Five Towns Jewish Home - 7-15-21

July 15, 2021

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52 T’Nu Kavod L’Torah at Camp Kaylie

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Dear Readers,

I

find that it’s very hard to really contemplate the Churban. When Tisha B’Av comes, we find ourselves sitting on low stools, reciting kinnos, and listening to shiurim. But the truth is that I also find myself dealing with children who need entertainment and lunch and activities. Bringing myself back into the mindset of mourning the Beis Hamikdash seems almost impossible when I’m dealing with the mundanity of life.

We go through the year with the same difficulty. Although we think about the Churban in our davening and yearn to return to Yerushalayim three times a day, we are so busy with grappling with the vicissitudes of our day that it’s hard to remember what we’re missing once we take three steps back in Shemonah Esrei.

But then, unfortunately, we’re awakened with a jolt when we hear of a tragedy that hits close to home. The pain, the suffering, the horror – those feelings remind us that we are very much in galus.

The uneasiness of exile, the shouts of “Jew, go home,” the rocket attacks and stabbings – those are sharp reminders that we are not welcome here.

A young man leaving a large family behind, a child gripped by an unbear-

able illness, a mother collapsing from the hurt around her – these are painful reminders that our nation still aches for a yeshuah.

We are confronted by the oozing sores of galus on an almost-constant basis, a continuous loop of persistent tragedies.

And there are questions, so many questions, that stem from all the pain that we see around us. We wonder why we are being subjected to such heartache; such good people confronted with such horror. Our emunah carries us through, our belief that someday soon Hashem will bring us comfort and clarity, as only He can.

And so, although I can’t truly comprehend the Churban, on Tisha B’Av, I contemplate and remember all the pain that our nation has suffered throughout the millennia. I feel the anguish of my brothers and sisters and remind myself that all that suffering stems from the loss we felt two-thousand years ago.

Someday, Tisha B’Av will be a day for celebration. I hope that this year will be the year when it will be a day of joy.

Wishing you all a wonderful week, Shoshana

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

8

COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll

8 Community Happenings

46

This Week We’re Talking to…

Avnet Country Day School 70

22

NEWS Global

12

National

30

Odd-but-True Stories

38

ISRAEL Israel News

24

World Builders

94

JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Wein on the Parsha

80

Tunneling to Yerushalayim by Rav Moshe Weinberger

82

Delving into the Daf

84

Is the Churban the Source of All Suffering? by Rabbi Daniel Glatstein 86 Seeing the Light of Geulah by Rabbi Benny Berlin

90

PEOPLE Remembering Rozi Davis Davidowitz, a”h

74

The Wandering Jew

92

Dr. Moshe Katz Lives to Tell His Story by Tammy Mark

96 118

Military Units by Avi Heiligman HEALTH & FITNESS An IFS Perspective on Real Relationships by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn

104

Plant-Based Burgers by Aliza Beer MS, RD, CDN

106

Parenting Pearls

108

FOOD & LEISURE The Aussie Gourmet: Deconstructed Eggplant Parmesan

Dear Editor, As Tisha B’Av approaches, it’s worth looking at three facts, two from the past and one from the present, to illustrate that there is reason for concern.

First, Nebuchadnezzar, even after hearing a bat kol for 18 years to destroy Jerusalem, was afraid to move on it, especially because he saw the destruction of Sancheiriv’s troops many years earlier. Second, the first Temple was destroyed because the Jews didn’t appreciate the Torah. They were involved in its study, but it wasn’t viewed as the most important thing in their lives.

Third, the recent failed passage of the Citizenship Law by the Bennett government.

Putting all these facts together, we find ourselves in a calamity. We look back and see Nebuchadnezzar, who despite being an enemy of the Jews, appreciated the sanctity of Jerusalem and feared to attack it versus the current government that can’t pass laws to protect its own citizens, instead putting Jerusalem and the whole of Israel in jeopardy.

And, we are in a situation where we must be concerned that we are not prioritizing Torah, exacerbated by a government that’s looking to undermine the Torah community.

Perhaps the only antidote left is to appreciate the Torah with such vigor that it’s viewed as the priority in our lives. In doing so, we can hope

to no longer be the generation that didn’t have the Temple rebuilt in its days.

Steven Genack Dear Editor, I cannot agree more with Fareed Zakaria, in his article, “Democrats Need to Show They Can Be Trusted with Power.” What is going on in Democratic states is alarming. So much so, that it is as if society is eating itself from within. They are creating societies that are overblown and bloated, so fat with benefits for the “poor” and taxes for the “rich” that soon the state will find itself barely able to get off the couch as it gobbles up itself from within.

My only hope that this message will somehow get to the Democrat Party and that they realize that there is no way for society to stand when they persist with their policies.

Sincerely, Gavriel Fleischman Dear Editor, In connection to your recent article on “mommy camps,” I’d like to point out that there are many wonderful day trips that one can take.

Consider taking the ferry with your children to Manhattan; or a trip to pet store; or go to an animal preserve; or take a hike; or go boating.

There are so many amazing ways Continued on page 10

111

LIFESTYLES Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW 101 JWOW! 110

80

Your Money

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HUMOR Centerfold 78

POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes

112

U.S. Athletes Who Protest Their Country’s Flag by Marc A. Thiessen 115 Trump’s Social Media Exile is the Best Thing by Marc A. Thiessen CLASSIFIEDS

116 120

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Continued from page 8

to entertain young and old in Long Island. And when kids help plan the trip – from where to go, to what to pack, to how to get there – they will enjoy it that much more!

Sara Herman Dear Editor, I’d like to address the girl who wrote into the Navidaters because her mother is a shadchan and she feels like her mother nixes all her shidduchim.

This girl sounds extremely immature. Believe me, when her mother hears of an “amazing” boy,

the first person she thinks of is her daughter. Now, if that boy doesn’t fit with her daughter (personality, background, goals), they she won’t redt it, but her daughter will definitely get “first dibs.”

If her mother is such a great shadchan, then she has a knack for putting two people together who are able to connect and then marry. I am sure she has that same knack for her daughter. Along with the ultimate Shadchan, this girl shouldn’t be too worried.

Sincerely, Charna E.

Make your voice heard!

Be part of TJH’s weekly poll.

Email the editor to be included in the weekly poll at Editor@FiveTownsJewishHome.com

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

Please send all correspondence to: editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com.

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The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

The Week In News

Protests Rock Cuba

Mass anti-government protests were held in Cuba over the weekend for the first time in decades, as the country’s government partially blames energy shortages and a tightened blockade imposed by the U.S. for the nation’s woes.

At a Monday press conference, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the protests were due to “eco-

nomic asphyxiation” and “Miami’s conservative Cuban-American mafia,” as well as COVID-19.

Though he acknowledged that there are “legitimate” reasons for his citizens’ dissatisfaction, Diaz-Canel claimed the protests were part of an “unconventional war” backed by the U.S. Sunday’s protests saw looting and an overturned police car; mass protests are rare in the communist country. Photos showed security forces detaining, beating and pepper-spraying some protesters.

Diaz-Canel called the protesters “mercenaries” and “counter-revolutionaries.”

U.S. President Joe Biden praised the protesters as “bravely asserting fundamental and universal rights.”

“We stand with the Cuban people and their clarion call for freedom and relief from the tragic grip of the pandemic and from the decades of repression and economic suffering to which they have been subjected

by Cuba’s authoritarian regime,” he said.

Around 100 people were arrested on Sunday by Cuban authorities in connection to the protests. Ad-

ditionally, there was a heightened presence of police across the nation.

Rolling internet blackouts were reported; Cubans depend on the internet for their news.

Cuba’s economy is struggling.

Tourism, one of the most important sectors, has been devastated by the restrictions on travel during the Covid pandemic.

Sugar, which is mostly exported, is another key earner for Cuba. But this year’s harvest has been much worse than expected. Cuba’s sugar monopoly, Azcuba, said the shortfall was due to a number of factors, including a lack of fuel and the breakdown of machinery which made bringing in the harvest difficult, as well as natural factors such as humidity in the fields.

As a result, the government’s reserves of foreign currency are depleted, meaning it cannot buy in imported goods to supplement shortages, as it would normally do.

Meanwhile, Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador promised to send medicine, food, and vaccines to Cuba if requested, and urged the U.S. to end its “unjust” embargo on Cuba.

Napoleon’s General’s Remains Returned to France

On Tuesday, Russia repatriated the remains of one of Napoleon’s most trusted generals after their discovery in the country two years ago.

The coffin with the skeleton of Charles-Etienne Gudin, one of Napoleon’s closest allies, was brought to the entrance of the Moscow Vnukovo airport building on a horse-drawn cart accompanied by men in 19th century French military uniform.

Gudin died in 1812 during the Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. The 44-year-old general was hit by a cannonball near Smolensk, a city 229 miles west of Moscow. He died of

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

General Austin “Scott” Miller, right, the highest-ranked U.S. officer on the ground in Afghanistan, handed command to General Kenneth McKenzie on Monday as the U.S. pulls out of the war-torn country

gangrene three days after his leg was amputated.

The general’s remains were found in Smolensk in July 2019 by a team of French and Russian archaeologists.

“Gudin represents a reconciliation between France and Russia, because Gudin was a Russian enemy in 1812. He came to attack Russia.

Now, when Russia honors him and gives (the remains) to France, it’s the biggest symbol of reconciliation between our two countries,” Pierre Malinowski, president of the Foundation for the Development of Russian-French Historical Initiatives, said.

Will a Chinese University Open in Hungary?

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has announced a plan to open a prestigious Shanghai university in Hungary – and to have Hungarians pay for the campus.

According to CNN, the campus would be located on the banks of the Danube River, in Budapest, Hungary, and would open in 2024.

Critics of the university plan em-

phasize the high cost to the Hungarian taxpayer, warning that the money would go towards the interests of China’s Communist Party; they also note that the campus is planned for land previously slated for the construction of affordable housing for some 10,000 Hungarian students.

Last month, thousands of protesters demonstrated in opposition to the plan.

In addition, a joint letter sent to Chinese President Xi Jinping last month by opposition leaders in Hungary warned that they would “immediately halt” the project, as well as the railway linking Budapest and Belgrade, if they are elected next year.

Meanwhile, the Hungarian government announced a public referendum on the university, but scheduled it for after the election.

The Fudan Hungary University project would cost approximately $1.8 billion, most of which would be financed through a loan from a Chinese state bank. The construction itself would be carried out by a Chinese contractor, and the university would be established and maintained by a Chinese-Hungarian asset management foundation.

The Hungarian government noted that 6,000-8,000 students from “Hungary, China, and other nations” would learn from 500 lecturers at the university’s various facilities. It also said that Fudan University is already collaborating with other European universities and has an academic partnership with Yale University as well.

“If they manage to protect their national security interests, we are capable of that, too,” the govern-

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

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ment said, adding that the campus will “not be taking space away” from the planned student accommodations.

Dam Dispute

Members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council on Thursday expressed support for efforts by the African Union to mediate a dispute between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan regarding the operation of a hydropower dam on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia.

The Security Council was called in by Egypt and Sudan, in an effort to resolve the dispute after Ethiopia began filling the reservoir behind the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD) earlier this week.

Ethiopia opposes Security Council involvement.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Council, “A balanced and equitable solution to the filling and operation of the GERD can be reached with political commitment from all parties.

“This begins with the resumption of productive substantive negotiations. Those negotiations should be held under the leadership of the African Union, and should recommence with urgency.”

According to Thomas-Greenfield, the African Union “is the most appropriate venue to address this dispute.”

While Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia suggested the countries meet in New York for talks, other Council diplomats were wary of setting a precedent in allowing other countries to seek intervention on water-related disagreements.

The dispute centers on Ethiopia’s claim that the dam is crucial to its economic development and for electricity, while Egypt views the dam as a threat to the Nile’s water supplies and Sudan worries about the dam’s safety and its impact on Sudanese dams and water stations.

Arrests in Jordanian Plot

A Jordanian state security court on Monday sentenced two former officials to 15 years behind bars for a plot targeting the royal family.

The officials, who were arrested in April, were accused of involvement in an alleged plot to kill Jordanian King Abdullah II’s half-brother.

The arrested officials were named as Bassem Awadallah, who has U.S., Jordanian, and Saudi citizenship and once served as a top aide to King Abdullah II; and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a member of the royal family. Both were found guilty of incitement charges and sedition. They are also claimed to have conspired with Prince Hamza – King Abdullah’s half-brother – and sought foreign assistance.

Both men denied the charges and

Sharif’s lawyer declined comment, other than to say they would appeal the ruling, which had been handed down by a military judge in a trial consisting of six hearings.

Michael Sullivan, a former federal prosecutor hired by Awadallah’s U.S.-based family, said “the fix was in” from the moment his client was arrested.

“Bassem’s so-called trial was conducted by a secret military court where he was denied the opportunity to refute any of the prosecution’s evidence and he was not allowed to call witnesses who would provide exculpatory evidence on his behalf,” he said.

Sullivan, a former U.S. attorney for Massachusetts and former acting director of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said his client had been held in solitary confinement for almost 100 days. Sullivan said his client’s meetings with his Jordanian lawyer almost always occurred in the presence of prosecutors.

He called on the U.S. to seek Awadallah’s release.

“This proceeding and Jordan’s mistreatment of our client has violated every international standard for justice and human rights,” Sulli-

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

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Sara Schenirer is not a college or degree-granting institution. All degrees conferred by Katz School of Science and Health, Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Manhattanville College, College of Mount Saint Vincent or St. Peter’s University

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van said.

According to Sullivan, any conviction will be appealed.

Meanwhile, the Prosecutor’s Office at the state security court said Awadallah was given due process and not mistreated in any way; it also said Awadallah only mentioned torture as sentencing day neared.

Taiwan Tug-of-War

Taiwan is stuck in the middle of a battle of wills between China and the United States, according to a white paper on defense in Japan.

“It is necessary that we pay close attention to the situation with a sense of crisis more than ever,” the paper said in a new section on Taiwan.

“In particular, competition in technological fields is likely to become even more intense,” it said about the U.S.-China tussle.

The defense review, which was approved by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government on Tuesday, points to China as Japan’s main national security concern.

Beijing’s recent uptick in military activity around Taiwan has Tokyo worried since the island is close to the Okinawa chain at the western end of the Japanese archipelago. Chinese President Xi Jinping this month pledged to complete the “reunification” with Taiwan and in June criticized the U.S. as a “risk creator” after it sent a warship through the Taiwan Straits separating the island from the mainland.

Japan’s deputy prime minister and finance minister, Taro Aso, said this month that Japan should join forces with the U.S. to defend Taiwan from any invasion. Aso later said any contingency over Taiwan should be resolved through dialogue when asked about the remarks, which drew a rebuke from Beijing.

As the military rivalry between the U.S. and China deepens, their economic competition is fueling a race to take the lead in key technologies, such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

The emergence of the rival tech-

nology camps poses a challenge for Japan because its economy relies as much on business ties with China as it does with the U.S. Japan will also have to spend heavily to keep up with government funding for technology development in the U.S., China and Europe.

Who is Behind the Haiti Assassination?

An armed group of “professional killers” assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moise in his Port-auPrince residence last week. At least 12 bullets hit the president in the firefight in which he lost his life. His wife was injured in the attack and was brought to the U.S. for treatment.

A shootout between the police and some of the suspects in the as-

sassination left burned-out cars, spent bullet casings, bloodstains, and bullet-pocked walls.

Haitian authorities said that three burned-out cars belonged to members of the armed group, which numbers over two dozen people, including two U.S. citizens and retired members of the Colombian military.

So far, 20 suspects have been arrested. Police said that at least two Haitian-Americans and 26 Colombians had been involved in the plot.

Taiwanese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Joanne Ou said that 11 suspects were arrested in the Embassy without resistance.

On Sunday, Haitian police announced that they had arrested a “key suspect” in the president’s assassination.

Police chief Léon Charles alleged that Haitian national Christian Emmanuel Sanon had hired 26 of the 28-strong hit squad through a Miami-based company called CTU, run

by Venezuelan national Tony Intriago.

According to Charles, Sanon was “the first person” that one of the Colombian suspects had called when police surrounded them. The 63-year-old doctor, who resides in Florida, had arrived in Haiti on a private jet in early June with “political

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motives.” Police had found weapons, ammunition and a Drug Enforcement Administration cap in his possession.

It’s possible that the Colombians may not have been aware of the extent of the plot. Charles surmises that Sarnon was planning to become Haiti’s president.

“The initial mission that was given to these assailants was to protect the individual named Emmanuel Sanon, but afterwards the mission changed,” Charles explained.

Taliban in Control

The Taliban terror group claims it is in control of most of Afghanistan.

At a Moscow press conference Friday, a Taliban delegation said the group is ready to share power but claimed it is in control of 85% of Af-

ghanistan.

“We don’t want to fight. We want to find a political solution through political negotiations. Negotiations of the kind are ongoing in Doha,” Interfax quoted Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen as saying.

The officials also said that the Taliban does not seek total power and is interested in including all members of Afghanistan society in its government.

Meanwhile, Russia said that the Taliban controls two-thirds of the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border. Most estimates place the Taliban’s control at about half of the country.

The Pentagon is examining evacuating thousands of interpreters and families to outside Afghanistan, though the Taliban promised that interpreters would suffer no harm if they remained in the country.

“We guarantee that they can be in Afghanistan, live normal lives, they will not be harmed,” Shaheen said.

On Tuesday, a video, obtained by CNN, showed the Taliban executing 22 Afghan commandos as they surrendered.

The massacre, which human rights groups have described as an apparent war crime, questions the assertions that the Taliban makes

about peace.

Responding to the news of the executed Afghan commandos, GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a U.S. Air Force veteran who flew missions in Afghanistan, in a tweet said, “This is horrible – yet it’s the reality of announcing the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Removing the peacekeepers and leaving the Afghan people without support is a grave mistake, Mr. President.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday called President Joe Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal a “global embarrassment.”

The incident of the video that was released this week took place on June 16 in the town of Dawlat Abad in Faryab province, which is close to Afghanistan’s border with Turkeministan. The Taliban dismissed the video as a fabrication. But the Red Cross confirmed that 22 bodies were retrieved, and CNN spoke with witnesses and verified several videos of the incident.

The withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan – set to be complete by the end of August – marks an end to the longest conflict in U.S. history.

Biden announced the plan to withdraw troops in April, and has fervently defended the move amid escalating concerns about the future of Afghanistan with the U.S. departure nearly complete. Proponents of Biden’s withdrawal contend that the pullout was long overdue, making the case that the costs of staying in Afghanistan far outweigh the benefits.

But critics have characterized the withdrawal as a hasty retreat that endangers local populations – especially women – and effectively hands the country over to the Taliban.

Biden has rejected the notion that it’s “inevitable” the Taliban will fully regain control of Afghanistan.

“I trust the capacity of the Afghan military, who is better trained, better equipped and more competent in terms of conducting war,” the president said on Thursday.

Fatal Fire in Bangladesh A fire in a Bangladesh factory has left 52 dead and 30 injured, emergency services said.

The fire broke out Thursday night at the Hashem Food and Beverage factory located in the town of Rupganj. The factory manufactured

noodles, sweet confections, and fruit juices.

Authorities said the fire took hold of plastics and chemicals stored in the building. Many people had been unable to escape the burning building because a door leading to the stairs to the roof had been padlocked.

Eyewitnesses said many people were injured after jumping from the factory’s upper floors.

On Saturday, police rounded up a number of individuals, including the owner of the factory and his four sons, in connection to the tragedy.

“It was a deliberate murder,” Jayedul Alam, the district’s police chief, said.

The website of Sajeeb Group, the company that owns the factory, showed an apology note saying it sought forgiveness for the fire and was “on the side” of the families of the deceased.

Children as young as 11 are said to be among the missing and the dead.

Monnujan Sufian, the state minister for labor, said that a separate investigation had been launched into child labor at the factory. It is possible that as many as 16 children were killed in the fire.

“This tragic incident brings to light yet again that despite laws that should protect them, many children in Bangladesh are not only working, but they are working in hazardous conditions,” Bangladesh’s UNICEF representative said.

Employing children younger than 14 is illegal in Bangladesh, although many children use fake papers to obtain jobs to support their starving families.

Giant Pandas No Longer Endangered Giant pandas are no longer an endangered species, Chinese officials said.

The announcement follows decades of efforts to save the population, which currently numbers 1,800.

Instead, the giant pandas will be

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Demonstrators at a rally claiming the Holocaust never occurred.

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re-classified as a vulnerable species, Cui Shuhong, director of the Department of Natural Ecological Protection of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, told a press conference last Wednesday.

Giant pandas were removed from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) list of endangered species in 2016, but the Chinese government did not agree with that removal.

On Wednesday, Cui said, “China has established a relatively complete nature reserves system. Large areas of natural ecosystems have been systematically and completely protected, and wildlife habitats have been effectively improved.”

He added, “The number of species such as Siberian tigers, Amur leopards, Asian elephants, and crested ibis has increased significantly.”

The giant panda is native to South Central China. It typically lives around 20 years in the wild and up to 30 years in captivity.

Tensions Still Felt in Northern Ireland

In 2001, over the course of twelve weeks, pupils at north Belfast’s Holy Cross Girls’ primary school were subject to abuse from a group of loyalist Protestants blocking their path to the school gate along with urinefilled balloons and a pipe bomb.

Three years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, also called the Belfast Agreement, which marked an end to the decades-long conflict known as the Troubles, tensions had not died down in Belfast’s Ardoyne neighborhood – and twenty years later, things are still tense.

July 12 marks the day when loyal-

ist Protestants celebrate the victory of King William of Orange over Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne, in 1690. The celebration usually includes marches and bonfires, and this year there were fears that unrest could ensue.

Niamh Burns, who was five at the time and is now organizing a reunion for her classmates, told CNN, “You don’t ever really overcome it, you just learn how to live with it.”

Both she and her older sister, also a pupil at the school, suffered night terrors as a result of the violence.

“I’ve carried my experience with me the whole time, which has allowed me to do the work that I am doing now,” she said.

Gemma McCabe, another former Holy Cross student, said, “I was brought up not to let that get at you or ... bring you down. I know it was a traumatic time, but to me it was only a short time of my life.

“As you get older, you learn the politics of Northern Ireland and ... you would never have understood that as a kid anyway. So what way do you tell a kid? You don’t.”

She added that her parents shunned the “us and them” attitude, encouraging her to work for the good of the community as a whole.

Brexit has not helped to assuage tensions: the Northern Ireland protocol creates a customs border in the Irish Sea, to avoid having one on the island of Ireland. The flip side, however, is that it keeps Northern Ireland in the same customs union as the Republic of Ireland, which is a European Union member state, while at the same time adding checks on goods from the rest of the UK, of which Northern Ireland remains a part.

As a result, those living in Northern Ireland feel the protocol puts them in a standing different than that of England, Wales, and Scotland.

Meanwhile, while Protestants once outnumbered Catholics two to one in Northern Ireland, 2021’s census is likely to show a Catholic majority.

Earlier this year, rioters in primarily loyalist neighborhoods hurled petrol bombs at police officers and set a bus on fire.

Billy Hutchinson, a Progressive Unionist Party councilor, warned that it “doesn’t take much to light the fire.”

According to him, “What we need to do is to build confidence in this community that they’re still British. And they will be until, you know, if some sort of poll says we aren’t.”

He added, “I’ve seen the trouble

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starting when we didn’t have troubles. They start for a reason, and the same thing can happen again. So people need to be very careful.”

A recent Northern Ireland Youth Forum (NIYF) report showed that mental health is the biggest concern for young people. When asked about religion, culture, and identity, 45% identified as Northern Irish and 82% said an individual’s religious background has no impact on how they would feel about them.

Anwar Sadat’s Widow Dies Jehan Sadat, widow of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, who made history as the first Arab leader to make peace with the State of Israel, died on Friday in Egypt. She was 87.

In recent weeks, local media had reported that Jehan Sadat was hospitalized and battling cancer. In 2020,

Sadat received medical treatment in the U.S., but her condition deteriorated shortly after arriving home to Egypt.

On Friday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi’s office mourned Sadat as a role model for Egyptian women and announced that a highway would be named after her.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said in a Friday statement that Jehan “joined her husband during his historic visit in Jerusalem and courageously stood by President Sadat’s side during his relentless work for peace with the State of Israel.

“She continued to promote the cause of peace for many more years.

On behalf of the State of Israel, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the President of Egypt and the Egyptian people.”

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz (Blue and White) tweeted: “I

would like to offer my condolences to the people of Egypt over the loss of Jehan Sadat, wife of the late President, visionary and champion of peace, Anwar Sadat.

“It was Sadat who paved the way for peace between Israel and Egypt, and we are committed to deepening this partnership.”

In 2009, 30 years after the Egypt-Israel peace treaty was signed, Jehan told CNN, “I am very optimistic that what my husband did, what he gave his life for will never, ever go in vain. I believe, though I’m not young, that I will see peace prevailing in the Middle East between the Arabs and the Israelis, and I am a very realistic woman. I am not living in fantasy or illusion.”

She added, “It was unforgettable to see the Israeli delegation and the Egyptian delegation and the American delegation and instead of enemies they were friends, talking and chatting. It was something that I would never ever forget. My tears were coming down, I could hardly control them, because I was so happy to see that we are all like one family.”

Sadat is the author of two books, “A Woman of Egypt,” her autobiography, and “My Hope for Peace.”

Yossi Cohen’s New Job

Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, 59, who retired last month from his position, will be appointed director of Israel operations for SoftBank.

The SoftBank group is a leading holding firm under Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son and focuses primarily on investing in companies in the technology, financial, and energy sectors.

Speaking to Globes, Cohen said, “SoftBank has pioneered a new approach to technology investing and created the world’s largest ecosystem of emerging technology champions.

Israel’s advanced technology and entrepreneurial culture make it a natural fit for SoftBank’s investment vision and I look forward to helping fast-moving companies scale in the

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region and globally.”

Yanni Pipilis, SoftBank Vision Fund managing partner, said, “When we met Mr. Cohen, we immediately got excited about the opportunity to work together. He is very well-connected in the Israeli industry at large, he is someone that entrepreneurs and founders can recognize and can be a central focal point for us.”

He added, “Clearly, his relationship across Israeli industry and the ability to traverse international relations are effective to be able to essentially help connect these entrepreneurs globally with the AI ecosystem.”

Cohen headed the Mossad from January 2016 until last month, when he stepped down. In September 2019, the Jerusalem Post listed Cohen as the most influential Jew of the year.

U.S.: Don’t Demolish Terrorists’ Homes

The U.S. State Department will prioritize pushing Israel to cease demolishing the homes of Muslim Arab terrorists who murder Jews, the Times of Israel quoted a spokesperson as saying on Thursday.

“We attach a good deal of priority to this, knowing that the home of an entire family shouldn’t be demolished for the action of one individual,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said, noting that the U.S. will continue to voice its opposition “as long as this practice continues.”

Price added, “There is a critical need to lower the temperature in the West Bank. Punitive demolitions exacerbate tensions at a time when everyone should be focused on principally ensuring calm.”

According to Price, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other senior U.S. State Department officials raised the issue with their Israeli counterparts prior to the demolition of the home of Muntasser Shalabi, the terrorist who murdered 19-year-old Yehuda Guetta in

a drive-by shooting in May. Earlier on Thursday, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy said, “We are following reports that the home was demolished. We believe it is critical for all parties to refrain from unilateral steps that exacerbate tensions and undercut efforts to advance a negotiated two-state solution. This certainly includes the punitive demolition of Palestinian homes.

“As we stated numerous times, the home of an entire family should not be demolished for the actions of one individual.”

Funds Frozen to PA for Terror Payments

Israel’s Security Cabinet on Sunday voted to deduct 597 million NIS ($181,917,906) from the taxes and tariffs transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA).

According to a report by the Defense Ministry’s National Bureau for Counter-Terror Financing, the Palestinian Authority paid 597 million shekel to terrorists and their families throughout 2020.

“In light of this report, these funds will be frozen from the monthly payments that Israel transfers to the PA,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office said in a statement.

Under the “Pay to Slay” law, Israel may begin deducting 1/12 of the sum on a monthly basis.

Responding to Israel’s decision, Qadri Abu Bakr, the head of the Palestinian Authority’s Prisoners Affairs Commission, said the deduction would only increase the PA’s determination to support the “fighters” who sacrificed their lives in defending their homeland from “a despicable enemy who practices all forms of terror against us and against our homeland.”

He also blasted the deduction as “racist behavior,” claiming it is “a policy of robbery of some of the state’s funds estimated at millions of shekels.”

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Israeli Captives On Our Minds

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) on Sunday evening met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Brussels, Belgium, on the sidelines of the European Union’s Foreign Affairs Council meeting.

During the meeting, which lasted an hour, the two ministers discussed the relationship between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, as well as the attempts to find a way to rehabilitate Gaza.

The two also spoke about cooperation between the two countries on the issue of counterterrorism.

During their discussion, Lapid raised the issue of the four Israelis held in Gaza by the Hamas terror group. Two IDF soldiers, Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, were killed and their bodies were taken during 2014’s

Operation Protective Edge. Two mentally unwell Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu, an Ethiopian Israeli, and Hisham al-Sayed, a Bedouin Arab Israeli, are also believed to be alive and captive in Gaza.

Bedouin Charged with Spying for Iran

A Bedouin Arab Israeli businessman recently handed information on Israel over to Iranian intelligence officials, Israeli security authorities said on Monday afternoon.

The suspect, identified as Yaqoob Abo Alkea from the town of Hura in southern Israel, was arrested on June 10 on suspicion that he had illegally transferred information to Iran, Arutz Sheva reported.

According to Israeli security officials, Abo Alkean sent the information through a Lebanese-Iraqi proxy.

Abo Alkean was in contact with Khaider al-Mashhadani, an agent for Iran’s intelligence gathering efforts, investigators discovered. During the time the two were in contact, Abo Alkean is believed to have kept Iran up-to-date on recent events in Israel. The two are also reported to have been involved in joint business ventures.

Initially, Abo Alkean was not aware that al-Mashhadani was working on behalf of Iranian intelligence.

However, he continued to work with al-Mashhadani even after he realized who he was working for, and sought a meeting with al-Mashhadani’s handlers. That meeting never came to fruition.

Abo Alkean was also noted as having run for the Knesset as part of former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon’s “Telem” party and having close ties to several prominent figures in Israel.

Following the investigation, Southern District prosecutors in the Be’er Sheva District Court on Monday filed espionage charges against Abo Alkean.

According to Arutz Sheva, in

May, Abo Alkean called for the use of violence to defend Al Aqsa Mosque, saying in a now-deleted Facebook video: “The Al-Aqsa Mosque is a red line, and we will cut off any hand that is raised against it.

“The hudna (cease-fire) is only temporary and conditional, and we are raising our head in this city and saying to everyone: you must always protect our holy places and our mosque.”

Abo Alkean concluded his fiery speech, which was discovered by Ad Kan and translated by the Arab Desk of the Zionist watchdog group Im Tirtzu, by chanting, “With spirit and blood we will redeem Al-Aqsa.”

Dog DNA

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required to provide DNA samples for their pet when they renew their dog ownership licenses or receive a new dog. When authorities find dog excrement on the streets, they will sample the waste and track down the dog’s owner to fine them for not picking up after their dog.

On Monday night, the Tel Aviv-Jaffa City Council approved an amendment to the Municipal bylaw, making it compulsory for dog owners to register their pets to a DNA database. According to the bylaw, dog owners will also be charged for the sampling and testing expenses.

The law has been submitted to the Interior Ministry for examination, and is awaiting approval.

The municipality calculated that an estimated 500 kilos of dog feces are not picked up from the street every month, and hope that this new law will work to decrease the amount.

“The municipality, for its part, has worked hard to eradicate the issue of collecting feces, by distributing tickets to dog owners, placing bag collection facilities in gardens and parks, and establishing dozens of dog parks throughout the city – but this does not diminish dog owners’ responsibility to keep the public space

clean,” a municipality representative declared.

The ratio of humans to dogs in Tel Aviv-Yafo is one of the highest in the world, with one in every 11 people in the area owning a dog.

The Big Cheese

A bill to name Colby the official Wisconsin state cheese on Wednesday received a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Local Government.

The bill, introduced by a bipartisan group of state lawmakers, would require that the designation be included in the Wisconsin Blue Book.

The bill was originally proposed

in 2019 but failed to advance to the full Assembly and Senate; a similar 1997 bill did pass the Assembly, but was not voted on by the Senate.

Colby cheese was first developed in Colby, Wisconsin, in 1885.

According to a historical state marker, Joseph Steinwand named the cheese after the township where his father had built northern Clark County’s first cheese factory three years prior.

Residents of Colby expressed support for the bill, and the bill’s lead authors, Rep. Donna Rozar and Sen. Kathy Bernier, both of whom represent Colby, said the proposal is a celebration of the state’s dairy heritage and of rural history.

Some lawmakers have expressed concerns that the designation could detract from other types of cheeses produced in the state.

Rep. Rick Gundrum said, “I just have an issue making one cheese the state cheese. We have a wide variety of stores and shops in my district that have a wide selection of Wisconsin cheese varieties that they sell. Cheese is very popular in Wisconsin, along with beer and sausage. I can’t get behind it one hundred percent.”

Rozar asserted, “It was import-

ant to recognize a local municipality, where something very small kind of launched Wisconsin on the dairy state path. I believe that Colby cheese, because of its history, has a very deserving place in our Blue Book.”

If the Assembly Committee approves the bill, it will need to pass through the Senate committee prior to being voted on by the full Assembly and Senate. After it passes the Senate, it would need the signature of Governor Tony Evers before becoming law.

Ammunition Bust Near MLB All-Star Game

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near the site of this week’s major league baseball All-Star Game has a history of both weapons and drug charges.

According to Newsweek, Richard Platt has faced charges in three different counties over the last eleven years. Over the years, he has pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including theft, drugs, weapons, drug possession, child abuse related to negligence with no injury, and felony menacing.

He is still facing drugs and weapons charges from a case last year.

Platt was arrested in Denver on Friday night, along with two other men and one woman, at the Maven Hotel. A housekeeper had tipped off the police after finding over a dozen weapons and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition in their room.

Police feared the number of weapons, ammunition, and the eighthfloor vantage point a block from the field could have resulted in a mass shooting at the All-Star Game.

On Sunday, Platt appeared in court. A Denver magistrate judge set his bond at $50,000 in cash. The other suspects, Gabriel Rodriguez, Ricardo Rodriguez and Kanoelehua Serikawa, were ordered to be in court

on Monday.

Platt was charged with one count of possession of a weapon by a previous offender, as well as two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

In a Sunday statement, the Federal Bureau of Investigations assured, “We have no reason to believe this incident was connected to terrorism or a threat directed at the All-Star Game. We are not aware of any threat to the All-Star Game events, venues, players, or the community at this time.”

At a press conference on Sunday, Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said, “That’s what the investigation is all about. We need to identify exactly, to the extent possible, why individuals were here in the first place, why in proximity to downtown. We don’t have those answers.”

Wildlife-Only Freeway Overpass California recently approved a budget measure allowing for the

construction of animal crossings on freeways around the state.

According to CalMatters, the new budget will fund the Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing – an overpass traversing the ten-lane 101 Freeway in the Santa Monica Mountains near Agoura Hills. A sum of $7 million will be provided for the project, with an additional $54.5 million earmarked for constructing wildlife passages across the state.

“Seven thousand vehicle crashes a year on California highways involve large wildlife,” CalMatters noted, adding that the true number is likely higher.

In addition to reducing the number of highway accidents involving wildlife, the crossings are also expected to reunite habitats divided by freeways. Scientists believe the Liberty Canyon overpass will especially benefit the mountain lion populations in the region.

Mountain lions in the Santa Ana and Santa Monica Mountains face a 99% chance of extinction within the next 50 years.

The Los Angeles Times noted that at 200 feet in length and 165 feet in width, Liberty Canyon is expected to become “the largest of its kind in the world” when it is completed.

Beating the Heat

The State of Oregon recently adopted an emergency rule increasing the requirements for employers to protect workers from extreme heat.

The emergency rule, adopted by the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (OSHA), mandates that employers provide access to sufficient shade and an adequate supply of water when the heat reaches 80°F or above.

It also requires 10-minute

cooldown breaks in the shade every two hours, communication between employees and supervisors to allow workers to report concerns, and observation of employees for alertness and signs of heat illness when temperatures reach 90°F or above.

Oregon OSHA said that the rule is effective immediately and will remain in place for 180 days.

Reyna Lopez, executive director of the Oregon farmworkers’ union, known by its Spanish acronym as PCUN, said, “Oregon OSHA is taking an important step forward in leading the nation on standards for outdoors workers. It’s crucial that we continue to take steps toward long-term policy shifts in our state, that take climate change and workers’ safety seriously.”

Andrew Stolfi, director of the state agency that includes Oregon OSHA, added, “In the face of an unprecedented heat wave in the Pacific Northwest — and tragic consequences — it is absolutely critical that we continue to build up our defenses against the effects of climate change, including extreme heat events.”

Last month, over 100 people died in Oregon from the extreme heat.

California Quakes

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake centered south of Lake Tahoe near Walker in the eastern Sierra Nevada sent large boulders rolling into highways and was felt all the way to San Francisco, Sacramento, and Las Vegas last week.

Following the Thursday afternoon quake – the largest since a 1994 earthquake measuring 6.1 – aftershocks continued to rumble the region between Nevada and Northern California.

According to California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services spokesman Brian Ferguson, state emergency crews discovered minor road damage but no significant damage to infrastructure; no injuries were reported.

“We were relieved it wasn’t anything more substantial,” Ferguson said.

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According to the California Highway Patrol, some cars were hit by rocks, but no one was injured.

However, rockslides did force approximately 40 miles of the interstate to close for several hours to traffic.

The quake occurred along the Antelope Valley fault, which extends across the state line near Topaz Lake. That same fault saw a magnitude 5.8 earthquake last month, near the eastern Sierra town of Lone Pine.

$ for More Security at the Capitol

Lawmakers are endeavoring to allot more security at the Capitol in

the wake of the events of January 6.

This week, Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont and chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, unveiled a new $3.7 billion proposal to supplement security funding there. Leahy’s plan is almost double of what House Democrats had already passed in May. In addition to beefing up funding for Capitol Police and the National Guard, the Leahy plan also provided funding to help Afghan supporters of the U.S. military obtain visas as the U.S. ends its combat operations presence there, offers funding for the Department of Defense to help beef up Covid protections, and provides an influx in cash to help harden the Capitol’s security posture.

“We did not budget for an insurrection, and I am glad that my Republican colleagues have joined the negotiating table on this urgent matter,” Leahy said while speaking on the Senate floor, “but their proposal falls far short of the needs of the moment. A violent insurrection happened. A pandemic happened.

And the President announced the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. These events created urgent needs that must be met now.”

Republicans are not keen about spending so much on these projects.

Leahy’s Republican counterpart, Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, has offered a stripped down $633 million dollar proposal that would solve the funding crisis for Capitol Police and the National Guard, but would allow the two sides more time to negotiate the other aspects of the proposal.

“We all agree we must provide desperately-needed funding for the Capitol Police and National Guard,” Shelby said. “My bill answers these needs. I urge my Democrat colleagues to join me in passing this bill without further delay. Funding for the Capitol Police and National Guard must not be held hostage because the Democrats insist on billions more in spending that lacks full support at this time.”

He added, “The clock is ticking.

Let’s pass what we all agree on.”

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Shelby asserted that the price tag of $3.7 billion is going in “absolutely the wrong direction.”

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is now warning that those who receive the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine may be at increased risk of a rare neurological complication known as Guillain-Barré syndrome.

While the FDA said it had not established the vaccine could cause the syndrome, it noted an increase in reports of the sometimes paralyzing condition.

“Today, the FDA is announcing revisions to the vaccine recipient and vaccination provider fact sheets for the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine to include information pertaining to an observed increased risk of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) following vaccination,” it said in a statement.

“Reports of adverse events following use of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine under emergency use authorization suggest an increased risk

of Guillain-Barré syndrome during the 42 days following vaccination,” the updated label reads.

“Although the available evidence suggests an association between the Janssen vaccine and increased risk of GBS, it is insufficient to establish a causal relationship. No similar signal has been identified with the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines,” the label adds.

The FDA said 100 preliminary reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome had been filed with the U.S. government’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, out of 12.8 million Janssen vaccines given.

“Guillain Barré syndrome (a neurological disorder in which the body’s immune system damages nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis) has occurred in some people who have received the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine,” the FDA says in the label update for patients and caregivers.

“The chance of having this occur is very low,” it adds.

The FDA noted that people should seek medical attention if they notice symptoms such as weakness or tingling in the arms and legs, especially if it spreads, after receiving a vaccine.

Other telltale symptoms include difficulty walking, speaking, chewing or swallowing; double vision; and bowel or bladder control problems.

Johnson & Johnson responded to the FDA’s announcement.

“We have been in discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulators about rare cases of the neurological disorder, Guillain-Barré syndrome, that have been reported following vaccination with the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine,” the company said in a brief statement.

“The chance of having this occur is very low, and the rate of reported cases exceeds the background rate by a small degree,” it added.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that, despite the possibility of the condition stemming from the vaccine, people should still get vaccinated.

“You’re always going to find some adverse event associated with vaccination,” Fauci told CNN’s Chris Cuomo.

“When you vaccinate tens of millions of people, you will always find a rare event. You’ve got make a decision – does the benefit outweigh the

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

unusual risk of an adverse event?

Thus far with the vaccines, it’s always been decided that the benefit of the vaccine outweighs the risk of an adverse event.”

J&J’s Janssen vaccine was the third vaccine to win emergency use authorization from the FDA, after Pfizer’s and Moderna’s obtained the go-ahead. According to the CDC, 84.6 million Americans have received both doses of Pfizer’s vaccine; 62 million are fully vaccinated with Moderna’s; and 12.7 million with J&J’s one-dose regimen.

Massive Sewage Spill in CA

At least 17 million gallons of untreated sewage leaked from Los Angeles’ largest treatment plant

this week, causing officials to close beaches along the city.

A Sunday night power outage at the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant in Playa del Rey was blamed for the massive spill into the ocean, L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced in a Monday tweet. The sewage spill comes as Southern California recorded temperatures as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit over the weekend.

City officials warned of “elevated bacteria” levels in the ocean water off beaches ranging from the LAX area to El Segundo on Monday. The city closed several beaches and prevented any swimmers from entering the contaminated ocean waters through Tuesday morning.

Bacteria and viruses contained in raw sewage are “extremely dangerous” and may carry numerous diseases, officials warned potential L.A. beachgoers.

The City of Los Angeles’ Bureau of Sanitation halted the sewage spill

by Monday morning, but public health officials said they’re still conducting ongoing tests of ocean water in Santa Monica Bay, Dockweiler State Beach and El Segundo Beach into Tuesday morning.

Asian American History to Be Taught

Illinois is now the first state to require Asian American history to be taught as part of the public school curriculum.

Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Teaching Equitable Asian American History Act into law on Friday last week, which requires elementary and high schools to teach a unit of Asian American history beginning next year.

“Today, we are reaffirming our commitment to creating more inclusive school environments. We’re making Illinois the first state in the nation to require that Asian American history will be taught in public schools, including a unit about the Asian American experience,” Pritzker said in a press statement.

The teachings will include the contributions of Asian Americans in the arts, humanities and the sciences, as well as their roles in advancing civil rights from the 19th century onward and in political and economic development in the U.S. “We are setting a new standard for what it means to truly reckon with our history. It’s a new standard that helps us understand one another, and, ultimately, to move ourselves closer to the nation of our ideals,” said Pritzker.

Representative Jennifer GongGershowitz, who sponsored the bill, is one of only four Asian Americans in the Illinois House of Representatives. “The TEAACH Act will ensure the next generation of Asian American students won’t need to travel across the country or attend law school to learn something about their heritage,” she said during the bill signing.

Gong-Gershowitz’s grandparents immigrated from China in the 1920s, raising five children in Portland, Oregon, who would go on to be doctors, artists and veterans. It wasn’t until law school that she discovered the Chinese were banned from the U.S. under the 1882 Chinese Exclusion

Act, which was not repealed until 1943.

“My family’s story, or at least what I knew of it until law school, was the fairy tale version of the quintessential American immigrant story, one that paints a picture of success, achievement and belonging,” she said to press. “It’s all true, except that it’s not the whole story.”

She said teaching the history of the Exclusion Act, along with the internment of Japanese Americans during the Second World War, was essential.

Gypsy Gibberish

A moth and ant recently got a name change because scientists thought that their names would make people feel uncomfortable.

Gypsy moths and gypsy ants will no longer be called by those names.

“If people are feeling excluded because of what we call something, that’s not acceptable,” Michelle Smith, president of Entomological Society of America, said. “We’re going to make changes to be a welcoming and inclusive society for all entomologists.”

Gypsy moth caterpillars strip leaves from trees and destroy trees as they swarm around them. Apparently calling these insects “gypsies” triggered some people and made them feel bad.

“It’s hideous and superracist and it’s hurtful,” Ethel Brooks, a Romani scholar, said about the name.

The move by the entomological group is the first time it has removed a common name from an insect on the grounds that it is offensive to a community of people, according to representatives from the society.

For now, if you see a hairy caterpillar feasting on trees in your yard, hold yourself back from calling it a gypsy moth caterpillar. Instead, kindly call it by its formal moniker: Lymantria dispar.

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Bo’i B’Sholom

Watch over two hours of education and inspiration by Gedolim and community Askanim:

Why are there so many contentious divorces nowadays?

What can parents do to avoid the pitfalls of divorce for their children?

Moderated by: Rabbi Yitzchok Hisiger

speCial message

opening remarks

Marital Strife Must be Avoided at all Costs

Building a Mishkan L’Sholom

Maran Posek Hador HaGaon HaRav Moshe Sternbuch, Shlita

HaGaon HaRav Hillel David Chaver Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah

Keeping the Peace

The heskem Chosson v’kallah

innoCenT karBanos

Rabbi Moshe Meir Weiss

Agreeing (on how) to Disagree: A Halachic Perspective

The Effects of Marital Friction Upon Our Children

HaGaon HaRav Noach Isaac Oelbaum Mara D’Asra of K’hal Nachalas Yitzchok

HaGaon HaRav Yaakov Bender Rosh Yeshivas Darchei Torah

Binyan adei ad

sTarTing on The righT FooT

Exploring Today’s Marital Challenges

Preparing Our Children for a Successful Marriage

Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser Rav K’hal Bais Yitzchok

Rabbi Yosef Greenfeld Rav Kehillas Chestnut, Lakewood

Editor, ArtScroll / Yated Ne’eman

The Cries of the Mizbe’ach Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel Executive Vice President, Agudath Israel of America

A Therapist’s Perspective Rabbi Benzion Twerski, PhD Therapist

Rav, Agudas Yisroel of Staten Island

Destruction in Our Times Rabbi Zechariah Wallerstein Founder & Director, Ohr Naava

Tying it All Together Mr. Charlie Harary Motivational Speaker

Tzaischem B’Sholom: Having an Exit Strategy Mr. Eli Goldbaum Cofounder, Yashar Initiative

The Yashar Initiative provides a framework for healthy marital conflict resolution. Rabbanim, legal professionals, and experienced therapists developed the Heskem which enables couples to enter marriage with an ideal arrangement in place in the event of future conflict. Yashar’s goal is to promote honest discussion about the relationship and provide common ground acceptance between husband & wife.

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

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Strengthening our Mikdash Me’at ‫כל המגרש אשתו ראשונה אפילו מזבח מוריד עליו דמעות‬ On the day that we mourn the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, we explore the unfortunate phenomenon of contentious divorce facing our community.

Together, we’ll discuss solutions to prepare our children for successful marriages that are destined to be Binyanei Adei Ad. This Tisha B’av, join thousands of Yidden around the world in safeguarding and enhancing Sholom Bayis.

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Bowling Ball Bonanza

ees contacted him through his Facebook post and said workers used to take scrapped bowling balls to use as a cheaper alternative to gravel or sand.

Olson is going to put them to good use. For now, he plans on using the balls as edging for his landscaping or to make sculptures. He also donated eight balls for a nearby church to use in a bowling ball cannon at a pig roast. He will also be giving some to his stepfather, who plans to use them as custom furniture legs.

Sounds like he has enough to spare.

A Parachuter in the Kitchen David Olson was bowled over when he found 160 bowling balls beneath his back steps while doing construction.

The 33-year-old made the puzzling discovery when he began fixing his steps. He noticed one ball behind the cinder blocks.

“That was one of the bowling balls. I didn’t think a whole lot of it. I was kind of assuming maybe there were just a couple in there just to fill in. The deeper I got into it, the more I realized it was just basically an entire gridwork of them making up the weight in there,” Olson said.

Initially, Olson thought he uncovered a few balls. Then he thought he found around 50 of them. Finally, he counted them all and discovered that there were at least 160 bowling balls beneath his home.

Olson didn’t see the discovery as a curveball to his project.

“I was actually a little happy about that because it’s a little easier to roll bowling balls out of the way than to move the sand and figure out where to put all that,” he said.

Now, the mystery as to how these bowling balls came to Olson’s home is yet to be solved. Olson noted that there used to be a Brunswick bowling ball plant in Muskegon, Michigan.

Some former Brunswick employ-

Breakfast became a lot more interesting than just cereal and milk when a parachutist crashed into a home on Tuesday.

The man in California was not harmed when his parachute failed to open. He slammed through the roof of a home and into the kitchen on his way back down to earth. “[He] came through the roof, through the trusses,” Linda Sallady, the homeowner’s mother, said.

“There’s not that much damage in the house; it’s amazing. It’s mostly the ceiling, the sheetrock. He missed the counters, appliances, everything.”

Police said that the man was part of a group training at Camp Roberts, a California National Guard post, and that his parachute failed to fully deploy.

“It’s a miracle, in my estimation,”

Did you know?

Some varieties of watermelon need 130 warm days to fully ripen

Rose Martin, a nurse who lives next door, said. “Really. I mean, who lands like that without a parachute and lives?”

Deepest in Dubai

Leave it to Dubai, home of the world’s tallest skyscraper and the world’s largest mall, to also be the place with the deepest dive pool in the world.

With a staggering depth of 196 feet, the pool, part of the new Deep Dive Dubai attraction – has nabbed the record from Poland’s Deepspot, which has a depth of over 147 feet.

The Deep Dive Dubai pool is filled with 14 million liters of fresh water – the volume of six Olympic-sized swimming pools – and is at least four times bigger than any other diving pool in the world. Guinness awarded it the “Deepest swimming pool for diving“ title on June 27.

The crown prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, a keen diver, was one of the first visitors and shared his experience on social media. Want to join?

For now, it’s open by invitation only.

In a few months, it will to the public.

Swimmers enjoy a water temperature of 86 degrees Fahrenheit, a comfortable temperature for wearing a thin wetsuit or a swimsuit.

It is housed inside a1,500square-meter oyster-shaped structure, a nod to the United Arab Emirates’ history as a pearl diving nation.

But the biggest star of Deep Dive Dubai is arguably the pool’s underwater city. Divers can explore “abandoned” sunken city apartments and play underwater pool in the arcade.

State-of-the-art lighting and sound systems have been fitted inside the pool to create different atmospheres.

“There are quite a few dive pools in the world that are deep, but this one is so much more interesting,” Deep Dive Dubai director Jarrod Jablonski said. “It’s not only deepest and largest, but the sunken city effect makes it next world order.

“There are so many things it’s really not fair to call it a pool.”

Those plummeting into the depths need to be careful when they

emerge onto terra firma. A notice on the website implores visitors not to visit the famed Burj Khalifa after a dive.

“Don’t visit the top of the skyscraper after diving,” it says.

“After any dive, it’s recommended to wait 18-24 hours before ascending higher than 300 meters (1,000 feet).

However, there is no risk in diving after having visited the tallest building in the world.”

I was worried.

Froufrou French Fry

If plain-old fries won’t do, then it’s time to head to Manhattan. Serendipity 3, a non-kosher upscale eatery on the Upper East Side, is now offering the world’s most expensive French fries.

The price? A whopping $200.

The dish, titled Creme de la Creme Pommes Frites, features ingredients including Chipperbeck potatoes, Dom Perignon Champagne, J. LeBlanc French Champagne Ardenne Vinegar, cage-free goose fat from France, Guerande Truffle Salt, truffle oil, Crete Senesi Pecorino Tartufello cheese, shaved black summer truffles from Italy, truffle butter, organic A2 A2 100% grass fed cream from Jersey Cows, and Gruyere Truffled Swiss Raclette.

The concoction is topped with 23-karat edible gold dust.

A Guinness World Records adjudicator presented eatery officials with an official certificate in a ceremony on Monday.

The restaurant, which reopened last Friday after a lengthy closing due to the pandemic, said the $200 menu item is available by reservation.

This is not the first over-the-top distinction for the restaurant. It was previously lauded for producing the world’s largest wedding cake and the world’s most expensive ice cream sundae, which costs $1,000.

And we won’t talk about the calories.

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

SOME SEE BUILDINGS. O T H E R S S E E E T E R N I T Y.

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

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

Some look at these plans and see bricks and mortar. Our visionary builders see eternity.

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‫לע”נ‬ ‫דוד בן משה ע”ה‬ ‫הר‘ משה נתן בן יחזקאל ע”ה‬ ‫וישראל בן אברהם ע”ה‬

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Mr. & Mrs. Simcha & Shani Applegrad

THE SCHRON FAMILY

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Entranceway to Mesivta Beis Medrash Building

THE BLOOM FAMILY

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

Mr. & Mrs. Berel & Sherry Daskal

MR. & MRS. URI & DEVORAH DREIFUS

Mr. & Mrs. Naftoli & Chani Einhorn

Mr. & Mrs. Samuel & Beverly Goldberger

Sha’ar of New Beis Medrash

In Memory of Mrs. Marta Schron ‫ע”ה‬

GYMNASIUM WING

DR. & MRS. YOSSI & ZIVIA SCHWARTZ

MR. & MRS. NASSAN & DEVORAH TREITEL

Dedicated by Mr. & Mrs. Yaakov & Rivky Jacobovitch

Mesivta Beis Medrash Building Cornerstone

Preschool Cornerstone

‫לע”נ חוה בת דב ע”ה‬

MR. & MRS. ALON & CHANIE GOLDBERGER

Ner Tamid

DEDICATION OF CAMP ORAYSA CAMPUS

MR. & MRS. NACHMAN & ESTHER GOODMAN

Entrance of Beis Medrash Building

Mr. & Mrs. Chaim Sholom & Rivky Leibowitz

Mr. & Mrs. David & Sima Rosenfeld

MR. & MRS. MOTTY & HADASSA JACOBOWITZ

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew & Stephani Serotta

MR. & MRS. SHMULI & MIRIAM MENDEL

Sha’ar of New Beis Medrash

Mr. & Mrs. Morris & Devora Smith

MR. & MRS. MOTTY & HADASA MENDELSOHN

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MR. & MRS. MENASH & MIMI ORATZ

Basketball Court in Elementary School Gym

‫ לע”נ‬The children,

bochurim and all 45 neshamos of the Miron tragedy, Lag Baomer 5781

‫לע”נ זעליג‬ ‫בן מרדכי ע”ה‬

Get in on the ground floor of this monumental project.

To choose from a wide selection of sponsorships at all levels, please contact: Rabbi Zev Bald 718.868.2300 ext. 232 zbald@darchei.org Rabbi Baruch Rothman 718.868.2300 ext. 706 brothman@darchei.org

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

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the

Community Unlimited Fun at Camp Areivos

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

from s e s a e l e R w e N

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Around the Community

Camp Shira campers having another “Summer to Sing About!”

Hundreds Attend Shalom Task Force Spin to Win

T

his year’s Shalom Task Force’s Spin to Win Ping Pong Tournament and Barbeque was a massive success, attended by over 200 players and spectators, but it was the event that almost wasn’t.

“Waking up on July 6th and looking at the weather, we weren’t sure if we would be able to hold our event,” said Dr. Shana Frydman, Executive Director of Shalom Task Force.

“Within 2 hours, our incredible event chairs had moved our event into a new indoor venue and made all the necessary accommodations to ensure the event can happen. It was truly incredible to see!”

As the rain poured outside, inside the night was filled with fierce competition, a lavish barbecue catered

by Graze Smokehouse, and a riveting program.

Teams of three battled it out to take home the elusive Spin to Win

Trophy. This year, returning 2019 champs Shimon Melool, Ariel Melool, and Aharon Melool defended their title against David Blum, Yehuda Konig, and David Jesselson in the championship match.

Shalom Task Force premiered their newest video “Looking Back, Looking Forward: Our Work During The Pandemic” during the event (now

available to watch at shalomtaskforce.org/video). The video reviewed the milestones that each department reached during the pandemic, including: • Expanding our hotline to include texting, WhatsApp, and web-based chat. Overall, our chatline has helped over 600 chatters since launching in August 2020

• Sarah’s Voice Legal Department have seen an 87% increase in intakes since March 2020 • The Shalom Task Force Education Department has reached over 17,000 community members since the beginning of the pandemic Dr. Frydman ended the video by sharing, “While the crisis is over, the needs of survivors of domestic violence is not over. There is more we need to respond to. Together, we can continue to build safe relationships, healthy families, and a supportive community.”

Thank you to our event chairs Sarah and Ian Boczko, Daniella and Elisha Graff, and Bailey and Brian Sigman for making the event a reality. An extra thank you to the Boczkos for being our original hosts for the event. Thank you to Kol Save for sponsoring the beverages for the event.

Bike4Chai Gears Up for Record Number of Riders

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Five Towns cyclists will take part in an annual charity bike ride.

As the country reopens following more than a year of COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, people are ready to hit the road…for a good cause. On July 29, a record 600 cyclists will ride close to 60,000 miles to support children with serious illnesses as part of Bike4Chai. Now in its 12th year, the annual cycling event raises funds for Chai Lifeline, the international children’s health support network which provides social, practical, and financial assistance to children with life-threatening and

lifelong illnesses and their families.

Alex Berger of Cedarhurst will join 45 riders from Five Towns taking part in Bike4Chai 2021.

“Chai Lifeline gives kids who have gone through so much a well-needed break,” said Berger. “The riders do the pedaling and shvitzing; all you have to do is swipe for a good cause.”

This year’s one-day ride will feature two scenic but challenging route options of 85 or 108 miles. Cyclists will depart from Minerals Resort in Vernon, NJ, stopping at the gates of Camp Simcha Special, Chai Lifeline’s summer camp for children with chronic illnesses and disabilities in

Glen Spey, NY. There, the riders will be greeted by the campers, many of whom require wheelchairs, respirators, or other medical equipment to survive, before returning to Vernon for a finish line celebratory barbecue.

“With every mile they ride and every dollar they raise, our cyclists impact the lives of thousands of children and families living with pediatric illness,” said Yoel Margolese, director of Bike4Chai. “Thanks to their dedication, as well as the overwhelming support of our community, Bike4Chai continues to be, not only a world-class cycling event, but one of the largest experiential fundraisers

in the world.”

Bike4Chai benefits Chai Lifeline’s more than two dozen year-round programs and services, including professional case management and counseling, meal delivery to hospitals and homes, transportation to medical appointments, emergency financial assistance, Project Chai crisis intervention, insurance advocacy, i-Shine afterschool programming for children living with illness or loss in their families, Camp Simcha/Special summer programming, and more.

To learn more, visit www.bike4chai.com.

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The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

Around the Community

‫בס״ד‬

A Shidduch in Amukah This TU B’AV, with Tehillim Kollel

27-Year-Old

Finds Her Bashert

On Tuesday, Senator Todd Kaminsky visited the Mark Ramer Chessed Center in Hewlett. Senator Kaminsky met with Gabriel Boxer of Kosher Response and Rabbi Simcha Lefkowitz of the Leon Mayer Fund & Anshei Chesed for a tour of the facility.

Gift of Life at Hillel Day Camp

My life was one big roller coaster – one with stomach-lurching twists and turns. One moment, I was whipping the winds at the top, and the next, I was dropped all the way down to the bottom. I chugged back up the chute, only to plummet yet again…

I was already twenty-seven years of age and still, I was on the elusive search for my partner in life. So many times I thought, “Oh! This is the one!” but then, once again, everything would crumble in front of my eyes. I fretted. Why can’t I find my bashert?

I was in touch with every shadchan I came across and after so much fruitless back and forth, I decided I must turn to the real Shadchan: Hakadosh Baruch Hu Himself.

I signed up for a membership with the Tehillim Kollel minyan that davens regularly at the Amukah location. There, at the kever of the Tanna Reb Yonason ben Uziel, a place known to be especially mesugal for shidduchim, Tehillim would be recited for me.

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e are truly grateful to be back and alive at Hillel Day Camp. To be alive is a gift and miracle. We often can’t appreciate the gifts that we have until we don’t have it anymore. With this in mind, as a camp, Hillel Day Camp is raising funds and awareness for The Gift of Life Foundation through our annual Nine Days Swim-a-Thon.

This organization encourages people to get swabbed to see if they are potential bone marrow donors, raises awareness for bone marrow transplants, and literally saves lives by matching donors with recipients.

We are wholly supporting this initiative. This past Sunday, our staff and campers volunteered at a “Drive to Save Shlomo” at HAFTR High School. Our CITs handed out flyers in the local area to publicize the cause, and there was a great turnout for the event with people getting swabbed and screened. Our staff is supporting the cause because it truly reflects the values of Hillel Day Camp, and our campers will be raising funds by swimming laps.

While the feeling of the “life” being back in camp after a hiatus isn’t exactly the same as having the gift of an “actual life,” we gain the same appreciation for everyday smiles and laughter.

L

By Evan Leibowitz, Camp Director

At the same time, I continued with my technical hishtadlus, reaching out to new shadchanim who came up with fresh offers.

Baruch Hashem, today I can report that my personal shidduch roller coaster ride has come to a halt. I became a kallah! The greatest Shadchan in the world fulfilled my deepest desire and brought me the right one, at the right time.

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718.705.7174 INFO@TEHILLIMKOLLEL.ORG

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community PHOTOS BY MOSHE GREER

Rabbi Moshe Brown visiting his talmidim from Yeshiva of Far Rockaway in Camp Maminim

OU’s Annual Tisha B’Av Program ical tragedies, but this year will also mourn the recent worldwide tragedies that have impacted the Jewish community.

Kinot available live online has been a hallmark of the OU’s Torah programming for over two decades and the OU continues to adjust the Tisha B’Av programming to fit a chang-

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ing world. This year, the event will feature two live kinot sessions, the first of which will broadcast from the Orthodox Union’s Seymour J. Abrams Jerusalem World Center beginning at 9 a.m. Israel Daylight Time. The second will broadcast live at 9 a.m. Eastern from Congregation Keter Torah in Teaneck, NJ. Both sessions are also open to in-person attendance, free of charge to the public following their current local COVID-19 guidelines for religious gatherings. They can also be viewed live online at www.ou.org/ tishabav.

The session broadcasting from Israel will be led by renowned author and lecturer Rabbi Menachem Nissel, who will address “Sowing Seeds with Tears” and will focus on the kinot that are most applicable to our current perspective.

The session broadcasting from Teaneck will be led by renowned author and lecturer Rabbi Steven Weil, who will focus on “A Covenant that has Transcended the Millenia,” a reflection on the tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people throughout history.

OU Executive Vice President Emeritus Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb’s shiur will be available all day for those in different time zones. Titled “Ever to Remember, Never to Despair,” Rabbi Weinreb will explore the recent tragedies that have befallen the Jewish community internationally – including the collapse in Meron, rocket attacks in Israel, the Surfside condominium collapse and other calamities. The lecture will connect these disasters to the themes of the kinot and discuss grief and mourn-

ing from Torah and psychological perspectives. He will conclude with words of inspiration and hope. Rabbi Weinreb’s shiur will also feature ASL translation facilitated by Yachad, the OU’s leading organization for individuals with disabilities in the Orthodox community.

“Our sages tell us that we are directed to spend the day of Tisha B’Av reflecting on the destruction of two Holy Temples, and other communal tragedies which have occurred throughout our time in the exile,” said Orthodox Union Executive Vice President Rabbi Moshe Hauer. “The mourning of Tisha B’Av is communal, and doing so together is core to its observance. This Tisha B’Av we look back on the past two millennia as well as the tragedies that have taken place in our community over the last 18 months and hope that we will come together to mourn as a community and remind ourselves of the redemption that we confidently anticipate and pray for.”

“Throughout the last year and half, we have looked for ways to support Jewish communities around the country. Our annual Tisha B’Av program is consistently accessed by thousands of individuals, in addition to its serving as the centerpiece of the day’s program in many shuls,” said Managing Director of OU Torah Initiatives Rabbi David Pardo. “Rabbi Weinreb’s, Rabbi Weil’s, and Rabbi Nissel’s messages are always profoundly relevant, instructive and inspiring, and their focus on our community’s recent tragedies will undoubtedly help us to emotionally connect with the atmosphere of the holiday and thus benefit us all.”

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Tnu Kavod L’Torah Day at Camp Kaylie

I

t has been an unbelievable summer in Camp Kaylie. Due to the awesome programming, high-caliber staff, competitive leagues, and amazing trips, campers of all abilities have been having the time of their lives. Perhaps one of the most memorable days in Camp Kaylie’s history was on Thursday, July 8, when the camp celebrated “Tnu Kavod L’Torah Day” and enjoyed visits from four very special rabbanim and leaders of the Jewish community: Rav Dovid Cohen, shlita, Rav Reuven Feinstein, shlita, Rav Mordechai Willig, shlita, and Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita.

The entire camp welcomed the

rabbanim as they entered the campus, and then escorted to the dining room with singing in unison. Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz, Head of the Kaylie Masmidim program, made a siyum on Masechet Yoma, and everyone enjoyed a delicious seuda. Rav Feinstein then shared words of inspiration, as well as individual brachos, to the Cubs and Cougars (the two younger divisions), Rav Willig to the

Rav Dovid Cohen and Rav Reuven Feinstein

Teens, and Rav Cohen to the Masmidim and staff. Rav Weinberger was able to travel around the entire campus and connect with campers of all ages.

Rabbi Shalom Rosner, camp manhig ruchani shared, “The Gedolei Yisrael that came today brought an energy that was palpable by all who were there. Every Camp Kaylie camper and staff member were in-

spired and awed, and will take the experience with them for a very long time.”

Rabbi Eli Brazil, camp director, added, “We all know that in Camp Kaylie we take our sports and activities seriously but to have a day like Thursday to show the campers something that truly matters and is everlasting was beyond incredible.”

Rav Dovid Cohen with campers

A camper with Rav Moshe Weinberger

Rav Moshe Weinberger, Rav Reuven Feinstein, Rav Dovid Cohen, Rav Mordechai Willig, Rav Shalom Rosner, and Rav Aryeh Lebowitz

Rabbi Eli Marcus, Rav Mordechai Willig, and Rav Chaim Marcus

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

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Around the Community

Camp Funshine’s cuties are enjoying another adorable summer of trips and fun

Over 200 NY Teens and Staff Land in Israel on Mach Hach Ba’Aretz

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fter almost 15 months of closed borders in Israel, Mach Hach Ba’Aretz, Bnei Akiva of the U.S. and Canada’s premiere summer Israel touring program for teens, landed in Ben Gurion Airport last week. With close to 600 teens and staff from across the U.S. and Canada, and over 200 coming from New York including Long Island, Queens, Westchester, and Manhattan, it was an emotional experience for all the participants—many of whom have been practicing strict social distancing in school with masks in small groups for over a year. Additionally, most did not attend sleepaway camp last summer, and it finally felt like they could be just teens again, experiencing the summer program of a lifetime.

Mach Hach was one of the very first touring groups granted entry permits once Israel opened its doors

to tourists. As early as mid-June, a smaller group of over 80 11th graders left for Israel on the Mach Hach LeDorot program for teens who could not participate last year due to the closed borders. Even more than the participants, Mach Hach and Bnei Akiva’s staff were overwhelmed with pure joy and emotions seeing the dream of returning Am Israel to Eretz Israel come to fruition. It was a rollercoaster of a year not knowing if Israel would open its borders to tourists this summer, but after months of dedication it finally happened.

As Rav Shaul Feldman, executive director of Bnei Akiva of the U.S. & Canada explained, “Just as we learn from Tehillim, many times throughout our history, after years of hoping, years of longing—our hearts fill with excitement and a strong desire to fulfill a dream. For us, throughout these

dark days of the pandemic, our desire like David Hamalech describes, was also for Zion—for the return to Israel. This summer, after months of closed borders we are once again able to bring hundreds of teens on Mach Hach back to our homeland Israel.”

Not only was it exciting to be supporting the teens, who could certainly use the trip, but there is the added satisfaction knowing the program will support Israel tourism across the country, which has been hit tremendously since the start of the pandemic.

In addition to Mach Hach Ba’Aretz, by this week all of the Bnei Akiva summer programs have officially opened, including the five Machanot Moshava sleepaway camps and four Moshava Ba’ir day camps serving close to 6,000 families across the continent.

Mach Hach will also be sending another group of 11th graders on

Yakira Goldberg of Lawrence, Gabrielle Kalish of Woodmere, and Kayla Merrill of Cedarhurst

Mach Hach LeDorot for the second half of the summer.

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

JCCRP’s Success Space for Women – Connecting to Essential Technology

T

echnology has drastically changed work environments. Email, internet, and other desktop applications have reshaped the functionality of offices. In all cases, this advancement has led to increased work interactions and productivity. Having updated technology and internet access are crucial for success in the modern competitive workplace. Unfortunately, there exists in this day and age a significant digital divide. Many New Yorkers lack basic tech apparatus and skills and are unable to advance their careers or take on new employment.

Enter JCCRP’s new partnership with STEM Alliance, a digital consulting firm – a project introduced and generously funded by the UJA Federation of New York to ensure that people of all income levels have access to the technology and skills they need to succeed.

The program, taught by the talented, former school principal Mr. Barry Fried, has, to date, as-

sisted over 30 women. This includes its third cohort which met this past Sunday in Woodmere.

The recipients excitedly opened up their new Chromebooks and enjoyed a three-hour session on the basic functions of the Chromebooks. This includes Google Suite, email set up, as well as hotspot functionality. A free hotspot and a mouse were included in this generous gift.

The first cohort was hosted in partnership with Mishpachteinu, a wonderful program that services over 200 divorced women with Shabbos meals, a chessed apartment, and many other support services. Yehudis Sherman, program director expressed, “The women were thrilled to see their names on the new Chromebooks. They excitingly got right to work in learning how to use their new devices. This gift will certainly enrich the lives of the single mothers in the community.”

Moshe Brandsdorfer, executive director at the JCCRP, commented, “The UJA Federation of NY

Moshe Brandsdorfer, JCCRP executive director, helping set up the hotspots with Barry Fried

is laser focused on helping struggling community members enter the workforce and obtain meaningful employment. This program is another testimony to their holistic approach toward resolving financial struggles.”

For more information on the JCCRP’s Success Space for Women Program, please email esther@ jccrp.org.

Working to the MAXX

Elisha Mizrachi, Tehila Mizrachi, and Maya Burger raised a large amount of money for Chai Lifeline on Sunday when they set up a bake sale to raise money for the tzedakah. Nassau County Police Officer O’Connor generously stopped by to donate to the cause.

Attitude of Gratitude

A

nother week of camp has gone by, and we have more progress to report on our trailer renovations. While we did miss two days of work because of an amazing overnight trip, we nevertheless were still able to move along with our demolition. The trailer is basically gutted now with all the wooden studs visible. Now, is when the real work can begin.

We are now able to actually see what was going on in the walls of the trailer. Before we can begin sheet-rocking the walls, there is a lot that needs to be done. We see studs that need to be replaced as well as holes where rainwater can come in

that need to be sealed. There are wires going in all directions, and some that have been cut. We need to fix the wires for the brake lights, and we have to make sure all the electrical wiring we want to run is done properly so that we won’t need to open the walls up again.

Time is not on our side, but that will not stop this motivated group of Maxx campers from accomplishing their goal. They have a real desire to make this renovation happen, and if you see how well they work together, you know that they will pull it off.

Stay tuned for next week’s update; we plan on getting a lot done this coming week.

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ast week, the Camp Areivos chessed program led by Mrs. Chani Sprung was launched for our Senior and TC Hype divisions.

Their first activity centered around hakaras hatov and being appreciative of our staff members who work so hard to make the summer

so awesome! The girls split up into groups, and each group picked the name of a head staff member out of a hat. The girls wrote letters and decorated cakes for Shabbos, expressing their gratitude to each individual staff member. What a beautiful way to work on the middah of hakaras hatov during the Three Weeks!

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

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Around the Community Woodbourne, NY, is elevated by the Nikolsburger Rebbe and his shul that is a magnet for Jews every summer

How Do You Face the Face of Antisemitism?

You Can’t Afford to Miss This Project Witness Tishah B’Av Program

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oday, we are all once again facing the multiple national challenges posed by virulently proliferating antisemitism, by a decreasing sense of Jewish identity, and by the diminishing ability of the world to practicea tolerance and respect for others. In contrast, we hold up the Holocaust generation as an example and acknowledge the debt we owe them for the faith in mankind they demonstrated in the face of unspeakable horrors.

Deeply committed to its goals to educate, inspire and transform,

Project Witness is determined to promote Jewish awareness and identity, working tirelessly to guarantee that the courage and faith of the past become a guiding light for future generations.

On Tishah B’Av, you will have the opportunity to unite and sustain Klal Yisrael in a singular manner.

On that sad date, Project Witness will be presenting a unique program as a community service.

“Facing the Face of Antisemitism” is a program that cannot be missed. It presents highly relevant

discussions on this rapidly developing topic of antisemitism by a representative group of leaders from a variety of vantage points.

Chaired by former New York City Councilman David Greenfield, the program’s speakers will address antisemitism from a multiplicity of critical perspectives.

Among the speakers, Project Witness is privileged to present Harav Elya Brudny; Dr. Michael Berenbaum; Mr. Malcolm Hoenlein; Rabbi Yonoson Rietti; Mr. Avi Schick, Esq.; Mr. Abe Foxman; NYPD Deputy

Chief Raul Stephenson, Commanding Officer, NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force; Deputy Inspector Jessica Corey; Mr. Michael Cohen of the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and more.

This once-in-a-lifetime program can be accessed on July 17 and 18 on the Project Witness website at ProjectWitness.org.

May we very soon see the day when Tishah B’Av is no longer connected to sadness and mourning, but rather to joy and gladness, as all of Klal Yisrael welcomes the imminent Geulah.

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Kidney Donor Recognized by Village of Cedarhurst

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his week, the Village of Cedarhurst honored Five Towns resident Gitti Allman for the heroism she displayed in donating a kidney to Police Officer Sonny Silver in March 2020.

Officer Silver is a 42-year veteran of the Jersey City Police Department and was the first on the scene at the massacre in Jersey City in 2019. Gitti had wanted to donate a kidney and heard of Silver’s plight. When she called the precinct to speak with Silver about possibly matching with him, Silver thought that his colleagues were playing on a prank on

him. But Allman and Silver were a perfect match.

The surgery took place at the beginning of March 2020, the last kidney match through Renewal before Covid hit. Since then, Gitti says, others have heard of her altruism and have donated kidneys.

Officer Silver and his wife came to Village Hall on Monday night to meet with Village of Cedarhurst Mayor Ben Weinstock and Village Trustees along with Village officials. Members of the police department and the doctor who performed the surgery also came down to Village Hall to the event.

Gitti and Officer Silver with their spouses and the special cake she baked for the occassion

Village Trustee Izzy Wasser with Deputy Commanding Officer Deputy Inspector Joe Guerra, who attended on behalf of NCPD Commissioner Patrick Ryder

Gitti and Office Sonny Silver with their spouses, Mayor Ben Weinstock and Village of Cedarhurst officials

Officer Silver with Mayor Ben Weinstock

Once Believed Impossible, Now You Can Perform the Mitzvah of Sh’mitta from Anywhere In the World!

“T

he mitzvah of sh’mitta is only for Jewish farmers” is an oft repeated, but untrue misconception. With the upcoming sh’mitta year, Zo Artzeinu is on a mission to give everyone the opportunity to take part in this rare mitzvah. The Torah blesses all who observe sh’mitta with bountifulness, and no longer does this apply only to

Israeli farmers.

HaRav Yaakov Ariel, leading posek on all mitzvos of the Land of Israel, former Chief Rabbi of Ramat Gan, and President of Torah VeHa’aretz, has said of the Israel Trees project: “Through this partnership [you] KEEP THE MITZVAH AS WELL because the Land belongs to us all… I therefore bless the efforts of Zo Artz-

Did you know?

A watermelon is one of the only foods to be classified as both a fruit and a vegetable

einu’s Sh’mitta Campaign.”

As these trees are being freshly planted, purchasers will also share in the mitzvah of orlah, the prohibition of tending to a tree in its first three years. For the purpose of orlah, every tree MUST be planted before Rosh Chodesh Elul, so the time to plant trees is running out!

Sh’mitta is one of the most difficult mitzvos for Israeli farmers to keep—by observing the full halachos, they are placing their entire livelihood in the hands of Hashem and trusting Him for success. On top of the mitzvos of sh’mitta and orlah that each person receives when they plant a tree in Israel, they are also answering the prayers of farmers who are having this tremendous emunas Hashem.

Every person who purchases a tree will receive a certificate of authenticity from Zo Artzeinu which will affirm the tree that they planted.

Trees can be planted on behalf of other people as a gift, in honor of someone’s memory, or as a dedication for any occasion.

Plus, from Rosh Chodesh Av (Motzei Shabbos, July 10th) until Motzei Tu B’Av (Sunday, July 25th), Zo Arzeinu is doubling all orders.

For each fruit tree ordered, they will be planting two!

Trees are actively being planted right now; anyone who wants this mitzvah must plant trees while they are still able to be planted in Israel.

If you would like to take part in this momentous mitzvah, you can plant a tree at IsraelTrees.org/shmitta.

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

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Soldiers of other nations are frightened of an enemy that has them outgunned and outnumbe red. Not our Torah army.

Because we are the only nation that can say that Hashem, Who took us out of Egypt, is still with Hashem can defeat us! the largest armies as easily as He can defeat soldier. No matter how one many tanks, planes, and bombs the enemy Hashem can destroy has, them all as easily as if it were just one jeep.

In the words of the Torah: “When you go out to war against your enemies, and you see horses and chariots, people (soldiers) many more than you, you shall them, for Hashem not fear your God is with you, Who brought you up the land of Egypt.” out of

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Madraigos and Achiezer Present: Marijuana and Alcohol in 2021

By Avi Shiff

I

t was an event geared toward educating parents, but it turned out to be so much more. It was an uplifting, insightful evening that left its attendees informed – even inspired – and confident to take on the challenges of raising children in today’s times. In fact, the feedback to the program conveyed all anyone needs to know about just how monumental it was. One professional called it “a game-changer.”

Titled “What We All Need to Know About Marijuana and Alcohol in 2021,” the program was presented

by Madraigos and Achiezer, two beloved communal organizations. The event, which was free of charge, was held at Congregation Beth Sholom in Lawrence, with a livestream option for those participating remotely.

Hundreds took advantage of this opportunity.

The purpose of the event, which was the brainchild of Rabbi Dov Silver, founder and executive vice president of Madraigos, was to discuss marijuana use and alcohol consumption in today’s times, when these items are so easily accessible, even among youngsters.

Rabbi Silver opened the program with Tehillim for the victims in Surfside, as well as all of the victims suffering from issues related to substance and alcohol abuse.

As the speakers at the event mentioned, with marijuana now legal in some 18 states, its use by teenagers is a major concern to parents.

“Some people begin to think that this drug must not be so bad,” remarked Rabbi Boruch Ber Bender, president of Achiezer, who served as emcee. “After all, marijuana is now legal in some states and alcohol is permitted to anyone above age 21. We are here tonight to dispel that notion and to provide parents – and young adults – with the information they need to

ensure the health and wellbeing of all members of the community.”

Speakers highlighted the fact that there’s been a dramatic rise in underage drinking, a matter of grave concern to parents and professionals.

Whether teens are accessing alcohol through friends or simply taking spirits from their parents’ home, this has become a pressing issue.

Rabbi Bender introduced Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder, who delivered opening remarks. The commissioner spoke about the effects of marijuana being legalized and what the police officials are seeing from their standpoint as far as buying and selling the drug is concerned.

A fascinating panel discussion followed, moderated by Phil Goldfeder, SVP of Public Affairs at Cross River Bank. The panelists were Dr. David Pelcovitz, professor, Strauss Chair in Psychology and Education at Yeshiva University; Dr. Binyomin Tepfer, PhD, CSAT, a marriage therapist who specializes in addictions; and Dr. Elliott Salamon, clinical professor of neurology at Northwell Health, who has worked extensively to identify the ramifications of marijuana and alcohol on brain health and their longterm effects.

The panelists discussed the physical and neurological effects of marijuana and alcohol, and the differences between adults and adolescents. Are there any-long term effects of using marijuana? Is there an addiction to marijuana itself? What are the differ-

ent types of marijuana? What is the difference between “smoking a joint,” eating an “edible,” and vaping marijuana?

Dr. Tepfer discussed the impact on marriages when one spouse is using marijuana or alcohol. When should a spouse be concerned about their husband’s/wife’s marijuana or alcohol usage?

Dr. Tepfer also addressed what marijuana does to adolescents as they grow into adults, impacting their ability to feel. “When they learn to rely on substances,” he averred, “they don’t feel the ups and downs of life that form them into adults.”

Dr. Tepfer also shared that evidence provided by schools indicates an “astronomical” rise in marijuana use among students.

“Substance abuse doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” said Dr. Tepfer. “There is a reason behind its use.” He added a glimmer of hope to those whose children may already be using marijuana and alcohol. Just as with every life challenge, he has seen that “who go through this struggle and come out the other side aren’t ordinary. They have the potential to become extraordinary.”

Other questions presented to the panel included: Is there reason for alarm when parents notice any type of alcohol or marijuana use or should they wait to seek help when it becomes a more habitual behavior? Is alcohol dangerous for adolescents when used in moderation? How truly accessible is marijuana for adolescents?

Dr. Pelcovitz highlighted the short-term and long-term potential ramifications of marijuana being legalized.

Dr. Pelcovitz mentioned that new studies are revealing new information that is different from old research.

“Alcohol addiction is no longer more prevalent among boys,” he said. Unfortunately, “it is now evening out, and girls are just as much at risk.”

Dr. Pelcovitz stressed that “the right time to talk to your kids is right now. It is so much harder to stop once they start, so we have to get ahead of the curve.”

Dr. Salamon pointed out the marijuana is often laced with cocaine, PCP, and synthetic drugs.

“One joint may not be the end of your life, but…it may be,” Dr. Salamon remarked.

“Smoking anything,” he added, “puts you at risk for all the elements that cigarettes put you at risk for.”

“The goal of the evening,” summed up Mindi Werblowsky, LCSW, Clinical Director at Madraigos, “was for people to walk away informed, understanding marijuana and alcohol use and how these substances are impacting individuals and relationships. Thankfully, we accomplished that, as attendees emerged with a fuller understanding of the challenges we are facing and what some of the practical solutions are.”

“It was an honor for Achiezer to partner with Madraigos for this incredible event,” said Rabbi Bender. “The presenters – all foremost experts on this topic – were amazing. Attendees, both in-person and online, gained so much knowledge – and so much chizuk. The presentations were compelling and substantive. It was truly a powerful event.

It is our hope that as a community, we’ll continue to make a real impact on people in relation to this very important subject.”

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

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Around the Community

Rabbi Smilovich’s kindergarten class at Siach Yitzchok standing at the new stop sign in front of their school building which has greatly improved safety in the area. The cheder expressed appreciation to Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato for ensuring that the traffic study needed to approve the stop sign and crosswalks was prioritized. NYC Dept of Transportation halted all traffic studies during the pandemic and only recently resumed.

Summer Fun at Ruach Day Camp

S

pecial guest visitor, iMoveWithNaz, brought dance parties for every age group at Ruach Day Camp, including Kangu jumping for the older division. What an amazing time was had by all!

Trips to Adventure Park, Urban Air, pedal boating and bike riding started off the summer fun.

Rabbi Mordechai Harris has really vamped up this year’s sports program with stats recorded daily.

The leagues are amazing and our goal is to create an atmosphere where each child hones his or her athletic skills each day. Throughout the summer, our campers participate in competitive sports leagues to improve upon basic skills in a variety of sports as well as basketball, hockey, soccer, flag football, and speedball. It’s exciting to play and exciting to watch!

Because summer is certainly a super fun time for our campers, we still never take a break from Torah, our robust chinuch (education) program divided into four classifications to meet our campers’ age groups and learning levels. Our skilled chinuch teachers nurture our campers with the love of learning through parsha lessons and history of the Jewish holidays. During the Three Weeks we have focused on ahavat Yisrael/friendship and instilling a feeling of Jewish pride.

The CIT/CA Bake Sale, held annually during

the Three Weeks, with proceeds going to Hatzalah (CIT/CA’s choice) has been so successful. Speaking of chessed, every week, Camp Ruach promotes a new campaign. So far, we have collected hundreds of gently used books for Hindi’s Libraries, a charity in blessed memory of Hindi Krinsky, which has donated books to more than 400 organizations throughout the world spanning across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Africa, India and Israel.

We are also in the process of running a Chai-athon to benefit Chai Lifeline, an organization that provides critical support to thousands of children around the world living with serious illness. The swim-a thon is well underway as the campers began to swim laps.

We are so excited to welcome back our dedicated awesome staff to provide our campers the absolute best, most memorable summer for our campers!

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Camp Areivim Senior Division Conquers Their First Overnight of the Summer

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Another Adventurous Week at Simcha Day Camp

S

imcha Day Camp was up its old tricks this week with adventures galore! From Green Day to Pajama Day to our Adventureland trip, there’s always something pumping at Simcha Day Camp. Green Day was topped off with Pay Day of green bucks hunt across the 9-acre campus.

Congratulations to all those campers that found some real cold hard cash! And what’s better than a night activity during the day?! The campers, dressed in their best P.J.’s, got comfortable in the dining room. With the lights dimmed, a virtual campfire spread around the walls of the dining

room. The counselors roasted marshmallows, and the campers made delicious s’mores! The mood was set for one of Rabbi Taub’s famous scary stories. It really felt like a midnight camp fire.

Adventureland was amazing! With thrilling and twisting rollercoasters,

soaking wet water rides and smashing bumper cars, there was something for everyone! It was amazing to watch the campers smiling from ear to ear as they took over the entire park, searching for the next exciting ride.

Can’t wait for another exciting week at Simcha Day Camp!

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

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BottomLineMG.com

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‫הלכות החג בזמנו‬

This year the limudim of Daf HaYomi Bavli and Dirshu Daf HaYomi B’Halacha are incredibly coinciding with each other in the months preceding the Yom Tov of Succos. This gives us a rare opportunity to prepare for the Chag with a deep understanding of the complex Mesechta and Halachos behind this extraordinary Yom Tov.

‫ | כ״ט תמוז‬FRIDAY, JULY 9 Start of Daf HaYomi

‫מסכת סוכה‬

‫| ד׳ אב‬

TUESDAY, JULY 13

Start of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha

‫הלכות סוכה‬

Join us f or t his moment ous jour ney.

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To join these programs contact Dirshu today! 888-5-DIRSHU

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‫‪The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021‬‬

‫אדר א' תשפ"ב‬

‫‪MARCH 2022‬‬ ‫סיום של‬ ‫דף היומי בהלכה‬ ‫סיום על סדר מועד‬

‫דבר‬ ‫בעתו‬ ‫מה‬ ‫טוב!‬

‫אימתי דברי תורה נעימים?‬ ‫בזמן שתשמרם בבטנך‪.‬‬ ‫ואימתי תשמרם בבטנך?‬ ‫בזמן שיכונו יחדו על שפתיך‪.‬‬ ‫רבי זירא אמר מהכא‪:‬‬ ‫״שמחה לאיש במענה פיו‬ ‫ודבר בעתו מה טוב״‪ .‬אימתי‬ ‫שמחה לאיש? בזמן שמענה‬ ‫בפיו‪ .‬לשון אחר‪ :‬אימתי‬ ‫שמחה לאיש במענה פיו?‬ ‫בזמן שדבר בעתו מה טוב‪.‬‬ ‫— עירובין נד‪.‬‬

‫אימתי שמחה וכו’ בזמן‪ :‬שיודע לדרוש הלכות חג בחג דבר‬ ‫אחר אימתי שמחה לאיש אימתי אדם שמח בתלמודו בזמן‬ ‫שיש לו מענה כששואלין ממנו דבר הלכה‪:‬‬ ‫— רש"י —‬

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Around the Community

Loads of Fun for Campers at Hillel Day Camp

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

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Around the Community

Camp Matov Campers Enjoying the Summer Fun

With Iron Faith and Determination, They Stood Up to the Soviet Empire: Watch The Film This Tisha B’Av

T

he annual Project Inspire Tisha B’Av video draws thousands of viewers from around the world for an hour of inspiration from those who motivate us to aspire to greatness. Project Inspire presents its brand new feature film, premiering this Tisha B’Av 5781. This year’s original film for men and women is Iron Faith: Stories of Faith and Sacrifice From Behind the Iron Curtain.

Experience the unbelievable story of the Jews of Russia who risked their lives for the sake of spiritual continuity, fueled by Jews from Israel and America who traveled behind the Iron Curtain to help secretly spread Torah and mitzvos. With exclusive interviews from Rabbi Eliyahu Essas, Rabbi Yosef Mendelevich, Rabbi Sholom Gold and more, this year’s Tisha B’Av event is sure to be captivating. Hear firsthand reports of the heroism of those who sacrificed to

stand up against the huge empire of the former Soviet Union attempting to quash any and all signs of Jewish observance. Together, these small groups of Jews brought down one of the greatest empires in world history.

The refuseniks, a small group of Jews, were not allowed to keep the Torah on any level. They stood up to the powerful regime by defying the laws and creating an underground network to spread Judaism. The spiritual danger was great: if they learned Torah, or practiced the mitzvos, they faced great harm. “There were no arms, there were no weapons, there was just will,” said Rabbi Sholom Gold. In addition, there were Jews who made trips to Russia during this time and under a great element of risk to teach and care for the Jews living there. They showed them brotherly love and compassion and helped ease their burden as much

as possible. They brought religious items to enable them to keep mitzvot. “The Jewish soul also has to eat; it has to eat the foodstuff of Torah.”

Hear from Rabbi Yosef Mendelevich about his saga of heroism, how he tried to hijack a plane out of Russia to bring awareness to their plight and ended up getting caught by the KGB. “In the end the Russians discovered that they are not the superpower, the real superpower is Am Yisrael that is united to fight for their brethren,” he said. Rabbi Pinchas Teitz tells his story of traveling to Russia 22 times to strengthen Soviet Jewry and even smuggled a Torah out of Russia.

Rabbi Herschel Lieber gave his own tzitzis he was wearing to a young boy who said he didn’t have any.

The self sacrifice of those who traveled repeatedly behind the Iron Curtain to save the Soviet Jews is an inspiration to all of us. The stories

from this time period in Jewish history are endless, yet Project Inspire has captured the essence of the story in such an impactful way. We can learn from them not to take our blessings for granted and be apathetic about Jewish education, commitment and values. For those of us who grew up after this time period, it is even more important to appreciate the freedom we have to be observant without risk to our lives. We should never lose our appreciation for our ability to spread Torah to others.

To watch this film on Tisha B’av visit https://www.projectinspire. com/events/tisha/ Project Inspire’s mission is to empower committed Jews to take responsibility to create a vibrant and unified Jewish people by sharing the beauty and wisdom of our common heritage with fellow Jews.

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Around the Community

YIJE Dinner

L

ast week, after months of distancing, and for some, near isolation, The Young Israel of Jamaica Estates held its 42nd Anniversary Dinner, in-person, at the Greentree Country Club Waterfront Estate in New Rochelle. Having held their previous dinner on March 7, 2020, YIJE is one of the few organizations to have held an in-person dinner in both 2020 and 2021.

Under an enormous tent and with the theme of “Yoshev Ohalim” Dinner chairperson, Yael Schreiber presided over the opportunity to “celebrate and honor the resourcefulness, responsiveness, and resilience of the Jamaica Estates community as well as the many individuals who together weaved a tapestry of support for the greater community.”

City Councilman James Gennaro and State Assemblyman David Weprin were also on hand as Community Service Awards were presented to Rhonda and Hilton Blachman and Tzipporah and Moshe Boim. Both couples have distinguished themselves over many years and came forward in a unique way during the challenging pandemic year.

Rhonda and Hilton Blachman have lived in Jamaica Estates for more than 30 years, dedicating a community Sefer Torah at a time when one was desperately needed, volunteering as a Hatzalah member,

and serving as House chair of the YIJE building for more than a decade.

Tzipporah and Moshe Boim each work quietly behind the scenes managing YIJE’s on premises Mayan Sara Mikve as well as serving as YIJE recording secretary and treasurer, respectively.

Most recently, both families stepped up and offered their properties for additional minyanim during the Yamim Noraim last fall. Huge tents were erected and accommodated hundreds of YIJE members, who might otherwise not have been able to attend a Yom Tov minyan in the midst of the pandemic.

A special Hakarat Hatov was also expressed to Zach Herskowitz in recognition of his six years of outstanding service as Director of the Sara Domb Youth Department, and in particular keeping both young and old occupied with activity and learning all through the pandemic.

During this time, Zach continued YIJE’s tradition of outstanding and creative youth programming serving kids in Jamaica Estates and throughout Queens.

A special “Thank You To Zach” music video was screened during the program.

During his presentation to the honorees, YIJE Mara D’atra Rabbi Dr. Dov Lerner expressed how “the

Rabbi Lerner and Rabbi Hochberg with the honorees

Rabbi Lerner addressing the crowd

Zach Herskowitz addressing the crowd

last year has been a period of profound loss and strain and it has been the sacrifices made by the brave and committed, that have brought us to this moment of celebration. We have supported one another, we have consoled one another, we have lifted one another and gifted each other with care and interest and attention.”

Addressing the hundreds who gathered under the stars, YIJE Rabbi Emeritus Shlomo Hochberg described that the “honorees exemplify how we are a supportive community. Stepping up and volunteering to generate the chessed that is the hallmark of our precious YIJE family.”

YIJE outgoing President Sam Herskowitz noted that the “shul is so innovative, so ahead of the curve, that we had the foresight to honor our doctors a year and a half ago... before the pandemic!” He went on to express the deep gratitude the entire community feels towards the physicians on the YIJE health committee as well as Rabbis Lerner and Hochberg, Zach Herskowitz and the dinner honorees for leading the community through the challenges of a pandemic without ever truly shutting down the operation of the shul, even while the doors were physically closed.

Rabbi Lerner added, “YIJE remains a place of profound kindness and sincerity and I thank every single one of you for the part that you play in sustaining that legacy.”

A video recap of the dinner and presentations can be found at yije.org.

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

THIS WEEK, WE’RE TALKING TO…

HALB’s Avnet Country Day School

BY MICHELLE ZIMMERMAN

1, 2, 3…8 weeks of amazing summer fun! For the last few weeks, our children have been basking in the sun, swimming, singing, and soaking up the fun every day. How are they spending their time away from their desks? In this series, we speak with camp directors and head counselors to learn more about our community’s amazing, spectacular, incredible, marvelous, unbelievable (you get the point!) camps.

CAMP AVNET, ALSO KNOWN AS HALB’S AVNET COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL, GIVES ALMOST 1,000 CHILDREN THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES DURING THESE SUMMER MONTHS. WITH TWO CAMPUSES, THREE POOLS, AND THOUSANDS OF ACTIVITIES EACH WEEK, AVNET IS ALWAYS ROCKING – AND SO ARE THE KIDS WHO GET TO CALL IT THEIR “HOME AWAY FROM HOME!” THIS WEEK WE SPOKE WITH DIRECTOR DANIEL STROOCK TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THE ENERGY, EXCITEMENT, AND NONSTOP FUN THAT TAKES PLACE EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY.

Avnet Country Day School has been on the summer scene for over 60 years, and this is your fifth summer in the Five Towns.

What’s the secret to the Avnet experience?

The simplest way to describe our approach to camp is a quote I shared during our staff orientation a few weeks ago, “The best thing about memories is making them.” Camp is such an important part of the maturation process for children, as it’s an opportunity to build confidence, friendships, sportsmanship and skills.

We want our campers to be excited to come to camp every day and have a summer they will remember for life.

I’ve seen that glimmer of joy and nostalgia on the faces of Avnet alumni of all ages when they remember their time at camp. There is nothing like it.

That’s why we were so determined to adapt to the challenges of last summer and keep our doors open.

Now, we’re moving full speed ahead to ensure our campers make amazing memories in summer ’21!

Can you give us a glimpse of your impressive campus?

Our facility, covering both HALB’s New Woodmere Campus and DRS Campus, is really amazing. Our extensive grounds enable us to take the Avnet experience to the next level and double our programming. Many of our campers, regardless of where they are “based,” partake in activities on both campuses during the course of their day. There is a constant buzz of activity across our baseball fields, basketball courts, hockey rink, heated pools, gym and in our spectacular auditorium. It’s so gratifying to stroll around and see it all.

How many campers enjoy Camp Av n e t?

What schools and communities do they come from?

We’re proud to

host almost 900 campers at Avnet.

Our campers really have an opportunity to grow socially and make new friends, since they represent many different communities and schools. They come from the Five Towns, Far Rockaway, Oceanside, West Hempstead, Long Beach and Queens. Of course, many HALB students attend Avnet, but we also draw campers from YCQ, Shulamith, TAG, South Shore, HANC, HAFTR, Har Torah, Yeshiva Darchei Torah, MDS and some of the local public schools.

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

You have seven divisions and many division heads. Can you tell us about them all?

Since our campers range in age from 3-14, we have seven divisions to meet their varying needs and interests. There are five divisions housed in our New Woodmere Campus and two divisions in our DRS Campus.

Our upper staff is entirely comprised of experienced educators who work with children year-round. We also have over 200 counselors and specialty staff who give our campers their full attention.

Leah Koegel heads our Tipot or preschool division. We have two divisions for first through third grade: Ma’ayanot Boys led by Moshe Spern and assisted by Aaron Perris; Ma’ayanot Girls led by Miriam Steiner. Girls entering 4th through 5th grade are in our Agamim division, which is headed by Ariana Wolfson.

Our Naharot division for 6th through 8th grade girls, also headed by Ariana, offers more mature programming.

On our DRS Campus we have two divisions for boys. The Harim division is for 4th and 5th graders, while G’vaot is for 6th through 8th graders.

Zack Kessler is the Division Head for these two divisions.

Malkie Behar is truly the “anchor” at Avnet. She runs our office yearround and has a phenomenal ability

to connect with and remember almost every family and staff member.

In fact, during color war we put her amazing memory to the test by having each team send her campers or staff to name. If Malkie can’t recog-

which is a combination of nature, science and team building. We’re especially proud of “Chessed,” an activity for children in 3rd grade and older, which, as the name implies, allows for our campers to devote some of their

“WHEN I WALK AROUND CAMPUS, THE MOST FULFILLING THING IS SEEING THE PURE JOY AND EXCITEMENT ON THE CHILDREN’S FACES.”

nize them, the team earns color war points. But that happens very rarely!

What are the campers’ favorite activities and sports?

The list of “favorite” activities is as variable as the individual interests of each and every camper! We offer a wide-range of specialties and sports to try and engage them all. We’re constantly expanding our roster of specialties which include Chinuch, Country Cooking, Culinary Creations, Arts & Crafts, Fine Arts, Creative Crafts, Zumba, Music & Movement, Ballet, Warren Levi Boot Camp, Jump Rope, Music and STEM. One of our more inrteresting additions is “Orienteering,”

summer vacation to meaningful causes within our community – and the Jewish community at large.

Rabbi Joey Werner of the DRS Campus and Rabbi Aaron Fleksher of the New Woodmere Campus lead the sports programs at their respective sites. Our sports include softball, soccer, basketball, hockey, tennis, volleyball, gaga and dodgeball. While there are competitive leagues which generate enormous excitement, we also make time for sports clinics so all of our young athletes can hone their skills. Rabbi Werner also teaches Chinuch at

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the DRS campus and is wonderfully paired with Rabbi Reuven Levine for both components of his job, the teaching of Torah and the directing of sports programming.

How does your preschool division participate in the fun?

Our youngest “Tipot” campers are fully immersed in the Avnet experience. We’re not a “preschool camp,” but we adjust our activities to their developing abilities so they learn to participate and build skills. The Tipot have Ballet, Gymnastics, Cooking, Music & Movement and various sports just like the older children.

When it comes to aquatics, they also have the opportunity to learn to swim in real pools along with their older peers.

Trips are back! Tell us about your off-campus adventures?

Because of the COVID-induced restrictions, trips were on hiatus last summer,

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

so we’re thrilled that we can once again offer exciting excursions. And there are many of them! Our off-campus adventures include Jump Town USA, Active Kidz, Adventure Park Playground, Launch, Laser Bounce, Fishing, RPM Raceway, Once Upon a Tree Top, Dave & Busters and Adventureland. This year it’s our first time visiting Casa De Spin. Many of our groups have already returned from their studio with beautiful paint projects on large canvases, which will serve as memorable showpieces in their homes. We send all of our preschoolers, as well as our elementary school girls, to gymnastics each week.

The boys have bowling as a regular part of their schedule.

The standout trips of the summer will be Hershey Park and our first visit to Nickelodeon Universe at the brand-new American Dream. The Naharot and Harim campers will also experience an overnight at Club Getaway. We even bring the trips to us.

We have a petting zoo coming, and we host our own carnival.

Can you fill us in on your special theme days?

We appreciate the opportunities that special themed days provide, to allow our campers to express themselves freely and let their creative energies flow. They can wear silly sleepwear on Pajama Day, root for their favorite team on Jersey Day, and really push things to the limit

on-site pools that allow for a capacity of over 250 campers at a time. Headed by Chaim Samet and Zevi Adler, we are fortunate to have a large, welltrained lifeguarding staff to keep the children safe and build their skills.

We offer both instructional and free swim. Our youngest campers begin their aquatics careers with their attempts to swim across the pool.

“WE HAVE 39 BUNKS, AND EACH BUNK HAS 9 PERIODS IN A DAY OVER THE COURSE OF A 5-DAY WEEK.”

on Wacky Hair Day. We also have a Superhero Day and a Crazy Hat Day where each bunk chooses a theme, creates matching hats, and marches around the gym to show off their style!

What should we know about Avnet’s beautiful pools and aquatics program?

Sw imming is a major highlight of a summer at Avnet. We have three,

Once they have done so, they are awarded with the coveted “I learned to swim at Avnet T-shirt.” As they advance, they take further tests to become “Deep Water” swimmers. When their skills increase, they can spend their twice daily swim sessions in the deeper pools.

How do you commemorate the Three Weeks and Nine Days?

We try to balance summer fun while teaching our campers to respect the solemnity of the Three

Weeks. Preschoolers work on a special “Bais Hamikdash” building/ mitzvah project. Our chinuch groups discuss the time of the year and its significance, and we convert our free swim time into a “swim-a-thon” to benefit Chai Lifeline. Last summer, we raised almost $40,000!

With over 1,100 people daily at the Avnet campuses, how do you ensure that every camper gets the individual attention they deserve, while maintaining a smoothly running program for all?

We believe in fun, but we’re serious about our schedules and all the little details that make camp memorable. We plan the summer from the child’s perspective, and that means asking for ideas and feedback from our campers. We have 39 bunks, and each bunk has 9 periods in a day over the course of a 5-day week. That means we’re executing over 1,755 different activity periods per week!

Alex Braverman, our Program Director, is the “mastermind” behind all of our intricate scheduling and he makes sure each group has an amazing activity to go to at any given time. Alex also spends part of his day taking photos of our campers to

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

post to our Instagram, Facebook and website. Pictures are one of the best ways to capture the memories! In his remaining “free time” at Avnet, Alex frequently hosts game shows, special events and wacky contests that always provide smiles and laughs.

Personalized water bottles are a perk for Avnet campers and staff. How did you come up with the idea?

This is our third year giving out personalized water bottles and everybody loves them! We want to make sure our campers stay hydrated in the heat, and this was a fun way to do it. For campers, we use the water bottles to literally put the trips and special events calendar at their fingertips by printing it on the side. We also wanted to acknowledge our hard-working staff this year, and their water bottles have the special message, “I work at Avnet; what’s YOUR superpower?”

As a super-involved camp director, what makes the Avnet experience most memorable for you?

My main goal every summer is to make kids happy. It sounds simple,

but it means everything to me. When I walk around campus, the most fulfilling thing is seeing the pure joy and excitement on the children’s faces.

There is nothing like hearing their magical laughter as they experience all the activities Avnet has to offer.

This is possible because our staff operates as a team with a shared mis-

planning, I’m filled with memories of our amazing campers and it motivates me to make each summer better than the one before. I love it when kids run up to me bursting with pride to show off their latest art project, cooking creation or “Camper of the Week” trophy. They also

”I’VE SEEN THAT GLIMMER OF JOY AND NOSTALGIA ON THE FACES OF AVNET ALUMNI OF ALL AGES WHEN THEY REMEMBER THEIR TIME AT CAMP.”

sion of making our campers happy.

We also manage to make parents happy! When I describe to parents our daily towel service which cuts their laundry time, or tell them that we set up sunscreen spraying stations poolside to keep our campers safe, or mention that we keep camp open till 4 p.m. on Fridays – they often respond with delight. And those are comments I certainly remember!

During the months of pre-camp

By the Numbers...

2 campuses – but 1 extraordinary home!

3 heated pools Almost 900 campers 245 staff members 7 divisions 1:4 Ratio of staff to campers 45 periods in a week per group

call me over to watch them take a turn at bat, shoot a hoop or show off what they have learned in the pool.

We’re building memories together, and that is what Avnet is all about!

39 bunks in Avnet 49 amazing trips this summer 62 years of camping fun and experience 1,150 personalized water bottles 9,000 towels handed out each week 250 slices of pizza served on Fridays at the DRS Campus 1,300 slices of pizza served on Fridays at the New Woodmere Campus

1,755 activity periods happening PER WEEK!!!

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

I N

M E M O R Y

Remembering

Rozi Davis Davidowitz, a”h From the hesped of her daughter, Laya Perlysky

E

ma was my best friend. We’d sing together, dance together, laugh together… She taught me to harmonize. Dov always said, “I know Ema’s your best friend, but am I second at least?”

One day, when I was a teenager, Rabbi Freifeld, zt”l, was sitting in my living room. Ema asked me to come in. Rabbi Freifeld told me, “You’re too hard on yourself!” He didn’t even know me personally. But Ema did. In that way, I was like her.

In the hospital room on her last day, I told her, “Ema everything you did was right and perfect. You worked so hard to breathe and push through.

You always told me not to feel guilty.

That everything I did was always right. Everything you did was right.

You fought so hard and you won. Now it’s up to Hashem. You should have no regrets. But everything you did was right and good.” She squeezed my hand. I told her, “Mommy, I feel you!

I felt you squeeze my hand! “ I asked her for mechila and apologized for everything I didn’t do that I should have done, and everything I did wrong. She squeezed my hand again.

I whispered in her ear, “Do you remember you always said, “You’re my heart, you’re my soul, you’re my kishkas?” Mommy, you’re my heart, you’re my soul, you’re my kishkas. We share one heart, one soul, and one kishkas,

and we will be together forever and ever and ever. You’ll never be alone… so don’t be scared.”

She squeezed my hand.

“Hashem loves you,” I continued, “and whatever Hashem does is for the good even though we don’t understand it.” I told her that I heard from Rabbi Pelcovitz, zt”l, (who quoted Rabbi Schwab, zt”l) that we cover our eyes during the Shema because we can’t trust our perceptions. We say, “Shema Yisroel,” listen Israel, “Hashem Elokeinu,” Hashem, the G-d of compassion, and “Elokeinu,” the G-d of strict judgement, is “Hashem echad,” one and the same G-d. But we end by saying, “Hashem echad. Which is the overarching one G-d? “Hashem,” the G-d of compassion. He is all good.

And at the end of Yom Kippur, in the Renovs’ basement, I realized that we finish Neilah with “Hashem Hu HaElokim.” It struck me that we are giving ourself assurances and reminding Hashem, at our most vulnerable and frightened moment, that “Hashem,” the G-d of mercy and compassion, He is Elokim. He is our judge.

I told Ema this, and she squeezed my hand.

After her neshama left her, we again repeated these words, “Hashem Hu Ha’Elokim” as per the directions to say after the person is niftar.

My mother was the funniest, most fun, most beautiful, person. I recently told her she was the only person who

made me laugh out loud. She was so quick witted and said just the thing.

She was so much fun. She could make anything fun. Being sick as a kid was the biggest treat. Ema would put you in her bed, fluff up a few pillows, put on old movies that we loved, and then brought up a tray of hot cereal, hot water with honey and lemon, and toast with jam. Then she would lay down next to you. I prayed I’d never get better!

I’d also lay in her bed to study for tests. She’d make up the best mnemonic tricks for every Hebrew word.

Saturday nights we’d have pizza and ice cream and watch movies in her bed. I guess we spent a lot of time in bed!

Ema came to every performance I was in – it didn’t matter how insignificant the part. Over the years, she must have come to hundreds of graduations and plays between all her children and grandchildren – that was her delight.

My mother starred in all the plays at HILI. She was so beautiful, but she always took the funniest part and made it way funnier. She never stuck with the script. She always ad-libbed.

The director, Dr. Katz, was always going crazy, flipping through the script to try to figure out where Ema was up to. But Ema always wrote the cue line for the next actor. She wrote it on the inside of her cap when she was the peddler in Oklahoma. A friend of mine, Ellen, always said how she would fall off her chair, doubled over

laughing.

When my mother had just fallen from a bench onto concrete, she was lying in pain, waiting for Hatzala.

When I get super-nervous, at the most inappropriate and high-pressure situations, I burst out laughing. I was hysterically laughing. My mother looked at me and said, “Laugh, Laya. Laugh.

It’s OK. It’s good for you.” She also used to burst out laughing at these times (like when the pressure cooker blew up in her mother’s kitchen). My kids have this characteristic, too.

It was shocking that with all her pain, she just kept saying, “Baruch Hashem. Baruch Hashem.” She was so grateful that it wasn’t her hip so she wouldn’t need hip surgery.

One Shabbos, when we were sitting on a bench in an isolated park in Vacation Village, our bench started to sink into the sand, and the next thing we knew we were upside down with our feet up in the air. We couldn’t stop cracking up – it was so comical. Two women spotted us and ran over to ask if we were OK. We couldn’t even reply we were laughing so hard. They thought we were nuts!

She once decided with my sisters and their kids to make a parade for Purim down Central Avenue. She was dressed up like a clown. A woman walked over to her and said, “How are you Rozi?” Ema said, “How did you recognize me?” The woman replied, “I’ve never seen you any other way!”

Ema told us that when she was little, since she was the only girl, she

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

would have to wash all the dishes. It wasn’t enough that she washed the dishes. Her brother Itchy told her, “You have to do it with a simcha!” And throughout her life, she did it all with a simcha – no matter what challenge or pain she was going through.

Her Yiddishkeit was so genuine.

We had a European, distinguished “chicken man” named Mr. Newhouser, who came to our house to deliver chickens once a month. My mother once gave him a larger bill than what she owed him because she didn’t have any smaller change. She said, “You’ll pay me back next time.” He asked, “You trust me with so much money?” She replied, “I trust you with my kashrus. I wouldn’t trust you with money?”

Every time I left to sleepaway camp since I was almost five, my mother would sneak a note in the top of my luggage so that it would be the first thing I would receive when I arrived – and not have to wait till the camp mail came.

When I threw up, my mother always held my head. I actually thought my head would fall off if she didn’t hold it up.

My mother always had the most friends, from the Lower East Side and then she collected more and more. To this day, she has more friends than I had my whole life. I think it’s because she’s so much fun and non-judgmental, super-empathic and makes everyone feel good about themselves by building them up and focusing on their positives.

When I was little, I thought my mother was a malach, an angel. I mean for a really long time…like till I was a teenager. Because she was so good – pure goodness and so genuinely and deeply caring and loving. Our pain was her pain. Only it hurt her more.

And she would do everything to get rid of that pain – and it usually worked.

She was so empathic and intuitive. We used to joke that we only went to the doctor for a second opinion.

If I had an asthma attack, I knew that Ema would give me her every breath if she could. She’d be in it with you. “Imo anochi b’tzara.”

I felt so fiercely how good my mother was, that I once broke up with a boy because I told him how incredible my mother was, and he had the

audacity to say, “Yeah, mine too!”

She wasn’t regular, typical. She was beyond, beyond. Goodness, love, giving, to the nth degree.

I always told my kids how miraculous the petira of my grandmother was…how she waited for all her children to arrive before departing…how all her children and grandchildren surrounded her bed, sang Eishes Chayil to her, and all said Shema Yisroel together with her neshama leaving at “Hashem Echad.” And how all the cousins shared a Shabbos together reminiscing her life. I explained how it wasn’t scary but beautiful and kadosh. Baruch Hashem, my mother had this same zechus as her mother.

My mother clung to life fiercely.

Even with all her physical challenges due to Parkinson’s, she loved life. She loved singing, walking and dancing in the pool with her kids, grandchil-

memories, giving thanks to Ema and asking mechila. For two days and nights, Ema refused to close her eyes and was soaking it all in. It wasn’t till after she had Zoomed with her last grandchild in the Israeli army, Israel time, that Ema succumbed. And, like her own mother, gave the family a beautiful Shabbos to reminisce together before the levaya.

She was so gentle and forgiving.

My father always jokes that only Jacky Mason really understands my mother.

Jacky Mason was once in Grossingers.

My parents knew him from when they were kids on the Lower East Side. They went over to his table, and my father asked him, “Do you remember Rozi?

And he replied, “Do I remember Rozi?

Of course, I do. A vicious woman!” He winked. They all cracked up. It was hysterical because he and everyone else knew Ema as so soft, kind and

As each stage became more and more difficult, she found joy in what she could still do.

dren and great-grandchildren. As each stage became more and more difficult, she found joy in what she could still do.

We thought she was going to pass away so many times, but she fought through it all. Two cardiac arrests, two intubations…she always clawed her way back. Friday night a few weeks ago, she had to be rushed to the hospital, and we weren’t sure she would make it. She was breathing underwater and struggling with every breath for four agonizing days. Baruch Hashem, she finally had a procedure that helped reinflate one of her compressed lungs.

Last Saturday night, the doctors warned us it was the end. Her grandchildren made her a Zoom Melava Malka through the night –in America and Israel. Others visited. All week long her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, brother and sister-in-law, nieces and nephews visited and called, singing songs, sharing

gentle. She once took an assertiveness training course. The most rebellious she ever got was to ignore the waiters at Grossingers when they asked for everyone’s order if they had been mean to her. My father said the waiters had no idea she was ignoring them, and she actually made their jobs easier.

My mother loved Torah. Recently, “Judge Gorgeous” (Lee First) told me she was once sitting next to Ema by the pool at Grossingers and she told Ema a dvar Torah. Judge Gorgeous said, “What do you want to hear this for? You’re never going to remember it.” Ema replied, “Torah is like water.

If you pour water into a water bottle, even if you pour out all the water, a few drops will remain.” Ema wanted every last drop. And she loved to daven. No matter how tired or sick she was, if you asked her if she wanted to daven, Ema always happily said yes or nodded her head yes. davening made her calm and happy.

Thank you Hashem for giving me

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the gift of the most beautiful, angelic, fun, empathic, giving, talented, entertaining, loving, tzaddeiket mother, who had real savlanut (the ability to really suffer without ever complaining), and the uncanny capacity to make everyone feel loved, safe, understood and protected.

Mommy, thank you for being the best person who ever existed. At the hospital, I told you that I hope Hashem is at least something like you. Because you are pure goodness. You squeezed my hand.

Hashem, Ema and Zidy, thank you for giving me the most amazing, giving, supportive sisters.

We bickered and argued constantly over the best care for you. Dr Lanman was often very shook up by our arguments. I told her that it says that the machloket between Hillel and Shammai would last forever, but the machloket with Korach V’adato would not last. The latter seems better. I explained that the machloket between Hillel and Shammai would always last because they both fiercely wanted to do what was best for Hashem, which they saw differently, but still respected one another and knew it was for the right reason. I told her we would all continue arguing for what was best for you Mommy, but always respect each other and knew where it was coming from.

We all especially thank Ruki for saving Ema’s life multiple times and working endlessly to get the house prepared, and ordering all the equipment to bring Ema home and keep her home safely.

Mommy, keep laughing, giving and loving. Please continue to help our family, help Klal Yisroel and help to bring the Moshiach so soon. Because you deserve it.

Mommy, the day you were niftar, and the days leading up to it, we all commented that you looked so incredibly and strikingly beautiful, like Sara Imeinu, “milmala min hateva,” just like the angel I always believed you were. You remember when I was little, every time you made me a fruit salad, I told you it was like Gan Eden. B’ezras Hashem, we will all soon sing, dance, daven and swim together again. And you will let me know if I was right about the taste of Gan Eden. »»»»»

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

From the hesped of her granddaughter, Shevi Perlysky

T

o the greatest grandmother that ever existed, my dearest Ema, How does one possibly sum up an entire life of greatness into a singular thought? The task is simply impossible, and I want to start with the admission that anything I say is hardly even a fraction of a reflection of the tremendous person Ema was.

Ema was perfection. The epitome of all things beautiful. She was goodness, kindness, pure. She had the unique ability to understand each person’s needs and would somehow be exactly what that person required at the particular time or stage. She was beauty, and saw beauty in the whole world and in every person. Her vision was rose colored, hardwired to see the good in everything and everyone, and in turn she allowed everyone to see the good in themselves.

My cousins, Yael and Tova, were discussing how Ema was a musical genius and could create the most beautiful harmonies, since she didn’t just hear, but understood a person’s key, range and frequency, and her voice, like liquid, melted to fill the in-between spaces. Yael added how that was really Ema’s genius throughout life. She understood each person’s key, their wavelength, what plane and frequency they operated on, and molded herself to meet their need; she became their harmony. Each one of her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and even a great-great-grandchild is different, and she loved each one of us in the way we needed to be loved and for the unique individuals that we are, and in doing so, allowed us all to become the greatest versions of ourselves.

I remember, growing up Ema would come over in the morning with her chocolate chip pancakes to give to us before we went to school. As I got older, she was there to take me shopping and give me all her clothing. I always knew not to compliment anything she wore because literally as the words came out of my mouth, whatever jewelry or outfit she had been wearing was instantly placed in my hands.

Ema was such a natural giver, incapa-

ble of possessing something that could potentially be given up to someone else to make them happy. Growing up we always knew who to go shopping with, because Ema wanted to give you the world, and she did, in every way.

I remember Ema visiting my high school when I’d just started, and as you walked in, I thought, “Wow, I’m the luckiest girl, I have a queen as a grandmother.” I felt almost embarrassed, like it’s awkward to have the queen of England as your grandmother. You were beautiful, regal, refined and so charismatic, and I just remember thinking what a show-off I was that I had you just walk in because your presence alone was just on a different madraiga.

Ema always knew how to make each of us feel special. I remember going to so many lunches with her friends because if I was ever at Ema’s house and someone called to meet up with her, she’d just tell me to come along, that she wanted me there and

Eitan sing, beam with such pride watching Akiva play sports or play catch with you. You’d swim with Avigail and Gavi and make them feel like the most important people in your world.

You’d take us all out to dinner or ice cream, and we loved every second of it. You soaked up each talent we had and glimmer of happiness we experienced. You were my greatest cheerleader, everyone’s greatest cheerleader. It was really as though your deepest sense of fulfillment and simcha came from watching us be b’simcha.

Ema was my therapist, till the final moments of her life. If I ever was struggling with anything, feeling like somehow life got too hard, she was the only person – and I mean this till liter-

She had the unique ability to understand each person’s needs and would somehow be exactly what that person required at the particular time or stage.

needed me there, never allowing me to doubt that she had anywhere better to go or anyone more important to meet with. She would come to every child’s graduation, every production, siddur play, Chumash play, or silly celebration. Nothing was too trivial to you, Ema, and though you had, ka”h, so many grandchildren and a million friends, nothing was beneath you.

You were there for us in every way, silently affirming that we were your whole world. My whole life I remember dancing for you – you never tired of watching Ayala and me do the same dances over and over again. You’d be so happy watching Atara and Tali perform a song or dance Friday night.

You loved spending time with Yoni and cracking up from him. You’d sit there with such genuine nachas watching

ally her absolute final moments in this world, when some may not have realized how in-tune she still was – she was the only one who could, in her quiet, perceptive way, make me feel happy in my hardest times. I don’t know what it was about Ema, but something about her existence was like therapy to me. She exuded menucha, exuded warmth, kindness. I was 100% taken care of when I was talking to her, or merely in her presence.

My mother mentioned how when Ema was first brought to the hospital around 7 months ago and everything felt so uncertain and scary, the only thing that calmed her was being with Ema. While she was hooked up to every machine and fighting for her life, still, Ema was the calming force through it all.

This Erev Shabbos, while davening Mincha, I realized that it was the first time in my life I can recall not asking Hashem to bring you a refuah. My whole life I remember asking Hashem to make you not in pain from some back ache or some physical ailment, but throughout it all I don’t have a single memory of you complaining.

I don’t know that you possessed that gene. My mother mentioned to me how it says a tzaddik falls 7 times and gets up, but Ema fell so many more times than that and broke basically every bone and got up with a sense of appreciation that it was she who got hurt instead of anyone else.

She was unique, really an absolute tzadeket through and through. Ema was a powerhouse, a true person of tremendous strength. She carried the weight of the whole world on her shoulders and could handle it all with a smile on her face. When people were discussing how hard it must be for Ema to go through the torture of what she had been experiencing recently, and the question of if Ema would’ve wanted to keep going through this most recent experience, my brother, Yoni, said how medically, it was so unlikely for Ema to have lived through it, but she had such devotion to living, such a zest for life, that it was clear that Ema was choosing to live.

She pushed herself till the final moments when she wouldn’t close her eyes for two days straight to soak up every moment with every child and grandchild and great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchild, to take every moment possible with whatever

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

Hashem had in store for her and make the most of every second she had, quietly accepting every ounce of pain and living life to its fullest at each stage.

As hard as it is for us to lose our matriarch, our center of our universe, our greatest friend and supporter, I am so comforted to know, Ema, that you finally aren’t in physical pain and that no longer is your physical body constricting your abilities. Atara, my sister said how, iyH, there will be so many simchas this year, and she knows that now Ema will really get to dance with each of us to her fullest potential, unlimited and unrestrained.

When the hospital staff was discussing the idea of quality of life, my sister, Ayala, remarked how crazy it was to judge Ema’s life as anything short of infinitely significant. How even in Ema’s current condition, she was so dramatically bettering the world, how much Tehillim was being said b’zchuta, how many people were working on themselves, trying to better their middot, improve their relationships, better their religious observance.

Ema impacted the world while she could dance and sing and play tennis and tell you how great you were, how valued you are. She changed the world with her goodness, her love of people, and still somehow managed to continue improving the world even while her physical abilities were limited, and I have no doubt that now that she’s freed of her physical confines, she will dramatically impact the world through her intimate conversations with Hash-

em as well as through the lives that we live in better ways because of the impact Ema had on us and the life she led and role modeled for us all.

We should all feel so proud of the tzadeket we come from and of the dynasty she and Zidy created together and that we are so incredibly lucky to be a part of.

anything, for coming to our house so many Shabboses and singing with us, for showing me what true tzidkus is, for giving me invaluable life advice, for never making me feel bad about all the mistakes I made, all the messups I had, for saving every card I wrote and telling me how much it meant to you, for inviting me to so many events

Her vision was rose colored, hardwired to see the good in everything and everyone.

Ema, my whole life I always felt that you were my favorite person, my absolute favorite person. I really feel that Hashem knew what He was doing when He assigned you as my grandmother. Something about you just fit with me. We were two peas in a pod.

We had the same sense of humor, the same interests. You would always tell me your secrets, and I would tell you all of mine. I treasured you, and I never doubted how much you loved me.

If I wasn’t good enough or was hard on myself, you made sure I knew how good I was. You told me and I believed you and, in turn, I became better. You built me, showed me how to love others and love myself. How to believe in people, see the good in people, care about people.

Ema, I love you from the depths of my heart and have to thank you for everything – nothing short of absolutely everything. For being my best friend, for teaching me what it means to love so unconditionally, for being there for me always, for guiding me and directing me, for coming to every silly play I was ever in, for watching me dance every day, for making us matzah brei and potato keegel, for being my study buddy in college and graduate school, for meeting every guy I ever dated and telling me through everything how good I was, how deserving I was, for dressing me up and telling me how beautiful I was, for loving me and believing that I could Rozi with her husband, lbch”l, Morty Davis do anything and I should do

you went to and making me feel so important, for forgiving me every time I messed up and caused you to fall and saying through it all how happy you are that it was you who fell instead of someone else and how it was never my fault, for teaching me how to sew, for framing every picture I ever painted,

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for tap dancing with me when I told you I took a tap class, for kissing me a thousand times when I’d say goodbye, for singing with me and swimming with me and guiding me through this crazy and amazing thing we call life, for giving me the most incredible mother who loves you with every fiber of her being and for giving me the most unreal extended family, all my best friends, who support each other through everything and enabled me to become the best version of myself.

Ema, I want to ask mechila for everything I ever did to hurt you intentionally or accidentally, if I didn’t give you enough kavod or did anything imperfectly, because, Ema, you deserved to be treated like the queen that you were. You were absolutely the greatest Ema, better than I could’ve ever dreamt up if Hashem gave me a canvas and allowed me to design you myself.

Thank you for being my best friend.

Thank you for being my Ema. I love you.

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

1.

TJH

*

Centerfold

Errors on the Cup As the oldest and most revered trophy in professional sports, there is no greater honor than having your name engraved on the Stanley Cup. But the engravers don’t always get it right. Suffice it to say, they are not competing in the Scripps Spelling Bee anytime soon.

Here are the mistakes that they have made to date:

? ?

1937-38:

[Chicago

Blackhawks]

–

Palangio’s name appears twice; it’s spelled correctly once and incorrectly as PALAGIO. 1941-42: [Toronto Maple Leafs] – Goaltender Turk Broda is represented twice, once as TURK BRODA and again as WALTER BRODA (his real name).

?

Pete

?

1971-72: [Boston Bruins] – The team name is

?

1974-75: [Montreal Canadiens] – Forward Bob

?

1980-81: [New York Islanders] – The

misspelled as BQSTQN BRUINS.

Gainey’s name is misspelled as GAINY.

team’s name is misspelled as NEW YORK ILANDERS.

1946-47: [Toronto Maple Leafs] – Forward Gaye Stewart is misspelled as GAVE STEWART.

?

1983-84: [Edmonton Oilers] – Owner Peter Pocklington included

the name of his father, Basil Pocklington,

?

1951-52: [Detroit Red Wings] –

who was unaffiliated with the team.

Coach Tommy Ivan’s name is

After the NHL learned of the move, it

misspelled as TOMMY NIVAN; center Alex Delvecchio‘s name is

ordered the name removed. The name is now covered by a string of 16 X’s.

misspelled as ALEX BELVECCHIO.

?

1956 thru 1960: [Montreal Canadiens] – Hall of Fame

?

1995-96: [Colorado Avalanche] – Forward Adam

Deadmarsh’s name was misspelled

goaltender Jacques Plante won

as ADAM DEADMARCH. It was later

the Stanley Cup five consecutive

corrected, a Stanley Cup first.

years; his name is spelled differently each time.

?

1962-63: [Toronto Maple Leafs] –

?

2001-02: [Detroit Red Wings] – Goaltender Manny

Legace’s name was misspelled as

The team name is misspelled as

MANNY LAGASE; it was later

TORONTO MAPLE LEAES.

corrected.

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Know Your Definitions

Match these 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee words with their definitions 1. Avuncular

a. tending to cause blistering

2. Verdure

b. adhering resolutely to an opinion

3. Vicissitudes

c. retaining or preserving moisture

4. Pertinacity

d. relating to prophecy

5. Traditive

e. tending to appear late

6. Pellucidity

f. lush green vegetation

7. Vesicant

g. one who drinks with another

8. Compotator

h. a change of circumstances or fortune

9. Fatidic

i. relating to an uncle

10. Humectant

j. reflecting light evenly from all surfaces

Answers: 1. I; 2. F; 3. H; 4. B; 5. E; 6. J; 7. A; 8. G; 9. D; 10. C

You Gotta Be Kidding Me!

Riddle me This

Yankel and Moshe are strolling along one day when Yankel sees a thick-looking envelope on the ground. He quickly picks it up, and to his amazement, it contains a receipt and $350 in cash.

“Would you believe my luck?” he says to Moshe. “I’ve

A hockey team has nine players.

Half of them are boys. How is that possible?

just found $350 in a wage packet. It’s my lucky day.”

“Let me see the receipt inside the envelope,” says Moshe.

Answer: The team is all boys.

look at the amount of tax you paid!”

Therefore, one half of the

says to Yankel, “I wouldn’t call it lucky. Just

team consists of boys, and

glances at the figures on the receipt, then

so does the other half.

Yankel gives the receipt to Moshe. Moshe

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3

Torah Thought

Parshas Devarim

By Rabbi Berel Wein

T

his last oration of our teacher Moshe reviews the occurrences in history of the Jewish people after their miraculous Exodus from Egypt. The words of Moshe are very personal to him alone and reflect his recollection and viewpoint of all of the events and incidents that occurred during the 40 -year sojourn of the Jewish people in the Desert of Sinai.

Nuances of difference sometime

appear between the descriptions that Moshe attributed to events that occurred and the more objective description of those events recorded previously in the Torah. This is natural because of the different personal recollections by humans regarding events that occurred in the purely objective description, giving them a view of the same events but from a different perspective.

There is no need to reconcile the

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two apparent differing descriptions of the same Torah event. We know that human beings can never really be truly objective and that everything that we see, and experience is always filtered through our own personalities, thoughts and even prejudices. As such, we can never claim objectivity in recalling past events and describing them for later generations.

It is not that truth is a subjective value, but, rather, it is not possible within the limitations of human existence, for truths to be accurately described, without the injection of the personality and the subjective viewpoint of the person recalling or describing the truth as to what oc-

completely. It was the people emerging as a mob upon him that forced him to agree to send spies and to bring back a report about the land of Israel to the Jewish people before their actual entry into the country.

It is not that Moshe was trying to extract himself from blame and participation in this sad incident, which would doom that generation of the desert and never reach the land of Israel.

It is simply that he records for us his absolute misgivings when the proposal first surfaced. In his memory, he does not see himself as ever having instigated the proposal and describes himself as an almost unwilling participant in the process that later ensued. In the

We can never claim objectivity in recalling past events and describing them for later generations.

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curred. Only Heaven achieves ultimate accuracy of truth. We human beings strive for such perfection but should be aware that it is beyond our abilities to actually attain.

We see this clearly in how Moshe describes the origin of the debacle that befell the Jewish people regarding the sending of the spies to gain intelligence about the land of Israel. In the Torah previously, it appears that Moshe himself was the instigator and catalyst for this idea that later went so wrong.

However, when Moshe relives the matter here in the book of Dvarim, he casts the incident in a different light

eyes of Heaven, because Moshe later acquiesced to the public demand for the sending of the spies, it made Moshe a prime mover, and instigator, if you will, in the event of the spies.

Oftentimes, in life, we are apparently innocent victims of forces brought upon us, and yet, we are held accountable personally for the consequences of our participation in the event, unwilling and hesitant as it may have been. The book of Devarim teaches us many lessons in life that otherwise we may overlook, ignore and of which we may not be aware.

Shabbat shalom.

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

‫הנהלת ישיבה קטנה ד’לאנג איילנד‬ ‫שולחת כוס תנחומין‬ to our dear friend

R’ Jay Kestenbaum’‫שיחי‬ on the loss of his father

R’ Aryeh (Leonard) Ben Rav Dovid Kestenbaum ‫ז"ל‬ A man of distinction, ‫ עהרליכקייט‬and ‫דרך ארץ‬ R’ Aryeh was a great supporter of ‫תורה וחסד‬ A true ‫ מוקיר רבנן‬and an ‫אוהב ישראל‬ We extend our deepest condolences to R’ Aryeh’s wife,

Mrs. Aliza Kestenbaum ’‫שתחי‬ R’ Aryeh’s granddaughter, YKLI Learning Center Director,

Mrs. Danielle Robinson The Robinson, Talansky and Kestenbaum great-grandchildren who continue to bring nachas as they continue R’ Aryeh’s legacy at Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island May R’ Aryeh serve as a ‫ מליץ יושר‬for his beautiful family and the entire ‫כלל ישראל‬ ‫המקום ינחם אתכם בתוך שאר אבילי ציון וירושלים‬

Rabbi Tzvi Krigsman, Menahel Hanhalas Hayeshiva & Board of Directors Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

From the Fire Parshas Devarim

Tunneling to Yerushalayim

By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

I

n Parshas Devarim, Moshe Rabbeinu begins to summarize our journey in the desert from Mitzrayim until we reach the land of Israel. He starts out by saying (Devarim 1:2), “Eleven days from Chorev [Sinai], by way of Mt. Seir until Kadesh Barnea.” Rashi there explains, “The [Jewish people] traveled [the entire eleven-day journey] in three days. That is the extent to which the Divine Presence exerted itself for your sake to hasten your arrival in the land. But because you sinned, it led you around Mt. Seir for forty years.”

In other words, the 11-day journey was turned into a three-day journey, which was transformed into a forty-year journey. Therefore, the next pasuk continues, “And it was in the fortieth year...”

In Eicha (3:9), we say, “He has enclosed my ways with hewn stone, He has made my paths crooked.”

Based on this pasuk, the Medrash in Eicha Raba (and in the Yerushalmi, Ma’aser Sheni 2:5) tells us that there were simple, working Jewish men and women who lived in Tzipori, Tiveria, and even further north in Gilad, who used to travel to Yerushalayim every erev Shabbos to light candles and learn Torah in the Beis Hamikdash and then return home before Shabbos.

It was not possible in those days to make such a journey in one day, so the Medrash and Yerushalmi explain that they traveled via miraculous machilos, tunnels. The Medrash explained, however, that these tunnels could no longer be

found because “there were tunnels there, but they became concealed.”

Based on this, the Medrash quotes the pasuk in Eicha, “He has enclosed my ways with hewn stone, He has made my paths crooked.”

These simple Jews had such a strong longing to be in the Beis Hamikdash in Yerushalayim that Hashem opened up a miraculous path for them in the form of those tunnels. The Maharal in Netzach Yisroel explains this Medrash as follows, “There is a deep point in this Medrash... It is impossible to explain these tunnels under the ground at face value. It is clear that the explanation [of these tunnels] is that they represent a hidden and concealed force...until the future when the nature of this force will be revealed.”

The Yerushalmi cited above also

tells the story of a man who found himself in a tunnel going the opposite direction. This man who lived in Eretz Yisroel was plowing with his ox when the ox ran away. He chased after it and followed it into a tunnel. When they came out on the other side of the tunnel, he suddenly found himself in Bavel, Babylonian.

He asked some people he saw where he was, and they told him he was in Bavel. They asked him where he was from and when he arrived. He explained that he was in Eretz Yisroel that very day and just got to Bavel.

They asked him how he got there and he tried to find the tunnel but he was unable to. The Gemara also connects this story to the pasuk in Eicha, “He has enclosed my ways with hewn stone, He has made my paths crooked.”

The first story told of people who

wanted to reach Yerushalayim so badly that Hashem created a miraculous path to the Beis Hamikdash for them. In the second story, on the other hand, even if someone is already in Eretz Yisroel, if he spends his time chasing cows and physicality, those same tunnels take him into exile. We all have our “oxen” of this world that we are chasing, and just like the man in the story, we also do not know how to find our way back to Eretz Yisroel, to holiness.

The distance between exile and redemption is very great. But the physical distance is not as wide or as vast as the distance in our minds and our hearts. With great desire for Eretz Yisroel, the path to the land of Israel went from eleven days to just three days. But when we went off track and began chasing the wrong things, that path suddenly became a forty-year journey and then a twothousand-year exile from which we do not know how to return.

There are many political and economic obstacles to our return to the land of Israel, but the main obstacles are inside of us, in our minds and in our hearts.

Rebbi Yehuda Halevi longed for Eretz Yisroel so much that he wrote, “My heart is in the East, and I am at the end of the West.” With great longing, one can overcome all obstacles and bypass all stumbling blocks to return home. Because of his great desire, even though travel to Eretz Yisroel was extremely dangerous in those days, Rebbi Yehuda Halevi found a “tunnel” and made his way back home.

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

The exile and Churban have destroyed the paths back to Eretz Yisroel and redemption. But Chazal have revealed to us (Psikta Rabasi 32:10) that when the final redemption comes, the ten lost tribes will one day return to Eretz Yisroel from the other side of the Sambatiyon river via these tunnels to Har Ha’Zeisim. In addition, Chazal tell us (Kesubos 111, Yalkut Shimoni on Yeshaya 36:431) that at the time of the redemption, the tzaddikim who have left the world will come to life and return to Eretz Yisroel via these same tunnels: “[Hashem] will create tunnels for them in the earth.”

Rashi there explains that “they will stand on their feet and walk to Eretz Yisroel in tunnels where they will emerge and come out.” The great desire that gives rise to these tunnels is so powerful that it can even bridge the distance between this world and the next to bring the lost tribes and the tzaddikim who have left the world back to Eretz Yisroel.

Through these teachings, Chazal have revealed to us that the distance between exile and redemption and between this world and the next is not so far.

In this week’s parsha, Moshe Rabbeinu says (Devarim 1:8, 21), “See that I have place the land before you, come and inherit it... See that Hashem your G-d has placed the land before you, ascend and inherit it as Hashem the G-d of your fathers has spoken to you, do not be afraid and do not fear.”

All that is required is not to be afraid. We did not get lost in the desert because of the other nations there, for political reasons, or any other cause. Rather, our journey turned into a forty-year trip because of our mindset. Moshe explained to them (Devarim 1:26, 32), “You did not want to ascend... This is why you did not believe in Hashem, your G-d.”

Shmuel Yosef (“Shai”) Agnon, the famous Nobel Prize-winning and G-d-fearing writer, wrote a story called “The Story of the Goat,” inspired by all of the Medrashim about the mysterious tunnels.

He told of an old man who was very sick. His doctors told him that

he needed goat’s milk, so he bought a goat. A short time after he bought the goat, she disappeared for a few days. Wherever they searched for her, they could not find her. But after a few days, she returned on her own with an udder full of milk so

father was broken-hearted. He did not find the note and assumed that his son had been torn apart by some wild animal. Ripped by grief, he brought the shochet, the slaughterer, to kill the goat that brought him so much pain. As they were skinning

The distance between exile and redemption and between this world and the next is not so far.

rich and delicious that it tasted like it came from Gan Eden. Whenever the milk ran out, she would disappear for a few days and could not be found until she returned on her own with udders full of the most delicious milk.

One day, the man’s son formulated a plan. He tied a rope to the goat’s tail, and when she left in the middle of the night, he felt the tug of the rope and followed her. He followed her into a tunnel, one of the machilos, and they walked through the tunnel for several hours, possibly several days.

When they came out on the other side, they found themselves on beautiful verdant hills with trees and plants blossoming everywhere.

He saw Jews but they did not understand Yiddish. He asked them in Hebrew where he was, and they explained that they were in the land of Israel, near Tzfas. He wanted to remain there for the day and then return to bring his parents to Eretz Yisroel but he saw people preparing for Shabbos and realized he would not be able to make the journey in time for Shabbos. He therefore wrote a note to his parents telling them that he was okay and in the land of Israel. They should just follow the goat and she would bring them to Eretz Yisroel to live with him. He placed the note in the goat’s ear and allowed it to return, and he went to live in Tzfas.

When the goat returned home to the shtetl without his son, the boy’s

the goat after slaughter, the note fell out of its ear. Seeing his son’s handwriting, the father read the note and realized that in his grief and haste, he had killed his only key to returning to his health, to Eretz Yisroel,

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and to his beloved son.

The opening and pathway to redemption still exists. We do not see it or think about it, but it is there and can be unlocked if we desire to return. Until we do, we still have Tisha B’Av. But when we believe in and long for the redemption, it is close and attainable.

May we increase our desire for a world in which Hashem’s presence is revealed and merit to return through those hidden machilos, tunnels, to Yerushalayim with the coming of Moshiach, may it be soon in our days.

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

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Delving into the Daf

A Grave Problem

By Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow The “offending” grave that presented the conundrum

T

he Gemara in Succah (5a) is attempting to find a source that the minimum height of a succah is ten tefachim (30-40 inches). Tosfos opines that the same source will apply to walls that enclose a domain for the purposes of carrying on Shabbos. In the ensuing discussion, the Gemara quotes Rebbe Yosi saying that Eliyahu HaNavi never ascended to the Heavens.

There seem to be some passages in the Gemara that imply that Eliyahu HaNavi, even nowadays, is subject to halachic restrictions (see later in this article). Yet, the Tur (YD 265) says that Eliyahu HaNavi is present at every bris.

How could he attend a bris on Shabbos without violating the laws of techum?

The Chasam Sofer (Likutei Shu”t 98) opines that Eliyahu may present himself as a human, in which case he is subject to halacha. He may also present himself as just a neshama, in which case, he is not subject to halacha. He explains our Gemara to say that Eliyahu’s corporeal body never left the earth, so when he appears with his body, he is deemed to be living. One particular story with Eliyahu HaNavi being subject to halacha has major implications for practical halacha.

A kollel yungerman is cruising around the mountains, trying to find a suitable bungalow colony for his family. He takes notice of the beautiful scenery as he travels through South Fallsburg. He stops in front of a bungalow colony that is recommended to him by friends. There is ample space to park on the side of the road. The yungerman is about to walk through the entrance when he looks up towards the sky. He is dismayed by what he sees.

He thinks for a moment and then says to himself: “If it is good enough for Eliyahu HaNavi, it is good enough for

me.” He decides to enter.

Just as he is about to take another step, he reminds himself of a dispute in Bereishis Rabbah about whether Eliyahu HaNavi hails from the tribe of Gad or Binyamin. In fact, he recalls a midrash where Eliyahu HaNavi remarks about himself that he is a descendant of the children of Rachel (which would concur with the opinion that he hails from the tribe of Binyamin). Perplexed about whether or not he may enter the bungalow colony, he calls his rabbi. His rabbi concurs that there, indeed, may be a real issue here and suggests that the yungerman find an alternate bungalow colony. The young father, who hitherto had been very excited about this particular colony, then enters into a state of despair.

All of a sudden, a group of superheroes, clad in black, swoop in and save the day.

What is the meaning of the above anecdote that is based on a true story that happened this past summer?

As the yungerman was driving through South Fallsburg, he noticed a non-Jewish cemetery on the side of the road. There was a tree whose branches extended over a grave. That very tree extended on its other side over thick Verizon cables. The yungerman was a kohen. If the non-Jewish grave transmits tumah via ohel (something above it), the tumah from the grave heads up towards the tree. The tree then spreads the tumah to anything under it, so the tumah would then spread to the cable underneath the tree. The cable would then spread the tumah to anything under it.

This cable continued on and on for miles. The tumah could potentially spread to anyone who walked under that cable – even miles away from the cemetery. The kohen noted the cem-

The tree hanging over the wires

etery, the tree, and the FiOS cable.

The bungalow colony he was about to enter was three miles away from the non-Jewish cemetery. Yet, there was this thick cable that could potentially transmit tumah to him if he were to walk under it. As a kohen, he is enjoined from putting himself in contact with tumas meis. This is true even if he was already tamei; even a kohen who is tamei may not expose himself to tumas meis (as a matter of practical halachah, unlike the opinion of the Raavad).

However, the young man recalled an incident in Bava Metzia (114b): Rabbah bar Avuhah noticed that Eliyahu HaNavi was standing in a non-Jewish cemetery. Rabbah bar Avuhah assumed that Eliyahu was a kohen.

After all, Reish Lakish says that Eliyahu HaNavi and the biblical Pinchas were one and the same. Rabbah bar Avuhah asked Eliyahu what was the basis, since he was a kohen, for him to be present in a non-Jewish cemetery.

Eliyahu responded that Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai is of the opinion that only a Jewish meis transmits tumah to any-

thing above it (tumas ohel). This law doesn’t apply to a non-Jewish meis, as long as one does not physically touch the meis. Hence, Eliyahu argued that as long as he was not touching a gentile meis but was only above a non-Jewish meis, he was fine.

According to this ruling, the non-Jewish cemetery in South Fallsburg did not present a problem. The non-Jewish grave would not transmit tumah up to the tree, and the tree would not spread the tumah to the cable.

However, Tosfos quote Rabbeinu Yitzchak that we do not follow the ruling of Eliyah HaNavi. In fact, non-Jewish graves transmit tumah in the same way that Jewish graves do. Furthermore, Tosfos suggest that even Eliyahu HaNavi himself agrees to this. Perhaps his response to Rabbah bar Avuhah was just to engage him in conversation.

The Gemara goes on to relate that Eliyahu HaNavi proceeded to ask Rabbah bar Avuhah why he was not familiar with the ruling of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai. (This led to a discus-

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

sion and an incident based on Rabbah bar Avuhah’s severe lack of funds.) In truth, the reason Eliyahu HaNavi was in the non-Jewish graveyard was that he was not really a kohen. Tosfos quote a source that Eliyahu HaNavi said about himself that he is a descendant of the matriarch Rochel. (Perhaps Reish Lakish did not mean literally that Pinchas and Eliyahu were one and the same; rather, they shared some spiritual connection.)

In the final analysis, there is a machlokes Rishonim on what the practical halachah is. The Rambam rules like Eliyahu HaNavi – that gentile graves do not transmit tumah via ohel.

Tosfos rule that they do. In the above anecdote, the young kohen initially assumed based on a simple reading of the Gemara in Bava Metzia that gentile graves do not transmit tumah, just like the Rambam held. When he recalled that Eliyahu HaNavi might not have been a kohen, that led him to contemplate alternate understandings of the Gemara, like that of Tosfos. Perhaps

that was the true reason Eliyahu HaNavi was in the non-Jewish cemetery.

So he called his rabbi who said to follow the ruling of the Shulchan Aruch and the Rema (YD 372:2). A kohen should be stringent and assume that non-Jewish graves transmit tumah

sion, and they cut down the offending branches.

Problem solved.

Postscript: The above anecdote is a dramatized version of what really occurred. But for the sake of making the record complete, two additional facts

All of a sudden, a group of superheroes, clad in black, swoop in and save the day.

via ohel in the same way that Jewish graves do. Hence, the grave transmits tumah to the tree, the tree transmits tumah to the cable, and the cable transmits tumah to anything under it.

However, there is a group of chassidim who specialize in issues of tumas meis. When they found out about the issue, they swooped into action. They quickly obtained the necessary permis-

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are noted. There was a Verizon worker who happened to be near the cemetery.

He graciously agreed to measure the diameter of the cable and reported it as 3.3 inches. A tefach is somewhere between 3 and 4 inches. Only an ohel that measures at least a tefach is capable of transmitting tumah. The young man’s rabbi opined that if the cable was indeed only 3.3 inches, he did not need

57 85

to be stringent. The cable would have to be slightly bigger to create a problem.

Another interesting facet was that the offending grave, that of Mr. Gamble, was mysteriously set apart from the other graves. An elderly resident of the area said that he remembered that Mr. Gamble was, in fact, Jewish. Perhaps that’s why he was buried apart from everyone else. If true, it would create a graver issue, so to speak. However, a preliminary investigation failed to turn up any of Mr. Gamble’s relatives who could confirm or dispute the fact that he was Jewish. Incidentally, those who visit Yeshivas Vishnitz in South Fallsburg are surely aware of Gamble Road that was named for Mr. Gamble.

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

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Is the Churban the Source of All Suffering?

By Rabbi Daniel Glatstein

O

ver the destruction of the Temple that was torn down and trampled upon, I shall lament with a new elegy every year.

These are the words of Rav Eliezer HaKalir in Kinnah 24, in which he laments that he will compose “a new elegy,” a new kinnah, annually.

What does the mekonein, the composer of the kinnah, mean by the phrase, “a new elegy”? Nothing new has happened; we already know the story.

It is static; the details don’t change. Why must he compose a new hesped every year?

The recent Tishah B’Av that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic was a very difficult and painful day, coming after months of isolation and fear. It had been as hard a period as many of us have experienced in our lifetime. There was a time when many of us thought that while our parents and grandparents lived through history, we were just looking back at it.

But now, we, too, lived through historic times.

Global pandemic, health crises, financial hard-

ship, anxiety, fear, uneasiness — whose family has not been profoundly affected?

We all know people who are no longer with us.

Loved ones, gedolei Yisrael, all of us were touched by the pandemic. Some people were at death’s door and recovered, but they may never again be the same. People lost their livelihood. Almost as if adding insult to injury, we had to fast and cry, sit on the floor and mourn for a building that we have a hard time relating to and that was destroyed more than two thousand years ago.

And yet, let us try to understand: How can a Tishah B’Av like the one we had in 5780 be even more meaningful and more impactful than any Tishah B’Av we have ever experienced? Does a Tishah B’Av in a time of tzarah allow us to connect with the soul of the day in an even more profound way?

A Mother’s Cries

The Midrash Eichah relates an incident that is

also found in Maseches Sanhedrin.

A broken woman who resided in the same neighborhood as Rabban Gamliel had a young child who suddenly died. She would cry over her son at night, and Rabban Gamliel would hear her cries.

Whose heart would not melt upon hearing the cries of a woman, especially a woman crying over the death of a beloved child? And yet, the Midrash adds a startling point: Upon hearing the sobs of the woman in mourning, Rabban Gamliel would recall the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, and he would cry along with her. He would cry so intensely that his eyelashes would fall out.

The talmidim of Rabban Gamliel decided that the woman must relocate, and they facilitated her move to a different neighborhood.

What is very curious is that Rabban Gamliel, hearing the woman cry, would remember the Churban HaBayis. How did the woman’s tears remind him of the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash?

Rav Gifter says that we can derive a fundamental principle from this Midrash. Rabban Gamliel, with his discerning ear and sensitive heart, was able to trace back to the shoresh, the root cause of this woman’s suffering, which is also the root cause of all suffering — and that is the Churban Beis HaMikdash. Thus, Rabban Gamliel was not crying solely for the one single woman’s personal plight; rather, he cried for the cause of all suffering. In a world of a Beis HaMikdash, in a world where gilui Shechinah is manifest, suffering is no longer extant.

The Mishnah at the end of Maseches Sotah likewise apparently attributes all deficiency, even b’inyanei gashmiyus, all that is lacking in the world in physical phenomena, to the Churban Beis HaMikdash. The Gemara states, “Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says that Rabbi Yehoshua testified: From the day the Temple was destroyed there is no day that does not include some form of curse.

And since then, the dew has not descended for blessing, and the taste has been removed from fruit. Rabbi Yose says: Since then, the fat of fruit has also been removed.”

The world plummets daily, even from a physical standpoint. But this downward spiral was precipitated from the day the Beis HaMikdash

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was destroyed. Life just gets worse and worse every year, in every aspect.

Says the Munkatcher Rebbe: This means that as time passes, the Churban becomes worse and worse. The tragedy of the Churban compounds, and whatever kinnos and elegies we said last year will not suffice, because this year the Churban itself is an even worse tragedy. We need to compose a new kinnah — we must show more sorrow; hence, Rabbi Eliezer HaKalir wrote, “Over the destruction of the Temple that was torn down and trampled upon, I shall lament with a new elegy every year.”

And certainly, this year of the pandemic required a newly composed kinnah describing additional tragedy.

A kinnah to express grief for lives lost, for families bereft. A kinnah for the anxiety, for the fear, for the worry. For the fright, for the lost livelihoods, and for the insecurity. A kinnah for the imploding society.

Many think the great empires and civilizations of the world fell because they were conquered by an invading army, and we think that America, a bastion of security and stability, can never be conquered, the Goldena Medinah will never fall. But historically the mightiest empire, the Roman Empire, was never conquered by an invading army. It imploded from within. The disillusionment with government and papal leaders caused society to crumble from within. Well, that is what we are living through today. American society has not been so tenuous and unstable since the Civil War. This, according to Rav Gifter, is also rooted in the Churban.

A new sefer of Rav Chaim Kanievsky’s she’eilos u’teshuvos was recently published. One of the questions cited is if one can daven for the end of the pandemic together with tefillos for the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash. And Rav Chaim, as he often does, responded, “efshar, perhaps.”

I would humbly suggest that it would be appropriate; as we are not living in a self-contained, isolated period, it is an offshoot of Churban Beis HaMikdash.

A coronavirus, a pandemic resulting in an unstable society, should inspire us to daven to address the source of all our troubles: a world without the Beis HaMikdash.

However, I must share my humble viewpoint that I do have some reservations about this concept and teaching that all Jewish tragedy and suffering is rooted in the Churban.

The Absent Kinnah

Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik, in his commentary to Kinnos, raises a very intriguing question. He asks why no kinnah was composed to commemo-

rate the Chmielnicki pogroms, during which tens of thousands of Jews were massacred. There is even a fast day that is observed in commemoration of these pogroms: 20 Sivan. Selichos were composed. Why are no kinnos recited in its memory? He asks the question in a very compelling way, saying, “I do not know why there are no kinnos recited on Tishah B’Av to commemorate the Chmielnicki persecutions. The kinnos that were

In a world of a Beis HaMikdash, in a world where gilui Shechinah is manifest, suffering is no longer extant. composed to commemorate the Chmielnicki persecutions and which are recited on the twentieth of Sivan are not said on Tishah B’Av.” I would like to address this problem. In Igros Moshe, Rav Moshe discusses the oft-posed question: Why has no fast day been enacted to commemorate the Holocaust, the greatest tragedy to befall our people since the Churban? What makes this question all the more troubling is the fact that a fast day was legislated for the Chmielnicki pogroms, namely the twentieth of Sivan.

Rav Moshe draws an astounding distinction.

Says Rav Moshe, not all tragedy is rooted in Chur-

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ban Beis HaMikdash. It depends on the situation. The Holocaust was perpetrated by the German government — a world power. That type of tragedy is a result of the Churban. When the Temple stood, malchus, sovereignty, belonged to Yisrael. With the destruction of the Temple, the nations of the world stripped us of our malchus and usurped it for themselves. Therefore, tragedy that is perpetrated by the governments of the world is a direct result of Churban Beis HaMikdash. The Holocaust is a result of the Churban; hence, we commemorate the Holocaust on Tishah B’Av, and no separate fast is made.

However, the Chmielnicki pogroms of 1648-1649 were not perpetrated by the established government. They were committed by rebels, anti-government, anti-establishment Cossacks, and therefore, since the pogroms are not related to the Churban, they are commemorated on a different occasion, and a fast day is observed on 20 Sivan.

To my mind, this clearly answers Rav Soloveitchik’s question as to why there are no kinnos recited on Tishah B’Av to commemorate the Chmielnicki pogroms. Rav Moshe would say because they are not related to Tishah B’Av; they are not rooted in the Churban HaBayis.

A Kinnah for Covid-19?

What would Rav Moshe say about Covid-19, a global pandemic? Rav Moshe would apparently maintain that it is not related to Tishah B’Av. An imploding society caused by a virus is not an evil perpetrated by a government. How is this rooted in Tishah B’Av? Therefore, perhaps we can search for a different approach. Was a Tishah B’Av like the one we just experienced any more meaningful in the context of the challenges and difficulties we are currently facing? This is not just a theoretical question, because it can be posed in the following way. We all face some type of personal challenge, whether in health, family life, chinuch habanim, etc. Are these types of difficulties related to the Churban? Can we focus on our personal challenges to connect with Tishah B’Av in a deeper way?

Perhaps there is another way in which a personal crisis can serve to help us connect more closely with Tishah B’Av.

Harnessing Our Emotions

Shlomo HaMelech tells us, “Be pleased when times go well, but in a time of misfortune reflect: G-d has made the one no less so that man should

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find nothing after Him” (Koheles 7:14).

Rav Avigdor Miller explains that this pasuk is conveying an idea that can infuse meaning into many situations we encounter in our lives. Envision someone who enjoys a delectable sandwich, replete with numerous condiments and tasty meats. He then proceeds to thank Hashem for the meal with the recitation of Bircas HaMazon.

In the bentching, he thanks Hashem for the land of Eretz Yisrael. He also thanks Hashem for having taken us out of Mitzrayim and for the mitzvah of bris milah. He shows appreciation for Hashem having given us the Torah: “and for Your Torah which You taught us.”

These inclusions seem a bit out of place. Having just partaken of a sumptuous meal, he ought to be focusing his gratitude on the enjoyment and pleasure of his sandwich. Why is he mentioning the geulah from Mitzrayim and the mitzvah of bris milah? He was eating, not learning Gemara, so why is this the time and place to thank Hashem for the Torah?

A similar question can be posed about Yaakov Avinu being reunited with Yosef after he had been missing for so many years. Yaakov Avinu suffered the loss of Ruach HaKodesh when his son Yosef was sold as a slave. Yaakov experienced years of anguish, as he never stopped mourning.

After twenty-two years, he received unbelievable news: His son Yosef was alive and well. Yaakov embarked on a journey to see Yosef. He could hardly wait to embrace his long-lost son.

When that emotionally-charged moment finally came and he saw Yosef, Yaakov Avinu recited Krias Shema. Why did he choose to say Shema at that moment? Could he not have said it beforehand, or perhaps after he greeted his son?

Furthermore, if it were zman Krias Shema, then Yosef ought to have been saying Shema as well!

The Gur Aryeh explains that as Yaakov Avinu was preparing to see his son Yosef after more than two decades, he realized that he was about to experience the most emotionally charged moment of his life: an outpouring of love toward his son.

The mitzvah in the Torah to love Hashem is a challenging commandment to fulfill. It is not a simple task to develop love and engender love.

Actions are within our control; emotions less so.

We cannot always control our emotions, and we cannot turn them on or off at will.

Yaakov recognized that he was going to be afforded a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience an outpouring of love. He would be seeing his son for the first time in twenty-two years, after not knowing if his son was alive.

Yaakov Avinu took these extraordinarily powerful emotions and channeled them toward Hashem. Recognizing he may never again experience such a moment, he chose to direct these emotions to the Ribbono Shel Olam.

If one is going to be experiencing a great moment of ahavah, such as that of Yaakov Avinu to-

ward Yosef, he should harness that love for the ultimate cause and channel it toward HaKadosh Baruch Hu. Similarly, says Rav Avigdor Miller, when it comes to thanking Hashem, to engendering gratitude, it is not always a simple task to feel grateful for the manifold gifts Hashem has bestowed upon us as members of Klal Yisrael. One may not be in the frame of mind to thank Hashem for having taken us out of Mitzrayim and given us the Torah.

One may be under a great deal of stress and not have the mindset to appreciate the bris milah or the land that He bequeathed us.

Chazal therefore strove to capture our feelings of contentment and satisfaction. Having just

If one is confronted with a tragedy that has stirred his emotions and brought him to tears, he should direct his sorrow toward the national mourning for the Churban. finished a delicious meal, we are in a good mood and in a positive frame of mind to appreciate and thank HaKadosh Baruch Hu. Chazal formulated Bircas HaMazon to harness the gratitude we are feeling for the good food and channel it toward Hashem for the other gifts He has bestowed upon us as well.

At other times during the day, it may be challenging to find the time and engender the attitude to be grateful, so we seize the opportunity and include many benefits to be thankful for as we recite Bircas HaMazon. This is the principle of “Be pleased when things go well”; use the good occasion to be grateful to HaKadosh Baruch Hu for all His benefits.

Rabban Gamliel’s Tears

Surely Rabban Gamliel mourned for the Churban Beis HaMikdash. But there is little that can break someone’s heart and move one to tears

more than the sobs of a mother who has lost her child. Her cry is so painful that it stirs emotions in all passersby. A cry like that would melt anyone’s heart.

Perhaps we can suggest that what brought Rabban Gamliel to tears when he heard the woman crying was not his discerning that the root cause of her suffering was the Churban, as Reb Moshe indicates that personal tragedy may not be directly related to the Churban. Rather, he felt the raw emotion of her pain, he felt the bitterness and sorrow that she was feeling, and he chose to channel it toward mourning for the Beis HaMikdash.

It was a painful moment, and he harnessed it to be misabel al Yerushalayim.

Just as we have to take advantage of happy occasions, similarly, we must capitalize on the bad times as well, using them to stir emotions of longing and sadness for the loss of the Beis HaMikdash.

When feeling depressed or broken, don’t cry only for your personal plight. Try to channel the emotions and cry for the Shechinah. It is not easy to genuinely cry over the Churban and the galus haShechinah. But if one is confronted with a tragedy that has stirred his emotions and brought him to tears, he should direct his sorrow toward the national mourning for the Churban. One should emulate Rabban Gamliel, who, when he heard the mother weeping for the loss of her child, utilized the emotions aroused within him to cry over the Beis HaMikdash.

Experiencing a Tishah B’Av in a time of the Covid pandemic, when our hearts were already broken over the tragic loss of friends and loved ones, when we were mourning for gedolei Yisrael who are no longer with us, when we felt the pain of Jews whose health was suffering or who were faced with the loss of their livelihood, was an opportunity to cry not only for the losses we have experienced during the mageifah, not only to cry for our personal situation, but also an opportunity to harness our emotions, channel our tears, and mourn the Beis HaMikdash and the galus haShechinah.

Through personal challenges and difficulties, the Ribbono Shel Olam is providing us with a grand opportunity to channel our sorrow and cry for the Shechinah and for the Beis HaMikdash.

“Whoever mourns for Yerushalayim will merit to see her consolation.” May we be zocheh to see the fruition of this assurance and no longer have the need to mourn over the Churban or for any other difficulties that cause us pain.

This article has been excerpted from Rabbi Daniel Glatstein’s sefer, The Darkness and the Dawn, published by ArtScroll.

Rabbi Daniel Glatstein is the rav and founder of Kehilas Maggid Harakiah in Cedarhurst.

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Sparks of Light

Seeing the Light of Geulah

By Rabbi Benny Berlin

S

ometimes to understand the scope and intensity of a disaster, it makes sense to use a microscope to examine an instance within the tragedy rather than looking at the whole panorama in all its overwhelming import. By doing so, you can often uncover deeper messages about the larger situation.

One of the most powerful kinnot (lamentations) we read on Tisha B’Av is Kinah 23. It is based on a story from the Talmud in Gittin 58A about one of the many horrifying scenes within the literature of destruction. If you want to capture in one short story what galut (exile) is about and what it means for Am Yisroel to be destroyed and lose sight of who their brethren really are, this story is a prime example.

However, through our exploration, we will see that it also gives us rays of hope to move in the direction of geulah (redemption) if we properly understand its message.

In the story, a brother and sister (both children of Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha, who was a Kohen Gadol) are captured by the Romans as they ransack Eretz Yisroel. Like many members of Am Yisrael that managed to not be slaughtered during the Churban, they were sold into slavery, each sibling to a different master.

As slaves, they were downtrodden and given degrading labor, and one day their two Roman taskmasters boasted about them to each other, claiming each had the most beautiful slave in the world. At this point, these Romans hatched a plan to mate their two slaves, thereby bringing more beautiful and valuable slaves into the world.

One night, the Romans acted on their plan by locking the brother and sister slaves into a room together

and ordering them to mate. Both the holy Jewish girl and holy Jewish boy recoil at the order to degrade themselves, and flee to separate corners of the room where they bemoan their fates: Rabbi Yishmael’s son sits in one corner and through bitter

When dawn finally comes and light filters through the window, each sibling sees the other one in the room and when they recognize it is their sister and brother respectively, their agony turns into comfort.

They embrace each other but con-

Hashem helps us see that the other person crying in the corner is really our sibling.

tears reflects on the question of how the son of a Kohen Gadol could have come to be asked to mate like an animal to a lowly slave. Meanwhile, in another corner, Rabbi Yishmael’s daughter weeps and wonders the same thing – as the daughter of a Kohen Gadol, how can she be asked to mate with a lowly slave? In this state of disbelief and horror, they cry all night.

tinue to cry, and eventually in that room both die of broken hearts from the magnitude of their suffering and degradation.

It is a sad story, but I want to point out that in many ways this story is a metaphor for galus as a whole.

They each cried alone in a corner and only when the light began to filter through the window did they note the worthiness of the oth-

er person with them, someone they deeply loved and could have spent the whole night comforting. When they note, “I am with my brother,” “I am with my sister,” that is when they come together.

Among all the great horrors of galus is the searing pain of realizing that we have lost the ability to see each other: to view each fellow Jew as equals, no matter what the nationality, financial status, political stance, kippah they wear, or so many other metrics we judge each other by. We need to relearn how to look at another Jew and say, “They are different from me, but I can see their greatness and love them. I am not alone, even in the darkest corner of galus.”

The length and separation of galus sometimes makes us judge others as beneath us and say, “I don’t want anything to do with them; I am on a higher level,” but that is the shadows of galus playing tricks on us. When we realize that we are all equal and all working towards the geulah together, light begins to filter through and Hashem helps us see that the other person crying in the corner is really our sibling, and we can come together to comfort each other.

May we be zocheh to begin to see the light filter through the prisons of our minds where we judge others and let that light illuminate the face of our brothers in a way that we realize how every single Jew is part of a chain of greatness – children of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. In this way, we can see the true beauty of each of our brethren.

Rabbi Benny Berlin is the rabbi of the BACH Jewish Center in Long Beach, NY.

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The Wandering

Jew

Omaha, Des Moines & Milwaukee Part II

By Hershel Lieber

O

n Friday, we had a long day of driving ahead of us. The driving time between Des Moines and Milwaukee is almost six hours, but the drive was a pleasure.

We passed so many corn fields and soy fields whose planting season had just begun. Many fields also had cattle grazing on them. As we entered Wisconsin, the dairy farms started to appear regularly as part of the lovely rural scenery. With the exception of a short visit to a recreated Swiss village, we drove on without stopping.

We arrived in Milwaukee at three in the afternoon, which gave us a few hours to get ready for Shabbos.

Our Shabbos in Milwaukee truly was the highlight of our trip. I had called Rabbi Michel Twerski, the Hornosteipler Rebbe, before leaving about Shabbos hospitality. The Rebbe’s son arranged our stay by a family named Zigun, but the Rebbe and Rebbetzin insisted that we eat our seudos with them. After arriving, we went over to the Twerskis to introduce ourselves. I spent awhile talking with the Rebbe, but we both decided that we would have a deeper conversation at the seuda. The Ziguns prepared for us lovely accommodations, and after running to the mikveh, we readied ourselves for Shabbos. Davening took place in the Beth Yehuda Shul that was started by the Rebbe’s father. To me, being in that shul was a refreshing and unexpected experience. Seeing all the mispallelim and their enthusiasm for Yiddishkeit in a city that has relatively a small Jewish population was truly mind-boggling.

Knowing that this was all due to the handiwork of the Rebbe’s father, Rav

The Rebbe shooting a bow and arrow on Lag B’Omer

Yakov Yisroel, and the present Rebbe, was an awesome revelation. Rebbetzin Feige Twerski, in her own right, is a tremendous source of inspiration for the entire Kehilla. She is an author and lecturer and a most welcoming hostess. Returning from Kabbalas Shabbos, the Rebbe shared with me the history of this remarkable baal teshuva community which progressed so much over the years.

The Shabbos table had many local guests, and in addition to Pesi and me, there were two young men from Yeshiva University. The zemiros were inspiring; the Rebbe himself composed many of the niggunim.

The Torah thoughts, which we both had an opportunity to express, were intellectually engrossing. But the best feature was the conversations that we shared during the Shabbos.

The Rebbe told many stories and vertlach, and I, in turn, added to his repertoire. I also spoke about my relationship with the Bobover Rebbe, Rav Shloma, who was the Rebbe’s uncle. I related to the Rebbe and Rebbetzin my parents’ connection with Bobov and how my mother was instrumental in allowing the Bobover Rebbe and his family to leave from the Bochnia Ghetto. I mentioned that my mother wrote a book about her war years, which included a number of stories about the Bobover Rebbe and my parents’ experiences with him in Bochnia, Budapest and Bucharest. After our trip, I sent them a copy of her book, There Will Be Another World.

I also told Rav Michel that I remember when he and his three brothers used to come to Bobov on Purim and sing grammen. I even remembered a

niggun that he composed for one of his grammen. He was shocked when I hummed the tune which he had not sung in fifty years.

The next morning, we ate the seudah by the Rebbe’s son, Rav Benzion.

The Rebbe and Rebbetzin were also there. While I went to shul for Shalosh Seudos, Pesi ate the third Shabbos meal with Rebbetzin Feige. After Shabbos, we went back for Havdalah and, of course, for photos.

We spent Motzei Shabbos with the Ziguns, and we stayed up eating Melave Malka and talking until one in the morning. On Sunday after Shacharis and breakfast with the Ziguns, we checked into a Milwaukee hotel. We spent a good part of the day walking. We hiked on a trail for an hour and a half, taking in the natural views of Lake Michigan and its shore-

At the State Capitol in Madison

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Saying goodbye to our Milwaukee hosts, the Ziguns

Motzei Shabbos with Rabbi Michel Twerski

line. After a picnic lunch, we walked along the riverwalk in the downtown area. Then we went to see the art galleries and specialty shops in the Third Ward section of the city. Afterwards, we returned to Beth Yehuda for the annual Lag B’Omer tisch which was accompanied by lively music and dancing. The Rebbe then displayed his archery skills when he followed the minhag of many Chassidishe Rebbes, who would shoot a bow and arrow on this special day.

On Monday morning, we drove to Madison, the state’s capital. Of course, we toured the Capitol Building, which is a very impressive edifice. Madison is a known college town, and there is not much sightseeing to do there. In addition, it was raining on and off, so walking the streets was not a great option. We left and headed back to Milwaukee after making a stop at the interesting and historical Octagon House. The short,

The Lynden Sculpture Garden in Milwaukee

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guided tour was informative, and the building and surrounding landscape was very picturesque. Another short stop was at a small factory where we viewed the process of turning milk into cheese. There was a store on

Tuesday was our last day. We took a three-hour bus tour of Milwaukee which covered anything interesting about the city. The tour included visiting a beer brewery, the drink which made Milwaukee famous throughout

He was shocked when I hummed the tune which he had not sung in fifty years.

the premises with a collection of the cheese products that they produce.

Before settling in for the night, we went out to eat a milchig meal at the Jewish Community Center, which was under the supervision of Rabbi Benzion Twerski.

the country. At the end of the tour, we were treated to a beer tasting session, the brand of beer fortunately being kosher. We still had time to take in the Lynden Sculpture Garden with more than fifty monumental sculptures, mostly contemporary

Hiking along the shore of Lake Michigan

art. We returned to our room and began packing. We had a very early flight back to New York. Beside taking back our suitcases, we were returning home with a wealth of memories that would last us a lifetime.

Hershel Lieber has been involved in kiruv activities for over 30 years. As a founding member of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel he has traveled with his wife, Pesi, to the Soviet Union during the harsh years of the Communist regimes to advance Yiddishkeit.

He has spearheaded a yeshiva in the city of Kishinev that had 12 successful years with many students making Torah their way of life. In Poland, he lectured in the summers at the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation camp for nearly 30 years. He still travels to Warsaw every year – since 1979 – to be the chazzan for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for the Jews there. Together with Pesi, he organized and led trips to Europe on behalf of Gateways and Aish Hatorah for college students finding their paths to Jewish identity. His passion for travel has taken them to many interesting places and afforded them unique experiences. Their open home gave them opportunities to meet and develop relationships with a variety of people. Hershel’s column will appear in The Jewish Home on a bi-weekly basis.

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World

Builders

I Became an EMT to Help My Daughter; Last Night I Saved Someone Else’s

By Raphael Poch

M

y name is Chagit Biton, I live in Kiryat Malachi, and I make wigs for a living. Thank G-d, I have 8 children.

Five years ago, my daughter Shaina was born with a severe case of epilepsy. Aside from when she is studying in a special educational facility, I have to be by her side around the clock. A few years ago, her episodes were so intense and so frequent that I decided I needed to train to become an EMT so that I could know how to treat her. I took a training course with United Hatzalah and have since been volunteering as a first responder with the organization.

Those who know me realize that I can only respond to emergencies when my daughter is in school and being cared for. Once she comes home, I can’t do any work no matter how much money I may be losing by missing a customer, nor can I go out to respond to emergencies. Thus, I am not as active as many other volunteers in my chapter.

The other side effect of needing to provide constant care for my daughter is that I am not free to take vacations or go places with my other children, as much as they want me to. This pains me a lot.

However, this past Wednesday, my other children all gathered together to drag me and Shaina out of the house on a family trip to Ashdod. To transport the whole family in our car, as well as the wheelchair for Shaina and all of the other items she needs, is not a simple task and it took some doing and a lot of help from the other children. But in spite

of the exhaustion that I face every day and the work it took to pack everything and everyone up into the car, the children persuaded me and my husband, and we went. We took two cars, as we normally do whenever we take the entire family out, and we traveled down to Ashdod.

As soon as we turned onto Highway 4, I saw a car accident that had just taken place involving three vehicles. Two of the drivers, both men, began to get out of their cars. Their faces were bloodied due to having sustained injuries, but they were able to walk. The third driver didn’t exit the vehicle.

I immediately pulled over to the side of the road, updated dispatch to what I saw, put on my vest and gloves, and got out to help the injured drivers and passengers. I per-

formed a quick triage assessment of who needed care first and found that in the third vehicle was a new mother with a baby who was just a few days old. I ran to her and began to check her first. She was badly injured and was barely able to hold her own baby daughter. I took the baby and gave her to one of my sons and told him to wrap her up and keep her warm.

In the car were the mother, the father, and an uncle of the baby, all of whom were in their 20s. They all sustained moderate to severe injuries and needed to go to the hospital for treatment. I bandaged their wounds. As other first responders began to arrive, they treated the other drivers and took over treating this family as well. I returned to the baby and held her. I went up to the

new mother and reassured her that the baby would be okay with me and that I would wait here until the baby’s grandparents could arrive to take her.

Here I was, on the side of a highway, with my own daughter and children in the car behind me, holding a complete stranger’s daughter. The woman had no choice but to entrust me with her new baby daughter’s care. I reassured her that in addition to being an EMT I am also a caring mother, and I showed her my own family, including Shaina, to put her at ease.

She was taken to the hospital and I waited for the grandfather. When he came, I transferred the car seat into his car and placed the baby girl gingerly inside it.

I take this as a sign from heaven. It wasn’t by chance that my children managed to drag me out of the house on this night specifically. I was supposed to be there. I was at the scene within seconds of the accident occurring. My treatment likely prevented further trauma to the injured, and I was able to care for this family and reassure the woman that her daughter would be okay.

I felt uplifted to know that I was able to help and that I still had the confidence to do so, no matter what medical emergency came my way, even after not having been as active as many other volunteers. I began learning to be an EMT to help my own daughter, and on Wednesday evening, I used what I learned to help someone else’s. This was truly G-d’s hand guiding me, and I am thankful even more so for that.

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Seeing Hashem's Guiding Hand Dr. Moshe Katz Lived to Tell His Story

BY TAMMY MARK

Dr. Katz with the brush that helped him survive

“I’m

not a Holocaust survivor per se, like everybody else. It’s one in a million how it happened.”

To hear his inspiring stories of survival and success, it is evident that Dr. Moshe Katz lived through the war not only to tell the story to the world but to help secure a future for generations to come. Speaking with the soft-spoken nonagenarian, he shares his astonishing anecdotes in the most matter-of-fact way, attributing his survival largely to Providence.

From the stories he relates, it is clear that the Katz family was no ordinary family, and the tenacious and brave Moshe Katz is particularly extraordinary.

Dr. Katz lives in Lawrence, New York, in the center of the Five Towns-Far Rockaway region that he helped foster into the vibrant Jewish community it is today. He received his degree in Holocaust and Jewish studies and is an historian who can discuss every aspect of the ear The cover of Dr. Katz’s book. Moshe, Yankel, Surly, Josef, Louse, Sonny, Manca, Chana and Terry are depicted in the photo

and each country’s involvement in the war, his bookshelves filled with books on World War II. Dr. Katz has even studied books about Adolf Hitler himself, in an attempt to possibly comprehend the incomprehensible.

Dr. Katz differentiates himself from those who survived the atrocities of the concentration camps and those who endured the devastation and hardships of life in war-torn Europe. Though he was spared from the camps, he had to hide his Jewish identity to survive.

“I wasn’t hiding; I was working as a Christian working in different places, but I never had to hide,” he says. “I was working in different places – on a farm, in a supermarket, a garage – I got jobs all over. I had to run from one place to another, changing my name a few times, until finally I was liberated by the Russian army.”

History to Share Of the ten Katz siblings, nine survived the war. Moshe Katz chronicles his journey in his 2006 biography Nine out Ten, which he dedicated of Ten to his beloved parents, Chaya and Chaim, his adored older brother Pinchas, and his wife and daughters, his

aunts, uncles, hundreds of cousins and his revered rebbes and the six million souls who were murdered, as well as to the Righteous Gentiles who risked their own lives to save his.

He estimates that over 200 members of his extended family perished in the camps.

Written with the help of Nachman Seltzer, Dr. Katz’s book tells of life before, during and after the ghetto, and the numerous dangerous encounters and miraculous escapes he and his siblings experienced.

As a young man before the war, Katz made a pact with his friends that if they lived to tell the story, they would. He was the sole survivor of his group, yet he couldn’t keep his word to tell his story for decades – sadly because nobody wanted to hear it. Dr. Katz explains that in the first years after the war, survivors were often dissuaded from sharing the atrocities, even among fellow Jews.

It wasn’t until May 1960 that the horrific history became newsworthy. Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the “Final Solution” who had sent half a million Hungarian Jews to death in Auschwitz, was hunted down and captured in Argentina and brought to Israel to be tried for his crimes. Dr. Katz was determined to be there to watch it happen. The ever-resourceful survivor managed to procure a pass for the trial’s opening day. He praised G-d for the opportunity to see the vile Eichmann locked in a cage. When Dr. Katz returned home to the States, people were ready to listen.

Finally finding an interested audience, Dr. Katz began chronicling his experiences by

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writing “My Mission” in the Hamodia publication. He later went on to present his story to students of all demographics for the next several decades, even switching to Zoom when the live events were paused during the Covid pandemic.

A Family with a Mission Moshe was the eighth child in his devout Jewish family. His father, Chaim, originated from Poland and his mother Chaya from Hungary; they raised their family in an idyllic existence in the Czechoslovakian city of Uzhorod. They were relatives of the Belzer rabbinic dynasty, and Torah permeated their lives. Chaim made a living as a brush maker and was highly regarded as an entrepreneur, baal chessed, and enthusiastic scholar. Chaya

“We had a signal if somebody wanted to bring a message – the secret signal was ‘brush.’” was a generous pillar of chessed herself, and their home was always filled with guests. They selflessly provided for others however they could – cooking for weddings and providing resources and care to their community until the end. The Katz children were imbued with a sense of familial and communal responsibility from their earliest days.

Once Hungary took over the region and the winds of war blew in, life as they knew it had changed. The whole family learned aspects of the family brush business, with Moshe receiving extensive business training mandated through the government. The Katzes began to

prepare Hungarian documents for Jewish refugees. Though they were under constant scrutiny by the government, enduring beatings and other hardships, the family remained steadfast and intact as long as possible, surMoshe when viving longer he was 18 than most Jewish families.

Though the Hungarian Jews were not taken to the concentration camps until the final years of the war, they faced equally horrible fates as their fellow Jews. The terror began with detainments and roundups, and eventually gave way to deportation and death.

“In spite of the newspapers and the radio, we never heard about Auschwitz – never, never, never,” explains Dr. Katz.

“You weren’t allowed to listen to a foreign broadcast and the only way we would have found out would be listening to English stations from London.

They had a way to find out who had a radio, and if you listened to a foreign broadcast, you were a spy. Even if you weren’t Jewish, you were eliminated.”

Dr. Katz relates the atmosphere on the streets. “Three people walking on the street – they were eliminated for conspiring – only two could walk, even non-Jews. This was a law.

They called them conspirators – because what else do you have to talk about except the war?

This was their mentality.” He adds, “The police had one thing in mind – catching a Jew.” In March of 1944 Germany occupied Hungary, and the Nazi troops imposed harsh restrictions on the Jews, including curfews and the wearing of yellow stars. In April, the deportations began. Realizing deportation was imminent, Chaya and Chaim Katz made plans to disperse their family, sending each one in a different direction and keeping only their youngest, Yisroel “Sruly,” with them. Moshe was sent off last, specifically armed with emphatic directives to keep Shabbos and kosher until the end – Chaya told him that he would surely survive if he did. His parents were taken to Auschwitz by June 1944.

Moshe and Leah, a’h, with some of their descendants

On Their Own Each of the Katz siblings forged their own journey. Most survived by working under gentile aliases.

The Katzes were a resourceful and determined family and well regarded wherever they went. They tried to stay in touch as much as possible throughout the war and took every opportunity to help one another whenever possible.

Moshe ended up working on a farm. His brother, Sonny, hid with 19 others in an unHiding as derground a gentile wine cellar at age 20 not to o far away.

Moshe Katz attributes his survival to luck and his constant conversations and pleadings with G-d.

“I have more luck than anybody else,” he shares. “You could imagine that in Europe life was different than here. I was 20 years old, and I never made a decision in my life. Whatever my parents told me, that’s what it was – there was no ‘but, if, or how.’ It was like an order from the king. So when I left home and I had to make my own decisions – and it’s not because I was smart – I was lucky with all the things that I did.

“For instance, I worked on a farm where only the manager knew I was Jewish, of all of the workers – nobody knew. Not far from there was a wine cellar in the mountain hiding 20 Jews, and hiding there was one of my younger brothers.”

Though luck may have played a big part, his resourcefulness can’t be overlooked. Dr. Katz shares how he snuck bread and whatever else he could to Sonny and to the others and attempted to boost their morale as well. On one of the last visits, Moshe brought vegetables to cook soup for them. He put nails on the table in four corners, put the pot on top of the nails and placed candles underneath. “We cooked a soup – it took five hours – but you should see how happy they were!”

Moshe eventually smuggled Sonny and family friend Rivka out of the hiding spot right before the group was discovered. Rivka experienced her own miracles and narrowly escaped death to survive and raise a Jewish family.

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After that near-death encounter, Moshe and Sonny stayed together. They were in touch with their sister, Chana, who was not too far away.

“We never wanted to be in one place with more than one or two of us,” Dr. Katz recalls.

“We had a signal if somebody wanted to bring a message – the secret signal was ‘brush.’ If somebody approached any of the Katz siblings and said ‘brush,’ they knew they could trust them.

“In fact, it was one of the brushes that my sister sent me when I was on the farm, and she hired a Nazi soldier to pick me up with my younger brother and brought me to the capital city.”

Dr. Katz still has that very brush with the secret compartment.

“As soon as he showed me the brush, I was able to talk to him, and trust him and there was hidden money in there – and this is how we communicated through the signal of a brush. She helped me with the papers and, somehow or another, we survived.”

He remembers, “I had all kinds of jobs.

One of the most important jobs was working in a German garage with a Nazi insignia on the label of the uniform. I was a king of kings for six weeks. Then they became suspicious of somebody, and they were examining e v e r y b o d y, and then I had to disappear from there – throw away my IDs and everything and start a new life.”

Moshe was 20 years old and experienced one of his first feelings of helplessness.

For t u nately, Chana helped procure new papers again, and Moshe procured a job in the supermarket.

Traveling together, Moshe and Sonny narrowly escaped danger Dr. Katz with his wife Hindy in front of his extensive library

so many times, yet not much deterred them from trying to help others when they could.

Along the way, the brothers encountered two children walking alone together, distant cousins who were now orphans. Moshe arranged for them to be taken care of in a monastery. He and Sonny would visit them as often as possible in attempts to ensure they remembered their Jewish identities, until it became too risky that they would all be exposed.

It was October of 1944, and the last months of the war proved to be some of the bloodiest, as the Hungarian Arrow Cross soldiers were determined to destroy the remaining Jews. By November, the Jewish men were deported to camps. Moshe had some immunity by working in the supermarket, and he and Sonny managed to stay out of sight and dodged several close calls. They witnessed the unfathomable horror of young Jewish children being dumped and drowned in the Danube River. This massacre continued for several days. A reported 20,000 children were killed, their blood flowing through the river.

“For them, it was more important to kill a Jew than win the war, because they were busy up until the end catching Jews,” Dr. Katz notes.

“They didn’t mind using 10 soldiers in catching one Jew. That was their aim.”

Mercifully, there were some heroic rescue efforts at the time, like those of Raoul Wallenberg, who rescued tens of thousands of Jews by issuing Swedish passports to them.

Moshe and Hindy with sister Chana

“Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t work; nobody was sure until the last minute,” says Dr. Katz.

By December, the brothers got word that the Russians were coming. Chana soon directed them to relocate move from Buda to Pest.

“I was living on the other side of the Danube River, where very little Jews were,” Dr. Katz recalls. “My sister let me

know that the Russians would come only on this side of the river and then they would stop, so I moved myself to the other side of the river. Since I was working at that time in a supermarket, I brought along a lot of canned stuff which nobody could get, even with tickets from the government – it wasn’t available.

When you moved into an apartment you had to register with the super, and on every block, there was an investigator. You had to register with them to make sure you’re not a spy, you’re not a Jew, and that I couldn’t do – I would never have passed. I was putting out a few cans and the conversation was on the food…luckily, we survived there. Somehow we survived.”

Picking Up the Pieces In January 1945, the Russians had liberated the city. The Germans disappeared, and Hungarian Arrow Cross officers were obsolete.

“For them, it was more important to kill a Jew than win the war” “When the Russians came in at least we identified ourselves as Jews, and they were friendly,” Dr. Katz says. “They gave us bread and everything. They trusted the Jews, but they didn’t trust the population. They knew the Jews were oppressed by the Germans and by the Hungarians and by the Romanians – everybody hated the Jew.” Moshe was looking for work and eventually ended up at the Russian military headquarters. He had a gift for languages, having been exposed to populations of Hungarians, Czechs and Russians. He became friendly with a few soldiers and eventually got a job translator and was given permission to move about the region freely. They supplied him with bread and other food, and Moshe and Sonny were able to join up with Chana and Terry.

The Russian officers tried their best to convince him to give up his religion but Moshe never relented, doing his utmost to keep his mother’s entreaties and holding onto a small set of tefillin and one string of tzitzis.

After a while, Moshe decided it was time to take leave once again.

The Katz siblings were determined to visit their home. Dr. Katz explains how his Czecho-

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Dr. Moshe Katz with some of his brothers and some of their descendants

slovakian hometown city of Uzhorod was taken over several times in his lifetime: when he was born, it was Czechoslovakia; then Hungary invaded the region; then Russia came and took over; when Russia collapsed, Ukraine took over. It was once called Ungvar and today Uzgorod; his passport now says he was born in Ukraine.

When they finally arrived at their childhood home, the Katz siblings found it completely ransacked with barely a wall left standing. At this point, nobody realized the true extent of the destruction of the war and human devastation that had occurred.

“I didn’t recognize him. He came without hair, with two different shoes, with an American soldier’s jacket…”

The Russian communist government was taking hold in the city. Soon enough, the warnings came once again that it was time for Moshe to leave town, before he could be arrested, however, this time not for being a Jew. Ironically, as a former factory owner, he now risked arrest and deportation to Siberia as a capitalist.

Moshe was now 21, and he led a group of 20 people – his brother and 18 teenage boys and girls who had all lost their parents. He managed to get two oxen and a driver to deliver them to the international train station with a plan to leave Russia for Romania. They then boarded a train to Grosswardein, where the Vizhnitzer Rebbe and some of his chassidim had already established a shul.

Upon arrival in Romania, the police informed the group that if they could find an apartment that was previously Jewish-owned they would evict the current residents. They found a place with six bedrooms to accommodate them, and the police kept their word.

They then went to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and the organization promptly delivered beds, dishes and food and supplied the group with everything they would need for the apartment.

Each day brought new survivors to town, recalls Dr. Katz.

“Little by little, the Jews started to come back. My younger brother Sruly found out where I was. He came from Auschwitz. One Saturday morning, he knocked on the door. I didn’t recognize him. He came without hair, with two different shoes, with an American soldier’s jacket…”

Sruly had endured Auschwitz, suffering from the loss of his parents and later his brother Pinchas on the Death March. He came searching for Moshe after the liberation. The Katz family was slowly regrouping.

Sister Manca was nearby but was determined to track down their brother Louie, who had initially escaped town and passed for some time as a gentile brush maker. He ended up in Theresienstadt labor camp; Louie was tortured and left weak as an infant. Manca nursed him back to health.

“Then I met my oldest brother Eugene, Yankel, on the street,” Dr. Katz remembers.

“Suddenly, a Jewish restaurant opened up in our city. We didn’t see a restaurant or a Jew for so long. It was advertised all over the region, and suddenly all the refugees and everybody came waiting for it to open. We were walking and he was also walking, and I didn’t recognize him. He smiled, but the way he was dressed, we were very uncomfortable – we were afraid even to touch people because they had lice. Then he smiled and walked over. At home, he was like an aristocrat – he had a fur coat and white shirts, black tie, a hat – he looked like a king, and now he looked like a beggar…”

It turned out that after being initially sent away by his parents before the deportations, Yankel, too, had eventually been caught and taken to Auschwitz.

Moshe had been acting as the eldest until this point, but his oldest brother now took the responsibility. Life started to feel a bit normal for the family. They soon understood how fortunate their family was to have each other amongst so much loss.

Soon enough, Romania was also taken over by the communists. The prior government was full of Jews; when the communists came in, they hanged them all. The group moved on to Prague, and Moshe helped them get settled. He continued to assist the incoming Jewish refugees however he could.

He shares, “Now we needed new papers again. The law was if you find your teacher from school, you could get papers and become a citizen. I found my teacher and he gave me a letter, and I got a passport and papers in Prague.”

Luck and resourcefulness kept Dr. Katz alive.

In December of 1945, Moshe received a letter from his brother Joe who had escaped through Switzerland. The Katz siblings set off for their next reunion.

“In France, I had a brother who had survived. He already had an apartment, he was in business and he took care of all his siblings in a one bedroom apartment – we were lying on the floor.” Joe was doing well for himself – he wore custom monogrammed shirts and tailored suits, and he gave them everything they needed.

There was not much religious Jewish life in Paris, and there was an almost two-hour walk to the synagogue.

“We had to get back to Jewish life,” Dr. Katz says.

The only answer for them was in America.

But the United States wouldn’t let them in because the quota from Czechoslovakia was at a 6-8 years wait. Fortunately, they had an uncle living in the States who was able to secure papers for the three brothers, Moshe, Sonny and Sruly, as students.

In 1947, a Danish freighter set sail for two weeks landing at Ellis Island. Moshe was 23 when he came to America. He met his first wife Leah Rosenfeld, a”h, an American girl who married him despite him being “a greener” immigrant.

Leah and Moshe settled in Manhattan’s Upper West Side at a cousin’s apartment, along with Moshe’s two brothers. He started working in real estate with his uncle who was in the business. Moshe Katz was extremely successful in his new country; he landed on

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the pages of the financial section of The New York Times as the youngest man in real estate to purchase a building. By age 24, he had resold that building for a large profit. Dr. Katz went on to manage various properties and continued working up until last February.

Moshe had purchased a small supermarket in the Bronx for his brothers to work in. They were the only ones closed on Saturday – not an easy feat since there were “blue laws” in effect at the time mandating closure on Sundays. The Katz family held their ground and eventually managed to pave their own way.

They later started a new business importing electronics and grew it into a very big company. Moshe had many of his siblings working alongside him throughout the years.

The other Katz siblings were spread all over the world. Chana got married in Romania in the summer of 1945 – the first Jewish wedding after the war. One sister got married in Paris, and the youngest sister married a Swiss man and remained in Switzerland throughout her life.

“Hitler’s aim was to wipe us out. My answer to him is to build future generations.”

Sruly was drafted to the U.S. Army. He was sent to Germany and was stationed in Nuremberg, a mere 10 years after he was in the German concentration camp.

“I went to visit him there…it was pretty hard,” Dr. Katz acknowledged.

Moshe was caretaking as always, and he was always focused on religion. He wanted to make sure Sruly didn’t bring back a German bride like many soldiers did. Sruly got married in Antwerp in the early ‘50s – it was a huge joy to have all of the surviving Katz siblings celebrating together for the first time.

“The rest is history,” Dr. Katz quips.

A Pillar of the Community Leah and Moshe moved to Far Rockaway in 1954 and then to Lawrence in 1965. They had three daughters. They first davened at Rabbi Rubin’s Sulitza shul and then the Agudah on Sage Street. When the Katzes landed in Far Rockaway, the only yeshiva in the area was the Hebrew Institute of Long Island (HILI), a coed day school. Dr. Katz was determined to

create more yeshiva options for Jewish families.

Dr. Katz got busy, work ing to help found the Yeshiva of South Shore and e vent ua l ly To rah Academy for Girls. Though his first wish was to try to establish a girls’ school for his daughters, he didn’t have enough families who were interested. He focused his efforts on the boys’ yeshiva and held the inaugural meeting in his house.

He recalls, “I got $500 from seven people including me, so we had $3,500 – at time it was a lot of money.”

There were plenty of skeptics but Dr. Katz was resolute.

“I said by hook or crook there will be one.”

He went to Brooklyn to seek out Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky, zt”l, to convince him to lead the new yeshiva. They finally started out on Oak Street in Woodmere, with a girls’ school up the block. Eventually, the schools separated and both became thriving Torah institutions in their own right.

Jewish life in the areas continued to proliferate. Little by little, restaurants opened and more people moved here – schools and shuls sprouted and grew. Many people moved from Brooklyn since there was an eruv, which was a draw for young families to be able to bring children to shul. Dr. Katz had succeeded in contributing to Jewish life and continuing his family’s legacy.

Dr. Katz has countless other stories to tell.

He helped people through the years whenever and however he could. He also stayed in touch with and helped support the Righteous Gentiles who had helped hide him through the war. He would send them his own daughters’ dresses later on from the States. He even provided materials for the families to start their own business, though it wasn’t simple for them to get on their feet.

Dr. Katz explains, “Under communism, people grew up dependent on the government for everything. You got married; ten years later, you’re entitled to get an apartment.

You couldn’t hold on to two jobs because then you’d be becoming ‘a different person.’ So when communism ended, I send them a box of material for making blouses or skirts. The blouses were ready, and they didn’t know what to charge. They had no idea – I told them to

Moshe and Hindy at a Names Not Numbers event at HALB Elementary

go look in a department store and if they sell for $10 , you sell for $7. They had no idea how to go into business – or how to think. They had no idea. The whole family had only worked as conductors or engineers for the railroad.”

Everyone had thought the successful “American Jew” would forget them, but Moshe Katz never did.

Leah passed away 23 years ago, and Dr. Katz is remarried to Hindy Diskind. Dr. Katz’s youngest daughter Debbie still lives nearby; the other two daughters are in Flatbush. He proudly shares that under him, from his three daughters, he has over a hundred descendants. His great-grandchildren are getting married now. He missed three weddings during the Covid period but he recently began attending simchos again and is blessed to say he has several more coming up in weeks ahead.

“I’m in touch with all of them – I know all their names,” he says. “One grandchild lives right here and she comes every day.” He wishes he could wake up Hitler just to show him…

Today, in his late 90’s, Dr. Katz admits it’s getting harder and harder to get out and around, but he thanks G-d for his children and that somebody is always here for him.

Dr. Moshe Katz is one of the last of his siblings still alive, along with youngest brother Sruly. Sonny died this past year, and Louie passed away a few years back at the age of 102.

Moshe is the only one of the Katz siblings who would speak about the Holocaust.

“I’m doing this for 40 years,” he says. “I taught for 30 years in one school here in Yeshiva of Far Rockaway and in TAG for maybe 10 years, and I’m still president at TAG.” Dr. Katz also speaks in public schools to minority students, telling them that we can all fight bigotry together.

“We are not their enemies,” he tells them.

“We both have to fight the same enemies.”

Dr. Katz’s story is far from over, but his biography close with these powerful words: “Hitler’s aim was to wipe us out. My answer to him is to build future generations.”

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Dating Dialogue

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

Dear Navidaters, I

am an “outsider” looking in.

Raised “out-of-town” in a Young Israel-type background, during my post-bar mitzvah years I decided that, unlike literally every other classmate, I actually wanted to embrace the lifestyle being advocated by our school’s rebbeim. My parents weren’t initially keen with the idea, but **were** thrilled that I wasn’t going OTD. When I asked to go to yeshiva in Brooklyn, my father accompanied me, “shepping nachas” when I aced the farher. He also agreed to pay extra dorm fees.

When shidduchim were redt, the women who were suggested were perfect: sincere, refined, not craving status and certainly not catty. In sum, they were the opposite of the girls I knew back home.

But their views of the world around them were simplistic and provincial. They generally couldn’t relate to me, and neither did I to them. We often didn’t even make it to “one and done.”

That changed when I met “Rochel.” A tad older than the women I usually dated, despite being from Boro Park, she was working in corporate America. She was acculturated and had intellectual curiosity. She took care of herself physically and did so modestly. We dated in the summer, at night, when a relaxing cool breeze filled the air. I wouldn’t call it “magical”, but the experience was unusual

for me. About 20-minutes in, I asked “Rochel” if she would like something to drink – and she politely declined. This happened three more times. About an hour later, I **told** “Rochel” I was beginning to feel dehydrated and intended to buy a Sprite. And I offered, yet again, to buy her a drink, as well. She declined.

When it was my turn at the checkout, I asked her for the fifth time. But 15 minutes later, she finally accepted. I sat with her as she sipped her drink. We continued the date for another 20 minutes and went home.

Our give-and-take was great. It was, or so I thought, a productive evening. I couldn’t have been more wrong. When I arrived at my apartment, the shadchan had already left two messages. When I returned her call, she asked the typical questions. Then she cut to the chase, telling me why “Rochel” wasn’t interested. “You didn’t even have the courtesy of buying her a drink!” she claimed to my absolute shock!

Apparently, there is a Yiddish saying that translates, “The ill you ask, but to the healthy, one gives.” Based on this, I violated one of shidduchim’s “cardinal sins.” I merely asked my date **6 times** if she wanted something to drink. I mistakenly had enough respect for a grown woman (nearing her 30s and working several years in corporate America) to abide by her decision. “Rochel” was no delicate waif, after all.

My question to the panel: Was this merely a cultural faux pas or revealing a mindset that misconstrues a saying for etiquette? I ask because after all these years “Rochel” is asking for a “do-over.”

I’m worried that, while we enjoy each other’s company, the chasm in our cultural backgrounds may make this only the first of many miseries.

-Yosef*, an outsider” looking in

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

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The Panel The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S. ack of honesty and menchlichkeit is unfortunately common. Why are you ascribing it to cultural differences? Do you think that this is normal in professional and Boro Park circles?

Obviously, the girl wants to say no and is too chicken to do so and is lying to cover herself.

More important is my question to you. Why do you connect the dots in this way? Look into the mirror, Yosef.

Think about why you feel perpetually like an outsider and are querying us about the social connection. Talk to a professional about this. Your identity and confidence need work.

L

The Shadchan Michelle Mond

I

n this column, I have shared similar stories to yours. Stories where young women have judged their dates poorly based on a misjudgment of dating etiquette. One such story bears repeating.

Shlomo opened up, sharing his dismay from a previous date. The woman had explained how uncomfortable it made her feel, seemingly ignoring her feelings when he chose a restaurant as a first date venue. “What kind of insensitive guy takes a girl out to eat on a first date?” she asked. “Doesn’t he realize eating in front of a man you have never met is uncomfortable?” The woman declined a second date. Shlomo made a mental note not to take a woman out to a restaurant on a first date ever again. Which was why his next first date choice was to a lounge in the city. Only to his dismay, the woman declined a second date stating that his insensitivity showed through when he did not offer to take her out to eat. “He knew, after all, that I was going on the date straight from work. How could he not ask me out to dinner?”

Although difficult for the singles being rejected, these stories must be told to educate others: there is always another side to the story. That is why I thank you, Yosef, for sharing your story. The woman in your story realizes she was wrong to judge you harshly and is interested in giving it another round. Based on the level of passion put into your letter to us, I fear that you will mention it on the date. I encourage you to go for it but heed this warning: do not make mention of the past. It would be socially inappropriate for you to mention your grievances or frustration having been rejected the first time.

With that being said, please keep this in mind as you continue your dating journey: men and women are different. Whether or not it’s logical, women love having their man read their mind. “I’m OK” from a woman might really mean, “I’m absolutely not okay. If I was OK, I would have smiled and said, ‘I’m great.’ I’m absolutely not OK.” Being asked if she would like a drink can be taken the wrong way, “Of course I want a drink, it’s 90 degrees outside. Why wouldn’t he just buy me one automatically?” might just go through her mind.

Try as best as you can to use foresight and sensitivity so your date will feel comfortable and taken care of.

The Single Rivka Weinberg

W

hoa, this question kept me in suspense and only got better as I continued reading. Yosef, I understand your frustration given the details you provided. You sound like an incredibly educated and eloquent individual, so it makes sense that you dated a girl who works in corporate America and you describe as having “intellectual curiosity.” Similar to you, I am confused and appalled by the response you received from the shadchan. If you offered Rochel a drink

multiple times, it makes absolutely no sense for her to turn around and say you did not. Specifically, because Rochel works in corporate America she has been exposed to other cultures, so she is not as culturally sheltered as one may think.

With that said, there is no real reason for you not to date her again, especially because you seemed to have enjoyed the time you spent with her. I suggest you go on the date and ask her straight out what happened previously. I strongly believe that if two individuals are willing to put in the effort to make it work, then it can. Although it may feel awkward at first, I am a big advocate of going out with someone a second time around. You are better off giving it another shot instead of not saying anything and regretting it in

The right person at the wrong time is the wrong person. the future. Many times, we convince ourselves that it did not work out when we originally dated a specific person, and because of that, the idea is forever nixed in our heads. However, the right person at the wrong time is the wrong person. Therefore, if an idea comes up again or if you want to revisit an idea, be open-minded and try to honestly pinpoint for yourself exactly why it did not work. Did you or the other person have childhood trauma which pre-

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vented the relationship from moving forward that has now been worked through? Were either of you anxious about or fearful of the dating process and the idea of moving forward?

Have you dated other people and now realize you value the relationship that once was more now than ever before?

If you find yourself in a situation similar to this one, stop to really think about it and process the potential outcomes. You do not want to turn around years later and wish you made the phone call you never did.

To touch upon an idea you mentioned, in shidduchim, people generally discuss the idea of having similar backgrounds. While I do believe there is tremendous value in that, I also think that open communication goes a long way. In your situation, it sounds as if you both have more “out of the box” circumstances and stories, so by communicating clearly and appropriately, you may come to respect one another’s backgrounds

and understand the intricate details involved. However, if you go out with Rochel again and after trying to understand her thought process with an open mind you still feel unsettled, you should re-evaluate and make a decision that works best for you.

The Zaidy Dr. Jeffrey Galler

Y

osef, my “diagnosis” is that you need to work on improving your ability to communicate clearly.

Now, please don’t be insulted, but in your letter, it took you 527 words to simply say: “I come from a Modern Orthodox background, but chose a more yeshivish way of life. I’ve had difficulty finding someone who not only shares my religious beliefs but also has a more c ult ured

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

D

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ear Yosef, Thank you for writing into our panel! Your query speaks to one of the things that personally frustrates me most in shidduchim. It feels like a combination of judgment, self-righteousness and foolishness out of the pages of the children’s series Amelia Bedelia or one of the many stories from the geniuses of Chelm. The thing is that it is not the young people dating who are to

“blame.” There is a set of expectations placed upon young people as to what they are allowed to talk about, what they are not allowed to talk about, what they may eat, what they may not eat, etc. People are so scared of saying the wrong thing on dates or saying one wrong word, because of the harsh judgment and the quickness

world-view. I finally dated someone that I really liked, but because of an unfortunate misunderstanding, she declined a second date. What should I do now, years later, when she does want a second date?” (67 words).

I’m making a big deal out of this, because I believe that you have difficulty expressing yourself clearly, concisely, and courteously. Please consider the possibility that your dates might be misinterpreting what you think you are saying.

For example, on a date, if the man says, “Do you want me to buy you a drink?” the woman might think, “This is a test. He wants to see if I’m spoiled and inconsiderate and wasteful with money. I think I should say, ‘No, thank you.’”

Instead, if the man says, “How about we stop for a few minutes and get some drinks?”

The woman might think, “What a considerate young man. He realizes that after talking for so long, I must be thirsty.

I like this guy.”

of so many to toss a potentially wonderful suitor aside because of something so silly as to offer a drink on a hot summer night. If chivalry was ever dead, shidduchim killed it.

The bottom line question as I see it is the following: Is Rochel simply behaving as a product of her environment; did you suggest the water in a forceful or inappropriate way or (not to sound too clinical); is Rochel slightly hyper-critical? You will not know the answer unless you go out again.

I would love to lengthen my answer for more of an enjoyable Shabbos read… but simply put, I think you

If chivalry was ever dead, shidduchim killed it.

If you want someone to understand you, and not misunderstand you, remember the ABCs of effective communication: Accuracy, Brevity, Clarity. Communicating well is essential not only for presenting yourself in the best light, but also for bringing out the best in those around you.

Furthermore, it might be a good idea for you to read John Gray’s book, “Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus.” It will help improve your ability to interact with women.

Meanwhile, of course go out with her again. Note that now, years after the fact, you still report that you really liked her and are still re-thinking what went wrong.

Yosef, go for it!

should go out again. Give it another try. And when you’re out with her, be yourself. Try not to walk on eggshells, worried about every word that comes out of your mouth. After all, we have to be ourselves! If you are a man who likes to offer his companion a drink on a hot summer night, rest assured, there are a lot of women who would find you considerate and endearing!

It’s only one date. Have fun! Do not be someone who you aren’t.

If the mood strikes you to offer Rochel a drink, then offer her the drink! After all, you will not be marrying a woman who misinterprets your kind gestures. You have nothing to lose.

Sincerely, Jennifer

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

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Dr. Deb

An IFS Perspective on Real Relationships

By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

P

eter and Pauline were arguing. As usual.

Peter: Don’t you know how to balance a checkbook? Why do you have these expenses here that were going to overdraw it?

Pauline: Really, Peter, I said already it was my fault. I apologized.

I admitted my mistake. Why do you need to keep bringing up the same thing again and again? Do you just hate me? Do you love seeing me squirm? What is it?

Peter: Whoa, now you’re into really nasty territory. I ask you a simple question and you’re way out there making really nasty accusations. I don’t know what’s the matter with you, honestly. I’m going out.

And Peter leaves.

That gives us some time to analyze this made up but entirely possible scenario. And figure out where love went. Because it clearly isn’t there.

You might be tempted to distract our check into this with the point that love can’t possibly be in each and every interaction. And you’d be right.

But unfortunately, this type of exchange can become so frequent that there is no more room left for love. The animosity squeezes love to the sidelines and eventually out of the building completely.

What happened?

When I use IFS (Internal Family Systems, founded by Richard Schwartz) in my couples work, the individuals involved eventually are trained to notice when they are in Self (which is, in my opinion, the equivalent of the neshama which is pure, untainted, and wise) and when

they aren’t.

When they aren’t, it’s because a part took over them to protect the Self from something in the external world. How did the part get there?

It is a bundle of neurons that has fired together before – many times.

This bundle arose at a time in life when protection was needed. So it became an automatic protector.

That automatic quality is useful to us when we need to be saved quickly and without thought.

The problem is that now we are adults and shouldn’t need the protection of the little kid “parts” of us. They don’t see the big picture; they have agendas to protect us at all costs; they have no skills in relating.

So one day, I had a couple working with me and the wife said, “My part does not like that part of you.”

BINGO! That was the answer to everything. That explains the total dead-

ness that can creep into marriages, the exhaustion, the sense of not being seen and understood, the disconnection.

If Peter always felt unloved and unlistened to because no matter how much he brought up the subject of the checkbook, his wife overspent, and if as a result of that, a part of him that was hurt did not want to be out there and vulnerable, so instead, a critical, superior part stepped in, then eventually, that part’s mere frequency made it look like that was Peter, himself.

It wasn’t. Peter’s neshama, according to Schwartz, is loving, joyous, fun, creative, kind, warm – all the things that Pauline must have fallen in love with in the first place when she married him.

But Peter frequently felt like he needed his protectors guarding him. His fear of being vulnerable as to his pain and hurt from not being

listened to brought in the troops.

Just about every day. And that made it look as if that was actually him.

Which is how Pauline perceived it.

From her position, perhaps she was generally a careless person, or perhaps a bit disorganized. She meant well. Back in 2001, I wrote an article titled, “Life With An ADHD Spouse Means Keys in the Engine, Glasses in the Freezer.” Of course, I was exaggerating; my late husband did not leave his glasses in the freezer. Anyway, maybe that was Pauline’s problem.

Or maybe she was distracted with so many things going on – her work, her kids, and this tormenting husband – that she simply couldn’t keep track of everything. And besides, she contributed to the family income; why is he taking it upon himself to berate her over finances, anyway?

All this would naturally lead her protectors to jump out and protect.

Now, this crew operated differently than Peter’s. They had learned that the way to soothe her was to flood her with feelings of being sorry for herself; at least someone had rachmanus on her! True, that someone was a part within her, but no matter.

In fact, the more sorry they could make her feel for herself, the better she’d feel, or so the child parts within her were used to thinking.

After all, all these parts sprang up in childhood so they think the way children do. Perhaps as a child, if she sulked, someone would come by with a hot chocolate and a cookie to make her feel better. Who knows?

But somehow that bundle of neurons that we can call her “victim” part

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sprang up.

And, as I said, by embellishing the hurt, she can soothe herself that much better. (Can you imagine a hurt child of about five, sitting and sucking an ever-handy thumb for comfort?)

But is that who Pauline really is?

No. Not any more than Peter’s parts are Peter himself.

If you think about it, Schwartz’s view makes sense. The person we liked, admired, enjoyed, respected, and ultimately married was able to be vulnerable in our presence.

Sure, they had flaws, but we were happy to overlook them. Every one of us has flaws; that’s part of being human. We didn’t need to put up our protective parts because our partner’s focus was on who we really are, our essence, our neshama.

Ironically, as a result of not needing to create those defenses and offenses, what our partners saw was more real than it is now when our dissatisfaction brings out the

protective army of parts ready to do battle, run, or go numb.

Now this way of looking at it is the exact opposite of the usual thinking.

We hear all the time that we were blind to the flaws and now we’re

person. Schwartz is echoing Jewish thought on who we really are: “The soul itself is pristine and holy, and does not require rectification” (Chabad.org). That’s who we really are. And that is not who most of us actually get to see when we wake

I had a couple working with me and the wife said, “My part does not like that part of you.” Bingo!

stuck with the “real you” who has them.

No. Absolutely not true.

It is our own protectors who bring out our partner’s protectors.

We are reactors. But neither set of protectors are the essence of the

up in the morning and look at our partner.

With all this said, it is no surprise that parts of us will not want to deal with certain parts of our partners. We would rather deal with the real Self.

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But that comes with the challenge of being vulnerable, once again, as in the early days of the relationship.

We don’t want to be vulnerable because we feel unsafe, unprotected.

But clearly – clearly – this is no way to live. Peter and Pauline will live in misery forever if they don’t come out from under their protectors.

Wouldn’t it be nice to feel free of the burdens of well-meaning but painful protectors? Wouldn’t it be nice to relate to each other’s essence rather than to defensive protectors which bring out victim (or other) protectors?

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

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Health & F tness

Plant-based Meats Beyond Healthy or Impossible?

By Aliza Beer MS, RD, CDN

A

lternative meats have been all the rage these days. Many restaurants and supermarkets are including plant-based meats that look, smell, and taste just like traditional beef burgers. Impossible Foods even partnered with some of the largest chains and franchises to offer their products.

Impossible meat is comprised of plant-based products including soy, potato proteins, oils, yeast extract, and other ingredients. It is gluten-free because they use soy protein instead of wheat protein, and it is suitable for vegans and vegetarians. The idea is that the taste, texture, and aroma should resemble that of beef. There’s an ingredient in the “meat” called soy leghemoglobin which makes it “bleed” like a beef burger would. Many people can’t even taste the difference between a beef burger and an Impossible Burger. Beyond Meat, a competitor to Impossible Meat, is also a popular choice when people look for a vegan meat alternative. The main difference between them is the protein source.

While Impossible Meat uses soy protein, Beyond Meat uses pea protein, which doesn’t create the “bleed” effect that Impossible does.

A 4 oz. serving of an Impossible Burger contains 240 calories, 14g fat, 9g carbs, 19g protein, 3g fiber, and -1g sugar. Comparatively, a 4 oz. beef burger contains 270 calories, 13g fat, 0g carbs, 29g protein, and 0g sugar.

A 4 oz. serving of Beyond Meat con-

tains 250 calories, 18g fat, 3g carbs, 20g protein, 2g fiber, and 0g sugar.

The main difference in the nutrition facts between the three is their protein, carbs, and sodium. A beef burger contains 10 more grams of protein than an Impossible Burger and 9 more grams than a Beyond Burger does. An Impossible burger contains 9g of carbohydrates, while a Beyond Burger contains 3g, and a beef burger contains none. An Impossible Burger also contains 370mg of sodium, similar to a Beyond Burger which contains 390g.

Beef burgers only contain sodium if you season them with salt. Therefore, a beef burger is a better protein source and is lower in carbs than both Impossible Burgers and Beyond Burgers.

Some benefits come along with choosing an Impossible Burger. Impossible meat is packed with vitamin E, vitamin C, thiamin, zinc, niacin, vitamins B6, riboflavin, and vitamin B12. It is also environmentally safe, which has earned it a lot of popularity in recent years. It is a good source of fiber, potassium, and calcium. Additionally, it has zero cholesterol, which makes it safer in the long run with preventing heart disease, cancer, and type-2 diabetes. Compared to Beyond Meat, Impossible Burgers are fortified with more vitamins and minerals and use mostly organic ingredients.

Impossible Burgers, however, are higher in saturated fat and sodium than beef burgers. The additive responsible for the meat to appear like

it’s bleeding, soy leghemoglobin, is genetically modified (GMOs). This, as well as other ingredients, make Impossible Burgers more heavily processed than beef. They don’t contain whole ingredients like veggie burgers do and instead contain soy protein concentrate, coconut oil, sunflower oil, potato protein, methylcellulose, yeast extract, salt, gums, and water and additives. None of these are whole foods.

Although the nutrition facts between Impossible Burgers and Beyond Meat are similar, their ingredients are different. Impossible Burgers gets their protein from soy and potato, while Beyond Meat gets its protein from peas, beans, and brown rice.

Beyond Meat prides itself on not using genetically modified ingredients, unlike Impossible Foods. Since they’re made of peas, they’re full of antioxidants, high in phytochemicals, as well as high in micronutrients such as fiber and folate.

Beyond Meat is made from water, pea protein Isolate, expeller-pressed canola oil, refined coconut oil, rice protein, natural flavors, cocoa butter, mung bean protein, methylcellulose, potato starch, apple extract, salt, potassium chloride, vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, sunflower lecithin, pomegranate fruit powder, and beet juice extract. Although this ingredient list is better than the heavily processed ingredients in Impossible Meat, there are still issues with these ingredients. Beyond Meat contains

methylcellulose, a bulk-forming laxative, that is used to treat constipation. This is certainly unnatural and should not be in everyday foods we consume. Methylcellulose is also found in Impossible Burgers, which is very concerning. Although it is deemed safe for consumption by the FDA, a chemically-derived laxative has no place in foods on the shelf.

There are other plant-based protein options you can opt for. Veggie burgers can be a good way to incorporate plant-based protein and vegetables into your diet. Veggie burgers are easy to make once and store in the freezer for future use. Your local grocery store should also have storebought options that don’t contain refined flours, sugars, or unhealthy oils.

It may be difficult to find a soy-free or refined carbohydrate-free packaged option. Store-bought veggie burgers are a good choice for vegans, vegetarians, or picky eaters. Traditional veggie burgers, like Dr. Praeger’s, do contain soy and have 130 calories, 6g fat, 13g carbs, and 5g protein per patty. Tival burgers have 120 calories, 4g fat, 12g protein, and 11g carbs. The Tival brand is a better plant-based protein alternative because they have double the amount of protein than Dr. Praeger’s.

Alternatively, you can combine your favorite vegetables and healthy grains to make them at home, too.

Choose broccoli or cauliflower, mixed vegetables, or even zucchini (as long as you squeeze out all that water!) to

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make delicious patties. If you find that it is hard to form a patty with just vegetables and eggs, add some ground oats as the binder. These homemade burgers could be a good option to keep stocked in your freezer.

Black bean burgers can be another plant-based option when looking for a high-protein, low-fat burger idea.

A Morning Star Black Bean Burger contains 72% less fat than regular ground beef patties and 9g of protein.

Black beans are filled with fiber, antioxidants, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. They are great for blood sugar regulation because, unlike other carbohydrates, they don’t spike blood sugar. Interestingly, if you eat black beans with rice, your blood sugar will be lower than if you only ate rice. This can be a great option for those with diabetes who are trying to manage their blood sugar. Unfortunately, there aren’t many kosher black bean burgers on the market that contain few ingredients. Morning Star Black Bean Burgers are made from water, black

beans, brown rice, onions, vegetable oil, corn, soy flour, as well as some other ingredients. One patty has 119 calories, 3.9g fat, 8.8g protein, 12.8g carbs, and 3.4g fiber. It has a pretty similar nutrition content to the Tival veggie burgers. Black bean burgers

They aren’t a pure, healthy alternative to beef and certainly should not become a staple in your diet. Although they do contain less saturated fat and more vitamins and minerals than traditional burgers, they aren’t ideal – true beef burgers have less carb,

Beef burgers, in moderation, are a good source of protein and are low in carbohydrates.

can also be made at home with some onions, garlic, eggs, spices, and oat flour as a binder. A homemade option will be the cleanest option, but the store-bought ones are a good option for a plant-based protein.

The safest bet is to eat Impossible Meat or Beyond Meat only occasionally without overindulging in them.

less sodium, and much more protein.

Furthermore, dietitians believe that it is much better to get protein from lean beef burgers than heavily processed genetically modified “meat.” Health experts also want to wait and see the long-term results of ingesting these highly processed burgers.

Veggie burgers and black bean

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burgers are a lot less processed than other alternative meat options; however, they aren’t as high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Beef burgers, in moderation, are a good source of protein and are low in carbohydrates.

They only contain one primary ingredient, which is easily recognized by the body. Similarly, veggie or black bean burgers, which have a small list of ingredients, are a good vegan alternative to traditional beef burgers.

By understanding the science behind the latest trends in plant-based meats and burger alternatives, we can better craft healthy and nutritious eating habits.

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

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Parenting Pearls

Dealing with Communal Tragedy

By Sara Rayvych, MSEd

A

fter the Lag B’Omer issue of TJH came out, my kids asked me why I wrote about milestones that week and not about the Meron tragedy. Initially, I had thought to write about the tragedy but in the end I didn’t. Honestly, I assumed nobody would wonder why I chose a different topic. I was certainly surprised when it was my children who asked, since they rarely read my articles. I explained to them that since so many other professionals had written about the topic already there wasn’t much for me to add. Additionally, I had already written an article about helping children through tragedies; I had said my piece on the matter.

I was OK with that answer until we were into the second week of the Surfside tragedy. I realized that we, and our children, are dealing with in-depth awareness of the third tragedy that affected Klal Yisroel in a brief time period. We had the tragedy in Meron followed soon after by the bleachers falling in Karlin. Now, we had the condo crashing in Surfside. As this next tragedy still dominates the news, I felt that perhaps an article was still warranted. Even more frightening for our children, the third tragedy is even closer in proximity to our community and a place they may have recently visited.

I still feel the other professionals who already spoke on the matter don’t need this extra article; we are fortunate to have talented mental health professionals who are so incredibly devoted to our community.

This article is not in any way to replace their advice. I simply feel our community has been through so much that I’d like to humbly contribute in whatever way I can. Think of this more as gentle reminders to accompany what others have said.

It Starts with You As the parent and adult in their life, it all revolves around you. Children take their attitude from you and use you as their emotional compass.

This is important to remember at all times but especially during challenges. Your children will look to you to see how they should respond.

Take the time to first sort out your own emotions. This can be painful for you, and you will usually benefit from accepting that rather than fighting it.

You may find it helpful to confide in someone you trust or seek professional assistance. It’s important that you do whatever you need to do before you can consider helping your own children. It’s unrealistic to think you can ignore your mental health but still help your children. Only once you’re strong, can you guide your children and be the leader they need.

It’s normal for you to feel turmoil but watch how you present yourself in front of your children. As you go through the process of coping with your own emotions, you should be mindful that your children are watching. Allow yourself the privacy

emotional needs, and stick to your decision.

Similarly for your children, limit what they’re exposed to, even more than you limit for yourself. Our children are the first generation to grow up with so much exposure to what is going on everywhere. They are inundated with up-to-the-minute updates about tragedies that occur anywhere in the world. This is too much for anyone’s brain but certainly overwhelming for the youngest minds. Just because it’s posted, doesn’t mean your child needs to know about it. The continuous updates can be almost addictive and hard to avoid. Your child is unlikely to be able to process the continuous information. you need, both for yourself and your children. Kids are smart and will pick up on parental pain. If you’re crying or weepy while walking around the house, they will notice. Be aware of how you are in front of your children while still respecting your need to work through your own emotions.

Avoid/Limit Media Exposure Just because it’s there, doesn’t mean you need to see it, hear it, or expose your children to it. We are so inundated with information that it can be overwhelming even when the news is slow or cheerful – certainly we can be flooded with information when there is something tragic to report. Make a conscious decision of how often you will check the news and what you will allow yourself to see. For example, I allowed myself to see the names of the victims but not the video footage of the Meron disaster occurring. Others might find the names more emotional and overwhelming, while the videos are within their emotional tolerance. Make a decision for yourself, knowing your

They’re Listening Children like to be near their parents, and this means they’re likely to overhear your conversations. Be aware of listening ears and watch what you say when they’re near. If you’re watching the news, they will hear the details. Even if you made a conscious decision to limit their media exposure, they may now get all the details from your adult-to-adult conversations. Often, adults discuss the gorier details only to each other, but if your kids are listening in (and trust me, they’re trying to) then your children are being exposed to the very information you tried to hide from them.

Be aware of where your kids are when you’re involved in adult-only conversations and make sure they can’t hear you.

Discuss the Issues Don’t ignore what they’re hearing and being exposed to. Even better is if you can bring up the discussion with them. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to them about the tragedy then

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arrange for someone else to speak to them, but it’s often best for the parent to have that talk, when possible.

Find out what information they already have. I’ve been surprised how much information my boys have picked up in shul. Kids hear things in school/camp or even from friends and know more than you think they do. Those younger people are smart!

While you may not want to give over the more disturbing details needlessly, you want to find out what they do and don’t know before assuming ignorance.

It’s good for children to be able to discuss difficult topics with their parents. It can be comforting for your child to know they can bring up these tough discussions with you. Knowing they have an adult they trust to help them navigate their feelings and work through their uncertainties can go a long way in giving them some of the security they may not feel during times of tragedy and loss.

It can be even better if you’re the

first to bring up the topic. By showing initiative and starting these painful conversations, you’re showing parental leadership and strength. A child might be too afraid to ask you but may be open to talking once you’ve

conversation is productive. If you just say “don’t worry” to everything, while ignoring their fears, you haven’t accomplished much. The communal mental health organizations have put out information and talking points to

Our children are the first generation to grow up with so much exposure to what is going on everywhere.

started the conversation. When you start the discussion, it shows your child that you’re someone who will talk to them during these difficult times, and they know they can come to you in the future.

Don’t be afraid to ask for professional guidance before speaking to your child. It’s important that the

guide you. Take advantage of these pointers put out by professionals in the field. If you need more than that, then reach out for help. Those who are experts in dealing with tragedies realize we will need assistance as we go along and there are resources readily available.

If you are having trouble coping or

s t ay c a t I o n s

.

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suspect your child is having trouble, then reach out for help. Even just seeing changes in your child’s behavior is enough reason to ask for further assistance. Speak to their pediatrician or a mental health professional. It’s better to make the phone call than to suffer needlessly.

Unfortunately, we have recently experienced a series of tragedies affecting the Jewish community. We feel the pain of our extended Jewish family, and it can take a toll on all of us. Let’s daven for healing for those closely affected and for peace for all of us. By being there for our children, we can help them get through the more painful times while helping them become stronger within themselves and sensitive to the needs of others.

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

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jewish women of wisdom

A Little Boy and Second Chances

By Miriam Hendeles

W

hen an entire community is thrown into turmoil because of the fear of a missing child, we hope and pray for a safe return. When the child is found, everyone rejoices and feels like G-d has given us a second chance. Second chances to me mean that we get to reflect on how to go forward, after breathing a big sigh of relief. We get to move forward with happiness and gratitude.

The messages and emails came quickly, sending shockwaves all over our community. A little boy was missing, and a search was started.

The post Sunday night read chillingly, “Missing Person: Last seen approx 8:00 PM on the 300 N. Orange block…” And further details such as age of child and what he was wearing were noted. Photos of the cute, smiley boy were posted on social media and various WhatsApp groups. The flyers and WhatsApps were spread around and Tehillim (Psalms) groups were set up by various members of our community.

I shared the news with a friend, suggesting we both say Tehillim for the safe return of the boy. We traded stories of our own kids having been missing. I told her the scary time when my son once got lost at the San Diego Zoo many years ago and turned himself in at the Lost and Found. My friend shared how her own grandson had once been missing, Hatzalah (emergency community paramedics) started a search, and the boy was found in a closet sleeping under a pile of clothes. What a relief.

We both prayed for a happy ending for this little boy and said goodbye to each other so we could pray. I thought for a second of sharing the possibility that the boy was somewhere in the house but dismissed it as something so silly and obvious and

continued on with my prayers.

About 90 minutes after the phone call with my friend, I received a message “FOUND” in my inbox. Soon, the news spread. Yes, the boy was found.

Thank G-d. There were videos posted of the family and community celebrating. Hundreds had turned out to help search, along with helicopters hovering around the sky.

were found sleeping under beds and in other hiding places in the house.

What started out as something very scary ended with a simple solution. I recalled that when my friend had shared with me that possibility that I had refrained from calling the police or other authorities to suggest they look in the house.

Could be they had already looked.

Intuition is that little voice inside of us that tells us what feels right.

And then someone shared: “The boy was found in a closet under a pile of clothes?” Apparently, bloodhound dogs were sent around the house and area, and they smelled the boy and found him. My first reaction upon hearing that was how ironic that the same happy ending happened to this boy as happened to my friend’s grandson.

And later, I learned that others have had similar experiences with their children and grandchildren who

Could be they didn’t need my suggestion and that it was meant to be for this child to be found after two or more hours of being missing (which probably felt like an eternity for the family).

But still, how many times in a day do we have a strong intuition about something and we don’t bring that idea to the fore of our consciousness and we don’t act upon it? How often does something happen and we think, “Oh, I thought of that. I should have

shared, but I thought I was wrong or misinformed?”

I spoke afterwards to one of my friends, and she, too, said that she thought of sharing that the child would possibly be under a bed, but she didn’t want to feel silly. We all didn’t follow our intuition and take the next right step (call or text the authorities to give a tip) because of feeling silly. That feeling totally resonated with me.

Often, we get flashes of insight throughout the day and we push the feeling aside. We move on autopilot and ignore the wisdom of our insights. I have found that there were times that I acted against my intuition and regretted it later on. And there have been other times that I’ve followed my own instincts even though others told me otherwise, and things worked out well for me. From small acts of making a single phone call to get things rolling to larger steps of taking a career path or taking risks, intuition is that little voice inside of us that tells us what feels right.

The most important thing is that this boy was found. And it really doesn’t matter – at the end of the day – who or what or how he was found.

But what does matter is that each one of us takes our responsibility seriously. Our thoughts are important, our ideas are valuable, and there are no stupid questions. Ask questions, give input, and come forward with your ideas when you sense them pushing to the forefront.

You just never know when your idea, no matter how silly it seems to be, may be the one that could bring back a missing child sooner to his family.

Join the conversation and email list of JWOW! by writing to hello @jewishwomenofwisdom.org.

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In The K

tchen

Deconstructed Eggplant Parmesan

By Naomi Nachman

My family loves eggplant parmesan, but it is time-

consuming to make. Here is a quick and easy revamp of the recipe by making a deconstructed version of

it. Instead of battering and frying up the eggplant, you just roast it and throw it in with some sauce

and cheese. You have all the delicious flavors without having to stand and fry.

Ingredients

b 2 medium eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes b 1 tablespoon salt b ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Tomato Sauce b 2 tablespoons canola oil b 1 large onion, finely chopped b 1 teaspoon kosher salt b 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped b 2 (15-ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with their liquid b 1½ cups marinara sauce, divided b 1 teaspoon dried oregano b ½ tsp chili flakes b 1 tablespoon sugar

b ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese b 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Crumb Topping b 1 cup panko crumbs b 1 teaspoon dried oregano b 1 teaspoon garlic powder b 1 teaspoon onion powder

Preparation 1.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

2. Place eggplant cubes into a large bowl; mix well with salt and olive oil.

3. Spread eggplant in a single layer on prepared baking sheets; bake for 50 minutes, until softened and lightly browned.

4.

Prepare the sauce: In a large saucepan, heat canola oil over medium heat. Sauté onion for 3-5 minutes to soften; add salt. Add garlic; sauté until garlic is soft.

5. Add remaining sauce ingredients; bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower heat; simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered.

6. Prepare crumb topping: Combine panko crumbs with spices; set aside.

7. Coat a 9 x13-inch pan with ½ cup sauce.

8. Layer half the eggplant, half the remaining sauce, half the mozzarella cheese, half the Parmesan cheese, and half the spiced crumbs.

Repeat with remaining eggplant, sauce, and cheeses. Top with remaining crumbs.

9.

Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Naomi Nachman, the owner of The Aussie Gourmet, caters weekly and Shabbat/ Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities, with a specialty in Pesach catering. Naomi is a contributing editor to this paper and also produces and hosts her own weekly radio show on the Nachum Segal Network stream called “A Table for Two with Naomi Nachman.” Naomi gives cooking presentations for organizations and private groups throughout the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area. In addition, Naomi has been a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, magazines as well as other media covering topics related to cuisine preparation and personal chefs. To obtain additional recipes, join The Aussie Gourmet on Facebook or visit Naomi’s blog. Naomi can be reached through her website, www.theaussiegourmet.com or at (516) 295-9669.

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Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

Shouting “freedom” and other antigovernment slogans, hundreds of Cubans took to the streets in cities around the country on Sunday to protest food and medicine shortages, in a remarkable eruption of discontent not seen in nearly 30 years.

- The New York Times reporting on the anti-socialist protests in Cuba, referring to the word “freedom” as an “anti-government slogan”

I was actually a little happy about that because it’s a little easier to roll bowling balls out of the way than to move the sand and figure out where to put all that.

- David Olson of Detroit talking to the local paper about finding 160 bowling balls buried on his property while he was doing renovations

When I was a child, I dreamed about becoming a lawyer, fighting for the little guy against the Goliaths. For years, I did just that, but then I lost my way. I betrayed my own values, my friends, my family, and myself. I betrayed my profession. I’ve learned that all the fame, notoriety, and money in the world is meaningless. TV and Twitter, Your Honor, mean nothing. Everyone wants to ride in the limo with you, but few want to ride with you on the bus.

- Michael Avenatti, the attorney who spent years trying to take down Trump and was on CNN over 200 times in 2019, crying at his sentencing hearing for extorting Nike

Cuba’s problem is not too much socialism, as Republicans would have you believe. It is too much dictatorship.

I hate exercise.

- Bonita Gibson, of Michigan, talking to Fox News upon the occasion of her 110th birthday

I was cleaning the house on the Fourth of July when I found the Powerball ticket in a drawer. I checked the numbers and discovered it was a $1 million winner — I’m still in shock!

- Kenneth Morgan of Jacksonville, Florida, after claiming his $1 million Powerball prize this week

- Lawrence O’Donnell, MSNBC

The United States came in the name of fighting terrorism to Afghanistan 20 years ago. Did they fight it successfully? Did they fight it honestly? No. Therefore, the United States returning to Afghanistan in the name of fighting extremism, I, as an Afghan, would not welcome that.

- Former Afghan President Karzai in a TV interview

Senator, I hope. You think I’m kidding, I’m not.

- President Biden upon greeting Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), age 83, strangely indicating that he wants her to primary one of the two current Democratic senators from California

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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Critical race theory is a fairy tale promoted by many — not all, but many of my Democratic colleagues including the Biden White House. Critical race theory teaches that America is totally [irreparable]. We need to just tear it down and start over. Critical race theory teaches that the primary reason that America was founded was to maintain white supremacy. Not freedom. Not rule of law. Not equal opportunity. Not personal responsibility. But white supremacy.

– Sen. Kennedy (R-LA), on Fox News

Critical race theory also teaches that nonblack Americans are racist, that they don’t much like black people whether those nonblack Americans realize it or not. That’s why critical race theory also teaches that white children are born bad. It teaches that black children are born trapped, there’s almost no hope for them. It’s a very fatalistic point of view.

– Ibid.

In my judgment critical race theory is cynical, ahistorical, sophomoric, insipid, and dumb as a bag of hair.

The message to the people of Haiti is this is a tragic tragedy.

- White House press secretary Jen Psaki discussing the assassination of Haitian president

The federal government has spent trillions of dollars to keep Americans alive during this pandemic. So it is absolutely the government’s business.

- Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on CNN, saying it is the government’s business to know who is vaccinated in the U.S.

- Ibid.

Because we don’t know who is paying for this art and we don’t know for sure that [Hunter Biden] knows, we have no way of monitoring whether people are buying access to the White House... What these people are paying for is Hunter Biden’s last name.

- Walter Shaub, who led the Office of Government Ethics under former President Barack Obama, on plans for Hunter Biden to sell artwork to anonymous buyers

After careful consideration, a system has been established that allows for Hunter Biden to work in his profession within reasonable safeguards. Of course, he has the right to pursue an artistic career just like any child of a president.

- White House press secretary Jen Psaki, in response to the Hunter Biden art criticism

MORE QUOTES

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The laptop from [you know where]. You look at that thing, there is more criminal activity on that laptop than Al Capone had if he ever had a laptop.

- Former President Donald Trump referring to Hunter Biden’s laptop at a press conference

That was an unfortunate event. I say, though, however, people are being treated unbelievably unfairly when you look at people in prison, and nothing happens to Antifa, and they burned down cities and killed people. There were no guns in the Capitol except for the gun that killed Ashli Babbitt.

- Ibid., talking about the events of January 6th

Good evening, dreamers of all ages.

- The new woke pre-recorded greeting for the nightly Disney fireworks show, replacing “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, dreamers of all ages”

Empathy is a very important word and also forgiveness. We found that someone did something in 1979 that is now not appropriate.

They’re dead to us.

– Conan O’Brien, discussing the dangers of cancel culture

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Political Crossfire

U.S. Athletes Who Protest Their Country’s Flag are Playing Right into China’s Hands

By Marc A. Thiessen

T

he U.S. women’s national soccer team is denying team members turned their backs on a 98-year-old World War II veteran as he played the national anthem before an exhibition game, claiming that some players were simply looking at the flag at the other end of the stadium. “Get your facts straight before you assume anything,” U.S. midfielder Carli Lloyd tweeted.

Hmm, why would anyone assume that the players were showing disrespect during the playing of our national anthem? Maybe it’s because, long before U.S. track and field athlete Gwen Berry turned her back on the flag while the national anthem played, it was the U.S. national women’s soccer team that was demanding the right to protest the anthem.

Maybe it’s because, in 2016, U.S. co-captain Megan Rapinoe refused to stand during a national team game against Thailand. Maybe it’s because in 2019 Rapinoe refused to place her hand over her heart during the anthem, declaring, “I’ll probably never put my hand over my heart.

I’ll probably never sing the national anthem again.”

Maybe it’s because, in 2020, the national team players issued a joint statement demanding that U.S. Soccer repeal its policy requiring them to “stand respectfully” during the anthem – and U.S. Soccer capitulated to the players’ demands.

Maybe it’s because, last November, nine of the team’s 11 starting players kneeled during the playing of national anthem before their game

against the Netherlands, and then seven of the starting 11 players took a knee during the anthem before a game against Columbia in January.

Given this history, it’s no surprise that so many assumed the players were showing disrespect during the playing of the anthem during a game with Mexico last week. Because they had been agitating for the right to do so for years.

In a statement, U.S. Soccer said that none of the players “turned their back on WWII Veteran Pete DuPré during tonight’s anthem” adding, “the players all love Pete.”

Note the statement didn’t say the players would never disrespect the American flag – because that would be demonstrably untrue. The team seems most upset at the notion that anyone thought they had shown disrespect to a sweet old man like Pete.

What they don’t seem to understand is that when they protest the flag, they show disrespect for Pete and all the veterans who fought under that

flag. They show disrespect for all of Pete’s comrades who sacrificed their lives so they could have the freedom to play a kids’ game for a living.

It’s one thing for players to protest the anthem on their own free time. But it’s quite another to do so while playing on the international stage for Team USA. With both the summer and winter Olympic Games set to take place during the coming year, athletes should not be allowed to protest the Stars and Stripes while wearing the Stars and Stripes.

If you can’t show respect for the U.S. national anthem, then don’t play for the U.S. national team.

Indeed, American athletes who insist on protesting their own country on the international stage are playing right into the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which will host the Winter Olympics in 2022. Just as Nazi Germany used the 1936 Olympics to legitimize it murderous regime, Communist China sees the Olympic Games as an

opportunity to increase its global legitimacy and deflect attention from its brutal suppression of freedom in Hong Kong and its genocide against Uyghur Muslims.

During a U.S.-China summit in Anchorage earlier this year, the head of the Chinese delegation, Yang Jiechi, laid out the Communist Party line: The Black Lives Matter movement shows that “the challenges facing the United States in human rights are deep-seated” and that “many people within the United States actually have little confidence in the democracy of the United States.” Therefore, Yang said, “it is important for the United States to change its own image and to stop advancing its own democracy in the rest of the world.”

If U.S. athletes protest the national anthem in Beijing, they will be echoing this Chinese Communist propaganda. Instead, maybe they should focus their protests on China’s systematic [assault] and forced sterilization of Uyghur women. Or perhaps they could call out their own corporate sponsors, such as Nike, which has been credibly implicated in the use of Uyghur forced labor and has lobbied Congress to water down the bipartisan Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which would ban imported goods made with forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region. Unlike woke anthem protests, that would be an act of real courage – and perhaps even some personal sacrifice. (c) 2021, Washington Post Writers Group

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Political Crossfire

Trump’s Social Media Exile is the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Him

By Marc A. Thiessen

F

ormer president Donald Trump is suing Big Tech, calling his banishment from Twitter and Facebook “unconstitutional” and “one of the gravest threats to our democracy.” In truth, Trump’s social media exile is the best thing that ever happened to him. It could even help him win back the White House.

First, social media censorship gives Trump a great issue on which he has the support of a majority of Americans. A 2020 Pew poll found that 72% of Americans say social media companies have too much power and influence in politics today, and 73% say it’s likely that social media sites intentionally censor political viewpoints they find objectionable – including 90% of Republicans and 59% of Democrats.

Big Tech is the perfect foil for Trump.

Second, his absence from people’s social media feeds is a blessing in disguise. Joe Biden won in 2020 because, while millions of American were doing better under Trump, they were also exhausted with Trump. Before the election, Gallup reported that a 49% plurality of Americans agreed with Trump over Biden on the issues, and 56% said they were better off than they were four years before. Not only is that the highest number since Gallup started asking that question, it came in the midst of the worst pandemic since 1918, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and the worst racial unrest since the 1960s.

But 56% of Americans didn’t vote for Trump. Why? Because, despite being a reality-TV star, Trump never followed the advice to “always leave them

wanting more.” For Trump, there was no such thing as overexposure. More was always better because it energized his loyal base –even if it drove away millions of persuadable voters who approved of his policies but not of him.

dependent voters out of casting their ballots for him.

Now, Twitter and Facebook have taken that stage away. Trump is stuck at Mar-a-Lago, unable to live-tweet the Biden presidency. He emerges

For Trump, there was no such thing as overexposure.

The genius of Biden’s basement strategy was that he exploited both the Trump exhaustion among the voting public and Trump’s failure to recognize it. Both he and Trump wanted the election to be about Trump. Biden understood what Trump did not – that the more Trump-fatigued swing voters saw of the sitting president, the better.

So he handed the stage over to Trump – and let him talk suburban and in-

for the occasional interview, rally or border visit. But he is not in Americans’ faces 24/7/365. And that means Trump-exhausted voters are getting a much-needed Trump respite.

If absence makes the heart grow fonder, then this is good for Trump.

It is quite possible that in a few years, the Trump presidency will look a lot better to many Americans. Memories of all the things they disliked about

Trump will fade, and his many substantive accomplishments in office will be magnified over time.

This will be especially true if Democrats continue overstepping their mandate. Biden did not win the White House because voters were clamoring for record-breaking levels of spending, open borders or critical race theory taught in schools. He won because people were tired of chaos. By silencing Trump, Big Tech is eliminating the chaos that propelled Biden into the Oval Office.

It is unclear whether Trump plans to be king or kingmaker in 2024.

Whichever he chooses, if he wants to throw Democrats out of the White House, he needs to understand that he lost not because of voter fraud but because he alienated too many voters.

To win back the White House, Republicans need to win back the voters Trump drove away. That will be easier after they’ve had a little bit of a breather from Trump.

On some level, Trump seems to understand this. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal’s Michael C. Bender, Trump claimed he is actually glad to be off Twitter. The statements he issues on email are “much more elegant,” he said, adding, “Now I actually have time to make phone calls and do other things and read papers that I wouldn’t read.”

If he wants to win back millions of Trump-weary Americans who abandoned him in 2020, spending more time making calls and reading papers for a while is the way to go. (c) 2021, Washington Post Writers Group

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Forgotten Her es

Military Units That are as Old as the U.S.

By Avi Heiligman

Members of Hamilton’s Own at a ceremony celebrating 243 years of service in 2019

M

any American military servicemen and service women are very proud of their unit’s history and background. There are even some that can trace back their history to the Revolutionary War or even earlier. Other units came into being more recently, but their background is just as fascinating. Here are some of the oldest (and interesting) military unit’s that still are in existence today.

The 5th Artillery Regiment officially became part of the U.S. Army in 1907 and then joined the famed 1st Infantry Division, nicknamed The Big Red One. However, the regiment has a lineage of which one battalion in their ranks can trace back all the way to the Revolutionary War. Their captain was one of the most recognizable Founding Fathers who never became president.

Hamilton’s Own was the nickname given to the 1st Battalion, 5th Artillery led by Alexander Hamilton and was formed in January 1776, before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In December of that year, the small artillery unit from New York crossed the Delaware River with its pair of six-pound guns and joined George Washington’s Continental

Army fighting at Trenton. They fought in several battles and remained on active duty after the decisive Battle of Yorktown.

Over the years, they have been redesignated several times as they fought the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War for the Union Army, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, Operation

Members of First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry

militia group to defend against Native Americans. The Pennsylvania National Guard was founded in 1747 by another very famous Founding Father who never became president.

Benjamin Franklin organized artillery and infantry against European intruders from France and Spain. In 1755, when the French and Indians threatened citizens in rural areas, the Pennsylvania Assembly legalized

The rear guard was credited with saving the army’s artillery.

Iraqi Freedom, and Afghanistan.

Hamilton’s Own participated in many battles during these wars including at Antietam and Gettysburg during the Civil War, the Meuse-Argonne Offensive during World War I, and Normandy during World War II. Today, the unit is the oldest surviving active duty regular army unit.

Predating the U.S. Army were colonial militias. The Army National Guard dates back to 1636 when the colony of Massachusetts formed a

the volunteers, and two years later all males over the age of 17 were required to join. During the Revolutionary War, the “First Troop” was present at many battles and frequently escorted General Washington during several military campaigns. They were among the troops during the famous Crossing of the Delaware River prior to the Battle of Trenton. A few days later, they defeated British dragoons at the Battle of Princeton. The rear guard was credited with saving the

army’s artillery. After the surrender at Yorktown, they were given the honor of receiving the British standards.

They served with distinction during the War of 1812 and answered President Lincoln’s call for troops in 1861.

They provided significant intelligence on Confederate movements and were present at Gettysburg. Lincoln gave them the nickname of the “First Defenders,” which is still in use by some Pennsylvania National Guard units today. Pennsylvania National Guard units saw service in Europe during World War I and landed in Normandy in July 1944 during the Second World War. While several military units can trace their lineage back to the Revolutionary War, there is a ship still in active service with the U.S. Navy that was launched at the end of the 18th century. After the Revolutionary War, the country had little in the way of extra money and did not have a regular navy. This changed in 1794 when American merchant ships were being attacked by the Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean. Congress approved the Naval Act, which gave funds for six ships. Only three were completed, including the USS Constitution which was launched in 1797. She was

The Jewish | JULY 29, 15, 2021 The Jewish HomeHome | OCTOBER 2015

configured to carry 44 guns and often had more guns that were portable and could be transferred from one ship to another. For the next fifteen years, she was involved in the Quasi-War with France and the Barbary Wars. It was during the War of 1812 that she earned the nickname “Old Ironsides” and when she defeated five British warships. After the war, she served as the flagship for overseas squadrons and travelled around the world in the 1840s.

By the time the Civil War started in 1861, the Constitution was well beyond her intended lifespan, and she served as a training ship. She was retired from active service in 1881 and in 1907 became a museum ship.

After undergoing restoration, she was recommissioned in 1931 for a tour of port cities and in 1940 was recommissioned again for World War II service.

Presently, she is staffed by 52 active duty officers and sailors who are on special duty with the mission to promote the Navy’s role in war and peace.

The USS Constitution in Boston Harbor

At the start of the American Civil War, new regiments were formed; several were transferred over to the regular army after the war. One of these was the 21st Infantry Regiment which was formed in New York as the 12th Infantry Regiment and fought in several battles during the Civil War. Known as the “Gimlet Regiment,” they first saw action at Cedar Mountain in 1862 – a soldier was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery in that battle. They went on to fight at the

Second Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Antietam, and the Battle of Gettysburg, where they suffered heavy losses. In the late 19th century, they took part in eight wars with the Native Americans defending American assets and settlers from Indian attacks.

In 1898, the regiment was at the Battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba during the Spanish American War. The 21st Regiment was involved during World War I and was sent to fight in New Guinea and the Philippines during

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World War II. They also saw action during the Korean War, Vietnam War, Panama in 1989, Haiti in 1995, and in Afghanistan and Iraq during the War on Terrorism. In total, they have earned 56 wartime campaign streamers – a record that attests to their longevity and professionalism as they were often the first to be called upon in battle.

Many other units and ships that have long histories are currently active in the U.S. military. Units are proud of the servicemen and service women who served before them, and many have traditions started by those who were in the same unit. The stories behind historical units aren’t very well known. It is history that deserves to be remembered.

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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For more information, please text your name and 2 references to 718-926-9336 Substitute Teachers CAHAL is seeking Permanent AM and PM substitutes for 2021-22 school year.

Also, Secular and Judaic Substitute Teachers to cover Maternity leaves in the fall months.

Send resume to shira@cahal.org.

Call 516-295-3666.

Education Asst. Admin.

Education Assistant Administrator for Yeshiva-based Special Ed Program. Must have educational experience, good organizational, supervisory, and interpersonal skills, classroom management sk ills, computer skills and flexible hours. 5-Towns/Far Rock SpecialEd Program.

E-mail resume to nnadata@gmail.com.

HELP WANTED

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HELP WANTED

Part Time Social Worker Cahal is seeking a licensed school psychologist or social worker to provide individual counseling, staff and parent support, and social skills program.

Part time position (3 days a week) to start at the end of August.

Please send resume and cover letter to shira@cahal.org DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT 5-Towns non-profit seeking energetic person to plan and coordinate fundraising events, cultivate relationships with donors and Rabbinic and community leaders, disseminate positive PR. PT or FT. E-Mail Resume and cover letter to dirdevjob@gmail.com.

ASSISTANT TEACHERS CAHAL, the Special Education Program in our community Yeshivas is seeking Assistant Teachers for the 2021-22 school year. FT or PT, AM or PM. Classes are located in yeshivas in the Five Towns/Far Rockaway schools.

Send Resume to shira@cahal.org or call 516-295-3666 for information.

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

HELP WANTED Five Towns/Far Rockaway area school seeking third and fourth grade general studies teachers for the '21-'22 school year, Monday through Thursday afternoons.

Supportive, warm environment.

Competitive salary.

Please send your resume to teachersearch11@gmail.com DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT A multi-tasker needed for general office work. The ideal candidate is someone who is detail-oriented, responsible, and can take ownership. Looking for someone who is eager to learn, and expand his/her skill set while possessing the ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Experience with Excel required.

Five Towns location. In-office position only, not remote.

Please send resume to 5tpart.timecareer@gmail.com ASSISTANTS NEEDED FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AFTERNOON SESSION. Email: fivetownseducators@gmail.com SHULAMITH EARLY CHILDHOOD is looking to hire a full time teacher assistant for the current school year.

Please email resume to earlychildhood@shulamith.org CAHAL is seeking afternoon middle school secular studies teacher for boys’ class in a Five Towns yeshiva. Send resume to shira@cahal.org.

5 TOWNS BOYS YESHIVA SEEKING ELEM GEN ED TEACHERS Excellent working environment and pay. Only lic/exp need apply.

Email resume to yeshivalooking@gmail.com

HELP WANTED FIVE TOWNS/ FAR ROCKAWAY AREA school seeking third and fourth grade general studies teachers for the '21-'22 school year, Monday through Thursday afternoons.

Supportive, warm environment.

Competitive salary.

Please send your resume to teachersearch11@gmail.com

MISC Gemach Zichron Yehuda In memory of R’ Yehuda Aryeh Leib ben R’ Yisroel Dov We have a library of books on the subjects of loss, aveilus, grief, & kaddish. We have sets of ArtScroll Mishnayos to assist with finishing Shisha Sidrei Mishna for Shloshim or yahrtzeit.

Locations in Brooklyn, Far Rockaway, & Lakewood.

Email: zichronyehuda@yahoo.com Elderly gentleman would like to buy World War 2 souvenirs American German Japanese, pins, patches, insignia, medals, swords, daggers, helmets, etc. damaged or not Bruce 516 2397444

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Hinges | Tracks | Drawers | Soft Close | Alignment

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

JOIN THE CAHAL TEAM WE ARE EDUCATING FOR SUCCESS! LIMUDEI KODESH TEACHER Part time / AM position 3rd - 4th grade girls class Located in the Five Towns

GENERAL STUDIES TEACHER Part time / PM position 7th-8th grade boys class Located in the Five Towns ** Special education teaching experience required **

ASSISTANT TEACHERS Full day or half day AM or PM Classes located in Far Rockaway and the Five Towns **Complete hours for college degree**

SUBSTI TUTES AM or PM Hebrew and English classes And to cover maternity leaves Located in Yeshivas in the Five Towns and Far Rockaway

CAHAL IS THE COMMUNITY EDUCATION PROGRAM SUCCESSFULLY TURNING LEARNING DIFFERENCES INTO ACHIEVEMENTS FOR OVER 29 YEARS

TO SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW, SEND RESUME TO: SHIRA@CAHAL.ORG OR CALL: (516) 295-3666

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Your

15

Money

Where Angels Fear to Tread

By Allan Rolnick, CPA

W

riting a funny tax column every week, and keeping it as consistently brilliant as we do, is actually harder than it looks.

(Less glamorous, too.) Sometimes there just isn’t an obviously fun story to cover. What do we write about in a week with no criminals cheating, celebrities misbehaving, or holidays we can skewer? If you’ve read these columns long enough, you can probably guess when we’ve had to reach a little harder to squeeze out a tax-adjacent laugh or two.

Last week’s news, however, brought us an obvious 800-pound gorilla of a story: fraud indictments against the Trump Organization. But that poses a different challenge. We try to stay as politically neutral as possible. And this story has something to offend everyone. So let’s just get this out up front: we’re writing about taxes, not Trump.

Whether you’re a MAGA hat-rocking fan or an impeachment-loving foe, there’s going to be something here to trigger you. Let’s all be grownups about it.

Law professor Daniel Hemel writes that, “if the facts alleged in yesterday’s indictment are true, the Trump Organization and its longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, have

engaged in blatant tax evasion for more than a decade.” Dan Shaviro at NYU says, “You might as well repeal the federal, state, and city income taxes as discover this sort of conduct and not prosecute it.” Keeping two sets of books is literally the first thing they teach in Criming for Dummies — the sort of fraud you’d find in a Calvin and Hobbes strip.

amount that dwarfs the single million that Trump CFO Alan Weisselberg dodged.

Of course, the Manhattan D.A. and the IRS are two different enforcers. Not all cheats walk scot-free: when Trump’s own lawyer, Rudy Guiliani, served as U.S. Attorney, he jailed Leona Helmsley for using company money to renovate her Greenwich mansion

Whether you’re a MAGA hat-rocking fan or an impeachment-loving foe, there’s going to be something here to trigger you.

The Trump camp objects that the charges are politically motivated. Even eight-year-olds know that’s true. IRS officials report that the “tax gap” bertween what taxpayers owe and what they actually pay may top $1 trillion per year, so why single out one smallish potato? Compare his case with private equity tycoon Robert Smith, who admitted using offshore accounts to hide income for 15 years. Smith settled with the IRS for $139 million — an

and failing to pay tax. And Trump defenders might remind themselves that any defense of Alleged Crooked Billionaire #1 that begins with the words, “What about Alleged Crooked Billionaire #2?” isn’t really a defense of Alleged Crooked Billionaire #1 at all, is it — at least, not until two wrongs really do equal a right.

Trump also says there was no intent to break the law. This is actually his more promising argument. Two

days after the indictment, he conceded at a rally that Weisselberg hadn’t paid tax on his cars, his apartment, or his grandchildren’s school. Casual observers jumped on that as a careless admission of guilt. But he phrased it as bewilderment: “does anybody even know the answer to that stuff?” Experienced lawyers saw it as a defense against claims that he and Weisselberg explicitly meant to defraud the government, which will be a harder lift than just proving the facts.

So … get ready for more. Lots, lots more. More commentary. More controversy. More indictments, probably.

(This week’s shot seemed clearly intended to push Weisselberg into flipping, something his defense team has said he’s not going to do.) More general wailing and gnashing of teeth. It won’t be easy to separate the politics from the prosecution. But it’s our job to take the politics out of the planning we do for you. And the more we all do that, the better off we’re all going to be.

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

The Jewish Home | JULY 15, 2021

AISH KODESH INVITES

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JULY 15, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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