Five Towns Jewish Home 3-5-20 by The Jewish Home

March 5, 2020

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Your Favorite Five Towns Family Newspaper

2020 Presidential Primaries Come to the Five Towns And Other “Real” News Stories

40 Yeshiva of South Shore 63rd Annual Banquet

56 Local Students Head to AIPAC

Bibi Pulls It Off

56 Dr. Marvin Schick Visits the Five Towns

PAGES 8 & 9

PASSOVER VACATION SECTION Starts on page 123

Be Included in the TJH Purim Photo Album!

Send us your photos at editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com Subject Line: Purim Photos ~ Deadline: Purim Day at 2 p.m.

103

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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The community is invited to a special Purim celebration at The Five Towns Premier Rehabilitation and Nursing Center Families and children welcome! Sunday, March 8th 2-4PM 1050 Central Avenue, Woodmere, NY Pizza, cotton candy, clown, and petting zoo!

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Dear Readers,

of the other, not questioning, not vacillating, reaching towards our goals – that are most admirable. On Purim, there is a special power of tefillah. Kol haposhet yad nosnim lo. Hashem gives us great gifts on Purim. When we daven, we know that we can – and should – pray for lofty aspirations and for monumental entreaties. But we need to also remember to daven for the “simple” things in life. We need to reach out and ask Hashem to be good parents to our children; to have the patience to offer a listening ear; to have calm, relaxing Shabbos meals; to be able to provide a peaceful home for our families; to be able to shoulder the daily grind; to be able to juggle homeworks and carpools and laundry; to be good spouses, children, friends. Small things, perhaps, but that’s what life is about. Perhaps it’s because of the awesome power of Purim that the yetzer hara makes it such a busy day. But that’s OK. It’s nothing that we haven’t dealt with before. We’ve put on makeup while tying our children’s shoes and signing tests. We’ve cooked dinner while working on a Sudoku with a child who need a little extra TLC. We’ve folded laundry while hearing out our teenager’s newest friendship saga. And, on Purim, we can also daven while delivering mishloach manos to eighty-three classmates of each of our children (or at least that’s how it feels!). We know how to steal moments in the car in between drop-offs to talk to Hashem, beseech our Creator, and connect with Him on this holy day. Even though we may not feel like heroes in the midst of Laffy Taffys, Presidors, and crumpled juice boxes, He knows how our little acts are deeds of valor. So, have a happy, joyous, and meaningful Purim. And if you decide to run in 2024, well, you certainly have my vote! Wishing you a wonderful Purim, Shoshana P.S. I always love to see our readers’ Purim photos; they brighten up my day and keep the Purim spirit going way after the hamantashen have been put away. Send them to me at editor@fivetownsjewishhome. com. But hurry! You only have until Purim day at 2 p.m. to be included in our special TJH Purim Photo Album. Say cheese!

here are no more women running in the race for the Oval Office, although technically Sen. Elizabeth Warren is still in it but she is going nowhere fast. Now, I’m not a feminist, but really? No women? Let me ask you this: what’s harder – having an aide wake you at 7:30 a.m. in the White House residence and ushering you down to some appearance where you read prepared remarks off of a teleprompter before flying on Marine One to Camp David for much needed R&R, or waking up in the wee hours of the morning, negotiating with your six-year-old over which outfit she is willing to wear, dealing with crises like missing the bus, kids forgetting lunchboxes, positive strep tests, missing shoes, and spoiled milk, all before sitting down for your day job? Come on – being president would be a cinch! Oh, and you get your own hairdresser and makeup artist, too? Sounds like a vacation. Hmmm....2024 is right around the corner. My campaign starts now. On a serious note, though, the most joyous and most mysterious yom tov we have, Purim, revolves around Esther, an enigmatic, intelligent, brave woman who did not compromise her values and did what had to get done in order to save her people. Esther wasn’t trying to be heroic. She was, in fact, hesitant at first – not a trait normally associated with bravery. But when reminded about her role and her purpose in life, she rose to the occasion by putting her head down, placing her faith in Hashem, and doing what she had to do. So many times we may wonder: all the cleaning, shopping, cooking, preparing, worrying...perhaps there is something bigger that we can put our energies into? But Purim reminds us that no, we don’t need to be doing big things to be heroic; we don’t need to run for office to make our mark. We need to put our heads down, place our faith in Hashem, and do what we have to do. That’s what true heroes are made of. And that’s the message that I choose to take out of Purim. It’s the little things in life – putting one foot in front

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Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll

Community Happenings

NEWS

112

Global

National

Odd-but-True Stories

ISRAEL 22

Israel News Bibi Pulls It Off by Tzvi Leff

103

JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Wein on the Parsha

Calling Out Modern Day Evil by Rav Moshe Weinberger

Parsha in Four by Eytan Kobre

PURIM 78

TJH Certified Purim News

A Day in the Life…of a Dude Just Trying to Get Home by Nate Davis 87 Serving Hashem According to His Plan by Rav Yaakov Feitman

The Therapeutic Joy of Purim by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

The Inner Dimension of Purim by Yaakov Klein

100

PEOPLE The Real News by Avi Heiligman

132

HEALTH & FITNESS A Healthy Purim Shpiel by Aliza Beer, MS RD CDN

110

Why They Hate Us by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn

112

Purim 2020 by Dr. Hylton I. Lightman

114

FOOD & LEISURE A Crafty Purim by Menucha Citron Ceder

116

Hamantashen Remix by Nina Safar

120

The Aussie Gourmet: Deli Pastrami Hamantashen

124

Dear Editor, I wanted to make you aware of a conversation I had with my postman, Chris. He told me that every year the postal workers in the Five Towns area are loathe to work on Purim because of how dangerous it is – people constantly pulling in and out of driveways, rushing around and not paying full attention to what’s around them. The post office has Purim marked on their calendars and distribute internal memos reminding all workers in our area to take extra care. He asked me if I could pass along the message to the community rabbis and leaders, to directly remind the parents in the community to please drive more carefully on Purim. That our community is repeatedly and predictably putting other people at risk is already a chillul Hashem. It would be terrible if it turned into tragedy as well. Thanks and freilechen Purim! Avi Muchnick Dear Editor, How can there exist a phenomenon whereby a substance is crushed and then stored in a simple wooden barrel to age and yet it gains in value? This phenomenon takes place in the making of wine. There’s a well-known Talmudic idea that says when wine goes in secrets come out.

The simple explanation is that when one becomes inebriated, he reveals his inner secrets. We may suggest, however, a different interpretation, namely that if one contemplates the mechanics of how wine gains in value then perhaps, we can understand the secret of life. The crushing of a grape is symbolic of how we must welcome being challenged and reduced in life, realizing it’s what’s best for us and it’s an opportunity to grow. This process of self-growth is a lifetime experience and the older we get the more knowledgeable we come about life, just as the wine increases in value over time. So, aging in experience makes us more valuable. But there is an added step, and that is that we must ensconce ourselves in a shell of unpretentiousness. This is the symbolism of the simple wood barrel that holds the wine. There’s a law in Purim that one must drink wine and reach a level where he can’t understand the difference between the Blessed Mordechai and Cursed Haman. What’s the meaning of this law? As theorized, wine is symbolic of a tested experience, as it’s derived from crushed grapes, and it ages itself in a simple barrel symbolic of how we must cover ourselves in humility to increase in value. Therefore, knowing that this is the lesson of wine, in essence, on an objective level, there is no difContinued on page 12

LIFESTYLES Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW 106 A Season of Rapid Reversals by Naphtali Hoff, PsyD 134

120

Your Money

140

Let’s Make a Deal by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS 142

HUMOR Centerfold 76 POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes

126

Bernie Sanders’ Scandinavian Fantasy by Fareed Zakaria

130

Hosni Mubarak’s Death Evokes the Paradox and Pain by David Ignatius

131

CLASSIFIEDS

136

Does your family have a “theme” when they dress up for Purim?

YES

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Continued from page 10

ference between the righteous and evil, save the ability to internalize their experience and grow in humility. It’s reachable. Steven Genack Dear Editor, Every time I hear about how Israelis manage to pick themselves up after experiencing hardship or tragedy, I want to cheer and applaud them. They inspire me and make me proud to be part of their nation. Your article on “Comedy for Koby” produced those same feelings. Wow! Wow! Wow! The Mandells are pillars of strength, encouragement, and inspiration for us all. Sincerely, Chana Kornblum Dear Editor, I am writing this letter out of desperation. Over the last decade, it has become the norm for mothers of young men to receive pictures of potential dates, along with their written profiles. In many cases, we have not even asked for a picture; they are sent automatically. Shockingly, we receive full body pictures of girls from shadchanim who, more often than not, we have never even heard of.

We are parents of married daughters as well, whom 10-15 years ago never heard of the concept of resumes much less pictures being sent out across the internet. We are terribly pained as we witness this total disregard of tzinius. Is this not the very antithesis of everything we have tried to instill in our children throughout their formative years? Some may say, “This is the world we live in. Adapt.” We have heard that in Eretz Yisroel, shadchanim sending out photos are ostracized. Are we, here in the United States, on such a low level that we must accept this as the norm? Shaylus have been asked of our Gedolim who consistently advise against providing pictures of girls. Baruch Hashem, in recent months, several popular local shadchanim have begun to rethink this process and are firmly saying “NO” to pictures. Mothers are also banding together emphatically saying, “This practice must be stopped.” Inadvertently, there are numerous ways to obtain a picture. The shadchanim do not have to perpetuate this distasteful practice. There are several frum webbased dating services that are picture-based. If unable to generate an

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“attractive” picture, despite photoshopping the final product, that individual often receives no dates. If everything becomes picture based, are we, G-d forbid, destined to follow the same path? We appreciate that a shadchan must make a living. And, in some cases, pictures may expedite the process. Some have reported that the greatest pressure to present photos actually comes from us, mothers of dating boys. But hopefully the tide has begun to change. We respectfully request of you, our devoted shadchanim, to please unite and stop this practice that undermines all that our Bnos Yisroel hold dear. A brave few have already stepped up to the plate. You can too.... Aim Habanim Dear Editor, Recently, I attended a wedding from a friend whom I have known for about 40 years. The wedding was so inspiring that I am still thinking and enjoying its memories weeks afterwards. To understand why, here’s the background story: I met the bride about 40 years ago in Brooklyn College. We became close friends and shared many conversations and several meals together. We lost contact for about 20 years. This past summer, one day, I noticed a wedding invitation addressed to my son. I saw the address and recognized both the last name and address on the envelope. I had to tear open the envelope, and, indeed, it was my long-lost friend. When my son attended the wedding, he introduced himself and told her that I had been looking for her. A few weeks later, she

contacted me to invite me to her wedding. My friend mentioned that she had met her fiancé years ago. They had also lost contact and reconnected via Facebook. After several conversations, they discovered common interests and eventually married each other. My story of my rediscovering my friend, as well as my friend rediscovering her current husband, conveys the power of miracles. What we may view as coincidence is G-d’s manifestation of a miracle. Miracles frequently come as small hints or messages. It’s up to us to notice and react to them and sometimes take risks. What if I hadn’t reacted to that invitation and thought, perhaps my friend doesn’t care to know me, anymore? What if my friend, who found her former friend on Facebook, would have also thought, “Perhaps, this isn’t the same person whom I knew years ago? Maybe he won’t recall me or doesn’t want to keep contact?” Much of the current shidduch process is far more complex than necessary. Maybe you refused others because you thought, “This person is not for me” based on a picture or a biased opinion from one of your friends. Instead, why not jump in the pool and get wet? Perhaps, years ago, you liked someone but something didn’t work, then. Why not take a chance and recontact that person? Miracles can and do happen, especially if you believe in them and apply some effort to make them work. It just takes marrying your best and closest friend to make a successful happy marriage, as my friend did. Daniel Feldman

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Keep the Purim Spirit Going! Be Included in the TJH Purim Photo Album Email photos to: editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com Subject line: Purim photos

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Better hurry! Deadline: Purim day at 2 p.m.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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U.S. Inks Deal with the Taliban

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Sun Yang, a Chinese three-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming, was banned last Friday from the sport for the next eight years on anti-doping related charges. He will miss the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo as well as the Paris 2024 games. The Court of Arbitration (CAS) found Sun guilty of refusing to cooperate with sample collectors during a September 2018 visit to his home. Three officials had been sent by a Swedish firm to obtain blood and urine samples from Sun. The visit ended with Sun’s mother instructing one of his security guards to smash the blood sample vial. Sun and his supporters accused the officials of not having the correct paperwork for the drug testing, and Sun refused to submit a urine sample. The 20-hour hearing was broadcast from Switzerland on the CAS website and, according to the New York Times, was plagued by translation issues. According to the lawyer for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), it was unclear whether Sun was purposely evasive or simply could not understand the questions. CAS eventually ruled unanimously that the testing officials had “complied with all applicable requirements” and that Sun did not have “compelling justification” to destroy the sample and skip the urine test. They wrote: “It is one thing, having provided a blood sample, to question the accreditation of the testing personnel while keeping the intact samples in the possession of the testing authorities; it is quite another thing, after lengthy exchanges

The United States and the Taliban signed an agreement on Sunday that officially ends 18 years of bloody warfare. The deal was signed by U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban head Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in a ceremony in the Qatari capital of Doha on Saturday. “The U.S. has destroyed al-Qaeda in Afghanistan,” said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He added that “the U.S. is realistic but is taking advantage of the best opportunity for a generation of peace in Afghanistan.” Baradar, who serves as the Taliban’s political head, said that the Taliban is committed to fulfilling the treaty with United States, adding that it would impose an “Islamic regime” in Afghanistan. He called on Afghan factions to “develop an Islamic system of government.” “I hope that with the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan the Afghan nation under an Islamic regime will take its relief and embark on a new prosperous life,” said Baradar. The agreement went ahead after the Taliban ensured that seven-violence free days took place in Afghanistan, a U.S. prerequisite for the treaty to take place. As per the treaty, U.S. military forces in Afghanistan will leave the war-torn nation within the upcoming 14 months should the Afghani government and the Taliban fulfill their obligations, such as releasing prisoners and enforcing a total cessation of violence. The first stage of the agreement will see the U.S. and the Afghani government release 5,000 Taliban prisoners, while the Taliban will

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

release up to 1,000 inmates before March 10. The number of coalition troops will also be drawn down to 8,600 within the next 35 days. In signing the agreement, President Donald Trump fulfilled a key campaign promise to bring U.S. troops home from Afghanistan. Speaking from the White House, Trump celebrated what he called the “long and hard journey” in Afghanistan. “It’s time after all these years to bring our people back home,” the commander-in-chief said.

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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The Vatican unsealed the archives of history’s most contentious popes this week, in what could shed light on why Pius XII stayed silent during the extermination of six million Jews in the Holocaust. The Vatican first published the essentials covering the Holocaust four decades ago. But many pieces were missing – including the pope’s replies to notes and letters that were connected to the Jews’ plight during those years. In the archives it’s expected that there will be records of urgent appeals for help by many Jewish organizations – cries that went unheeded. Two hundred researchers have already requested access to the mountain of documents, made available after an inventory that took more than 14 years for archivists to complete. Award-winning German religious historian Hubert Wolf, armed with six assistants and two years of funding, is set to start exploring documents from the “private secretariat” of the late pope. Wolf, a specialist on the relationship of Pius XII with the Nazis, is anxious to discover the notes of the 70 ambassadors – the pontiff’s eyes and ears during his time as head of the Catholic Church between 1939 and his death in 1958. Historians have already exam-

ined the 12 German years of Eugenio Pacelli, the future pope’s real name which he used while posted there as the Holy See ambassador in 1917-1929. There, he witnessed the rise of Nazism, then returned to Rome to become the right-hand man of his predecessor Pius XI, elected in 1922. Past archives have revealed exchanges in which he was alerted about the extermination of European Jews once he himself became the pope. “There is no doubt that the pope was aware of the murder of Jews,” Wolf said. “What really interests us is when he learned about it for the first time, and when he believed that information.” Wolf notes that after the Holocaust Pius XII “remained very withdrawn after the war, saying nothing about the Holocaust.” He also never recognized the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.

Russia Accused of War Crimes

For the first time, a United Nations panel investigating the conflict in Syria accused Russia of direct involvement in war crimes for the “indiscriminate” bombing of civilian areas. The UN report from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, published on Monday, covered the period between July 11, 2019 and January 10, 2020, with a focus on attacks by “pro-government forces” on civilian targets. It warned that people in the country continue to face “unprecedented levels of suffering and pain” after nearly nine years of conflict. The report cited two specific incidents in which it found evidence of the Russian military bombing civilian areas. The UN has previously indicated that Russian forces were responsible for war crimes in Syria, but this report was the first time it had accused Moscow explicitly. The first attack referred to in

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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AMAZING CHILDREN’S SHOW for ages 5-12 followed by megillah reading at Chabad, 74 Maple Avenue

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Moms and Tots Megillah Reading at Chabad 74, Maple Avenue

7:30 PM

Adult Megillah Reading at Kulanu, 620 Central Avenue.

TUESDAY, MARCH 10 PURIM IN ISRAEL FAMILY PARTY!

5:30 PM Megillah Reading 6:00 PM Party! RSVP Required ChabadFiveTowns.com/Purim

MATANOT LAEVYONIM Give Charity to the poor and Chabad will distribute it before sundown on Purim.

MEGILLAH READINGS ON THE HOUR Location:

Chabad of the 5 Towns 74 Maple Avenue, Cedarhurst

MONDAY NIGHT, MARCH 9 9:00 PM - Midnight

TUESDAY, MARCH 10

Schacharit Megillah: 6:25 AM ..............................................6:50 AM 8:00 AM ............................................. 8:25 AM 9:30 AM ........................................... 10:00 AM MEGILLAH READINGS EVERY HOUR ON THE HOUR FROM 11:00AM-6:00 PM To arrange megillah reading for a homebound person, call Chabad before Purim 516-295-2478.

MISHLOACH MANOT If anyone you know is not receiving a celebrative food package on Purim, give us their name and address and we will have one delivered to them. To participate in Chabad’s Mishloach Manot project visit our website or call Chabad 516-295-2478

airstrikes killed scores of civilians as rescuers rushed to help. The second attack cited in the report took place between 7:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. just outside Hass, a town approximately 45 kilometers from Syria, on August 16, 2019. The airstrikes killed 20 people, including 8 women – one of whom was pregnant – and six children. At least 40 others were injured. According to the report, “In both

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the report consisted of a series of airstrikes between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. in the densely populated city of Ma’arrat al-Nu’man on July 22, 2019. The strikes killed 43 people, including three girls and one boy. At least 109 people were injured, including 18 children. The report describes the incident as a “double tap” attack, with a second bombing wave hitting the same area within minutes of the first. The

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incidents, the Russian Air Force did not direct the attacks at a specific military objective, amounting to the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks in civilian areas.” The Independent International Commission of Inquiry has been mandated to investigate and record all violations of international law in Syria since March 2011.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has nearly tripled its stockpile of enriched uranium since November in violation of its deal with world powers and is refusing to answer questions about three possible undeclared nuclear sites. As of February 19, Iran’s total stockpile of low-enriched uranium amounted to 1,020.9 kilograms (1.1 tons), compared to 372.3 kilograms noted in its last report on November 3, 2019. The nuclear deal that Iran signed in 2015 with the United States, Germany, France, Britain, China and Russia, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, allows Iran only to keep a stockpile of 202.8 kilograms. The current stockpile puts Iran within reach of the amount needed to produce a nuclear weapon, which the regime claims it does not want to do. The JCPOA promised Iran economic incentives in return for the curbs on its nuclear program, but since President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal unilaterally in 2018, Iran has been slowly violating the deal’s restrictions. With the violations, Tehran has said it hopes to put pressure on the other nations involved to increase economic incentives to make up for sanctions imposed by Washington after the American withdrawal. In a second report issued on Tuesday, the IAEA said it had identified three locations in Iran where the country possibly stored undeclared nuclear material or undertook nuclear-related activities without declaring it to international observers. It said it had sent questions to Iran in three separate letters but received no answers. According to the Washington-based Arms Control Association, Iran would need roughly 1,050 kilograms of low-enriched uranium

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

– under 5% purity – and would then need to enrich it further to weapons-grade, or more than 90% purity, for a weapon. Iran has been violating other restrictions in the JCPOA, including the stock of heavy water it is allowed and the number and type of centrifuges it operates.

Landslide in Slovakia Elections

Slovakia has elected an anti-corruption party following outrage over the high-profile murder of an investigative journalist. Voters on Saturday delivered a victory to the center-right Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OLaNO) party, which had campaigned on an anti-corruption platform and took more than 25% of the total vote. The decisive victory spells the end of the rule of incumbent Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini’s ruling center-left Smer party. Smer had been in power for over a decade but came under fire following the 2018 murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova. The young couple were shot dead after Kuciak reported on tax evasion and fraud among Slovak businesspeople connected to Smer. The killings prompted some of Slovakia’s biggest anti-government protests since the communist era. Then-Prime Minister Robert Fico was forced to resign, although his Smer party stayed in power. Following Saturday’s election results, OLaNO leader Igor Matovic said: “We take the result as a request from people who want us to clean up Slovakia. To make Slovakia a just country, where the law applies to everybody regardless if he is rich or poor,” he added. Smer took second place in the election with 18.29% of the vote. OLaNO’s leader, Matovic, is now set to contact Slovakia’s other center-right parties in the hope of form-

ing a ruling coalition with a 90-seat majority in the 150-seat parliament, according to Reuters. The 46-year-old is known for his media-savvy political style. He said after the election results that he wanted to “send a positive signal” to other European countries that Slovakia was not a place “where journalists and their fiancées are murdered just because someone unearthed corruption.”

Turkey, Greece Clash Over Migrants

After the Turkish government allowed refugees passage into Europe last week, thousands of migrants gathered at Turkey’s border with Greece. Back in 2016, a deal was struck with the European Union to halt migrants traveling from the Middle East towards Europe. Last week’s move trampled that agreement and has led to surges into Europe. It also comes on the back of an airstrike by Russian-backed Syrian forces on the city of Idlib in the neighboring country last week, killing 33 Turkish soldiers. Turkey’s about-face is seen as a way of leveraging European support for its military operation in Syria. Turkey, hosting upwards of 3.5 million refugees, mostly from Syria, has long threatened to open its borders if left to shoulder the refugee burden alone. Since December, around 1 million people have been displaced inside Idlib, moving closer to the border with Turkey, creating a humanitarian crisis along Turkey’s southern border. Turkey says it is already beyond capacity when it comes to refugees. Greece has stood firm, not opening its side of the border and beefing up its presence along it. This week, a migrant was killed attempting to cross the border into Europe.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

E V I T C E R I D R A E A CL

e v i g d l u o h s e n o "That is where " m i n o y v 'e e l os

matan

Letter and ruling

from Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, Shlit"a:

I was asked, "where is the proper place for matonos le'evyonim?"

and I replied that I give to Kupat Ha'ir, since they distribute to the desperately poor, the Gabba'im are like Rabi Chanina ben Teradyon, and they distribute to all circles. That is where matanos le'evyonim should be given.

and that is where one should give matanos le'evyonim" Chaim Kanievsky

E LI E V

L AB

R E V E E IM T T S IR F E H FOR T

The d com ream e tru e

Maran Sar HaTorah Harav Chaim Kanievsky shlit"a along with a minyan of Talmidei Chachamim

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MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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Yair Netanyahu to Pay in Libel Suit

lawsuit, a judge automatically ruled in favor of the journalist. Yair claims that he never received news of the lawsuit in the first place, putting the validity of the ruling in doubt. “No, it’s just unbelievable! Some leftist journalist in Walla decided to pull a fast one on me,” tweeted Yair Netanyahu on Saturday evening. “He filed a lawsuit against me without informing me at all, so I apparently did not file a defense.”

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Yair Netanyahu, son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will need to cough up a quarter of a million shekels to Israeli journalist Avi Alkalei after failing to respond to a libel suit against him. “It is regrettable that at first the defendant underestimated the plaintiff, posted things without reviewing them, and later disregarded the court and the law, and did not bother to file a defense. From a prime minister’s son, higher standards could be expected,” Alkalei’s attorney said in a statement. The ruling came on Friday but was first announced on Saturday evening. Alkalei, the editor of the popular Walla news site, had sued Yair Netanyahu a few months ago after the prime minister’s son called him a “plant” of the left-wing U.S.based Wexner Foundation. In a series of tweets, Yair had alleged that the radical left-wing Wexner Foundation was paying Alkalei to spread negative stories about his father in an effort to oust him from power. He also contended that Alkalei was in cahoots with law enforcement to frame Prime Minister Netanyahu for crimes he did not commit. Alkalei’s attorneys had written in court filings that since Alkalei was not a “plant” of the Wexner Foundation and had never been connected to it, Yair’s tweets constituted slander. The lawsuit added that Yair Netanyahu had refused to delete his allegations even after receiving a warning letter informing him that his statements constituted slander. After the younger Netanyahu never bothered to respond to the

El Al, Israel’s national airline, is planning mass layoffs as well as drastically cutting back on flights to countries affected by the coronavirus as it grapples with the aftermath of the epidemic. The carrier announced on Thursday that it will scrap all flights to Italy and Thailand for the next two weeks after both countries reported a sharp rise in coronavirus cases. El Al has direct flights to Milan, Venice, Rome, and Naples in Italy via its Sundor subsidiary as well as a frequent line to Bangkok. As expected, El Al is also forced to postpone the launch of its direct line to Tokyo. The first such flight was supposed to take off from Israel on March 11 and was expected to be extremely lucrative but will now have to wait until April 4 due to an uptick in coronavirus cases in Japan. Israel’s largest airline also announced last week that it is preparing to lay off 1,000 employees within the next few weeks. In a statement, CEO El Al Gonen Ussishkin said that “in light of recent developments and a decrease in the company’s operations,” he instructed the VP of human resources at the company “to formulate a plan to reduce the workforce in the company by a thousand people.” Three-hundred employees of the company will also take immediate unpaid leave. While El Al has been struggling financially in recent years, it now faces a real danger of declaring bankruptcy due to the financial aftershocks caused by the coronavirus. Earlier

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

in the week, El Al officials told the Tel Aviv Stock Index that it expects to lose $50 million this quarter as a direct result of the virus.

Others Indicted in Sub Scandal

Two more former defense officials were indicted on Thursday for their role in a bombshell bribery scandal. Known as “Case 3000,” the probe explored allegations that German shipyard Thyssenkrupp bribed senior and influential defense officials in order to persuade Israel to buy its submarines. The police investigation ensnared some of the country’s most powerful people, including several close confidants of Prime Minister Netanyahu. Last week, the State Attorney’s Office announced that it would indict Brigadier-General Avriel Bar Yosef of requesting a bribe, taking a bribe, fraud, and breach of trust. Bar Yosef stands accused of demanding and accepting bribes from Thyssenkrupp in exchange for promoting the company’s interests among Israel’s security’s establishment. A central figure in the scandal, Bar-Yosef has an extensive background in Israel’s defense establishment and was tapped by Netanyahu to be the country’s National Security Advisor until the allegations surfaced. An officer in the Navy until 2003, when he reached the rank of brigadier-general, Bar Yosef also directed the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and was deputy national security advisor from 2009 until 2015. Bar Yosef’s attorney told the press that the charges were baseless and that his innocence would be proven in court. “He never asked for and never received any kind of benefit for activities related to his role,” said attorney Jack Chen. “They were done only for the interest of the public and through untainted professional considerations.” The other official slated to stand

trial is Brigadier General Shai Brosh, who faces charges of requesting a bribe, taking a bribe, tax offenses, and money laundering. The former commander of the elite Shayetet 13 commando unit, Shai Brosh served as an officer in the Navy until his release in 2001 at the rank of brigadier general. According to prosecutors, Brosh joined Bar Yosef in demanding bribes from the German shipyard and promised that he would persuade close personal friends who worked with Netanyahu to approve the submarine acquisition.

and give it away

CHOOSE JOY

Sheba Named 9th Best in the World

Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer has been named the ninth best hospital in the world by Newsweek. Last year, it earned the tenth slot on the list. The hospital, located east of Tel Aviv, is Israel’s largest medical facility and cares for approximately 1.6 million people annually. The facility is also home to more than one-quarter of all Israeli clinical research. Newsweek cited the hospital’s collaborations with biotech and pharmaceutical companies worldwide to develop new drugs and treatments, in addition to research specialties including cardiology, cancer, brain diseases and genetics. The Rochester-based Mayo Clinic nabbed the top spot on the list for the second year in a row. Cleveland Clinic and Massachusetts General Hospital followed behind. Tel Aviv’s Sourasky Medical Center, also known as Ichilov Hospital, was named the world’s 34th leading hospital. Other leading hospitals included Toronto General Hospital, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Johns Hopkins Hospital, University Hospital Zurich, and Singapore General Hospital. “The selection reflects another

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year of excellent and advanced medicine, breakthrough research and world-leading innovation,” said Sheba Medical Center director-general Prof. Yitshak Kreiss, a former IDF Surgeon General who has headed the hospital since 2016. “I am happy and proud of each one of our 9,131 dedicated and professional employees who think outside of the box every day. The continued rise in the rankings puts us in line with the world’s leading hospitals. As in every situation, and especially today when we are leading the national effort to treat the coronavirus, it is a privilege to provide the Israeli population with the best medicine in the world.” Sheba Medical Center was tasked with establishing Israel’s first facility for the quarantine and treatment of individuals who test positive for the novel coronavirus and citizens who returned from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.

Joint Drill Commences

Despite concerns over coronavirus, the 10th annual Juniper Cobra exercise between the IDF and the United States Europe Command began on Tuesday, with hundreds of U.S. troops landing in Israel to take part. The drill is taking place from March 3 to March 13, and will be the largest IDF and EUCOM joint exercise taking place this year, with more than 2,500 U.S. troops participating in several different locations – in Israel, Europe, and the United States. Some

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600 American troops, who arrived in Israel in recent weeks, will be training in Israel alongside a thousand Israeli Air Defense troops, logistics units, medical forces, and additional IDF units. “The objectives of the exercise are to strengthen cooperation, coordination and mutual learning between the two armies, as well as to improve the capability to defend against missile threats, and joint air defense,” the IDF said. The drills will simulate a scenario in which American forces will be deployed to Israel to work alongside the IDF’s air defense. The troops will practice scenarios of missile threats in various sectors. The simulations will include the use of the Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 missile-defense systems, advanced versions of the Iron Dome, and the David Sling system as well as a ballistic image management center, in collaboration with the Home Front Command. While the 600 American troops were deployed to Israel as part of Juniper Cobra, the U.S. military and IDF called off a joint exercise over concerns of the new coronavirus. The Eagle Genesis exercise between the IDF’s Ground Forces and

EUCOM troops to train against regional threats was canceled, and more than 60 U.S. personnel who had traveled to Israel returned to their bases on Friday, at the request of the Israeli government. A U.S. military official said that the drill was canceled “out of an abundance of caution” despite none of the American troops, including paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade stationed in Italy, having been reported ill. Israel’s Health Ministry has included Italy on the list of countries from which people arriving in the country must be quarantined. Also on Tuesday, the Home Front Command, in collaboration with the Education Ministry and local authorities, held a security drill simulating a missile attack at schools around the country. As part of the drill, which examined the competence and maintenance of institutions’ bomb shelters, all students practiced getting into protected spaces during recess time at 10:05 a.m. Washington and Jerusalem have signed an agreement that would see the U.S. assist Israel with missile defense in times of war.

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America the Beautiful

Land of the free, home of the beautiful. Last week, the National Park Service (NPS) announced their 2019 list of the nation’s most popular national parks, with Great Smoky Mountains National Park across the North Carolina-Tennessee border coming in at first place. Over 327 million people visited National Park sites in 2019, a 2.9% increase since the previous year, and the third highest number since

record keeping began in 1904. (The park service itself wasn’t created until 1916.) “The numbers once again affirm that Americans and visitors from around the world love the natural, cultural, and historic experience provided by our nation’s national parks,” said Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt. Of the 62 national parks, Great Smoky Mountains and Grand Canyon National Park have held the top two spots since 1990. They are followed, respectively, by Rocky Mountain National Park (CO), Zion National Park (UT), and Yosemite National Park (CA). The NPS doesn’t charge fees at most of its sites, many of which are kept open through a combination of governmental and not-for-profit funding. Visitors to the national park sites spent approximately $20.2 billion in local gateway regions in 2018, according to a May 2019 report by the park service, which translated into 329,000 jobs, $13.6 billion in labor income, $23.4 billion in value added, and $40.1 billion in economic output. Under former President Barack Obama’s 2015 “Every Kid in a Park” program, every fourth grader in the

U.S. is eligible for free year-long national parks passes for the student as well as his or her family. The program attracted over 350,000 students in its first two years of operation and was reauthorized last year for seven more years.

Steyer Stymied

California hedge fund manager Tom Steyer announced this week that he would bow out of the presidential race after failing to gain traction in the Democratic Party’s primaries. Steyer’s announcement came soon after the news broke that he finished a disappointing third in Saturday’s South Carolina primary, behind Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. Steyer had garnered only 11.4

percent, or just over 57,000 votes, in a state he had seen as critical to the viability of his campaign. The poor showing was despite the $24 million of his personal wealth he had spent on ads, leading the billionaire to realize that he had no realistic shot at the nomination. “I said if I didn’t see a path to winning, then I’d suspend my campaign. And honestly, I can’t see a path where I can win the presidency,” Steyer admitted. Running on a climate platform, Steyer had invested tens of millions of dollars on the campaign, with the main focus on winning over South Carolina’s African-American voters. Yet the late entry of fellow billionaire Michael Bloomberg overshadowed Steyer, and his climate change platform failed to win over minorities attracted to the economy-based platforms of Sanders and Biden. Despite officially dropping out, Steyer said that he would continue promoting green legislation as well as the need to defeat President Trump in 2020. “Am I going to continue to work on every single one of these issues?” Steyer said. “Yes, of course I am. I’ve never stopped.”

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Tornado Tears Across TN

At least 19 people were killed in Tennessee early Tuesday, including two in Nashville, when powerful tornadoes ripped through the state. At least 40 structures had collapsed in the ferocious winds in Nashville. Photos and videos shared on social media show walls blasted off buildings, sheet metal wrapped around a pole and trees and electrical lines broken across roads. “It’s not looking good right now. We still have several people missing, a lot of loved ones calling in wanting us to locate their family,” Sheriff Eddie Farris of Putnam County told a local news station, WKRN. “We certainly

hope that number doesn’t go up, but it’s not looking real promising at this point.” More than 44,000 people in the Nashville area were without power as of Tuesday morning. Four substations and multiple distribution lines and power poles had been damaged in the storm. The electric company urged residents to stay away from downed wires, which are assumed to be live. The National Weather Service had urged people in several areas of Tennessee to take cover on Monday as it issued alerts for severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes.

Prison for Ex-Baltimore Mayor Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh was sentenced last week to three years in prison, another three years’ probation, and a fine for boosting the sale of her book in order to fund her reelection bid.

At the sentencing, Maryland U.S. District Court Judge Deborah K. Chasanow harshly criticized Pugh for her actions, singling out a 13-minute video she presented to the court that highlighted her tenure as Baltimore’s mayor.

Calling Pugh’s mayoral record “ironic,” the judge said that “it was precisely that reputation for good work that allowed her to commit these offenses and continue the fraud for as long as she did.” Pugh had issued a public apology before the court and presented dozens of letters from Baltimore officials asking the judge to issue a light sentence, including one from current Mayor Kweisi Mfume. The former mayor pleaded guilty

last year to a slew of charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, and two counts of tax evasion. The fraud had centered around the Healthy Holly book series which Pugh authored. While still a Maryland state senator, Pugh and two aides forced corporate interests to purchase large amounts of her books in order to maintain their government contracts. She and her aides then funneled the proceeds from the sales into her reelection campaign. Both of her aides pleaded guilty to money laundering charges and await sentencing. Apart from the prison time, Pugh will be forced to repay $400,000 to the University of Maryland Medical System, along with $12,000 to the Maryland Auto Insurance Fund. She also loses sums totaling $670,000 and $17,800 that she made from the illicit sales of her books. “This morning was a sad occasion,” U.S. Attorney Robert Hur said after the sentencing. “Holding public office is a rare privilege and an opportunity to serve the community

Super Comeback on Super Tuesday

oe Biden is finally winning. On Tuesday, the former vice president and current presidential candidate managed to win scores of primaries across the United States. It took the 78-year-old 33 years to win a single nominating contest. This week, he reeled off ten wins in a span of four nights. “We have seen, in that 72-hour period, Joe Biden go from being a joke to a juggernaut,” said CNN commentator Van Jones. biden Biden racked up nine primary wins on Super Tuesday, possibly halting Sen. Bernie Sanders who seemed to have been on a winning streak up until then. Biden’s massive victory also helped to convince billionaire Michael Bloomberg – who only won American Samoa on Tuesday – to bow out of the race. Bloomberg said he’s throwing his support behind the former VP. Virginia was the first state to announce its support for Biden on Tuesday. He also dominated in South Carolina, a strong showing with African-American voters. Biden managed to nab Texas, a large state, from Sanders. In a victory speech in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, Biden exulted, “For those that have been knocked down, counted out, left behind, this is your campaign. Just a few days ago the press and the pundits declared the campaign dead! “We are very much alive!” Tuesday’s results were a reminder that many

Democrats are far more conservative than their brethren in early states Iowa and New Hampshire, the states that defined the race’s first exchanges. The next big challenge for the candidates comes in next week’s CNN debate in Arizona. The clash could be the first one-on-one between Sanders and Biden. Biden’s hopes going forward may now depend on how quickly he can build on his Super Tuesday

triumph and scale up his still rudimentary campaign machinery. He will also be under pressure to maintain his more energized, punchy, and emotional stump performances through the grueling weeks to come. Sanders, with his formidable political machine and almost inexhaustible fundraising network of small donors, has the steel and the resources to fight to the end.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

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and get things done that help our community. “And, unfortunately, the type of fraud and public corruption that Ms. Pugh committed – and was sentenced to three years in federal prison for today – undermines everyone’s faith in government and what government can do for the people.”

Trader Joe’s Founder Dies

dlemen, to save on costs. He named several products after his daughters Charlotte and Madeleine and gave quirky names to others. After selling Trader Joe’s to German grocery retailer Aldi in 1979, Coulombe remained as its CEO until 1988, when he left to launch a second career as what he called a “temp,” coming in as interim CEO or consultant for several large companies in transition. He retired in 2013. Coulombe was born on June 3, 1930, in San Diego and lived on an avocado ranch in nearby Del Mar. After serving in the Air Force, he attended Stanford University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics, a master’s in business administration, and met and married his wife, Alice.

Biden Victorious in SC Joe Coulombe, founder of Trader Joe’s, died on Friday at the age of 89. He had opened his first store in Pasadena, California, in 1967 and watched his eponymous business rise from a cult favorite to a giant retail chain with more than 500 stores in more than 40 states. Coulombe had envisioned a new generation of young grocery shoppers emerging in the 1960s, one that wanted healthy, tasty, high-quality food they couldn’t find in most supermarkets and couldn’t afford to buy in the few high-end gourmet outlets. Joe found a way to bring everything from granola – an exotic food item back then – to California-produced wines to his clientele. Shopping at his store was fun, filled with nautical themes and staffed not by managers and clerks but by “captains and mates.” Decades later, Coulombe’s stores are still fun and pride themselves on their friendly customer service and newsletters with quirky and witty comments and notes. “He wanted to make sure whatever was sold in our store was of good value,” said Coulombe’s son, also named Joe. “He always did lots of taste tests. My sisters and I remember him bringing home all kinds of things for us to try. At his offices he had practically daily tastings of new products. Always the aim was to provide good food and good value to people.” Coulombe would buy directly from wholesalers, cutting out mid-

Following losses in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada, former Vice President Joe Biden came roaring back with a crushing victory in South Carolina’s Democratic primaries on Saturday. Biden used his tremendous advantage among African-American voters to rout the rest of the field, racking up 81% of the minority vote and beating runner-up Bernie Sanders by more than 30 points. The win is Biden’s first-ever, despite running for president in 1988 and again in 2008. Having seen his frontrunner status melt away after losing three straight state primaries, Biden announced on Saturday evening that the blowout win was a sign that his comeback had begun. Before a raucous crowd, Biden exulted that “the press and the pundits had declared this candidacy dead,” but “now, thanks to all of you, the heart of the Democratic Party, we won and we won big because of you. “And we are very much alive,” Biden added. “This campaign is taking off!”

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Biden’s victory gave him strong momentum going into Tuesday’s Super Tuesday primaries. Once seen as the leading frontrunner to take on President Trump in 2020, Biden was recently thought to be on the verge of dropping out of the race entirely after being blown out in Iowa and New Hampshire by Senator Bernie Sanders. By coming in first in South Carolina, Biden will likely get least 54 pledged delegates, more than 50% of the 101 that were up for grabs in the state. Biden still trails Sanders, who currently enjoys the highest number of pledged delegates heading into Super Tuesday with 56 to Biden’s 48. Contenders need 1,991 pledged delegates to earn the nomination.

Buttigieg Backs Out

to win in Iowa. But New Hampshire dampened his spirits when Sen. Amy Klobuchar surged to third place, eating into his support base. Buttigieg failed to garner 15% support in both Nevada and South Carolina. Buttigieg, a former Navy intelligence officer who served in Afghanistan, was one of the few military veterans in the race. As a Rhodes Scholar with degrees from Harvard University and the University of Oxford who speaks multiple languages, he also had some of the highest academic credentials in the race. During the campaign, he pitched himself as a moderate alternative to progressive candidates like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, one who was also younger and more in tune with the current Democratic party than Joe Biden. At 38, he was the youngest of the presidential candidates, yet he failed to connect with voters under age 30, who, ironically, tended to favor the 78-year-old Sanders. On the other hand, Buttigieg performed well with older voters.

Jack Welch Dies at 84

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Sunday marked the end for former Mayor Pete Buttigieg when he announced the suspension of his campaign for the Oval Office. The announcement came one day after a disappointing fourth-place finish in South Carolina for Mayor Pete. It also came a day after billionaire Tom Steyer suspended his aspirations for the White House. “A year ago, we launched our campaign for the American presidency,” Buttigieg said on Sunday night to a packed room in South Bend. “We began this unlikely journey with a staff of four in a cramped office right here in South Bend. Hardly anyone knew my name and even fewer could pronounce it.” He continued, “I will no longer seek to be the 2020 Democratic nominee for president, but I will do everything in my power to ensure that we have a new Democratic president come January.” As Buttigieg announced his decision, the crowd responded by chanting “2024! 2024!” a seeming nod to their hope he runs again. The relative unknown candidate – until a few months ago – managed

Jack Welch, a railroad conductor’s son who became chairman and CEO of General Electric and led it for two decades, growing its market value from $12 billion to $410 billion, died at the age of 84 this week. Welch earned two titles – “manager of the century,” and “Neutron Jack” – for slashing tens of thousands of jobs. Under his leadership, GE became the world’s most valuable company, after Microsoft. Its fortunes later turned south. While at the helm, Welch bought and sold scores of businesses, expanding the industrial giant into financial services and consulting. Welch invented the “vitality curve,” in which managers were ranked into three groups. The top 20% “A” group was “filled with passion, committed to making things

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

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happen.” The “vital” 70% “B” group was essential to the company and encouraged to join the A’s. Then there was the bottom 10% “C” group. “The underperformers generally had to go,” Welch said in his 2001 book, Jack: Straight From the Gut. Welch was born in 1935, in Peabody, Massachusetts, to Irish-American parents. His father was a conductor for the Boston & Maine Railroad, and his mother was a homemaker. Welch studied chemical engineering

at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1960. He joined GE in 1960 as a chemical engineer in its plastics division in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Welch insisted that all of GE’s divisions be market leaders. ‘‘Fix it, close it or sell it,” he was fond of saying. Fortune magazine dubbed him “manager of the century” in 1999. “Though he acted with what seemed at the time like blitzkrieg aggressive-

ness, he regretted in later years that he hadn’t moved even faster,” Fortune editorial director Geoffrey Colvin wrote in explaining the title. “Having been handed one of the treasures of American enterprise, he said, he was ‘afraid of breaking it.’ Not only did Welch not break it, but he transformed it as well and multiplied its value beyond anyone’s expectations.” Welch retired from GE in September 2001, days before the 9/11 attacks. After leaving GE, Welch became a

business consultant, engaged in public speaking and TV appearances, including on CNBC, wrote a column and books, and opened a for-profit management institute.

Coronavirus Circulating

It’s possible that coronavirus has been circulating undetected in Washington State for the past six weeks. Researchers conducted genetic sequencing of two virus samples. One is from a patient who traveled from China to Snohomish County in mid-January and was the first person diagnosed with the disease in the United States. The other came from a recently diagnosed patient in the same county, a high school student with no travel-related or other known exposure to the coronavirus. “This strongly suggests that there has been cryptic transmission in Washington State for the past 6 weeks,” Trevor Bedford, a biologist involved in the research, wrote. “I believe we’re facing an already substantial outbreak in Washington State that was not detected until now due to narrow case definition requiring direct travel to China.” Officials in Seattle and King County on Sunday announced that four more people have tested positive for the coronavirus, including the second person in the state to die of the virus. That brings the outbreak in Washington state to 13 cases. Of the four new cases, the three surviving patients range in age from their 70s to 90s, have underlying health conditions and are in critical condition, health officials said. The first coronavirus death in the United States was announced on Saturday. Health officials in Washington State and across the nation said they expect that numbers will continue to rise in the wake of the decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week to widen testing guidelines. Over the weekend, new cases were reported in Americans who had recently traveled to South

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

Korea and Italy, including one person in Rhode Island, the state’s first case. The health department in Santa Clara County, Calif., in the heart of Silicon Valley, announced three new coronavirus cases Sunday evening, bringing to seven the total number of cases there. The announcement gave few details about the cases. Late Sunday, the office of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced two “presumptively positive” cases of the coronavirus. California and Oregon, like Washington, have reported coronavirus infections in people who did not travel to regions hit hard by the outbreak or have contact with people known to be infected. The United States has dozens of other confirmed infections, the majority of them people who were among the passengers on the cruise ship Diamond Princess. At least two people in New York State have been confirmed to have contracted the virus. The international picture has continued to worsen, with spikes in cases in South Korea, Iran and Italy in recent days. Worldwide, almost 90,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus, and 3,000 have died.

Klobuchar Calls it Quits

Another one bites the dust. On Monday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced that she is ending her 2020 White House bid and endorsing former Vice President Joe Biden. Klobuchar dropped out less than 24 hours after former Mayor Pete Buttigieg ended his campaign for the presidency. Trailing in the delegate race for the Democratic presidential nomination, the three-term senator from Minnesota pulled herself out of contention after a series of disappointing showings in the early caucuses and primaries. Though buoyed by strong debate performances and a surprising third-place finish in New Hampshire on February 11, Klobuchar failed to break into the top ranks of a crowded Democratic field, even

as she outlasted several other better-known rivals. She finished sixth in both the Nevada caucus and the South Carolina primary, a sign that she was failing to win over Latino and black voters so important to the national Democratic coalition.

Elephant for Rent

YOU TYPICALLY DON’T RUN INTO A BURNING BUILDING…. ...unless a child is trapped. You don’t do it because you want to. You leap into action because you need to.

Interested in sleeping in an elephant for three nights? The owners of New Jersey’s Lucy the Elephant recently announced that the famous animal is being listed on Airbnb for three nights, giving a few privileged guests the opportunity to sleep inside the 138-year-old structure. The interior of the Margate elephant is being decorated in a Victorian style to resemble its appearance when it was a vacation home in the early 20th century. Standing a regal six stories high, Lucy the Elephant was built in 1881 and is older than the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. She hosted her first stay in 1902, and over the years has served as a tavern and even hosted former United States President Woodrow Wilson. When she first opened as a tourist attraction, visitors were able to tour her interior for a mere 10 cents. Want to earn the bragging rights for the most interesting place to lay down your head? Lucy is only being listed for March 17 through 19 and will be available for $138 a night. Better start packing your trunk.

60th Celebration If your birthday is May 14, you’re not alone. Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga is turning 60 on that day and is planning to share the celebration by

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inviting along all Swiss citizens who have the same birthday.

How many people will be blowing out the candles with Sommaruga? There were 94,372 births in Switzerland in 1960 – the year Sommaruga was born – meaning that the average maximum number of invitees would be around 258. Lest you think that you can crash this party, participants will be asked to submit a copy of their passport on the presidency website. For now, the location is secret, although it will be in the Bern area – the Swiss capital. The Swiss presidency is a largely ceremonial role that rotates annually between leading political parties. Sommaruga, a Socialist Party member who already served as president in 2015, took up her post on January 1 and delivered her New Year’s address from her local bakery. Any guesses on where they’ll be baking the birthday cake?

Pancake Pursuit

Think your morning schedule is hectic? Try flipping pancakes and participating in a marathon at the same time. Katie Godor from Buckinghamshire in the UK tasted a sweet victory over Whitney Hay from Kansas when she won the annual pancake race between their British and American hometowns. Godor ran the 71st International Pancake Day race with a time of 1:06 seconds. Hay came in just under Godor with a time of 1.09. Guess she got stuck in the syrup along the way.

Women in the event must run a 380-meter race while carrying a pancake in a frying pan and flipping it at the beginning and end. The race began in Olney in the 15th century. Liberal, Kansas, challenged Olney to an international competition in 1950. The event expanded this year in Liberal to a fourday event that includes pancake eating and flipping contests, a parade, and a carnival. Other events include a 5K fun run and races for all ages. Nothing tastes sweeter than the taste of victory – along with a stack of pancakes.

Leaping Twice

What are the chances? They say that lightning never strikes twice in one place, but for Lindsay and Dane Demchak their two children both were born on a most unusual day. Four years ago, on February 29, 2016, the Demchaks gave birth to their son, Omri. This year, on Saturday, they welcomed their next child, daughter Scout, into this world. Scout was born on February 29, 2020. Yup, they now have two “leaplings” in their family. “Deep down, I wanted it to happen and always joked with my wife that she will be born then, too, but never really believed it [would] happen again,” Dane said. “I think they said the odds were 1 in 2 million.” Scout was actually due to be born on March 4 but popped out on February 29 before the Demchaks were about to celebrate Omri’s birthday. Because February 29 only comes around every four years, they plan on celebrating Omri’s birthday on February 28 and Scout’s birthday on March 1. When there’s a leap year, the siblings will have a giant, joint birthday on February 29. “Hopefully, it becomes a tradition that carries on with them as they grow old and something that keeps them close forever,” Dane said. Yup, sounds like they’re leaping for joy.

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Community Word Fun at YOSS

OSS celebrated literacy week in true YOSS style! In conjunction with the annual PTA book fair, Yeshiva of South Shore celebrated Literacy Week. The week was kicked off with our theme – words. We all know how important it is to choose the right words. How we use our words can make a person feel happy or sad, excited or angry. But most of all, the right words can make a person feel cared for and comfortable. At Yeshiva of South Shore, we teach

our talmidim to always think about their words before they say them. Literacy week was a week of fully immersing the boys in lots and lots of words. The classroom lessons were incredibly creative and exciting. Literacy games could be seen being played all around the building. Book swaps, peer reading activities, and more kept every student excited and engaged in learning more and more about words. A huge thank you to our amazing

PTA for bringing in an illustrator, David O. Miller, to teach the boys (grades 2-5) how illustrations are made so the characters come alive. We have some young budding illustrators amongst us! The first graders were treated to a Pajama Night, where they had story time with a special guest, Miss Frizzle! Ms. Frizzle was none other than our very own principal, Mrs. Leah Girnun. Both mother and son had a fun time listening to a Magic School

Bus book about space, having a special treat, and making cool rocket ship pencil holders. The boys especially enjoyed shopping at the book fair after the program. A special thank you to Mrs. Lowenstein’s fourth grade class for donating the lending library to Monika’s office. The boys learned about the origin of libraries and decided to create their own! Boys are free to come and borrow or donate a book anytime. A great week was had by all!

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

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Yeshiva of South Shore Invests in the Future at 63rd Annual Banquet PHOTO CREDIT: IRA THOMAS

n overflow crowd of hundreds of people, ranging from alumni to parents and former parents, joined together to invest in the future of Yeshiva of South Shore at their 63rd Annual Banquet at the Sands of Atlantic Beach. The enthusiastic crowd, who came to pay homage to the distinguished honorees, had a wonderful evening of camaraderie with the delectable food of Sharmel Caterers, all while supporting Torah and the children of the yeshiva through the scholarship fund. Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, Dean and Rosh Yeshiva, opened the evening by asking why Moshe Rabbeinu could not throw the keruvim into the fire to form them miraculously, just as he did to the menorah. He explained with the theme of the evening – one that resonated throughout the night: He quoted his father, Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky, zt”l, the founding rosh yeshiva, that when it comes to educating a child, there are no shortcuts. Every single detail must be painstakingly molded and crafted. Chinuch is a labor of love, and every mechanech and every parent must take the time to lovingly carve and mold each and every child. This is the mission of YOSS, where they know the stories behind every child and they take the time to understand and mold each child individually. The Yeshiva also took the opportunity to recognize Guests of Honor, Mr. Robby and Mrs. Sheri Zimmermann, who have been integral pillars of our Yeshiva for countless years. Robby serves as Chairman of our Board of Directors, helping to guide the Yeshiva. Parents of the Year, Zahava and Roni Benjamini, are dynamic leaders in the yeshiva. Both Robbie and Roni serve on the

building committee and are integral parts of the yeshiva’s renovation and building plans. The YOSS Ahavas Chesed Award was presented to Mr. Moishe Heller on behalf of the Grandell Rehabilitation & Nursing Center. Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky, zt”l, was among one of the foremost residents of the Grandell in recent years who was assisted with outstanding care and attention. Mr. Heller, the corporate administrator of the Grandell, was able to learn about our yeshiva through the relationship he developed during the many visits by Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky and the countless South Shore alumni and families. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin, the beloved columnist at Mishpacha magazine, was the recipient of the Rav

Binyamin Kamenetzky, zt”l, Alumnus Award. He is a proud talmid of our yeshiva, the Director of Education for NCSY, and an instructor at Yeshiva University where he teaches courses on public policy, religious crisis, and rabbinic thought. As a gesture of gratitude, the yeshiva was proud to bestow Mr. Donald X. Clavin, the newly elected Town of Hempstead Supervisor, with the Leadership in Government Award. For 18 years, he held the position of the Town’s Receiver of Taxes while working to help residents reduce their property taxes through “tax challenge” seminars, and as Superintendent, he is integral to the growth of the community and yeshiva. A beautiful video by award winning producer Gi Orman of Big Pro-

ductions was another highlight of the evening. Skillfully crafting the voices and faces of the children, the large audience reveled in the “South Shore Experience.” The evening ended with a delicious Viennese spread and with the fourth grade’s choir performance, led by Rabbi Shlomo Drebin. Once again, they boys performed fabulously, and there was a standing room-only crowd watching and enjoying. All the guests left with a reinforced good feeling about their children’s education as well as an appreciation for the yeshiva and its accomplishments. Once again, Yeshiva of South Shore orchestrated a perfect event and lived up to their reputation for having an enjoyable dinner year after year.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

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Adar at SKA

t’s not hard to tell that the month of Adar has arrived – just walk around the hallways at SKA! The spirit of Purim has already permeated the school as girls dressed up on Tuesday, February 25, to celebrate Rosh Chodesh Adar. The seniors chose “Senior Citizens” as their costume theme while the juniors dressed as “Adults,” the sophomores as “Children and Tweens,” and freshmen as “Babies.” The Rosh Chodesh breakfast in the gym was particularly joyous as each grade enjoyed a full breakfast clad in eye-catching clothing. Antic-

ipating the upcoming yom tov, the ruach in the room was truly spirited. It was not easy to choose a winner for SKA’s Best Costume Contest!

The Ganger Early Childhood at TAG was treated to a day of moonbounce fun in celebration of Rosh Chodesh Adar

The Ganger Early Childhood at TAG jumped right into the spirit of Adar with face paint and clown noses on Rosh Chodesh Adar

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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HAFTR Hosts Largest Yeshiva Model Congress in U.S.

Purim during the Holocaust

By Gabriel Kurlander

n today’s world, society faces more hurdles than ever. Pressing problems such as obstructions to economic mobility, widespread perpetual cycles of poverty, environmental ramifications of emitting greenhouse gasses, fragile foreign relations, and governmental corruption have inundated the world and require solutions. Hence, HAFTR High School hosted the 25th Annual Yeshiva League Model Congress, where students actively participate in political debate and problem-solving. Over 250 students, representing 13 yeshiva high schools from the tri-state area, competed or acted as a presiding officer at the event, held at Lawrence High School on Wednesday, February 19. “Yeshiva League Model Congress is one of the largest tournaments for Yeshiva students in the country,” said Alex Libkind, Director of Yeshiva League Model Congress. “HAFTR is honored to once again host so many students and schools at this year’s event.” “Everyone at YLMC was engrossed in creating creative solutions to national problems, and eager to take action on the issues even after the event ended,” said Ilana Sacolick, co-president of the Yeshiva League

Model Congress. “It was truly meaningful to see excitement surrounding so many controversial issues.” Students submitted and debated over 200 bills, across 21 committee chambers, discussing issues ranging from agriculture and energy, to healthcare and pensions, to veterans’ affairs and homeland security. In addition to addressing prevalent national and global matters, the forum convened to discuss crises, or hypothetical scenarios. In crises, a hypothetical event is presented to the committee and members of the chamber must propose their own extemporized solutions to the situation. The event was an entertaining outlet for students to express their creative ideas and feelings regarding national problems. Overall, the event was exciting and successful, and HAFTR High School looks forward to hosting the Yeshiva League Model Congress next year.

n Wednesday, February 26, the eighth grade class of Shulamith Middle Division were privileged to participate in a special lesson taught by Rabbi Moshe Cohn of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. Rabbi Cohn’s lesson highlighted the resilience of Jews during the Holocaust who celebrated Purim despite the difficulties and danger to their lives. The girls were moved to hear various accounts of spiritual heroism. One account was about how one group of Jews who were enslaved by the Nazis wrote a Megillah from memory

so that they could participate in the mitzvah of hearing the Megillah. They were also touched to hear how even those who were starving gave gifts of mishloach manot to others. Rabbi Cohn engaged his audience by showing them visual documentation and allowing them to fully participate in the session. Students came away with a strong sense of pride in the Jewish nation and a desire to emulate those who heroically clung to their faith and to the performance of mitzvot in the most terrible times.

Topsy Turvy at Gesher

LIBC Annual Melaveh Malkah

he captains were in attendance. The Le’olam Chesed Yibaneh recipient, Mrs. Paraveneh Khodadadian, and family were jubilant. The guests were enjoying the wine and cheese tasting and a dairy Melaveh Malkah. This is some of what was happening on Motzei Shabbos, Parshas Terumah 2020, at our annual Long Island Bikur Cholim Melavah Malkah. The second pasuk in the parsha ends off by stating, “From every person, whose heart urges him, you should take My portion” (of what I gave extra to each Jew), thus teaching us that every Jew was given certain extra gifts, talents, capabilities, connections, social media networking skills, oration skills, etc. to use for their own benefit. However, we all

owe it to Hashem, the Bestower, to use at least a portion of those “extra gifts” to serve Him. That is what the captains of the Long Island Bikur Cholim do on a regular basis. They use their “extra gifts “to serve Hashem by relieving the pain, suffering, and feelings of loneliness of the old and sick members of our community. This is also what “the G-dmother of Chesed,” Mrs. Paravaneh Khodadadian, has been doing for the seniors in our community for over two decades. If you too would like to join them in what they do and use your “extra gifts” to serve Hashem by visiting the old and sick, with our captains, please contact them by finding them on our website, longislandbikurcholim.org.

he Rosh Chodesh Adar excitement at the Gesher Early Childhood Center was a true expression of Mishenichnas Adar marbin b’simcha. The first day of rosh chodesh was the annual Grandparents Day, which featured a beautiful art exhibit showcasing the children’s creative talents. And in the spirit of the upcoming Purim, the second day, which was actual-

ly the first day of Adar, was the annual Topsy Turvy Day. Administrators, morahs, and children all were decked out in something wacky, upside down, mismatched, or backwards. It was quite a sight, lending a light touch, and giving the students a chance to experience the meaning of v’nahapachu, reminding them that Hashem brings salvation in an instant.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

SUNDAY, MARCH 15TH, 2020 10AM—12PM YOUNG ISRAEL OF WOODMERE Refreshments will be served

J O I N U S AT A S P E C I A L P R E S E N TAT I O N FO R G I R L S & WO M E N

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Introductory words of inspiration by noted lecturer, Mrs. Michal Horowitz, “Spiritual

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Strength in the Working World”

Where Knowledge and Values Meet

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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BYQ Annual Science Fair

he sixth and seventh graders of Bais Yaakov of Queens eagerly anticipated the annual science fair to share and display their scientific explorations with their families. Parents and teachers packed the school and were extremely impressed with the girls’ work as they circulated through-

out the gym and cafeteria to hear each girl articulate about the scientific process

and research. The showboards were works of art as much as they were scientific

journeys. The project topics were so varied and included topics such as how much

weight egg shells can hold, building architecture, wind resistance, and buoyancy. The girls shared their questions, hypotheses, research, and experiment results. Although all the girls were stars in every sense, the judges had to choose the most outstanding explorations. Mazal tov and hatzlacha to the winners who will, iy”H, represent Bais Yaakov of Queens and compete in the Inter Yeshiva Science Congress in the spring.

Names, Not Numbers at HANC

Rabbi Lemberger’s seventh grade shiur at YOSS celebrated the completion of Moed Katan with a trip to Long Beach Ice Skating

Central Competes at Model Congress

ongratulations to Central’s Model Congress team, led by their captains, senior Meirav Grajower and junior Rachelle Winokur, on winning 12 awards at the Yeshiva League Model Congress last week. Special congratulations to Rachelle Winokur on winning first place

overall. The team competed against various schools, playing important roles in different committees. Faculty advisor Mr. Erez Bar Levy said that he is “incredibly proud of the team. They are entirely student-led, and they led themselves to victory.”

he eighth grade at HANC had an amazing experience this week. The grade was divided up into groups and had the opportunity to interview Holocaust survivors. The students prepared extensively for these interviews. They studied their survivor’s bio and used it to prepare questions which would include the survivors’ memories from before, during, and after the war. The experience was one the students will never forget. As each survivor entered the building, he/she was greeted by our students. The interactions were wonderful. One of the highlights of the program was the intergenerational component. Seeing the faces of the survivors light up and seeing the students’ faces respond in kind was nothing short of magical. The survivor was escorted upstairs to the interview room, which was turned

into a real set complete with video, sound, and light equipment. Each student took turns in the roles of interviewer, sound, video, and observer. The students were trained and directed by the Names, Not Numbers© production crew. We thank Michael Puro for all of his hard work with the project. The interviews themselves were most memorable. There were so many poignant moments. One of the highlights of the week was hearing from HANC High School Rebbe, Rabbi Tsvi Selengut, who discussed the importance of emunah as it relates to the Holocaust. The students were mesmerized by Rabbi Selengut’s stories and insights into this topic. Special hakarat hatov to Mr. Dov Rosenberg and Mrs. Tova Rosenberg for all of their help in making this week so special for the students.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

SOMETIMES LAUGHTER REALLY IS THE BEST MEDICINE. When a child faces an uncomfortable or painful procedure, a smiling face or silly joke can make all the difference. The Dream Doctor medical clowns at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem found that when they engage and distract patients, the children report feeling less pain. For more than a century, Shaare Zedekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s medical staff has been helping patients heal through advanced medical treatments and compassionate care â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even those that include squeaky toys and red noses.

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MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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Mesivta Netzach HaTorah Annual Dinner

esivta Netzach HaTorah of Woodmere will be celebrating its 3rd Annual Scholarship Dinner on March 16 and will be honoring a group of most deserving individuals: Dovid and Shoshana Kirschenbaum, Dovi and Chaya Weiser, and Rabbi Yitzy Stern Guests of Honor Dovid and Shoshana Kirschenbaum “V’yichan sham Yisroel neged ha’har.” Rashi comments, “K’ish echad, b’lev echad.” The entire Klal Yisroel acted in unison, in unity, with one mission and of one mind. Our guests of honor, the Kirschenbaums, take the same approach in their support of Mesivta Netzach HaTorah. They are all-in. Unlimited in their assistance. With one mission and of one mind to help the Mesivta continue to prosper and deliver to its students. It is a frequent occurrence to see Dovid in the Mesivta – davening, speaking, joining. He is a regular attendee at programs and events. Both he and Shoshana open their house for parlor meetings. Dovid sits on the executive committee. They are both involved in the education of their son, Yehuda, at the Mesivta and of all the talmidim. Dovid and Shoshana are resources

that fuel the Mesivta. The Kirschenbaums have been fixtures in the community for over 18 years. Together with their four children, Yehuda, Sari, Yermi and Effy, they have built a home of chessed and Torah. From coordinating the routes for Tomchei Shabbos to using their professions as a mortgage broker, special ed. teacher and designer, Dovid and Shoshana are always putting the needs of the tzibbur first. At the same time, every day begins with Dovid learning with his longtime chavrusa and brother-in-law, R’ Yanky Sax. Torah and chessed are the bedrock of the Kirschenbaum home. Guests of Honor Dovi and Chaya Weiser In tefillah we refer to the Beis HaMikdash as Dvir Beisecha. Meforshim explain that this is because the Beis HaMikdash was where the word of Hashem was heard. Being a person of words is like having a chelek in the dvar Hashem. Our guests of honor, Dovi and Chaya Weiser, know what to say and how best to say it. They are parents that one can speak with for advice and sensible direction. They are a sounding board for ideas and deliver thoughtful input. Dovi is a member of the executive

committee and Chaya has, amongst other roles, been of essential help in guaranteeing the smooth running of the day-to-day activities in the Mesivta. Their commitment to Yehuda’s growth ensures their constant involvement in the Mesivta’s development. This approach is not limited to their support of the Mesivta. Dovi and Chaya, together with their children, Adina and Yitzy Elefant, Miriam, Yehuda, Ahuva and Refael, have learned from their parents, to take an active role in the community. As president of GFI Realty, Dovi is always coming up with creative ways to use his position to help the Klal. They are also active members of the board of RCCS and Shalom Torah Academy and founders of their shul, Bais Medrash Ateres Shlomo. It is a privilege to have Dovid and Shoshana Kirschenbaum and Dovi and Chaya Weiser as our Guests of Honor. Harbatzas Torah Award Rabbi Yitzy Stern When we think of Rabbi Stern, we think of passion. He is constantly in motion during yeshiva – teaching, talking with talmidim, discussing ideas and options, and preparing. He spends much time en-

suring that his shiur will reach each talmid. Rabbi Stern understands the great importance of connecting and completing the connection with his talmidim. He is a source of support and his time is his talmidim’s time. Above and beyond, Rabbi Stern is constantly giving to the Mesivta; one never gets the sense that he has “fulfilled his obligation.” On the contrary, the words most commonly out of his mouth are, “What can I do to help the Mesivta?” Rabbi Stern’s involvement in chinuch doesn’t go on vacation in the summer as he continues to be marbitz Torah in Camp Agudah, where he has been a learning rebbe and division head for close to a decade. Together with his wife, Tova, and children, Chaim, Avigail and Shalom, the Stern home in Far Rockaway is always open to his talmidim, whether it be a Shabbos seudah, Friday night oneg or just to “schmooze.” Rabbi Stern has been with the Mesivta since its inception and is an integral part of its growth and development. It is our privilege to award him with the Harbatzas Torah Award at our upcoming dinner. Please join us on March 16 to pay tribute to our honorees and help support our growing Mesivta.

A Fun-Filled Trip

TA juniors had an incredible time on their two-day, action-packed Junior Trip, which took place on February 26-27. From golf, indoor sports, and snowtubing to the Nickelodeon amusement park at the new American Dream mall, broomball, midnight

BBQ, lively minyanim, and inspirational shiurim, talmidim really had a blast! Gradewide trips are the perfect opportunity for talmidim to spend time and make friends with boys they may not share classes with, bond with their rebbeim outside the classroom, and have fun with friends.

Purim spirit is in the air at HANC ECC in West Hempstead

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

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MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

BBY Annual Dinner

nos Bais Yaakov and Tichon Meir Moshe’s annual dinner will be held on Wednesday, March 18 at the Sands Atlantic Beach. This year, we are proud to have Dr. and Mrs. Akiva and Malia Bergman as our Guests of Honor. Dr. Bergman is an internist practicing in Staten Island, and Mrs. Bergman works as a SEIT at Yeshiva Darchei Torah. Their daughter, Miriam, is a graduate of TMM and is currently teaching in TMM and BBY; their daughter, Aliza, is an eleventh grader in Tichon Meir Moshe. In supporting BBY, Dr. Bergman follows in the footsteps of his father, Mr. Sam Bergman, who serves as Vice President of the Board of Trustees of Bnos Bais Yaakov. The Bergmans have been supporters and advocates of BBY and respected members of the Far Rockaway community for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Lily Weichholz will receive our Parents of

the Year Award. Mr. Weichholz is the Assistant Controller at MacAndrews & Forbes. Mrs. Weichholz is an occupational therapist with the Lawrence School District. Their daughters, Miri, Ayala and Suri, attend BBY. Residents of Woodmere, Mr. and Mrs. Weichholz descend from stalwart oskim b’tzorchei tzibbur and follow the example of their parents and grandparents in their support of BBY. Receiving our Kesser Shem Tov Award will be Mr. and Mrs. Yosef and Vivi Moskowitz. Mr. Moskowitz is a financial and insurance advisor and founder of Zodiac Wealth Management, while Mrs. Moskowitz works part-time as a freelance bookkeeper but spends the bulk of her time caring for their five children. Their daughter, Nava, is a sixth grader in Bnos Bais Yaakov. In their support of BBY, they follow the tradition of the Moskowitz and Gutkind families, which have been planting seeds of

chessed in the Five Towns community for over thirty-five years. The Moskowitzes are active members of the North Woodmere community. They are visionaries who are fierce advocates of Bnos Bais Yaakov. Mr. and Mrs. Shlomo and Hindi Salamon will be receiving our Amudim Award. Mr. Salamon deals in real estate in New Jersey, and Mrs. Salamon is the Administrative Director of the Yeled v’Yalda office in Darchei Torah. Their daughters, Miriam and Esther, are in third grade and Pre-1A, respectively. The girls love school and can’t wait to go each day. The Salamons hail from Inwood where they are looked up to as paragons of chessed. They can always be counted on to help in their quiet and unassuming way when called upon by BBY. We will be presenting our Etz Chaim Award to Mr. and Mrs. Yehoshua and Jasmin Livian, longtime residents of Great Neck. Mr. Livian

is the owner of the SY Designs jewelry company. Mrs. Livian works part-time at Gali’s Couture Wigs. The Livians have five children in Bnos Bais Yaakov and Tichon Meir Moshe: Shayna, Ahuva, Shifra, Temima and Elisheva, ranging from twelfth to third grades. They have been ambassadors of BBY from the moment they joined the Bnos Bais Yaakov family. We are proud to honor such a worthy and esteemed group of individuals. This year marks the 75th year since the Liberation. In commemoration, Bnos Bais Yaakov is paying tribute to our BBY families’ She’aris Hapleita grandparents and great-grandparents, sh”tichyu. A special tribute and memento will be presented at the Dinner. Please join us in celebration of our heroes who have set the foundations for our flourishing Torah institutions and Yiddishkeit, as we know it today.

Cross River Joins America Saves Week

ross River Bank (“Cross River”), a leading innovator and provider of banking services for technology companies, hosted a week-long series of events for America Saves Week in conjunction with local high schools, libraries, universities and non-profits. America Saves Week, an annual event coordinated by America Saves which was held the week of February 24-28, 2020, is a celebration and a call to action for hardworking Americans to commit to saving successfully. “As a leading financial services provider, Cross River recognizes that it is not enough to provide our tech solutions, but it is incumbent upon us to be in the community, providing resources for consumers to take control of their financial wellbeing,” said Phil Goldfeder, SVP Public Affairs at Cross River. “America Saves Week is a great reminder about the importance

of saving and an opportunity to provide education and enable families to prepare for their financial future.” In honor of America Saves Week, Cross River hosted a series of community-wide financial literacy events in New York and New Jersey, as well as curated content on social media, to

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encourage consumers to take control of their financial health. On Monday, Cross River joined Fort Lee High School to discuss goal setting, managing a budget and maximizing savings with students. Additionally, in conjunction with the Teaneck Public Library, Cross River employees spoke to residents on financial literacy in the digital age and how they can save money in the new age of banking. On Wednesday, Cross River spoke to students of the Makor College Experience at Yeshiva University in New York about ways to save and navigate careers in banking. “I would like to thank Cross River for their America Saves presentation,”

said Giuseppa Maceri, Academy of Finance Coordinator and Internship Director. “Our students at the Fort Lee High School Academy of Finance were interested and engaged and gained valuable insight in banking and savings. We hope that we will continue to involve Cross River in our students’ work-based learning activities in the future.” As a leading fintech bank, Cross River is taking an innovative approach to financial literacy education by highlighting how technology has the potential to support greater financial inclusion while ensuring consumer protection. Cross River kicked off its Financial Literacy Initiative in early 2019 and has since taught over 400 families financial literacy in New York and New Jersey. While it began as a series of community events, the initiative has evolved into something much larger, encompassing events, partnerships, literary resources and high school curricula, all with the goal of providing a modern approach to financial education with a strong focus on technology and inclusion. With Cross River representatives on the ground at public schools, civic centers and senior living homes, the company includes every demographic and age group in its outreach.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

BNOS BAIS YAAKOV 26TH ANNUAL DINNER SEVENTY FIVE YEARS SINCE THE LIBERATION

Paying Tribute to the She’aris Hapleita

OUR GRANDPARENT SURVIVORS

PLACE YOUR AD & RESERVE TODAY! The school that had a few hundred students and a brand-new building when we first moved to the community now has an enrollment of close to 1300 girls and a well-deserved stellar reputation that extends far beyond the borders of Far Rockaway and the Five Towns.

DR. AKIVA AND MRS. MALIA BERGMAN

Guests of Honor

In accepting the Parents of the Year Award at Bnos Bais Yaakov’s dinner, Michael and Lily Weichholz are perpetuating their family’s legacy of instilling in their children the true meaning of giving to the community.

MR. MICHAEL AND MRS. LILY WEICHHOLZ

Parents of t he Year

BBY is more than “just” our daughter’s school. The incredible sense of community that is the hallmark of the executive board, teachers, parent body and of course the students, is something that we are so proud to be a part of. The constant care, compassion and inspiration that we have witnessed for many years is an exceptional foundation for the children of our community and will have an indelible effect on generations to come.

MR. YOSEF AND MRS. VIVI MOSKOWITZ

Kesser Shem Tov Award

The girls shine with exemplary middos, refinement and a tangible love for Torah and Mitzvos. They grow, learn and excel because the environment they are in is growing, learning and excelling.

MR. SHLOMO AND MRS. HINDI SALAMON

Amudim Award

Bnos Bais Yaakov is an outstanding school in the Five Towns that has opened its doors to the Great Neck community since its inception. BBY instills in the girls a love and enthusiasm for Torah and Mitzvot preparing them for their roles as future builders of Klal Yisrael.

MR. YEHOSHUA AND MRS. JASMIN LIVIAN

‫כ״ב אדר‬ ‫תש״פ‬

03 18 20

The Sands Atlantic Beach RECEPTION 7:30

DINNER 8:30

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Etz Chaim Award

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Chai Lifeline Announces Appointment of Harav Doniel Neustadt

Living the Dream at YOSS

hai Lifeline is pleased to announce the appointment of HaRav Doniel Neustadt, shlita, as the official morah d’asrah and posek of the organization. “It is with great pleasure that we welcome Rav Neustadt to the Chai Lifeline family,” said Rabbi Simcha Scholar, CEO of Chai Lifeline. “Rav Neustadt brings years of experience and insightful halachic expertise to this role and will serve as a valuable resource to our staff, volunteers and families.” Rav Neustadt is the rav of Pine River Village in Lakewood, NJ, and previously served as the yoshev rosh of the Vaad Harabbonim of Detroit and as the morah d’asrah of Bnai Israel-Beth Yehudah in Oak Park, MI. Prior to that, Rav Neustadt was the rav of Young Israel of Cleveland Heights and the principal of Yavne Teachers College in Cleveland, OH. Rav Neustadt succeeds Rav Elimelech Bluth, z”tl, who served as

Chai Lifeline’s posek for close to 20 years and passed away in September. A leading children’s health support network, Chai Lifeline provides critical assistance to children with life-threatening or lifelong illnesses and their families through more than two-dozen, free year-round programs. Learn more at www. chailifeline.org.

An Uplifting Melava Malka

athers and grandfathers truly took advantage of their day off on Presidents Day to come and learn Torah with their sons and grandsons (even some older brothers joined!) in Rabbi Ackerman’s 4th grade class at Yeshiva of South Shore. They sat together with the boys as Rabbi Ackerman presented a fascinating lesson about dreams in Judaism and their significance. He brought examples from Tanach, var-

Witness to History

By Elana Weiss

O M

TA welcomed more than 400 talmidim and their families, as well as prospective eighth grade families, to the yeshiva’s Family Melava Malka featuring Eitan Katz on Motzei Shabbos, February 22. The tremendous energy, ruach, and achdus that MTA

is known for were felt throughout the entire event, as talmidim, rebbeim, fathers, brothers, and friends sang and danced together to the inspiring music of Eitan Katz. It was a truly unforgettable and uplifting evening of pure simcha, friendship, and fun.

ious Gemaros, and told some amazing stories; certainly, nobody was dreaming during this class! It was beautiful to see the chashivus haTorah felt by the adults who came from near and far to learn Torah with their sons and grandsons on their day off. A special thanks to Rabbi Ackerman for his efforts and foresight in arranging such a phenomenal day.

n Tuesday, February 25, Rosh Chodesh Adar, Rabbi Moshe Cohn, Head of Jewish World Section at Yad VaShem, visited HANC High School. During the morning, he spoke with students taking a semester elective class called Witness to History, taught by Ms. Zucker on Holocaust studies. During his talk, he discussed important events from history, like the Holocaust and the Purim story. Rabbi Cohn showed the class pictures of artifacts that had once belonged to Jews that related to Purim, such as a megillah written in a concentration

camp. Seeing this was really special for the students because it shows how the Jewish people kept their religion throughout history and followed their mesorah. Later in the afternoon, Rabbi Cohn addressed members of the senior class and through his hour-long presentation on the Holocaust he related to them ideas of hope, positive choices, and the idea of resiliency in times of despair that can be applied to their lives as they are about to embark on the chapter of their lives. Rabbi Cohn’s presentation impacted the students in ways which will certainly remain relevant to them.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

CAHAL CONCERT

A SHLOIME DACHS MUSIC PRODUCTION

SUNDAY | MARCH 22 | 7:00PM

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MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Giving With All Their Hearts

ast Sunday, DRS held its annual Nidivei Lev Service Society induction ceremony. This special ceremony recognizes those DRS students that have shown exemplary service to their community and school through extraordinary acts of chessed and kindness. The ceremony honored eighteen members of the Senior class who have served their school and larger community with great distinction. The ceremony was attended by the entire student body, as well as faculty and parents. Rabbi Polakoff served as the keynote speaker, and he praised the students on their commitment to serving others. What made the program truly unique was that the students were given awards by the directors and founders of many of the organizations that were the beneficiaries of the great chessed. Mrs. Anette Kaufman of Chai Lifeline’s iShine program for siblings and children of those fighting cancer presented an award to Gavi Hershkop, Sam Wilon, and Noah Kranz for their exemplary leadership and selflessness in working with the children on the program. Gavriel Aharon, Menachem Naiman, and Yosef Axelrod were commended for their work in pub-

lishing DRS’s weekly Torah publication, the D’Varim HaYozim Min HaLev, and Dylan Broder and Menachem Kunin for their work on publishing and distributing our weekly Avodah Sh’Blev publication. Batsheva Bornstein of Chabad applauded Yaakov Jacobowitz, Josh Pomerantz and Daniel Lasky for their steadfast commitment to Chabad’s Friendship Circle program. Mr. Gavriel Guttman from Ohel Special Projects presented an award

to Avi Halbfinger, Ephraim Spinner, Sholy Shafran and Yitzchok Lowy for their dedication to Ohel. Rabbi Zeidel of Kulanu offered his thanks to Harry Radinsky for his dedication to the Kulanu DRS Thursday night learning program. DRS Menahel Rabbi Kaminetsky noted that all of the participants and guests were profoundly moved by the event: “Having been the beneficiaries of our students’ chessed programs here today has shown all of our stu-

dents that when they give of themselves, they can absolutely change another person’s life.” DRS Student Activities and Chessed Coordinator, Rabbi Brazil noted that “this program is important not only because it gives recognition to those have who have devoted their energy to helping others, but it also serves as an inspiration for our younger students to hopefully follow in the footsteps of these student leaders in giving back to the community.”

Central Attends YU’s Medical Ethics Conference

his past Sunday, students from Central’s AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and AP Physics classes were invited, by Mrs. Ruth Fried, to attend Yeshiva University’s 13th Annual Medical Ethics Symposium, honoring Rabbi Dr. Moshe Tendler. The title of the conference was “Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die,” and it included presentations and panels on topics pertaining to the beginning and end of life, including physician-assisted suicide to assisted reproductive technology. Junior Eliana Wachstock, an AP Chemistry student, said, “I was impressed that after every doctor or medical professional spoke, there was also a rav giving halachic insight on the matter. It felt like there was a seamless connection between the two worlds we live in as frum

Jews.” Senior Hannah Hamerman, a student in AP Physics, added that the conference was “a truly intriguing event. In general, I feel that these

are topics that are shied away from. People are tentative when speaking about patient autonomy and issues regarding life support. But this con-

ference allowed these topics to be explained and discussed in an open manner.”

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Dr. Marvin Schick, a legendary figure in the world of Jewish education and grandfather of talmidim in Yeshiva Darchei Torah, addressed the members of the Yeshiva’s Kollel Tirtza Devorah last week, sharing his personal memories of Maran Rav Aaron Kotler, zt”l. At the right is Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva

HAFTR High School students at AIPAC with United States Ambassador to Israel David Friedman

Klal Govoah Making History Again with Record Participation as Daf Yomi Starts Masechtas Shabbos Livestreamed Shiur by Sruly Bornstein on Daf Beis Dedicated in Memory of Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz, zt”l

ollowing up on the amazing success of its Start the Daf initiative that had nearly 7,000 learning the first daf of Masechtas Berachos in memory of Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz, zt”l, Klal Govoah will be hosting yet another record-breaking shiur as the Daf Yomi cycle moves on to Masechtas Shabbos. The shiur will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 8 at Congregation Talmud Torah of Flatbush, located at 1305 Coney Island Avenue, and will also be livestreamed

on Torah Anytime. Featuring a siyum on Masechtas Berachos made by ArtScroll’s Rabbi Nosson Scherman, divrei chizuk by The White Shul’s Rabbi Eytan Feiner, and Daf Yomi given by Lakewood Daf’s Sruly Bornstein, the shiur is expected to surpass the historic attendance of Start the Daf’s January 5 Lakewood event. Seating will be limited to 350, and organizers are urging people to sign up now to reserve their place at the shiur. Everyone who registers

Smile for the camera. Send your Purim photos in to editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com

for the in-person shiur or the livestream will be entered into a free raffle to win one of five complete digital editions of the ArtScroll Schottenstein Shas with its amazing array of enhancements and will also be eligible to purchase volume one of the ArtScroll Mesechtas Shabbos for only $20. As Daf Yomi moves on from Berachos to Shabbos, the Start the Daf initiative will continue as Join the Daf, and the program will be held once again l’iluy nishmas HaRav Meir Yaakov ben HaGoan HaRav Ahron. Founding co-hosts for the shiur include All Daf, a project of the Orthodox Union, The Siyum, a project of Agudath Israel of America, ArtScroll, Torah Anytime, Lakewood Daf, Madison Title Agency, Cross River Bank and Eastern Union

Funding. Organizers are excited for an opportunity to keep the momentum generated by the Siyum HaShas going strong as the Daf Yomi cycle continues. “Baruch Hashem, we received numerous emails from people who found themselves inspired to continue doing Daf Yomi after our first Start the Daf event,” said Klal Govoah founder Ira Zlotowitz. “It was extremely rewarding to see that shiur take its place in the history books as the largest Daf Yomi ever given, and we look forward to having even more people join us as we start Masechtas Shabbos on March 8.” To join the raffle and or to reserve a seat at the shiur or to sign up for the live stream visit Klal Govoah online at https://www.klalgovoah.org/join

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Lev Chana Celebrates Adar with a Bang

SKA Students Attend AIPAC

tudents from the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls had the unique opportunity to attend the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, March 1 through Tuesday, March 3.

eorge Hooks, or the Drum Man as the children of HALB Lev Chana fondly call him, had our children happily bonking out rhythms and beats with boom wackers, drums, cymbals, and rhythm sticks last week. What a fun and exciting way to work on listening skills, following directions, and learning about tempo, beat, soft

and loud. Our children jammed to the beat of the Drum Man’s kick drum and guitar, and played a rousing game of hot and cold using soft whirling hands on drums to signify cold, drumming fingertips for warmer, and loud pounding for hot, you’re there, you found it! What a fun and merry way to welcome Chodesh Adar!

Together with faculty member Mrs. Tamar Bindiger, the girls were able to hear from noted speakers at the largest gathering of the American pro-Israel community.

Curious George? Or the Man with the Yellow Hat? Either way, we want to see your Purim costumes. Send your Purim photos in to editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Ezra Academy Shabbaton

his past Shabbos, Ezra Academy held its annual Sophomore Shabbaton in West Hempstead. This was the first of the individual grade Shabbatons of the year. After a regular Friday in school, the sophomores eagerly waited for the bus to arrive and bring them to their hosts’ homes. Each group of students greeted their host with a lovely gift displaying their hakarat hatov for their hospitality. The host and students all davened together at Bais Torah U’Tefilah, which is led by Rabbi Uri Lesser, himself a former Rebbe at Ezra who maintains a close relationship to both the school and the students. The kehilla and students joined together to help create an inspirational davening led by Rabbi Tzachi Diamond, Rebbe and Director of Development at Ezra. Rabbi Lesser welcomed the school

and shared some divrei Torah on the parsha. Following davening, the students and staff stayed in the shul for a beautiful seudat Shabbat. Besides for the delicious food, the meal was enhanced by the lively singing and niggunim which was started by the students themselves. A dvar Torah was then shared by one of the students, Eden Gadayev, about appreciating and staying focused on the right priorities. Following this, the zemiros continued until dessert and benching. Craig and Tia Bahmoul (nee Hakim) graciously host the oneg every year as it is one of the ways they show their appreciation to the school, as Tia is a member of the 2000 graduating class. While enjoying each other’s company, hearing some of Tia’s

school tales and enjoying more nosh and zemirot, the highlight of the oneg was by far the guest speaker. Rabbi Moshe Medezadeh had everyone listening with bated breath as he spoke about some of the deeper meanings of the Mishkan. Shabbat morning everyone davened at Bais Torah U’Tefilah and continued building on the inspiration from the night before. The students got to meet some of the other members of the community during the shuls kiddush. After the kiddush the students went back to their host for Shabbat lunch. Many of the students enjoyed this as it was an opportunity to enjoy a delicious cholent as opposed to their traditional osvo. After Mincha, everyone went to the home of Rabbi Diamond for an oneg. Rabbi Elan Soniker, rav of Anshei Shalom,

came to share some insight on the parsha. The students then went on to their next and final spot of Shabbat, the home of Rabbi and Mrs. Steve Moskowitz. The students were able to relax and play some games while building up their appetite for seudat shelishit The Moskowitzes provided a beautiful spread for all to choose from. They then led us in zemirot and words of Torah. After Shabbat, the students convened at Rabbi Lesser’s home to enjoy a Melava Malka of pizza and fries. The final part of the Shabbaton was a fun-filled time bowling at San Dee Lanes. As the bus departed back to school, the students were already discussing the highlights of the Shabbaton, which are bound to last a lifetime.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

INSPIRING JEWS ... ONE BOOK AT A TIME

NEW FROM

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Rabbi Yechiel Spero

Rabbi Paysach Krohn

Stories that change your life and change the world · The Kopycznitzer Rebbe found a way to sing, and he brought a spark of joy during the Holocaust. · The second grader was sitting all alone. Until one Zeidy saw him, and adopted a new grandson for a day. · No one, but no one, could understand the rabbi’s last words. Until they discovered why he’d bought a ticket to the movies …. “Spero stories.” They are unique and engaging, with a “wow” factor that will leave you amazed, surprised, and delighted. Most of all, they will touch your soul and ignite a spark. And that spark will light up your life.

COMING ! K E E W T X NE M RABBI

Invite the “American Maggid” to your Seder, for a Pesach you will never forget!

abbi Paysach Krohn knows better than almost anyone how powerful a true story can be. Now, he takes his amazing talent for finding unusual and inspiring stories and combines it with an incisive and absorbing commentary on the Haggadah. So come and join Rabbi Krohn At the Maggid’s Seder, and see how much this Haggadah will enhance and enrich your own Seder as well.

She was “The Rebbetzin” — Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis — and this is her unforgettable and inspiring story.

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The story of Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis Her life, vision, legacy · She was a young Holocaust survivor who influenced tens of thousands of Jews across the world. · She made history in Madison Square Garden, where she showed that Torah could reach even the most distant Jew. · As founder of Hineni, and through her writing and speeches, she ignited the “pintele Yid” that lies within every Jew.

uthor Rabbi Nachman Seltzer interviewed close to one hundred people to create The Rebbetzin — a vivid portrait of one of the twentieth century’s most fascinating, charismatic and spiritually inspiring Jewish personalities.

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

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

A milestone at the North Shore Hebrew Academy (NSHA) Middle School in Great Neck will be reached when twenty-five 7th and 8th graders, both Ashkenazic and Sephardic, will chant Megillat Esther for their schoolmates, faculty and families on Purim Day. The students were taught the leining by Dr. Paul Brody.

Rosh Chodesh Adar Game Show Author Meish Goldish Visits at BYAM HALB Lev Chana

T I

n honor of Rosh Chodesh Adar, Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam parent Mr. Yisroel Erps came with a Live Game Show! The older and younger divisions each had their own game so that the Purim-themed questions could be age-appropriate. The girls were split in two teams, and for each round of

questions they sent up a representative from their team to answer on their behalf. The girls made motions to give hints to their team leader, making it a fun, interactive learning experience. The excitement and entertainment were just right for Rosh Chodesh Adar!

he children at HALB Lev Chana Early Childhood Center were introduced to a week-long celebration of Read Across America/Dr. Seuss’ Birthday with a visit by author Meish Goldish. Mr. Goldish, author of over 500 fiction and non-fiction books for children, entertained our children with shared readings of several of his books, answered questions, explained how he came up with ideas for his books, and outlined the writing process from the glimmer of an idea (he gets his ideas from

“everywhere”!) to the finished product. He talked about fiction versus non-fiction books and described how the author and illustrator usually are not the same person. Meish explained that the author guides the illustrator to create appropriate illustrations that reflect the idea that the author is attempting to convey to his/her readers. Meish had the children and morot alike singing, clapping their hands, and stamping our feet to a medley of Purim songs. What a wonderful way to celebrate literacy!

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

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MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

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MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Rav Moshe Bender, associate dean of Yeshiva Darchei Torah, delivering a chaburah to the shiur of Rav Avrohom Wachsman at Mesivta Chaim Shlomo

Madraigos Addresses Mental Health & Body Image at HAFTR

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adraigos participated in HAFTR Middle School’s Health Week by discussing the physical and emotional changes during the pre-adolescent stage of child development. In addition to learning about physical changes, students discovered ways to manage and regulate their emotional wellbeing. Madraigos clinician Miriam Schiller, LMSW, also presented educational and informative material related to establishing healthy boundaries and body safety. Students learned to recognize signs and feelings within themselves and brainstormed respectful, appro-

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For more information about arranging school workshops in the Five Towns/Queens area, please contact Rabbi Dr. Dovid Felt, director, School-Based Services, at rdfelt@madraigos.org.

Upgrade Your Purim Packages with Hazorfim’s Fine Silver Gifts

A Dr. Shalom Motechin

priate ways to respond. The students were encouraged to share and ask questions during the presentation as well as to identify a trusting adult to gain support during this period of change and adjustment. The students felt better prepared to successfully meet challenges during this stage of development.

dar is here, and that means the time has come to plan your fancy mishloach manos packages. Whatever your original idea for simchas Purim, you can always take it to the next level with the addition of a fine silver gift from Hazorfim, the leading name in silver. At Hazorfim you can find the most exclusive designs created by Yakov Merdinger, known as the world’s number one silversmith! Purim is the perfect opportunity to show appreciation to all those special people in your life: a family member, a chosson/kallah or mechutanim, and all those unsung heroes: teachers, employees, and other service providers – and what better way than with a mishloach manos including a stunning item from Hazorfim! Hazorfim has a huge selection to

fire your imagination, starting with impressive megillah holders in every size, shape and style – from very ornate models crafted out of pure silver with gold accents, to more modern models with a smooth finish and sleek lines. Purim is all about wine, and Hazorfim has a huge selection of wine decanters, fountains, bottle holders and kiddush sets to match every taste and budget. Or think out of the box and go for one of Hazorfim’s gorgeous clown miniatures. The possibilities are endless! Visit Hazorfim at our flagship store in Borough Park at 4424 13th Ave, or in Williamsburg at 67 Lee Ave. Hazorfim has also opened three new locations: 1412 Avenue M in Flatbush, 167 E. Kennedy Blvd. in Lakewood, and at Regal Silver, 7 Van Buren Drive in Monroe.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

An Impactful Bat Mitzvah

here are many ways to celebrate becoming a bat mitzvah. Some students in HALB’s sixth grade class have developed a new and unique program to make the bat mitzvah experience more meaningful for themselves and their parents. In order to refocus attention on core Jewish values, the girls came up with a number of ideas that developed into the Giveaway Pledge.

First, the girls decided that to maximize impact, they would give up something in exchange for something that they felt was more meaningful. The participating girls have chosen not to give away party favors at their bat mitzvah party, and instead the girls decided to give to others who are less fortunate. As a result, the girls are participating in numerous chessed projects throughout the year. Last, the girls

would like to learn more about how to broadly change their communities. To this end, the girls are learning about philanthropy and will even create a formal board that will allocate charitable funds donated by an anonymous donor

Dr. Adam Zeitlin, Medical Director Matthew Ostreicher, Director of Operations For further information please contact Chess Rosenberg, Administrator 78-10 164TH STREET FRESH MEADOWS, NEW YORK

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at the end of the school year. As part of this initiative, the girls have participated in a variety of projects throughout the year, which kicked off with an interactive session Mrs. Dena Fuchs, Executive Vice President at The Jewish Funders Network and formerly at The Avi Chai Foundation. They also organized and led a Chanukah-inspired event at the Premier Rehab, in which they lit Chanukah candles and played games with the residents. This past week, the girls participated in a two-part challah bake, in conjunction with NCSY. As the entire initiative is based on ideas that the girls themselves develop, the girls expressed an interest in leading a project with unaffiliated bat mitzvah age girls. They came up with an idea to organize a challah bake for local teens who attend public school. The first part of the event was when the girls met with Nechama Kamelhar, NCSY Outreach Director, and Leora Lesher, 4G NCSY Director. These NCSY directors led sessions with the girls, describing what NCSY does and the impact that the HALB bat mitzvah-age girls can have on the NCSY teenagers. The girls also prepared for the challah bake, organizing and measuring various ingredients. For the second part of the chessed project, the girls met at one of the NCSYer’s houses, and together with the public school teens participated in a challah bake, led by Nechama, who explained to the girls the mitzvah of baking challah and taught them various techniques. The girls each took home challahs as well as a recipe card to make on their own. The HALB bat mitzvah girls bonded with the NCSYers and had a great time teaching them the mitzvah of baking challah. More importantly, they developed relationships and friendships that will hopefully lead to other activities with the teens. All of the activities were totally led by these sixth graders. What a great opportunity to demonstrate leadership. The girls are looking forward to creating their next chessed opportunity, which they are actively working on. With small steps like these, the girls are really impacting themselves, their families, and their community.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

OIF Co-Sponsors Celebrate Judea and Samaria Event

PHOTOS BY RON SHEINSON OF A SHEINSON IMAGE

ne Israel Fund is proud to have co-sponsored the 5th Annual Celebrate Judea and Samaria event in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the Shabbat Programs of CPAC and AIPAC. The event featured a panel of

experts about Judea and Samaria including our own director of tourism and host of the Rejuvenation Podcast, Eve Harow, American specialist on the Middle East and Islamic Societies, Dr. Harold Rhode and founder and president of EMET

(Endowment of Middle East Truth), and co-sponsor of the evening, Sarah Stern. The panel was moderated by our own executive vice president Scott M. Feltman and discussed the issues facing the communities of Judea and Samaria, including the

new peace proposal of the T, ump Administration, future relations with the Arabs living throughout the region and practical benefits for everyone of applying Israeli law to these areas.

Rabbanith Ruth Menashe – A Life of Connection By the Manasseh Family

t is hard to believe that five years have passed since the Rabbanith Ruth Menashe (Manasseh)’s passing. During her life, Rabbanith Ruth was the beloved rabbanith of Midrash Ben Ish Hai in Great Neck, where she organized Shabbatonim, singles events, parties, and gave many shiurim. She also worked as an assistant principal for many years, touching the lives of countless students and teachers. She inspired people daily, with the Torah Minute Woman’s Corner messages she shared, and through her conversations with others and the Torah classes she gave. The Fourth of Adar marked five years since her passing. To commemorate, a ceremony was held at the ballroom of Colbeh in Great Neck on Thursday night, attended by over two-hundred men and women. The evening began with a video from one of the Rabbanith’s shiurim that was never previously released. The shiur focused on living a life of connection with G-d. Rabbi Ya’aqob Menashe, founder and spiritual leader of Midrash Ben Ish Hai, spoke next. He shared how, for the Rabbanith, life was all about connecting with G-d and sanctifying His name. He shared that the Rabbanith always acknowledged G-d, both in

times of great joy as well as during times of hardship. He spoke about how at their son, Rabbi Menashe Manasseh’s wedding, photographers were taking family pictures, and the Rabbanith told her daughters, overcome with emotion, “I am so thankful to Hashem for blessing me with such wonderful children. I am so, so blessed.” At the other extreme, after her diagnosis, the Rabbanith saw many doctors. When she met them for the first time, she respectfully told them that there was something she wished to share with them before discussing treatment. She then explained how, as an Orthodox Jew, she believes that G-d runs the world. She told all

the doctors that she saw that she was grateful for their support and medical intervention, and also wanted them to know that, in her eyes, the outcomes were entirely in G-d’s hands. Thus, even in her darkest moments, she was able to make a kiddush Hashem. The Rabbanith’s eldest daughter, Dr. Yali Werzberger, spoke next. She spoke about the legacy her mother left, which included identifying and living life according to one’s values. The Rabbanith knew and adhered to her values and was therefore able to live a life of truth and integrity. Yali explained that, as an only child, creating a happy and cohesive family life for her children was of utmost im-

portance for the Rabbanith. Yali also spoke about how the Rabbanith went out of her way to be there for others, and at the same time, was dedicated to her service of G-d. She ended by asking the audience to take time to clarify and identify their own values, so that when they are faced with difficult decisions, they can choose the path of integrity. Chaim and Mordechai Werzberger, the Rabbanith’s grandsons, then made a siyum on Perek Aleph of Pirkei Aboth, which they learned with their father, Zev, for the Rabbanith’s neshama’s aliyah. Two days later, on Shabbos, friends and family members ate lunch together at Midrash Ben Ish Hai. Many shared their memories of the Rabbanith, and spoke about how her teachings still impact the way they live their lives. Guy Shoshan, her son-in-law also made a siyum on Masekhet Gittin, which he learned for her neshama’s aliyah. Although five years have passed, so many people speak about how the time, support, and advice she gave them have left an indelible imprint on their lives, still impacting the way they act, work and parent today. She saw each person as valuable and by extension instilled confidence in the thousands of people whose hearts she touched.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

THIS IS MY ORDINARY. Extraordinary people deserve ordinary lives. One Israel Fund works tirelessly so that the residents of Judea and Samaria can have the amenities - like security, and healthcare, and education - that most of us take for granted.

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MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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Talking to Your Teens about Purim

A YOSS students in Ms. Marks’s ELA class used their different senses and applied it to literature last week

MAY Celebrates Adar with Reb Joey Newcomb

ast Wednesday, Rosh Chodesh Adar, Mesivta Ateres Yaakov ushered in the new month in its signature fashion. This month’s Rosh Chodesh breakfast included a special raffle for uniquely “Adar” prizes, and included a Wednesday visit from Reb Joey Newcomb, Jewish music’s newest sensation. The concert, which was cosponsored by the MAY Student Government, was eagerly anticipated, and it did not disappoint. Reb Joey, in his signature style, hit the ground running. After a moving kumzitz replete with original niggunim combined

with classic tunes, talmidim took to the floor for “ground-breaking” leibidik dancing. Rabbeim together with their talmidim shook the walls of the Mesivta in an incredible display of simcha. “I really appreciate the Yeshiva doing this for us,” commented one student. “From the Rosh Chodesh breakfast to the Joey Newcomb concert, it was just an amazing way to bring in Adar!” As for the Joey’s reaction to the talmidim: “There is no one like the talmidim of Mesivta Ateres Yaakov!”

s Purim draws near, our families are excited to celebrate this wonderful happy time. However, in recent years, Purim has also caused some concern in regards to incidents of teenage drinking. The time to talk to your children about the risks and dangers of alcohol and excessive drinking is before Purim. It is important to discuss these concerns together with your teens, rather than lecturing them. Below are some ideas and suggestions on how to speak with your children about this important issue:  Discuss with them what their plans for Purim are (night and day), who they will be with, where they will be, any adult supervision involved and their planned modes of transportation.  Make it clear that on Purim you will be checking in with them throughout the day and discuss with them what time they will be arriving home or at whose house they will be spending the night.  Review with your teens the extreme danger involved in driving, even after just one drink, or of getting in the car with someone who has been drinking.  Discuss thoroughly the inherent dangers involved with underage drinking such as: • Potentially severe negative effects on the still-developing adolescent brain, particularly in the areas of learning and memory. • Teens are actually less sensitive to alcohol’s sedative effect, which is often why teens drink a more excessive amount of alcohol. (They biologically need to drink a larger amount to feel the same effect an adult experiences from drinking a smaller amount.) This can then quickly lead to alcohol poisoning. • Alcohol poisoning (alcohol overdose) is when a person’s blood-alcohol content reaches a point in

which the body cannot process the alcohol quickly enough. This can cause a person to stop breathing, cause the heart to stop beating, and lead to excessive vomiting. If a person has passed out, vomiting while semi or unconscious can lead to choking and death. • All of the above dangers are risks even during a one-time incident of binge drinking.  It is extremely important to communicate with your teen, clearly, and with love, so that they will feel comfortable speaking to you at any time. Let them know that if they are ever in trouble, need transportation or did drink and need help, that they can always turn to you without fear. The message that home is always their safe place is of the utmost importance.  While your child must take responsibility for any actions taken while under the influence, the time to discuss this with them or discipline them is after the substance has completely worn off and they are safe and healthy.  Over the years many teens have shared with us their confusion about drinking in relation to yomim tovim. Be sensitive to what messages you may be giving your children about alcohol’s role in Yiddishkeit.  Under no circumstances is it appropriate to provide alcohol to any teen, even if they claim that their parent(s) allow them to drink.  For medical emergencies do not hesitate to call 911 and/or Hatzalah at 718-387-1750. The Madraigos Support line is 516371-3250 ext. 6 – available for any matters of urgent/ immediate concern. A message will be sent to the staff members on call and messages will be returned within 24 hours. Freilichin Purim!

Smile! Send your Purim photos in to editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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The Upcoming French Dirshu Siyumim – and Why It Should Matter to You… Dirshu Responds to the Unprecedented Growth of French Jewry’s Torah Learning By Rabbi Nachman Seltzer

veryone knows that Klal Yisrael has just finished celebrating Dirshu siyumim around the globe – siyumim in which thousands and thousands of Yidden took part. The siyumim made waves in the Jewish world – and were impossible to miss. With a glorious mixture of Torah speeches, inspiration and uplifting music, every person who took part in one of the Dirshu Torah gatherings emerged a different and better person. I know this because I was fortunate to participate in a number of the siyumim – each special and each unique. But now the period of the siyumim has come to an end and everyone has started anew. Klal Yisrael finished and Klal Yisrael began again – exactly as it has always been from the first Daf HaYomi cycle. Around the globe, learning Daf HaYomi has gained tremendous traction – with countless new shiurim having been established, and numerous people of all ages setting aside time every day for Torah learning in general and for Daf HaYomi in particular. And yet, there is only one country where Rav Dovid Hofstedter and the Dirshu team are planning a number of siyumim for Brachos. I am referring

Rav Dovid Hofstedter addressing the Paris Dirshu World Siyum

to France, where a major siyum has been scheduled for the city of Marseilles and another for Paris, as well as many smaller gatherings in other locations as well. The obvious question of course is why? Why France? As in virtually everything in life, herein lies a story. As someone who has covered many Dirshu events through the years, I can personally attest to the unique flavor that is present at each event. There are always different speakers, a new assortment of songs chosen for the musical selections, and a variety of surprises. Of course, the theme of the events revolved around the lomdei hadaf – the talmidei chachamim who took the tests and finished Shas with

dedication and accountability. They were the heroes and were understandably treated as such. And yet, within the theme, at all the different events, there were many differences and unique moments. However, when I was asked which siyum I enjoyed the most, I didn’t hesitate before answering. “The siyum in Paris,” I replied. “Why?” I was asked. The answer was simple. “Because nothing like that has ever happened there before.” From watching the reaction of the French Jews at the siyum, there was no question in my mind that for them, the siyum was a game changer – or rather, a life changer.

Let’s be honest. For Yidden living in Eretz Yisrael or the United States, it is not unusual to encounter gedolei Yisrael. It might take a person time, but he has the option of visiting gedolim more or less whenever he wants to. And so, while seeing a dais filled with Torah leaders is always a beautiful and emotional sight, it is not a chiddush. It is something we are used to. In a way we are spoiled. This is not the case for the Jews of France. Until the past Siyum HaShas, French Jewry had never celebrated a Torah gathering of such magnitude. At the hall in Paris, the stage was packed with French gedolim. There were also additional gedolim and rabbanim who flew in from Eretz Yisrael. The Dirshu planning team initially wasn’t sure if they would be able to fill such a large hall. But as the weeks passed, more and more tickets were sold, and by the week of the event, the hall would prove too small, as people had to be turned away! In the end, 5,000 French Yidden streamed to the hall for what could only be termed an incredibly unique event – and one which I actually understood, due to a Chabad shliach who graciously agreed to sit beside me and translate every word being spoken. It was a phenomenal night. The

Perform the Mitzvos of Purim to a New Degree of Hiddur

orah-true Jews have no greater desire than performing all mitzvos with hiddur. But some mitzvos have multiple prerequisites: for matanos l’evyonim the recipient must be a true evyon, and the funds must be delivered on Purim day and used to actually feed him. As for mishloach manos, it is ideal as ready-to-eat foods, namely for the Purim seudah. Thankfully, according to the psak of HaGaonim HaGedolim Harav Elyashiv, zt”l, and Harav Wosner, zt”l, the best way to fulfill your matanos le’evyonim and mishloach manos obligations is by providing edible food for the poor and needy on the day of Purim. And that’s just what Jerusalem Open House-Linas HaChesed has been doing for the past decade and a half. Established in the late 1980s by

HaTzaddik Rabbi Chaim Cohen, shlita, it operates as a soup kitchen for the needy in the heart of Jerusalem. Its doors are open seven days a week, and two warm meals are served every day of the year. Hundreds of Yerushalayim’s destitute Jews find their way to these inviting doors. The nourishing hot meals are a lifeline for so many poor almonos, yesomim, elderly and infirm, who cannot even rub two shekalim together to buy some bread. Hundreds of innocent, hungry children stop by every morning on their way to cheder, reviving their bodies and souls so they can pull through another day of learning. Even those who are too weak or too proud to walk into a soup kitchen are tended to, with meals discreetly delivered to them b’derech kavod. This is not a periodical “food drive”; Jerusalem Open House-Li-

nas HaChesed runs seven days a week, providing food for the needy throughout the year, including shabbosim, yomim tovim, and all other days. On Purim, the Jerusalem Open House-Linas HaChesed soup kitchen serves thousands of festive Purim meals which includes meat and fish to poor, hungry Jews throughout many cities in north and south of Eretz Yisroel. This year, the organization’s volunteers will also hand deliver personal mishloach manos to hundreds of innocent little orphans. With the global economy still weak, Jews in Eretz Yisroel must make do with next to nothing. Jerusalem Open House-Linas Hachesed is now the emergency support system for hundreds of additional Jewish families in these trying times. They now turn to acheinu b’nei

Yisroel with an urgent request and worthwhile exchange: Help us and we will help you. Join us. Feed at least two evyonim, as required by halacha, for just $36. Feed more evyonim for an even greater mitzvah. For $540 and up, the meals will bear your name to mark your generosity at the time and location of its distribution. A gift to the poor. An opportunity for you. With your donation of $36 and up, Linas Hachesed will hand over your kvital with your personal request to the hands of Reb Chaim Kanievsky on the day of Purim. To donate and have your names and bakashos recited during these auspicious days, please call 1-800-2168905

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Support these respectable individuals who recite the entire Tehillim every day!

upcoming siyum, when French Jewry would be inspired to join the Daf HaYomi revolution taking place in every city and beis medrash. So was the stage set prior to the siyum at Dome de Paris. The outcome, however, was much greater than anyone had foreseen. While the Dirshu team had expected to see major growth among the French Jewish community, nobody had expected the result that actually occurred. In the wake of the siyum, there was an outburst of Torah learning all around France, such as has never been seen before! “In a sense,” one of the Dirshu staff told me, “it’s as if France – Jewish France that is – is currently experiencing a second revolution!” Instead of three shiurim in Marseilles, the number has jumped to thirteen daily shiurim. Instead of thirty shiurim in Paris, there are now fifty! It is incredible, yet true. Growth had been foreseen – but not growth on such an exponential level! Suddenly Yidden all over France had begun learning Gemara on a daily basis – to the point that many more Daf HaYomi shiurim had to be added to the new shiurim Dirshu had set up before the Siyum! And because there has been such an explosive outburst of Torah learning in France, Dirshu has decided to host a siyum for Masechta Brachos in the city of Marseilles on March 5, with another siyum taking place on March 8 in Paris. They are not doing this anywhere else. But the Yidden of France deserve it, because they have opened the doors to their hearts and homes and invited Daf HaYomi and Torah learning into their lives in the most authentic and genuine way. Ashrecha, ashrecha, ashrecha, talmidei chachamim…and Dirshu Yidden. Or in other words, “Vive la Dirshu and vive la Daf!”

world in the r u

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achdus, the spirit, the singing, the excitement. It was the real thing. But I want to take you back in time to a few months prior to the siyum, because in a sense, the real story started then. Many years ago, a number of people from Dirshu’s team visited Rav Elyashiv, zt”l, to confer with the posek hador and to ask him what he felt was the secret of kiruv and what they should be focusing on when dealing with unaffiliated Jews. Rav Elyashiv was unequivocal in his response. “You need to teach them Gemara,” he told the team. “Learning Gemara is the only thing that really lasts.” The Dirshu team absorbed the message and never forgot the words they heard that day. In the months leading up to the Paris Siyum, members of Dirshu flew to France where they met with a number of rabbanim who were already delivering Daf HaYomi shiurim. The issue at hand was a simple one. France is home to around half a million Jews, making it one of the largest Jewish communities in the world. And yet, there were very few Daf HaYomi shiurim being offered to the general community. In the city of Marseilles, for example – home to the second-largest Jewish community in the French Republic – there were just three daily Daf HaYomi shiurim. In Paris there were only thirty. There was a reason for this. Though many of the French youth were sent to yeshivos to learn Gemara, a large percentage of the older generation had never been formally introduced to Gemara learning or to the concept of Daf HaYomi. With siyumim looming around the globe, Rav Dovid Hofstedter, Nasi of Dirshu, felt it was time to try to change this situation by establishing numerous additional shiurim in preparation for the

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Festive dancing on the dais at the Dirshu World Siyum in Paris

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e th e ey ar h T . e s l crim tt er apita ys l e c u g e h m u so e yo in t gage writ e f e nds , n f e s e o m g y y a in l l et guage al l Im U nder id ent that r l an don’t c e d h c y e l t a n Dear l o r t it e in an ha nce n er a to wr ing in o ke t re co it j rs ge d a r e o y d a w id it n f c d e ea de ak t th e go Th e e po l ic e t ha hen I id I m h in kin y t iz b t l it r t s a iv o u a e f r w , b n sensit ag, I ind. I writ e H eave th is r ev e r m hat I mo r. f n u w o , h l d t l f n s o th e re ta …w e t th e nd ers ou to f l a ke a u y w e g ’t o it in n n v k s in u ld l avoo ! t er l na l ly most ey wo ither f h o e e a t s h , r e l t o e s l s be au l atwe o p h be c ant t t wil l f th e h too is I w o l . is I l g h s s n e e g E ba “Ain En nc au s Purim k now oeg,” for m a is be c r y id l e L g p r h in a e a e don’t b y rit am y th e ner’s e wil l g,” “ L I am w xact l r io a e e n s id h o d is T T s n m . l ea ou “A to om ow to Th e r wil l s oeg,” be e n ure h fo l d C ’d s r g r L e e n t v t h o o e n e ow n h s e n aric ve TJH C their d eac o u ar Lo Tz o u ha h n y “ y a it e , y w s h t s a r ng h ig ired p u l ar in c ish pa be pa ish so to po il l be J ust l w . w e y e il u a e J D w w m it Box .m. t a ant olu est h at PO at 9 p e nigh rticip Th e v d t h a e h .” p t t g ig a h e e n c c e loc e dan Li L’do esday air, ea wil l b o com o n Tu in the it S d . , l in e d e k m w h p e sa ro na wil l b l ow c c l ot h bash over f e spin a d h e T t ! ipa ator antic motiv d an n ! a d b l ast d e man l be a il w . t ...i 266147 e al l up e, com n o ssed e m t d re s ! u So, co j in go g ar e didate spirit im ! if you n r a n @ im u C e r P r l v u o e it eP ntia Happy w e ar, to ed ep t h eside tos” e you an ke 2 0 Pr o m c 0 h u e 2 p t w s & C co so urim TJH C what ine “P o TJH ss o f e ct l r es t e j u l t b d u t ic r s t ha . he ur p ega nd yo P.S. R with t g l ike e s in s h o , y t t e e ft im pho r som as a l om, o u r Pu r o .c y e m in o h Se n d ewish w ns j f iveto

You gotta be kidding Yankel was dressed in his finest suit when he went for an interview with the president of a world-renowned bank. The banker turned to him and said, “So tell me. What do you think is your greatest weakness?” Yankel, who had prepared for this question, responded, “Honesty. Sometimes I am just too honest, and I say what’s on my mind.” The banker was intrigued. “I don’t think honesty is a weakness,” he said. Yankel replied, “Actually, I really don’t care at all what you think.”

Jewish Home | MARCH29, 5, 2020 TheThe Jewish Home | OCTOBER 2015

A Costume is Like a Thousand Therapy Sessions What you dress up as tells me everything I need to know about you. A Scotsman with a Kilt: You went up the wrong aisle at Party City and totally didn’t realize it. Houston Astros Jose Altuve: You see nothing wrong with cheating…and have a hard time not getting caught. Joe Biden: You love the taste of your own shoes. Disney Character: Someday, your dreams will come. Chassid: You like kishka.

Two Empty Boxes of Kasha on Your Shoulders: You have no questions. Thing 1 & Thing 2: It’s a hoot that you wear a red suit in this cold weather to boot. You should play a flute, but that would be original and that point is moot, because although your costume is cute, it is not very original. (OK, so I’m not Dr. Seuss!)

Abraham Lincoln: You are a real leader, despite your looks.

Vladimir Putin: You probably always thought you were the strongest kid in your class, right? (If you only knew how many times you were “donkey eared.”)

Mets player: You don’t have much confidence in your ballplaying skills.

Uber Driver: I’ll give you four stars for your costume.

Juice Box: You think so outside the box that you actually put yourself in a box…must be really comfortable. Mummy: So, you bought your costume in October, huh? Anything to save a few dollars! Sushi Chef: You better not tell me that your favorite roll is a cucumber roll! Where’s Waldo: Alright, cute. But did you have to do it at the Siyum Hashas? Princess: Are you sure you are up to the task? The last thing we need is another prince abdicating. Long-Haired Rock Star: Do you really think that would make you happy?

Elvis: He also had a few extra pounds on his hips when he was your age. Superman: You are definitely the guy in shul who leaps into action when the rabbi needs the grape juice for Kiddush. Michael Bloomberg: You like taking a match and lighting piles of cash on fire. C u r i o u s George: You always mess things up, and no, you are not so cute at the end. Thanks for the agita!

President Trump: You are so creative! Huge. Huge. Totally huge! Fireman: You like putting out fires. Policeman: You like doughnuts. Bernie Sanders: You are a communist! It would be cool if communism didn’t literally kill 100,000,000 people in the twentieth century. Limo Driver: You never see a rearview mirror you don’t want to schmooze with. Tom Brady: You really think you are that great because you once quarterbacked a pickup football game in 10th grade? Cowboy: Let me guess – you tell people that you have a concealed carry license. Clown: Forever the funnyman. Israeli Soldier: Kol hakavod! Jeff Bezos: You are a mogul at heart. Or, you are just really bald and finally have something to do with that bald head of yours.

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2020 Presidential Primaries Come to the Five Towns

ith the New York presidential primaries a mere few weeks away, the candidate clown train rolled into town this week. A raucous Democratic debate was held in Lawrence Middle School last Monday night. With the candidates talking over each other like Israeli taxi drivers engaged in any conversation, it was hard to really hear what was going on. Apparently one audience member was holding up free lollipops because throughout the debate the candidates raised their hands and were jumping out of their pants like little schoolkids. Don’t they just love free stuff? With Biden back in the race after his South Carolina victory and Bloomberg spending a gazillion dollars, it’s hard to say at this point who is the front-walker (they are all around 90 years old –ain’t none of them running without breaking a hip). Sen. Bernie Breadline Sanders (C-Soviet Union), who looked like he had just been released from being compressed in a pickle jar for three days, gyrated wildly with his hands throughout the debate. One audience member suggested that based on Comrade Sanders’ hand movements – with both hands starting near the center and moving outwards in unison at shoulder height – the only thing he could have possibly been communicating is that the correct way to light the menorah is by starting with the shamesh and proceeding outwards on both sides of it, each night. Although nobody lights the menorah that way, Comrade Sanders has a mind of his own, which may explain why he has such a deep respect for murderous dictators like Stalin and Castro. Another audience member thought that Sanders was simply having a flashback of once being at a Shabbos table where the challah was not distributed fairly. “I thought he was trying to say that each piece of challah should be the same size and that the person cutting it should distribute pieces to the people on the left side and the right side of the table simultaneously,” Laibel Less said. This, though, would seem to be an odd message from a self-hating Jew like Comrade Sanders, but as one pundit pointed out, “What happened when six white Democrat candidates got on a stage at the

Charleston debate? They spoke about how much they love black people. So here they are now in the Five Towns making believe that they love Jewish people.” Joe Biden, whose teeth are getting whiter than Mike Pence’s hair, highlighted how he is a proven winner who lost every major campaign he ever ran in other than winning a senate seat in Delaware, which is about half the size of Woodmere. Biden spoke of his deep ties to the Orthodox community and urged the Five Towns to put his son Hunter on a local shul board. “If Hunter could be on the board of an energy company in Ukraine, even though he doesn’t speak their language and knows nothing about energy, he

can surely sit on the shul board,” Biden noted. When asked by a local high schooler about his repeated gaffes, Biden responded, “Listen to my lips, you lying-pony soldier. I’m not going to take your malarkey. Pass the Metamucil.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren Pocahontas (D-MA), of the native Cherokee tribe, not only declared her love for the Jewish community but disclosed that she is actually Jewish. “There was something very peculiar that happened to me,” Pocahontas said. “I found that every time I eat fish, I like a little tiny sliver of a carrot on it. I just can’t get enough of that carrot. It’s like if that carrot is not there, I can’t eat the fish.” She continued, “Anyways, I looked into it and

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

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found out that it is because I am 1/1,100,022,050th Jewish.” Mazal tov. Billionaire Mike Bloomberg was asked about his attempt to ban large sodas while mayor of New York and whether he would seek to implement that in the rest of the country. Mike replied, “What’s right for New York is not

necessarily right for the rest of the country, otherwise the whole country would be filled with overweight forty-year-old Orthodox Jewish men eating cholent six nights a week.” When the audience failed to laugh, he quipped, “I paid a consultant $75,000 for that joke and it fell short…real short.” At one point, Comrade Sanders growled at the

audience and said, “The Five Towns is filled with millionehs and billionehs, yet the meatas only cost a quawta’ fouw a half an houwa!” He decried the excess of the Five Towns. “I see too many Chrystas’ and pizzer shops.” DING! DING! DING! We found an R!!... Sanders is a fayka’! Sanders is a fayka’! Things were pretty chaotic outside of the debate as well. Sen. Amy Klobnomomentumchur’s supporters were there and, of course, the Bernie Bros were out in full force. “You know dude, like, this place is crazy. People here think that working is a virtue but I know that if a tree falls in the forest it may or may not make noise,” said Bin-Ari Spazhead. Another Bernie supporter with more hair colors than Benjamin Moore said that “Bernie is the only candidate that will bring us back to the good ol’ days of vicious Communism.” When asked by TJH, this supporter refused to give its name.

El Al Ticket Sales Tumble

l Al Airlines has reported a sharp dip in travel over the past two weeks. CEO of El Al Nier Ahalon is incredulous about the dip in air travel on El Al. Full disclosure: Nier Ahalon is not his real name but it sounds right. He’s definitely the CEO of El Al or SodaStream. Yes, yes, I know they used to be made in the West Bank. 150 Palestinians lost their jobs after BDS boycotted. Yes, I know that, too. Did you know that Pepsi bought SodaStream? OK, we both have not-secret-everyone-knows security clearance. The Israeli airline commissioned a study to determine the cause of the decrease in passengers. The study was conducted by a company in Lakewood. (That’s right – Lakewood is quickly becoming a major force in the business world. It’s hard to believe that only 15 years ago there were no sit-down restaurants there. Yes, I know that too – that’s WHY they are so successful!) The Lakewood company quickly honed in on the problem and discovered that the dip in ticket sales was caused by a complete stoppage of airline ticket purchases in Boro Park and Williamsburg. The initial speculation was that people were perhaps boycotting El Al due to some political differences. But it was quickly discovered that the issue was not political at all but was practical in nature. It turns out that many men in Boro Park and Williamsburg have mysteriously refused to leave their homes over the past two weeks and are certainly not getting on planes to travel to Israel. Professionals were brought in to assess the situation, and it was discovered that the mass-paralysis was caused by the new statewide ban on plastic bags, which has had a disproportionately adverse effect on one segment of the population – chassidim! (Politically incorrect joke? Guess what?

Chassidim have better things to do with their lives than to be insulted by this. You know how big they are in business these days?) Moshe – who prefers to go by “Moe” – Lukshineater explained to TJH, “You know goyim have Chanel bags? Well, I had my plastic bags! I never left home without holding three plastic bags and having another two ‘spaicel’ Glatt Mart bags in my pocket for backup.” Although to some the reliance on plastic bags may seem a bit strange, would it make more sense to transport a jar of gefilte fish in a D&G bag? Another Boro Parker explained to TJH that there simply is no way to get on a plane without plastic bags. “Samsonite luggage is just not practical. When I go to Israel, I use 47 plastic bags,” he shared. Yankel Kukush slammed the ban and complained, “Now I’ll have to get one of those Earth! Fresh! Joy! Smile! bags. The handle could hold for

less than a Boro Park minute. Do you know how long a plastic bag can last for?” One woman shopping for Shabbos addressed the plastic bag ban. “Sure, I’ll just have all of my items placed in boxes and dropped off at the house,” she said. “This way I will always be as relaxed as I am on Erev Pesach.” Many, though, are happy that New York has banned all plastic bags because now the whales will stop eating them. (Aren’t whales supposed to be smart creatures? When was the last time you mistakenly ate a plastic bag for dinner? “Oops, I thought it was a slice of pizza!”) The truth is, though, that the environment does matter, and it can get real dangerous if we don’t deal with it. In other news, someone was recently seen holding a plastic straw near Brooklyn College. The entire school is now experiencing PTSD.

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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TJH Gets Sneak Copy of New Dr. Seuss Book

r. Seuss is back at it, writing a new book about Megxit. The book is titled One Prince, One Princess, No Prince, No Princess, and will be hitting bookshelves soon. This week, TJH got a sneak preview from the author and was given approval to highlight some of the lines from the soon-to-be non-royal release. Here are some of our favorite lines.

He got hitched to a witch And they ditched Causing the royal family to become unstitched. The queen became glum And thought of the Queen Mum. She took out a bottle of rum And said, “This is so dumb We need to have some fun.” So she made a state dinner That was a real winner. They served tea and crumpets And brought out the trumpets. They ate a few pieces of ham And said you are still part of the fam Please respect your old gram. Then the queen got down on one knee After serving biscuits and tea And said to Harry, “Listen to me I’m beggin’ Get rid of this Meghan!” Meghan, you are so stingy You stole our gingy. And because you are not loyal You can’t use the term royal. Meghan and Harry Said, “We are not sorry We’re moving near Trudeau Because that’s where we’ll make more dough In Canada, they have much better beef And also better teeth. “So keep your money, your palaces, and your crown jewels We don’t like your old-fashioned rules. To us, you are no use We’re signing a book deal with Dr. Seuss.”

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

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Greta Thunberg Turns Up the Heat on Jalapeños

SAVE THE JA L A P E Ñ O S

reta Thunberg has turned her sights on the Five Towns. After docking her carbon-friendly boat in the Rockaways, she went to Gourmet Glatt to pick up some kale chips. When she noticed all of the jalapeño dips for sale she went into semi-shock. “How dare you?” the self-described activist declared. “You are causing jalapeños to become extinct.” Thunberg warned that if we don’t reverse course on the amount of jalapeño dip we eat, there will be none left in 12 years. (If you are reading this and don’t eat jalapeño dip, don’t think you are so hot yourself. You probably ingest more olive dip than would fit in an oil tanker. Different dip – same mayonnaise.) Conservatives have pointed out that liberals have been fearmongering about jalapeño extinction for years and forty years ago warned that jalapeños were close to being completely wiped off the face of the Earth by the year 2000. “Jalapeños are people, too,” declared the pigtailed Greta, as she and her army of fix-the-worldto-be-how-I-want-it warriors stood outside Gourmet Glatt with “Save the Jalapeño” signs. The nightly news reported on the protest and declared that “Greta spoke truth to power.” The whole event was made slightly creepier when Greta’s face appeared on all of the meters on Central Avenue. As you know, the meters are computerized and you can even advertise on them or get your news from them: “Honey, hold on, ‘The U.S has just gone to war with Russia.’ What? What do you say, honey? The meter is telling me that we are at nuclear war!” Despite the protests, patrons continued to purchase jalapeño dips at a record rate last week. One shopper dismissed the protesters, saying, “Greta may think she’s hot stuff, but she is totally mild!”

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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Netanyahu Facing New Indictment

sraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing new charges of fraud stemming from a bribe received in the Five Towns. According to witnesses, Bibi stopped into the Five Towns Israeli Embassy – otherwise known as Jerusalem Mini Market – and accepted two potato bourekas from Tomer. It is alleged that in return for the free bourekas, Netanyahu promised to ex-

port more tut-banana soda to America so that expats can feel more at home. This case, which in Israel is being referred to as Case Sixteen Thousand, is being investigated by Israel’s attorney general. He promised to make a quick decision whether or not to indict and promised to conclude his investigation within the next thirty-seven months because he doesn’t want this

Mayor Alex Edelman Raises the Flag

illage of Lawrence Mayor Alex Edelman is being accused by his opponent In the Lawrence elections of pandering to the electorate after a big Thank You Hashem flag was placed on the grounds of Lawrence Village Hall. “This is a clear violation of shul and state,” decried Mr. Edelman’s adversary. Mayor Edelman denies the charges and said that our community has a lot to be thankful for and that’s why the flag is up. He pushed back on the claim that there are many Thank You Hashemers in the Five Towns. “How many cars in the Five Towns have Thank You Hashem bumper stickers all together? Thirty? Seventy? Maybe two hundred? OK, two thousand? Fine. Forty-six-hundred? It can’t be. Ten-thousand?” He added, “And how many Thank You Hashem stickers does each car have? One? Four? Seven? So who am I pandering to?” The mayor promised constituents that the Thank You Hashem flag flapping in front of Village Hall is not going anywhere. Amazing! Thank you, Hashem!

cloud to hang over the eighteen election to be taking place in 2020. Multiple Hatzalah members and volunteer firefighters are being subpoenaed to testify because they were allegedly present when the deal went down. However, they deny any knowledge and claim that they were only meeting at the location to discuss life-saving techniques. The attorney general is skeptical, though.

Netanyahu has denied the allegations. “Holy Schnitzel!” the prime minister exclaimed. “This is a witchhunt.” If the charges stick, Netanyahu, who is Israel’s twelfth prime minister, will be one of only twelve Israeli prime ministers to be indicted for fraud. He promised to fight the charges and do whatever his wife Sara tells him to do... so help him G-d.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

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Heightened Mercury in East Rutherford

omething is wrong in East Rutherford, NJ, and it’s not just the Jets and Giants. The EPA has noticed a heightened amount

of mercury in the environment in the area.

After much investigation, it was learned that the increased amount of mercury was caused by the eightythousand-plus tuna sandwiches that were consumed at MetLife Stadium at the January 2nd Siyum HaShas. Organizers estimated that there were at least seven-thousand tuna sandwiches left under the seats at the end of the Siyum, which may be the cause of the mercury spike. Scientists say that it could have been much worse but the mercury in the tuna was offset by the equal amount of Stella Dora shtreimel cookie packages which absorbed some of the toxic chemical. The Agudah has announced that at the next Siyum they will be available to handle your food arrangements, so you won’t have to overestimate how many sandwiches you will need and stuff into clear plastic bags. A spokesman told TJH, “There will be sandwiches made with white bread, whole wheat bread, rye

bread, pumpkernikelsburg bread, leftover-from-Shabbos bread, gluten-free bread, and even bread that only recently found out it is bread. All of the bread will be together in unity in the same display case. Mi k’lachma Yisroel!” The spokesman added, “Who has tuna sandwiches like our tuna sandwiches?” At a meeting with MetLife Stadium officials, one official said that since the last siyum, he has been unable to stop eating tuna sandwiches and pickles and has o-fish-ally found his calling in life. Members of the public can already buy food vouchers for the next siyum. However, in order to avail yourself of that offer, you need to put in your shiur’s official Daf Yomi code. So, go ahead, call your fatherin-law to get his shiur’s Daf Yomi code. Do it fast – the vouchers are selling fast and Lakewood is buying up all of the cheap ones.

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MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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Cheating Scandal Rocks Jewish Little League

uthorities are investigating whether or not a father in the Five Towns bribed the Little League to give his son two bye weeks instead of one. The suspect evidently has no appreciation for having to go to Little League games in the 40-degree rain because that’s the only way to get in enough games in between Pesach, Lag Ba’Omer, siddur plays, graduations, best friend’s kid’s upsherin (yes, adults go to those these days...whole other story), and shul breakfasts. Once the weather actually gets nice, though, the father has no problem going to games – he loves spending the beautiful, balmy spring days at the “ballpark” and has no interest in relaxing, making a barbecue, going for a bike ride, or even taking a leisurely walk. There is nothing he prefers more than watching his kid sit on second base (like there is a phantom recliner there), drawing pictures in the sand, and tak-

ing out a half-eaten bag of potato chips from his pocket to munch on. Nothing says your kid is the next Derek Jeter like seeing him handle a slow-moving grounder like it’s a pile of hot coals. But the truth is, that’s not what the scandal is about. It’s much bigger than that. You ready? Sign stealing. Yep, sign stealing. A father was recently caught deep in the outfield giving a sign to one of his kids. After reviewing the incident on video, Little League Commissioner Mo Beiss determined that the father was communicating to his son that “this time the pitch is going to come from the pitcher’s mound, not from the parking lot behind the backstop, so you may want to try swinging the bat in front of you, not behind your head!” One coach implicated in the sign stealing scandal suspiciously just re-

turned from a trip to Houston. There were numerous suspensions after the scandal was uncovered. One of the fathers that was suspended from the league told TJH that since his suspension he simply has nothing to do on Sunday. “I don’t even know what to do on Sundays now,” the dad said. “It’s not like I ever have to drive my daughter to play dates, pick up things from the tailor, drive my teenager to a piano lesson, returns books to the library, or

do six carpools (school, gymnastics, play practice, bar mitzvah, cooking class…). There’s like nothing to do!” After the scandal broke, Pete Rose wondered aloud on TV, “So, will they let me in the Hall of Fame now?” TJH went to the ballpark to talk to some really happy fathers who were not implicated in the scandal. One father picked up his hands and sighed, “Reb Shayala ben Reb Moshe, please tell me your yahrtzeit is on a Sunday this year.”

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

A Day in the Life… of a Dude Just Trying to Get Home By Nate Davis

he wait to get into the Five Towns from Kennedy Airport is now up to nine hours. Don’t worry about it; it’s not like I have to go to the bathroom or anything like that. Also, I could use some extra time to figure out if I know those people on the YU sign…. Wait, he works for the Federal Reserve? Gosh! I’m getting old. And is she wearing a Microsoft t-shirt? Can they prove she didn’t just get it at some job fair? Hey, maybe she even got it on Amazon. Wait, now that I mention Amazon, why don’t they find someone wearing an Amazon shirt? That’s an even bigger company right now, and Jeff Bezos is a lot smarter than Bill Gates because he’s not giving all of his money to Save the Toads. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, never mind – the entire billboard was torn down. It’s gone. Who is going to remind me now that “the grass is greener on the other side until you jump the fence and see the weeds up close”? I guess I’ll just have to rely on my coffee cup for words of inspiration. Wait, am I still at the red light? Alright. Let me see if I know the people in the car near me. Crud! We looked at each other at the same time! Now we both feel like idiots. I really need to fix this. I have to strategically look in all directions so that they don’t think that I was looking at them. But I have to be really smart about this – the last thing I need is for bullseye eye contact once again. That could be cataclysmic. They would definitely conclude that I am a Brooklyn migrant to the Five Towns. Whateva…forget that. I’m inching towards Lowe’s now. Hmm…did I promise my wife like six weeks ago that I would go to Lowe’s to get some more disposable shades – you know the paper shades with the two plastic clips which you can never figure out the proper way to use? Are they meant to make a wave, and if so, why do mine always come out so bad? Yup, those paper shades. That’s what she needs, I think. The truth is that I love going

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

to Lowe’s – for two reasons. Firstly, they have chocolate bars at the checkout counter, and it’s the only time in my life that I’m completely not tempted by them – chocolate bars just don’t go so well with spackle, Drano, and hydrogen peroxide cleaner. But there’s even a bigger reason that I love going to Lowe’s. One day, I’m going to decline to take my receipt, dash for the door and see if I could make it out before getting arrested. Seriously, madam cashier, we are two feet from the door, the security guard is watching our entire transaction. Why do I need my receipt and why do I need to present it to the guy who just watched me pay $3.25 for my paper shade? But , on t he o t h e r hand, I also l i ke t a ki ng t he receipt bec ause I love the guard’s enthusiasm when he uses the yellow highlighter to draw a line on it. What’s with the yellow? Costco uses black, and when I’m with my kids they proudly draw on smiley faces – they are all exactly the same regardless of who is doing the drawing; they went to Costco School of Art for that. I get why Costco does it…very smart system they have. I can even go to the bathroom after I pay and not worry about someone running off with my cart because if that happens, I have the unmarked receipt so I am Gucci. But why does Lowe’s put a line in my receipt? And why in yellow? It’s not like my receipt is trying to get back in for disco night in the plumbing section and needs to go under the UV light for reentry?! Also, one more thing about Lowe’s that you should know – yes, you can enter and exit through any

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

door, even through the door that has a big “exit only” sign on it. Oh, and on that topic, you can also exit through the entry door at Gourmet Glatt. I do it all the time, I just put on a serious face and make believe I work there, so nobody thinks I’m being rude. It could get a little tight if somebody is buying some of the stuff in that vestibule, though, but as long as I’m pushy enough I can get my way. By the way, what’s with stores selling items in the vestibule? I always feel so bad for the products. They sit there in shame knowing that they are not important enough for space in the actual store. So sad. It’s even worse when stores sell some of their products outside of the store altogether. It’s almost like

sation. “Sir, I need you to help me pick out a speedboat with a hybrid inboard-outboard engine really fast before the Q17 bus comes.” Sure. That works.

K. We moved twenty feet, and traffic is stopped again because some genius decided to make a left turn out of IHOP across all eight lanes. Seriously, bro? I’d try to scare you into thinking I’m going to hit your car but your gold 1996 Camry has golf ball-like dimples and doesn’t look like it would give a rip if it got another dent, so you win. Go ahead, crank your neck out of the window to see if the lanes are clear.

I’m also going to pick up a container of chummus, which we can use for an aboveground pool in our backyard once we finish it in six months. they are telling you, “Go ahead, buy some if you want or steal it – we really don’t care. This is the stuff that didn’t even make it into the vestibule!”

nyway, now that I’m out of the Lowe’s parking lot, after scraping my car on a few bumps, I’m ready to continue my effort to get into the Five Towns. I can’t help but marvel at the beautiful body of water on the right. Do these people really put boats in that cesspool? And is there really a boat store here? A Karako suit store, I get. But why a boat store? Just in case someone comes out of Kmart and says, “You know what? I’m going to do my boat shopping today.” I could only imagine the conver-

Let me help you out – they’re not, but nobody has a choice but to let you go, so do it already! Finally, I’m at the Costco light, which, of course, is red. Greek restaurant f ull? Of course! Ask anyone from Long Island, and they will tell you that it’s the best Greek restaurant on the Island. Great conversation starter when you need to make small talk with someone at a work gathering who you know is Greek or even Italian. (You know that they are closed on Sunday? Amazing how dedicated they are to their religion!) Only place in the world that someone can order a Greek salad and a twin mattress together. Alright, let’s see what’s going on in Costco’s parking lot today. Did they really build an MRI facility there? I guess when people eat four hot dogs for $1.25 total and

three ice cream sundaes for $2.15 they may want to quickly run into the MRI facility to check on their clogged arteries. Hmm…you said I only have a 97% blockage? Not bad. I’m thinking Popeye’s for lunch! Alright, I’ll do some Costco shopping. Hey, look – they have baby pajamas…some have monkeys in green, some have monkeys in red, some have monkeys in yellow. I’m sure my wife cou ld use some of these for the kids. It ’s no t like t here are sixteen pairs in every crevice of her minivan already! Maybe I should get some Tide detergent…I’ve been meaning to get into bodybuilding lately. I’m also going to pick up a container of chummus, which we can use for an aboveground pool in our backyard once we finish it in six months. I head to checkout and use one of the middle cashiers because people, for some reason, all line up at the outer cashiers, leaving the middle lanes wide open for people like me…just call me Jerome Bettis! OK, I have to wait for a minute behind a guy and his wife who decided to use a flatbed cart to transport his box of oranges. It’s still much quicker than the outer lines. I’m out of there in a minute…walking up to the security lady with the black Sharpie…hello, Lowe’s! She seems to be smirking at me…. You again? Yes, I know that Costco fountain soda is 52 cents a cup…do I really need to gulp down a 68-ounce soda now just because it’s 52 cents? As I exit Costco, I marvel at the new building being built at the other end of the parking lot. At first, when it started going up, I thought it had to be something to do with the new roadway on the 878, maybe like an exhaust system...I don’t know…they have them by the Lincoln Tunnel? But the elevator shafts are a dead

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

giveaway – some building is going up. I bet you it’s a bank. Makes sense. I can just keep my money there because all of it goes to Costco anyway. They can even build one of those cash-capsule suction-shooting systems to take my money straight from my checking account to one of the cashiers in a middle aisle. (Ding! Ding! Ding! Middle aged frum guy from the Five Towns making jokes about how his wife spends all of his money…as original as giving Presidors for mishloach manos.)

hen I finally pull out of the Costco parking lot, there are six cars waiting for my spot and one of them has a van that seems to double as a cat lover’s home. And the couple with their walkers and oxygen masks are putting a pallet of blueberry muffins

in their trunk way too slowly (ever think about cutting down on Kirkland blueberry muffins? Maybe some grapes?). I’m about to pull out, but here c ome s t he wagon train. Slowly, slowly, inching along. Now, I’m pulling out and I’m grateful I’m not the ref who will determine who gets my spot. I’m outa’ here, you guys duke it out! By the time I get out of the Costco parking lot, I forget whether you can make a right on red over there. But things are moving now, and I’m not gonna kill the momentum by stopping in Giant Bagel. Pizza? Bagel? Pizza? Bagel? Nah. The truth is that I love parking at Giant Pizza? Bagel? It’s the

only parking lot in the world where you’re supposed to park obnoxiously. Just pull up in the middle of the lot, shove your car into park, and you’re good. No lines, no rules, no excuses – complete conscious chaos. But I have to get home already, so I’m not going to indulge. I’m zipping by Dunkin’ Donuts now. Remember when we used to go there three times a day? Never mind Saturday night – it was like Sunset Boulevard for bored teenagers. But it’s been a while, and I’m not stopping there, either. I just gotta get home and unwind. It’s been a long arduous trip getting from JFK to my house.

’m greeted like a conquering hero when I finally swing open the front door of the house while holding six pairs of Costco baby pajamas, Tide detergent, a 96-pack of granola bars, a new humidifier (I returned the old one – that’s

THEIR policy!), a case of two-dozen tissue boxes, and, of course, roses for Shabbos (stems totally cracked at this point). My wife is really excited to see me. She just has one question, though: “Honey, do you mind going to Giant Whatever to pick up a $10 pie of pizza for supper?” Oh…Sssuuuuurrreee.

MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Torah Thought

Parshas Tetzaveh By Rabbi Berel Wein

he Torah reading of this week establishes for us the commandment of having an eternal flame burn in the Mishkan and later in the Temple in Jeruesalem as well. This commandment is repeated regarding the altar in the Mishkan and in the Temple where an eternal flame was also to be present on the altar of sacrifices. The concept and symbol of an eternal

flame has been repeated throughout Jewish history and is found to be present in all Jewish synagogues throughout the world and throughout the ages. I have often wondered as to the significance of a flame of fire somehow representing eternity. I think that this has to do with the fact that the Torah instructs us to imitate our Creator to the extent that is human-

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ly possible. The first creation of G-d, so to speak, was light, energy, fire, if you will. The first invention of man, according to Midrash, was at the conclusion of the Sabbath when human beings first learned how to create fire. It is the origin of our custom in the Havdala service to have a fire lit, over which we bless G-d for allowing us to create this most necessary of all human inventions. Fire is a double-edged sword. It warms and lights, and it damages and destroys. Like all human inventions, especially those of our modern world over the past century, the use of all inventions contains ambivalence. The

good sense of morality that is innate within us. Most advancements in medicine have occurred through discoveries made in trying to heal the wounds of war and violence and the prevention of the spread of plagues and epidemics. In effect, the fire of creativity that is the hallmark of human beings, from infancy onwards, is an eternal gift that the L-rd has bestowed upon us. This is perhaps part of the symbolism of the eternal flame described in this weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Torah reading. Our sense of creativity is symbolized by the eternal flame that burns in our houses of worship. But

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invention can be used for great and good things, although it also can destroy all that has been accomplished. Fire, therefore, represents the human capacity for good and for evil. The Torah teaches us that this capacity is an eternal one and that the challenge of having good triumph over evil never disappears. Good provides eternal energy and drives the engine of morality and holiness. Evil also contributes to the advancement of civilization though it must always be controlled and dominated by the

that flame also burns deep within the soul of human beings. It is that internal flame that can and should be converted to an eternal flame by good deeds, moral values, and good intentions. Human beings require symbols to actuate noble values and ideas. All the symbols that appear in the Mishkan come to reinforce the value sysstem that the Torah teaches us. An eternal flame represents much more than the burning wick of a candle. Shabbat shalom.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

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MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

From the Fire

Parshas Tetzaveh Parshas Zachor Calling Out Modern-Day Evil By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

urim is a holiday of stark contrasts. As we say in the song Shoshanas Yaakov, “Cursed is Haman who attempted to destroy me” and “Blessed is Mordechai the Jew.” We have “Cursed is Zeresh the wife of the one who terrorized me” and “Blessed is Esther [who sacrificed] for me.” The Megillah refers on one hand to “king” Achashveirosh. But it also refers to “The King,” the hidden King of all kings who acts behind the scenes. Purim means making a place in our lives for both parts. While gratitude to Hashem, rejoicing in His salvation, gifts to the poor and to our friends, and celebrating with friends are a major part of Purim, an equally important part of the day is hatred of that which is truly evil in the world today. Therefore, when we celebrate on Purim by drinking a little bit, “when the wine goes in, the secret comes out” (Eiruvin 65a). Our inhibitions and political correctness subside and we call out the alternate text of Shoshanas Yaakov, “Cursed are all of the wicked!” Certainly everything in Yiddishkeit starts and ends with the quality of love. In the second blessing before Shema, we say every day, “You have loved Your nation Israel with

an eternal love.” In Shema, we say the pasuk (Devarim 6:5), “And you shall love Hashem your G-d will all your heart, with all your soul, and with all of your resources.” And the Torah teaches us, “And you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Vayikra 19:18). Love is the foundation of the world and is the overarching emphasis in our service of G-d. And the ultimate goal of “turn away from evil” is to “do good” (Tehillim 34:15). As Rabbeinu Bachaya says, “A little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness.” That is always the primary emphasis. But the truth is that love is not everything. The Western world is drunk with the idea that, as the song says, “All you need is love.” That is the perverse current formulation of a concept which originated in the teachings of the apostate from Nazareth. The reality is that “those who love Hashem hate evil” (Tehillim 97:10). This is a positive form of hate; one which is not only permissible but obligatory. In the Western mind, love is always good and hate is always bad. But this extremist, black-and-white approach is foolish, false, and very dangerous. The truth is that there is a good form of love and a bad form of love. There is a

good form of hate and a bad form of hate. We have an obligation to clearly identify evil and evildoers and work to stop and, if necessary, destroy them. It is forbidden to indiscriminately love everyone and everything. Judaism is not a religion of love. Nor is it a religion of hate. It is a religion of truth. As long as there are evil acts and evildoers in the world, there will be a limitation on where love is appropriate. If one loves wicked people, he begins to identify with them and eventually justifies and becomes caught up with them, ultimately throwing his lot in with them in every way. The Rambam rules (Hilchos Melachim 5:5) that “it is forbidden to forget his [Amalek’s] enmity and hatred.” And the Chayei Adam (155:2) teaches us that “it is a positive commandment from the Torah to remember what Amalek did and to hate him with a hatred fixed into the heart…” Why is this? It is because “those who love Hashem hate evil.” The same thing that makes a person love Hashem causes him to hate evil. That is why the Alter Rebbe, zy”a, teaches us in the tenth chapter of the Tanya about a complete tzaddik: “The extent of the greatness of his love for Hashem is the extent of

his hatred for the Other Side and his complete disgust with evil.” It is not that those who love Hashem “also” hate evil. Their love of Hashem itself gives birth to hatred of evil people and their evil actions. The same way a modest, loving mother hates someone who abuses her child, a tzaddik’s hatred for evil does not come from anger, jealousy, or arrogance. Rather, it arises from the powerful purity and refinement of his love for G-d. “Love is powerful like death…its coals are like the coals of the fire of the flames of G-d.” When a fiery love of G-d comes into contact with evil, that evil is completely consumed. This is the message of Shabbos Zachor. We must clearly identify evil. Esther answered the question “Who is this and where is he” (Esther 7:5) without hesitation or equivocation: “This evil Haman!” (ibid. 6). The evil people of the world today completely negate the image of G-d in man. They viciously behead, slaughter, and enslave Christians, Yazidis, and Kurds all over the Middle East, not to mention how they butcher other Muslims who disagree with them. Shabbos Zachor reminds us that we must clearly identify and condemn evil in our own time. Someone pointed out to me this

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week that in chassidus we always learn that there is a spark of holiness in everything in the world, from the most benign to the most evil. He asked whether we should seek out the good in evil ideologies, regimes, and organizations in the world today. Does the Gemara not say (Gitin 57b), “The great-grandchildren of Haman studied Torah in Bnei Brak!” I explained to him that while this is true, how Hashem ultimately redeems the good in the evil things of this world today is none of our concern. He will extract sparks of goodness according to his plan. But as long as something reveals itself as pure evil in this world, we must relate to it as such.1 It is true that the Arizal teaches that the pasuk, “And regarding Yishmael, I have heard you [Avraham]” (Bereishis 17:20), refers to how G-d took note of the spark of holiness within Yishmael. It is also true that Reb Shimon Ostropoler, zy”a, teaches that Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, Reish Lakish, was a reincarnation of

e h t e Sav te! Da

Yishmael. He further explains that because the word for “and He heard, va’yishma” is related to the name Shimon, the pasuk (ibid. 21:17) “And G-d heard the voice of the boy [Yishmael]…where he was” hints at the fact that the soul of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish was already deep with-

Yishmael was only saved because he was deserving at the time. We must relate to evil exclusively according to its manifestation as evil as long as its spark of goodness remains hidden. Hidden, as-yet-unredeemed, holiness is none of our concern. It is no coincidence that amidst

When a fiery love of G-d comes into contact with evil, that evil is completely consumed.

in Yishmael. Notwithstanding all of that, the fact that good or bad would come from Yishmael or his descendants in the distant future was not part of the calculation at the time.

the mitzvos of Purim related to love and friendship is the mitzvah to remember the evil of the nation of Amalek. One is the natural result of the other. “Those who love Hashem

hate evil.” While the primary mitzvah to destroy Amalek today can only be fulfilled by destroying our own inner Amalek-like qualities, coldness and detachment toward an enthusiastic, wholehearted service of G-d, we must also fulfill the mitzvah by recognizing and calling out the evil and evildoers of the day. May Hashem bless us by giving us and our leaders the clarity and courage to unequivocally identify and destroy the evil ideologies, organizations, and regimes prevalent the world. 1. The good within a Jewish soul within a wicked person’s body is different because that good is revealed on some level even here in this world. 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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MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Parsha

in 4

Parshas Tetzaveh By Eytan Kobre

Weekly Aggada And you should bring near to you Aharon, your brother, and his sons with him, from among the Jewish people to serve Me; Aharon, Nadav and Avihu, Elazar and Isamar, Aaron’s sons (Shemos 28:1) Why did G-d choose to elevate Aharon and his sons to make them holy? When Moshe descended from Sinai and saw the Jewish people sinning with the Golden Calf, he glanced at Aharon and saw that he was banging with his hammer. Moshe assumed that Aharon had joined with the Jewish

people in sinning with the Golden Calf. “Moshe!” G-d said to him. “I know of Aharon’s intentions, that they are for the good. This is comparable to a prince who went mad and took an iron peg to tunnel under, and thus undermine, his father’s (i.e., the king’s) castle. “Don’t tire yourself out,” said the prince’s tutor to the prince, “give me the iron peg, and I will tunnel.” Just then, the king peered out of a window. “I know of your intentions (to prevent my son from tunneling under the castle),” the king said to the tutor. “By your life, I will place no man in charge of my castle but you!” So it was with Aharon. When the

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Jewish people told him to “get up and make for us a god” (Shemos 32:1), he told them to bring the rings of their wives and children (Shemos 32:2). “Since I am a priest,” he convinced them, “I will make [the Golden Calf], and I will offer sacrifices before it.” But he did so only to delay the Jewish people until Moshe’s return. So G-d said to him, “Aharon, I know your intentions. By your life, I will place no man in charge of the sacrifices but you” (Shemos Rabba 37:2).

Weekly Mussar In the Tent of Meeting, outside the Veil that is before the Testimony, Aharon and his sons shall set it from evening to morning before G-d -- a statute throughout your generations on the behalf of the Jewish people (Shemos 27:21) One of the Menorah’s lamps, the Western Light, was especially unusual. Though it received no more oil than the other lamps, the Western Lamp would burn through to the morning (even after the longest winter nights), at which time the Kohanim rekindled the other lamps using the Western Light. This candle was certainly not needed to produce light; the Jewish people had sojourned in the desert for 40 years without any light at all. Rather, it attested to the entire world that G-d’s Divine Presence rested in the Mishkan (Shabbos 22b). It is easy to understand how the miracle of the candle was a testament to the Kohanim that G-d’s Divine Presence rested in the Mishkan. But non-Kohanim were not permitted in the Mishkan. And non-Jews certainly were not. How, then, could the miracle of the candle be a testament to the world at large? That is the question Rav Yitzchak Hutner posed when someone suggest-

ed that, for fundraising purposes, his yeshiva, Yeshivas Chaim Berlin, offer seminars to the public at large. He rejected the suggestion and explained how the Western Light influenced the world. The Western Light did not impact the world at first, at least not directly. But it did reinforce to the Kohanim, who witnessed its miracles every day, that the Divine Presence rested in the Mishkan. Influenced by the Western Light, the Kohanim acted in such an elevated way as to influence, in turn, the rest of the Jewish people. Influenced by the Kohanim, the Jewish people acted in such an elevated way as to influence the rest of the world. That is how the Western Light attested to the entire world that G-d’s Divine Presence rested in the Mishkan. If we want to influence others, we must be ground zero and influence ourselves first. When we do so, we will influence those in our inner circle, and, ultimately, we can influence even the world at large.

Weekly Anecdote And for Aharon’s sons thou shalt make tunics, and thou shalt make for them girdles, and head-tires shalt thou make for them, for splendour and for beauty (Shemos 28:40) Each of the Kohen Gadol’s eight garments atoned for a different sin. The girdle atoned for sinful thought (Arachin 16a). A man once complained to the Maggid of Mezritch (1704-1772) that his mind was constantly being invaded by sinful thoughts. “I can understand when G-d commands our actions and our speech, for those are things within man’s control. But thoughts? They come and go, and man cannot necessarily control them.” The Maggid gave him no advice but

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told him to seek out the assistance of R’ Zev of Zhitomir. So the man set out for the long trek to Zhitomir, where R’ Zev owned an inn. By the time the man reached Zhitomir and R’ Zev’s inn, however, it was late at night. The inn was locked. The man banged and banged and banged on the door, but to no avail. There was no answer. The harsh Ukrainian winter night began to take its toll on the man, and he banged and banged and banged some more. Still no answer. He cried out in despair, “What sort of people are you, not to have pity on a fellow Jew who is freezing?” Silence still. At sunrise, the inn doors swung open for business as usual. The man, frozen to the bone, made his way inside, where he warmed up and ended up staying over for several days. He just could not understand: Why would the Maggid of Mezritch send me all this way to a strange inn, with R’ Zev saying nothing to me? As he prepared to leave, the man’s curiosity got the better of him and he

presented himself before R’ Zev. “Our rebbe, the Maggid, sent me here to you,” the man said, “but I cannot figure out why. You were supposed to demonstrate how I can keep sinful thoughts out of my head. But you’ve hardly said to me anything at all.” “The purpose of your coming here was realized the night you arrived,” explained R’ Zev. “Our rebbe wanted you to learn from me that each man is the master of his house: whoever he does not wish to admit inside, he simply does not admit inside.”

Weekly Halacha And it will be on Aharon’s forehead, and Aaron will bear the iniquity committed in the holy things, which the Jewish people will make holy, even in all their holy gifts; and it shall be upon his forehead always, so that they may be accepted before G-d (Shemos 28:38) Inasmuch as the Torah insists that

the tzitz be upon the forehead of the Kohen Gadol “always,” we learn that the Kohen Gadol may not divert his attention from it (Yoma 7b; Menachos 36b). This is the source of the rule that one may not divert his attention from tefillin while wearing them (Menachos 35b). After all, if the Kohen Gadol could not divert his attention away from the tzitz, which bore only one instance of G-d’s name, certainly one may not divert his attention away from tefillin, which contain 26 instances of G-d’s name (Menachos 36b). A diversion of attention, in the context of focus while wearing tefillin, generally means engaging in frivolity or levity – not merely the absence of active concentration on the tefillin (Aruch HaShulchan, Orach Chaim 44:2; Mishna Berura 44:3; but see Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 10:16 and 10:23 [implying that a diversion of attention means simple passive unawareness, not frivolity or levity]). The most preferable manner of donning tefillin, however, is to do so

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without any interruption in concentration whatsoever – even while davening (Mishna Berura 44:3; Biur Halacha 44). Others, however, are stringent when it comes to diverting attention from tefillin, requiring that we concentrate on our tefillin at all times except during Shemoneh Esrei and while learning Torah (Be’er Heitiv 44:1 [Arizal]; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 10:16). Practically, to avoid diverting attention from the tefillin, one should periodically touch his tefillin (Mishna Berura 44:3). When doing so, one should touch the Tefillin Shel Yad first, and then the Tefillin Shel Rosh (Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 10:17). The Weekly Halacha is not meant for practical purposes and is for discussion purposes only. Please consult your own rav for guidance. Eytan Kobre is a writer, speaker, and attorney living in Kew Gardens Hills. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? E-mail eakobre@outlook.com.

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SERVING HASHEM ACCORDING TO HIS PLAN The Ultimate Purim Lesson BY RAV YAAKOV FEITMAN

PURIM

i s r eple te w it h c ontradictions and paradoxes. We are enjoined to become intoxicated and apparently unaware of the basic distinctions between Mordechai and Haman (Megillah 7b). Yet it was on Purim that we reaccepted the Torah on an even higher level than before (Shabbos 88a). In many ways, this is the most joyous day of the year, yet at the end of the Megillah, we still have not emerged from the heavy hand of Achashveirosh (Eruchin 10b). Mordechai and Esther are the heroes of Purim and leaders of Klal Yisrael. Yet Chazal (Megillah 15a) teach that at the end of the Megillah their marriage became halachically forbidden and they had to separate forever. Mordechai was beloved by most of Klal Yisrael, but a segment of the Sanhedrin left him (Megillah 16b). The lilting tune of Megillas Esther inspires us to the heights of happiness. Yet, the recurring tune of Eichah shatters our bliss with reminders of churban and destruc-

tion. There is more but perhaps this is enough to cause us to look deeper into the hidden message in this most hidden of the books of the Tanach. Our Sages (Chulin 139b) teach that Esther is mentioned clandestinely in the Torah in the pasuk (Devarim 31:18), “I have hidden (hasteir astir panai) My face on that day.” Our meforshim have taught for centuries that this drasha is not merely a pun or play on words but goes to the heart of both Megillas Esther and Purim itself. First of all, Hashem’s name is nowhere mentioned formally in the Megillah but can be found in various hints and configurations. Secondly, just perusing the Medrash (Esther Rabbah) and Targum Sheini to Megillas Esther reveals countless hidden miracles which occurred throughout the Megillah but remain shrouded from any superficial view. The Rambam (end of Hilchos Megillah) concludes that even if all the other books of the Tanach fall into disuse, Megillas Esther will be

forever. Furthermore, even if any of the yomim tovim will no longer be celebrated, Purim will remain eternally. What is the nature of Purim’s and Megillas Esther’s lasting power? My rebbe, Rav Yitzchok Hutner, zt”l, (Pachad Yitzchok, Purim) offered a parable which I present here in a somewhat modernized form. Two people are entering a cave. One can see normally; the other is blind. The sighted person turns on his flashlight only to extinguish it when he eventually emerges into daylight. However, the blind man who has navigated by his “sixth sense” continues to utilize his unique skill even after he has emerged since, for him, nothing has changed. The revelations of the Days of Moshiach will be so extraordinary that we may not require the earlier miracles which lit our way through all the bitter dark exiles. However, the skills we learned to see the hand of G-d in our daily lives will still be necessary. All the other yomim tovim, which celebrate vari-

ous supernatural events and miracles will be somewhat unnecessary compared to the amazing wonders of Yemos Ha’Moshiach. But we will still require the tools we gained on Purim – the ability to see the hand of Hashem in nature and seemingly everyday events. To understand how this resolves our paradoxes, let us begin with Mordechai. The straight “storyline” in the Megillah presents Mordechai as a kindly man who happened to be in the right place at the right time. However, Chazal (Megillah 12b) expound on his name, the names of ancestors, and his tribe to explain the source of his greatness. First of all, he was a man of prayer. My rebbe (quoted by his sonin-law, Rav Yonasan David, Mesibos Purim, page 50) raises an interesting issue. Chazal praise Mordechai by discovering that he “opened the eyes of the Jews with his prayers, G-d heard his prayers and he pounded on the heavenly gates of compassion.” The question is: what could be

added by pounding on the heavenly gates after his prayers had already been answered? The Rosh Yeshiva explains that there are two modes of prayer. One is the usual, wherein we approach our Creator with supplication and pleading. The other is the way of Choni Hamaagal (Taanis 23a) who actually makes demands, declaring, “I will not budge from here until I receive a response.” Mordechai banging on the gates of Heaven follows the latter, more aggressive type of prayer. With some trepidation, I would like to add that after Mordechai had brought Klal Yisrael to their new level of tefillah, where they were suddenly able to see that which had been hidden before, they were now ready to join him in banging on the gates. Klal Yisrael were elevated to a new level of Kabbolas Hatorah (Shabbos 88b) and accepted the Torah out of “love of the miracle” (Rashi, ibid). This interesting expression may mean that we have now achieved a

new love of Hashem. We understood for the first time that Hashem is constantly involved in every aspect of our lives, whether or not it can be called a suspension of the laws of nature, as we learned form the Rosh Yeshiva’s parable. We will now attempt to understand the incredible sacrifice which Mordechai and Esther made for Klal Yisrael. Over the centuries, many poskim (e.g. Shvus Yaakov 2:117; Nodah B’Yehudah Yoreh Deah 2:161) have attempted to derive halachic rules for replicating Esther’s selfless act of saving Klal Yisrael at the expense of her own marriage. The general consensus is that no analogies are valid because only Esther saved virtually the entire Jewish people. Thus, despite what must have been incredible personal pain and anguish, Mordechai and Esther were in the unique position of putting Klal Yisrael first in their lives, ahead of the most basic of their own emotions and needs. Mordechai, too, in his ca-

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pacity as the new viceroy of the Persian empire, alienated some of the members of the Sanhedrin. However, there is no record that he had a choice in this decision. It would seem that disaster would have ensued if Mordechai had abandoned his post and returned to his former full-time study of Torah. Indeed, the majority of the Sanhedrin clearly supported his action, recognizing that, for Mordechai, the Bais Hamedrash was the place where he truly wanted to be, as before, but he saw that his role in Klal Yisrael had changed and submitted to the Divine will.

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conclusion of the Purim lesson would seem to be this: Each of us has a role to play in the greater Knesses Yisrael. Obviously, some occupy a larger place than others, but no one is exempt or immune. We may think that our job is one thing but often Hashem shows us that He has other plans. We show and exhibit great-

ness when we bow our heads to this discovery. One young man may have planned to become a famous rosh yeshiva, but Hashem has endowed him with the talent and ability to inspire young children. And so he must do what Klal Yisrael needs and Hashem wants. The same applies to us all. Mordechai and Esther are our teachers in this powerful lesson. Klal Yisrael, too, undoubtedly wanted to run back to Eretz Yisrael and immediately rebuild the Bais Hamikdash. But Heaven had decreed that we must remain “servants of Achaveirosh” a bit longer, and it became our mission to accept the Torah once again under those circumstances. As we read the Eichah trop, we remind ourselves that ultimately our eternal job is to perform the will of Hashem in whatever we do and then let Hashem do the rest. B’meheirah B’yameinu.

Rav Yaakov Feitman is the rav of Kehillas Bais Yehudah Tzvi in Cedarhurst.

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MARCH 5, 29, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 2015 | The Jewish Home

Jewish Thought

The Therapeutic Joy of Purim By Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

here is a unique law in the approach to Purim. “Mishenichnas Adar marbim b’simcha, From the beginning of Adar, we increase in joy.” It is stated in the Talmud (Taanit 29a) and is based on the passage in the Megillah (Esther 9:21-22) in which Mordechai sends a letter throughout the land instruct-

ing Jews “to observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and the fifteenth day, every year – the days on which the Jews obtained rest from their enemies and the month which for them was turned from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday.” This, in turn, refers back to the

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text in which Haman decided on the timing of his decree: “In the first month, the month of Nissan, in the twelfth year of Achashverosh, they cast pur (lots) before Haman from day to day, and from month to month until the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar” (Esther 3:7). The difficulties, though, are obvious. Why an entire month? The key events were focused on a few days, the thirteenth to the fifteenth, not the whole month. And why simcha? We can understand why the Jews of the time felt exhilaration. The decree sentencing them to death had been rescinded. Their enemies had been punished. Haman had been hanged on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordechai. Mordechai himself had been raised to greatness. But is joy the emotion we should feel in perpetuity, remembering those events? The first warrant for genocide against the Jewish people (the second if one counts Pharaoh’s plan to kill all newborn Jewish males) had been frustrated. Is simcha the appropriate emotion? Surely what we should feel is relief, not joy. Pesach is the proof. The word “joy” is never mentioned in the Torah in connection with it. Besides which, the Talmud asks why we do not say Hallel on Purim. It gives several answers. The most powerful is that in Hallel we say, “Servants of the L-rd, give praise” – meaning that we are no longer the servants of Pharaoh. But, says the Talmud, even after the deliverance of

Purim, Jews were still the servants of Achashverosh (Megillah 14a). Tragedy had been averted but there was no real change in the hazards of life in the Diaspora. It seems to me therefore that the simcha we celebrate throughout the month of Adar is different from the normal joy we feel when something good and positive has happened to us or our people. That is expressive joy. The simcha of Adar, by contrast, is therapeutic joy. Imagine what it is to be part of a people that had once heard the command issued against them: “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews – young and old, women and children – on a single day” (Esther 3:13). We who live after the Holocaust, who have met survivors, heard their testimony, seen the photographs and documentaries and memorials, know the answer to that question. On Purim, the Final Solution was averted. But it had been pronounced. Ever afterward, Jews knew their vulnerability. The very existence of Purim in our historical memory is traumatic. The Jewish response to trauma is counterintuitive and extraordinary. You defeat fear by joy. You conquer terror by collective celebration. You prepare a festive meal, invite guests, give gifts to friends. While the story is being told, you make a rumbustious noise as if not only to blot out the memory of Amalek but to make a joke out of the whole episode. You wear masks. You drink a little too much. You make a Purim spiel.

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Precisely because the threat was so serious, you refuse to be serious – and in that refusal you are doing something very serious indeed. You are denying your enemies a victory. You are declaring that you will not be intimidated. As the date of the scheduled destruction approaches, you surround yourself with the single most effective antidote to fear: joy in life itself. As the three-sentence summary of Jewish history puts it: “They tried to destroy us. We survived. Let’s eat.” Humor is the Jewish way of defeating hate. What you can laugh at, you cannot be held captive by. I learned this from a Holocaust survivor. Some years ago, I wrote a book, Celebrating Life, to write my way out of the depression I fell into after the death of my father, zichrono livracha. It was a cheer-you-up book, and it became a favorite of the Holocaust survivors. One of them, however, told me that a particular passage in the book was incorrect.

Commenting on Roberto Begnini’s comedy about the Holocaust, Life is Beautiful, I had said that though I agreed with his thesis – a sense of humor keeps you sane – that was not enough in Auschwitz to keep you alive.

day they would tell one another their story and they would laugh together. “That sense of humor saved my life,” he said. I stood corrected. He was right. That is what we do on Purim. The joy, the merrymaking, the food,

Humor is the Jewish way of defeating hate.

“On that, you are wrong,” the survivor said, and then told me his story. He had been in Auschwitz, and he soon realized that if he failed to keep his spirits up, he would die. So he made a pact with another young man, that they would both look out, each day, for some occurrence they found amusing. At the end of each

the drink, the whole carnival atmosphere are there to allow us to live with the risks of being a Jew – in the past, and tragically in the present also – without being terrified, traumatized, or intimidated. It is the most counter-intuitive response to terror, and the most effective. Terrorists aim to terrify. To be a Jew is

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to refuse to be terrified. Terror, hatred, violence – the dark forces that are currently ravaging country after country in the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia – are always ultimately self-destructive. Those who practice them are always, as was Haman, hoisted on their own petard, destroyed by their very will to destruction. And yes, we as Jews must fight anti-Semitism, the demonization of Israel, and the intimidation of Jewish students on campus. But we must never let ourselves be intimidated – and the Jewish way to avoid this is marbim b’simcha, to increase our joy. The people that can know the full darkness of history and yet rejoice is a people whose spirit no power on earth can ever break. Purim sameach.

To read more from Rabbi Sacks, please visit www.rabbisacks.org and follow @ RabbiSacks on social media.

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Infinite Light, Eternal Love

The Inner Dimension of Purim

elieve it or not, it’s that time of year aga in! Winter seems to be slowly losing its icy grip on the world as the days grow longer and the warmth of spring begins to cautiously emerge. Even the most stubborn snowdrifts are melting, soon to be forgotten by gleeful children whose parents (to their great relief) have given up nagging them to put on a coat before heading out to play. The gravity of Tu B’Shvat is a thing of the past, hopeful trees have begun to blossom, joyously bearing their bountiful new year’s blessing to a thawing world. Channeling the deepest spiritual energies, nature is beginning to waken from her deep and tortured slumber. It’s Adar! A month of joy and celebration. Adar! A month of new beginnings. The character of Adar and its crowning glory, the chag of Purim, is absolutely unique. The tzaddikim teach that during these precious days, an enormous and unparalleled spiritual light is shining in the world, a light which has the ability to turn the darkest of situations around when accessed by the conscious soul. In this essay, I would like to explore one of the underlying themes activated during this exalted time period so we may channel its special energy into our lives.

Missing Letters

In the deeper texts, Purim is related to the concept of Netzach, victory and endurance. On the simplest level, Purim represented a mighty victory over Haman, the embodiment of our nation’s historical archenemy, Amalek. But because, like the tzaddikim so strongly stressed, our chagim are not merely commemorations of past miracles but rather the re-experiencing of miraculous energies which become revealed again, year after year, in the same measure manifest in the original miracle we are celebrating, Purim must contain within it the theological strategy for defeating Amalek in our times as well. In order to understand this strategy for the purpose of allowing it to affect our outlook, we must first understand the scourge of Amalek and the role it plays in embittering our lives even today, so many centuries removed from the setting of the Purim story. In the definitive characterization of Amalek as the enemy of Hashem and the Jewish nation, the Torah states, “Ki yad al keis Kah, milchemes Hashem b’Amalek m’dor dor,” Hashem swears that He will battle against Amalek in each and every generation. (Shemos 17:16) Chazal note that the words “keis Kah,” the throne of Hashem, are truncated. Instead of “keis,” the word should be spelled “kisei.” Instead of

By Yaakov Klein “kah,” the first two letters of Hashem’s name, all four letters of Hashem’s Name should be spelled out, Yud-Kei-Vav-Kei. Chazal see a message hinted in the three missing letters, aleph of “Kisei” and Vav and Hei of the Shem Havaya: All the while that Amalek is in the world, the Throne and Name of Hashem are incomplete. (Tanchumah, Ki Seitzei 11) In order to understand this awesome blemish, we must first discover the concept alluded to by both the Throne and Name of Hashem.

Hashem in the Lower Realms

One of the foundational teachings of the Kabbalah is that the primary name of Hashem, the Shem Havaya, encapsulates the entire structure and developmental chain of creation, from the very loftiest point of utter G-dliness down to the most corporeal levels of dross and physicality. Each of the four letters – in descending order – corresponds to another of the spiritual “worlds” which serve as links in the creative chain of constriction through which Hashem reveals Himself within the physical creation. Generally speaking, the first two letters, “Yud” and “Hei,” relate to the transcendent realms of spirituality (Atzilus and Beriyah), creation in its earliest stages of formless and embryonic matter. The final two letters,

“Vav” and “Hei,” relate to the lower realms (Yetzirah and Asiyah) in which creation takes on a definitive form and ultimately manifests in our physical world. A primary implication of this deep and fundamental principle is that all of existence – even the lowliest element of the physical world – is part of Hashem’s Name, enveloped in “HaMakom,” the Master of the world in Whose Infinite “Place” creation becomes possible. (Bereishis Rabbah 68:9) The lower realms are vessels for the loftiest motivating force of Hashem’s Thought – a demonstration of the capacity for limit within the Infinite and Hashem’s desire to reveal His glory specifically in a setting which represents the furthest possible extremity from His perfect holiness, a realm of extreme darkness and concealment. Chazal teach that the initial motivating force of creation was the existence of the Jewish nation, “Yisrael ala b’machshava techillah,” Klal Yisrael arose first in the Divine Mind. (Bereishis Rabbah 1) Through utilization of their free choice to embody the Torah’s ideals in thought, speech, and action, the Jewish nation was to be tasked with transforming both their lives and the physical world around them into a “dirah b’tachtonim,” a dwelling place for the divine Presence. (See Likutei Amarim, Tanya,

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chapter 31) “Ki bachar Hashem b’tzion, ivah l’moshav lo,” Hashem chose Tzion, He desired it as a dwelling place for Him. (Tehillim 112:13) From this perspective, the entirety of creation, both the upper and lower realms, are absolutely unified by their singular premise, “Sof ma’aseh b’machshavah techilah” (Lecha Dodi), the final action, our physical reality, is bound up with the first thought – Hashem’s desire for this world to be transformed into a Throne for His glory, at which point it will become clear to all that the lower realms which seem to be devoid of spirituality are, in fact, part and parcel of His very Name.

Amalek’s Desire

The spiritual force of Amalek (which, in addition to being embodied in a specific nation, takes many different forms – both external and internal – throughout history) has one primary objective: to render Hashem’s Name and His Throne incomplete. In light of what we have learned, this means that Amalek battles against the notion that Hashem’s light fills the lower realms. Amalek insists that Hashem’s Name is limited to the first two letters, “Yud” and “Hei” alone, scoffing at the Torah’s perspective on the world as part of Hashem’s Name and, thus, His revelation. Refusing to believe that this world may be seen as Hashem’s Throne, Amalek blemishes the “aleph” which alludes to the “Alufo Shel Olam,” Hashem, and are left with the word “keis,” concealment. But in order to facilitate the collapse of the creative-developmental chain, Amalek must first remove the common thread which holds the structure together, the “breiach hatichon hamavriach min hakatzeh el hakatzeh” (see Shemos 26:28 and Zohar, Terumah 174b): the Jewish nation. In order to counter the perspective which sees this world as “sof ma’aseh,” part and parcel of a long and glorious process of Revelation, Amalek must eradicate the “machshavah techilah”, the Primordial Love of the Jewish nation. (see Likutei Moharan 52) This is because Amalek realizes that the Jewish nation is the key to Hashem’s connection with and revelation within the

physical world. Therefore, in a nefarious effort to banish Hashem from the lower realms of His creation, Amalek attempts to convince the Jewish nation that they have lost their intrinsic relationship with Hashem, that the unconditional and essential love of “Machshava techilah” has been terminated and the bond broken. By severing the rope of “Yaakov chevel nachalaso” (Devarim 32:9), Amalek hopes to unravel the entire structure of creation-as-revelation. This is why the three letters which are blemished by Amalek, aleph, vav, and hei, spell “ivah,” the word used to describe Hashem’s desire to dwell in the lower realms via His beloved nation, “Ivah l’moshav lo”.” Amalek attacks this concept of “ivah,” claiming that we have sinned to the point of losing our status as the nation Hashem desires; that His Original Love is no longer present in the lower realms and that the lower realms, in turn, have lost their connection to the higher elements of their identity. This is the spiritual strike led by Achashveirosh, Vashti, and Haman – the three nefarious characters of the Megillah whose names, not surprisingly, begin with the very same letters that are missing from Hashem’s name and Throne, “ivah,” aleph, vav, and hei. In fact, the Megillah reveals the underlying premise for the ensuing drama at the very outset: “Vayehi b’y’mei Achashveirosh, hu Achashveirosh” – “hu,” it is all about the three letters Amalek seeks to blemish so as to sever the ties between Hashem and His Holy nation and banish His presence from the world.

Targeting the Downtrodden

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov teaches that Amalek is synonymous with rational, philosophical thinking. (Likutei Moharan 19) The inner Amalek puts forth well-sourced and convincing arguments as to why it is perfectly logical to assume that the Jewish nation’s relationship with Hashem has been terminated as a result of our many sins, both on a personal and national level, r”l. He attacks the broken-hearted, “kol hanecheshalim acharecha” (Devarim 25:18), seeking to drag them into the depths of despair and spiritual hibernation.

In this vein, the Gemara (Chullin 139b) teaches that Haman’s biblical source is rooted in the story of the Eitz HaDa’as Tov V’Ra, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (“Hamin ha’eitz” – Bereishis 3:11). This is because Amalek utilizes da’as, the power of logic and distinction, to “prove” that the Jew has forfeited his connection with the Creator because of the frequency with which he chooses evil over good. “You have lost connection with your source in goodness, in holiness,” Amalek posits in thesis after thesis. “It is preposterously illogical to assume that Hashem still has any interest in you. Hashem no longer desires your service at all.” Sadly, this strategy often succeeds in a remarkable way – particularly in our generation. Even if the effects are not overt, the Jew’s subconscious acceptance of this theory as truth causes a dimming, a cooling, “Asher karcha baderech” (Devarim 25:18). Despair creeps in, leaving our engagement with Yiddishkeit a shell of its former self, a weak framework of rote observance plagued with a sense of hopelessness and disconnection.

Essential Holiness

But, as we know, whatever exists on the side of impurity must be balanced by an equal force on the side of holiness. In Hashem’s great kindness, there are times in our national history and in the individual life of each and every Jew where Haman-Amalek meets his match: Mordechai HaYehudi, the true tzaddik. In the place of Amalek’s “rational” claim regarding the Jew’s hopelessness, the tzaddik maintains an elevated perspective on the deeper reality of the Jewish soul, a perspective which looks beyond the external constructs of “right” and “wrong” to the essential core of holiness, the aspect in which each and every Jew is a “cheilek Eloka m’maal mamash,” a literal portion of the Living G-d (Likutei Amarim, Tanya 2, Nefesh HaChaim 1:5), ever connected and unconditionally loved. The tzaddik is constantly melamed zechus on the Jewish nation, unveiling their goodness and reminding them of their elevated status. This deep contrast is hinted to by Chazal in a remarkable way. Commenting on the words

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“La’asos k’rtzon ish v’ish,” Chazal (Megillah 12a) comment that “ish” refers to Mordechai (“Ish Yehudi”) and “V’Ish” refers to Haman (“Ish tzar v’oyeiv”). The depth here is awesome. Haman, the embodiment of Amalek’s theological assault, is associated with “V’Ish,” whose letters also spell yei’ush, despair. Mordechai HaTzaddik, who counters this assault by constantly reminding the Jew of the essential holiness buried deep within his being and his unconditional relationship with Hashem, is associated with the word “Ish,” which may be seen as an acronym for “Ein shum yei’ush,” Rebbe Nachman of Breslov’s

Amalek attempts to convince the Jewish nation that they have lost their intrinsic relationship with Hashem.

famous declaration of hope: “There is no despair in the world at all.” Chazal teach that the source for Mordechai’s name in the Torah is the verse “Besamim rosh,” choice spices, which the Targum renders as “Mari dachi,” Mordechai. (Chullin 139b) The Berditchover Rav explains that this verse contains Mordechai’s spiritual essence: “besamim.” The tzaddik looks beyond what the external senses perceive, using his sense of “smell,” a deeper sense which is related to spirituality, to discern the deeper reality of “rosh,” the ever-abiding primordial thought of “Yisrael ala b’machshava techilah” which continuously communicates Hashem’s desire of our nation’s service despite all failure and misdirection. (Kedushos L’Purim 2:5)

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Mordechai, the true tzaddik, fights for the aspect of “Yehudi,” the essential Jewishness which, despite its obscurity behind piles of spiritual rot, remains ever shining.

Purim: Beyond Explanation

The story of Purim is all about discovering a deeper reality, a level of being which lies beyond the shallow surface. On a simple level, the miracle celebrated on this exalted day came about in the most mysterious, hidden manner; Hashem’s Name is not even mentioned in the Megillah. Indeed, the very title of the book which records this miracle is “Megillas Esther,” which may be read as “The revelation (giluy) of the hidden (hester).” But on a deeper level, the light of Purim emerges from the deep darkness of the void to eradicate the “rational” heresy of Amalek. On Purim, the light of Netzach is revealed, the deepest reality of our enduring bond

with the Master of the world, “netzach Yisrael lo yeshakeir”. (Shmuel I, 16:29) When we drink “ad d’lo yada,” (Megillah 7b) we reach far beyond the Eitz HaDa’as Tov V’Ra with which Amalek is so obsessed, to touch the Eitz HaChaim, the message of Hashem’s incomprehensible love for each and every member of our holy nation. Purim is beyond explanation, beyond conception. It is the revelation of the aspect in which we are Hashem’s “am segulah,” (Shemos 19:5) a nation whose being chosen – much like a segulah – cannot be rationally explained. (See Likutei Moharan 21:9 and Mei HaShiloach Vol 1. Yisro) On this exalted day, the grace which our nation’s collective soul finds in the eyes of Hashem is shining from one end of the world to the other; “Vayehi k’ros HaMelech es Esther…nas’ah chein b’einav.” (Esther 5:2) This chein is beyond comprehension, far too deep to be explained. It simply is, rooted in the deepest, unfathomable desire of our Father in

Heaven. When this awesome light of p’nimiyus is revealed throughout the day of Purim, it becomes clear to us that our many sins and mistakes, all of our failings in the area of “tov v’ra,” was merely the expression of an external, fleeting yetzer hara. In our super-consciousness of “ad d’lo yada,” we are able to attach ourselves to the Eitz HaChaim of our lives – a place where it is abundantly clear that our truest, deepest desire is to foster a conscious relationship with our Father in heaven. The tzaddik gently guides us to the understanding that “heim lo asu elah l’fnim” (Megillah 12a); all of our failures and baggage are external garments which can never do anything to extinguish our flame of holiness and yearning to live a life of closeness with our Creator. In this awesome moment of “nichnas yayin yatzah sod,” (Sanhedrin 38a) we can whisper “Baruch Haman,” certain that behind the mask of our wickedness lies a fountain of blessing and essential, untouchable, goodness.

his Purim, may we merit to eradicate the spirit of Amalek in all its various forms – that voice of poisonous cynicism which champions the shallowest and most external view of the world and the Jewish soul. May we merit to open our hearts to the sweet declaration of “Ish Yehudi,” the true tzaddik who calls to us even as we feast from the table of Achashveirosh: “There is no despair in the world at all! If you believe you can break, believe that you can fix! Look deeper, friends! Look deeper!” May we be able to rise to the place of “lo yada,” where all “rational understanding” fades away and we are able to bask in the infinite chein shining forth from our souls, banishing the darkness with its eternal brilliance. Finally, may we merit to transform our lives into a Throne for Hashem to dwell in the lower realms, recognizing every particle of physicality as part and parcel of His exalted Name. Gut Purim!

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Bibi

Pulls It Off By Tzvi Leff

lection day in Israel is not for the faint of heart. With parties and media outlets legally barred from publishing polls in the 48 hours before Israelis head to the ballot box, voters have no idea what the current electoral reality is. As the clock winds down, the rumors begin to swirl. In WhatsApp groups and on popular Facebook pages, viral messages that claim to have “insider information” are endlessly shared for those desperate for news. By the time the country’s three Hebrew-language television channels post the first exit polls at 10 p.m., political junkies are a nervous wreck. While the citizenry is kept in the dark as to the true facts on the ground, Israel’s political parties are fully aware of the current picture. Shelling out extraordinary sums to in-house pollsters, each party runs a highly advanced command and control center that keeps campaign managers constantly updated. This situation renders the public ripe for exploitation and has led to the rise of the “Gevalt” campaign. From the early afternoon, each fac-

tion bombards its supporters with hysterical messages that speak of massive voter turnout among the rival political camp in an effort to scare people to the ballot box. The invention of the “Gevalt” campaign is widely credited to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in 2015 by famously warning that “the Arabs are swarming the polls in droves.” Ever since, every party runs its own version of a Gevalt campaign, to the point where voters have simply stopped believing it. Yet, this Monday, something was off. Instead of the usual election day fearmongering, the Likud radiated optimism and hope. “We’re almost by 61,” wrote Netanyahu on Facebook, referring to the number of Knesset seats needed to form a government. “One more push, and we’re there.” In contrast to the Likud’s hopeful messaging, the rival Kahol Lavan party was all doom and gloom. Speaking of absurdly low voter turnout in solidly left-wing Tel Aviv, Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz begged voters to make a dash for the ballot box. When 10 p.m. arrived, it was

clear that something had gone very wrong. Rather than the clear victory Kahol Lavan was expecting, it was not even the country’s biggest party. That honor belonged to the Likud, which, contrary to every poll, picked up 36 seats to Kahol Lavan’s 34. The left-w ing camp hadn’t done much better. The Gesher-Labor-Meretz merger only garnered 7 seats, a massive collapse from the combined 56 seats the leftist stalwarts received in 1992. On the right, Shas surged to 10 seats while fellow haredi party UTJ fell to 7. Meanwhile, Yamina, a union of Religious Zionist parties headed by Naftali Bennett, fell to either 7 or 6. While disappointing, the party successfully had suffered from aggressive campaigns from Blue and White and UTJ that sought to poach National-Religious voters. Finally, the Arab Joint List Party picked up 15 seats, the most the anti-Zionist faction has ever gotten in its history. The record total resulted from unprecedented turnout in the Arab sector, with cities such as Jaffa and Umm Al-Fahm seeing upwards of 60% participation.

he main story of this election remains Prime Minister Netanyahu. Both friends and foes agree that he is a magician. Since entering politics in 1992 and wresting control of the Likud from the party elite a year later, Netanyahu has a long list of shocking electoral wins to his name. It started in 1996, where he defeated Shimon Peres to win the top job, despite coming only six months after the assassination of Prime Minister Yizchak Rabin. In 2015, the Zionist Union was defeated the Likud in every poll, only to watch dumbfoundedly as Netanyahu led his party to a 30-seat blowout victory. Then there was last April, where Netanyahu brought the Likud to a high of 35 Knesset seats despite being indicted on corruption charges in three separate cases. Even so, no achievement was as dramatic and stunning as the 36 seats the public gave the Likud on Monday evening – two more than Kahol Lavan’s 34. Israel’s longest serving prime minister appears to be at the end of his career. In two weeks, his trial will begin. Netanyahu will appear

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before a judge like a common criminal. He is accused of a series of serious offenses that can land him behind bars for years, including fraud and breach of trust. To contrast, the rival Kahol Lavan is headed by three ex-IDF chief of staffs and enjoys overwhelming media support. Netanyahu has already failed to form a government twice this year, after the right-wing bloc fell short of the necessary 61 seats in both April and September. That’s what made the Likud’s victory this week so unexpected. Not only isn’t Netanyahu political roadkill, he brought the Likud 36 seats. When Mark Twain famously quipped that “the rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” he could have easily been referring to Netanyahu. Despite all the hostile press coverage and his criminal cases, he remains at the top of Israel’s political jungle. “This is the biggest win of my life,” Bibi exulted at a victory rally on Tuesday morning. Before a delirious crowd of Likud members, Netanyahu added, “We plowed the country from north to south. There is nothing like the citizens of Israel. “Israeli citizens trust us because they know that we have brought the best decade in Israeli history.” Impressive as the Likud’s performance was, however, it is still far from certain that Netanyahu will be able to form a government and end the country’s political deadlock. With most of the votes counted, the right-wing bloc has either 59 or 60 seats. In Israel, victory means only one thing: swearing in a coalition. Without getting to 61, anything is possible.

hile Likud’s campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv was awash in euphoric celebrations, Kahol Lavan’s offices were eerily quiet. Activists had begun leaving after seeing their party’s disappointing finish, and Benny Gantz gave a low-key address to a half-empty hall in which he promised “to keep on fighting for you.” Now, Kahol Lavan will need to reconsider their vow to never join

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Effective as it was, the Likud’s campaign couldn’t have achieved such stunning success without Kahol Lavan’s anemic campaign. a coalition led by Netanyahu. The premier won a decisive victory, and there is no apparent way for the faction to form a government without Likud. Israel has already suffered through an unprecedented three elections this year; Kahol Lavan would likely force yet another round should it keep its campaign promise. In general, Israel’s third elections in the past year presented new challenges for its multitude of political parties. It’s not easy peddling the same merchandise time after time. What once worked on voters quickly becomes tiresome; consistent fearmongering soon loses its bite. Campaigners and spin doctors needed to deal with a seemingly apathetic public weary from the endless rounds of electioneering. In addition, the prevailing belief was that most voters would cast their ballot for the same party they chose the previous September and

the time before that. Convincing swing voters to switch sides has been the bread and butter of political campaigns worldwide, but what is one to do when swing voters no longer exist? “Only a small amount of the electorate can fit the classical definition of a swing voter,” noted political consultant Shlomo Filber last week. “Usually, voters make up their minds based on how the outgoing government is doing. But we’ve had a caretaker government since December 2019 and don’t expect any changes.” While every party searched for ways to overcome this challenge, the problem was particularly acute for the Likud. Netanyahu first returned to the Prime Minister’s Residence on Jerusalem’s Balfour Street in 2009; since then, he has enjoyed one of the longest uninterrupted reigns of any democratically-elected leader.

For many, the words “prime minister” and “Benjamin Netanyahu” have become synonymous. Yet as the years passed, a growing number of Likud voters began to grow weary of Netanyahu. Nicknamed by the media “Bibi-fatigue,” concerns were that these voters wouldn’t cross the aisle and cast their ballot for Blue and White. Rather, they wouldn’t vote at all. And after last April, where one Knesset seat made the difference between another Netanyahu-led coalition and second elections in September, getting every possible ballot was crucial. The need to counter Bibi-fatigue was highlighted after the Likud discovered that it hemorrhaged upwards of 300,000 votes in the previous elections. An after-action report found that the Likud’s fall from the 35 seats it got in April to the 32 it received in September was the multitudes who stayed home on election day, as well as the mergers with other parties that didn’t bring the expected electoral windfall. As such, the Likud’s strategy this time around was simple and hinged on two points: Boosting the turnout among the faithful as much as possible, and doing that by highlighting the fact that Benny Gantz had no viable way of forming a government without the support of the Arab Joint List party. In every poll, Kahol Lavan fell far short of being the necessary 61 votes without the support of the Joint List. Without the support of the anti-Israel party, which in September received a record 14 seats, Gantz would never become Israel’s next prime minister. To boost turnout this week, Netanyahu unveiled a multitude of gimmicks from the sort that has kept him on the throne all of these years. Since new elections were declared in December, Netanyahu crisscrossed the country, traveling from one Likud stronghold to another in a frantic attempt to get as many to the polls as possible. The Likud’s success came from Netanyahu’s intensive campaigning that exploited the overwhelming disgust Israelis feel towards the anti-Israel Knesset faction. In Kiryat Shmona, Ramle, Ash-

dod, and Be’er Sheva, Netanyahu hammered home his message that staying home or voting for Kahol Lavan would result in a government comprised of anti-Zionist lawmakers from the Arab Joint List. This, Netanyahu reiterated, would result in catastrophic damage to Israel’s security and signaled Kahol Lavan’s collapse into post-Zionism. “Gantz cannot create a government without Ahmad Tibi – this is the secret of these elections,” Netanyahu told the audience in working-class Or Yehuda last month. “Ahmad Tibi says don’t operate in Gaza; Gantz will not be able to operate in Gaza,” he added. “Ahmad Tibi will tell him not to operate against Iran in Syria; Gantz will not be able to operate.” Tibi, a former adv isor to arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat, would go on to play a starring role in the Likud’s campaign. Throughout the country, billboards paid for by the Likud sported a massive picture of Tibi sitting next to Gantz during coalition negotiations, with the words “Without Tibi, Gantz has no government” splashed across in menacing black letters.

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ffective as it was, the Likud’s campaign couldn’t have achieved such stunning success without Kahol Lavan’s anemic campaign. The party sometimes barely seemed to exist; its rallies empty and its messaging unconvincing, the faction headed by three ex-IDF chief of staffs was unable to explain coherently to Israel’s citizens what they had to offer other than the anti-Netanyahu platform. As Netanyahu appeared at multiple events every night, Kahol Lavan released videos on Facebook decrying Netanyahu’s alleged corruption. While Netanyahu and other Likud lawmakers highlighted the advances in Israel’s international standing and the thriving economy under his tutelage, the record low unemployment and the rising standard of living, Kahol Lavan had nothing to offer other than “Anyone But Bibi.” In addition, Gantz didn’t help his own cause. In recent months, the grizzled general has proven to

When Mark Twain famously quipped that “the rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” he could have easily been referring to Netanyahu. be an abysmal politician. Seemingly unable to give a single speech or interview without a mistake, his ever-escalating verbal gaffes spawned a parody Twitter account titled “The Daily Gantz” that highlighted his missteps. In fact, none other than Yisrael Bachar, Gantz’s campaign manager, was recorded calling his boss “unable to make decisions,” a “stupid” person “who is a danger to Israel.” Bachar was fired for his remarks but no matter. His description of the Kahol Lavan leader as someone unintelligent and indecisive confirmed what many already thought of him and matched a negative portrayal of

him dating back to his army days. Gantz’s squeaky clean image also took a major hit when the State Prosecutor’s Office announced that it would probe his failed tech company. Under his leadership, the firm, known as the Fifth Dimension, filed for bankruptcy last year after improperly receiving NIS 5 million from the Israel Police to develop a cyber monitoring product. While Gantz is not officially a suspect, his embroilment in the affair rendered him effectively unable to highlight Netanyahu’s upcoming trial. Finally, President Trump’s Deal of the Century exposed Kahol Lavan’s lack of ideological clarity save

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for the desire to send Netanyahu packing. While the peace plan was championed by the Likud, the general-laden rival faction was never quite sure what to do with the more right-wing aspects of the deal, such as annexation of the Jordan Valley and the Israeli settlements. In the week after Trump unveiled the Deal of the Century, Kahol Lavan took no clear position. Top officials contradicted each other, leading to embarrassing media interviews. For example, after Gantz went on record as a supporter of the plan, MK Yale German contradicted him hours later and called for a unilateral disengagement from the West Bank. In the final two weeks leading up to the March 2 elections, it became clear that Kahol Lavan was in trouble. Slowly but steadily, Likud began to rise, from 30 seats to 32 and then 33. At the same time, Kahol Lavan spin doctors watched helplessly as the lead it enjoyed this entire election cycle melt away. “We witnessed the gap in the surveys (between Netanyahu and Gantz) regarding who is most fit to be prime minister,” noted veteran Channel 13 political correspondent Ayala Hasson on election night. “We realized that this was a serious warning sign for Kahol Lavan that would translate into their inability to pick up Knesset seats.” The fact that the Likud’s rise came at the expense of Kahol Lavan was significant. For the first time, Likud’s boost wasn’t a result of Netanyahu picking off votes from other right-wing parties but from the stream of disenfranchised Kahol Lavan supporters who decided to switch their allegiance this time around to the Likud.

ow that Bibi has come out on top, it’s only a matter of time and political maneuvering that will determine what the next few months in Israel will look like. Will Israelis be forced to endure another trip to the ballot box in the upcoming weeks, or will Bibi be finally be able to form a government? For that, he may need a Purim miracle. But that has been known to happen in the Holy Land.

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Dating Dialogue

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

Dear Navidaters,

This is a multi-question situation. 1) Is it ever OK to say yes to two people at the same time? 2) If so, and if they both say yes, is it ever OK to go out with both at the same time? Things to think about:

a) Flying-in b) Long-distance c) Longer term requirements (someone has a kid or needs to date for longer) I know when people fly in from out-of-town, sometimes they date more than one person. After all, they’re paying for an expensive flight, they don’t get to come in often, and the assumption (unfortunately) is generally: it’s not going to work out. Is that OK? If not necessarily for a relationship that requires one to fly in from Los Angeles to New York, then perhaps one where one is flying from Belgium to New York? Personally, I’m divorced. In my situation, I often can say yes to a woman and get a no a few days to a week later. I get that, and that makes total sense. Sometimes, girls look into me first because of that. So I might have said yes to one girl and get a yes or two from other girls (that are then “expecting” to go out with me). Thanks, Tzvi

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. et’s reverse the order of your questions. Context is very important even when there are general norms that a decent person observes out of respect for himself and the other person he is dating. In other words, although generally one doesn’t date two people at a time, context matters. Being divorced, with and without kids, flying in from another location, and the need for more extensive checking of background all change how one approaches dating for a second marriage partner. Keep in mind your original question: is it OK for one to say yes to two people at once? Given the circumstances that we have outlined, I think it’s fine so long as you don’t actually date two people at once. A yes from the other person may take time. The first yes from the other side gets to date exclusively. When the second yes comes through but you haven’t traveled to the destination, the prospective date should be told that you already gave a yes to someone else but if that doesn’t work out, you will go ahead and date the second person. And that’s what you do. Open communication from the get-go starts a potential relationship with honesty.

The Shadchan Michelle Mond ong-distance dating can get tricky. I never endorse going out with more than one person at a time on a serious level. In the shidduch world, we have a name for it: a serial-dater. I realize that in your case it gets tricky. You describe yourself as divorced (perhaps you even have children), and although you agree to go out with someone, more times than not, you may receive a “no” in

response. It does not benefit you to put everything on hold and wait around for weeks at a time while waiting for an answer that may likely come back as a ‘‘no,” especially while you are traveling and have little time as it is in a certain region. To make it fair to yourself, I recommend that, at your stage in life, you can say yes to speaking with two women, but no you may not have two relationships at the same time. If you are planning a long distance, extended trip somewhere, it is important to reach out to different shadchanim to have people looking out for you in the area. This way, if one idea does not work out, you’ll have other options. You can give a “yes” and in the unlikely event that two say yes, see if any go past an initial phone call. After that, pursue with caution. You do not want to be one of those guys who develop choice paralysis because one woman will inevitably have what the other woman doesn’t. I want to make one more bold suggestion. As a divorced man who clearly wants to get remarried, you are in a tough spot. Your options are more slim than they were when you were single. Please remember that everyone, including yourself, has flaws, and do not expect perfection to come in the form of a new wife. You will have to work on yourself, and she will have to work on herself. My best advice is to date one person at a time, and give the one you are dating a fair shot. Start with a phone call, upgrade to video-chat dates, and after you see that there is something between you, plan an actual date – with one person. Iy”H you should have clarity early on and be zocheh to meet the right “one and only” very soon!

The Single Rena Friedman zvi, I’m sorry to hear that you are divorced and dealing with

this system all over again now with more baggage and complexity. I must say that this is an excellent question covering a lot of hot topics, one of which I am particularly passionate about. Dating multiple people at the same time makes things confusing and stressful and does not allow a person to focus on anyone. The general rule when it comes to dating is one at a time, regardless of location or circumstance. Traveling for dating is time-consuming and expensive, especially when you have limited vacation days and funds. Do serious research on the girl before you agree to travel to make it worth your while. Also, use the opportunity to network with shadchanim in that area. No matter what you decide, you absolutely cannot go past a third date with two girls. I’m going to leave this for everyone else to expound upon. Now for the good stuff… We assume that the more choices or dates we have, the better off we will be in finding our bashert. To understand this idea more, let’s look at a published study about jam. Two psychologists placed 24 different kinds of jam on a display table in a supermarket one day and 6 different types the next. Which display led to more sales? They found that while the bigger display table generated more interest, people were far less likely to purchase a jar of jam than in the case of the smaller display. Additionally, customer satisfaction was lower with the bigger display than the smaller one. What can we learn from this? Choice seems appealing at first, but it really just overwhelms us and leads to less satisfaction. Going in with the general assumption that it isn’t going to work out and lining up girls like your back-to-back meetings for work is actually going to work against you. Your best bet would be to do the best research you can and only go out with a girl who actually sounds shayach for you. Then go into that

Choice seems appealing at first, but it really just overwhelms us and leads to less satisfaction.

date with a positive mindset that you are going to do everything in your power to make that relationship work. As a guy, you have the ability to really screen who you go out with and revisit an idea later, a luxury that girls do not have. The goal is to get married to one person – not go on dates with hundreds of people. Dating is a process that requires patience. I cannot imagine what you have gone through and what you are currently going through, but you need to slow down. Girls looking into you are going to need their time, and rightfully so. Allow them to have that. Take it one at a time. Rushing, trying to play games, or pretending you’re G-d are not going to make this happen any faster. Much hatzlacha!

The Zaidy Dr. Jeffrey Galler ear Transatlantic Traveler, “Do not date more than one person at the same time” is an arbitrary rule that makes absolutely no sense in your situation. You’re traveling from Belgium to New York seeking a suitable mate? Of course, you can and should set up several dates. However, dating different women in the same week

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is fraught with hidden dangers that you must avoid. I’m not simply referring to dating two people who are roommates. That is an obvious problem that is easily circumvented. No, I’m worried about much more serious pitfalls that are not so apparent. Fortunately, I can help you, with: “Zaidy’s Rules for Disaster Avoidance While Dating Multiple Women.” Rule #1: Name Mix-ups You do not want to misstate a person’s name. This catastrophic error could happen to anyone who is jetlagged after an eleven-hour flight from Brussels to JFK. Clearly, while on a date, it is not advisable to mistakenly call someone “Shaindy” if her name is actually “Devorah.” What to do? Use clever mnemonics to help remember your date’s correct name. For example, on Saturday go out with Sarah, and on Sunday go out with Susan. Then, on Monday date Monica, on Tuesday

Tula, on Wednesday Wendy. Then, on Thursday… Thelonius? Actually, I never met a Thelonius that I liked. So, my advice is to skip Thursday’s date and take a shower instead. I know what you’re thinking. You can’t afford to spend an entire week in New York. No problem. If you’re sufficiently organized, you can compress all the dating into one highly structured day. You can take out Bracha for breakfast, Linda for lunch, Cordelia for mid-afternoon coffee, and Dina for dinner. Rule #2: Venue Familiarity You, naturally, want each woman that you date to feel very special. So, do not go to the very same, fancy restaurant, with different women, four nights in a row. Your date does not want to hear the French waiter ask, “Monsieur, every night you come here with a different, belle femme woman. That is très chic, very admirable. But, pourquois, why do you order the same, exact chick-

en entrée every night?” Similarly, you don’t want your Uber driver to look at Wednesday’s date and sneer, “Hey, Mac, the girl you picked up on Monday was much better looking than this one.” Rule #3: Anecdote Confusion I understand and sympathize with this problem. You’re on an eleven-hour flight and, after reading all of the Dutch, French, German, and Flemish magazines, you spend your time thinking of clever anecdotes that you can use in order to amuse and impress the women that you will meet on your upcoming dates. So, you’ve prepared three really outstanding, first-rate stories. On the plane, you mentally practice your Belgian Chocolate, Antwerp Diamond Exchange, and Belgian Waffle narratives. The problem, of course, is that by your third date (Monday with Monica), it will be difficult for you to remember which anecdotes you have already said to whom. You are

You need to listen to your moral compass so that you can feel good about yourself and dating.

perplexed and wonder, “Did I already just tell that Chocolate story to Monica on Monday or was that Susan on Sunday?” Not to worry. In order to remind yourself which anecdote you’ve already told on each date, here’s my recommendation: after you tell your very charming Chocolate story move your watch from your left hand to your right hand; after you tell your very impressive Diamond Exchange

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story move your wallet from your left rear pocket to your right rear pocket; and, after you tell your delightful Waffle story move your cell-

phone from your jacket’s left pocket to the right pocket. Now, if Wendy (on Wednesday) looks

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at you strangely when you sheepishly explain that you are merely organizing your waffles and chocolates, don’t worry. You can always cross her off your list, and put in a last-minute replacement for Thursday.

Wait! I just realized: Thelma! Thelma is perfect for Thursday. So, if there is a single woman named Thelma, reading this column, who is available next Thursday, and would like to date our Transatlantic Belgian Traveler, please contact the editor.

In my opinion (and I try to stay away from that in this column), if two frum people are marriage-minded, the assumption is that there is no one else. There may be a “yes,” but that’s not what I consider “someone else.” It’s clean, it’s easy, and it prevents people from getting hurt. If these are the rules, and it seems the rebbetzin, the shadchan and the single agree (and even the zeidy said not to see two women in one week…and the study about the jam does make a lot of sense), I say keep it nice and clean. This will also eliminate confusion. What if you like two women? Then what?! We’re picking and choosing ice cream flavors at Baskin Robbins? You will like a lot of flavors, and you can’t have two scoops. So why torture yourself? I know it seems unreasonable, unpractical, and it is a huge toll on your wallet, but all the women on the panel

wrote “no” for a reason. If you are traveling to meet someone, I would imagine you have spent quite a decent amount of time speaking over the phone and are somewhat invested in that relationship. I hope you have Frequent Flier miles! All the best to you! All the best, Jennifer

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

i Tzvi! Excellent questions! I’ve truly seen it all. I don’t believe there is a right or wrong answer to your question. I think it is a matter of what you are comfortable with and the integrity with which you proceed. Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. You (the general you) cannot be in two exclusive relationships at once. This is called “cheating,” and it is a betrayal. The reason this question is so tricky and that the panelists offer different answers is because it falls into a grey zone. Dating two women, especially if you’re flying in to meet them, doesn’t really feel like you are doing anything wrong. It feels simply like you are “meeting.” And if we approach this exclusively from a practical angle, why would you not date a few women from the same area if they were suggested to you? However, the heart isn’t practical. And I have seen these situations become complicated and hearts broken because the other party feels betrayed once he/she (typically “she”) finds out the “flyer” was “dating” other women at the same time. I love honesty. Is there a way to tell a woman that you are going on dates while you are in the area that won’t hurt her? I’m not sure. At the same time, I don’t think a relationship can be started on any false foundation. Sometimes guilt

rises in the gut, sometimes you tell the truth years later and it is met with devastation. Or, you don’t tell the truth and the truth is revealed. And even though the first date is only a “meeting,” if you hit it off with someone, and you are dating someone else and your beloved didn’t know, she may feel betrayed. In secular circles, I believe it is assumed that when a man or woman is dating, he/she is most likely seeing other people at the same time, and it is completely socially acceptable. When they commit to each other and become exclusive, they stop “seeing other people.” No one is lying, and everyone knows the rules. No one bats an eye. You are not secular, and your rules are fuzzier as a frum, divorced man traveling to meet a potential wife, which is why you are asking the excellent questions. You need to figure out what you feel good about. Do you feel it is right/ethical/honest to date two women at once? (Obviously not long, but these first date meetings.) Is this something you feel good about? There will be a camp who will think this is fine! Or do you feel a pit in the bottom of your stomach? Like you are being deceitful? You need to listen to your moral compass so that you can feel good about yourself and dating.

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 516-2247779, ext. 2. Visit www.thenavidaters. com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email thenavidaters@gmail. com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.

Hi Readers! Receiving your enthusiastic emails wanting to participate in the Reader’s Respond section has been wonderful! Just a reminder about how Reader Response works. Email thenavidaters@gmail. com with the subject line “Reader Response.” We will then ask you, in the order we receive your email, if you would like to respond to the coming week’s email. If you would like to respond to an already printed Navidaters Panel, please submit your answer to the editor at editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com. You can also join us on our FB page @thenavidaters on Sunday evenings to post your response to the week’s column. Interacting with you has been a pleasure! Thank you for all of your feedback. Jennifer

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Health & F tness

A Healthy Purim Shpiel By Aliza Beer MS, RD, CDN

e commence this Purim holiday with the Fast of Esther Beware, don’t overindulge before the fast or after! Eating too much prior to the fast will not help you, my dear You will be just as hungry during the fast, I most certainly fear!

Drink lots of water (at least eight cups) erev Taanis Esther Eating grapes and watermelon pre-fast is not a bad idea, either When the fast is done, your body is in “starvation mode” Your metabolism is slow; eat a small meal not a load

The break-fast meal should consist of protein and whole grains Roast some veggies and make soup to go with your mains. Purim is a big day for Jews to celebrate Don’t focus only on the food and what you ate Plan for a healthy breakfast and lunch on that day Don’t skip meals for you will be hungry and inevitably stray Perhaps get “fleishig” at lunch; have some turkey or grilled chicken Off limits now are the milk chocolates/dairy cookies, no pickin’ or lickin’! Mishloach manos are a tremendous source of stress and waste Discard or donate the bulk of it – please do so in haste! It is essential to keep your children’s most favorite treats Indulge yourself as well, with one or two cheats. The Purim seudah will be a large Shabbos-like meal There’s just no way around it, that’s the deal Wash for Hamotzi, since it is a big mitzvah Control yourself – only one thin slice of challah! Pick your protein and load veggies onto your plate Avoid the kugels and pasta, they are not your mates!

What to do about the alcohol, all that vodka and wine? Drink in moderation, alcohol poisoning is not fine. Putting our health at risk is not what Hashem planned Discuss before with your spouse/ parents/rebbe so it’s not out of hand Alcohol is metabolized by the body like a fat Drink too much, and you will gain weight, and that’s a fact! Dessert time! Before you take a bite, let’s review the day If all went well, then a few bites are totally okay Shushan Purim is the day to get back on track Eat clean, no sugar, go to the gym, and don’t slack Detox like this for the next few days The damage is not irreversible, I have my ways, If you require my assistance, you know where to find me For Purim 2020, I am running off to Miami! Wishing all of my readers and clients a freilechen Purim! 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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Dr. Deb

Why They Hate Us By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

o my knowledge, Freud was the first theoretician to suggest that people are not made up of just one person: He pictured us as having an id, superego, and ego. These “parts” appear at different times when circumstances seem to “bring them out.” Jung, who parted company with Freud, suggested many more parts inside of us which he called archetypes. In 1991, Lucia Capacchione published Recovery of Your Inner Child, a specific attempt to help adults who had been child survivors of trauma to heal. But in 1997, Richard C. Schwartz came out with Internal Family Systems in which the inner child is only one member of an entire family that resides within each of us. Now, you could say that we are often governed by moods; moods are easier to relate to than the notion of a whole set of personalities that we switch off to. However, what I’ve noticed – and I’m sure you have too – is that when any of us has a “bad mood,” it a) is not so easy to get out of b) seems to alter our thinking. That is, the mood itself goes along with an approach to problems that is qualitatively different from the way we

approach things when we’re not in that mood. Do you, for example, sometimes notice your generally thoughtful 15-yearold occasionally stamp her feet or at the least pout like an eight-year-old? Have you noticed an adult who is pretty intelligent sometimes revert to illogical and even irrational conclusions when they’re in that mood? So the word “mood” is really a misnomer. It’s more than a mood. It’s as if another personality enveloped the individual and took him over. That is why Schwartz took the perhaps dramatic step of saying there’s a whole family in there, including parts of ourselves that have been forgotten. So what are these “family members” inside doing, anyway? I had a client who was very angry at her husband. Indeed, since I knew the story, she had good reason. He had turned a new leaf, however. He was no longer doing the bad thing that he’d been doing. But that didn’t matter. This lady was still – justifiably – angry at him. And she let him know. Often. In fact, any time anything went wrong – anything – no matter who else did it, she attacked her husband for it. In working with this woman, it was

so strange that when she talked to me, she was not only not angry, but calm, rational, and full of regret for the way she would act toward her husband. The very sight of him, however, seemed to bring out this foot-stamping, temper-tantruming eight-year-old little girl. Not only that, but the entire persona of this child, including what she said and how she justified herself, remained with her as long as he was around or had just recently been around. She couldn’t shake it; she couldn’t easily switch back to her adult, rational self. I did get her to calm herself and return to her adult self by doing some minutes of quiet breathing. But that’s not the point, here. The striking thing is how each time a person slips into what looks like a mood, there’s a whole personality behind it. That personality has answers for the behavior and they seem so rational and logical. You can’t bust holes in them. So the emotions, the rationale, and the behaviors are all in line with each other. So this lady, we will call her Marlene, who spoke so calmly and maturely only a week ago about wanting to repair the damage of her intense anger at and picking on her husband was angry once

again. She had slipped right back into her little girl self. And if I’d tried to reason with her while she was in that persona, it would not have gotten me far. Now why is that? Why does a person insist on their anger or whatever their child self is into at the moment? Why can’t they snap out of it? To understand this, you have to appreciate how these personalities within us all came about. They originally were formed to protect us. Life is tough and we needed them to get us through. So the “tough businesswoman” might have been needed when our families were in desperate financial straits and she pulled the family out. The no-feelings guy might have been needed when he was taken advantage of as an adolescent. The silly girl with the fairy stories might have come out to rescue a small girl who did not want to consciously know what terrible things were happening around her. Because each of these personalities saved us in times of strife, we appreciate them and we can’t help but lean on them when we need to. They come out automatically, without any thought or intention on our parts. There is a need,

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and poof! There they are. To rescue us once again from a tight place. And they know their roles really well. They do not need to rehearse their lines. No matter how irrational their position is, they will stick to it like a pit bull with its catch in its mouth. Even the depressed persona was meant to be protective. After all, when someone is depressed, others reach out with extra kindness and attention. Or at least that might be how it once was. And even when there was never another soul that did that, the depressed person herself or himself gave that extra love to themselves by licking their wounds, real or perceived. The beautiful thing about these internal personalities is that they are complete: They clearly “know” their role, their lines, their position on things, and their feelings. They’re consistent in all respects. And this means – drumroll here – that they do not need to think. There is no room for reasoning or hearing another side to things. So having a ready-

made persona is easy. No time and energy are wasted in trying to understand a situation from both sides. Which brings me to the title of this article. If it is useful for a leader – Achashveirosh – to sway the general public that Jews are bad and deserve death;

quired to spew hate. What’s more, this trope has come in handy many times in life for those using it. Just as is true for Marlene’s eight-year old, the haters were also given messages of this sort for a long time. It was a convenient way for them to channel their anger away from those they dare not show anger

It’s more than a mood.

the great advantage to the general public is that they don’t have to think. Any reason they might have had to be disgruntled with their lives can be conveniently blamed on the Jews, no deep analysis needed. Hitler used the same process, and today BDS and hate-Trump use the same process as well. No thinking re-

to. And it is reinforced over time by its helpfulness in releasing all that pent-up hostility. And why is it always us? Why is this tiny minority, the Jews, always the target? Because tiny makes for an easy, convenient target. This easy explanation avoids the details, the logic, the facts. And that is

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exactly how it works: Haters don’t want to think. This is an important understanding because sometimes it’s not about reasoning with someone. It must be that G-d put this scourge into our midst to learn something from it. Perhaps the lesson is to apply it to our own homes: There are times when our partner cannot and should not be reasoned with; they will not reason anyway. At that time, the best thing is to help soothe them and quiet their racing minds so that they can, at some point later, actually access their ability to reason. And yes, also be grateful for the One Above who comes to our rescue when we are at our wits end. A freilechen Purim. 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

Purim 2020 By Hylton I. Lightman, MD, DCH (SA), FAAP

egillas Esther is not just a story, let alone a simple one. There are lessons to

be gleaned that can help us to address issues that are eclipsing life. Let’s begin with Haman the Vi-

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One person remained separate and sane amidst this chaos. Mordechai, the descendant of the first Jewish king of Israel, refused to bow down to Haman. Furious and vengeful, Haman was off, intent on destroying us. Haman describes the Jews as having “laws different from

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King Achashveirosh. A guy from the “other side of the tracks,” Achashveirosh conquered the lands, yet his hold on power was tenuous at best. He threw this obscene party lasting for 180 days in order to secure his power base. And we Jews jumped in at the deep end and became, like everyone else, caught up in the debauchery.

those of every other people, “and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not appropriate for the king to tolerate them” (Megillas Esther 3:8). Jewish law makes room for Torah Jews to recognize heads of states and other leaders. What made Mordechai defiant in the face of Haman?

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Some commentators comment that bowing down to Haman was akin to idol worship. Others point out that Mordechai, symbolizing the Jewish people, refuses to show any honor to Haman, the epitome of our arch enemy, Amalek. In fact, Mordechai will complete the job left open by Shaul HaMelech, who failed to keep the commandment of eradicating Amalek when he spared the life of the King of Amalek, Agag. Mordechai is from the tribe of Binyamin (“Ish Y’mini”) and is descended from Shaul. In any event, Mordechai has the spine and strength to carry himself as a proud Jew. His religious and moral compass guide him. He urges

Esther, who must have had a lonely, miserable existence in Achashveirosh’s abode, to take on the leadership role of rescuing her people. There’s a change at this point. The public Mordechai stops being the mover-and-shaker. He carries out the commands of Esther whose primary middah was one of silence. Until now. Esther’s metamorphosis from reticence into a clever leader who successfully strategizes the downfall of Haman and the saving of her people is awe-inspiring. I’ll leave it the political commentators, pundits, and others to draw comparisons between the events of Megillas Esther and life in the 21st century during a U.S. presidential

election year. What strikes me, though, is that we Jews are a people who are separate and not equal. We are unlike the other nations of the world. Our Torah guides us and propels us forward so that we can maximize our time in this world. At this time, I am taking the opportunity to urge people not to drink excessively on Purim. Overdrinking is unbecoming. Today’s world is filled with physical, emotional, and spiritual pain. Adolescents and young adults from all walks of life and from the most stable of homes are becoming prey to the cheap and commonplace availability of booze and drugs. What’s the antidote? Be proud

to be Jewish. It’s uncanny how Megillas Esther is as relevant today as it was when the events unfolded in Shushan. Let’s learn from Mordechai who was committed to our Torah while also involved in the highest levels of society yet there was a separateness that he cultivated. That separateness is why we the Jews are still here in 2020. As always daven.

Dr. Hylton I. Lightman is a pediatrician and Medical Director of Total Family Care of the 5 Towns and Rockaway PC. He can be reached at drlightman@totalfamilycaremd.com, on Instagram at Dr.Lightman_ or visit him on Facebook.

Thoughts on Coronavirus As I pen these words, the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019nCoV), or the Chinese Corona virus, is headline news. While we don’t know exactly what to expect, it is becoming a force with which to be reckoned. Human coronaviruses are not a new phenomenon. However, this new coronavirus is a moving target and is evolving by the moment, crossing international lines and all boundaries. However, no vaccine is imminent. We should do everything in our power to prevent it from happening. Have you had your flu shot yet this season? Have your children? While there has been plenty of breakthrough with the flu despite having the vaccine, the bottom line is the vaccine makes one less sick if they do get the flu. Getting the vaccine can only help. At present, there have been recent deaths from the flu virus – 15 children in a 2-week period in February. If your child has any of the

following symptoms – fever, cough, shortness of breath, body aches, tiredness, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, pneumonia – then please keep them home. Don’t send them to school or day care or a babysitting situation. This advice is hard to follow especially when both Mommy and Tatty work outside the home and child care becomes dicey. We know that kids are already contagious for at least a day or two prior to showing symptoms. But please, I beg you, keep kids home once they show symptoms. How are kids supposed to stay healthy when schools become farms for germs? Pack Lysol and other disinfectant wipes for your children for school, gymnastics, shul – wherever. Instruct them to wipe down the toilet seat (and to dispose of the wipe in the garbage bin and not down the toilet, thank you) after each use. Pack hand sanitizer for kids and instruct them on its use (so it

doesn’t languish in backpacks). Speak to school administrations about cleaning school bathrooms throughout the school day and wiping down doorknobs and the like. Perhaps each classroom should have disinfectant wipes and someone is assigned each period to wipe down doorknobs. After dismissal, open all windows to air out classrooms. Teach your children how to wash their hands with water and liquid soap for at least 20 seconds. Wash between fingers. Then let the water run over hands afterwards. Schools will have abridged schedules, if there’s school at all, on Taanis Esther, Purim, and Shushan Purim. I urge schools to use this opportunity to disinfect, to clean, clean, clean, and to open windows, allowing fresh air to circulate. Homes also have germs. Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects. Kids, particularly little ones,

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are likely to use their hands to wipe their eyes and noses, then handle toys which are picked up by other children. This is life, and this is why it’s common for little ones to have so many colds the first several years of life as their immune systems are building. This is an opportunity to teach them (again) to sneeze and cough into their sleeves. Blow noses into tissues (be sure there is an adequate supply of new tissues in backpacks and they should be readily available) and dispose of them in garbage cans. When children come home from school, or adults come in from wherever, washing hands should be priority #1. School-age children should change clothes so their germ-infested clothes can’t infect the household and younger siblings. As far as adults are concerned, when greeting, don’t shake hands or do high fives. Greet warmly. Air kiss. Others will understand.

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m i r u P

Crafts By Menucha Ceder

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Himmeli Hamantashen Centerpieces Instructions

Himmeli is a Swedish craft, traditionally made out of actual straw and reeds. Today, most people make Himmeli out of brass or copper tubing to make beautiful modern sculptures. To decorate my own Purim table, I made Himmeli-inspired hamantashen using paper straws. Because hamantashen are a balanced geometric shape, they were the perfect candidate for this craft! Paper straws are available to match any color scheme, but metallic ones add sparkle and almost look like metal tubing. To make your shape, you’re going to string straws onto wire. You restring the wire through straws to hold things into specific positions. When you complete any step, you’ll fix it in place by drawing the wire through the closest straw that’ll work. When you’re done making these hamantashen, try coming up with your own shape, and try some abstract sculptures to complement these!

Supplies • Paper straws • 24-gauge wire • Wire cutters • Craft knife • Ruler • Cutting mat

1. Use a craft knife to cut your straws to size. The proportions are more important than your actual measurements, but use a ruler or cutting mat to measure according to the size of your straw. You need: 6 full-size straws, 9 half-size straws, and 6 quarter-size straws. 2. String 3 fullsize straws on your wire.

3. Thread the wire back through one of your straws to close your triangle. 4. String on your wire a quarter straw, a half straw and then another quarter. And then draw it through one of your straws from your first triangle, so that it ends up by the empty corner. 5. String on a quarter straw and then a half straw.

Thread your wire back through the half straw from the previous step. 6. Thread on a half straw.

Then thread it back through the adjacent quarter straw so that your wire ends up by an outer corner. 7. At this point, it’ll be helpful to twist your wire once or twice through the internal wire to secure your first half of your hamantash. Trim your wire off your spool but leave about a 1-2-foot “tail” in place. 8. Repeat the above process to make a second hamantash shape. 9. Once you have those two shapes, it’s time to connect your two pieces to make a centerpiece! Lay your two hamantashen side by side. Take one of your remaining half straws. String it onto one of your wires that are connected to the hamantashen. String that wire through one of the long sides of the other hamantash.

10. String another half-straw to the wire attached to the other corner. Repeat with the last corner, and thread through the opposite hamantash so that they face each other, threading the wires back through any straw. Since these are your final steps, it doesn’t matter where the wire ends up. 11. Wrap your wires a few times around the internal wires that stick out between straws, making sure it’s secure. 12. The cool thing about working with wire is that it can be manipulated however you like it. At this point, you may need to bend it at the corners, so that your hamantashen stand nicely. Use pliers if you need a little help. Play with it and bend until it stands really nicely. Make a pair if you want and display them proudly! They work beautifully for when you want to add a touch of metallic to brighten up a neutral tablescape!

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Stitched Gift Tags for Mishloach Manot Add a personal touch to mishloach manot packages by crafting your own gift tags! Did you know you can sew and embroider paper? The easiest way to do this is using a simple backward stitch. This is a simple in and out stitch, only you’re making your stitches backward so that you can use the same holes to make a solid line. The result is a beautiful, handcrafted look that has texture and is unfussy. When designing these gift tags, as well as the next ones, make sure to leave space (on the front or the back) to write a “from” or “to” message.

Supplies • Card stock • Scissors • Pencil and eraser • Embroidery floss • Embroidery needle • Optional: A large (around 2-inch) and small circle hole punch, tag-shaped hole punches, or purchased plain gift tags

Instructions 1. Cut out your tags. If you’re not sure about making the shape on your own, you can use premade tags, a tag-shaped punch, or even a large circle hole punch. You can also find pictures of tags online (try pixabay. com) to print and trace. 2. Draw your shape with the pencil. Keep it simple! It doesn’t have to be Purim-themed but that’s part of the fun. 3. Moving along your image, pierce holes with your embroidery needle. I recommend working on a protected surface, so you’re not tempted to hold your tag with your fingers behind where you’re piercing. The exact distance between holes doesn’t matter as much as staying consistent with your spacing does. Even then, it doesn’t have to be perfect. I eyeballed about 6mm between holes. 4. Thread your needle and pull it from back to front through your first hole.

Leave a 1-inch tail in the back. When you create your first stitches, you’ll make sure to “catch” this thread in your back stitches. 5. Make one stitch, and then, catching your back thread, thread it from back to front in the next hole. 6. Thread it back through the hole where your previous stitch ended. 7. Keep on stitching this way - starting your stitch back-to-front from the next unused hole, and then returning front-to-back through the last used hole. 8. Don’t worry about how your back looks. If you need to skip around a little to complete stitches, that’s fine. Complete your first color.

9. To finish off your color, flip your tag over, and thread through a few of your stitches. Trim. 10. Finish off your piece with your second color the same way you did the first. 11. If you want, you can back your piece with an identical or contrasting blank tag to hide the stitching, and to give you more surface to work with. Write your name or your message on the tag or print simple stickers on clear sticker paper if you’re not confident with your lettering skills. Tip: You can stitch text, too! Just treat each side like one stitch and try to convert any curves into a series of shorter lines.

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Layered Gift Tags for Mishloach Manot Which glue should you use? Glue comes in so many different forms and having the right kind can make all the difference to your project. School glue: School glue can work for a surprising amount of uses beyond paper. You can use this for these gift tags if you don’t have anything else. It can sometimes be too wet and wrinkle your paper.

If you’re already a big fan of scrapbooking, you’ll know that when you start layering, your possibilities are endless! Personally, I don’t have the patience to make big pages, which is why I love making little things like tags! To make these, I pulled out some ribbons, fake gems, and cotton twine. I combined those with cardstock to show you just a few of the zillions of possibilities that exist. While I share very specific ideas here, the whole point is to experiment and play! I decided to share my design process regardless so that you can follow along.

Supplies • Card stock • Ribbon • Glue (see sidebar) • Fake gems • String or cotton twine • Scissors • Optional: A large (around 2-inch) and small circle hole punch, tag-shaped hole punches, or purchased plain gift tags

Tacky glue: This is what I used to make my gift tags. It is similar to school glue, but less wet. It’s tacky and holds your project in place better as you work. This works great with ribbons that try to unfold and is perfect for making gift tags. Glue stick: Glue sticks come in crafting strengths, too, and are

wonderful for gluing paper to paper instantly without any wrinkling! It won’t work very well for the heavier materials, like ribbon and gems. Glue dots: I use these a lot for instantly sticking paper crafts. It can work for other materials, although it’s not the strongest. This is a great option if you don’t have the time to wait for it to dry. Glue gun: You might want to default to a glue gun when gluing more difficult materials (like ribbon) in a project like this. I’d avoid it when working with something so small, as it’s cumbersome and hard to work into intricate details. You’ll also be more likely to burn yourself using glue gun on a project like this.

Instructions 1. To create a torn paper layer, I first roughly traced the shape of my tag. I tore off the top half in strips, a little at a time, until I was satisfied. Different shades of the same color look beautiful and clean on this type of design. 2. Since this gift tag isn’t an exact science, first layer your elements, and play around with different ideas. Here, I trimmed it with a neutral piece of ribbon. 3. I added a large black rhinestone to ground the whole look. When you’re happy with your design, glue the elements together. Next, I decided to try some Purim-specific images. 4. Draw a simple mask shape and punch very small holes on the sides.

5. Tie small pieces of floss or twine to the sides.

6. Glue your mask and the strings on your tag.

7. Add a little bling!

10. Fold 3 sides in to create a triangle shape. The cardstock should be thick enough that it totally holds its shape. 11. Wrap your tag with a ribbon. Again, I used similar colors. The ribbon adds texture without making it too busy. 12. Glue on your hamantash.

8. Once again, hamantashen are my favorite! If you happen to have 2-sided card stock in the colors you want, use that. Or make your own by gluing the two colors you want back-to-back with a glue stick. 9. Trace a round object or a 1-inch round punch to cut out a circle.

Add strings to all your gift tags and write your name.

Loved these ideas? Menucha, a Far Rockaway resident, shares hundreds more like these at momsandcrafters. com.

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HAMANTASHEN REMIX

Classic hamantashen get a

holiday remix with untraditional flavors for Purim

By Nina Safar

Ha ma nt a s hen s hould b e a s f u n a nd c olor f ul a s t he hol iday we eat t hem on . Forget c la s s ic f i l l i ng s l i k e apr ic ot a nd pr u ne, a nd b e more adv ent u rou s when ba k i ng t he t h ree - c or nere d pa s t r y. I enjoy u s i ng nont rad it iona l i ng re d ient s to g iv e t he t rad it iona l d i s h a f u n a nd fe s t iv e ma k e ov er.

LOTUS COOKIE BUTTER

CHEESECAKE HAMANTASHEN These hamantashen are stuffed with cheesecake batter and cookie butter, a match made in hamantashen heaven. The cookie crumble and the sweet glaze on top are the perfect topping to this holiday treat. Servings: About 20 hamantashen

Ingredients

Hamantashen dough • 2/3 cup sugar • ½ cup oil • 2 eggs • 1 teaspoon vanilla • 2 ½ cups flour • 2 teaspoon baking powder • 1 cup cheesecake filling (recipe below) • 1 cup Lotus cookie butter • Crushed lotus cookie, for garnish

Cheesecake Filling • 1 8oz package of cream cheese • 1/3 cup of sugar (you could use ½ cup if you like it very sweet) • 1 tsp. of vanilla extract Cookie Butter Icing • ¾ cup powdered sugar • 1 tablespoon almond or soy milk. Water can also be used. • 1 tablespoon Biscoff Lotus cookie butter

Directions

Cream together sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Slowly add flour and baking powder. Mix together. The dough might be crumbly; use your hands to smooth it out and make it combine. Prepare the filling: combine the filling ingredients until smooth. It makes about 1 cup of filling. Roll out dough on floured surface (about ¼- to 1/8-inch thick) and cut out circles using a large circle cookie cutter or the rim of a mason jar. Fill center of circle with ½ teaspoon cheesecake filling, then add 1/2 teaspoon cookie butter on top of cheesecake batter. Fold over one side, then the nex,t and finally bring the bottom on top to make a hamantashen shape. Gently pinch the corners. Bake on 350°F for 12 to 15 minutes depending on how soft or crispy you like them. I like them super-soft so I bake them for about 12 minutes. Prepare the icing: combine the ingredients until smooth. Allow hamantashen to cool before drizzling cookie butter icing (recipe below) on top. Sprinkle lotus cookie crumbs over glaze. Tips & Tricks: These hamantashen freeze well.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

EGG ROLL HAMANTASHEN These mini egg roll hamantashen are a tasty appetizer for your Purim meal or can be served throughout the day as a satisfying snack. Ingredients

bine. Add cornstarch mixture and stir together. Add ginger and combine together. Heat through. Using a mason jar, cut out circles of egg roll wrappers (1 egg roll wrapper yields 4 circles).

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoon water • 1 teaspoon sherry wine • 3 teaspoon soy sauce • 3 cups cole slaw mix • 1-inch piece of ginger, shredded • 2 green onions diced, for serving • Egg roll wrappers

Place one teaspoon of batter in the center of each circle. Using water, wet the corners and pinch together creating a triangle hamantashen shape.

Directions

Tips & Tricks: Add cooked chicken, beef or tofu to the cole slaw mixture before filling up the center of each hamantashen.

Heat oil in pan. Stir in cole slaw mix. Add sherry and soy sauce and com-

CHOCOLATE

PEANUT BUTTER REESE ' S PUFFS

HAMANTASHEN

Place on greased baking sheet. Cook on 350°F for about 12 minutes until crispy. Serve with sweet chili sauce or duck sauce.

Chocolate-stuffed hamantashen drizzled with creamy peanut butter and MORE chocolate are topped with Reese’s Puffs cereal, making it the ultimate Purim treat! Kids and adults alike go crazy for these fun and festive pastries. Servings: About 20 hamantashen Ingredients

Directions

• • • • • • • • • •

Cream together eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Slowly add flour and baking powder. Mix together. The dough might be crumbly. Use your hands to make it smooth and combined.

2 eggs ½ cup oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2/3 cup sugar 2 teaspoon baking powder 2 ½ cups flour 1 cup chocolate spread 1 cup chocolate chips ½ cup peanut butter 1 cup Reese’s Puffs cereal

Roll out dough on floured surface (about ¼- to 1/8-inch thick). Cut out circles using a doughnut cutter or the rim of a mason jar. Fill the center of circle with ½ teaspoon chocolate spread and fold into a hamantash shape. Bake on 350°F for about 12 minutes. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave on 30 second intervals. Melt peanut butter in microwave as well, for 30 seconds. Allow hamantashen to cool off, then drizzle melted chocolate chips and peanut butter on top and garnish with cereal.

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TACO HAMANTASHEN - VEGETARIAN!

These savory taco hamantashen are a delicious snack to nosh on throughout Purim. Ingredients

Directions

• 1 12 oz. package of Mexican Style Veggie Crumbles (Lightlife Smart Ground) • Frozen ravioli dough precut into circles, defrosted (or wonton wrappers cut into circles) • 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese • Guacamole for serving (optional) • Salsa for serving (optional)

Heat veggie crumbles up on stovetop. Place 1 teaspoon of veggie crumbles in the center of each dough circle. Wet edges of dough with water, then bring up corners and pinch together to form a triangle. Place shredded cheese on top. Bake in the oven on 350°F for about 12 to 15 minutes until golden and slightly crispy. Serve with salsa and guacamole on top.

Nina Safar is the food blogger behind www.kosherinthekitch.com and cookbook author of The Simply Kosher Cookbook. Follow her online for super-simple seriously-tasty recipes @kosherinthekitch.

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In The K

tchen

Pastrami Deli Hamantashen By Leah Schapira and Naomi Nachman

Several years ago, I made my friend Leah Schapira’s Pastrami Deli Hamantashen, and it was a huge hit at my Purim seuda. I always have to double the recipe as my kids keep “stealing” them off the cooling rack while I am making them.

Ingredients

Photo credit: Leah Schapira

3 tablespoons oil 1 large onion, diced 6 ounces chopped pastrami (or deli of your choice) ¼ cup beer 1 tablespoon mayonnaise 1 tablespoon ketchup 1 tablespoon honey 1 squirt hot sauce ½ tablespoon soy sauce 20 round wonton wrappers 1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 3 tablespoons water

Preparation Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until extra soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add pastrami and sauté for 1 to 2 additional minutes. Stir in the beer until it evaporates, about 3 minutes. Add in the mayonnaise, beer, ketchup, honey, hot sauce, and soy sauce. Let cool. Place 1 teaspoon filling in the middle of each wonton wrapper. Brush cornstarch mixture around the edges (this will help seal the hamantashen). Fold into a hamantashen shape. To bake the hamantashen, preheat oven to 400°F. Place hamantashen on a lined baking sheet and spray the tops with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can fry the hamantashen (of course, it’s much tastier this way and that’s the version I prefer). Heat 1-inch oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add hamantashen and fry until golden and crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

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.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

The president is a Russian operative. That sounds like the description of a bad Hollywood screenplay, but it is real. It is Vladimir Putin’s greatest achievement, decades after America’s victory in the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union – the president of the United States is now helping the president of Russia help the president of the United States to get re-elected so that the president of Russia will have four more years of the president of the United States who he wants in the Oval Office. This is one of those shocking news days if you retain the capacity to be shocked in the Trump era by the Trump regime, which might be better labeled the Trump-Putin regime. I’m not interested in legacy wealth buildings, and my children know that. Steve wasn’t interested in that. If I live long enough, it ends with me. - Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple CEO Steve Jobs, telling The New York Times that she doesn’t plan on leaving her $24 billion fortune to her children

It’s not right for individuals to accumulate a massive amount of wealth that’s equivalent to millions and millions of other people combined. There’s nothing fair about that.

- MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell

I had the great honor of being arrested with our U.N. ambassador on the streets of Soweto trying to get to see him on Robben Island. - Former Vice President Joe Biden telling an audience in South Carolina how he was arrested while trying to visit Nelson Mandela in apartheid South Africa

- Ibid.

It’s like pick your choice of crazy. It’s unbelievable. It’s like sitting down with kids and telling fairy tales and hoping something comes true. It’s just, you know, politics used to be around, you know, facts, policies, intellectual discussions. Now it’s, like, whose team are you on, you know, it’s more about what story you want to fall behind. Bernie is “Robin Hood,” take from the rich, give to the poor. – Mark Cuban on “The View”

He’s made it clear that we are all just to call him Harry. So ladies and gentlemen, please give a big, warm, Scottish welcome to Harry. - Former Prince Harry being introduced at a Scotland conference last weekend

Yes, I slipped on stage, and I’m now a meme. - Oprah, writing on social media after falling on stage during her 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus Tour, while talking about living a balanced life

No, I was never arrested and I don’t think he was, either. - The U.N. ambassador Biden was referring to, when asked about the incident by The New York Times

Obviously, it was apartheid South Africa. There was a white door, there was a black door. He did not want to go through the white door and have the rest of the party go through the black door. He was separated. This was during a trip while they were there in Johannesburg. – A Biden spokeswoman explaining that Biden was not arrested but got separated from his group accidentally, after Biden was accused of lying about being arrested because it never happened

MORE QUOTES

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Man, when it comes to Bloomberg, Elizabeth Warren is relentless. She destroyed him in the first debate; she came after him tonight. I bet when he got in his car later, she just popped up in the back seat, like, “Oh, and another thing.” — Trevor Noah

Everybody was fighting to get a word in. For a lot of these candidates, it’s desperation time. This was their last shot. They were waving their hands in the air like they just don’t Medicare. — Jimmy Kimmel, talking about the Democrat debate

Right now, sadly, tragically, Israel has a reactionary racist who is now running that country. - Sen. Bernie Sanders at the Democrat debate, while stating that he would consider moving the U.S. Embassy out of Jerusalem

Anyone who calls our prime minister a racist is either a liar, ignorant fool, or both. We don’t want Bernie Sanders at AIPAC... We don’t want him in Israel. - Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon at the AIPAC Conference

My last name’s Jeudy. People sometimes call me “Jew” so I got a Jewish star. I’m not Jewish, though. - Jerry Jeudy, Alabama wide receiver and NFL prospect, explaining to Yahoo! Sports why he wears a Star of David

To my friends on the left, hating Donald Trump is not an Israel policy. – U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman at the AIPAC Conference

Had President Obama — with whom I had profound disagreements — had he moved our embassy to Jerusalem, had he recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, had he restored tough sanctions on Iran, and authored President Trump’s vision for peace, I would have been the first to applaud, and I’d still be applauding today. Of course, none of these things were done by President Obama. In fact, they were all achieved by President Donald J. Trump. And for that we should all be the first to be applauding today. - Ibid.

If we don’t get this done in 2020, I will meet you…in the gulags! I read it a little bit like an arsonist complaining about the noise from the fire trucks.

- CPAC Communications Director Ian Walters joking at the CPAC convention about Bernie Sanders winning the presidency

- Sen. Ted Cruz (D-TZ) responding to Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayer’s complaint that the Trump administration runs to the Supreme Court every time a lower [liberal-led] court issues an injunction against its policies

One-hundred-fifty-million people have been killed since 2007… - Joe Biden talking about gun violence at the last Democrat debate, erroneously saying that the equivalent of nearly half of the U.S. population has been killed by gun violence in the past 13 years

I give them as gifts. I use them for bets, you know when someone wants to bet something, you know for a Brooklyn thing versus a Wisconsin thing. So I say to the New York Post and others, guilty as charged. I love Junior’s cheesecake. It’s the best cheesecake in the world. - New York Sen. Charles Schumer, responding to a report that he has spent $8,600 on cheesecake in less than 10 years

MORE QUOTES

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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The U.S. travel restrictions on China and criticism of China’s quarantine strategy to contain the COVID-19 have been seen as a racist politicization of the epidemic. - China’s state-run Global Times after the Trump administration placed a travel restriction on China last week

Our president had to be going crazy over a problem that involves both declining stock prices and germs. This is the guy, after all, who thinks shaking hands is “barbaric,” who is followed around by aides bearing sanitizer. - Gail Collins, in a New York Times op-ed titled: “Let’s Call It Trumpvirus: If you’re feeling awful, you know who to blame”

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- Sissi Cao, writing in the Observer on February 3, 2020, about how President Trump was overreacting to coronavirus

Don’t talk. Nod your head.

Be nice to everybody. Live well. Stay nice and calm. Don’t let anything bother you. That’s it. That is the story of my life.

- Actor Harrison Ford, 77, in a recent interview about the keys to his successful marriage

- 100-year-old Angie Crognale of New Jersey, born on February 29, 1920, who celebrated her 100th (or 25th) birthday last week, in an interview with ABC News

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MARCH 5, 29, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 2015 | The Jewish Home

Political Crossfire

Bernie Sanders’ Scandinavian Fantasy By Fareed Zakaria

en. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., says that his proposals “are not radical,” pointing again and again to countries in northern Europe such as Denmark, Sweden, and Norway as examples of the kind of economic system he wants to bring to the United States. The image he conjures up is of a warm and fuzzy social democracy in which market economics are kept on a tight leash through regulation, the rich are heavily taxed, and the social safety net is generous. That is, however, an inaccurate and highly misleading description of those northern European countries today. Take billionaires. Sanders has been clear on the topic: “Billionaires should not exist.” But Sweden and Norway both have more billionaires per capita than the United States, Sweden with almost twice as many. Not only that, these billionaires are able to pass on their wealth to their children tax-free. Inheritance taxes in Sweden and Norway are zero and in Denmark 15%. The United States, by contrast, has the fourth-highest estate taxes in the industrialized world at 40%. (Most billionaires make their income through capital gains, and the U.S. rate for that is also steep, the sixth-highest in the industrialized world.) Sanders’ vision of Scandinavian countries, like much of his ideology, seems to be stuck in the 1960s and 1970s, a period when these countries were indeed pioneers in creating a social market economy. In Sweden, government spending as a percentage of GDP doubled from 1960 to 1980,

going from approximately 30% to 60%. But as the Swedish commentator Johan Norberg points out, this experiment in Sanders-style democratic socialism tanked the Swedish economy. Between 1970 and 1995, he notes, Sweden did not create a single net new job in the private sector. In 1991, a free-market prime minister, Carl Bildt, initiated a series of reforms to kickstart the economy. By the mid-

regulation or litigation. In addition, he stressed, countries like Denmark had to stay extremely open, erecting no barriers to free trade, to gain access to markets abroad and keep their local companies competitive. When looking across northern Europe today, one finds many innovative market-friendly policies like educational vouchers, health care deductibles and co-pays,

Sanders’ vision of Scandinavian countries, like much of his ideology, seems to be stuck in the 1960s and 1970s.

2000s, Sweden had cut the size of its government by a third and emerged from its long economic slump. Versions of this problem and these market reforms took place all over northern Europe, creating what is now called the flexicurity model, combining flexible labor markets with a strong and generous safety net. I remember meeting the Danish prime minister, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, who enacted many of the reforms in Denmark in the 1990s. He emphasized that the first part of the model was key – ensuring employers had the flexibility to hire and fire workers easily, without excessive

and light regulatory burdens. None of these countries, for example, has a minimum wage. It is true that these countries have a generous safety net and, in order to fund it, have high taxes. What is not often pointed out, however, is that in order to raise enough revenue these taxes fall disproportionately on the poor, middle and upper middle class. Denmark has one of the highest top income tax rates in the OECD, 55.9%, but that rate is applied to anyone making 1.3 times the average national income. In the United States, this would mean that any income above $65,000 would be taxed at the rate

of 55.9%. In fact, the highest tax rate in the United States, 43%, applies to income that is 9.3 times the national average, which means that only those with incomes over approximately $500,000 pay this rate. The biggest hit to the poor and middle classes in northern Europe comes because they, like everyone, pay a national sales tax (value-added tax) of about 25%. These countries raise more than 20% of their taxes this way. In the United States, the average sales tax rate is 6.6%, and accounts for only 8% of tax revenue. One final statistic: A 2008 OECD report found that the top 10% in the United States pay 45% of all income taxes, while the top 10% in Denmark pay 26% and in Sweden 27%. Among wealthy countries, the average is 32%. The basic point is worth underlining because the American left seems largely unaware of it, and it has only become more true over the last decade: The United States has a significantly more progressive tax code than Europe, and its top 10% pay a vastly greater share of the country’s taxes than their European counterparts. In other words, bringing the economic system of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway to the United States would mean embracing more flexible labor markets, light regulations, and a deeper commitment to free trade. It would mean a more generous set of social benefits — to be paid for by taxes on the middle class and poor. If Sanders embraced all that, it would be radical indeed. (c) 2020, Washington Post Writers Group

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Political Crossfire

Hosni Mubarak’s Death Evokes the Paradox and Pain of the Middle East By David Ignatius

ormer Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak died last Tuesday, nearly a decade after he was toppled in a chaotic coup that broke his iron rule but didn’t provide Egypt with a dynamic, post-Mubarak identity. Mubarak has been a forgotten man in recent years, but his death evokes the paradox and pain of the Middle East. He governed Egypt for nearly 30 years, a modernizing despot who kept peace with Israel and liberalized the economy but balked at dismantling the military dictatorship and police-state tactics that had spawned him. The revolt against Mubarak in early 2011 was the apogee of the “Arab Spring” movement; an idealistic President Barack Obama helped push him out the door, a move that Saudi Arabia and other conservative Arab states never forgave. He was succeeded by a military-led committee, then a Muslim Brotherhood government headed by Mohamed Morsi, then by a backlash counter-coup that installed Gen. Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, a former head of military intelligence who governed with even less charisma than Mubarak. Through this tormented saga, the United States seemed to keep

making mistakes – encouraging Mubarak’s ouster in the streets after he agreed to leave office voluntarily; then trying to nursemaid a Muslim Brotherhood government that lacked the skills to govern; and finally backing a military takeover. By the end of this dizzying story, Egypt had moved from a country that loved America to one that bitterly resented U.S. tutelage. It was a sign of Mubarak’s power that Egypt never seemed to fully recover its balance after his fall. So thoroughly did Mubarak dominate and suppress political life that, in the months after the 2011 Tahrir Square revolution, Egypt displayed a mix of euphoria and exhaustion, as if the nation were coming out of a trance. Mubarak’s imprint also survived in the military that still holds power, effectively, under Sissi’s presidency. Mubarak was a stubborn man by nature, and an easy departure wasn’t in him. He clung to the job for years after U.S. officials began urging him to consider a transfer of power. The more he was pushed to leave, the more Mubarak dug in his heels. His last term as president began after a supposedly democratic election in 2005, his first such ballot. But those who dared challenge

him at the polls, such as opposition candidate Ayman Nour, were bullied and arrested. Still, if Mubarak had listened to critics and announced that he wouldn’t run again in 2011, he might have preserved a legacy as a ruler who created a more prosperous and open Egypt. But this concession wasn’t forced out of him until February 1, after the Tahrir protests had reached critical mass. Mubarak was an unlikely president, starting with his initial elevation to the post in October 1981 after the assassination of Anwar Sadat. It was widely rumored among Egyptians that the flamboyant Sadat had chosen the stolid ex-Air Force general as his vice president because it was implausible that Mubarak would ever be seen as a rival. A snickering nickname for him in those days came from a French brand of cheese: “La Vache Qui Rit,” or “the laughing cow.” Mubarak seemed to recognize his vulnerability in his refusal to appoint a vice president of his own until his final days in power, when he named his intelligence chief, Gen. Omar Suleiman, to the post. His real plan, it was thought, was to engineer the succession of his son Gamal, but

the father ultimately had to renounce Gamal’s ambitions, too. That the unglamorous former military boss imagined he could create his own pharaonic line offended many Egyptians and added to the resentment. Mubarak remained committed to the 1979 peace treaty with Israel, but it was always a “cold peace.” He did business in private with Israeli and American leaders, even as he often kept them publicly at arm’s length. When Obama gave his famous Cairo speech in June 2009, he invited members of the Muslim Brotherhood but not Mubarak. A more positive element of Mubarak’s legacy was that, in his last decade in power, he appointed economic reformers, such as former prime minister Ahmed Nazif and former trade minister Rachid Rachid. Their free-market policies helped push Egypt’s growth rate above 5%. But it was a sign of the deep public anger toward anything touched by Mubarak that these economic reformers were attacked for alleged corruption after the dictator’s fall. That was Mubarak’s curse: Even his good policies were unloved. (c) 2020, Washington Post Writers Group

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Forgotten Her es

The Real News Purim Edition By Avi Heiligman

ey, everyone. This is the editor of the Snowflake Network News. We came to you last year on Purim from our correspondent in Shushan, Iran. This year, due to our staff’s plane being quarantined for the coronavi-

rus, we have to turn to presidential moderator Phillip Airtime for this year’s breaking news stories. Phil’s main job is as a conservative talk show host called Unsafe Spaces that is only broadcast to states that voted for Hillary in 2016. Here’s Phil.

Thank you, Bernie, for allowing me the opportunity to write about the news and catching you up from last year’s Purim edition. As many of our readers know, the turmoil in Shushan was so thick that even the Democrats refused to have a debate in the city. The second-in-command, Haman, was hanged for high crimes which his supporters say were fabricated by the media. We have factual evidence to the contrary as a video was obtained by TMZ showing Haman and his sons drawing lots and saying that they planned to kill the Jews. We tried to reach out to the royal palace for comment but everyone was preoccupied because one of the princes and his foreign wife wanted to go on a lifelong cruise that made a stop in China. This left the palace understaffed, and now we are bombarded with robocalls from the royal number trying to sell us timeshares. My ninth grade history teacher, Mrs. Donna Day Evvaulearn, tried explaining the background of the primary and caucuses. She was taught a little-known piece of history by her teacher Ira Caull. It goes all the way back to King Achashveirosh who was just a regular congressman in the court of the previous dictator. King Lawson D. Woods was on a hunting expedition when a PETA operative came out of nowhere and arrested him. The former stable boy was competing with the best bartender in the land, AOC, and the former cook, Burt

Toast, for the nomination to become the next king. In the end, Achasheveirosh won the nomination but AOC was so upset that she wasn’t picked by the Donald Duck Party that she walked out of the king’s inaugural ball in disgust. She then started the Beer Lovers Party and threw a party in what she hoped would overthrow the king. In the end, she lost the election and the king’s beauty contest to boot. As a result of this tumult, both of these parties exist today in various countries, and caucuses were held so that people can choose their candidates. Mrs. Evvaulearn tried explaining how caucuses are run, the whole Brexit thingy and how Puerto Rico lost all of the aid money given after Hurricane Maria. We just don’t have teachers like this today. Instead, my kid has some lady named Wonda Y. Dat-So and comes home every day with a million questions. Back in the good ole’ U.S. of A., tons of people have tuned out the Democratic debates. Many awkward moments have ensued until we found out that Joe Biden’s speech preparer was the infamous Audrey Marks. Marks has left her mark on many famous people including Allen Iverson when he tried explaining why practice was unimportant (if you don’t know what I am talking about, he said the word practice about 20 times in two minutes and then didn’t understand why the coach was upset when he didn’t show up). She left

Donald Trump’s speechwriting team faster than the Mets fired manager Carlos Beltran when the president decided not to use the teleprompter like his predecessor. We have a lot more to go in the primaries, and I am predicting that we may see many more senior moments from our (very rich) panel of socialist candidates. Speaking of Beltran and the sign stealing scandal that has rocked the sports world, it just doesn’t surprise anyone that the Mets of all teams fired their manager before he managed even one game. I mean, the Astros stealing signs were no big deal – it was the fact that they got caught that showed that they deserved their harsh punishment. At least that’s how their owner sounded when he gave an apology. Many other teams aren’t happy and are calling on the commissioner to resign for mishandling the scandal. The Russians are about to get into the game by putting their can-

PESACH 2020

didate, Ivan Youlose, in the running as the next baseball commissioner. Of course, some politicians are going to scream about Russian interference and try to have governmental control over sports scandals. This won’t happen in the international

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tion, the Olympics, Iran’s politicians sweating on the international stage, and Brexit, there isn’t much going on in the world so that’s why we have the census to keep us busy in 2020. For those planning to boycott the census over the citizenship question,

King Lawson D. Woods was on a hunting expedition when a PETA operative came out of nowhere and arrested him.

stage, though, as the Russians have been banned from the 2020 summer Olympics in Tokyo for – surprise! – doping. Besides for the upcoming elec-

AT THE BEAUTIFUL

you can tune into the Democratic debates which stir up so much emotion and have received the highest ratings since Hillary called Trump supporters deplorable. As for me, I’ll skip

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the debates until Donald Trump gets on stage and starts giving everyone nicknames. The last time I met him he said I reminded him of an instrument and called me Phil Harmonic. Unfortunately for me, I have been passed up to moderate the debate by the panel that chooses these things, and Miss Deja Vu will be the referee in the debate. Get your popcorn ready and kick up your feet because they should add this one to the Olympics come summer 2020. This is Phil signing off. Thank you so much for the opportunity to say what’s really on my mind. If you listen to the famous scientist Dr. Tahra Dactyl, the world won’t be ending in twelve years. Happy Purim, everybody!

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MARCH 5, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

A Fulfilled L fe

A Season of Rapid Reversals By Rabbi Dr. Naphtali Hoff

he recent coronavirus-driven turmoil on Wall Street has left many investors holding their collective breath. Following years of steady gains, we witnessed a loss of 3,000 points on the Dow Jones in just five days, which put the market in correction territory (10% decline from previous highs) and sent investors scurrying for cover and bemoaning their fate. As I was contemplating this current, drastic change from security and prosperity to (hopefully temporary) shock and disillusionment, it brought to mind the crazy, roller-coaster-type scenario which stared down at the Jews of Persia nearly 2,400 years ago.

In the year 370 BCE, less than a decade before the commencement of the Purim story, the newly crowned Persian king Koresh (Cyrus) issued a decree urging all Jews to return to their ancestral homeland and rebuild their central house of worship (see Ezra 1:2–3). One can imagine how high the Jews’ collective spirits must have been at that time. Not only were they finally freed from the oppressive Babylonian monarchy, but they were even granted permission to return to the land of their fathers and rebuild the holiest of structures, the long-awaited fulfillment of Yirmiyahu’s “seventy year” prophecy (see Yirmiyahu 29:10). What an unbelievably positive turn of events! Yet, as quickly as things had improved for the Jews, they would sour almost as rapidly, eventually bringing

the Jews to a collective sense of despair and near destruction. Despite Koresh’s mandate and the Jews’ initial enthusiasm, a mere 50,000 Jews (out of an estimated population of one million) actually returned to Eretz Yisrael. Shortly thereafter, the fledgling Jewish settlement’s attempts to rebuild the Bais HaMikdash were thwarted by a scheming local population, who convinced Koresh to quickly reverse his edict. These Jews were now left with-

as he even utilized the vessels of the Bais HaMikdash as part of the festivities (see Megilla 11b). Later, Achashveirosh transferred executive power to Haman, one of greatest Jew-haters in history. What Haman elected to do with that power soon sent tremors throughout the Jewish world, in Persia, Eretz Yisroel, and beyond. Talk about a reversal of fortunes. And we thought that we had it bad! Of course, what ultimately saved

Not only were the Jews spared the terrible tragedy of annihilation, but they even grew to new levels of prominence in Persia.

out a sense of security or purpose and were soon headed towards despair and assimilation. A few years later, Koresh’s successor, Achashveirosh, led the Jews of Persia down a different path of dashed hopes. At first, he bestowed great apparent favor upon the Jews of Shushan, inviting them to a lavish, extended party in the royal palace. However, it soon became clear that the king’s primary objective was to celebrate the fact that the aforementioned “seventy years” redemption prophecy would not come to fruition,

the Jewish people at that time was the great degree of emunah u’bitachon that they were able to achieve under the devoted leadership of Mordechai and Esther. Through fasting and repentance, they reconnected with Hashem to such a degree that they came to “reaccept” His Torah (Kimu v’kiblu – kiblu mah shekiblu kvar, Shavuos 39a, based on Esther 9:27). In so doing, they invoked Hashem’s compassion and brought about their own stunning and complete reversal of fortunes, a true v’nahapoch hu (Esther 9:1).

Not only were the Jews spared the terrible tragedy of annihilation, but they even grew to new levels of prominence in Persia, again led by Mordechai, the king’s new viceroy. In addition, within a few years, the Jews of Eretz Yisroel would reinitiate the building of the second Bais HaMikdash and would eventually, under the leadership of Ezra first and then Nechemia, reestablish a vibrant, secure community committed to the highest standards of Torah observance. While we cannot say that they all lived happily ever after, the end of this particular saga ended far more favorably than anyone at the time could have realistically imagined. What the future holds for the market is hard to say. However, in this great season of v’nahapoch hu, a time of great physical and spiritual revivals and redemptions, we can at least hope that Hashem will see fit to keep moving on an upwards trajectory and make this Purim a true day of orah, simcha, sasson, and y’kar. Naphtali Hoff, PsyD, is an executive coach who helps busy leaders be more productive so that they can scale profits with less stress and get home at a decent hour. For a free, no obligation consultation, please call 212.470.6139 or email nh@impactfulcoaching.com. Check out his new leadership book, “Becoming the New Boss”, on Amazon. Download his free productivity blueprint at ImpactfulCoaching.com/ Productivity-Blueprint. Take a free productivity assessment at ImpactfulCoaching.com/ Productivity-Assessment.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

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OPEN HOUSE 492 Lincoln 3.8.20 1:30-3pm Move-in ready 1BR co-op in Majestic building on top floor (3rd) with elevator access. Chaya (346)782-5912 Asking $179K

cedarhurst

Fully ren. s/h col w/ 4br, 3.5bth in mint cond. Huge deep lot. Move in. $1.299M or $5950/month Chana (516)449-9692

Charming 3br 2bth cape style home. Bryna (516)322-4831 $565K

Lawrence

Stately 7 bedroom 4.5 bath colonial on vast property adjacent to the Rockaway Hunt Club. $1.29M

woodmere

Immaculate & renovated 4br col. w/ full fin. basement, kosher granite kit, huge den spacious yard. Tamar (917)902-0613 $899K

Mint condition 5 bedroom, 2.5 bath split for rent with option to buy. Bryna (516)322-4831 $5000/month

Far rockaway

woodmere

Updated 2-family home with updates kitchen and baths, large finished basement. Malka (516)967-1967

Brick ch col. loc. Wdsbrgh-Old Wdmr border. Approx .5acre prop, immac. maintained w/lrge brs, & lrge kit. Bruria (718)490-7791 $1.499M

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Classifieds HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

SALESPERSON WANTED Clothing store in the Five Towns looking to hire a temporary worker from Purim to Pesach. Must have good people skills and ability to work in fastpaced environment. Email resume to BigIdeasMarketing@ 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

YESHIVA KETANA OF LONG ISLAND SEEKS A WARM DEDICATED PRE-1A TEACHER to join our fantastic team for the upcoming school year. Afternoons M-Th. Experience required. Competitive salary! Please email resume to preschool@ykli.org ASSISTANT TEACHERS CAHAL is seeking part time or full time Assistant Teachers for Judaic Studies (AM) and/or General Studies (PM) for the 2019-20 school year. Send resume to shira@cahal.org or Fax 516-295-2899. Call 516-295-3666 for more information. Seeking full time OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST for Special Education school located in Brooklyn. Experienced preferred. Competitive salary. Room for growth. resumes@yadyisroelschool.org Looking to hire sales people to train as NY & NJ Public Adjusters. No experience necessary, flexible hours. Call 973-951-1534 SPECIAL ED DIRECTOR Responsibility: Curriculum Designer Individual curriculum as needed Staff training Innovative, visionary Requirement: Masters Special Ed and Education Administration or SLP Backgroup Email Resume: specialedresume2018@gmail.com

Gerber Bedding “Sleep Like A Baby”

Showroom located in Bayswater

Call or text Dena 718-536-4978

YDE GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL is expanding and adding another grade for 2020-2021 academic year! Searching for passionate, experienced educators for our innovative, inspiring, student-centered school. Full & part time positions available in: Limude Kodesh, English, Hebrew Language, Math, Social Studies, Science, Computers, Physical Education. Compensation and benefits are competitive, reliable and commensurate with experience. Interested candidates please email resumes and cover letters: GHSresumes@ydeschool.org

REGISTERED NURSE openings to work with adults who have developmental disabilities within residential settings in Brooklyn, Manhattan, or Long Island. Current NYS RN, min 2 years hospital exp. OHEL: 855-OHEL JOB www.ohelfamily.org/careers CATAPULT LEARNING Teachers, Title I Boro Park, Williamsburg and Flatbush Schools *College/Yeshiva Degree *Teaching experience required *Strong desire to help children learn *Small group instruction *Excellent organization skills Competitive salary Send resume to: Fax: (212) 480-3691 ~ Email: nyteachers@catapultlearning.com 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 “NEW FIVE TOWNS RESTAURANT IS LOOKING TO HIRE THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS: Experienced grill man Laffa maker, Dishwasher, Delivery guy Please email Ronazohar@hotmail.com Bais Yaakov in Far Rockaway seeking permanent substitute for Preschool and Elementary school. Please call 718-868-3232 ext 211 ASSISTANTS NEEDED FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AFTERNOON SESSION. Email: fivetownseducators@gmail.com

MISC ARE YOU IN NEED OF A LIVER TRANSPLANT? LIVER DONOR AVAILABLE! If you are blood type A or AB and in need of a liver transplant call Chaya Lipschutz, Kidney & Liver Shadchan (917) 627-8336, or email KidneyMitzvah@aol.com LOST DIAMOND BRACELET in Boro Park area (possibly also Five Towns)on Sunday, February 23. If found, please call or text 516-697-9496

The Jewish Home | MARCH 5, 2020

DRINK SOMETHING RIGHTEOUS AT YOUR TABLE @RighteousRoadCraftSpirits • www.righteous-road.com Righteous Road® Craft Spirits • St. Louis, MO

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Your

Money

Powder With a Chance of Tax Breaks By Allan Rolnick, CPA

his time of year, most Americans living in the northern half of the country are dreaming of sunshine. But there’s a heartier, usually affluent breed that can’t get enough snow. In Vermont, at resorts like Killington and Stowe, Ivy League students spend weekends hitting the slopes by day and donning LL Bean sweaters to sip Irish coffee by fireside in the evening. In Aspen, their parents test their aging knees on the mountain before negotiating deals over dinner at the Hotel Jerome’s J-Bar. The ones who can afford it, skip the check-in lines at the hotel and buy their own homes. There’s no shortage of ski destinations here in the United States. You can even go skiing in a mall in New Jersey. But the real ballers know the most glamorous slopes are abroad – especially in the European Alps. Places like Gstaad and Zermatt in Switzerland, or Courcheval and Chamonix in France, are where you go to impress your fellow one-percenters. All of them offer suitably high-end real estate for your vacation home dollar. But lately, France is where the action is. Why? It’s not because of the mountains, or the snow, or even the apres-ski action.

It’s because of taxes. Here’s the issue. Most people who buy a ski chalet don’t actually use it more than a few weeks a year. Kids are in school, work and clients are calling, and there’s a villa in St. Bart’s competing for vacation time. That leaves a lot of empty beds that could be filled with people

vacationers. (That effectively cuts the price by one-sixth.) They’re also cutting the usual 7% transfer tax to just 2%. And it’s working – area real estate agents report 80% of buyers say the tax break factored into their decision. One consultant estimates the rebate has saved its own buyers €15 million.

France is almost as famous for red tape as it is for red wine, so the bureaucracy is considerable.

paying for lift tickets, ski lessons, and €30 cocktails. How can governments encourage homeowners to fill those “cold beds” with warm bodies to replace that lost revenue? In France, they’re using taxes to solve the problem. They’re refunding the usual 20% value-added tax on purchases of newer homes to buyers who agree to rent them to

Of course, you can’t just pinkie-swear to list your chalet on Airbnb and call it a day. There’s paperwork. You have to commit to renting the property for the next 20 years. You have to hire local managers to provide check-in, breakfast, linen, and room-cleaning services. If you pull it back off the rental market, you have to refund a proportionate

share of the tax rebate. France is almost as famous for red tape as it is for red wine, so the bureaucracy is considerable. Ski chalets aren’t the only vacation properties that sit empty most of the year. Yacht buyers can spend a year customizing a hull, finding the right crew, and stocking it with toys like jet skis, only to leave it docked for 11 out of 12 months. While there aren’t any tax breaks specifically designed to get yacht owners to charter their boats, here in the U.S. you can deduct the interest you pay to buy your boat as second-home interest, so long as the boat includes sleeping, cooking, and bathing facilities. (This assumes you aren’t already deducting a second home somewhere else.) Which vacation floats your boat: renting on the beach or a renting on the slopes? How about renting your home to your own business for up to two weeks’ tax-free income? Either way, it sounds like you can have the vacation of your dreams! Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 years in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com.

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Life C ach

Let’s Make a Deal By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., MFT, CLC

ell me if this doesn’t sound overwhelming? What I do: I shlep all over Long Island. And I mean really shlep – to all those places you only hear rattled off in a single breath at the Long Island Railroad station but never actually

plan to visit! I, with my partners, also create, plan, organize and run events, programs, classes, groups, anything that will spark an interest. Then we get the venues, and the well-known speakers, and work to get the audiences to actually show up…and

you know how hard that can be! We also order and transport all the food – giant platters of kosher food from our neighborhood to theirs. Because – our luck – it’s more available where we are. That means we load it, unload it, shlep it in, and set it up as impressively as any caterer when we get there. I guess it’s our version of meals on wheels! We do all this a few times a week. Wait! We also devote time to interviewing almost a hundred women a year for trips to Israel, and we inform them that follow-up participation is a requirement for their acceptance. Which, you see, means we then need

them so they and their next generation don’t opt to write it off. Overwhelming, huh?! But worth it. So what I’m asking you to do is: Eat a brownie Yup, just eat a brownie. But purchase it first. Or taste a delicious dessert, a delectable lasagna, or a scrumptious pastrami pie to use for breaking your fast or at your Purim seudah. The proceeds will help fund our important programming. Please do this on Sunday, March 8 from 1 p.m.-9 p.m. and on Monday, March 9 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The ven-

Taste a delicious dessert, a delectable lasagna, or a scrumptious pastrami pie.

to do even more of the above work. Which makes us sound nuts – we are just creating more work for ourselves. Oh, and we do it all with no budget, no salary, and while simultaneously holding down our own jobs. So why are we doing this? Well, we’re doing this because we know G-d wants all Jews to be one unified Jewish people – even if they wound up living in Lindenhurst, Amityville, Central Islip, Seaford, etc. We want to create opportunities for our fellow Jews to connect to what Judaism has to offer

ue? 6 Forest Lane in Lawrence. And come meet some of your lovely Long Island neighbors, who are usually traveling in a whole different direction on the LIRR! You can even call or text in an order to 917- 705-2004. Either way, it’s a wonderful way to help unite us all!

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

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