Although some speculate about her health, she claims that she simply fainted because the gribbenes was so good that it knocked her out. However, she plans to stay off of the campaign trail for two and a half weeks to recuperate.

In the meantime, the Clinton Global Initiative has ramped up its efforts to raise money in the Five Towns and will be having a “Five Towns Shabbos of Chizuk for the Clinton Global Initiative.” The achsanya (for those of you in America, that means host) for former President Bill Clinton will be the Geltgebbers. The achsanya for Hillary will be St. John’s Hospital. Her Friday night seudah will be held in Achiezer’s Bikur Cholim room.

Bill will be at Khal Anshei Liberal on Shabbos morning for Shacharis until kedusha. He will then be at Heichal Sm’olies for leining and the first part of Mussaf. For the rest of Mussaf until Ein Kelokeinu, the husband of the mayoral hopeful will be at Bais Soros.

He will then rush to Lev Liberal for the end of Mussaf and will stay there

Hillary Running for Mayor of Five Towns for the post-davening kiddush, which will be a grand extravaganza with kale kugel, organic non-corralled meatless smoked pastrami, and non-GMO vegan chulent. After a spread like that, no doubt all in attendance will feel the burn!

Hillary was warned that during the Shabbos of Chizuk she must abide by the religious rituals of the community and people may be offended if they see her doing things such as talking on the phone or sending out emails. She said that it’s fine: “I’ve never had any problems because of emails.”

Ms. Clinton has picked up the support of key figures in the community including the three Five Towners who voted for her in last year’s election – Mr. Clueless, Mr. More Clueless, and Mr. Totally Clueless. Yes, they are distant relatives. Hillary has gained the vaunted backing of Bernie Sanders who has been seen on Central Avenue screaming at shoppers as they walk by, “I. Am. A. Supppooooooorrttttaaa.

Of. Hillary. She. Is. The. Right. Person. To. Bring. Income. Equality. To. The. Five. Towns. And. I. Totally. Endooooooose. Her.” Hillary has promised a robust agenda. She vows to replace the masculine looking big green pickup trucks used by Village of Lawrence employees with pink bicycles. She has also promised that when she is mayor at least 50% of sanitation workers will be female because “women are just as strong as men.”

The street names are also way too masculine, she says. “I mean, think about it: Allen Lane, Daniel Street, Donald Lane, Edward Avenue, Franklin Place, Howard Avenue, Irving Place, Jordan Avenue, Martin Lane, Napoleon Street, Norman Way, Oliver Street, Stevens Place... Seriously? OK, I like Clinton Avenue, but everything else needs to be changed. How about these great names: Chelsea Crossing.

Hillary Highway. Humus Hills.”

She also expressed dismay that religion has crept into Five Towns’ street names. “I mean, look at Sutton Place, Lord Avenue, Church Avenue, Eden Court. Whatever happened to the separation of church and street?”

Ms. Clinton is an early favorite to win the race. Polls show that she has a double digit lead over her nearest opponent, Mr. Shlump. And polls are never wrong. Right?

Hillary falling as she gets into her van in front of Traditions

Take your Pesach to New Heights Join us for an extravagant Pesach on top of Mount Everest

Real life reenactments of the 10 Makkos (9 out of 10 at least) Tea Room open 27 hours a day!

We are Gebrachts, non-gebrachtz, kitnios, non-kitnios, cholov yisroel, cholov stam And cholov whatevermakesyouhappy!

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Musical guests include Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach and Luciano Pavarotti (yes, for the right price we can bring them back to life) Featured speakers: Tony Robbins, Joel Osteen, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates And TJH Centerfold Commissioner

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

If you’re planning a presidential run but have crazy dandruff, you gotta get yourself some Bernie’s Dandruff Shampoo. xv

Purim Married Guys’ Lives Matter Protests Erupt

Bernie’s Shampoo Bernie’s will take your dandruff from “blizzard” level and bring it down to “just a big snowstorm” level.

Bernie’s Shampoo O

Possible side effects:

 Flailing your arms  Dribbling  Lots of anger towards Wall Street

If these effects last for more than 77 years, call your socialist doctor… maybe he’ll have an open patient slot in another 77 years.

rthodox men throughout the Five Towns have taken to the streets for Married Guys Lives Matter (MGLM) protests. They are upset about glaring gender inequality.

One emotional protester told a TJH reporter: “My wife goes out with her buddies to eat chulent every Thursday night until 1AM; every night she goes out for Maariv – coincidentally, right when it’s time to put the kids to bed – and schmoozes afterwards with her buddies for an hour and a half; when a friend has a baby boy, she goes to the shalom zachor and hangs out for hours; three times a year she goes to Israel for Yarchei Chosson; and the list goes on. And what are my outlets?

I get to powerwalk up Central Avenue twice a week in 35 degree temperatures... if the kids’ bus comes on time!”

Hmmm… The guy has a point.

At a recent Thursday night protest, some protesters shouted,

“What do we want? Hot chulent.

When do we want it? Now!” One of the protest organizers, Noton Sosharpton, who sounded like he had a few hot potatoes in his mouth, said, “Ah never have any food and Ah’m beginning to look like a bubblehead!” He left the protest early, though, after an owner of a local restaurant was seen handing him bags of cash.

Some of the men blocked traffic with their Odysseys and Town & Countries. They promised not to move their vans until an arrangement would be worked out for them to be able to drive normal cars, like Lexus 460s. “I haven’t heard any music other than Uncle Moishy since 2002!” complained one guy.

“I kind of figured out who is coming to town already!”

When the protests were over, many of the angry men wanted to just go home and chill…but there was laundry to be done.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

Purim

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Certified Funny

Five Towns WhatsApp Rehab Expands

T

he highly successful Five Towns WhatsApp Rehab Center has expanded and now treats many forms of WhatsApp disease. The center, which moved to a new, larger facility in the former setting of Brach’s Supermarket, offers its patients a way to learn to cope with the pressures of WhatsApp. It is not meant to wean them off of WhatsApp because even professional therapists know that life without WhatsApp just ain’t memeingful.

The focus, though, is to heal numerous WhatsApp-induced anxieties and to teach coping mechanisms.

“There’s tremendous pressure on people to be good WhatsAppers,” said Dr. 347-972-8146, “and this all-consuming exercise that has taken over every other aspect of life must be handled with great care.”

Some people suffer from WhatsApp typing trauma. That takes place when someone is on typing mode in WhatsApp for an extended period of time inadvertently and then realizes that everyone was waiting to see what he or she was going to write but they ended up not writing anything. “When that happens, people are concerned that others will look at them as either fearful to post, too deliberate, or indecisive,” explains Dr. Ping.

Patients at the clinic are taught about how to have what professionals call “good WhatsApp timing.”

Dr. Major Poster, who is himself an administrator of 17 WhatsApp chat groups, explains that “when a WhatsApp question is posted, you don’t want to be the first person to respond because then you look like you are sitting around all day looking at your WhatsApp and you’re not leading a productive busy life; you also don’t want to be the last person to respond because then you look like a follower,” he explains. “Rather, you should try to be somewhere in the first third of responders.” Dr. Poster calls this the “Rule of First Third Responders.”

There are also lessons given about what type of videos to post on a WhatsApp chats and how to deal with the response you get or – even worse – how to deal with getting no response at all. One coping mechanism is for posters to say the WhatsApp serenity prayer before posting a video that they think is funny: Hashem grant me the wisdom to post good

videos, the courage to hold back from posting bad videos, and the wisdom to know the difference between the two. (Evidently, not enough people say this prayer.)

Frequency of posting is also addressed in the clinic. “Everyone has a choice to make,” says Dr. Check Check (his parents must have been so weird!). “Do you want to be the prolific WhatsApper? OK, if so, get moving.

Go on YouTube. Spend hours looking for every dumb juggling cat video and start posting away,” he tells patients.

The clinic also teaches patients how to be “WhatsApp friendly” but totally anti-social in real life (or whatever is left of it). In a recent group session by Dr. Howard Left, he discussed an all too common scenario that takes place: “So, you are miss cutesy on your WhatsApp chat, always commenting on ‘how adorable’ people’s posts are; always the first to give a huge emoji accompanied by ‘Oh my G-d, Mazel Tov!!!!’; always the first to hypothetically volunteer for a hypothetical event that everyone knows won’t happen. And then you are in a restaurant waiting on line to pay for your salad and you notice that the person right behind you is in your WhatsApp group. What do you do now? You can’t say hello because that would be too social. So what do you do? Very simple: make believe you don’t see the person and quickly yank out your phone and start pecking away, but make sure you are posting to a DIFFERENT WhatsApp group because I promise you that the person behind you knows just who you are and you don’t want her phone PINGING really loud the sec-

ond those thumbs of yours stop pecking because that would be TOTALLY AWKWARD!” There is even a course about how to exit a WhatsApp group without insulting the members. The advice is very simple: Never, ever exit a WhatsApp chat because if you think “your WhatsApp friends” don’t look at you now, once you leave it will be a

lot worse. Additionally the second you leave it’s guaranteed that for the first time ever important information will be posted on the chat.

Even once patients graduate from the clinic, ongoing therapy is important. As such, all graduates of the course are encouraged to stop by every once in a while to say: WHAAATTZ UUUPPPP!

Ben’s Sleep Apnea Center of The Five Towns

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We offer a unique and comprehensive form of sleep apnea treatment that will effectively cure your sleep apnea in one session. Each visitor is greeted by our sleep-talking medical director Dr. Ben Carson for a one-on-one introduction. Two minutes into your conversation with Dr. Carson, you will find yourself dozing off and in a deep state of peace. After five minutes you will be in a REM sleep. You will never fully wake up again in your life, but, don’t worry, you will be somewhat alert and will be able to run for president someday.

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Hillary-ious Tech Services

We specialize in building 100%-certified hackable servers so that your highly sensitive and classified information is guaranteed to fall into the wrong hands

If you have a bathroom, we can put your server in it.

If you need your server wiped, we will clean it like a squeegee man on steroids.

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

Purim

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Certified Funny

Local Official Tapped to Handle Trillion Dollar Infrastructure Project

W

ith President Trump and Congress set to pass a $1 trillion infrastructure package, the need for an expert to oversee the projects has led to a Five Towns official. The official, whose name has not yet been disclosed, was picked because of the fabulous work he has done around the Five Towns.

“Look at what he has done at the intersection of Central Avenue and Rockaway Turnpike,” said one official who was on the search committee, “the way he brilliantly made the sequence of the lights so that if a driver wants to make a left turn from Central he essentially has to cross over the double yellow lines and drive on the oncoming traffic side of the road... amazing! He’s the Robert Moses of our time!”

Officials were also impressed with the way traffic builds up on Washington Avenue, especially on Friday afternoon.

Proposed elevated roadway over Central Avenue

Another great innovation of the Five Towns that may go national is random “pedestrian crossing” signs in the middle of the road that elderly drivers think is a permanent red light and teenage drivers think is a cone on a raceway track.

Thankfully, the issue with the 878 has been resolved now that Gov. Cuomo came to town and validated the situation. Since the Five Towns is on the planet of Venus, all we really want is validation; waiting in traffic for an hour when we are five minutes from

Un & Hillary’s Pantsuits Get your swagger back!

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We Also Carry a Full Line of Sunglasses They’ll never look you straight in the eyes again…

home doesn’t really bother us…now that Gov. Cuomo gave us the validation that we so craved.

We wish the official luck in his new role as infrastructure manager. But, more importantly, we wish America luck…you are going to need it.

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

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Contact information: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20500

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

Purim

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Certified Funny

Five Towns Travel Ban

F

ive Towns Mayor Daniel Trumpstein is facing a public backlash after signing an executive order which bans certain people from moving to the Five Towns. Protesters claim the ban is discriminatory because they say that it is directed towards people from Brooklyn only.

But Mayor Trumpstein argues that it is not directed at people from Brooklyn at all, rather it seeks to prevent seven types of people from moving to the Five Towns, regardless of where they come from. “We simply are banning people who went to Prospect Park, BYA, Shulamis in Brooklyn, Torah Vodaas, Torah Temimah, YTT, or Tiferes Elimelech,” said Shalom Bisamim-er, who is Mayor Trumpstein’s press secretary.

Mayor Trumpstein declared, “We have to do this before it’s too late. Believe me. Believe me. I mean, it may already be too late.

Drive up Central Avenue, do you see what’s going on there? It looks like Avenue M. The only thing we are

Not My Mayor!!

Mayor Trumpstein is a…

Racer, Massage Therapist & Xylophone!!

missing is a Russian pharmacy! Don’t get me wrong, I like the Russians, really do, but I’m telling you folks, if we don’t do this, we will not have a Five Towns left. So true, so true.”

Protestors held a rally outside of the Five Towns Village Hall to protest the ban. They held signs declaring that Mayor Trumpstein is not their mayor. “Mayor Trumpstein, who is a racist, massage therapist, xylophone is evil!” said one protester, before she wandered off for her lunch consisting of seaweed, non-stepped on grass, and fresh rainwater.

Mr. Trumpstein responded with a 4AM tweet

The Centerfold Commissioner wants YOUR photos!

Send him your Purim photos at editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com.

Subject line: Purim Photos

saying: “Fuhgeddaboudit, take a hike up the Belt!”

It is speculated that the

ban will affect everybody from Brooklyn who didn’t move to the Five Towns yet.

This means that a total of three people will be affected.

The Not So OK Team Negotiators

Going into a high-stakes negotiation and need to make sure you fold like a cheap suit?

Want to give away everything and get nothing in return?

Want to make sure your adversary runs circles around you?

HIRE THE NOT SO OK TEAM Team leaders Barack H. Obama and John F. Kerry will bring their zero experience in the private sector and abysmal record in the public sector to the bargaining table on your behalf. They will create clear red lines and abandon them so that you are exposed as having no spine whatsoever. They will assure that by the time of the final handshake, you were totally fleeced by your adversary.

And, of course, they are willing to break a leg for you.

Available References:     

Ayatollah Khomeini Vladimir Putin Bashar al-Assad Raúl and Fidel Castro and others….

Past performance is an absolute guarantee of future results. Rest assured that we will try to mess up for you as we did for our other 350 million clients – otherwise known as the citizens of the United States. ‫ و سجل السيئ في القطاع العام إلى طاول ة مراء واضحة و التخلي عنها بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة مراء واضحة و التخلي عنها بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة مراء واضحة و التخلي عنها‬،‫خبرتهم صفر في القطاع الخاص‬ ‫بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة مراء واضحة و التخلي عنها بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة مراء واضحة و التخلي عنها بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة مراء‬ ‫واضحة و التخلي عنها بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة مراء واضحة و التخلي عنها بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة مراء واضحة و التخلي عنها بحيث عة الحال‬ ‫ة المفاوضات نيابة بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة مراء واضحة و التخلي عنها بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة مراء واضحة و التخلي عنها بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة بحيث عة الحال ة‬ ‫المفاوضات نيابة مراء واضحة و التخلي عنها بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة مراء واضحة و التخلي عنها بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة مراء واضحة و التخلي‬ ‫عنها بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة‬ ‫ فإنها ستخلق خطوط حمراء‬. ‫ فإنها ستخلق خطوط حمراء واضحة و التخلي عنها بحيث عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة عنك‬. ‫المفاوضات نيابة عنك‬ .

‫و قادة الفرق باراك حسين أوباما و جون كيري جلب‬ ‫ و سجل السيئ في‬،‫خبرتهم صفر في القطاع الخاص‬ ‫ فإنها‬. ‫القطاع العام إلى طاول ة المفاوضات نيابة عنك‬ ‫ستخلق خطوط حمراء واضحة و التخلي عنها بحيث‬ ‫ فإنها ستخلق‬. ‫عة الحال ة المفاوضات نيابة عنك‬ ‫ هم‬، ‫خطوط حمراء واضحة و التخلي عنها بحيث عة‬ ‫على استعداد لكسر في ساقه لك‬.

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Purim

Certified Funny

Scandal Hits Five Towns Little League

A

scandal has rocked the Five Towns Little League after it was disclosed that the coaches and manager of last year’s World Series winning team, the Rockets, were in contact with the Russians throughout the season.

The manager of the losing World Series team, the Devils, held a press conference and asked the league commissioner to rescind the trophy. “This was a completely illegitimate victory.

Had they not been in contact with the Russians we would have certainly won.”

The winning team defeated the Devils 19-7 in the World Series game and experts hired by the Devils are certain that the Rockets’ players would not have been able to play as well as they did if not for their managers’ contact with the Russians.

So close was the communication between the Russians and the Rockets that investigators even have pictures of the winning manager wearing a leopard uniform with fur trimming.

He’s even been accused of putting borsht in the team’s Gatorade bottles and drinking White Russians (non-alcoholic, of course) between innings.

The evidence, though, is very flynn-zy and many believe that the losing team is just putin’ on this charade because they can’t handle losing. (They’re the participation trophy-types.)

Although fans of the losing team were given intense coloring book therapy, playdough therapy, and magna-tile therapy after the loss, many of them are still unable to cope. Their colorful oak tags and rain soaked ponchos have brought them no solace. The only thing that brings them any sense of relief is to meditatively chant, “It was the Russians. It was all the Russians.”

Meanwhile, the losing team’s manager has been hiding out in thickly wooded areas with his dog since the loss, except for when he occasionally catches a Broadway show. Some fans have even gone to the forest to try to

get selfies with him – because nothing is as healing as a selfie.

The Devils and their fans show no sign of getting over their defeat and they are so determined to have their

loss overturned that they even seem willing to destroy the league in order to get their way. Which is a shame because it was a good league. It lasted almost 250 years.

Yong-Er’-Mon Chinese Noodle Gemach Got extra spoons and Chinese noodles in your junk drawer or glove compartment?

Donate them to the Chinese Noodle Gemach!

Making a Sheva Brachos and need hi-quality cutlery or something for guests to munch on?

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800-WE-GOT-UR-NU-DLE We also take soy sauce packets, napkins (with or without soy sauce stains) and fortune cookies (if intact and paper not surgically

removed by you because you ran out of things to talk about at dinner and went with the classic, “Nu, what does the fortune cookie say?”)

S29

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Rockove Mr. and Mrs. Mordechai Rosen Mr. and Mrs. Yosef Rosen Mr. and Mrs. Aharon Shia Rosenberg Rabbi and Mrs. Dovid Pesach Rosenberg Mr. Moshe Leib D. and Dr. Debi Rosenberg Dr. and Mrs. Phillip Rosenberg Miss Rachel Rosenberg Mr. and Mrs. Shimshi Rosenberg Rabbi and Mrs. Shmuel Rosenberg Mr. and Mrs. Sruli Rosenberg Mr. and Mrs. Zalmy Rosenberg Mr. and Mrs. Moshe Rosenblum Mr. and Mrs. Dani Rosenthal Mr. and Mrs. Josh Rosenwald Mr. and Mrs. Yisroel Rosman Miss Miriam Ross Miss Perel Ross Mr. and Mrs. Terrel Ross Mr. and Mrs. Moshe Rostker Rabbi and Mrs. Feivish Rotbard Mr. and Mrs. Joe Rotbard Mr. and Mrs. Chaim Rotberg Mr. and Mrs. Chaim S. Rothstein Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Rothstein Mr. and Mrs. Moshe Rubin Mr. and Mrs. Alejandro Rubinstein Mr. and Mrs. Sam Rudansky Russo’s Pharmacy Mr. and Mrs. Menachem Ruvel Mr. Eric Sabbah Mr. and Mrs. Yaakov Safier Mr. and Mrs. Yitzi Safier Mr. and Mrs. Eran Saidi Dr. Artin Sakhaee Mr. and Mrs. Pinny Salamon Mr. and Mrs. Yechiel Salzberg Mr. and Mrs. Nechemia Salzman Dr. and Mrs. Yitzchok Samet Mr. and Mrs. Zvi Samuels Miss Rivky Sapir Rabbi and Mrs. Judah Sarna Rabbi and Mrs. Shimon Saslow Mr. David Sasson Ms. Claire Satlof Mrs. Lynne Satlof-Karas Mr. and Mrs. Avraham Satt Mr. and Mrs. Henoch Satt Mr. and Mrs. Adam Schachar Mr. and Mrs. Henry Schachar Mr. and Mrs. Binyomin Scharf Mr. and Mrs. Akivah Schechter Mr. and Mrs. Daneal Scheer Mr. and Mrs. Robbie Scheininger Ms. Elissa Schertz Mr. and Mrs. Michael Schick Mr. and Mrs. Zalman Schiowitz Ms. Ester Schlossberg Mr. and Mrs. Yaakov Schmukler Mr. and Mrs. Barry Schneps Rabbi and Mrs. Elan Schnitzer Mr. and Mrs. Milech Schnitzler Mr. and Mrs. Ilan Schoenfeld Rabbi and Mrs. Yitzchok M. Schon Mr. and Mrs. Asher Schonkopf Mr. and Mrs. Asher Schoor Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Schorr Ms. Susanna Schreiber Mr. and Mrs. Yisroel Schreiber Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Schuster Mr. and Mrs. Dovid Schwartz Mr. and Mrs. Gedalia Schwartz Rabbi and Mrs. Hayim Schwartz Mr. and Mrs. Irving Schwartz Mr. and Mrs. Mordechai Schwartz Mr. and Mrs. Shloimie Schwartz Mr. and Mrs. Shmuel Schwartz Mr. and Mrs. Yechiel Schwartz Rabbi and Mrs. Moshe Schwartzman Mr. and Mrs. Mordechai Schwed Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Schwed Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Sears Mr. and Mrs. Sam Septimus Ms. Tamar Sharfman Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Shima Mr. Tal Shlomi Rabbi and Mrs. Yisroel Shonek Mr. and Mrs. Shmuel Shlomo Shuchatowitz Mr. and Mrs. Perry Shulman Rabbi and Mrs. Shalom Silberberg Mr. and Mrs. Harold M. Silver Dr. Avraham Silverberg Mr. and Mrs. Moshe Silverman Mr. and Mrs. Yossi Silverstein Dr. and Mrs. David Simai Mr. and Mrs. David Simha Mr. and Mrs. Don Simon Rabbi and Mrs. Dovid Simon Mr. Yaacov Simon Dr. and Mrs. Alan Singer Mr. and Mrs. Dov Singer Mr. and Mrs. Elliott Singer Rabbi and Mrs. Noam Singer Mr. and Mrs. Nosson Singer Mr. and Mrs. Simcha Singer Mr. and Mrs. Yehoshua Singer Mr. and Mrs. Eli Sklar Mr. and Mrs. Yossie Sklarin Rabbi and Mrs. Moshe Binyomin Smilovich Mr. and Mrs. Nesanel Snow Mr. and Mrs. Hillel Soberman Mr. and Mrs. Avrohom Soffer Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Soffer Mr. and Mrs. Harold Sokel Mrs. Sara Sokel Dr. Binyomin Sokol Mr. Alex Solomon Mr. and Mrs. Avi Sontag Mr. Ari Sorotzkin Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Soshtain Mr. and Mrs. Shraga Sosnow Mr. and Mrs. Aharon Spetner Rabbi and Mrs. Avrohom Spiegel Mr. and Mrs. Yaakov Spinner Mr. and Mrs. David Spira Mr. and Mrs. Elchonon Spira Ms. Joan Sprung Mr. and Mrs. Akiva Sprung Rabbi and Mrs. Yonason Sprung Mr. and Mrs. Yanky Stahl Mr. and Mrs. Asher Stahler Mr. and Mrs. Duvi Stahler Mr. and Mrs. Eli Stahler Mr. and Mrs. Jamie Stahler Mr. and Mrs. Aaron A. Stein Rabbi and Mrs. Aaron Eliezer Stein Rabbi and Mrs. Abba Yehudah Stein Mr. Elazar Stein Rabbi and Mrs. Mordechai Stein Mrs. Esther Stein Drs. Neil and Marcie Stein Mr. and Mrs. Nosson Stein Rabbi and Mrs. Shaul Mordechai Stein Rabbi and Mrs. Tzvi Yaakov Stein Mr. and Mrs. Yisrael Stein Rabbi and Mrs. Yisroel Stein Rabbi and Mrs. Zev Zvi Stein Dr. and Mrs. Eric Steinberg Mr. and Mrs. Yoeli Steinberg Mr. and Mrs. Mordechai Steinfeld Dr. and Mrs. Binyomin Stern Rabbi and Mrs. Eliezer Stern Rabbi and Mrs. Eliezer Stern Rabbi and Mrs. Mordechai Stern Mr. and Mrs. Zev Stern Mr. and Mrs. Manny Sternberg Mr. Raphael Sternberg Rabbi and Mrs. Naftuli Sternhell Rabbi and Mrs. Volvi Sternhell Mr. and Mrs. Chaim Zev Stober Mr. Shea Stober Mr. and Mrs. Shmuel Stober Mr. and Mrs. Aryeh Fishel Stone Rabbi and Mrs. Yosef Storch Mrs. Adina Stroock Rabbi and Mrs. Naftali Sudwerts Mr. and Mrs. Shmuel Sugar Mr. and Mrs. Yaakov Sugarman Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Taitelbaum Mr. and Mrs. Dovid Tanenbaum Miss Sara Bracha Tanenbaum Mr. and Mrs. Shmuel Tanenbaum Mr. and Mrs. Leibel Tapick Miss Miriam Teitelbaum Mr. Ephraim Tempelman Mr. and Mrs. Yonah Tepper Rabbi and Mrs. Yaakov Tesser Dr. and Mrs. Martin Thaler Mr. and Mrs. Simeon Thall Mr. and Mrs. Binyomin Thumim Mr. and Mrs. Zecharia Tomaszewski Mr. and Mrs. Pinny Trachtenberg Mr. and Mrs. Shlomo Trachtenberg Mr. and Mrs. Boris Tsatskis Mr. and Mrs. Zvi Tsatskis Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Tucker Mr. and Mrs. Eitan Turk Mr. and Mrs. Moshe Tusk Rabbi and Mrs. Ben Zion Ungar Mr. Menachem Unger Mr. and Mrs. Robert Unger Rabbi and Mrs. Daniel A. Vilkov Mr. and Mrs. Nesanel Vogel Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wachsler Rabbi and Mrs. Elie Waldman Miss Rachel Waldman Mr. and Mrs. Menachem Walfish Rabbi Eliyahu and Dr. Frimi Walkenfeld Mr. and Mrs. Avraham Yitzchak Warshaw Mr. and Mrs. Tzvi Warshaw Dr. and Mrs. Mendel Warshawsky Mr. and Mrs. Naftoli Weber Mr. and Mrs. Shlomo Weber Mr. and Mrs. Eli Weberman Rabbi and Mrs. Yechiel Weberman Mr. and Mrs. Binyomin Weil Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Wein Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Weinberg Mr. and Mrs. Netanel Weinberg Rabbi and Mrs. Shmaryahu Weinberg Miss Talya Weinberg Rabbi and Mrs. Moshe Weinberger Mrs. Shoshana Weiner Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Weingarten Rabbi and Mrs. Simcha Weingot Dr. and Mrs. Aaron Weinreb Mr. and Mrs. Nesanel Weinreb Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Weiss Mr. and Mrs. Moishe Weiss Mr. and Mrs. Moshe Weiss Mr. and Mrs. Shmuel Moshe Weiss Mr. and Mrs. Sholom Weiss Rabbi and Mrs. Yisroel Weiss Mr. and Mrs. Yitzchok Weiss Mr. and Mrs. Avram Weissman Mr. David Weissman Mr. and Mrs. Mark Weissman Mr. and Mrs. Mordechai Weissman Mr. and Mrs. Yosef Weissman Mr. and Mrs. Zvi Weissman Mrs. Toby Weitman Rabbi and Mrs. Yisroel Weitman Mrs. Resa Werblin Miss Sarah Wiener Rabbi and Mrs. Simcha Wiener Ms. Elana Wiesel Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Wiesel Mr. and Mrs. Mendy Wiesner Rabbi and Mrs. Menachem Winer Mr. and Mrs. Yerucham Winer Mr. and Mrs. Dovi Wisnicki Mr. and Mrs. Binyomin Wolf Mr. and Mrs. Nochum Wolf Dr. and Mrs. Steven Wolf Dr. and Mrs. Ranan Wolff Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Wolfson Mr. and Mrs. Avrohom Moshe Wolfson Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Wolfson Mr. and Mrs. Yehuda Wolper Ms. Judy Wolpert Mrs. Tammy Wolpert Mrs. Raiza Leah Wulliger Mr. Jeremy Wulwick Mr. and Mrs. Simcha Wurtzel Mr. Wayne Yaffee Mr. and Mrs. Efraim Yagudaev Mr. and Mrs. William Yisrael Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Yormark Rabbi and Mrs. Aryeh Young Mr. and Mrs. Yehuda Yovits Mr. and Mrs. Mordechai Yurman Mr. and Mrs. Levi Zafir Mr. and Mrs. Yossi Zafir Mr. and Mrs. Eric Zaiman Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Zanger Mr. and Mrs. Dov Zauderer Mr. and Mrs. Mordechai Zelmanovitch Mr. and Mrs. Mordechai Zelmanowitz Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Zerowin Mr. Avrumi Ziegelbaum Dr. Micha Ziprkowski Mr. and Mrs. Derek Zisser Mr. and Mrs. Moshe Zitron Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Zoldan Mr. and Mrs. Shmuel Zoldan Dr. and Mrs. Meir Zombek Rabbi and Mrs. Dovid Zomick Mr. Shlomo Zomick Mr. and Mrs. Yechiel Zucker Mr. and Mrs. Michael Zuckerman Rabbi and Mrs. Avrohom Leib Zupnik Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Zupnik Mr. Aaron Zweig Mr. and Mrs. Tzvi Zylberberg

$

Born with a vision to provide exceptional quality chinuch, addressing and challenging the unique capabilities of each child, in the most pleasant of atmospheres, Siach Yitzchok is a beacon of light in our community.

The highest level of education under the guidance of the finest Rebbeim and teachers takes place in an environment of warmth and understanding. Our success with our students has earned the admiration and acclaim of educators nationwide. Siach Yitzchok’s name has become synonymous with excellent education and character development. Our uncompromising mission remains, as stated by our founder, Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld, k"mz, “to unleash the almost limitless potential lying dormant within every precious yiddishe neshama.”

Siach Yitzchok 1513 Central Ave, Far Rockaway, NY 11691 718.327.6247 info@siachyitzchok.org

mazdesign 718.471.6470

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r Bill r C.C. $__________ r Paid ___________Tickets For ___________ _________________ Exp. ____ ____ ____ ____ CC# _______ ____________________ ____ ____ ____ by:__ Solicited

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Studying Sm

rt

Education is Broken.

So Let Me Fix It! My Pitch for Trump to Hire Me as Secretary of Education

By Chaim Homnick

Disclaimer: The content contained herein is in no way a reflection of the views of The Jewish Home, Gourmet Glatt, or any other corporate sponsors or affiliates. Donald Trump was not involved in the publication of this piece although Russian hackers may have been. No students were harmed in the making of this article although some editors may have dozed off while reviewing it. Side effects of consuming this column in its entirety or in part include nausea, dizziness, constipation, diarrhea, migraines, a weird feeling of resentment towards bad puns, early retirement, more nausea, death, and perhaps most worrisome of all, a scary insight into the dark twisted mass of neurons and nerve endings that this author considers to be his brain. Herein lie the musings, pontifications, deliberations, meditations, cogitations and ruminations of those neurons.

C

ommon Core is anything but common. Math often seems like it is ALL irrational numbers. English ain’t broke, but it be needing some fixings. Science deals with things that can’t be seen for G-d’s sake while forsaking G-d. History is boring, since every history teacher is doomed to repeat it and every student is doomed to sleep through it. And gym is just a chance

for tweens to exercise their thumbs at the speed of light on their smartphones. So now what?

Well, considering Trump’s Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos plagiarized answers for her Senate hearing (true story!), it is obvious that someone needs to make education great again! I’m that guy and here are my wholehearted, half-hearted, seriously not-serious list of problems and subsequent solutions/suggestions for fixing education in America: PROBLEM: School is too long and students’ attention spans are non-existent SOLUTION: 3-minute classes!

Students are waaaay too busy to waste so much time in school. Their entire education comes from Snapchat anyway. Simplify things. Hollywood already knows that the camera angle has to change every 1.2 seconds or so to engage us, so why do we still think that anyone wants to look at an image of the pancreas for an hour straight?? It is time that class periods went by in 3 minute intervals instead of in 45 minute snooze-fests.

Thanks to NFL Red Zone and YouTube, kids already expect to just get the highlights!

It is also time we put kids to work!

School should be a quick morning thing followed by internships, vocational projects and apprenticeships.

Let kids learn real skills in the real world! They already know infinitely

more about technology than we do anyway.

PROBLEM: Common Core SOLUTION: Chuck it, ban it, burn it, relegate it to the Recycle Bin on your computer Everyone’s favorite punching bag, the Common Core is uncommonly

annoying and equally hated from all sides. Imagine the cathartic release America would enjoy when we all got to roast marshmallows over the slow, steady burn of a Common Core Algebra textbook? I mean, seriously, LOOK at this unnecessarily convoluted craziness in the graphic above.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

PROBLEM: Bachelor’s degrees are worthless SOLUTION: On-the-Job Training!

Want to be a doctor? Great, here’s a scalpel! OK, maybe not quite that, but why not skip undergraduate degrees and head straight to advanced programs or start learning a career from people actually in that career?

Forget student loans, the government should let everyone print a feel-good degree online for free (worth the same as any bachelor’s nowadays), and then we can all get back to the real world and our video games.

PROBLEM: Jobs are constantly evolving, how can we educate students?

SOLUTION: Teach them to drive for Uber This seems easy: all our kids will need to pass is their driver’s test and there are jobs galore! Wait, what?

Uber wants robot drivers? Oops. OK, so maybe schools should simply focus on tangible, broadly-applicable skills that students can easily learn, utilize and monetize once they are adults: say, a class in Video Gaming or Fantasy Sports!

PROBLEM: What pedagogic methods and academic modalities should my fancy, forward-thinking school use to best serve the needs of its students and mostly helicopter-mom parent body?

SOLUTION: ALL of them!

Your school should subscribe to everything! Consider it a flavorof-the-month club. Is Montessori in? Good, jumble up your classes!

Hands-on learning? Visit an archeology site and let them dig for stegosaurus bones and old soda cans!

Is putting on a historical play that contains rap lyrics and a re-imagined, originally-boring character like Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton a thing? Double down and follow it up with an encore play with a modern-day twist: Chuck Schumer rap-battling with Bill Clinton about how to buy votes and spend government money.

PROBLEM: Teachers are no good. Teachers are underpaid SOLUTION: Fire 90% of

teachers. Pay the rest like Sports Stars This one is everybody’s pet peeve.

So let’s make it easy: go online and go viral! There is a teacher/tutor in South Korea who makes $4 million a year teaching English online in paid content! (True story!)

Potential New Classes for Today’s Students: • “Txt”ing Grammar • Art through Emojis • The Mathematics of Social Media Follower Counts • Sports Business Management • Quidditch

Forget student loans, the government should let everyone print a feel-good degree online for free (worth the same as any bachelor’s nowadays), and then we can all get back to the real world and our video games.

Fire most teachers and let schools subscribe for video content from top online teachers! This meshes beautifully with the earlier idea of making each class a 3-minute highlight montage anyways. We only let the top 1% of 1% play sports professionally or become celebrities, so it is about time we conferred that level of exclusive, celebrity-status on our teachers.

PROBLEM: Classes are boring SOLUTION: Let’s make some new ones!

• • • • • •

Globetrotter History Yoga Graffiti Art Twitch-Video Game Streaming Kale Cooking The Art of the Deal: Shark Tank Style • YouTube Content Creation • English as a Second Language (for students with no first language) PROBLEM: Tuition is too high. Schools are broke SOLUTION: Follow our government’s lead—borrow money from China

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China likes owning us. So let them! Imagine if your child’s school could borrow oodles of money with little collateral by simply handing over a hastily-scribble IOU and watching as the debt racks up? The over-under on how long until your school’s administration racks up trillions of dollars in debt and installs a botanical garden, theater room and wave pool on the campus has got to be, what, 2 years?!

OK, there you have it! We’ve fixed school, teachers, tuitions, students, and found a way for me to earn $4 million next year. All set! I look forward to collaborating with Trump and helping students secure a “small loan” to get them heading down the right path.

Now that education is fixed, you can enjoy your Purim properly and imbibe freely, knowing that the world is a brighter place today than it was yesterday. And if not? Then alcohol is the logical next step anyways.

Chaim Homnick is the College Advisor at Mesivta Ateres Yaakov of Lawrence where he advises the boys to get a “real job.” He also teaches 5 periods of Honors/AP English Literature which is really just an excuse to teach Toy Story 3 in his AP class as an example of Existentialist Literature. Chaim is the owner of Five Towns Tutoring (fivetownstutoring.com) [AKA The Kaplan Killer] and has new SAT groups forming now for 1st graders to 12th graders (hey, you can never start too early!!).

He scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and the LSAT (he is annoyed that the current constructs of math as we know it do not allow for a 100th percentile score) and tutors both extensively (Since his attempts at a Scrabble Tutoring Business never took off the way he wanted).

He has a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration as well as an MBA. (He wasn’t sure if he needed either so he played it safe and got both.)

Chaim lives in Inwood, New York, where he davens at an awesome shul and has superb neighbors. For questions, comments, previous articles, tutoring, mindless rants or pointed diatribes, he can be reached directly at chomnick@gmail. com or 305-321-3342.

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Meir Kay Spreads His Unique Brand of Happiness

By Malky Lowinger

H

e’s creative, he’s energetic, and he’s genuinely funny.

He’s also a little bit wacky and thrives on making people laugh.

If you’ve never watched a Meir Kay video, you’re in for a surprise. Kay (short for Kalmanson) has become something of a YouTube sensation, having accumulated many thousands of views and acquiring over 600,000 followers on Facebook.

There’s something about his carefree spirit and uninhibited enthusiasm that’s really intriguing. We were able to chat with Meir for just a few moments in his busy, happy day.

Meir, tell us about yourself.

I actually grew up in a Chabad household in Connecticut and went through a traditional yeshiva education. I received my rabbinical certification in Singapore, which makes me a rabbi.

I’m 27-years-old and currently live in Crown Heights. My main occupation right now is developing the Meir Kay brand. For a guy who’s

all about video production, I should point out that I never actually went to school for that. I’ve learned what I know from working as a production assistant on short films and then eventually diving in.

So what experience do you bring to your videos? Do you

childhood was filled with love and attention and I learned at a young age to respect all types of people.

I began my mission of spreading happiness in my teens, while living in foreign countries like Romania, Ukraine, and Bali where I would lead sedorim or Yom Kippur services or direct summer camps.

There were times when I didn’t meet another Westerner for days at a time. But I met the most incredible people along the way.

have a track record for making people laugh?

I was always fond of the spotlight so when it came to school plays or camp projects, I was usually the first to volunteer. Boruch Hashem, my

Seems like you’ve been around.

I’ve traveled to almost 40 countries so far. I’m curious by nature and like to visit places I read about.

Being a Chabad shaliach helped to satisfy that hunger.

I’ve had my share of experiences. I spent seven months backpacking through Asia and five months in South America. I’ve hiked to Mount Everest Base camp in Nepal, did scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, skydiving in New Zealand, and surfing in Bali. There were times when I didn’t meet another Westerner for days at a time. But I met the most incredible people along the way.

How did you get involved with Chai Lifeline?

I was always a camp guy, so when a friend told me about Camp Simcha I was very excited to get in. Camp Simcha was an incredible experience, truly the happiest place in the world. Lives are changed and enhanced while friendships are made that last a lifetime.

When the first session of Camp Simcha ended, the head counselor asked me to stay for the second session – Camp Simcha Special for children with chronic illness. I became the counselor of a teenager named

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Oshry, who is now featured on many of my videos. He’s an incredible human being who inspires me to dream bigger.

I saw how you took a cardboard cut-out of Oshry on a trip around the world with you so he could “be with you” on one of your adventures. I am sure he was delighted when he heard about it. On another video that went recently viral, you invited some homeless people to a Super Bowl party. How did that go?

The Super Bowl is more than a game of football, it’s practically an American holiday. People plan for weeks in advance on getting together with family and friends to celebrate.

For homeless people, this is a prime time for loneliness to creep in. So an hour and a half before kickoff, I walked around 34th Street in Manhattan to invite whoever I came across. It was a very cold day, and it wasn’t easy to find anyone out. But I gathered a few guys who were excited to join the party. We hopped into a cab and went on over to the RoofTop Bar at 230 Fifth.

That night nobody thought about homelessness. We were just a bunch of guys watching the game together and enjoying each other’s company. We, ate, drank, and celebrated.

During the halftime show, we went out to enjoy the view. The evening was something special, a night I’ll always remember.

Your Facebook page says, “I’m all about spreading happiness and positivity to the people

and places around me.” Are you on a mission?

Aren’t we all? Isn’t everyone’s goal to be happy? All I’m doing is trying to raise awareness so that people will spread positivity and connect with others instead of chasing the dollar.

This is where true happiness lies.

It’s a timely message for all of us, now that we’re well into the month of Adar.

When it comes to happiness, the more you give the more you get. This is true at Camp Simcha where you think you’re giving the kids a great

personality comes from. Also, I try to live up to my name Meir, which means to illuminate. According to Chabad chassidus, a name reflects a person’s soul. So I’m trying to illuminate the world.

How do the non-Jewish people you work with respond to your religious appearance and beliefs? Do you consider yourself an ambassador of sorts of the Orthodox Jewish lifestyle?

I’m Jewish. It’s who I am. So everything I do has a piece of that within in. When I work with col-

We all carry a flame within us, and throughout our lives we will come across people who need to be ignited.

summer, but you realize afterwards that the opposite has happened and you’ve gained so much. It’s also true when we go out to volunteer, visit sick children, help at a Purim program, or prepare baskets for those less fortunate. Giving to others will make your Purim more fulfilling and your life much happier.

leagues from other faiths and beliefs, religion certainly does come up. I explain to them what it means to be Jewish, that I cannot eat with them or work on a project that is being filmed on Shabbos. I also explain how we can all make a positive impact in the world, no matter who we are or where we come from.

We’ve seen some of your work and it looks like you’ve got lots and lots of energy. Where does that come from?

My parents have incredible energy. If you would meet my mother, you’ll know where my high energy

Any future goals or projects you are willing to share with us?

There are many. Right now I’m working to expand the Meir Kay Brand and to connect with larger brands in an effort to reach more

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people and spread the message of happiness and positivity. I’m also looking to branch out beyond video production to public speaking and perhaps to start a positive apparel clothing line.

I’m also finding new ways to spread energy. For example, I’m growing my Bar Mitzvah Motivator business, bringing lots of energy to the simcha and entertaining the boys while making the bar mitzvah boy the center of attention. B”H the feedback has been incredible.

Any final message for our readers?

I love the story of the Lamplighter. Back in the old days when there was no electricity, there was a specific person who would walk the streets and light the lampposts with a single flame on a long stick.

Each of us is a lamplighter. We all carry a flame within us, and throughout our lives we will come across people who need to be ignited. They may be down, or struggling, or needing inspiration. We have the power to light up their world and ignite the flame within them. And when we do this, we give them the power to be a lamplighter and pass it on to someone else.

Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle but the life of that first candle will not be diminished. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

To stay up-to-date on Meir Kay’s positive videos, like him on Facebook or follow him on Instagram.

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

N o sh, Nosh, a H aman ta sh

BY NI NA SAFAR

H ama nt a s c h e n sh ould be as e xc i ting and colorf ul as t he h o l i da y w e e at th e m on . For ge t the clas s ic f illing s of apricot an d p ru n e , a n d be adv e nturous w hen baking t he t hree co r n e re d p a s t r y. I e n j oy usi n g n on-t radit ional ing redient s to giv e t h e s t a n dar d di sh a fun and f es t ive makeover.

Pop Tart Hamantaschen Both children and adults will enjoy biting into these sweet sprinkle topped treats!

INGREDIENTS H 2 eggs H ½ cup oil H 1 teaspoon vanilla extract H 2/3 cup sugar H 2 teaspoon baking powder H 2 ½ cups flour H 1 cup raspberry jam (or your fav flavor!)

H Sprinkles for decorating

For the Frosting H ¾ cup powdered sugar H 1 tablespoon almond milk H 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

PREPARATION Cream together eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Slowly add flour and baking powder. Mix together. The dough might be crumbly; use your hands to smooth it out and combine it. Roll out dough on floured surface. Cut out triangles using a triangle cookie cutter. If you do not have a triangle shaped cookie cutter, trace out a bunch of hexagons connected then cut them out to create triangles.

Fill center of triangle with ½ teaspoon jam then cover with antother triangle, gently pressing the edges down. Using a fork, crimp the edges down all around. Bake on 350°F for about 15 minutes.

Once the cookies have cooled off, combine frosting ingredients and frost the center of each triangle. Immediately place sprinkles on top before the frosting hardens.

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Hamantaschen Ice Cream Sandwich Bar Hamantaschen ice cream sandwiches are the ultimate Purim treat! These hamantaschen are perfect for entertaining children over the holiday. Create a hamantaschen ice cream sandwich bar with crispy triangle shaped cookies, an assortment of ice cream flavors, and toppings such as sprinkles, crushed cookies, chopped chocolate bars and melted chocolate. Then let everyone have fun creating their favorite combinations.

INGREDIENTS For Hamantaschen H 2/3 cup sugar H ½ cup oil H 2 eggs H 1 teaspoon vanilla H 2 ½ cups flour H 2 teaspoon baking powder

For serving H Ice cream (any flavor!)

H 1 cup chocolate chips H Sprinkles

Optional toppings H Crushed cookies H Chopped chocolate bars H Cereal such as Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Pebbles, etc.

PREPARATION Cream together sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Slowly add flour and baking powder. Mix together. The dough might be crumbly; use your hands to smooth it out and combine it. Roll out dough on floured surface (about ¼ to 8/1 thick) and cut out triangles using a triangle cookie cutter. Bake on 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow hamantaschen to cool off.

Meanwhile melt chocolate chips in microwave on 30 second increments, stirring in between until melted. Once cookies are cooled off, drizzle melted chocolate on top of half of the cookies (saving the other half for the bottom of the sandwich cookie), then top with sprinkles. Allow chocolate to dry before assembling ice cream sandwiches. (Another option is to sandwich two cookies with ice cream then drizzle melted chocolate over and garnish with toppings.) Place a scoop of ice cream on plain cookie then top with a chocolate sprinkle cookie.

Serve immediately.

Tips & Tricks: Swap sprinkles for crushed cookies, mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bars. Create a hamantaschen ice cream bar by setting up different flavored ice cream in bowls, melted chocolate as well as fun toppings, and letting everyone decorate their own ice cream hamantaschen sandwiches.

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Malawach Hamantaschen These savory hamantaschen are a delicious snack to nibble on throughout Purim day or a fantastic appetizer to serve for the Purim meal.

INGREDIENTS H 1 package frozen malawach, defrosted H 5 hardboiled eggs, peeled and sliced H 10 tomatoes H Salt and pepper, to taste H Lemon for squeezing H Dill, roughly chopped for serving

PREPARATION To make the tomato dip: Grate the tomatoes and then add salt, pepper and fresh lemon to taste.

To make the malawach hamantaschen: Cut triangles from malawach dough. (Each malawach makes about 8 triangles.) Heat up a pan with 2 tablespoons of oil and lightly fry up triangles until lightly browned on both sides. Serve with sliced hardboiled eggs and tomato dip topped with freshly chopped dill.

Nina Safar is the founder and foodie of Kosher in the Kitch!

‫ב“ה‬

CHABAD OF FAR ROCKAWAY PRESENTS Motzei Shabbos March 11 Beginning with Megillah Reading at 7:30 pm followed by magical show for children New Location: Bais Medrash Ateres Yisroel Social Hall 827 Cornaga Ave, Far Rockaway,NY 11691 Suggested Donation $ 5 per child Sponsorship opportunities available For more info: FrChabad@gmail.com  718 868 - 0116

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Good Hum r

Triangular Tradition

By Jon Kranz

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ther than the Bermuda triangle, no three-sided figure is more mysterious than hamantashen, the triangular treats traditionally eaten on Purim and named after the ridiculously anti-Semitic Purim villain Haman. The question is: why would we name such a delightful little pastry after such a louse? In other words, why name a baked good after someone so bad?

Generally speaking, Jews do not eat items named after their former adversaries. On Passover, we do not eat Pharaoh Farfel. In remembrance of the Inquisition, we don’t eat Torquemada Toast. For good and obvious reason, there is no such thing as an Amalekite Apple Turnover. So, why on Purim do we eat cookies named after the Dark Vader of Shushan?

Granted, hamantashen are not the only baked goods named after controversial historical figures. For example, a Napoleon is a three-layered, cream-filled puff pastry which, according to some scholars, is named after Napoleon Bonaparte, the former emperor of France. Of course, Napoleon was known for his diminutive height so a better dessert in his honor would have been the Strawberry Shortcake. According to other scholars, Kaiser rolls were created in honor of Kaiser Franz Joseph I, the former emperor of Austria. Kaiser rolls, however, typically are round, hard and crusty so I’m not sure the name was meant as a compliment to the Kaiser.

When it comes to hamantashen, some scholars contend that the trian-

gular shape corresponds to Haman’s three-sided pointy hat. The Book of Esther, however, makes no mention of such Haman-ic haberdashery so whoever came up with this triangle theory was being a bit “obtuse.”

Speaking of triangles, a friend of mine once helped his mother make some hamantashen. After all that she had done for him, he was “acute”ly

up? It would be like a super-fit gym instructor wearing a burka.

Some scholars argue that (i) Haman wore a three-sided hat for attention, (ii) attention seekers are selfish and evil, and (iii) thus Haman was selfish and evil. I choose to dismiss this argument as nothing more than triangular reasoning. Others scholars argue that Haman’s triangular

Of course, Napoleon was known for his diminutive height so a better dessert in his honor would have been the Strawberry Shortcake.

aware that it was the “isosce”least he could do in return. He became a fulltime hamantashen maker and soon received a job offer from a competitor, which he accepted because it was a sensible “equi”lateral move.

The idea of Haman wearing a hat, triangular or otherwise, makes little sense given what the Talmud has to say about him. Believe it or not, the Talmud suggests that Haman, prior to becoming a royal advisor, spent many years working as a barber. (See, Megillah, 16a)(Yes, the idea of Haman as a hairstylist is “Esther”ical.)

This begs the question: why would a barber wear a hat? Isn’t a barber’s hair like a mobile billboard for their hair-styling services? Why cover it

hat represented his devious tendency. That might make more sense if he was accused of perpetrating a pyramid scheme.

Believe it or not, the triangular shape of hamantashen actually has an important message. It is discussed in a Midrash that provides some added flavor (apricot, prune and poppy) to the Purim tale. The Midrash explains that as the Purim story unfolded and Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews began to take shape, the three forefathers of the Jewish people – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – were awoken from their heavenly sleep (and luckily they did not hit the heavenly snooze button.) They asked for divine intervention to save the

Jews and, according to the Midrash, their prayers were answered and Haman’s powers were weakened. Not coincidentally, in Hebrew the word “tash” means “weaken” and thus a hamantash (or the plural hamantashen) literally means “Haman was weakened.”

If we take this “tash = weaken” notion to its logical conclusion, (i) a great name for Jewish air fresheners would be “Odortashen,” (ii) an appropriate product name for Jewish soundproofing systems would be “Racket-tashen,” (iii) a menschy military name for Jewish deep-penetration bombs would be “Bunker-tashen,” and (iv) an understandable industry name for declining television viewership would be “Ratings-tashen.”

If we take this “tash = weaken” concept to its illogical conclusion, then (i) when David beat Goliath, he must have been slinging “Giant-tashen,” (ii) when synagogue congregants have trouble lifting the Torah during the Shabbat morning service, they should be pelted with “Hagbah-tashen,” and (iii) when struggling Jewish columnists tell incredibly awful jokes, they should be forced to eat “Humor-tashen.” (I’ll take two dozen to go.)

Bottom-line: There are two sides to every story but there are three sides to every hamantash.

Happy Purim!

Jon Kranz is an attorney living in Englewood, New Jersey. Send any comments, questions or insults to jkranz285@ gmail.com.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

Around the Community PHOTO CREDIT: IVAN H NORMAN

The Navi Shiur of Far Rockaway & the Five Towns has completed more than twenty years. The final shiur of the season was Tehillim, Chapter 23, given by Rabbi Yosef Goldberg. The shiur will begin again, G-d willing, in the late fall. Pictured here is Rabbi Yosef Goldberg at the shiur

SKA MACS Presents “The Silent Language”

Marc Salem with SKA senior Shira Kurland

By Ayelet Aharon SKA ‘18

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ACS (Modesty Awareness Committee for Students) of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls presented an exciting and interactive program to understand the meaning behind “The Silent Language,” body language, and its connection to modesty on Wednesday, February 22.

The program began with a mind-blowing performance by Marc Salem, a frum Jew who is a world-renowned mentalist and mind reader.

Mr. Salem engaged the entire crowd with his spectacular lie detecting and mind reading abilities. He explained the use of body language in his work, examining the stances and movements of each participant as he worked. He taught us all an important lesson – we are always communicating, even when we are silent.

The performance was followed by a workshop run by teacher and student facilitators, allowing the girls to relate the concept of body language to different aspects of life. The workshop included videos of politicians and criminals expressing themselves silently, as well as a series of videos

prepared by MACS students portraying everyday uses of body language in SKA. The girls also read and discussed articles connecting body language to Torah, especially relating to the concept of tzniut.

The morning concluded with an additional video prepared by MACS showing the impact of silent communication through dress by displaying impressions and reactions of people to differently dressed Barbie dolls. The entire experience was an amazing opportunity to learn about such a relevant topic that is so fundamental but rarely discussed, and it was presented in an interesting and exciting way which appealed to different personalities. In her own way, each girl was able to gain from this program and become more aware of the use of body language in her everyday life as a form of communication and self-expression.

Thanks go to Mrs. Elisheva Kaminetsky, Director of Religious Guidance, and her assistant Mrs. Zimmerman Dennis and the teacher and student facilitators for all of the hard work that they put into making this event a success!

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Around the Community

The Turning Point: The Night of Purim

B

ecause “v’nahapoch hu” includes your personal salvation

too!

You see its imminent arrival with the frenzy of shoppers in the nosh aisles and basket departments. You hear its approach with the joyful tunes that play in the background. And you feel its appearance with the joyful thumping in your heart.

Purim is…Purim. The long-anticipated day that showers forth joy and blessing for the entire year.

At the Kollel Chatzos headquarters, we too are swept into the joyous Purim preparations in signature Kollel Chatzos- style. We are inundated with hundreds of callers from cities across the globe, requesting a share in the Torah learned by the esteemed kollel on Purim night. Many of these callers ask that the talmidei chachamim daven on their behalf and evoke rachmei

Shamayim in the auspicious Purim night hours.

As the callers share their heartbreaking plights and heartfelt yearnings for salvation, we feel their pain…and share their hope. After all, the night of Purim is a particularly ripe time for salvation.

The Ch’sam Sofer assures individuals who learn between the two megillah readings that they will merit a year of life, tranquility, and nachas – and a guarantee for Olam Haba. The Me’or v’Shemesh explains that because the entire Purim miracle began with Achashveirosh’s slumber-less night – “b’layla hahu nadeda shnas hamelech” – Purim night is a special eis ratzon for Yidden throughout the generations.

And indeed, from the days of Mordechai and Esther until this present day, countless Yidden have merited dramatic yeshuos in the merit of dedicating Purim night to limud haTorah. The

story of the famed gaon, Rav Volf Nachum Borenstein, zt”l, mechaber of Agudas Eizov, is well-known. One fateful Purim, the gaon exerted himself to upkeep his nightly practice of awakening at chatzos to learn Torah. He was informed from Shamayim that his learning coincided with a cataclysmic moment of history, a moment that no one else was learning Torah, but he. It was his midnight Torah learning that upheld the world. As a result, he was rewarded with a child who lit up the world; the great Avnei Nezer, zt”l, whose Torah and tziddkus continue to illuminate Klal Yisroel. All because of limud haTorah on leil Purim.

This year, we know that the broken-hearted Yidden who call upon Kollel Chatzos to be their emissaries and poel a yeshua are especially fortunate. Talmidei chachamim will learn on their behalf in Chatzos Kollelim

throughout the world. Particularly remarkable, the talmidei chachamim of the distinguished Meron Kollel will learn and daven on their behalf on both Purim nights – 14 and 15 Adar. On 15 Adar, the kollel will be joined by talmidei chachamim of Yerushalayim shel Maaleh, who are in the midst of their Purim celebrations and come to mark the day by learning in the courtyard of the heilige tanna, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.

In addition, on Shushan Purim, Kollel Chatzos delegates will also daven on their behalf at the kever of

Mordechai and Esther in the city B’reim. As the emissaries who brought forth the miracle for Klal Yisroel in the past, it is certain that Mordechai and Esther will evoke rachmei Shamayim on behalf of all petitioners today as well.

To partner with Kollel Chatzos and share in the merit of Torah learning on Purim night or to hear more about the tremendous segula of twelve hours of consecutive Torah learning between megilla leinings, call Kollel Chatzos headquarters: 718-887-9114.

The Purim Party that Put it All Together at the Marion and Aaron Gural JCC

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ozens of children raced into our Harrison-Kerr Family Campus in Lawrence this past Sunday to secure a spot at the festively decorated tables. The Kadima program for single parent families at the Marion and Aaron Gural JCC was hosting a Purim party, and children and parents alike arrived with smiles on their faces, anticipating a few hours of fun and a respite from their normally chaotic and stressful days.

While all services and support of the Kadima program – made possible by a generous grant from UJA-Federation of New York and The Jewish Communal Fund – are offered with an open heart and free of charge, this particular event was especially meaningful as it brought together several communities and organizations in a beautiful, united effort to make Purim special for single parent

families.

Every aspect of the party was heartwarming, including the first phase, where we invited the children to “shop” and choose from scores of colorful and cool costumes graciously donated and sorted by The Ramaz School, via a special chessed initiative. Many of the children were so delighted to find the perfect Purim ensemble that they donned them on the spot and wore them for the duration of the party.

As we waited for the entertainment to begin the children – and parents too – enjoyed working on the Purim activity books scattered on the tables. The word searches, mazes, games and holiday wishes were lovingly created by the eighth grade girls at HALB in a mitzvah project specifically designed for Kadima families.

The tables were filled with souvenirs and mishloach manot lovingly

donated by Kadima parent Aviva Deil in honor of her daughter Shira Esther’s recent bat mitzvah. In fact, the mishloach manot were collected and packed by Shira’s sixth grade Bnot Yaakov classmates in Great Neck as a special chessed project for our Kadima party.

StoryFaces, a series of playful storytelling shows, was the amazing entertainment. A perfect Purim performance involving uniquely animated stories, audience participation, and fascinating make-up art – a riveting combination of theatre and visual arts. Throughout the party delicious refreshments were served, including plenty of Purim nosh, hamantaschen and fruit and ice cream treats, generously sponsored by our friends at Gourmet Glatt.

As the festivities concluded and happy families bid their good-byes, blue bags, bountiful with mishloach

manot goodies, courtesy of our supportive friends at the Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach, were distributed to all.

This Purim event not only gave the children a chance to enjoy but, as important, it was a wonderful opportunity for the single parents to mingle and relax and experience a much-needed normal holiday celebration.

The Kadima Purim party was a shining example of individuals and communities coming together to make a difference.

If you know someone struggling through the complications and isolation of separation, divorce or post-divorce, please contact Rachayle Deutsch at the Marion and Aaron Gural JCC (516)569-6733 or email rachayle.deutsch@guraljcc. org.

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Adar at Shulamith High School

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o usher in the month of Adar, Shulamith High School launched the Happiness Project: Increasing, Understanding and Creating Joy which will run from Rosh Chodesh through Purim. Research has shown that engaging in acts of kindness and giving of oneself brings true happiness. This month is filled with many opportunities for Shulamith High School students to get into the Adar spirit of giving. We started off the week with a fun and exciting color war. Although color war is typically competitive, at Shulamith HS, it was an opportunity to strengthen friendships and learn valuable lessons. The positive energy from color was was channeled and focused on giving to others. Ms. Mael kicked off our new chessed “Pay it Forward” campaign on Wednesday, motivating the students to help each other and the community at large. Students packaged mishloach manot and will be spreading smiles

to individuals with special needs on Purim in conjunction with The Friendship Circle.

On Thursday, we were privileged to hear from Rebbetztin Aviva Feiner about Esther: A Tragic Hero. Rebbetzin Feiner described how Esther

gave completely of herself to save our nation and became the ultimate giver. Although Esther could have despaired, she chose to find fulfillment and embrace her crucial role in the Purim story. We ended off the week with Sharsheret Pretty in Pink

Day in which students learned about Sharsheret’s important work and made challah together. At our Challah Bake, we discussed the mitzvah of hafrashat challah and the joy of bringing Shabbat into our homes.

A Deeper Look at Sleep

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bstructive sleep apnea has been all over the news lately. The engineers of both the Hoboken and Brooklyn MTA train crashes have subsequently been diagnosed with OSA. What is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)?

OSA is when someone stops breathing in middle of his or her sleep. One of the main causes is when one sleeps, they lose muscle tone.

When the muscles in the back of their throat that keep the airway open go limp they collapse so no air can pass from their nose and mouth to their lungs. When this happens, they can stop breathing for many seconds at a time! When the brain senses a lack of oxygen (from not breathing,) it wakes the person up just enough to get those throat muscles tight, the airway open, and to resume the airflow.

This is called a micro-arousal, and it completely disrupts normal sleeping patterns. This constant struggle to breathe is why people with OSA often wake up more tired than when they went to sleep.

OSA is dangerous in its own right.

Its symptoms include:

• • • • • • •

Snoring Daytime sleepiness or fatigue Headache in the morning Weight gain Hypertension Acid reflux Frequent urination during sleep hours • Trouble concentrating, forgetfulness, depression, or irritability It can also make many existing medical conditions worse. It has been linked to increased risk of heart attack, heart failure, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and a whole slew of other nasty ailments. And let’s not forget car accidents (people who have sleep apnea have a five times greater chance of auto accidents due to drowsiness).

How is OSA diagnosed?

OSA can only be diagnosed with a sleep study prescribed by a board-certified sleep physician. The sleep test can either be done in a sleep lab or in the comfort of your own home.

Where does the dentist come in?

There are basically two methods used to treat OSA. Wearing a CPAP machine. That’s the mask that most people are famil-

iar with. It’s the one that makes people sound like Darth Vader. While it is still considered the gold standard for treating OSA, it is not right for everyone.

Using a mandibular advancement device. This is where we come in.

What is a Mandibular Advancement Device?

It is a custom oral appliance that holds the bottom jaw forward. When you gently move the bottom jaw forward, the tongue follows. This helps keep the muscles and tissue in the back of the throat from collapsing, allowing easier breathing.

The oral appliance is worn in the mouth, over the teeth (similar to a night guard), to treat snoring and OSA. Oral appliances may be used alone or in combination with other means of treating OSA. These means include general health improvements, CPAP therapy, weight management, and surgery.

Oral appliance therapy is an effective, non-invasive treatment of OSA with minimal side-effects. It has several advantages over CPAP therapy. It is: • Comfortable • Easy to wear • Quiet

• Portable • Discrete • Easy to care for Contact info@diamondsleepsolutions.com for more information.

Dr. Asher Diamond is certified by the Academy of Clinical Sleep Disorders Disciplines in dental sleep medicine. He is also a member of the American Academy Of Dental Sleep Medicine. He helps people get a better night sleep from his Oceanside office.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

456 Central Avenue, Cedarhurst | 516.791.1925 Store hrs: Sun: 11-6, Mon-Thurs: 11-7, Fri: 10:30-1:30

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R’ Nossen Zupnik, R’ Moshe Aharon Friedman, and R’ Yerachmiel Sheiner at Mesivta Shaarei Chaim in Far Rockaway, where R’ Friedman gave a shmuz to the bochurim

Pheffer Amato Praises Cuomo on Upgrade of Route 878

A ‫בס״ד‬

Due to overwhelming registration, we have opened a second Nursery class for the 2017-2018 school year.

Please call 718-868-3232 to request an application.

ssemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato attended the press conference last weekend at the Five Towns Community Center unveiling a $130 million overhaul of Route 878, the Nassau Expressway, which connects JFK Airport with Long Beach via the Five Towns. The project, which will fortify the crucial highway against storms, install stateof-the-art signaling, and create bicycle and pedestrian lanes, is expected to begin construction in 2019, six years ahead of schedule.

Pheffer Amato applauded the infrastructure upgrade in next-door Nassau County. “When the bridges connecting Rockaway Peninsula to Brooklyn and Queens are blocked, or for folks further East, the people of my district use 878 as their primary evacuation route. No matter the county line, this is our backyard,” she said. “More superstorms, like Sandy, are all but guaranteed, so we need ways to leave when necessary. This project is forward-thinking, protects our critical evacuation routes, and is being done quickly – which matters. The people of the 23rd District are extremely grateful for the priority that the Governor has given to their safety.”

The substantial Orthodox Jewish population on both sides of the Queens-Nassau line forms one contiguous community, and Pheffer Amato said the upgrades to 878 will also help them cross safely to go to shul. Right now, with decaying and

misrouted infrastructure, the on-foot journey is perilous. This is problematic for observant Jews, who are prohibited from driving on the Sabbath. “You shouldn’t have to worry, when you go to daven, that poor urban planning puts you at risk of being hurt,” said Pheffer Amato. “These are established communities, the beating heart of the Eastern part of my district. Pedestrian safety is the highest priority, and this plan prioritizes that.

For that, as well, the Governor’s office has our thanks.”

Pheffer Amato also made a case that “QueensRail is the new 878,” playfully suggesting that the Governor continue his JFK-adjacent infrastructure upgrade project by reopening the Rockaway Beach Rail Line.

The proposal, called QueensRail, would provide “drastically improved commuter times from the Rockaway Peninsula to Midtown Manhattan, as well as single-seat access from Manhattan to JFK.” Pheffer Amato and her predecessor, Phil Goldfeder, are both strong advocates for QueensRail. The proposal is currently being studied.

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TJH

Centerfold

You gotta be kidding Yankel was dressed in his finest suit when he went for an interview with the president of a world-renowned bank. The banker turned to him and said, “So tell me, sir, what do you think is your greatest weakness?”

Yankel, who prepared for this question, responded, “Honesty. Sometimes I am just too honest and I say what’s on my mind.”

The banker was intrigued and said, “I don’t think honesty is a weakness.”

Yankel replied, “Actually, I really don’t care at all what you think.”

Hey Underlings, Here’s a picture of me asking President Trump a question at a press conference last week. I don’t know why he got upset at me. But, whatever. Anyways, you see my yarmulke? It’s got TJH’s email address on it. Use it! The serious folks who handle the rest of TJH asked me to get my legions of fans to participate in the Purim photo album (probably because they know that the only original and funny costumes are those worn by you guys). So please, make me look good, maybe it will get me a raise (yeah right).

For those of you who can’t ed i t e .com o r@f i v e tow n sj ew i s h h om read off of yarmulkes, the email address is editor@ fivetownsjewishhome.com.

When sending your Purim photos, make sure to include the words “Purim Pictures” in the subject line. (Capitalizing each word is totally optional.) The deadline for photos is Monday, Shushan Purim, at 10pm. Get it?

Got it? Good!

Happy Purim!

The Centerfold Commissioner

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“A Costume is a Window into Your Soul” What you dress up as tells me everything I need to know about you Barack Obama: You like eavesdropping on other people’s private conversations.

President Trump: Ty lyubish’ Putina, ne otritsay eto (Translation: you love Putin, don’t deny it).

Juice Box: You think so outside the box that you actually put yourself in a box…must be really comfortable.

Chuck Schumer: You love hearing yourself talk.

Mummy: So, you bought your costume in October, huh? Anything to save a few dollars!

Hillary Clinton: You have a tendency to snatch defeat from victory.

Sushi Chef: You are an addict. Stop thinking about sushi; it’s just food!

Long-haired Rock Star: Do you really think that would make you happy?

Vladimir Putin: You think you can sway elections.

Policeman: You like doughnuts.

Doctor: You love making people wait.

Fireman: You like putting out fires.

Mailman: Helllllloooooo Newman!

Steve Jobs: You are a mogul at heart.

You can certainly create the next Apple...start planting!

Ben Carson: You love sleeping.

Cowboy: Let me guess—you tell people that you have a concealed carry license.

A Scotsman with a Kilt: You went up the wrong aisle at Party City and totally didn’t realize it.

Clown: Forever the funnyman.

Chassid: You like kishke.

Limo Driver: You never see a rearview mirror you don’t want to schmooze with.

Hippie: You are still living in the sixties…and you really should put on some deodorant.

Riddle me this?

David is delivering mishloach manos for his wife, who is a master mishloach manos maker. She individualizes each one and spends weeks before Purim working on it. David labels each one before delivering them. The first box is marked “Chocolate,” the second is marked “Candy,” and the third box is marked “Mixed.” While on the way to make his deliveries, David realizes that he labeled the boxes incorrectly. But he doesn’t want to open them up because his wife spent approximately 6 hours and 35 minutes tying them with bows. How can David figure out what is in each mishloach manos by only taking one item out of one of the mishloach manos boxes?

See answer to the right

Answer to Riddle: First, David takes an item from the box marked “Mixed.” If it is chocolate, he knows that the box can only contain chocolate and can’t be the mixed box. He looks at the other 2 boxes; one is labeled “Candy” and the other is labeled “Chocolate.”

Since the boxes are mislabeled, he knows that the one that is labeled “Candy” does not actually contain only candy, rather it is the mixed box. Now he also knows that the box labeled “Chocolate” must be the candy box. (Same logic applies if he picks out a piece of candy from the box labeled “Mixed.”)

Disney Character: You believe in make-believe. Don’t worry, someday your dreams will come true.

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From the Fire

Parshas Tetzaveh – Parshas Zachor Upholding the Torah

By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

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ne of the most difficult aspects of the haftarah of Shabbos Zachor is Shaul HaMelech’s failure to completely eliminate Amalek along with its livestock and possessions.

Shaul was a big tzaddik and it cannot be that he was simply negligent in fulfilling Hashem’s command. The Navi (Shmuel II 21:6) even gives him an appellation that is not given to anyone else: “chosen of Hashem.” The Gemara (Yoma 22b) explains that Shaul’s failure to carry out the Navi’s instructions was not due to laziness in fulfilling Hashem’s command. Rather, he made a logical deduction and believed that he was doing the right thing: [The pasuk (Shmuel I 15:5) says about Shaul’s war with Amalek,] “And he fought in the [dried out] riverbed”; Rav Mani said [that he made

an argument] regarding a riverbed.

When Hashem told Shaul [through the Navi], “Go and smite Amalek” (Shmuel I 15:3), he said, “Just as [the Torah expressed the significant value of] a single human life through the mitzvah [Devarim 21:1–9] of eglah arufah,1 how much more so all of these many lives. And even if the people sinned, what sin did the animals commit? And even if the adults sinned, what sin did the children commit?” A Voice came down from Heaven and said to him, “Don’t be so righteous!” (Koheles 7:16).

Even with this explanation of the Gemara, how can we understand that Shaul could have uprooted a mitzvah of the Torah because of a logical deduction he made on his own? The Chasam Sofer zt”l explains (Toras Moshe, Shabbos Zachor, “Vayomer Shaul”) that in

truth, Shaul’s whole intention was to establish the observance of Torah within the Jewish People. The pasuk says, “Cursed is the one who does not uphold the words of this Torah” (Devarim 27:26). What does it mean to “uphold” the Torah? The Yerushalmi (Sotah 7:4) explains, “[If someone] learned, taught, observed, and kept [all of the mitzvos] and was able to strengthen others’ [observance of Torah], and he did not do so, he is counted among those who are ‘cursed.’” Along similar lines, the Gemara (Yoma 86a) says “[The pasuk (Devarim 6:5)] ‘And you shall love Hashem your G-d,’ [means that] the name of Heaven should become beloved [to others] through you.”

The Chasam Sofer writes that from the fact that one who fails to cause the Torah to be upheld by others is cursed, we can infer that

one who upholds the observance of Torah by others is blessed. He also points out that in fulfillment of this principle, Chazal decreed that it was better to forbid the fulfillment of certain mitzvos like lulav and shofar on Shabbos in order to prevent the desecration of Shabbos and uphold the observance of Shabbos among the Jewish People.

We see from the foregoing that the Sages have the power to decree that we passively neglect to fulfill a mitzvah in order to strengthen the observance of Torah. The Chasam Sofer explains Shaul’s logical deduction as follows. He saw that the People derived the Torah’s great value of human life from the mitzvah of eglah arufah. They would therefore be unable at this time to understand how Hashem could condone the cruel act Continued on page 68

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

of destroying every man, woman, child, and animal of Amalek. Afraid that the observance of the mitzvah of eradicating Amalek would cause “a desecration of G-d’s Name,” Shaul decided that he had to passively forego the performance of the mitzvah of completely destroying Amalek in order to avoid a desecration of G-d’s Name and uphold the observance of the Torah among the Jewish People.

WRONGHEADED RATIONALIZATION The Chasam Sofer explains that Shaul made a critical error. If we allow the mores of society to determine which rules of the Torah are moral, it would nullify the entire Torah. Today we don’t understand one mitzvah. Tomorrow it will be a different mitzvah. The values of the masses constantly shift and cannot form the basis of our observance of the Torah.

Rather than nullifying mitzvos that the masses do not understand, we must strengthen their appreciation of the fact that “Hashem is the G-d of knowledge and to Him deeds are counted” (Shmuel I 2:3). We must understand that man’s intellect is limited and we cannot expect to understand how Hashem’s wisdom is expressed in every mitzvah.

Shaul HaMelech thought that he was upholding the Torah, and this is why he had the audacity to tell Shmuel, “You are blessed of Hashem, I have upheld the word of Hashem” (Shmuel I 15:13). He thought that because he prevented what he perceived to be a desecration of G-d’s name that he applied the lesson of the pasuk “Cursed is the person who does not uphold the words of this Torah.” But in reality, it was just the opposite. Hashem told Shmuel (ibid.

15:11) that Shaul had “turned away from Me.” Indeed, Hashem said, “He did not uphold My words” (ibid.), as he intended to do. Instead of upholding the Torah, he actually caused them to separate from the Torah by teaching them that they could nullify mitzvos by relying on their own understanding of what is good and moral, rather than nullifying themselves and their intellect in order to understand and apply what Hashem desires. Although Shaul thought he was upholding the Torah in the

Jewish People, the Voice from Heaven told him, “Don’t be so righteous.”

Hashem knows what He is doing.

Very often, we mistakenly make Shaul’s logical deduction ourselves in one area or another. We may shake hands with the opposite gender at work without consulting with a posek in order to avoid “desecrating G-d’s Name” or compromise some other area of halacha in order to ostensibly make the Torah more beloved in people’s eyes. I have often been told that not talking in shul could potentially cause a desecration of G-d’s Name if an individual is perceived as be-

even stronger than it had been before that time.

There is a Purim story from the Old Yishuv in Yerushalayim. The rav of the city at that time was Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld. A hidden tzaddik, Rav Hirsch Michel Shapiro, Rav Kook’s rebbi in Kabbalah, also davened in the same shul as Rav Sonnenfeld. The minhag in that shul was that Rav Sonnenfeld always led the Mincha davening on Purim afternoon because he wanted to ensure that no one who was drunk led the davening. One year, Rav Shapiro noticed that Rav Sonnenfeld seemed

We uphold the Torah because it comes from Hashem, and not because we personally understand every single mitzvah with our limited intellect.

ing “unfriendly” by not responding to his neighbor’s questions and by avoiding conversation. However, instead of increasing people’s respect for Torah, the longterm effect of this approach is to teach people that the Torah’s values bend in the face of that which is seen as acceptable in the eyes of the masses. This greatly demeans the Torah and weakens the observance of the Torah among people in the long term, rather than the intended goal of strengthening of the Torah.

EXPLAINING THE PASUK “The Jews upheld and established …” (Esther 9:27), the Gemara (Shabbos 88a) explains that “the Jews upheld [the Torah] that they had already received.” Rashi explains that the Jewish People reaccepted the Torah as a result of the love of Hashem generated by the miracle of Purim. The expected destruction at the hands of Haman was seemingly caused due to Mordechai’s insistence on not doing what was popular by bowing down to Haman like everyone else. But it was ultimately this approach that caused the Torah to become established

giddier than usual and he was concerned that Rav Sonnenfeld himself had a little too much to drink before Mincha. He asked a number of people to lead the davening, but everyone refused because they knew that Rav Sonnenfeld always led the davening.

Finally, Rav Shapiro had no choice and he led the davening himself. But he made a mistake and accidentally said, “Who makes the wind blow and brings down the dew.” Everyone was a bit drunk and no one caught the mistake except for Rav Sonnenfeld who called out “Who makes the rain descend!”

A number of people came over to Rav Sonnenfeld afterward, quite amused that Rav Shapiro was concerned that Rav Sonnenfeld was not in a proper state to lead the davening, but that Rav Sonnenfeld was the only person in shul alert enough to catch Rav Shapiro’s own mistake.

Rav Sonnenfeld then observed that the numerical value of the phrase "‫בין משיב הרוח ומוריד הגשם בין משיב הרוח‬ ‫ — ומוריד הטל‬between ‘Who makes the wind blow and brings down the rain’ and ‘Who makes the wind blow and brings down the dew’” is with-

in three of the numerical value of "‫מיחייב איניש לבסומי בפוריא עד דלא ידע‬ ‫ — בין ארור המן לברוך מרדכי‬A person is obligated to get drunk on Purim until he does not know the difference between ‘cursed is Haman’ and ‘blessed is Mordechai.’”

Everyone was amazed at this calculation, especially by one who was supposedly slightly inebriated, but one of the men listening, who was a mathematical genius, answered Rav Sonnenfeld, “No, they are ten more apart!” But Rav Sonnenfeld answered, “No, you’re not counting the letter yud in the word ‫( איניש‬a person), which has a numerical value of ten. Only with the letter yud, which means “a Yid,” a Jew, can one appreciate the mitzvah of “‫חייב איניש‬ ‫לבסומי בפוריא עד דלא ידע בין ארור המן‬ ‫ — לברוך מרדכי‬A person is obligated to get drunk on Purim until he does not know the difference between ‘cursed is Haman’ and ‘blessed is Mordechai.’”

Being a Jew means not expecting to understand everything about Hashem’s wisdom. We uphold the Torah because it comes from Hashem, and not because we personally understand every single mitzvah with our limited intellect. The greatest praise of Mordechai is “He was a Jew” (Esther 2:5). A Jew lives his life according to the dictates of halachah not his own intellect or public opinion.

May we soon merit to understand what it means to be a yud, a Yid, and not rationalize away any mitzvah or halacha based on what we think will make the Torah more popular. May we merit to celebrate Purim together in Yerushalayim with Moshiach, may he come soon in our days.

1

The mitzvah of eglah arufah provides that if a dead body is found in an open field, the sages from the city nearest to the body must travel to a dried-out riverbed and perform a ritual to atone for the fact that this person was killed in the vicinity of their city.

Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, is the founding Morah d’Asrah of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, NY, and has served as Mashpia in Yeshiva University since 2013.

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

The Observant Jew

Expect the Unexpected

By Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

T

he Shabbos before Purim is known as Shabbos Zachor because of the special Torah reading said on this day. We read the paragraph which adjures us to destroy any remembrance of Amalek.

It is also known as Shabbos V’nahapoch, the Shabbos of “turned over,” which in my yeshiva, at least, meant you could expect lots of unusual things to happen and tunes to be used at davening that normally wouldn’t fit in with the solemn, though joyous, spirit of Shabbos. In a way I guess it makes sense, since we are to remember to “forget” Amalek, which can be confusing and somewhat counterintuitive.

Unusual things are actually expected around Purim time. When I led Hallel on Rosh Chodesh Adar, I used the tune for Al HaNissim. Someone came over to me and said, “I’m more used to that being associated with Chanukah, but I guess you do say the same words on Purim.” Another man interjected, “Right, that’s the shtick!” So what exactly is this fascination with Purim “shtick”? Why do we do things like dress up and make jokes on and around Purim?

Well, in good Jewish fashion, let’s answer a question with a question.

The Yalmkut Shimoni (Mishlei 9) points out that at Esther’s feast Haman was happy thinking that Esther was showing him honor, but he didn’t realize she was actually setting a trap for him, thereby saving her nation forever. It says she acquired for herself the good name that, in the future, all holidays will become null except for

Purim. R’ Elazar adds that Yom Kippur will also remain. The question is: What is so special about Purim that it will last forever?

In essence, Purim is about understanding that this world is a masquerade. What appears to be the truth is not. As the Gemara (Bava Basra 10b) relates: a boy died and told his father, “I saw an upside-down world. The great people were on the bottom and the low people were on the top.” His father told him, “You saw a right-side up world; it is this world that is topsy-turvy.”

come a keeper of birds in the Bais HaMikdash, which was really a step up!

So many things look one way and are actually another, and that’s the essence of Purim shtick. We remind ourselves that what we see isn’t real, it isn’t true, and it may be someone’s idea of a joke. What that does is help us to see the truth behind the mask.

Interestingly, the Yalkut we mentioned says Esther got a shem tov, a “good name.” The Midrash in Parshas Naso says that the crown of a good name corresponds to the menorah in the Mishkan. The Vilna Gaon in

Only Purim, which enables us to see the truth through all the costumes and camouflage, will remain.

What to Haman appeared to be the pinnacle of success was actually a trapdoor opening beneath him.

What appeared as horrible, when Esther was taken to the palace, was actually the beginning of the plan to save the Jews. When the Jews attended the King’s feast because it appeared to clearly be the politically prudent thing to do, despite Mordechai’s warnings, they actually set themselves up for Haman-gate. Even what looked to be the greatest point for Mordechai, to be a royal liaison and advisor, reduced his stature in the realm of Torah and he left it to be-

Avos comments that it represents the menorah because “a good name is better than good oil,” and it is no coincidence that most years Shabbos Zachor/Venahapoch falls on Parshas Tetzaveh which discusses the pure oil needed for the menorah That means that Esther’s “good name” – that all holidays will disappear except for Purim – “sheds light” on our question. In the future, all the masquerading will be gone. Only Purim, which enables us to see the truth through all the costumes and camouflage, will remain.

Amalek, too, sought to obfuscate

the truth by filling the world with lies.

Our mitzvah, then, is to remember to banish all remnants of the façade they stand for. We don’t have to forget them per se, but to make the charades of this world a thing of the past. That’s why Yom Kippur may also exist forever, because it’s a time when we delve inward to our true selves and cast off the falsehood of “everyday life.” Like Purim (hence Yom Ki’Purim) we are seeing the truth, not the shtick.

At this point, we’ve answered our questions, but there is one more looming large. This column is always light-hearted fun, but this time it’s a shiur! Ah, my friend, you know the answer, don’t you? It’s always a shiur. It’s always about seeing the truth through the façade and finding Hashem hidden in the details. This time, when we speak of pulling off the mask, we actually did it, and put the truth right out there in the open so you can experience the joy of true insight and know exactly what to expect.

Happy Purim, everyone!

Jonathan Gewirtz is an inspirational writer and speaker whose work has appeared in publications around the world.

You can find him at www.facebook.com/ RabbiGewirtz, and follow him on Instagram @RabbiGewirtz or Twitter @ RabbiJGewirtz. He also operates JewishSpeechWriter.com, where you can order a custom-made speech for your next special occasion. Sign up for the Migdal Ohr, his weekly PDF Dvar Torah in English. E-mail info@JewishSpeechWriter.com and put Subscribe in the subject.

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Between the Lines

An Earned Inheritance

By Eytan Kobre

I would rather make my name than inherit it. - William Makepeace Thackeray

O

usted from power, the dictator of an Eastern European country sat down and wrote two letters to his successor, with these instructions: If you find yourself in a situation you can’t get out of, open the first letter and everything will be resolved. If you find yourself in another situation you can’t get out of, open the second letter.

Soon enough, the successor was in some untenable situation, so he opened the first letter. “If you’ve opened this letter, you must be in a real predicament. Blame everything on me,” it read. So, he blamed everything on the old man, and it worked like a charm. Crisis averted.

Some time later, the successor was in another sticky situation that seemed hopeless. With no alternative, he opened the second letter. “If you’ve opened this letter, you must again be in inescapable predicament.

Here’s what you do. Sit down, and write two letters…”

At one point or another, most of us engage in some form of succession planning. But as Moshe would learn the hard way, despite our best efforts,

positions of leadership do not always pass by inheritance (Rashi, Bamidbar 20:25; K’sav Sofer, Shemos 28:1).

Following the passing of their longtime rabbi, the elders of a prominent Lithuanian community sought to appoint a distinguished replacement. The late rabbi’s son lobbied for the position, but the city elders regarded him as unfit for the post. At an impasse, the two sides submitted their dispute to the Chofetz Chaim.

The Chofetz Chaim noted that Judaism does recognize succession rights – for example, a king or Kohen Gadol is succeeded by his son (Rambam, K’lei HaMikdash 4:20; Rambam, Melachim 1:7). Still, in connection with the Kohen Gadol’s clothing, we are told that “seven days shall the son that is priest in his stead put them on, he who comes to the Tent of Meeting to serve” (Shemos 29:30). The implication is that only the Kohen “who comes to the Tent of Meeting” (i.e., the Kohen Gadol) is succeeded by his son “in his stead” – others, like the Kohen Anointed for War, are not necessarily succeeded by their children (Yoma 72b-73a; Rambam, K’lei HaMikdash 4:21). Likening a rabbi to the Kohen Anointed for War, the Chofetz Chaim ruled that the city elders were correct to pass over the rabbi’s son for a more distinguished successor.

There is ample disagreement over whether rabbinic positions are her-

itable (Rama, Yoreh Dei’ah 245:22; Magen Avraham 53:32; Responsa of Chasam Sofer, Orach Chaim 1213; Avnei Nezer, Yoreh Dei’ah 312).

When the Baal Shem Tov passed away, his son was appointed successor until the Ba’al Shem Tov came to his son in a dream and directed him to relinquish the role in favor of his closest disciple, the Maggid of Mezritch. In contrast, the son of the rabbi of Tzefas, R’ Avraham Shalem, was still a minor when his father passed away. Although the townspeople wished to appoint the renowned R’ Moshe Alshich as successor, R’ Shlomo Elkabetz ordered them to wait for the young heir to come of age to appoint him to the post.

But regardless of whether positions of authority are heritable, the Torah itself most certainly is. Indeed, the very first words taught to a Jewish child – “Moshe commanded the Torah to us, an inheritance for the congregation of Yaakov” (Devarim 33:4) – reinforce the notion that the Torah is our inheritance (Sukka 42a; Rambam, Talmud Torah 1:6; Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Dei’ah 245:5).

So “one who withholds the teaching of one law from a student robs him of his ancestral inheritance” (Sanhedrin 91b). It’s ours for the taking (Rambam, Talmud Torah 3:1).

R’ Yanai once invited a stranger to his home, only to later discover that the man was a total ignoramus

(Vayikra Rabba 9:3). After a bit of back-and-forth, the guest demanded his “inheritance.”

“What inheritance?” asked R’ Yanai.

“The Torah is described as ‘the inheritance for the congregation of Yaakov,’” the man shot back, “not ‘the congregation of Yanai.’”

R’ Yanai conceded the point and endeavored to teach the man Torah.

Because while the stranger lacked any Torah knowledge, this much he knew: the Torah was his inheritance and he was entitled to learn it.

The Torah is our inheritance because, at our very core, we yearn for its words and its teachings. The Torah is our inheritance because of the unbreakable bond between the Torah and the Jewish soul. The Torah is our inheritance because the Jew, the Torah, and G-d are all one (Zohar, Acharei Mos; Ruach Chaim, Avos 6:3). Just as there cannot be a Torah without the Jewish people, so there can be no Jewish people without a Torah.

So, unlike the entitlement to priesthood or royalty, the entitlement to Torah is universal. The “crown of priesthood went to Aharon” and the “crown of royalty went to Dovid,” but “the crown of Torah rests and waits, ready for all” – “anyone who wants it may come and take it” (Rambam, Talmud Torah 3:1). Likewise, “there were three rims in the Bais Ha-

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

Mikdash: one of the Altar, taken by Aharon (Kohanim); one of the Table, taken by Dovid (kings); and one of the Ark, which remains accessible to all” (Yoma 72b).

That is the reason G-d instructed the building of the Mishkan using the singular voice (Shemos 25:13, 17, 18), with one exception: when it came to the Ark, G-d used the plural (Shemos 25:10) so that no Jew could claim a greater or exclusive entitlement to the Torah (Tanchuma, Vayakhel 8).

No, no, no. When it comes to Torah study, all have equal access.

But equal access doesn’t necessarily mean an equal share. “Prepare yourself to learn Torah, for it is not an inheritance” (Avos 2:17). While the Torah is an inheritance inasmuch as we are entitled to it as-of-right, that entitlement must nonetheless be renewed and earned again in each generation. It may be true that the Torah constantly seeks to “return to its host” (Bava Metzia 85a), but only

where it finds a welcome mat rolled out (Ruach Chaim, Avos 2:17).

When the mother of R’ Elya Klatzkin (later the head of the Lublin rabbinical court) found her chil-

the Torah as inheritance – it belongs to each of us as-of-right, but only through our renewed commitment to attain and transmit it. This is reflected in the description of the Torah

Just as there cannot be a Torah without the Jewish people, so there can be no Jewish people without a Torah.

dren spending excessive time poring over the family tree of their illustrious lineage, she burned it, reasoning that it was better for her children to be ignorant of their lineage and work to continue it rather than to rest on their laurels and assume it would pass to them effortlessly.

There is thus a certain duality to

as an “inheritance” (Devarim 33:4).

Whereas some regard it as an inheritance bequeathed naturally, others emphasize the need to nonetheless earn our entitlement to it (Seforno and Rashi, Devarim 33:4).

Purim synthesizes this duality.

Although the Jewish people had accepted the Torah at Sinai, it was

not until the time of Purim that “they fulfilled what they previously had accepted” (Shabbos 88a; Esther 9:27).

What they accepted at Sinai was an inheritance guaranteed to them simply by virtue of being Jewish; what they discovered through the miracle of Purim was a Torah and way of life contingent upon rekindled sacrifice and commitment (Meshech Chochma, Devarim 33:4).

Purim thus reaffirms the Torah as our rightful legacy, but also challenges us to make the sacrifices and commitments necessary to make it truly “an inheritance for the congregation of Yaakov.” The former comes effortlessly; the latter – well, that’s up to us.

Eytan Kobre is a writer, speaker, mediator, and attorney living in Kew Gardens Hills. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? E-mail eakobre@outlook.com.

• Focus on the complete person • Seminary Credits accepted in major • Stimulating and challenging courses universities that speak to the heart and mind • Extracurricular Programs under direction • Warm atmosphere with expert of Mrs. Yocheved Shonek mechanchim and mechanchos

In Memory of

Mrs. Rose Edelman

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Jewish History

Memoirs of a Forgotten Rabbi The Troubled Life of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Ferber

By Rabbi Pini Dunner

Part IV

B

efore sharing the memoirs with you, let me first share with you some concerns and housekeeping matters that needed careful consideration before the memoirs were published.

As I read through the memoirs I noticed numerous repetitions, but rather than becoming an editor who ruthlessly excludes any material that renders the narrative too verbose, I decided to keep editing down to an absolute minimum.

Only where a change was needed for a sentence to flow, or on the rare occasions where a word was illegible, I stepped in to make sure the narrative flowed properly. I decided that it was not appropriate to turn this unique composition into a scholarly publication of some ancient manuscript. The memoirs were not written by Rabbi Ferber to be dissected and analyzed by a bunch of university trained academics, to then be published so that a handful of other intellectuals could read it and then use a few choice quotes for their obscure articles in academic journals.

Absolutely not! Rabbi Ferber wrote the memoirs so that all those who could benefit from reading them would have the chance to do so.

And I saw my job as the editor to ensure that I would carry out those wishes properly.

But there was one issue that I really grappled with as I prepared

the manuscript for publication – whether or not to include the names of Rabbi Ferber’s antagonists. It is clear from the original manuscript that Rabbi Ferber himself was unsure how to proceed on this point.

In many cases he included only the first and last letter of a name. In other instances he added a missing name into the text at a later date. Often names that are hidden

purposely writes the full names! It was this fact and a chance piece of luck that helped me decide how to proceed on this point – whether to include names or whether to delete them completely.

Some years ago I wrote a letter that was published in the letters page of the Jewish Chronicle, a newspaper in London that caters for a wide

The rabbi, gentle and forgiving in most things, was implacable in his opposition to those who sought to “modernize” Judaism.

from the reader in one chapter are explicitly included in the following chapter, sometimes in relation to the same event. Obviously, many of the names of his antagonists will mean nothing to the contemporary reader. They are the names of long forgotten individuals who were in positions of power within Rabbi Ferber’s community, and who abused that power often to the detriment of Jewish law and community life. On other occasions, however, the names he mentions are of distinguished rabbis who to this day are held in high regard. Indeed, it is often in the case of this latter category that Rabbi Ferber

spectrum of the Jewish community.

I appealed for anyone with relevant information, or photos, or other material that I might find helpful in the publication of the Ferber memoirs to get in contact with me. The letter resulted in a great response, and I was deluged with excited emails from people who remembered Rabbi Ferber or his family.

But one of the replies was different from the others. It was from Rabbi Ferber’s great-grandson, who informed me that he was about to publish the memoirs of Rabbi Ferber’s son-in-law, Chaim Lewis, who had recently passed away. I eagerly inquired if Chaim had written

anything about Rabbi Ferber in his memoirs and was informed me that he had, and shortly afterwards I received the book, which included a whole chapter about Rabbi Ferber.

The chapter was fascinating, as was the entire book, and having known Chaim Lewis well, I found that his autobiography truly encapsulated his fascinating character and shed light on his interesting and eventful life.

What particularly struck me within the chapter on Rabbi Ferber was in relation to the names inclusion dilemma, as it emerged out of an episode that almost resulted in the publication of the memoirs during his lifetime: The rabbi, gentle and forgiving in most things, was implacable in his opposition to those who sought to “modernize” Judaism.

Any brand of Reform was anathema to him. He insisted that Judaism represented G-d’s way to man and man’s way to G-d – a rule of the spirit on which the whole order of Jewish existence depends. It was not to be treated as a human artifact for tinkering with. Those who did so had no understanding of its mysteries. He scorned the notion that Judaism must be made relevant to modern times – “relevant to the vanities of our day” – “havlei ha’zeman” – was how he dismissed it. “G-d stood above time – and his Torah, like the order of nature, was His immutable will revealed to us.”

He held fast to this conviction even to the point of severing rela-

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The original headstone over Rabbi Ferber’s grave at the Adath Yisrael Cemetery, in Enfield, North London. The stone was changed by the family several years ago. Rabbi Ferber insisted on being buried at this strictly Orthodox cemetery, rather than being buried next to his wife at the cemetery he set up for his community in Streatham, South London

tions with scholars for whom otherwise he had a great personal regard. One such scholar was a Professor Finkelstein from America – he pronounced the name “Finkelshtein,” Yiddish-fashion. He had first met the professor at prayer in his synagogue. He was obviously a visitor and the rabbi, as was his custom, extended a friendly word of welcome to such visitors. Week by week the professor would attend the service, taking particular pleasure in the rabbi’s drasha which followed the Sabbath afternoon service.

Out of these brief encounters there soon ripened a friendship between the two scholars. From time to time the rabbi would tell the family at home of a remarkable scholar he had met in shul.

He seemed as much taken by the professor’s family background as by his Judaic learning. He gloried in genealogies. Mention a family name and the place of origin – it might be some obscure shtetl in the backwoods of the Jewish Pale – and he would have the details of whatever distinction that family can lay claim to. Rabbis and other notabilities however far back in the family line were for him a cause for due pride. He likened the noble

Chaim Lewis, Rabbi Ferber’s son-in-law. In his own memoirs, published shortly after he died, Chaim Lewis wrote fondly of his wife’s father and also revealed the abortive attempt to publish Rabbi Ferber’s memoirs while he was alive

Jewish family – the “Mishpacha” – to the cedars of Lebanon; they were the proud bearers of the Temple of Judaism.

The professor apparently spent all his summer vacations in London. They were working holidays for him, given over to research at the British Museum Reading Room. I can only presume that he found in the Rabbi of Soho a happy distraction from his labors.

He was his Sabbath retreat and delight. There were occasions, I learnt later, when on his visits to the rabbi he brought with him some of his distinguished students. They had only history’s report of the image of a rabbi in the great Lithuanian tradition – here was its living exemplar.

When the rabbi was in hospital recovering from an operation – it was his first experience of hospital life and the devoted work of the nurses who tended him – the professor would come to visit him, bringing him a basket of fruit and the shared joy of scholarly discourse.

For a long time I never troubled to look into the credentials of the professor. For all I knew he might have been a Professor of Sanskrit.

I was glad that the rabbi had found

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The mysterious Professor “Finkelshtein” who befriended Rabbi Ferber in the 1950s and who agreed to pay for the publication of the rabbi’s memoirs turned out to be Dr. Louis Finkelstein of the Conservative movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary. When Rabbi Ferber found out who he was, he returned the advance money and the memoirs were not published

a kindred spirit in him, one sharing his Orthodox faith and devotion to Judaic learning. Because of his short stays in London I never had the good fortune of meeting him on any one of my regular visits to the rabbi. I was particularly happy to learn that the professor who had a publication fund in his gift had volunteered to publish one of the rabbi’s works. The rabbi was a prolific writer; his works alone took up a shelf of space in his vast library – mainly commentaries on the Bible and other homiletic and halachic works. He had just completed his autobiography and it was this manuscript that the professor had agreed to sponsor.

It was only then that it dawned on me that the Professor “Finkelshtein,” in the Rabbi’s pronunciation of the name, was none other than Professor Louis I. Finkelstein, the distinguished Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He was the author of a number of notable works on the Pharisees. I was familiar with much of his writing and was greatly impressed by it. However his obvious links with the Conservative faction of Reform would distress the rabbi. Should I now tell him of this and disturb what basically

was an innocuous friendship? In the meantime the professor had sent an advance towards the publication of the rabbi’s manuscript.

Chance now takes a hand. The London Jewish Chronicle of that week had just arrived; it was a festive bumper number. As a rule the rabbi took little interest in its pages. He got his news of the Jewish world through the Hebrew and Yiddish press. He had only a basic knowledge of English. This time for no apparent reason he picked up the Jewish Chronicle to scan its headlines. As he flicked through the pages he caught sight of a large portrait picture of the professor and the article accompanying it.

His curiosity was aroused. For all his meager English he guessed the drift of it and discovered for the first time to his profound sorrow that the professor was one of those who in the Talmudic phrase “had learned and strayed from the path.” There and then he went to his desk, drafted a formal letter of thanks enclosing the check he had received. It marked the end of a truly disinterested friendship.

There is so much in this short episode that truly describes the greatness of Rabbi Ferber – his unconditional love of every Jew, his ability Continued on page 76

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to connect and communicate with those so distant from his own perspective, and his absolute integrity when it came to his principles. How he had toiled on his memoirs. How happy he must have been when his American friend agreed to finance their publication. And how disappointed he must have been when he had felt compelled to return the money to his benefactor. But return it he did and, as we know, he never got to publish his memoirs in his lifetime.

But the fact that he wished to publish his memoirs during his lifetime, and in particular during the time that he was friendly with Professor Finkelstein, which must have been in the mid-to-late 1950s, is particularly revealing with regard to the names he had obscured in the text of the narrative written until that time. The names that were left out were all of his employers and colleagues at the synagogue

of which he was the rabbi – the names of the president, the board, the cantor, the secretary – all of whom might have caused terrible problems for him and endangered his livelihood had they been explicitly named in uncomplimentary ways in the memoirs – and nothing written about them was complimentary!

So Rabbi Ferber decided that although it was important to publish in full detail the stories of the terrible behavior of the employees and their supporters at his synagogue, and even if there was no transgression of the Jewish laws of slander in naming them, his livelihood was certainly more important than mentioning their names. The first and last letter of their names would be enough and would not get him into trouble. The names of those unconnected with his livelihood, however, even if they were important people, considered by others to

be from the most prominent rabbis and communal activists of the time, were not to be spared – they could be named and shamed, and this is why he left their names in, clearly and explicitly.

So it was clear to me what I should do. Rabbi Ferber deliberately included the names of those who he criticized, unless the mention of their names would affect his livelihood. As none of the people he mentioned in this context could affect his livelihood anymore, it being fifty years since he died, and as Rabbi Ferber clearly felt there was some positive benefit in mentioning the names of his antagonists, not only was there no longer any reason to leave any names out, I believed it was my obligation to include each and every name.

So this is exactly what I have done. No one can be offended if the names of long forgotten desecrators of Jewish law, enemies of Torah and

its obligations who tried to undermine Rabbi Ferber every step of his career, are included in his published memoirs. But there might be those who are critical when they read long forgotten negative facts and stories about rabbis and strictly observant Jews who in some way crossed swords with Rabbi Ferber, and whose names he felt ought to be mentioned with reference to whatever the matter was. But I have nevertheless chosen to remain faithful to Rabbi Ferber himself who clearly meant for the names of all his antagonists to be published for all to see – and as I have relied on Rabbi Ferber’s own wishes, on his Torah wisdom, I am sure that even those critical of this decision will hold their peace.

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

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Pesach 5777 With Guide Rabbi Aryeh Leiferts

Thursday April 13, 2017

What's a Green Line?

HebrontoBetShemesh

Start the day at Ma'arat Hamachpela, open in its entirety

Special Discount for Lone Soldiers Cost includes armored transportation, guide, entry fees, tastings.

Trip departs promptly at 8:15am from the Liberty Bell Parking Lot (behind the Sonol Gas Station) and returns approximately 6:00 pm

for the Jewish holiday.

Leave Passover nosh at Beit Hashalom's Pina Chama for our soldiers.

See the security room in Kiryat Arba and how One Israel Fund protects the communities.

At Adora on the strategic Trans Judean highway; enjoy your own picnic lunch then tour the town.

On to Beit Shemesh and the Israel Police Heritage Center.

End the day with Passover apple cider and hard lemonade at Buster's Cider, open specially for One Israel Fund.

Cost: $60 adult / $50 student learning in Israel (225/190 shekels)

FOR RESERVATIONS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION visit www.oneisraelfund.org/daytrips email to daytrips@oneisraelfund.org or call: In US: Ruthie Kohn 516.239.9202 x10 In Israel: Sarah Tacher 050-587-7710 *Itinerary subject to change due to security, weather and/or other considerations.

Building and Securing the Heartland of our Nation

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On the Streets of

Israel

Refugees Come Here Too

By Elana Dure

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ast week I visited South Tel Aviv with 45 other curious teaching fellows.

That may seem like a normal statement to the unbeknownst reader – it’s natural to assume that a group of foreigners would take a trip to Israel’s second largest city – but South Tel Aviv is not the destination hotspot associated with beaches, parties and museums.

Unlike the rest of the city, South Tel Aviv’s rundown, crime stricken neighborhood does not attract many tourists. Instead, it’s known as the home base for most of Israel’s refugees, many of whom are searching for a safe haven after leaving countries like Sudan.

Our educational trip gave us a glimpse into the lives of those who live in the neighborhood as well as helped us understand the social issues surrounding Israel’s refugees and asylum seekers.

We learned the history of the neighborhood (the forgotten district fell apart after a 30-year project for the New Central Bus Station failed to meet its promised glory); we asked the tough questions (statistically, the refugee population did not significantly increase the crime rates of South Tel Aviv); and we heard the perspectives of both an Israeli and Sudanese man.

By the day’s end, I understood that it is difficult to be a refugee or asylum seeker in any country – and not because the country has an agenda to make life harder for its foreigners. Rather, a country, with its limited resources and finances, has the re-

sponsibility to protect and represent its citizens before its immigrants.

What do I mean by that?

Let’s take Taj as an example. Taj, the Sudanese man we spoke with, left Darfur and embarked on a two-year journey through Sudan and Egypt before reaching Israel. During his past nine years in Israel, he worked hard to receive both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in political science. Despite his educational status,

straints of asylum seeker visas?

That is where things become more complex because the government can’t solely consider the needs of those entering Israel. The government must also think of those already living in Israel.

Lior, an Israeli man, told us how the native Israeli population views the influx of refugees in their neighborhood. He explained the struggles and concerns Israeli parents have for

A country, with its limited resources and finances, has the responsibility to protect and represent its citizens before its immigrants. however, Taj can only work odd jobs because his visa as an asylum seeker – which he must renew every two months – does not allow him to work legally in the country.

Taj wants to have refugee status, but acquiring such status requires years of legal counsel – something Taj, and most asylum seekers, cannot afford. This state of limbo forces Taj to continuously search for his next source of income in hopes of affording the Israeli way of life.

After hearing Taj’s story, I began to wonder why the Israeli government can’t make it easier for asylum seekers to receive refugee status. Why can’t the government change the con-

their children. Many refugees don’t have enough money for housing so men sleep in the park. Often new immigrants bring new cultures that, for better or for worse, raise alarm from those uncomfortable with the shift in their natural habitat.

Most notably, however, many Israelis feel neglect and resentment when they see their government aiding refugees but not their own Israeli children.

South Tel Aviv has been in shambles for years before refugees started populating the neighborhood. The apartments weren’t as nice, the parks weren’t as clean, and the schools weren’t as good. If an Israeli student

wanted a better education, he or she had to travel and seek out a better learning environment.

When refugee populations started migrating to South Tel Aviv, the education ministry finally took notice.

Money started flowing into the local schools. Foreign language programs and after-school events were built into the curriculum. Now, the schools in South Tel Aviv provide better education and opportunities for its local youth, mainly targeting the children of refugees.

Some argue this treatment is a positive change for the community.

Others say it aligns with the community’s social obligation to welcome refugees. As it says in the Torah (Exodus 22:20), “You shall not wrong nor oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

But Israel’s resources aren’t limitless, and the Israeli population feel neglected. As Rabbi Joseph said in the Talmud Bavli, Baba Meizia, “If the choice lies between your poor and the poor of your town, your poor come first; the poor of your city and the poor of another town, the poor of your own town come first.”

So where do refugees and asylum seekers fall in this equation? Nobody is certain and, as such, their state of limbo continues.

Elana Dure is a resident of Woodmere and recent graduate of the University of Maryland. She is currently teaching English in Petach Tikva through Masa’s Israel Teaching Fellows program.

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Dating Dialogue

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

Dear Navidaters,

My husband is a wonderful man and I admire him greatly. I’m sure many other people do as well. He is very disciplined, hardworking and motivated. Despite what and where he comes from, he’s made a very impressive life for himself, in every way. The only downside to his tremendous success both professionally and in terms of Yiddishkeit is that now that our son is about to start dating his attitude is very disturbing to me. It’s almost like he thinks he is king and his son deserves nothing less than the daughter of another king. At least that’s the way I see it.

He is rejecting resumes left and right. He will not consider some of the most wonderful girls because of some imperfection he sees and the imperfection could be found not with the girl, but with her parents or even grandparents! What’s really the most troubling thing about this is that he comes from a background that is less than what many would say is terrific. His parents were divorced, his sister has chosen a path completely different than his and they haven’t spoken in over ten years. I could go on.

Yes, he decided and determined what his life would look like and what he wants for his children. I do admire where he’s at, particularly in light of where he comes from. But his judgment of others in such an unsympathetic way, leaving no room for real life, makes me very angry.

Obviously, his word is the only one that matters when it comes to shidduchim. He’s in charge and my opinion doesn’t really matter. If it did, I would have OK’d many resumes that seemed to be so lovely. I’m embarrassed at his elitist attitude and fear that he will keep rejecting resumes and our dear son will miss the boat altogether.

How do I get through to my husband?

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.

Continued on page 82

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The Panel

The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S.

T

here seems to be deeper roots to your communication issue.

It’s not just about shidduchim.

There seem to be control aspects here. You also say that your husband has accomplished a lot and you admire him for it. You say he is acting like a king and rejecting resumes for potential dates in an unrealistic manner. He may seem to want to prove himself by his son marrying well and that’s why he rejects girls whose families are less than perfect.

There seem to be unresolved issues in your own marriage; communication and a solid partnership don’t seem to be there. The two of you are not in it together. It actually should be three of you. And, as I mentioned, there may be control issues too, not just compensation or public image involved. Professional help is probably not going to be accepted by your husband.

I suggest that you enlist his rabbi and his best friend(s) to talk to him. This will be a process. They can open the topic with friendly questions like “how is it going with shidduchim?” They know him for many years and therefore might be heard. He needs to be encouraged to take them into his confidence.

The objective is not to tell him what to do in general. Parents don’t respond well to general guidance about shidduchim. It is much more strategic to give one’s opinion in the context of specific shidduchim that are suggested. Encourage your husband to enlist the help of his rav and his trusted friends in the information gathering; this will facilitate more communication.

A key point that might be made to him gently and tactfully is to open up the process to include your son. Your husband can be apprised

of the fact that if parents don’t work with their child, he may want to move ahead with shidduchim without them and go to his mentors/friends for help. Your husband won’t want to be left out of the shidduch process.

You will need some long term professional help to become part of a team in your marriage. Start now. You may not be able to change your spouse but you can change your own reactions and communications.

Good luck.

vention. If your son chooses to get engaged to a girl who eluded your husband’s radar, your rav will serve as mediator – between your son and his father.

Final thought: wouldn’t it be ironic if your husband chose a girl from the A-list family and they rejected your son because of his humble grandparents?

The Shadchan Michelle Mond

The Mother Sarah Schwartz Schreiber, P.A.

T

he shidduch process is difficult enough; your husband is complicating the task by seeking not a mate for his son, but a “merger” with a family that would enhance his social standing. By his criteria, Avraham Avinu, the son of an idol merchant, would not be a suitable mechutan.

I am impressed by the way you describe your husband – with respect, reverence and admiration.

In your words, he is the King. That would be wonderful if he treated you as the Queen. Instead, judging by the tone of your letter, you come across as the Subservient Wife. His word is law; all must obey. Scarier still, your son’s feelings and preferences are considered irrelevant.

So we agree that your husband’s approach to shidduchim is skewed and elitist. More vexing is his disregard of your and your son’s input in this critical area. If your husband refuses to listen to reason, consult with a competent rav. Your rav may advise you to take charge of your son’s shidduchim and give you practical advice on how to proceed without your husband’s inter-

F

rom the introduction in your letter, your husband sounds like a successful and well-respected man whom you admire. From your question, it sounds like your shidduch-age son has put his parents in charge of finding perspective matches for him. Here’s an anecdote I remember from a few years back: a former teacher of mine mentioned that her “alleh maylos” brother-in-law would be starting shidduchim soon. “Mark my words,” she said, “he will marry the first girl he goes out with.” His parents were super-picky in choosing prospects, but lo and behold – two months later her brother-in-law was indeed engaged to the first girl he met!

I’d suggest a different approach; one that I admit might take a lot of effort from your part. While you don’t describe your son in great detail, it sounds like he’s a high-quality bochur from a good family with many suggestions coming his way.

Your husband would love for your son to marry into a stable family who shares your values and ways.

So at this point, with a plethora of amazing suggestions coming his way, why shouldn’t be aim for a shidduch as ideal as possible? Perhaps your husband perceives that your son is the type to get serous

By his criteria, Avraham Avinu, the son of an idol merchant, would not be a suitable mechutan.

with the first girl he meets, just like the brother-in-law in my story. Therefore, he is trying to limit his prospects at the outset to ideas which seem as much on-target as possible. After all, he only needs to find that one!

Your husband does, however, sound like he needs to learn a new approach in the communication department. For now, I would suggest changing your mindset to realize that your husband merely wants what’s best for your (in the plural sense) son. Perhaps the two of you should communicate better with each other as a team, rather than as divided individual parties – if not for your sake, then for the sake of the rest of your family. Perhaps you could discuss a Plan B, implying that in case his approach yields no positive outcome after a specific time period, you will re-evaluate a broader approach to filtering prospective shidduchim. Meet together with a therapist or a rav, if your own efforts are unsuccessful. I wish you hatzlacha in finding the right one for your son, as well as reconciling your hidden conflict with your husband.

The Single Tova Wein

I

t sounds like your son is very desirable and many people are

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thinking about him in terms of setting him up with their daughters (or nieces, or cousins, etc.). So I’m not so worried about him. He’ll probably do just fine.

It’s you I’m worried about! And for that matter, your husband as well. Your husband sounds to me, from the limited information I have, like he’s trying to prove something to himself and the world.

Finding a proper match for your son should not be based on his rigid checklist that satisfies his needs.

Has he even considered where your

son fits into this equation? And besides, we all know that behind closed doors no one and no family is perfect. So who does he think he’s fooling? His lineage is far from perfect and that’s fine. But he needs to get real and try to understand what is making him behave in such an elitist, unbending, insensitive way.

Now back to you, my dear.

When exactly did you lose your voice in this marriage? Is it natural in your marriage for your opinion to hold absolutely no weight? How did things get to the point

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

where your husband has all the say and you have to sit back, feel angry, and yet still have no say in the matter? If your husband calls all the shots on shidduchim, my guess is that he’s calling all the shots in many other areas of your marriage as well. How’s that working for you?

Sounds like the two of you would benefit tremendously from some couple therapy. Marriages are about teamwork, equality, respect and mutual say in all matters. I get the feeling that does not describe your marriage. I feel that if the two of you get on the same page,

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If your husband calls all the shots on shidduchim, my guess is that he’s calling all the shots in many other areas of your marriage as well.

your shidduch question will no longer be relevant.

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

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our husband is doing your son a disservice and I think you know that. What I’m not sure about is whether you realize that he is doing you a disservice as well. As I read your letter, I felt myself getting worked up. It evoked thoughts and feelings like this is so unfair!

And how harsh! I also have questions. So many questions for you.

How did this happen? How do you define your husband’s behavior?

Does your husband care about your opinion in other areas of life, like finances, parenting, leisure time, friendships, etc.? How did it become obvious that his is the only opinion that matters when it comes to shidduchim?

I don’t know enough about your relationship to tell you that your husband is controlling and this is unhealthy. It is quite possible that some of this is your perception.

Here’s the important part: wheth-

er your husband is controlling or you perceive him as controlling…this marriage needs help. As other panelists wisely suggested, the time is now for couples’ therapy (unless there is active abuse. If there is, G-d forbid, active abuse of any kind and you are uncomfortable speaking about your feelings in front of him for fear of his reaction, then I hope you see an individual therapist to sort through your feelings in a safe environment. No one has to stay in an abusive relationship. No one deserves to be in abusive relationship.)

A marriage is a partnership of equals. It is not a relationship of dominance and subservience. No one deserves to have their thoughts and feelings ignored. Everyone deserves an opening to be heard and validated. That includes you. Ul-

timately, whether your husband decides to listen to you and soften his harsh resume filter is his decision. If he has been open to other suggestions of yours in the past, then you can ask him to join you in marital therapy to work through this. If he is closed to the idea of therapy, then you can enlist the help of his rav or good friends.

Shidduch aside, my main concern in your letter is you. Of course your opinion about shidduchim matters. You carried this child, you birthed this child, he has half of your genetic material. You’re a VIP. And, P.S., I agree with you. To toss people aside left and right because the Great Zeidy was rumored to have words with Mr. So and So after shul on Shabbos is absurd.

We all have stories, we all have histories, we all have skeletons that we are forced to keep in the closet. ALL. OF. US. No exceptions,

not even your husband. If you’re comfortable and he’s amenable, go for marital counseling. If you’re uncomfortable, find your own therapist. Good luck.

Sincerely, Jennifer

Esther Mann, LCSW and Jennifer Mann, LCSW are licensed psychotherapists and dating and relationship coaches working with individuals, couples and families in private practice in Hewlett, NY. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 516.224.7779. Press 1 for Esther, 2 for Jennifer. Visit www.thenavidaters.com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email thenavidaters@ gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Dr. Deb

Does Tzaar Mean We Can’t Enjoy Purim?

By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

P

urim is supposed to be fun. So why am I still in what I’ve been calling my “Koheles mood”? It’s an awareness of how finite we are that pervades everything I experience.

Okay, it’s not quite a year since my husband died. And if it is true that ishto k’gufo (his wife is like himself) then it should be no surprise that I’ve been feeling this year as if I died or at least a part of me did.

Except, of course, that I didn’t. Not only that, my life is far less stressful than it was the last number of years with my unwell husband. It’s light; it’s happy. I’m accomplishing productive things – and that always feels wonderful. I’ve got great goals and I’m working on reaching them. You could never say that I was sad; the reality is I’m happy.

Except that my life is imbued with a feeling of its limit, the Koheles mood.

That’s actually a good mood – you just can’t call it bad when the brightness of the sunshine is extra beautiful and the hugs of my grandchildren are so very sweet.

Not just a good mood but a joyous one, full of life. Isn’t that odd? It’s full of life when my thoughts are pervaded by death? Is it possible that this fullof-life feeling came from the proximity to death?

Actually when you think about it, that is exactly the Purim story: We, as a people, were on the verge of annihilation. We came that close to death.

The date was set; we went to war against the worst elements in ancient Persia, and Mordechai was busy strategizing how to lift our spirits by cre-

ating pageants before the war was to start and even having the king sign a meaningless decree (I mean, wouldn’t we have fought back anyway?) just to give us chizuk.

And suddenly it was over. We took a look around and discovered we suffered no losses! We were alive! Hashem protected us! Woo-hoo! Naturally we felt unbridled happiness.

We were happy precisely because we almost didn’t make it.

It seems that experience with death can lie at the core of a deeper

loss or because of my loss – until last week. I was privileged to hear Rabbi Yossi Zakutinsky of Hashivenu from Kew Gardens Hills speak, and he put his finger exactly on it.

He said that pain comes from the inability to reconcile opposites, such as going on with life and trying to live it after suffering a loss. He even mentioned Koheles, saying that wisdom only brought Shlomo sadness.

But Rabbi Zakutinsky also noted that pleasure, too, comes from mixtures of opposites, like enjoying a hot

So in a strange sort of way, although I don’t like this Koheles mood of mine – I would rather go blithely through life not thinking about what it all leads to – I’m grateful for it.

happiness than can be felt otherwise.

So in a strange sort of way, although I don’t like this Koheles mood of mine – I would rather go blithely through life not thinking about what it all leads to – I’m grateful for it. It provides for me a sense of goodness and meaning that I am sure I never had before in quite the same way.

I’ve been trying to understand this tekufa (epoch) in my life for nearly a year now and until last week, I had not encountered anyone who articulated this duality of feeling that I’m having – the juxtaposition of happiness with

drink on a cold day. So what is it that causes pain on the one hand and pleasure on the other if they both come from opposites? He said the answer is simply the ability to reconcile the two.

An example of doing that would be a symphony which is composed of various voices that either work together to create beauty.

So how do you create that beauty in your own life, that reconciliation of opposites? We are here in G-d’s world, enjoying all its benefits, but the key to happiness here, Rabbi Zakutinsky said, is to remember who we are: on

the one hand, we are so very small next to HaKadosh Baruch Hu. This could make us feel insignificant. However, as we partake of His world, His Divine Presence participates with us in ours. This should be a great comfort: we are part of something Bigger.

We recognize at the same moment how infinitesimally small we are and how important a part of something Bigger we are, too. This is the reconciliation of opposites.

Why am I writing all this heavy stuff on a day of laughter and lightness? Precisely because I want you to be laughing and lighthearted no matter what tzaar you have been going through. Use the very formula I’m describing here to turn your tzaar into joy just as we did way back in Persia.

Allow the pain to help you appreciate the good and beautiful moments; allow it to make those moments that much more delightful and wonderful.

Neither you nor I can ever go back to the way we used to be, not contemplating the bigger questions of Life and where we are going. But that is okay. That doesn’t have to make us sad at all. It can motivate us to feel especially connected to Hashem and to know that our work here is important.

Enjoy it!

And do what I plan to do: wear a silly costume on Purim. I think I’ll go as a banana.

Dr. Deb Hirschhorn is a Marriage and Family Therapist. She can be reached at 646-54-DRDEB or by writing drdeb@ drdeb.com.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

CAHAL is offering beautifully designed and colorful cards!

Send Purim greetings to family and friends while supporting this vital program educating children in our local yeshivas in the Five Towns, Far Rockaway, West Hempstead and Greater Nassau County

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SPECIAL OFFER: 3 HOLY DAYS OF PURIM! Keren Minchas Shlomo Over the past few years, we have sent gently used clothing to aniyei Eretz Yisrael in a biannual clothing drive. ALL COSTS are paid by anonymous sponsors, and collection and distribution is undertaken by UNPAID volunteers. This is a special opportunity to perform the tremendous mitzvah of tzedakah without incurring any expense. Last September we shipped over 10,000 garments to distribution centers, both chareidi and chiloni, in Yerushalayim, Kiryat Sefer, Bet Shemesh, and other communities. We also distributed clothing to families affected by the fires in Haifa.

The Keren is responsible for the clothing when it reaches E”Y, and the Israeli government inspects the container to make sure we comply with the rules and regulations. WE ARE SENDING ONLY GENTLY USED CLOTHING (no shoes, hats, or undergarments). Please select garments that you feel are appropriate and that our needy brethren in E"Y will be proud to wear. Please insure that all clothing is stain-free and in very good condition.

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Health & F tness

T

Purim Shpiel

he Megillah begins with a tremendous and lavish feast Introducing us to a cast of characters, including Haman, to say the least.

The wine and food overflowed in excess, The Jews participated, a wrongful transgress.

Not only did the pounds go up on the scale Hashem set into motion a decree beyond the pale.

By Aliza Beer MS, RD

He bestowed upon us a secret weapon of our own Queen Esther in the palace would help set the tone.

No juice cleanses or detox diets for this queen She fasted for 3 days with Am Yisroel her team.

Their prayers reached the Ribbono Shel Olam Destruction was transformed into a celebration.

The holiday is Purim, a day of happiness, booze, and gluttony Too many shaloch manos, a true waste of food and money!

Treat this yom tov as you would any other day Eat a healthy breakfast and lunch, try not to stray.

If you skip a meal, to the seudah you will come starving

ALL SWIMWEAR IS 50+ UPF

The result will be a meal of overeating and binging.

Dispose of the candy, cake, and nosh with much haste The alternative is consumption, better it should go to waste.

Allow yourself one special treat that you crave the most Whether it be a sliver of cake, candy, or wine to toast.

If you fall off the wagon, lose control and inhibitions Monday is the day to implement new resolutions.

Pesach is four precious weeks away Initiate exercise and keep the sugar at bay.

If all else fails and you cannot cope Call Aliza Beer for success and much hope!

Wishing my readers a freilechen Purim!

Aliza Beer is a registered dietician 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.

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Health & F tness

Not Losing Weight Because...

By Malky Zimmerman-Kugel

H

ere are some of the excuses I’ve heard from people about why they are not losing weight:

1. MY METABOLISM IS SLOW Some people’s metabolism is slower than others’ but it is not a reason not to lose weight. One way to speed up your metabolism is to build muscle. This can be accomplished by

performing resistance exercises using weights, bands, or just your own body weight. The more muscle you have in your body, the more fat you will burn throughout the day, and even at rest. Another way to speed up your metabolism is to eat small frequent meals. By doing that, your body will constantly have fuel and have what to burn, putting it at constant work.

2. MY GENETICS ARE AGAINST ME; EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY IS HEAVY While genetics play a role in your weight tendencies, your lifestyle can outweigh (literally speaking) all that.

What you eat and how much you exercise will be a stronger determining factor than what your parents’ weight is like.

3. I’M BUILDING MUSCLE Many people mistakenly believe that since they are lifting weights, their newly acquired muscle will now add on significant weight. While muscle can add on a little weight, it is not significant enough to stop you from seeing the results of your dieting efforts.

4. I’M EATING THE WRONG FOODS There are no “wrong foods,” only wrong portions. Yes, you can gain weight eating too much grilled chicken, and you can lose weight even while having a small piece of cake here and there. It’s all about balanced meals and proper portion sizes.

So what can affect those numbers on the scale?

- YOUR BONE MASS.

Take the thumb and pointer of one hand and put it around the wrist of your other hand. If they do not meet, you are big boned.

If they just meet, you are medium boned. If they meet with some space between them and the wrist, you are small boned.

All this does is it tells you what spectrum of the weight range you

can be on. For example, if the average recommended weight for a 5’2” woman is 110, a small boned person can go as low as 100 while a big boned person can go as high as 120-125.

- HORMONES.

Before and during the menstrual cycle, a woman can weigh anywhere between 1-4 pounds higher. Other examples of hormonal changes include puberty, menopause, and hormonal changes due to medications.

- UNDERACTIVE THYROID.

People with this condition have a very hard time losing weight, unless it is being treated with proper medication.

Good luck on your weight loss journey, and remember to differentiate between those excuses and valid reasons.

Malky Zimmerman-Kugel is a nutrition counselor at Nutrition by Tanya and is the manager of the Five Towns location.

Nutrition by Tanya offers personalized and practical weight management and nutrition counseling for children, men and woman. Nutrition by Tanya has locations in Boro Park, Flatbush, Williamsburg, Monsey, Lakewood, 5Towns, Crown Heights and Monroe. The office can be reached at 844-Tanya-Diet or at info@nutritionbytanya.com. You can also visit Nutritionbytanya.com for more info, inspiring success stories, and photos.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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Health & F tness

Separate and Not Equal

By Hylton I. Lightman, MD, DCH, FAAP

P

reparing for Purim 2017, I’ve been reviewing Megillas Esther and am awed by the commitment and personal growth demonstrated by the key players in this timeless story.

How did we Jews get ourselves into the predicament that Haman the Vizier was able to pass a decree calling for our annihilation?

We Jews were partying just as hard as the other peoples of the empire at the food and drinking carnival called by King Achashveirosh.

A guy from the proverbial “other side of the tracks,” Achashveirosh conquered the lands, yet his hold on power was tenuous at best. He threw this obscene party lasting for 180 days in order to secure his powerbase. And we Jews jumped in at the deep end and became like everyone else, caught up in the debauchery.

One person remained separate and sane amidst this chaos. Mordechai, the descendant of the first Jewish king of Israel, refused to bow down to Haman. And off went Haman, intent on destroying us.

Haman describes the Jews as hav-

ing “laws different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not appropriate for the king to tolerate them” (Megillas Esther 3:8).

Interestingly, Jewish law makes room for Torah Jews to recognize heads of states and other leaders.

What made Mordechai defiant in the face of Haman?

Some commentators say that bowing down to Haman was akin to idol worship. Others point out that Mordechai, symbolizing the Jewish people, refuses to show any honor to Haman, the epitome of our archenemy Amalek. In fact, Mordechai will finish the job left open

by Shaul HaMelech, who failed to keep the commandment of eradicating Amalek when he spared the life of the King of Amalek, Agag.

Mordechai, who is from the tribe of Binyamin (“Ish Y’mini”), is descended from Shaul.

In any event, Mordechai has the spine and strength to carry himself as a proud Jew. His religious and moral compass guide him. He urges Esther, who must have had a lonely, miserable existence in

Achashveirosh’s abode, to take on the leadership role of rescuing her people.

There’s a change at this point.

The public Mordechai stops being the mover-and-shaker. He carries out the commands of Esther whose primary middah was one of silence until now.

Her metamorphosis from reticence into a clever leader who successfully strategizes the downfall of Haman and the saving of her people is awesome.

I’ll leave it the political commentators, pundits and others to draw comparisons between the events of Megillas Esther and life in 2017. What strikes me though is that we Jews are a people who are separate and not equal. We are unlike the other nations of the world.

Our Torah guides us and propels us forward so that we can maximize our time in this world.

At this time, I am taking the opportunity to urge people not to drink excessively on Purim. Overdrinking is unbecoming. Yes, we live in a world today where there’s a surge of physical, emotional and

spiritual pain. Adolescents and young adults from all walks of life and from the most stable of homes are becoming prey to the cheap and commonplace availability of booze and drugs.

And nothing good comes from them.

What’s the antidote? Be proud to be Jewish. It’s uncanny how Megillas Esther is as relevant today as it was when the events unfolded in Shushan. Let’s learn from Mordechai who was committed to our Torah while also involved in the highest levels of society, yet there was a separateness that he cultivated. That separateness is why we the Jews are still here in 2017.

Purim is a time of joy. Let’s focus on the meaning and “spirit” of the day rather than on the “spirit” value of a single malt.

Dr. Hylton Lightman is a pediatrician and Medical Director of Total Family Care of the 5 Towns and Rockaway PC. He can be reached at drlightman@ totalfamilycaremd.com, on Instagram at #dr.lightman_ or visit him on Facebook.

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Spiced Braised Flanken meat – yields 10-12 servings – freezer friendly This recipe is magnificent! Braising is a cooking process that involves searing the meat (or chicken) over high heat, then adding liquid and cooking it low and slow. The result is meat that’s incredibly tender and so delicious. The spice rub on the meat really adds an extra layer of incredible flavor.

INGREDIENTS Spice rub 6 strips flanken 3 Tablespoons brown sugar 2 Tablespoons cumin 1 Tablespoon garlic powder

1½ teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon rosemary ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

Sauce 2 cups barbecue sauce

1 cup red dry wine

METHOD

1

Place meat into a large roasting pan; set aside. Heat a broiler or grill pan.

2

Prepare the spice rub: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, cinnamon, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Rub over all surfaces of the flanken.

3

Broil or grill flanken on high for 2-3 minutes per side; set aside.

4 5

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

6

Cover pan tightly; bake for 3 hours.

Prepare the sauce: Whisk together barbecue sauce and wine until smooth. Pour sauce over broiled flanken.

Cook’s Tip

• Don’t skip the broiling stage; it really boosts the flavor!

• Double the spice rub and keep it in an airtight container in the freezer. You’ll find yourself making this recipe over and over!

Recipe reproduced from

PERFECT FOR PESACH

by Naomi Nachman with permission from the copyright holders ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications, LTD.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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Political Crossfire

Revolt of the Attorneys General

By Charles Krauthammer

A

mong the many unintended legacies of Barack Obama, one has gone largely unnoticed: the emergence of a novel form of resistance to executive overreach, a check-and-balance improvised in reaction to his various presidential power grabs.

It’s the revolt of the state attorneys general, banding together to sue and curb the executive. And it has outlived Obama.

Normally one would expect Congress to be the instrument of resistance to presidential trespass. But Congress has been supine. The Democrats in particular, approving of Obama’s policy preferences, allowed him free rein over Congress’ constitutional prerogatives.

Into that vacuum stepped the states. Florida and 12 others filed suit against Obamacare the day it was signed. They were later joined by 13 others, making their challenge the first in which a majority of states banded together to try to stop anything.

They did not always succeed, but they succeeded a lot. They got Obamacare’s forced Medicaid expansion struck down, though Obamacare as a whole was upheld. Later, a majority of states secured stays for two egregious EPA measures. One had given the feds sovereignty over the generation and distribution of electricity (the Clean Power Plan), the other over practically every ditch and pond in America (the Waters of the United States rule).

Their most notable success was blocking Obama’s executive order

that essentially would have legalized 4 million illegal immigrants. “If Congress will not do their job, at least we can do ours,” said Obama. Not your job, said the courts.

Democrats noticed. And now with a Republican in the White House, they’ve adopted the technique. Having lost control of Congress, they realize that one way to curb presidential power is to go through the states. They just did on Trump’s immigration ban.

Taking advantage of the courts’ increased willingness to grant “standing” to the states, Washington State and Minnesota got a district court to

remarkable phenomenon: the organic response of a constitutional system in which the traditional barriers to overreach have atrophied and a new check-and-balance emerges almost ex nihilo.

Congress has allowed itself to become an increasingly subordinate branch. Look at how reluctant Congress has been to even consider a new authorization for the use of force abroad, an area in which, constitutionally, it should be dominant.

Look at today’s GOP Congress, having had years to prepare to govern, now appearing so tentative, almost

It is a reassuring sign of the creativity and suppleness of the American Constitution, of its amphibian capacity to grow a new limb when an old one atrophies.

issue an injunction against Trump’s executive order and got it upheld by the 9th Circuit. Where the ban died.

A singular victory. Democratic-run states will be emboldened to join together in opposing Trump administration measures issuing from both the agency rulings (especially EPA and the Department of Education) and presidential executive orders.

Is this a good thing? Regardless of your party or policy preferences, you must admit we are witnessing a

paralyzed. “Many Republican members,” reports the Washington Post, “are eager for Trump to provide clear marching orders.” The president orders, Congress marches – that is not how the Founders drew it up.

Hence the state attorneys general rise to check the president and his functionaries. This is good.

Not because it necessarily produces the best policy outcomes. It often doesn’t.

Not because judicial grants of standing are always correct. The 9th

Circuit, in effect, granted Minnesota and Washington standing to represent the due process rights of Yemeni nationals who’ve never set foot in the United States – an imaginary harm to states that presupposes imaginary rights for Yemenis.

And not because it’s necessarily good for the judicial system to acquire, through this process, yet more power. This really should be adjudicated by the elected branches. Problem is: Congress has abdicated.

Nonetheless, the revolt of the AGs is to be celebrated. It is a reassuring sign of the creativity and suppleness of the American Constitution, of its amphibian capacity to grow a new limb when an old one atrophies.

This is, of course, not the first time the states have asserted themselves against federal power. There was Fort Sumter, 1861, when the instruments employed were rather more blunt than the multistate lawsuit. All the more reason to celebrate this modern device.

I’m sure conservatives won’t like many of the outcomes over the next four years, just as many liberals deeply disapproved of the Obama-blocking outcomes of the recent past.

The point, however, is not outcome but process. Remarkably, we have spontaneously developed a new one – to counter executive willfulness. There’s a reason that after two and a half centuries the French are on their Fifth Republic and we are still on our first. (c) 2017, The Washington Post Writers Group

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

It seems like Trump’s been breaking with a lot of traditions since he took office. There’s speculation that President Trump could cancel the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. Then he said, “Actually, I’m canceling ALL egg rolls, just to get back at China.”

- Jimmy Fallon

Exchange between Obama’s Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press”:

TODD: Let me ask you this, does intelligence exist that can definitively answer the following question, whether there were improper contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia officials?

A new financial app from JP Morgan can now do in seconds what it once took Wall Street financiers 360,000 hours to accomplish. That’s right, the app wrecks the global economy.

- Conan O’Brien

By now I’m sure you’ve seen the video where I treated an Uber driver disrespectfully. To say that I am ashamed is an extreme understatement. My job as your leader is to lead…and that starts with behaving in a way that makes us all proud. That is not what I did, and it cannot be explained away.

CLAPPER: We did not include evidence in our report, and I say our, that’s NSA, FBI and CIA with my office, the director of national intelligence that had anything — that had any reflection of collusion between members of the Trump campaign and the Russians.

There was there no evidence of that including in our report.

TODD: I understand that, but does it exist?

CLAPPER: Not to my knowledge.

– From a blog posting by Uber CEO Travis Kalanick after a video surfaced of him getting into an argument with his Uber driver

It’s come out that 83-year-old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s daily workout routine includes pushups, planks, and squats. Apparently she began seriously taking care of her health last November 9th.

I thought, “Oh, gee, I don’t have the experience. I don’t know enough.” And now I’m thinking, “Oh. Oh.” – Oprah in an interview with Bloomberg, when asked whether she would ever run for president

– Conan O’Brien

Nkechi Amare Diallo

You’re going to make a lot of money, right? But don’t run for politics after.

- President Trump joking around with a fourth grader when visiting a private Catholic school in Orlando

– What Rachel Dolezal recently changed her legal name to (she is the former Spokane, Washington, NAACP leader who resigned last year amid criticism that she was passing herself off as black even though she is white)

MORE QUOTES

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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Sorry, Owen’s wife, you’re not helping yourself or your husband’s memory standing there and clapping like an idiot. Trump just used you.

– Tweet by a Hillary Clinton campaign volunteer, referring to the poignant moment at Trump’s speech to Congress where he paid tribute to Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens while his widow Carryn was visibly moved in the audience

Snapchat’s IPO launched on the stock market yesterday. Or, to put it another way, something that your parents don’t understand just launched on something you don’t understand.

- Jimmy Fallon

President Trump gave his first address to a joint session of Congress tonight. Now, our show tapes early, so we don’t know what happened, but I’ll bet the people who were there aren’t that sure what happened either.

– Seth Myers

Scientists have found a way to grow human tissue on apples. Now the only thing left for them to discover is a reason to grow human tissue on apples.

– Conan O’Brien

They don’t want nothing but division, bickering. They don’t want to solve no problems. They don’t want to help kids or husbands or family members that’s been murdered by illegals… But it’s bigger than them, so I just keep on moving. I just ignore them like they do me.

- Jamiel Shaw, whose 17-year-old son was killed by an illegal immigrant, in an interview on Fox News after being a guest of President Trump at his address to Congress, when asked about the Democrats’ obstructionism

Presidential Tweets Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my “wires tapped” in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!

How low has President Obama gone to tapp [sic] my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!

Who was it that secretly said to Russian President, “Tell Vladimir that after the election I’ll have more flexibility?”

It has been people, individuals who have banded together, ordinary people who simply saw what needed to be done and came together and supported those ideals who have made the difference. They’ve marched, they’ve bled, and yes, some of them died. This is hard. Every good thing is. We have done this before. We can do this again.

- Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, in a Democrat Party video, urging people to protest against Trump

In the U.K., a group of scientists successfully taught bumblebees how to play soccer. And now, they’re trying to get American bumblebees to watch it.

– Conan O’Brien

President Trump gave his big address to Congress last night. But it was surprising — he didn’t trash the media or brag about winning the election. It was the first time people playing a Trump drinking game ended up sober.

- Jimmy Fallon

MORE QUOTES

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

I’ve been on the Armed Services Com for 10 years. No call or meeting w/Russian ambassador. Ever. Ambassadors call members of Foreign Rel Com. - Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri), after Attorney General Jeff Sessions explained that when he met with the Russian ambassador during the 2016 campaign, it was in his capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee

Off to meeting w/Russian Ambassador. Upset about the arbitrary/cruel decision to end all US adoptions, even those in process.

- Tweet by McCaskill in January 2013…Oops!

Presidents, heads of state, come in. They bring their party and barely even introduce them … Who are the other people at the table? You’d have to ask the president of Russia.

- House Minority Leader Nancy Peosi (D-CA) on CNN when shown a picture of her at a meeting with the Russian ambassador and the Russian president, after she claimed that she never met with the Russian ambassador

In California, an experimental self-driving Uber car drove through six red lights. In other words, it just passed its Los Angeles driving test.

- Conan O’Brien

MORE QUOTES

P E S A C H

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

23

You know what? Americans have choices. And they’ve got to make a choice. And so maybe, rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and they want to spend hundreds of dollars on, maybe they should invest in their own health care.

- Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), on CNN

This is not funny. This is really bad. Just for the record, we are all really nervous. So if people out there feel nervous, we do too. We don’t think this is funny.

- MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski, in full panic mode over Trump

It’s time to spill the beans. We have been engaged for 4 years… Taco Bell has been there through the years, from the after school runs, to late meals after work (or a night of partying). Our love for each other is as cheesy as a quesadilla. We’re nachos getting married, it’s going to be a Las Vegas tacover. Lettuce celebrate our love at the Taco Bell Chapel in Vegas, cuz we are ready to guac and roll.

- Entry of Diane Nguyen, who created a wedding dress made entirely of Taco Bell wrappers, into Taco Bell’s contest to win a free wedding at Taco Bell’s new Las Vegas wedding venue

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

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Forgotten Her es

American History Purim-Style

By Avi Heiligman

L

ongtime readers of this column know that most of my Purim articles (excluding Purim Fest 1946 – see last year’s column) have some type of takeoff of historical events. This year we will revisit American history. However, this history is not your boring 7 th grade American history starting with the Pilgrims and barely reaching the 20th century. We will now recount the story of Jewish America starting with the Revolutionary War. Our forefathers were oppressed in a land that they wanted be their own. They sent Benjamin Moses Franklin to the king – George, that is – and he said, “Let my people go and have a nation of their own.” The king said, “No, let’s fight it out.” So Reb Binyamin, as he was known to his friends, hired an old childhood chaver named George Washington to lead the troops. General George had a tough time gathering together an army because everyone was learning in shul all day long. One night after chatzos an American scout heard that the British were coming to arrest two leaders of the army. He had an easy time finding two bochurim who were eating Thursday night chulent at Shloimy’s

Chulent and Schnapp’s Saloon which was right next to Nissim’s Barber Shop. Both eagerly saddled up and rode into the night to warn the countrymen, as there was a free roaming stipulation part of their contract (What do a cell phone and bochurim have in common? Free nights and roaming!) This became immortalized in a children’s poem known as the “Midnight Ride of Paul Revere and What’s his Face’s Name is.” (Tell me, did you guys really know that the other rider’s name was William Dawes?) The Declaration of Cheirus was written, and John Hancock, the sofer who swam all the way from Eretz Yisrael, wrote his name so large that King Georgie could see it miles away in London.

It was a long and tough war, especially the winter spent at Valley Forge. A story is told of a Jewish soldier who was being scolded at by his officer for lighting Chanukah licht.

He took him to General George who issued an army wide decree that all soldiers might light Chanukah candles to fool the British. Unsurprisingly, it worked. The British thought that they stumbled into Boro Park instead of Pennsylvania and fled.

Originally, the first words of the

Constitution were “Ani avdecha” but the Founding Avos had the foresight to realize that this would be made into a song and sung ad nauseam at camp kumzitzs. It was then changed to “We, the People.” Chaim Solomon was a prominent figure during the war as he was the one who made the Yom Kippur rabbi’s appeal in his Philadelphia shul that year. He said, “If you don’t give money to my friend General George here then you’ll have to eat tea and crumpets at 4PM everyday.” The people were tired and had just listened to a four hour teshuva drasha so they emptied their pockets. General George finally had enough money to fight the rest of the war (the real story supposedly is not too far off from my tale).

Less than 30 years after the British were sent packing into cheirem they came back in 1812 looking for another chance. Why this war was ever needed is debated in the highly recommended book by Rabbi Berel Wein entitled, Who is this Crazy Guy Avi Making up All this History? Anyway, another war was fought by people who really wanted to be chassidishe look-a-likes with beaver hats and the white socks. The best

thing that this war gave us was the popular folk song “Yoeli, Can You See?” The Mexican version is “Jose, Can You See” and this non-Jewish doctor, who also served as Ave. M’s Shabbos goy for a while, named Francis Scott Key called it “Oh, Say Can You See?” He was referring to the traffic snarl on the Belt Parkway that still has yet to untangle itself 200 years later.

The Wild West – or as old time Lakewooders call it “the other side of the lake” – was just beginning when a grosse machlokeis was raging in the U.S.: to free the slaves and give them equal rights or to have them continue to pick cotton ? In the end, President Avraham Lincolnstein freed the slaves with the words “Emancipation” in a very long Proclamation. He also had a very short address at Gettysburg that the mailman couldn’t find. This speech has been translated several times and this version is an excerpt from a foremost expert on yeshivish, Frumspeak. “Be’erech a yoivel and a half ago, the meyasdim shtelled avek on this makom a naiya malchus with the kavana that no one should have bailus over their chaver and on this yesoid that everyone has the zelba

The Jewish Home | MARCH 9, 2017

zchusim. We’re holding by a geferliche machloikes being machria if this medina, or an andere medina made in the same oifen and with the same machshovos, can have a kiyum… We are here to be koiveia chotsh a chelek of that karka as a kever for the bekavodike soldiers who were moiser nefesh and were niftar to give a chiyus to our nation.

Yashrus is mechayev us to do this...

L’maise, hagam the velt won’t be goires or machshiv what we speak out here, it’s zicher not shayach for them to forget what they tued uf here…” (Want to know what it means? Look at the original version for a proper translation.)

Back to Wild West. Shomrim and Chaptzem were founded to help deal with bad guys who couldn’t keep their hands off their cap guns. Duels were extremely rare in the Wild West (they were made famous in movies but you wouldn’t know that of course!) but there was actually a Jewish gunslinger in the 1870s.

Irish-born Jim Levy, a coalminer by trade, was an expert with the six-shooter. He witnessed a shooting in Nevada and was after a $5,000 bounty if he could neutralize the killer. Michael Casey found Levy and allowed him to retrieve his gun. Levy shot Casey dead. After a trial in which he was acquitted for murder, Levy collected the bounty (despite the rest of the article this part is factually accurate). Levy was involved in other shootouts including one that didn’t go so well for the only known Jewish gunslinger of the Wild West.

Cowboys and desperados loved the ten-gallon davening hat. In fact, many towns west of the Mississippi had a Hat Box stocked with yeshivish Borsalinos, orange ties, and large belt buckles. Back in the day the popular drinking hole was Tommy and Yankel’s Tavern where you could get Jack Daniel’s and grits and wash it down with herring and Slivovitz. In fact, herring was the national fish for about a week until Congress got too many complaints that the matjes population was dwindling to critical numbers. Now the national fish is the gefilte with a carrot on top.

As the reader probably has fig-

ured out, this columnist, as well as the U.S. Government, is full of excitement when it comes to guns, battles and weapons. The two World Wars were a chance to show the world how far we advanced in weap-

like it was today. Imagine a chasunah where the chosson and kallah are actually the center of attention. On second thought, though, the music styles before Carlebach reached the scene must have been pretty dull. At

Shomrim and Chaptzem were founded to help deal with bad guys who couldn’t keep their hands off their cap guns.

onry – that was, if the U.S. would ever enter those wars. When they finally did they showed the Germans and Japanese (during WWII) who was boss. The Italians didn’t need help throwing down their weapons (they practiced the French type of warfare which goes along the lines of how many Frenchmen does it take to defend Paris? I don’t know; it has never been tried!).

Going into the strange facts of WWII would take another article.

A few quickies though. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was high on the idea of using bats to carry small incendiary bombs on enemy locations. Another brilliant plan by the American spy agency was to hand out toothpaste tubes to Chinese and Burmese locals. These were filled with goo that when pressed onto an unsuspecting Japanese official, it would make them look like they had an accident. My favorite is the use of a dead body to fool the Germans as to where the next invasion would take place.

With the influx of Jewish refugees in America after WWII came a host of problems. One was an early version of the shidduch crisis. To help the situation, a shidduch cruise was arranged. Yes, many guys approached girls and asked them out.

Yes, many of the girls said yes. No, there were no resumes or questions, “What color tablecloth does your family use on Friday night?” And yes, many singles were single no longer. I wonder if the boat captain was given the shadchanus money.

This brought in another crisis.

The Jewish music scene was nothing

the end, everyone went home happy especially since they had one delicacy that a chasunah is not complete without – pickles!

JFK was the first off-the-derech president as he was the first to do away with wearing a hat at public forums. Yekkish leaders became incensed and told their mispallelim that they still must wear a hat even

101

while wearing tallis and tefillin.

This brings us to the modern day America. We currently have the first – First Jewish daughter and son-in-law. There are two Jewish Republicans in Congress for what I believe is the very first time, New Yorker Lee Zeldin and David Kustoff from Tennessee. (A little known fact is that Kustoff’s predecessor is from the small town of Frog Jump.)

Fake news is gripping the country at the moment so we will continue that suspense while you try to figure out if this article was made up or not.

All of these little-known and previously unknown characters in this article have made America great – again. Happy Purim!

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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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

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MARCH 9, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Your

Money

Names!

By Allan Rolnick, CPA

Henry and Edsel Ford

E

very year, the IRS gives us a peek inside the wallets of the highest-earning 400 Americans. It’s full of juicy facts like their average income ($318 million in 2014), how much they give to charity ($37 million each), and how much they pay Uncle Sam ($73.5 million).

But there’s one set of facts the IRS guards as carefully as the secret formulas they use to decide who gets audited – the top taxpayers’ names.

That wasn’t always the case.

Back in 1924, the stock market was soaring, flappers were dancing the Charleston, and bootleggers were exploiting arbitrage opportunities in cross-border commodity transactions. The federal income tax wasn’t quite the big deal it is today. For starters, it didn’t kick in until you earned $5,000 of taxable income (about $71,000 in today’s dollars).

Just seven million out of 114 million Americans even filed returns. Form 1040 and its instructions were just two pages each.

That’s when Congress decided to shake things up. Tax rates were still near their wartime highs, and new gift and estate taxes were unpopular.

So the Revenue Act of 1924 dropped the top rate to 46% on incomes over $500,000, reduced the estate tax,

John D. Rockefeller

and repealed the gift tax entirely.

And, much to the delight of gossips everywhere, it directed local tax collectors to publish the names, addresses, and tax bills for every filer in their district.

Topping the national list, to nobody’s surprise, was Standard Oil heir John D. Rockefeller, who paid $6,277,669 (just north of $89 mil-

Treasury Secretary Andrew W. Mellon with President Warren G. Harding

and their progeny. The average top earner was married, fiftyish, with two children and five servants. But there were a few exceptions to that predictable profile: tobacco heiress Doris Duke, “the richest girl in the world,” paid $252,241 in tax – at age 17!

Of course, not everyone on the list inherited their fortune. John G.

But there were a few exceptions to that predictable profile: tobacco heiress Doris Duke, “the richest girl in the world,” paid $252,241 in tax – at age 17!

lion today). Henry Ford and his son Edsel brought home the silver and the bronze. Treasury Secretary Andrew W. Mellon was number four.

And lucky Payne Whitney, heir to the Payne and Whitney family fortunes, was number five.

The rest of the top 100 includes plenty of old-money names like Vanderbilt, Astor, and Guggenheim, along with newer Gilded Age tycoons

Shedd began his career as a stock clerk for Marshall Field, then rose to run the company. Thomas Lamont, who started out as a reporter for the New York Tribune, became a partner of J.P. Morgan and helped President Wilson negotiate the Treaty of Versailles. Arthur Cutten started out as a $4/week clerk for a Chicago commodity broker before speculating his way into, then out of, a $100 million

fortune. He died under indictment for tax evasion.

Why did Congress pass a law making federal income tax bills public? Progressive supporters argued it would discourage cheating. Bigcity newspapers split on whether to publish the information, with about half going for what today’s editors call “the easy clickbait” and the others sanctimoniously resisting the temptation. Just two years later, the buzzkills in Washington repealed the publicity provision, and tax returns have been private ever since.

Most of yesterday’s fortunes have long since faded into history, divvied up by generations of heirs or diverted into philanthropic foundations.

But there’s one lesson that survives a century of changing fortunes, and it’s worth heeding, whether you’re a flashy celebrity or a discreet millionaire next door: the key to paying less is planning. Make sure you have a plan to help you keep more of your fortune!

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

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Life C ach

Two for the Price of One

By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

S

o much of life is spent trying to find yourself, right? Which, if you think about it, actually raises the idea that perhaps there is more than one you. Otherwise, who in the world is doing the looking? Get the complexity here?!

Sometimes, even though we are still looking for ourselves, we even try to help others find themselves. In fact, some people choose a life’s profession that devotes themselves to helping others find themselves. And, if you think about it, that seems kind of wild. Because if you, who are with yourself all the time, have difficulty finding yourself, how are they going to be more successful at it?

Clearly, we see that just being with yourself doesn’t assure self-knowledge. In fact, they say, to truly see yourself you have to be able to step outside of yourself. Oy, so where are you hanging out till you get back into yourself?!

There is a book written by Rabbi Forhman about Purim called, The Queen You Thought You Knew. Look at that, even when you thought you at least figured someone else out, this book clearly lets you know – nothing doing!

So, what’s going on here? Are we lost or found? Are we in the know or not?

I guess this teaches us: there is knowledge, and then there is knowledge! One is an awareness you exist.

The other is a deeper understanding.

That’s what it’s about, not just looking for ourselves, but under-

Without ever physically leaving the port, so to speak, we can take ourselves to many different destinations. Look at how resourceful we are! However, many of the places we encounter aren’t ones we necessarily want to go to. We need to find a way to steer our ship to fulfilling ports and, at a minimum, find the correct

So, what’s going on here? Are we lost or found? Are we in the know or not?

standing who we are and what we are doing here. This is the progression of our lives. First, as infants we explore everything with our mouths. Eventually, we give that up and explore with our hands, though I will concede that we have a hard time giving up that initial habit when it comes to any food placed before us!

As we grow we start exploring with our eyes and ears. And finally with our hearts and minds. Once we hit this stage we are on a life’s journey.

exchange rate to navigate the ones we get stuck in.

With this outlook we can travel through time with some confidence that we can handle whatever conditions we may encounter.

How exactly do we do this? Well, I’ve asked myself, who actually convened with my other self, and together with the input of a lot of other selves, and teachers, and Torah guidance (talk about committees!), the answer that we arrived at is this: there will be many different types of

experiences in our lives. Some will be the pure moments. Others will be mixed, and some completely challenging. What helps is understanding that they are all part of what you are supposed to be experiencing here, all part of your work here, and thus we shouldn’t lose ourselves through it.

Realizing they are all from your Maker is a goal, and then thinking that I was sent this from G-d either to enjoy or to experience. Therein, you strengthen the relationship with a parent who loves you, even at those times when our limited vantage point does not see how. Also, it can be a time to learn not to ask why, lama, but rather li-ma, for what purpose. In other words, how can I grow from this?

These are the most productive discussions you can have with the many versions of you. And hopefully what will emerge is a more informed, and capable, and understanding version of you!

Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and career and life coach.

She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com

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