Five Towns Jewish Home - 10-26-17

October 26, 2017

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

Your Favorite Five Towns Family Newspaper

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Around the

Community

Annual Achiezer CIMBY Run

54

A Contentious Issue Chareidim and the IDF Draft

pg

92

46

Sweet Words of Torah at YOSS Learning Program

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Establishing Trust in Your Relationships

Central Seniors Selected as Siemens Semifinalists VOTE ON ELECTION DAY – NOVEMBER 7 REPUBLICAN, ROW B

www.SupervisorSantino.com

www.anthonydesposito.com

– See page 3

SEASONS LAWRENCE

330 Central Avenue, Lawrence, NY 11559

pg Page 89

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Crucial Clips pg

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Dear Readers,

Y

and davening. Gone are the days when we are commanded to perform special mitzvos or told to sit in the shadow of Hashem in the sukkah. We’re back to real life. We’re back to carpools and deadlines and work pressures.

We’re back to “catching a minyan” and racing onto the train after Daf Yomi.

We could become bitter. We could say to ourselves, Oh, I thought it was going to be good. I thought I was going to spend the extra time davening with kavana or learning more or being more patient. I thought it was going to be a year of health and parnassa and peace.

But stop, don’t be bitter. Remember what this month is called. It’s called Cheshvan.

Cheshvan, using a little bit of literary license here, can be connected to the word “cheshbon.” We need to remember that Hashem, Who we connected with so strongly in Tishrei, has a cheshbon for everything. We are never able to see the full picture of events. But we know that He does. And He arranges it all for our benefit. We may not see His hand working things in the background right away, but it’s there pulling the strings. He heard our tefillos; He is answering them.

We can take this lesson with us through Cheshvan and hold onto it as the days get shorter and the nights get colder: there’s no need to be “mar” if we remember there’s a “cheshbon.”

Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

esterday it rained. No, it poured. I ran out to do carpool and felt as if I was Pooh in the Hundred Acre Wood, except I wasn’t rescuing pots of honey from flooding waters. But a deluge of rain is always a nice depiction for our children around this time of year of what Noach may have felt as the waters of the mabul started to come down.

Yes, Cheshvan is here, and with it comes blustery winds, streams of water, and dropping temperatures. The month is really called Mar Cheshvan and most of know that it’s considered “mar” because there are no yomim tovim in Cheshvan. But I recently heard a beautiful thought that I’d like to share with you.

Tishrei is stuffed with yomim tovim. It’s brimming with sweet apples and honey, the blasting of the shofar, the humming of Kol Nidrei, the banging of the hammer, the smell of the esrog, the dancing on Simchas Torah. And throughout all these days of yom tov we connect with Hashem. We beg Him, we ask Him, we beseech Him to bless us with a good year.

And as we’re asking, we’re also connecting.

We’re showing Him that we know that He is the One – and the only One – Who can provide for us. We’re telling Him that we know that He is the One – and the only One – Who knows what’s good for us. During those special days we are on a high. We are sure – so certain – that this year will be good.

And then Cheshvan comes. And there are no more yomim tovim. There are no special days where we spend hours in shul, singing

Yitzy Halpern PUBLISHER

publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Yosef Feinerman MANAGING EDITOR

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Shoshana Soroka EDITOR

editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Nate Davis Editorial Assistant Nechama Wein Copy Editor Berish Edelman Mati Jacobovits Design & Production Gabe Solomon Distribution & Logistics P.O. BOX 266 Lawrence, NY 11559 Phone | 516-734-0858 Fax | 516-734-0857 Classifieds: Deadline Mondays 5PM classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com text 443-929-4003 The Jewish Home is an independent weekly magazine.

Opinions expressed by writers are not neces­ sarily the opinions of the publisher or editor. The Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The Jewish Home contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly.

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

8

COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll

8

Community Happenings

44

NEWS Global

12 National

34

Odd-but-True Stories

42

ISRAEL Israel News

102

26

A Contentious Issue: Chareidim and the IDF Draft

92

PEOPLE The Blackbird Rules the Skies by Avi Heiligman

116

PARSHA Rabbi Wein

82

One Against the World by Rav Moshe Weinberger

84

JEWISH THOUGHT Becoming Avraham by Eytan Kobre

86

Ask Your Father by Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

88

Along the Ethical Divide by Rabbi Dr. Naphtali Hoff

90

Dear Editor, Our son Shlomo had a special check-up yesterday. He had fallen in a freak accident several months ago and we were rushed to the hospital after Shlomo had fractured his skull.

It was so severe that the resident on call said we will have to watch and monitor him but that there would likely be brain damage. Our lives crumbled in moments.

My sister suggested we call Achiezer and I think we actually called Rabbi Bender on his direct cell. It was after 11 PM at night.

After carefully listening to all the information he quietly and calmly said he would do everything in his power to make sure that at the very minimum we will exhaust every and all effort to save our son.

Somehow he reached the head of neurosurgery within moments and convinced him to head to the hospital at that late hour. He explained that when Rabbi Bender calls, he does not ask questions.

He decided not to wait, and he performed brain surgery in middle of the night.

HEALTH & FITNESS Establishing Trust by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn

100

How to Boost Your Metabolism by Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

100

102

Five Years after Sandy – Lessons Learned

by Dr. Hylton I Lightman

For those who requested the contact information for Michoel Muchnik’s Art Gallery, he can be reached at: 347-247-4947 www.muchnikarts.com sales@muchnikarts.com

104

Many difficult weeks and procedures followed but slowly we saw sign after sign that Hashem was watching over us so closely and as per the doctor our son is expected to make a full recovery 100% with no lasting effects.

Although I briefly expressed our gratitude since, we wanted again to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Had we not called Achiezer and Rabbi Bender that night, we very possibly would have been dealing with the worse possible outcome.

With everlasting gratitude, The Rosen Family Dear Editor, You can’t judge a president until decades after he’s left office.

I know that some people are criticizing President Trump for reneging on the Iran nuclear deal that Obama orchestrated when he was in office.

But I have a question for you: aren’t presidents and Congress allowed to make mistakes? What if we would have known that we were supplying the Taliban with weapons in the ‘80s? Would we have continued to do so if we would have known then what we know now? Of course, not!

The Iran deal was a deal with the devil. Ten or twenty-five years is a mere blip in a country’s history.

Allowing millions of dollars to flow back into Iran’s coffers is only aidContinued on page 10

FOOD & LEISURE

The Aussie Gourmet: Challah

106

LIFESTYLES Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW

96

Your Money

124

Ix-Nay on the Politics by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

126

HUMOR Centerfold Crucial Clips by Jon Kranz

80 118

POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes

108

The Rubble in Raqqa is a Reminder by David Ignatius

115

CLASSIFIEDS

120

Would you ever color an adult coloring book?

42

%

YES

58

%

NO

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

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Continued from page 8

ing terrorism around the world. Not only is Iran one of the world’s biggest sponsors of terror, but the money will only be going to building up its nuclear program. And then what will we have? A rogue regime, fueled with nuclear weapons, bent on the destruction of Israel and the United States. Hardly a victory those who don’t want to live in constant fear.

Now it is time for Congress to act.

It’s time to tell Chuck Schumer that we won’t condone his blatant anti-Israel posturing. Forget about the rest of the world; we are still a world power and should act in our own interests. End the Iran deal now – before it’s really too late.

Emmy Holden Dear Editor, The question in your dating column this week points to a bigger problem in our community. The questioner feels uncomfortable with her in-laws knowing her financial situation. I agree with her. Your inlaws should not be involved in your finances.

But our community can’t make such defining statements. Many people in our community get mar-

ried very young. They are hardly able to make ends meet. Many of them are in school – and some of them are not even sure about which industry or profession they’d like to go into. This is when the parents and in-laws become responsible for the young couple’s finances. And that’s OK – for a while. After a few years the couple should be able to shoulder their own finances, and, once they do so, the parents should not be involved in knowing what’s going on in their bank accounts.

There’s also another issue that sometimes comes up in this arrangement. When the parents and inlaws are financially supporting the young family, there may be times or situations when the parents see the young couple spending on certain items that they may feel are extraneous. The young couple should never feel that the parents are controlling how they use their money; at the same time, the parents should never feel that they are being taken advantage of. In my experience, setting boundaries and expectations before the wedding with the young couple helps to mitigate any feelings of resentment.

Avrumi Stern

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

The Week In News

IS a JOB IN TECH RIGHT FOR YOU?

Czech Republic’s Billionaire Leader

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“I’m glad you did not believe that, that you gave us the confidence to get a chance to form a government,” he said.

While his party holds a significant number of seats in parliament, 78, he will still need to win over many of the remainder 122 seats, filled by eight other parties.

Vienna Pays Tribute to Hundreds of Holocaust Victims

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The Czech Republic has a new prime minister. Andrej Babis, 63, the country’s second-richest man, won the general election this week.

He campaigned on an anti-establishment and Eurosceptic platform.

With a turnout of almost 61%, his centrist movement ANO collected a share of almost 30% — that’s almost three times the votes of its closest rival. The center-right Civic Democrats and the Pirates Party came second and third with more than 10% each.

The Pirates will make their debut in parliament with 22 seats.

Babis told the media after his victory that while he had “invited everyone for talks,” he was not prepared to “cooperate” with either the far-right anti-EU Freedom and Direct Democracy party or the Communist Party.

He says he would not bring the Czech Republic into the Eurozone but he wants the country to stay in the EU, adding that he would propose changes to the European Council on issues like food quality and a “solution to migration.”

The billionaire made his estimated $4 billion fortune in chemicals, food and media. Over the years he has allegedly been involved in several scandals including a fraud indictment and accusations he was a communist-era police agent.

After the election, Babis expressed gratitude to his supporters and said he had not expected the result after “lies” in a “massive, massive disinformation campaign against us.”

The Wiener Linien company, Austria’s largest urban transport firm, is commemorating the Holocaust for the first time by launching a subway art installation in memory of the hundreds of victims who were prisoners on a single street in Vienna.

The commemoration was unveiled 75 years after the peak of deportations from Herminengasse station. The station now features a graphic scheme of black lines representing each victim that had lived on Herminen Alley. The black lines stretch through Europe to Nazi death camps that took their lives. 120 people crammed into the subway tunnel to view the unveiling last week.

Tina Walzer is the historian who spent the last year researching the names of the Holocaust victims on Herminengasse, a small street which used to belong to the Jewish ghetto in Vienna. “Two houses on the street were mini concentration camps, where Jews were kept in crowded conditions inside apartments until they were taken away one day on a lorry,” Walzer said. “This all happened publicly, at daytime, on a street where also many non-Jews lived. Everybody saw what was going on. Looking at this place is staring at the abyss of the Nazi death machine,” she said.

Through the use of public records and other archives Walzer was able to add hundreds of victims to Wiener

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Linien’s initial list of 700 unknown victims. The report Walzer and her team compiled is the first time that victims from a single street in Vienna have been recorded in a single list.

Over 65,000 Austrian Jews were killed by Hitler’s forces after being sent to ghettos and concentration camps.

Where Have All the Bugs Gone?

A study has found that the amount of insets in Germany is declining at “dramatic” and “alarming” rates. Researchers say that their findings may have a huge impact on the crop production and natural ecosystems around the globe.

PLOS One, a study journal, published the report that says that over

the past 27 years Germany’s nature reserves have seen a 75% decrease in its flying insect population. “The flying insect community as a whole... has been decimated over the last few decades,” said the study, which was conducted by Researchers from Radboud University in the Netherlands and the Entomological Society Krefeld in Germany.

Co-author Caspar Hallman said he and his colleagues were “very, very surprised” by the results. “These are not agricultural areas, these are locations meant to preserve biodiversity, but still we see the insects slipping out of our hands,” he noted.

One of the more concerning aspects of the study is that it was not looking at a specific type of insect.

The broad view taken by the study shows a decline in the entire insect population. Tanya Latty, a research and teaching fellow in entomology at Sydney University’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences, explained that the study is worrisome because “if you see these sort of dramatic declines in protected areas it makes me worry that this (trend) could be everywhere,” she

said. “There’s no reason to think this isn’t happening everywhere,” she added.

UN Formally Accused of AntiSemitism

While the United Nations is intended to be impartial to any country or religion, a new report suggests otherwise. According to the report

by Human Rights Voices, a UN watchdog organization, the UN has supported and endorsed dozens of hate groups which use the legitimacy the UN gives them to spread anti-Semitic propaganda against the Jewish people and the Jewish State.

The report states: “Accredited non-governmental organizations have

been allowed to flaunt the core of the UN mission by advocating terror and intolerance. At the same time, they have been permitted to draw closer to the world of international diplomacy and gain access to the international media platforms associated with it.”

It continues: “Most striking for an organization founded on the ashes of the Holocaust, the UN enables its accredited NGOs to play a central role in promoting modern anti-Semitism.

Although the preamble of the UN Charter promises the equal rights of nations large and small, UN-accredited NGOs foster the destruction of the UN member state of Israel.”

The testimony details several examples of anti-Semitism from UN-accredited NGOs. The report details the UN’s explicit support of the Hamas terrorist organization and terrorist attacks on Israeli citizens. They have supported comparisons between Israel, the Jewish people, and the Nazis.

They have even denied Israel’s right to exist. In the past the UN has made claims that the Talmud is “racist.”

Anne Bayefsky, senior editor of Human Rights Voices, notes that many of these acts violate the UN’s Continued on page 18

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

Supervisor Anthony J. SAntino & Councilman Anthony D’ESpoSito

Sta nd Wit h Us!

Fighting Back Against BDS Supervisor Santino and Councilman D’Esposito led America’s largest township

L’DOR VADOR

From Generation to Generation

to oppose the anti-Semitic BDS movement and bigotry. Under a local law unanimously passed in a bipartisan Town Board vote, Hempstead Town is now barred from doing business with companies supporting the dangerous Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions campaign against Israel & its allies.

Taking Action Against Hate & Intolerance As representatives of the Five Towns and other communities, Santino and D’Esposito have sought legislation from Albany to close a New York State loophole and designate the swastika as a hate speech., akin to a noose or burning cross.

Supervisor Santino and Rabbi Benjamin Kamenetzky in 1997

Hempstead is a Sister Municipality with Israel’s Shomron Region Santino’s Hempstead Town administration entered into a “Sister Municipality” relationship with the Samaria area’s Regional Council to open a free exchange of ideas and encourage business, academic, athletic and cultural relationships.

Making Government Convenient for ALL Residents Thanks to Santino & D’Esposito’s commitment, town government makes itself available to all neighbors. Hempstead Town’s Mobile Town Hall

Councilman D’Esposito, Supervisor Santino and Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky in 2017

and Passport office visits the Five Towns on Sundays throughout the year.

Additionally, they extended the hours that the Town’s animal shelter operates on Sundays in order to better serve residents.

Supervisor Santino and Israeli Consul General Dani Dayan at the Israeli Consulate at the UN in front of a tattered Israeli flag recovered from the World Trade Center. The leaders have discussed how America’s largest township is standing with our greatest Middle East ally.

Supervisor Santino and Councilman D’Esposito stand with Shomron Regional Council President Yossi Dagan, announcing the partnership between America’s largest township and the Israeli Region.

Dr. Beth Raskin of Kulanu shows Supervisor Santino and Councilman D’Esposito the new upgrades to the Central Avenue building that provides special services to all community members.

RE-ELECT Supervisor Anthony J. SAnTInO & Councilman Anthony D’ESpOSITO Vote Republican, Row B on Tuesday, November 7 Not prepared or printed at taxpayer expense

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

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Heartfelt Chinuch Heartfelt Gratitude .

.

Sunday Evening

‫כ“ז טבת תשע“ח‬

January 14, 2018 ‫ישיבה דרכי תורה‬

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

own bylaws.

“The United Nations was founded as a global pact among states, but over the decades – in the name of transparency and openness, and in order to further the aim of globalization – the UN has opened its doors to non-governmental organizations,” Bayefsky said. “More than 6,200 NGOs have been invited to participate on a yearround basis in UN activities, and have thus been handed a coveted global megaphone.

“An examination of these NGOs, however, reveals that both by design and gross negligence on the part of UN member states, the NGOs’ ranks include bigots, anti-Semites, and terrorist advocates who are now spreading hatred and inciting violence from the world stage,” she noted.

The report praised western countries, in particular the U.S., who “control the purse” of the UN, of using their influence to counter the UN’s support for anti-Semitic and pro-terror groups. Congress is already moving to deny funding to the UN as long as it supports anti-Semitic groups.

The U.S. withdrew from UNESCO last week over the organization’s anti-Israel bias.

A Baby’s Universal Cry

When a mother hears her baby cry she knows what to do – no matter where she lives or where she’s from. Crying babies push the same “buttons” in their mothers’ brains regardless of their culture, a new study suggests.

The research found that mothers in 11 countries tend to react the same way to their bawling child – by picking up and talking to the baby – and that the way mothers respond seems to be programmed into their brain circuits.

An author of the study said he hopes the results will spur others to study brain responses in women who mistreat their children. Crying is a

common trigger for abuse, said Marc Bornstein of the government’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Maryland.

The new results were released Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers analyzed videotapes of 684 mothers in 11 countries as they interacted with their infants, who were around 5-months-old. The observations were made in Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, France, Kenya, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea and the United States.

The study showed that the mothers were likely to respond to crying by picking up and talking to the infant. But they were not likely to use other responses such as kissing, distracting, feeding or burping the child. Results were similar across the various countries.

Interestingly, responses to babies’ cries are different for those who are mothers and for those who are not.

“Mothers, based on their personal experience, could easily have their brains shaped in a matter of a few months to be especially sensitive” to an infant’s cry, perhaps because of

hormonal changes that occur with parenting, Bornstein wrote.

As such, according to Yale University researcher Linda Mayes, who did not participate in the study, it’s possible that brain development can continue beyond young adulthood, with motherhood as a key stimulus.

WHO Rescinds Nomination

It is an honor and privilege to be included as a goodwill ambassador to the World Health Organization. Last week, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the UN health agency, asked Zimbabwe’s president, Robert Mugabe, 93, to serve in the role to help tackle non-communicable diseases such as heart attacks, strokes and asthma across Africa.

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According to the WHO, non-communicable diseases are by far the world’s leading cause of death, killing more than 36 million people a year.

Tedros, a former Ethiopian official who this year became the first African to lead the United Nations’ health agency, said he was “honored” to announce that Mugabe had agreed to serve as a goodwill ambassador.

He praised Zimbabwe as “a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the center of its policies to provide healthcare to all.”

But inviting Mugabe to be the goodwill ambassador to the UN may not have been the best idea. The invitation sparked outrage in many communities, claiming that Zimbabwe’s health care system, like many of its public services, has collapsed under Mugabe’s regime. Mugabe has also been accused of violent repression, election rigging and presiding over the country’s economic ruin.

UN Watch, a Swiss human rights group that monitors the performance of the United Nations, issued a statement on Thursday expressing “grave concern” over Mugabe’s appointment.

“The government of Robert Mugabe has brutalized

human rights activists, crushed democracy dissidents, and turned the breadbasket of Africa — and its health system — into a basket-case.

The notion that the UN should now spin this country as a great supporter of health is, frankly, sickening,” UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer said in the statement. “Amid reports of ongoing human rights abuses, the tyrant of Zimbabwe is the last person who should be legitimized by a U.N. position of any kind.”

The UK government also criticized the WHO’s decision as “surprising and disappointing.” The U.S. state department responded to the move as well, saying, “This appointment clearly contradicts the United Nations ideals of respect for human rights and human dignity.” Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau weighed in as well. He said he had initially thought that Mugabe’s appointment “was a bad April Fool’s joke.”

On Sunday, Tedros realized that he made a mistake. He issued a statement stating that he rescinded the position from Mugabe. “I have listened carefully to all who have expressed their concerns, and heard the different issues that they have

raised,” he said. “I have also consulted with the government of Zimbabwe and we have concluded that this decision is in the best interests of the World Health Organization. I thank everyone who has voiced their concerns and shared their thoughts.”

Mugabe has led Zimbabwe since the country’s independence in 1980, making him the world’s oldest head of state. Despite his age and concerns over his health, Mugabe has showed no signs of relinquishing his grip over the southern African nation. Zimbabwe’s ruling party has confirmed Mugabe to be its sole candidate for next year’s election. Citing the Zimbabwean government’s human rights abuses and evidence of rigged elections, in 2003 the United States imposed targeted sanctions, a travel ban and an asset freeze against Mugabe and his close associates.

Poland Honors Anti-Semite Earlier this month historian Tomasz Panfil penned an article in which he stated that “after the aggression of

Germany into Poland, the situation of the Jews did not look very bad.”

“Although the [Nazi] occupation authorities took over, they ordered the wearing of armbands with the star of David, charged them heavy taxes, began to designate Jews-only zones only for the Jews,” the Polish historian wrote, “but at the same time permitted the creation of Judenrat, that is, organs of self-government.”

Panfil was criticized for his statement by the Institute of National Remembrance. Historians of the Holocaust note that the Judenrats were specifically set up to carry out German policy in the newly formed ghettos, where Jews were forbidden to leave under penalty of death. They

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

were certainly not agents of “self-government” for the Jews.

Despite publishing the blatantly anti-Semitic and untrue piece, Panfile received a medal from the Polish Minister of National Education “for special merits for education.” Anna Zalewska presented Panfil with the honor at a ceremony in Warsaw earlier this month.

This week the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper revealed that in 2014 Panfil issued an expert opinion to a Polish court in which he wrote that the swastika is an ambiguous symbol — not only related to Nazism, but also one that symbolizes happiness in some cultures. He also claimed then that the NSDAP, or the Nazi party, was a leftist party.

Avi & Shneur Faskowitz

P o 2018 present

Britain Bans Anti-Israel Posters h

GVR a n, n e va d o s r e d en

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Our

The British government made a good decision 100 years ago when they signed the Balfour Declaration.

The declaration publicly showed Britain’s support of establishing a Jewish state. Signed on November 2, 1917 by the UK’s then-foreign secretary Arthur James Balfour, the declaration announced his government’s intention to establish “a national home for the Jewish people” in the Land of Israel. This was a huge moment in history as it is regarded as the first time that the Zionist movement received official recognition from a world power.

As part of the British government’s support for Israel, they are

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careful to curb any anti-Israel or anti-Semitic rhetoric from public places. Media guidelines ban “images or messages which relate to matters of public controversy or sensitivity.” This fundamental law was the reason why the Transport for London blocked signs that were intended to be put up at underground stations and on buses by November 2 of this year.

The poster campaign, titled “Make It Right,” was organized by the Palestinian Authority represen-

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tative to the UK. The advertisements were intended to show the progression of life from 1948 in Israel to current times. Some of signage quotes the Balfour Declaration saying, “Nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine.” The photos show life in Israel before 1948 as peaceful and tranquil. It then contrasts that photo with another photo of Palestinians in pain or living in squalid condition.

The Palestinian Authority did not react well to the restriction of the advertisements. Ambassador to the UK Manuel Hassassian called the ban “censorship.”

“Palestinian history is a censored history,” he said. “There has been a 100-year-long cover-up of the British government’s broken promise, in the Balfour Declaration, to safeguard the rights of the Palestinians when it gave away their country to another people,” he said, adding that “here may be free speech in

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Britain on every issue under the sun but not on Palestine.”

According to the report, an identical poster was permitted for display at Westminster underground station last year as a promotion for the 2017 campaign. The posters will still be permitted to be displayed on taxis, which have looser advertising rules.

British Prime Minister Theresa May, in a September 2016 greeting ahead of the Jewish New Year, hailed the Balfour Declaration as an expression of the “UK’s support for the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to join May at a celebratory dinner in London later this year to mark the centenary and their friendship.

Radioactive Boar in Sweden The explosion of a nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine, in 1986 affected the surrounding region tremendously. The people in the immediate town suffered major health issues that still affect them today.

The effects of the explosions reached Belarus, Russia, the rest of Ukraine, and clouds of radioactive material even reached northern and central Sweden.

At the time, Swedes were warned against eating potentially nuclear berries and mushrooms; years later, the foods were deemed safe to consume. But now it has been discovered that there are wild boars feasting on the irradiated fruits and fungus in Sweden. Over three decades after the nuclear disaster, some plants are displaying exceptionally high levels of radioactivity, especially mushrooms that are rooted deep in the ground and have a long life.

On October 5, the Swedish television channel SVT reported that

of 30 wild boar carcasses tested for radiation this year by Calluna, a local environmental consultancy, 24 showed high levels of exposure to radiation. Calluna’s Ulf Frykman recently alerted local hunters in the Gävle region, about 100 miles north of Stockholm, of “extremely high” radiation levels among local boar.

“This is the highest level we’ve ever measured,” he told the Telegraph, noting one animal in particular.

Frykman believes that there is just one small region that still grows deeply-rooted, nuclear mushrooms in the country’s northern territories.

The boars root for food in the soil, which exposes them to the iodine and cesium-137 traces that remain in soil long after they’re gone above ground. “Wild boar root around in the earth searching for food, and all the cesium stays in the ground,” Frykman explained. “If you look at deer and elk, they eat up in the bushes and you do not have not so much cesium there.”

There is a large boar population in Sweden, after suffering from almost-extinction two centuries ago.

About a quarter million wild boars are estimated to live in the wilderness throughout the country, and

they are commonly hunted for food and sport. Frykman expects to see more boar with extreme radiation levels as populations continue to increase and more such animals make their way north over the years. He explains that the overpopulation forces the animals to resort further afield in search of food, which can lead them to eat more mushrooms in cesium-rich areas.

Farmers are concerned that this new discovery will deter people from hunting the boars which could present a problem to their crop and herds. If humans refrain from shrinking the boar population by hunting, the population can rise to levels that would endanger the nation’s forests and crops.

Eating the boar, though, according to the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority, is OK for humans. The human body has the ability to tolerate some toxins. Experts agree that some high-heat methods of cooking reduce cesium. According to Kunikazu Noguchi, a lecturer at Nihon University in Tokyo, grilling meat to a medium or medium-well state and sprinkling it with salt cuts 28% of cesium, while boiling meat has been proven to reduce cesium levels by about half.

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More Tensions over Catalonia Vote

It seems that there’s more to independence than snap elections. On Tuesday, Spain’s justice minister said that Catalonia’s leader cannot solve its political crisis with Madrid just by calling regional elections. The comments dampened hopes of a quick fix for a dispute that has rattled investors and fractured the country.

The Spanish government says it will impose direct rule on Catalonia to counter an illegal independence push, invoking never-before-used powers to fire the government of the northeastern region that is critical to the country’s economy.

The Catalan parliament will meet on Thursday to agree on a response to Madrid, something many analysts say could pave the way for a formal declaration of independence. Secessionists in Catalonia say that an independence referendum held on October 1 — which drew only a 43 percent turnout and was mostly shunned

by Catalans who wish to remain in Spain — has accorded them a mandate to claim statehood.

Many are concerned about more unrest coming from the region. Catalonia said on Monday it was confident all officials including police would defy attempts by Madrid to enforce direct rule, raising fears among Spain’s European allies of separatist contagion affecting other parts of the continent. Spanish political leaders, influential business lobbies and most Catalonia newspapers have urged Catalan President Carles Puigdemont to call a regional election before he is stripped of his authority. They say direct rule from Madrid, which was the norm during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, would be a humiliation for Catalonia and pose a serious risk of social and economic unrest.

For now, Puigdemont has remained silent on the matter of elections. Some of his senior advisors have said holding a vote is a possibility while others have ruled it

out. The Spanish government said a snap election would be a first step but Puigdemont would also have to withdraw an ambiguous declaration of independence he made earlier this month.

“When the government proposes an option so extreme as Article 155 [powers to cancel Catalonia’s autonomous status], it’s because we believe that there has been a serious failure

by Puigdemont to meet his obligations,” Justice Minister Rafael Catala said during a radio interview. “Everything is not fixed just by calling an election.”

Catala said that if Puigdemont appeared before the Spanish Senate, which plans to authorize direct rule on Friday, it would be a positive step in finding a solution to the conflict.

“If his appearance is within the constitution and the law we’ll be delighted ... But if it’s just to ratify his position on Catalonia’s independence, sadly we will not be able to do anything else than continuing with the measures already set by the government,” said Catala.

Hungarian Honored for Saving Jews During Holocaust

A Hungarian who printed thousands of passports allowing Jews to flee the country during World War II has been honored with a memorial plaque.

Emil Wiesmeyer was of the few Hungarian heroes during the Holocaust. He risked his life to save the lives of thousands of Jews fleeing during World War II by printing passports that enabled them to cross borders safely. Originally his company created 4,000 passports together with Swedish special envoy Raoul Wallenberg. Later on, he in-

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

dependently produced about 20,000 passports to assist Jews in making it out of Hungary. Historians estimate that 550,000 Hungarian Jews were murdered during the Holocaust.

Last week, a plaque honoring Emil Wiesmeyer was unveiled in Budapest by Szabolcs Szita, director of the Holocaust Memorial Center, and Swedish Ambassador Niclas Trouve.

After the war, Wiesmeyer suffered persecution and was jailed in the 1950s, during Hungary’s Communist era. Wiesmeyer died in 1967. His son Gabor attended the ceremony.

Xi Jinping, Most Powerful Leader

This week Xi Jinping’s status was officially lifted by the ruling Communist Party to China’s most powerful ruler in decades. The new position sets the stage for the authoritarian leader to tighten his grip over the country while pursuing an increasingly muscular foreign policy and military expansion.

The move to insert Xi’s name and dogma into the party’s constitution alongside the party’s founders came at the close of a twice-a-decade congress that gathered the country’s ruling elite alongside rank-and-file party members. It not only places him in the first rank, with past leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, but also effectively makes any act of opposing him tantamount to an attack on the party itself.

“The Chinese people and nation have a great and bright future ahead,” Xi told party delegates as the meeting came to a close after delegates approved the addition of Xi’s ideology of “socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era” to the party charter.

“Living in such a great era, we are all the more confident and proud, and also feel the heavy weight of responsibility upon us,” he said.

The concept Xi has touted is seen as marking a break from the stage of economic reform ushered in by Deng Xiaoping in the late 1970s and continued under his successors Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao; Xi has spoken of China emerging into a “new normal” of slower, but higher quality economic growth. The placement of Xi’s thought among the party’s leading guidelines also comes five years into his term — earlier than his predecessors.

“In every sense, the Xi Jinping era has begun in earnest,” said Zhang Lifan, an independent political commentator in Beijing. “Only Mao’s name was enshrined in the party ideology while he was still alive. We’re opening something that hasn’t been broached before.”

For centuries, Chinese emperors were accorded ritual names that signaled either they were successors in a dynastic line or the founders of an entirely new dynasty. What Xi accomplished this week was a modern equivalent of the latter, Zhang said.

“He wants to join that pantheon of leaders,” he said.

Despite being elevated to the status of both a political and theoretical authority in the party, Xi still lacks the broad popular support of the Chinese public that Mao had enjoyed, said Zhang Ming, a political analyst in Beijing who recently retired from a prestigious university. “This (elevation) is a result of the party’s political system and not of the sincere support of the people’s hearts,” Zhang Ming said. “If he can achieve that, he would become Mao.” Xi has described his concept as central to setting China on the path to becoming a “great modern socialist country” by midcentury.

His vision has at its core a ruling party that serves as the vanguard for everything from defending national security to providing moral guidance to ordinary Chinese. He has set the target date of 2049, the People’s Republic’s centenary, for the establishment of a prosperous, modern society. China has the world’s second-largest economy and legions of newly wealthy urban residents, but raising living standards for millions of people continues to be a challenge.

Even so, it’s been pointed out that it’s not necessarily for Xi to achieve these goals – which are mostly lip service – as long as he holds onto power.

Xi’s new status came at the close of the 89 million-member party’s national congress at Beijing’s huge

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Great Hall of the People, where nearly 2,300 delegates gathered to elect the party’s leading bodies and hear reports. All choices are carefully vetted and the outcomes decided by negotiations among the top leaders.

The constitution was also amended to include references to the party’s “absolute” leadership over the armed forces, which have been modernizing rapidly under Xi, and a commitment to promote Xi’s signature foreign policy and infrastructure initiative known as “One Belt, One Road,” which seeks to link China to Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Africa, Europe and beyond with a network of roads, railways, ports and other economic projects.

Two of Italy’s Richest Regions Want Autonomy

ers. Initially he hoped for a turnout of 34%, which was the turnout for a national referendum on constitutional reform in 2001, so it’s safe to say he was pleased with the amount of people who came out to vote. Independence-minded Veneto also met a turnout threshold to validate the vote, with some 60% of the region’s 4 million voters casting ballots. According to early returns, 98% voted “yes.”

The votes were nonbinding, but the leaders will use their people’s support of the change in their talks with Italy’s center-left government.

The neighboring leaders plan to meet with their regional councils to finalize their requests before going to Rome to meet with Premier Paolo Gentiloni. The Italian constitution already grants varying levels of autonomy to five regions.

Binary Options Industry Banned Inspired by Catalonia’s quest for independence from Spain, residents of Italy’s wealthiest regions are following suit. Citizens of Lombardy and Veneto, which contribute 30% of Italy’s GDP, voted in a referendum for more independence from the central government. They are hoping to be granted more autonomy in economics, security, education, immigration, and the environment.

At their respective polling places on Sunday, Lombardy President Roberto Maroni and Veneto President Luca Zaia cast the referendum as a historic opportunity.

“A page of history is being written,” Zaia said as he voted in Treviso province, north of Venice. “Veneto will not be the same as before.”

Maroni, speaking as he voted in Varese province north of Milan, said the referendum represented “a historic occasion” for the two leaders to seek “greater responsibilities and resources.”

By the end of Sunday, Maroni said an overwhelming 95% of his region’s voters said “yes,” with turnout above 40% of Lombardy’s 8 million vot-

The Knesset on Monday unanimously passed a law to ban Israel’s binary options industry, a vast, multibillion dollar scam that has defrauded millions of victims worldwide for a decade.

The law, which will go into effect three months from now, came about as a direct result of The Times of Israel’s investigative reporting on the fraud, which began with a March 2016 article entitled, “The wolves of Tel Aviv: Israel’s vast, amoral binary options scam exposed.” The law gives all binary options firms the intervening three months to cease operations.

After that, anyone involved in binary options is punishable with up to two years in jail.

Fifty-three Knesset members voted for the law and none voted against it.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

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have operated from Israel, employing thousands of Israelis, defrauding customers all over the world.

Fraudulent Israeli binary options companies ostensibly offer customers worldwide a potentially profitable short-term investment. But in reality — through rigged trading platforms, refusal to pay out, and other ruses — these companies fleece the vast majority of customers of most or all of their money. The fraudulent salespeople routinely conceal where they are located, misrepresent what they are selling, and use false identities.

The law that passed on Monday was a constrained version of the draft law that was introduced earlier this year. The original bill would not only have banned the entire binary options industry, but also forex and CFD companies that operate from Israel without a license. It was subsequently watered down to apply narrowly to binary options. Critics have charged that this creates a loophole and that, with the new law in place, fraudulent binary options companies can simply tweak the product they offer and continue to operate.

Some former binary options operatives have started to focus on opportunities to profit in the fields of diamond sales, cryptocurrencies, Initial Coin Offerings and predatory business loans. Others have moved their activities overseas — including to Ukraine and Cyprus.

Huge Produce Heist Thwarted

The binary options industry, some of which has closed down in Israel in recent months as the legislation made its way through the Knesset, is an Israel-based enterprise which flourished with almost no intervention by law enforcement since 2007. Fewer than 20 Israelis have been arrested for binary options fraud, and none have been indicted.

In September, the FBI arrested binary options CEO Lee Elbaz, when she disembarked from an airplane at JFK

airport, underlining growing efforts by international law enforcement to tackle the crime.

“We worry about the BDS movement,” said MK Rachel Azaria in her introduction to the law. “This industry has a huge impact on how Israel is viewed throughout the world. Our government officials go to international conferences and their colleagues abroad raise their eyebrows because of this industry.”

The law to ban the industry took

shape after Israel Securities Authority Chairman Shmuel Hauser promised in August 2016 that he would take the necessary steps to thwart the fraudsters. That same month, Jewish Agency chief Natan Sharansky urged the government to close down the “repugnant, immoral” industry. The Prime Minister’s Office called for it to be banned worldwide last fall.

At its height, binary options was estimated to bring in $5 billion-$10 billion a year. Hundreds of firms

The largest produce heist in Israeli history was thwarted this week.

Sixty-seven Palestinians were caught trying to steal tens of tons of agricultural produce from the Moshav Shekef in the Lachish region, near the West Bank Barrier. The heist was being carried out by 27 adults and 40 children and teenagers. The adults were arrested, while the children were released.

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vestigators, the suspects picked an estimated 20 to 24 tons of grapes and another 5 to 7 tons of tomatoes.

The group intended on selling the produce on the local market at Beit Awwa. They also damaged agricultural property and greenhouses.

The Border Police are investigating how the thieves made it across the security barrier. Four vehicles were confiscated at the scene.

Apparently this is not the first time produce has been stolen from the Moshav. One of the residents explained that intruders and thieves “took advantage of the fact that there are no workers here on Saturday.”

The police are being praised for their quick response time and being able to catch the thieves in the act.

Dinner is Almost Out of the Printer Want a juicy burger with fries on the side? You may be able to print that real soon.

Researchers at the Yissum Research Development Company, the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem,

said they have created a 3D printing technology that will be able to produce nutritious meals, for use in homes, restaurants and institutions, using nano-cellulose, a natural and edible calorie-free fiber. They have so far used their technology to “print” dough, but not a full meal.

The technology was presented for the first time on Wednesday at the 3D Printing and Beyond: Current and Future Trends conference at Hebrew University, and the researchers hope it will be the basis for a product on the market within the next two to five years.

The technology was developed by professors Oded Shoseyov and Ido Braslavsky, both of the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment at Hebrew University.

To get technical, the technology relies on two basic elements: car-

tridges containing the meal’s ingredients – in powder or solution form – and hardware that applies heat and shapes the matter. The cartridges contain crystalline nano-cellulose as a core element, along with proteins, carbohydrates, fat, antioxidants and vitamins. Following individualized specs provided by the consumer on a 3D printer, the technology applies localized heat and shapes the raw material through infrared lasers.

Even more amazing is that nano-cellulose has no calories and is easily degradable by the body’s enzymes.

The solution can serve a variety of markets and populations, including the gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan markets, low-calorie diets and diets for people with diabetes, for athletes and more, the researchers said.

Braslavsky said that the food production process he is developing is not far from home food preparation, using real ingredients, as it is not being designed with shelf life in mind, thus reducing the need for preservatives. The food will be able to resemble personal favorites – like a burger and fries – and also allow people to experiment with new forms of food.

JONATHAN PALEY, DDS, CERT. ORTHO.

New Prisoner Exchange Negotiator

Yaron Blum has been tasked by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with negotiating the return of Israelis held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

While speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said Blum was chosen thanks to his role in negotiating the release of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011. The controversial deal saw the release of over 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners in exchange for Shalit.

“He views this as a national mission,” Netanyahu said of Blum. “I

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think that he is the appropriate person for this important mission.”

Bibi said he called the families of the captives being held by Hamas before appointing Blum to the job. “We understand our moral and humanitarian debt to do everything possible to bring them back,” he said, while adding that he was sure Blum would make a “very important contribution to this sacred mission.”

Lior Lotan had previously been charged with leading the negotiations, however he resigned in August citing “personal and professional reasons.” Hamas holds the remains of IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin and is believed to be holding three live Israeli citizens – Avraham Abera Mengistu, Hisham al-Sayed and Juma Ibrahim Abu Ghanima. All three are believed to have entered Gaza on the own.

Egypt has taken it upon itself to negotiate the prisoner swap between both parties. The current Egyptian offer, which has been accepted by Hamas’s leaders, would see Israel first hand over the bodies of 39 Palestinians killed in the 2014 Gaza war, 19 of whom are Hamas members, in exchange for Hamas acknowledging the fate of IDF soldiers Shaul and Goldin. The next stage of the plan would see Israel releasing the 58 Palestinians that have been recaptured since being released in the Shalit deal in exchange for Hamas entering genuine prisoner exchange talks with Israel.

Iran to Kill “Mossad Agent”

Recently it was learned that Iran’s judiciary said a court sentenced an alleged agent for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency to death.

Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi is quoted as saying that the suspect had relayed information about some 30 significant Iranian figures to Mossad during meetings with more than eight members of the Israeli agency at various occasions.

He said the 30 Iranians were

involved in research, military and nuclear projects, including two who were killed in bomb attacks in 2010, nuclear engineer Majid Shahriari and physicist Masoud Ali Mohammadi.

The report said the suspect provided information in return for money and obtaining residency in Sweden. It did not elaborate.

Iran occasionally announces similar verdicts. The fates of those sentenced remain unknown.

MKs Proudly Quit International Meeting A group of Israeli lawmakers abruptly left an international gathering of parliamentarians after being verbally abused and heckled in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Likud MK

Sharren Haskel, Yesh Atid MK Haim Jelin, Zionist Union MKs Yossi Yonah and Nachman Shai, and Knesset Secretary Yardena Meller-Horowitz all complained about mistreatment at the meeting at which some members called Israelis “child killers.”

Kuwaiti National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim shouted at the Israeli MKs and yelled for them to “get out of the hall” after one of them addressed the crowd. “I want to respond to what the repre-

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Hamas Leader Vows to Wipe out Israel

sentative of this brutal occupying parliament said, a representative of the most dangerous form of terrorism, that is state terror,” Ghanim taunted. “There is parable that everyone in the world knows – if you do not feel shame then do as you please. So I say to you get out of here, occupier. If you have an atom of dignity get out of here, you occupier, child killers.”

The politicians that walked out said they did so because the gathering approved of many anti-Israel

resolutions including the call for the release of convicted Palestinian terrorists. The group also criticized Israel for holding Hamas members in administrative detention.

Before exiting, Shai addressed the summit. He blasted attendees for asking Israel to release terrorists. “I innocently thought that the organization, like the entire world, is united in the struggle against terror, since terror endangers every country in every place at every moment in the world. You want to release

convicted murderers from prison? I though you want to fight terror and not help it, but the reality is different.”

Shai ended by saying that Israel wants to have peace with its neighbors “but it will not come at the expense of the uncompromising struggle against the spread of terror.”

Perhaps a solution would be for Israel to release terrorists into other countries – and then they might stop calling for terrorists’ freedom.

The leader of Hamas has once again come out threatening to destroy Israel. Yahya Sinwar said in a roundtable discussion with Fatah that Hamas will continue ignoring U.S. and Israeli demands that they lay down their arms and recognize Israel as a state and will only debate “when to wipe out Israel.” Hamas has sworn to destroy the Jewish State since its inception three decades ago.

Media outlets were invited to ongoing reconciliation discussions between the two rival Palestinian factions. Official quotes were also released from the meetings. “No one in the universe can disarm us. On the contrary, we will continue to have the power to protect our citizens,” Sinwar said, according to the official statement. “No one has the ability to extract from us recognition of the occupation.”

The United States called for Hamas to disarm and renounce violence before being allowed to unite with Fatah.

“Any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to nonviolence, recognize the State of Israel, accept previous agreements and obligations between the parties – including to disarm terrorists – and commit to peaceful negotiations,” said White House Mideast peace envoy Jason Greenblatt. “If Hamas is to play any role in a Palestinian government, it must accept these basic requirements,” Greenblatt said.

One of the main issues that is causing tension in the reconciliation process is what will happen to the 25,000-member Hamas military and their huge stockpile of arms. Fatah founder and President Mahmoud Abbas has said that he wants full control of all guns in Gaza, and Sinwar is refusing to relinquish his armed forces.

“Disarming us is like Satan dreaming of heaven. No one can take away our weapons,” he said.

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Saddam Hussein Lauded at Memorial

A memorial has been erected in the city of Qalqilya in honor of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The Palestinian leaders that control the town hailed Hussein as “an emblem of heroism, honor, originality and defiance” at the dedication ceremony.

The monument of Hussein called Hussein “The Master of the Martyrs in Our Age,” and quotes the mantra of the madman: “Arab Palestine from the River to the Sea.” Qalqilya District Governor Rafi Rawajba compared Hussein to Yasser Arafat. “[Both served as] a compass for the Arabs and their resolute decisions,

and when they departed, Arabism departed with them. President Mahmoud Abbas makes sure to follow in the footsteps of these two great leaders,” said Rawajba.

Arab Liberation Front secretary Rakad Salam reviewed “the glorious deeds of the martyr Saddam Hussein and his support for the liberation movements, in particular the Palestinian revolution and the PLO.” Saluting Hussein and Arafat, he stressed the need to “deepen national unity in order to stand firm in the face of all the plots that are concocted against our people.”

Clinton at the Heart of Russian Uranium Controversy Former President Bill Clinton sought to meet with a key board di-

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rector of Rosatom, a Russian nuclear energy firm, while he was in Russia to collect $500,000 for a speaking deal. The company was in need of the Obama administration’s approval for a uranium deal that was considered very controversial at the time. The timing of his request – which took place in 2010 – has been noted by many to be very suspect.

Clinton Foundation foreign policy adviser Amitabh Desai wrote an email to the State Department before Clinton’s trip to seek permission for the meeting to take place. “In the context of a possible trip to Russia at the end of June, WJC is being asked to see the business/government folks below. Would State have concerns about WJC seeing any of these folks,” he wrote to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s senior advisors Jake Sullivan and Cheryl Mills.

It is not known what the State Department decided about the meetings, but in the end they did not occur. The former president met with Vladimir Putin at the Russian leader’s private home instead. The content of their meeting is also unknown. A spokesman for Secretary Clinton has complained that the continued focus on the Uranium One deal smacks of partisan politics aimed at benefiting Donald Trump.

The uranium deal required the approval of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an intergovernmental panel represented by 14 departments and offices that approve transactions and investments by foreign companies for national security purposes. Approval of the deal would mean that the production of 20 percent of the United States uranium would be delegated to the Russian company. The FBI has uncovered evidence that Russian nuclear officials were engaged in a huge bribery scandal before CFIUS gave the deal a green light. The controversy drew attention from President Trump who said that uranium “is the real Russia story.”

CFIUS’s approval was underlined in Rosatom’s annual 2010 report as the “striking event” of the year that allowed Russia to begin “uranium mining in the United States.” The

head of the company boasted that the deal was part of Putin’s larger strategy to boost “Russia’s prestige as a leader of the world nuclear industry.”

Traveling? You May Need a Passport

Generally, when traveling domestically, a traveler simply needs a driver’s license, a birth certificate for children, or another form of picture ID to get through security. A passport is only required for international flights – for now.

In 2005, Congress passed the REAL ID Act that will require travelers in some states to show another form of ID at the airport starting on January 22, 2018. The act established minimum security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses (and ID cards) and prohibits the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) from accepting cards that don’t meet the standards. In short, the act requires more sophisticated guidelines for authorizing driver’s licenses to enhance security, partly to combat terrorism. States that haven’t changed the way they issue licenses and still use the “less-secure” version will present an issue for some travelers at airport security after the law comes into place.

Many states at the time requested extensions before complying with the new laws, and many of those extensions expired October 10. New extensions were granted but only until January 22. There are 26 states that are fully compliant with new license laws, so residents of those areas can continue to use their state-issued driver’s licenses when passing through airport security.

However, the states that haven’t yet become compliant with the REAL ID Act, including New York, California, Illinois and Louisiana, are currently under review. This could result in a new extension to become compliant, but if they aren’t granted an extension then residents of these states

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

will need to use an alternative form of ID when flying.

Most people will use a passport as an alternative form of identification when traveling. But make sure to get yours renewed today. Shockingly, only 36% of Americans have valid passports, according to the U.S. Department of State. Passports cost $135 per person, which can get expensive for a family, especially if they do not plan on travel internationally in the near future. An alternative is a passport card. Passport cards are significantly cheaper: first-time applicants are charged $55 per adult and $40 per child. The card is valid for 10 years, 5 years if you’re 16 or younger, after which a renewal will cost $30. A passport card is acceptable for some international travel. It can be used to cross borders from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda.

A State of Happiness Each year, National Geographic, together with Gallup, releases their own version of the happiest cities in the United States. On this year’s list,

released on October 18, Boulder, Colorado, got the crown of “Happiest City in the U.S.” The list was formulated after 250,000 interviews from all 50 states. Residents were asked about many factors including emotional, physical and financial wellness.

Partnering with National Geographic and Gallup was travel author Dan Buettner. In the report Buettner said, “My findings indicate that if you want to get happy, don’t try to change your belief system. Change your environment.”

Boulder, Colorado, has been climbing the popularity charts in recent years, not only as a vacation destination but also as a permanent residence, particularly for yuppies.

Boulder boasts stunning mountainous terrain that allows for breathtaking views and various sporting opportunities. The city has over 300 miles of roadway dedicated to bicy-

cles. Perhaps the real reason residents of Boulder are so committed to their city is because of a general sense of commitment to sustainability and a strong sense of community.

Another huge draw for Boulder is that it is not overpopulated – not yet, at least. With a population of 108,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, heavy traffic and congested living space is not common.

“In Boulder you’re more likely to hear the whoosh of a cyclist than the shrill of a siren compared to places like Dallas, Tallahassee, or Los Angeles. Cities like Boulder question the unquestioned virtues of development,” Buettner said.

California was the winning state in the study, garnering eight of the top 25 happiest cities in the nation.

Florida made it to the list twice with the Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island area at #11 and North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton at #14. Sorry, New Yorkers and New Jersians, none of your cities made it to the list. Perhaps we’ll just blame it on the weather.

Here are the top 10 happiest cities in the nation: 1. Boulder, Colorado 2. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California 3. Charlottesville, Virginia

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Fort Collins, Colorado San Luis Obispo, California San Jose, California Provo, Utah Bridgeport-StamfordNorwalk, Connecticut 9. Barnstable Town, Massachusetts 10. Anchorage, Alaska

4 Soldiers Killed in Attack in Niger

Four American soldiers were tragically killed in Niger a few weeks ago in an ambush attack. The details surrounding the attack are prompting many questions. President Trump’s recent condolence call to one of the families drew interest into the case.

On Thursday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said that the attack is currently under investigation and it is too early to provide the details that the public and the media are demanding.

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

The Pentagon has dispatched a general officer to Niger to probe what happened on the ground that day.

Here is what is known about the attack so far: Twelve U.S. Army soldiers, mostly Green Berets, along with 30 Nigeriens, in unarmored trucks traveled 125 miles north from their base at Niger’s capital, Niamey, to Tonga Tonga, near the border with Mali, on October 3.

On their way back, the team received a call from the base back in Niamey, asking them to turn around and kill or capture a high-value target who is a known al-Qaeda and ISIS operative, according to two senior officials. There was “high confidence” that the target was in the area.

A second U.S. Special Forces team was directed to meet up with their patrol, but when they could not, the original 12-member team and their Nigerien partners were told to proceed anyway. The team arrived at the target location in the early morning hours of October 4, but found nothing. They burned the remnants of the abandoned campsite and headed back south as the sun came up, stopping back through a nearby village called Tongo Tongo around 8:30 AM. There, the Nigerien force requested they stop to eat, while U.S. soldiers

UP TO

met with a village elder, who was “obviously and deliberately trying to stall them,” according to an official.

“He was definitely stalling as long as he could to keep us there,” a survivor of the attack recalled, saying he had an entourage, showed the unit a child with an illness, and even grabbed a goat he wanted to prepare for them.

The unit began to suspect something was amiss when they saw two motorcycle riders watch them and race out of the village. The “hair on the back of their necks stood up,” a U.S. official told ABC News.

It was around midmorning or midday by the time the team departed the village. They had only gone a few hundred yards when they came under fire from machine guns, mortars, and rocket-propelled grenades.

Who ambushed the patrol is still not clear. It is possible that the “high-value” target was involved. The Pentagon has said that “it is an ISIS-affiliated group.”

One hour into the fight, the unit requested support – with an unarmed drone reaching them in minutes. Within an hour of asking for help – two hours into the firefight – French Mirage fighter jets came to the unit’s aid. They flew low to scare off

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the ISIS-affiliated fighters. They did not drop bombs, however, because they did not want to hit U.S. soldiers and were not able to ascertain exactly where they were.

Shortly after, French Special Forces from Ouagadougou in neighboring Burkina Faso arrived on attack helicopters, each with one or two U.S. Green Berets. French helicopters evacuated the wounded to Niamey, Niger’s capital.

Two days later, on October 6, Sgt. La David Johnson’s body – who was missing and presumed alive – was found. Hundreds of people were focused on finding his body within those two days. Eventually it was Nigerien forces that found Johnson.

“He was the best kid you could ask for,” a survivor of the attack said of Johnson, who fought back the militants with machine gun fire from the back of a pickup truck, before grabbing a sniper rifle and continuing to shoot.

“The guy is a true war hero,” the survivor added. “I really want his wife and kids to know that.”

Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson and Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright were also killed in the attack.

“The patrol that was attacked last

week had actually done 29 patrols without contact over the previous six months or so; [there was] no indication that this was going to occur.

I would say that what was actually very positive about it was the fact that they were able to have close-air support overhead, about 30 minutes after first contact, which is pretty impressive,” the Director of the Pentagon’s Joint Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., said about the attack, on October 12.

Most Influential Websites

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scientist Tim Berners-Lee launched the world’s first website, Info.cern. ch, running on a NeXT computer at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Switzerland.

The basics remain the same: the idea of hyperlinks that reimagines documents (and eventually any form of media) as nonlinear texts, and the ability for anyone, anywhere in the world, to access the content by way of a browser: a piece of software that adheres to universal formatting standards.

Fast-forward almost three decades and practically every school, business, organization, event has a website. Today there are more than one billion websites, a milestone passed in September 2014.

TIME Magazine recently compiled a list of the 15 websites that influenced the internet over the years.

Note, this is not a list of the most popular websites (although many of them are the most visited sites, but that’s for another time), rather these are the sites that have transformed the internet or our lifestyles. Most of the sites on the list are there for obvious reasons. For example, Google is a part of everyday life so much that

Merriam-Webster has added it to the dictionary as a transitive verb. Amazon.com is the reason why CVS has lots of parking and why your errand list is significantly shorter. Pandora. com allows users to listen to music all day without having to purchase it. Sites like eBay and Craigslist have allowed the trading of goods to be easier and cheaper than ever before.

Facebook.com and Match.com have created a whole new platform for socializing.

Here are TIME’s 15 top sites credited with influencing the web – and your life – most significantly since 1990: 1. Google.com 2. Amazon.com 3. Wikipeida.com 4. Facebook.com 5. YouTube.com 6. Craigslist.com 7. Yahoo.com 8. DrudgeReport.com 9. eBay.com 10. Info.cern.ch 11. ThePirateBay.com 12. WikiLeaks.com 13. Pandora.com 14. Reditt.com 15. Match.com

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NJ Sues Mahwah for Discrimination

New Jersey’s Attorney General’s Office filed a nine-count lawsuit against the town of Mahwah and its Township Council for discrimination.

The suit contends that two ordinances adopted last summer discriminate against Orthodox Jews and recall the postwar era of white flight to the suburbs.

One ordinance banned non-New Jersey residents from using Mahwah’s public parks and the other banned the posting of “lechis,” or little plastic strips, denoting the boundary of an eruv.

The adoption of the ordinances has fractured the town, many pointing out that they smack of anti-Semitism.

Some have protested against the ex-

pansion of Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods into Mahwah and other counties nearby from Rockland County, NY. On Tuesday, Mayor Bill Laforet laid much of the blame for the inflamed rhetoric at public meetings on council President Robert Hermansen, whom he accused of stoking passions and fear-mongering. “His disgraceful behavior is now worsened by the severe potential financial penalties facing the township’s taxpayer,” Laforet said.

Mahwah and two other towns, Montvale and Upper Saddle River, have also been sued by the Bergen Rockland Eruv Association, which sought the eruv expansion. The state’s complaint, filed Tuesday in state Superior Court in Bergen County, asks the court to grant injunctions against the ordinances.

Supporters of the ordinances in Mahwah view them as vital steps to ward off population explosions that would lead to affordability, housing and overcrowding issues. But the state views the approval of the ordinances as violating both legal and moral codes.

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

side of history, the conduct of Mahwah’s Township Council is legally wrong, and we intend to hold them accountable for it,” Attorney General Christopher Porrino said in a statement. “To think that there are local governments here in New Jersey, in 2017, making laws on the basis of some archaic, fear-driven and discriminatory mindset is deeply disappointing and shocking to many, but it is exactly what we are alleging in this case. Of course, in this case we allege the target of the small-minded bias is not African-Americans, but Orthodox Jews. Nonetheless, the hateful message is the same.”

In addition to the discrimination charges, the state is seeking to reclaim $3.4 million in Green Acres funds awarded to the township by the Department of Environmental Protection. The state contends that Mahwah violated the Green Acres Act by banning out-of-state residents from its parks because the law says the land acquired under the program cannot be restricted on the basis of religion or residency.

“The Green Acres Program was created in 1961 and envisioned as a way to meet the recreation and conservation needs of our growing state.

It was intended to ensure that in the future, there would always be plenty of open spaces across New Jersey for people — all people — to enjoy,” Bob Martin, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, said in a statement. “What’s been happening in Mahwah with respect to the township’s parks ordinance is not in accordance with the original intent of the Green Acres Program. As such, it is unacceptable, and it cannot be allowed to stand.”

Agudath Israel of America’s New Jersey director, Rabbi Avi Schnall, called the lawsuit “a landmark development.”

“Newspaper accounts of the Attorney General’s action described it as ‘stunning,’” Rabbi Schnall noted.

“But what is truly stunning is that the haters who sought to employ every means possible to prevent Orthodox Jews from moving into Mahwah or even visiting its public parks were quite open in expressing their hatred.

Attorney General Porrino deserves all the credit in the world for challenging this blatant discrimination in a court of law.”

The controversy in Mahwah is not new but certain actions brought the issue to the fore recently. Earlier this year the township amended its sign ordinance to effectively ban lechis on

utility poles. The council also voted to authorize Mahwah’s zoning officer to issue summonses against the Bergen Rockland Eruv Association for violating the existing ordinance. The state alleges that the eruv ban is unconstitutional and tantamount to housing discrimination because it interferes with the ability of observant Orthodox Jews to live in town. The park ban was approved by the seven-member council unanimously when it was introduced in June. Later that month, council members heard comments from the public at a meeting as well as through social media and email, many of which were “overtly anti-Semitic” in nature, the Attorney General’s Office said.

World’s Smallest Hotel

Looking to vacation in Jordan on midwinter break? If you’re flying solo, you may want to check out the world’s smallest hotel – at least according to owner Mohammed Al Malaheem. The 64-year-old has turned his old battered VW Beetle into a “five star experience” for travelers.

“This village is my homeland, I was born here, I grew up here, I lived here,” says Al Malaheem – who goes by the name Abu Ali. “I wanted to start a project that improves its situation and places it on the tourism map, because it truly overlooks some of the most beautiful scenery in the region.”

Abu Ali lives in the desert village of Al Jaya. Most residents have left the village in search of a more modern lifestyle. It’s located near Al Shoubak, home to an imposing 12th century castle called Montreal.

After retiring in 2011, Abu Ali opened his VW’s doors for guests.

Furnished by his daughter, the repurposed car is adorned with handmade embroidered sheets and pillows decorated with traditional patterns and

embellished with colorful beads. A hand-painted sign near the VW declares that it’s the world’s smallest hotel. Guinness World Records, though, does not agree. According to them, that title is bestowed upon the 2.5 meter wide Eh’häusl Hotelin Amberg, Germany.

Abu Ali’s passion for the project is such that he took on a bank loan to set up a hotel “lobby” inside a nearby cave, naming it “Baldwin’s Grotto,” after Baldwin I of Jerusalem, who built Montreal castle in 1115. He uses it to serve visitors coffee, tea and traditional Jordanian snacks.

There’s also a tiny kiosk-style shop selling souvenirs such as antiques, jewelry, gemstones, copper miniatures and historical artifacts, which hotel guests can purchase at the end of their visit.

Although it accommodates no more than two people at a time, Abu Ali says he has welcomed visitors from all over the world – amongst them VIPs. Those who don’t find a space to sleep can enjoy a Jordanian breakfast or lunch, prepared and served the traditional Bedouin way by his wife, Um Ali, and daughters.

A night in the VW with full board costs 40 Jordanian Dinars (around $56).

At that price you’ll be graced by Abu Ali’s charm – and not much else.

Rare Rodin Found In the council room of the town hall in Madison, New Jersey, was a treasure hidden in plain sight. No one paid attention to the marble sculpture of Napoleon Bonaparte set against the wall. No one, that is, until Mallory Mortillaro was hired as a temporary archivist by the Hartley Dodge Foundation, which maintains the building’s artworks.

room. It had recently spent two years in a plywood box during renovations, surrounded by jackhammers and building debris. When Mortillaro ran her fingers along the base of the bust, she felt something chiseled. It turned out to be Auguste Rodin’s signature.

“I was intrigued. I was a little confused about why this piece would be here without anyone knowing anything about it,” Mortillaro told CNN. Mortillaro told the trustees what she had found, and they blew her off at first. “She said, ‘You don’t understand.

I think we have a Rodin.’”

The foundation had no idea how the sculpture came to the building.

Mortillaro worked to determine the authenticity of the piece.

“I reached out to scholars,” Mortillaro said. “I wasn’t having a lot of luck until I got in touch with the Rodin museum.”

Rodin expert Jérôme Le Blay, formerly of the Rodin Museum in Paris, wrote back to Mortillaro saying he would fly from Paris to see the piece.

Le Blay told the foundation the art world had lost track of it decades ago.

It turns out that the piece was commissioned in 1904 and purchased four years later by industrialist Thomas Fortune Ryan. It then spent several years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art before being purchased in 1933 by Ethel Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge at an auction.

The bust was installed in the memorial building in 1942.

The discovery of the Rodin was made public only last week. It is now headed for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where it will be on loan for the centenary of the artist’s death next month. The bust is worth at least $4 million, the foundation said, adding it has no plans to sell it. The bust is the only known political or military figure sculpted by Rodin.

“It’s a really special thing to be able to give to the world,” said Mortillaro. She was only 22-years-old when she discovered the piece.

A Golden Bagel?

In 2014, while making a list of what was in the building, Mortillaro got to the bust of Bonaparte that had been standing against a wall of the

Imagine a bagel cost $1,000.

Would you buy it? Maybe if it was made out of gold.

Well, you are in luck. The Westin

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

New York hotel in Times Square recently announced that their $1,000 bagel – which had a limited run in 2007 – will be making a return to the hotel after multiple requests.

Why the jaw-dropping price? The bagel’s toppings include goji berry infused Riesling jelly, gold leaves and Alba white truffle cream cheese.

“Pound for pound, the white truffle is the second most expensive food in the world, next to caviar,” the hotel explains – or attempts to explain – the exorbitant fee.

Officially, proceeds from the overthe-top breakfast food will be donated to a soup kitchen. The bagels will be available from November 1 to December 15, and guests need to order their steep sandwich 24 hours in advance.

This is certainly something I can wryly say is found only in New York.

A Donut and a Confession

This police department does things a bit differently than the police officers on Law & Order. Matthew Zaydel, 21, was wanted by the Michigan police department in Redford Township on multiple misdemeanors when he made a bet with police.

Zaydel, who uses the moniker “Champagne Torino” on Facebook, responded to a post earlier this month.

He told police officers that he would turn himself in if police officers could get 1,000 shares to a post on Facebook. Not only would Champagne turn himself in; he promised to clean up litter from public school property and bring doughnuts to the police.

The doughnuts caught officers’ attention. “CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!” police wrote.

In the post that they shared, they wrote: “If we can have this post SHARED 1000 times, he will turn himself in to RTPD on his existing warrants, clean up blight on public school property, and bring us a dozen donuts. Donuts!!!! He promised us donuts! You know how much we love Donuts!”

Well, the community sprung into

action. After all, no one can get in between a cop and his doughnuts.

Within an hour the post had reached 1,000 shares. Champagne, true to his word, turned himself in to police. He brought police a box of doughnuts – and one bagel.

Perhaps the bagel was for himself?

purchased the words of wisdom for $1.8 million.

Town will Pay You to Move

Einstein’s Secret to Happiness?

Years ago, Albert Einstein, in Tokyo at the time, received a message via Japanese courier. It was 1922, and Einstein had recently been informed that he was to receive the Nobel Prize for physics. He was on a lecture tour in Japan.

After receiving the message from the courier, Einstein in return gave the courier two notes in lieu of a tip.

The notes were written in German and are up for auction this week.

“Maybe if you’re lucky those notes will become much more valuable than just a regular tip,” Einstein told the messenger, according to the seller, a resident of the German city of Hamburg and a relative of the courier, who wished to remain anonymous.

One note, on the stationary of the Imperial Hotel Tokyo, says: “A quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest.”

C The other, on a blank piece of paper, simply reads: “Where there’s Ma will, there’s a way.”

Y It is impossible to determine if CM the notes were a reflection of EinMY stein’s own musings on his growing fame, said Roni Grosz, the archivist in CY charge of the world’s largest Einstein CMY collection, at Jerusalem’s Hebrew K University. The notes, obviously, don’t hold any scientific value, but many wonder if they open a door into the brilliant mind of the physicist.

“What we’re doing here is painting the portrait of Einstein — the man, the scientist, his effect on the world — through his writings,” said Grosz.

“This is a stone in the mosaic.”

The two notes went on sale on Tuesday at the Winner’s auction house in Jerusalem. An anonymous buyer

Looking for a place to move to but don’t have the funds to get there?

Have no fear. Candela, a town in Italy, will be the perfect place for you.

Candela is located some two hours from Naples. Its mayor, Nicola Gatta, is offering up to $2,350 to anyone willing to relocate to the town. The municipality once boasted more than 8,000 residents. Now, that number has shrunk to 2,700 people who call Candela their home. Located in the agrarian “breadbasket CanAMI QUARTER PGof ADItaly,” SYMPOSIUM.pdf

43

dela was once known as “Little Naples” for its bustling city center.

“I work each day with passion and commitment to bring Candela back to its ancient splendor,” says Gatta.

“Up until the 1960s, travelers called it ‘Nap’licchie’ (Little Naples), for its streets full of wayfarers, tourists, merchants and screaming vendors.”

A shrinking population is not unknown in small towns in Italy. In the seaside village of Ostano, there are fewer than 90 people who live there.

There were no births in the town between 1987 and 2016.

Gatta says that a single person moving to town will receive around $950 from the village; a couple will get around $1,400. Have children?

That’s great! Families of three can get up to $2,100, and families of four or more receive more than $2,350 for moving to Candela.

You will have to work for your money. Residents have to rent a house in town for at least a year, and they have to work, earning a minimum annual salary of $8,800.

Six families from northern Italy have already settled in and another five have applied to move. Better hurry and renew your passport before all money runs 1 the 10/20/2017 2:43:31 PMout.

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44

OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Around the

Community Learn & Live

W

hat away to start off things at the Learn & Live program. It started off right where it left off last winter.

This year the boys will iy”H finish

off the last of the lamed tes melochos. To start things off this year, R’ Shaul Deutsch from the Living Torah Museum came and introduced the melochos from tzaid (trapping)

through mabaid (tanning). The boys really got a hands-on experience on becoming a shocheit. Also new this year is the new L&L hotline, 641715-3800 pin 932191. Next week,

the boys will “Go Fish.”

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

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

45

Around the Community

Mesivta Football League Kicks Off Its 6th Season

T

his past Sunday, the Mesivta Football League (MFL) kicked off the season opener of their 6th season. After starting the only high school interschool flag football league six years ago with four local schools, the League now boasts 10 participating schools.

The MFL is the brainchild of Mr. Richard Altabe, Principal at HALB, and Rabbi Yossi Bennett, Assistant Menahel/Assistant Principal at MAY, who serves as the administrator of the League.

“I can’t express how excited I am that the League

has become a staple in many of the local high schools’ athletic programs,” commented Rabbi Bennett. “I believe it’s due to the professional and efficient manner in which the League is managed. The consistent growth of the program, adding new schools almost every year, demonstrates that the League has already gained popularity in the high school athletic arena.”

Flag football has become an increasingly popular sport, specifically among yeshivos. In Eretz Yisrael, the AFI Football League played

MAY quarterback Aryeh Mandelbaum being pursued

by DRS defense

BYAM’s Very First GO Breakout

I

t was an exciting day at BYAM as the girls enjoyed their very first GO Breakout at their Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan assembly. The theme is Unity and the girls sang the GO song together with such achdus!

They are excitedly looking forward to see what the rest of the year will bring.

MAY defense lines up against DRS offense

at Kraft Stadium is widely popular, and draws out over 60 teams from a wide variety of yeshivos and other post high school institutions in two separate divisions. The majority of post high school yeshivos, which many local graduates attend, field teams in the Kraft League.

The goal of this program is to provide a healthy, kosher outlet for mesivta boys, while maintaining a high level of competitiveness, intensity and professionalism.

The League is established with a Torah hashkafa about sports. With that being the case, it goes without saying

that proper sportsmanship and menchlechkeit is a top priority. Head coverings must be worn during games and no female fans are permitted at the games to ensure the focus on a healthy athletic outlet.

This season, the League welcomes back teams from the following schools: DRS, Yeshiva Darchei Torah, HAFTR, Mesivta Ateres Yaakov, Yeshiva Shaare Torah, Rambam Mesivta, Mesivta Yam HaTorah and Yeshiva Darchei Eres. New additions are teams from Magen David Yeshiva and the Yeshiva of Flatbush. Popular, local per-

sonality Eliezer “Zezy” Fuld continues to serve as the League’s commissioner.

“I am looking forward to another exciting, competitive and enjoyable season,” commented Rabbi Fuld.

“For the past 5 years, I’ve only had a positive experience working together with our participating schools. I expect a tremendous season up ahead.”

For more information about the MFL, contact the League at mesivtafootball@ gmail.com or via their website: www.mesivtafootball. com.

46

OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

YOSS Inaugural Motzei Shabbos Learning Program Draws Hundreds

T

he Yeshiva of South Shore’s Motzei Shabbos Learning Program hosted its largest crowd to-date at its annual kick-off event this past week. More than 500 people, including 300 boys, filled the Beis Medrash beyond its capacity. The kol Torah emanating from the tinokos shel beis raban was electrifying and palpable, ranging from Aleph Bais to the “Medrash Says” to tomes of Gemara Rashi and Tosfos, the sounds of intergenerational Torah was awe-inspiring.

The Yeshiva was proud to welcome Rabbi Ephraim Eliyahu Shapiro, rav of Shaaray Tefillah in North Miami Beach, Florida. Rabbi Shapiro, who had been visiting as part of Torah Umesorah’s Shabbos of Chizuk, captivated the audience with his engaging style. He spoke about the feat of building Noach’s teiva and the importance of speaking in a friendly manner and engaging every person.

He quoted the Ba’al Shem Tov on the pasuk of “Tzoar ta’aseh latieva,” explaining that our words (teiva) must be shining like a gem (tzoar). He also shared some personal memories about his father’s relationship with Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky, zt”l. He cited an amazing story of his encounter

with an African-American woman in the Aventura Mall, who related to him stories about her experiences with Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky while he was a guest in Miami’s Sovereign Hotel.

The learning program takes place every Motzei Shabbos, 90 minutes after sunset. Congregation Tiferes Tzvi serves as a satellite location for boys in the Lawrence-Cedarhurst area. To accommodate those who conform

with Rabbeinu Tam zman, there are additional programs at the Shteeble and Aish Kodesh that begin later.

With dozens of prizes ranging from seforim to electronics, cars, sports equipment and more, children pack the yeshiva to learn and earn.

This week, every boy received a coupon for a Slushy by Seasons Express.

One father beamed, “It’s such a big chizuk for me and my son to be part of the program each week. The min-

ute after havdalah he’s racing out the door!” After all, what better to start the week than with an hour of learning at YOSS? The program, dedicated yearly in memory of Rav Yitzchok ben R’ Peretz Klien, featured this first night in memory of the Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky, zt”l. Rav Binyamin graced the program with his effervescent presence every year on Motzei Shabbos Parshas Noach.

Mussar provides a distinctively Jewish answer to the sorts of questions any thinking person (especially teenagers) asks about life: What steps can I take to bring my life closer to its spiritual potential? Why do I

keep making the same mistakes over and over?

Over the course of the year, a variety of character traits will be discussed. They include: humility, honesty, anger management, kindness,

gratitude and many others – all of which are the stepping stones on the journey toward spiritual greatness.

Each week HANC seniors eagerly await the next installment of this inspiring learning experience.

HANC HS Café Mussar

A

kosher café in Uniondale, NY? Am I reading this properly? The answers are yes and yes. However, this café is extraordinarily unique as it serves more than the regular café fare of bagels, hot beverages, and pastries.

Coming to Café Mussar can literally be a life improving experience.

Building upon the long lasting hallmark of HANC High School-character growth and middot development, members of the senior class are invited once a week to spend breakfast time in this popular café with their Menahel, Rabbi Shlomo Adelman, conversing on wide-ranging topics of mussar while enjoying donuts, coffee, bagels, and shmear.

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

A Great Way to Start the Day

A

Rabbi Haar learning at night with the Masmidim

lthough the daily morning minyan in Rambam starts at 7:55AM, there are a number of talmidim who arrive at the building 15 minutes earlier in order to learn Torah with their rebbeim.

A special early morning halacha shiur has begun with different rebbeim presenting each morning. The attendees are a mix of talmidim from all grades: Avi Balsam, Yosef Bluth, Shlomo Braverman, Moshe Chernigoff, Betzalel Cohen, Jake Fuchs, Donny Simcha Guttman, Dani Jakubowitz, Eitan Markovitz, Eli Orenbuch, Chaim Schreck, Mordy Shmerler, Andrew Speiser, Uriel Sussman, Gavriel Toplan and Binyamin Werner.

The rebbeim are Rabbi Avi Haar, Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman, Rabbi Ariel Rosensweig, Rabbi/Dr. Andrew Sicklick and Rabbi Yosef Ziskind.

As a special treat the boys go to Dunkin Donuts with Rabbi Friedman, the Rosh Mesivta, approximately once a month for breakfast.

The morning program is just one more opportunity that the boys have to do “extra” learning. This is in addition to the talmidim who have joined the Masmidim Program where they learn extra during lunch and after school in the evening.

According to Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman, “It is wonderful to see boys who come early spend their time in a positive and fruitful manner. It is definitely easier for them to ‘schmooze’ with their friends when they come to the building yet so many of them have opted to spend the time learning with the dedicated rebbeim who also arrive early to learn with the boys.”

CBEY: “Shabbosim to Rejoice” Lead up to Formal Inauguration

C

ongregation Bais Ephraim Yitzchok is nearing the completion of its new makom tefilah and Torah at 812 Peninsula Boulevard in Woodmere. Led by Rabbi Zvi Ralbag, mara d’asra, his wife Rebbetzin Paghit Ralbag, and a dedicated group of volunteers, the shul has built strong ties among its members as well as with the entire Five Towns community.

Inaugural ceremonies began with a joyous Simchas Torah evening celebration, as Rabbi Ralbag led his congregants in escorting Sifrei Torah into CBEY’s spacious and bright new building. The singing and danc-

ing that followed lasted well into the evening. Celebratory events continue in advance of a formal Chanukas HaBayis in December. As part of its series of “Shabbosim to Rejoice,” CBEY will be hosting Rabbi Meir Goldwicht, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva University’s Mazer School of Talmudic Studies and head of the new Stone Beit Medrash Program, as its scholar-in-residence on Parashas Vayerah, November 3-4. V’samachata, the Acapella group founded

by Craig Resmovits and Jonathan Jerome, will be enhancing CBEY tefillos on Shabbos Parshas Toldos, November 17-18.

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community The Five Towns-Far Rockaway Rosh Chodesh Series for Women held their monthly lecture at Congregation Kneseth Israel (The White Shul) in Far Rockaway this week. The speaker was Rabbi Shais Taub, scholar-inresidence at Chabad of The Five Towns. His topic was Addictive Behaviors, A Torah Perspective.

The lecture was based on the book G-d of Our Understanding: Jewish Spirituality and Recovery from Addiction which was authored

by Rabbi Taub. Rabbi Taub will be giving classes and lectures at Chabad of the Five Towns.

PHOTO BY IVAN H NORMAN

Fresh Farm Fun at Shulamith Three Generations at Darchei

R-L: Joe Bobker, Daniel Bobker, and Eli Bobker at the Special Brunch Celebration for Yeshiva Darchei Torah fifth grade this past Sunday

Project 24 – Bein Hazmanim at MAY

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hat better place to visit prior to Parshat Noach than Green Meadows Farm in Queens? On Thursday, October 19, the first graders of Shulamith School for Girls got a close up look at some of the animals that Noach brought into his teiva. Among the activities they enjoyed were a hay ride, pony rides, milking the cows and feeding the goats. Each girl also picked a pumpkin to take home. The trip was the ideal way for the first graders to begin their science unit on animals and oth-

er living things.

The girls were chaperoned by their teachers, Mrs. Judy Greenfield, Morah Masha Hoffman, Morah Esty Berkowitz, and Morah Rayna Deutsch, and by parents Mrs. Feldman, Mrs. Greene, and Mrs. Stahl.

In addition, Mrs. Abittan, Mrs. Buchbinder, Mrs. Fhima, Mrs. Grushko, Mrs. Klein, Mrs. Klier, and Mrs. Wieder met the group at the farm, ensuring that the girls were well-supervised during their fun-filled outing.

ver Sukkos break, a large number of Mesivta Ateres Yaakov talmidim participated in an exciting learning incentive program and achieved over 400 hours of voluntary learning! It was a tremendous kiddush Hashem source accomplishment for the talmidim, and nachas for their rabbeim, parents, and friends.

The program, organized by ninth grade rebbe and Student Activities Coordinator Rabbi Tsvi Greenfield, was entitled “Project 24: Bein Hazmanim Learning Program,” based on Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz’s well-known insight that 12 years plus 12 years is not the same as 24 consecutive years of learning, encouraging talmidim to continue learning and growing over bein hazmanim with no

break in their momentum.

Participating talmidim won free gift cards to Traditions, Mike’s Burgers, Z. Berman’s, Season’s Express or Berrylicious, depending on their level of accomplishment. All participants were eligible to enter the grand prize raffle for a $100 gift card. Congratulations to ninth grader Yosef Rabinow on winning the grand prize.

“It’s a tremendous feeling when you know your talmidim are using their free time constructively,” commented Rabbi Yossi Bennett, Assistant Menahel. “It’s a testament to our rabbeim who inculcate our talmidim with a chashivus for learning and for z’man.”

MAY would like to thank the sponsors of this program for their generosity and hachzakas haTorah.

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

AK Riders Ride Again

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he 18th annual Wheels of Love Charity Bike ride will kick-off this Sunday and the AK Riders will be riding once again. This year’s AK Riders team will be made up of five riders from Cong Aish Kodesh in Woodmere. Ben Cohen, the team’s captain, will be participating for the seventh time, David Waltuch will be making his 8th appearance, David Glickman will be participating for the 5th time, and Ricardo Goldschmidt and Yitzi Meyer will be riding for their 3rd time. Over 500 riders from 12 counties are due to participate. There are both Road Bike and Mountain Bike routes. The ride will span over 5 days and will work its way to the finish line at ALYN Hospital in Jerusalem.

“Wheels of Love is a wonderful experience on 2 levels,” says Yitzi Meyer. “First and foremost we are helping children by raising needed funds to support hospital programs. Second, it is an amazing way to see Eretz Yisroel, one that you can only get when moving along on a bicycle on closed roads.”

Last years’s team, L to R, Ricardo Goldschmidt, Michael Ivry, Ben Cohen, Yitzi Meyer, David Waltuch, and David Glickman

“It’s unusual to find a sport where you can have a great time and really inspire children and actually be a part of their therapy. Each year children who are patients at ALYN train to actually be able to ride for parts of the Wheels of Love bike-a-thon,” says Ben Cohen, AK Riders’ captain.

According to Cathy Lanyard, executive director of Friends of ALYN Hospital, the ride has become the largest single fundraiser for ALYN Hospital, Israel’s premiere compre-

. . . s i e h S GIVING

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hensive rehabilitation center for physically disabled children and adolescents. ALYN’s incredible programs and treatments inspire the people who come from around the world to help the hospital meet an annual shortfall between the actual cost of their exemplary care and the amount reimbursed from health insurance.

Riders can find their own pace on 1 of the 5 available routes: there are 3 on-road options for every level of ability. Touring is half-day of riding and

INTEL

LECTU

a half day of sightseeing, on-road is 5 full days, and challenge is for the most experienced riders with extra mileage and extraordinary hill climbs. Offroad cyclists can ride either a regular off-road route or do enduro which is for the more accomplished cyclist.

Donations to help AK RIDERS in their fundraising efforts on behalf of ALYN Hospital can be made by following the AK Riders’ link at www. wolusa.org.

AL

ATE

ARTICUL

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FUN

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THOUGHTFUL

COU RAG EOU S

A Shulamith High School Student SHULAMITH HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS

OPEN HOUSE

November 5th, 2017 | ‫ | ט״ז חשון תשע״ח‬1:00pm — 4:00pm 305 Cedarhurst Avenue, Cedarhurst NY 11516 Enter on Clinton Avenue

REGISTER at shulamithhighschool.org

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

CIMBY – A Chesed Movement like No Other

By Dovi Bernstein

T

his past Sunday, October 22, our community experienced an unprecedented event at the Rockaway Boardwalk and Beach 73rd Street.

Although it was late October, the skies were clear with unbelievable 70 degree weather for the second annual CIMBY Run – a Project of Achiezer.

The brainchild of Rabbi Boruch Ber Bender, the Chesed In My Back Yard initiative is more than a fundraiser. The idea behind the inception of this initiative was an effort to promote, generate and bring community awareness vis-à-vis the abundance

of chesed opportunities surrounding us on any given day, at any given moment.

Growing on last year’s successful 5K event, this year not only did runners have an opportunity to take it up a notch with a 10K run, the real innovation was the formation of the first ever CIMBY Jr. Run. The CIMBY Jr. Run gave dozens of children across the neighborhood the opportunity to sponsor hospital respite rooms, sponsor families with their yom tov needs or purchase specialty equipment for the elderly and/or handicapped, while signing up for an exciting fun-filled day at the same time.

Nearly 140 runners in total (almost triple the inau-

gural year’s numbers) signed up for the 5K/10K/Junior Run, which far exceeded expectations of even the most optimistic members of the Achiezer team.

Professional runners, amateur runners and even some walkers and their families all gathered at the Boardwalk area as the registration got under way. Rabbi Mosey Kaplan was once again the featured emcee and Achiezer Executive Board Members Mr. Ronald Lowinger and Mr. Dovid Bloom cut the ceremonial start line ribbons. Before long the runners were off in an organized fashion with each respective run featuring hundreds of loving, eager (and some nervous) spouses, siblings and relatives cheering on their favorite participants from the sidelines.

As the runners came back to the finish line they were greeted by Achiezer Executive Board Members Mr. Moshe Schreiber and Mr. Moti Hellman who handed each of them

a cold water bottle and a medal awarding them for completing this challenge.

Rabbi Bender reminded the junior runners in particular that this was not a race but rather an exciting and invigo-

rating way to enjoy themselves while at the same time being there for those less fortunate than them.

When the runners were finished, they went down to enjoy Italian ices sponsored

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Around the Community PHOTO CREDIT: TKEILSON PHOTOGRAPHY & YECHIEL M UNGAR PHOTOGRAPHY

by Rita’s of Lawrence, cotton candy, popcorn, kids’ activities, face painting and the more than 500 in attendance were treated to a gala barbecue catered

by Elite Caterers of Lawrence. All this was accompanied by terrific tunes spun by Gary Haber.

The smiling faces, proud applause, joyful glee of children or even the feelings of personal accomplishments by the adult runners were all secondary

and paled in comparison to the general “chesed atmosphere” which clearly permeated throughout the event. Person after person approached Achiezer staff members asking how they too can be a part of this movement that is chesed; this movement that is CIMBY. As Rabbi Bender mentioned when he addressed the barbecue attendees, “the chesed opportunities are constantly surrounding us. In front of us, in our

yards or across the street and it is our responsibility to step up to the plate and make a difference.”

Join the CIMBY initiative!

Achiezer can always use more volunteers – if you think you have any sort of talent, profession, specialty or any other idea that can help someone else in need, please call (516) 791-4444, email info@achiezer.org, or visit www. achiezer.org and work with Achiezer to

do some Chesed In Your Back Yard.

To inquire about sponsoring one of the aforementioned programs please call (516)791-4444 or email info@ achiezer.org.

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

OHEL’s 48th Annual Gala

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New Chapter Begins: OHEL is Home is the theme for OHEL’s 48th Annual Gala, taking place on Sunday, November 19 at the New York Marriott Marquis.

At OHEL, our book is filled with stories of perseverance, strength, and hope.

This year, we invite you to help write the next chapter in our new home, your new home, the New OHEL Jaffa Family Campus in Flatbush.

Through the expansive new OHEL Jaffa Family Campus, OHEL will be able to more effectively meet the ever increasing and diverse needs of a growing community and write new life stories for those who yearn for new beginnings.

This year’s Guests of Honor are Irving and Miriam Langer, who are celebrating the dedication of the Irving and Miriam Langer Center for Developmental Disabilities at the new OHEL Jaffa Family Campus. Longtime champions of OHEL, they are

Irving and Miriam Langer

Pinky and Miri Friedman

joined by Pinky and Miri Friedman, Joe and Deena Eisenberger, and Shalom and Zahava Hurwitz.

Pinky and Miri Friedman are driving motivators to a new major OHEL initiative, Sign of Strength.

This soon-to-be-launched campaign will drive increased awareness of anxiety, the treatment available, and act to further break down the stigma associated with mental health issues in the community.

Joe and Deena Eisenberger are passionate advocates for people of all abilities who frequently interact with OHEL individuals at Shabbatons and at Camp Kaylie.

Shalom and Zahava Hurwitz and their four children are the Foster Family of the year and recently welcomed

two OHEL foster children into their home.

Says Irving Langer, “We are blessed to build on a decade’s long relationship with OHEL, and Miriam and I are excited to play an integral part of OHEL’s future.”

It is OHEL’s honor to celebrate these pillars of the community and, as Moishe Hellman and Mel Zachter, OHELs Co-Presidents convey, “We look forward to warmly welcoming over 1,000 friends and supporters at our annual Gala. This support stands testimony to OHEL’s stellar reputation of a preeminent and trailblazing organization of over 1,200 dedicated employees, who through the generous support of the community we serve, can continue to protect,

Joe and Deena Eisenberger

comfort, help and elevate the lives of thousands of individuals and families in need and the most vulnerable in our community.”

David Brecher, the Gala Chairman, adds, “With your help and continued support, we will continue to effectively respond to the increasing need in our community.”

Now is the time to be a part OHEL’s story!

Together, we can write new life-changing chapters, making a profound difference in the lives of thousands, and realizing stories of hope and fulfillment.

To make reservations or place journal ads, please visit ohelgala.org or call 718-972-9338.

Shevach Students Inspired through Multi-Faceted Yom Iyun

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n Thursday, September 28, Shevach students enjoyed their annual Yom Iyun; the theme this year was “Hashem Hu Haelokim.” The girls prepared for the Yomim Norim by studying three aspects of belief in Hashem: emunah, hashgacha and tefillah.

The three are intertwined as believing in Hashem and recognizing His personal care inspires an individual to daven to Hashem who is the Kel Kochos Kulam. Everything we need and desire comes from Hashem.

The 12th grade students, under the guidance of their teacher Mrs. Debbie Meltzer, prepared and created various venues to impart the message of Hashem Hu HaElokim.

Yom Iyun heads Rivka Adler, Estee Hagler, and Adina Rennert displayed Hashem Hu Elokim signs throughout the school and distributed key chains to the entire student body with the slogan Hashem Hu Haelokim, The “Key to Success.” The girls also received a riveting magnet designed

by Hindy Siegel and Aviva Molavi

with pointers reminding us of our devotion to Hashem. In addition the Shevach girls enjoyed a stunning magazine produced by Atara Linn, Menucha Lustig, and Sara Zinn. The magazine contained stories, slogans, and thought-provoking questions all compiled by the girls themselves.

The Yom Iyun began with a video presentation created by Menucha Avruch, Racheli Begun, Zahava Milstein, Shoshana Moskowitz, and Chanie Weinberg, which beautifully portrayed the significance of the theme. A beautiful banner depicting a drawing of the Kosel, with words from the thirteen Ani Maamin etched onto the stones, was then presented to the student body. The artistic banner was designed by Pnina Aronov, Chavi Davidowitz, Tali Feldstein, Racheli Haim, Daniella Isakov, Rivka Kikov, Avigail Kramer, Ahuva Portnoy, Bissy Schottenfeld, and Tamara Yushnayeva.

In order to further instill in the girls the meaning of recognizing Hashem’s constant presence and su-

pervision and His love of our tefillos, the students were treated to an emotional choir choreographed by Esther Amsel, Chaya Esti Deitsch, Tali Feldstein, Meira Fendrich, Faigy Heller, Avigail Kramer, Baila Neuman, Ahuva Portnoy, Perel Schwartz, and Zarine Shalmilzadeh. After this performance refreshment bags, prepared

by Miriam Aminov, Sarah Braverman, Yael Chiav, Hadassah Lalush, Elisheva Niknam, Odelia Nisanov, and Adina Siyonov, were distributed.

The bags contained not only physical sustenance, but also spiritual fuel in the form of “Hashem Hu Elokim” stickers and a poem wishing the girls a gut gebensht yohr.

For the next portion of the Yom Iyun Shevach’s students rotated between three workshops discussing the three aforementioned components. The girls had an opportunity to hear and make suggestions to enhance their tefillos, share stories of hashgacha p’ratis, and examine options for improving their overall relationship with Hakadosh Baruch

Hu. The workshops were led by Shevach’s faculty: Rebbitzen Rochelle Hirtz, Rebbitzen Chani Grunblatt, Mrs. Miriam Krohn, Mrs. Chaya Swerdloff, Mrs. Cypora KleinKaufman, Mrs. Beenah Greenberg, Mrs. Shani Teitz, Mrs. Tzivia Meth, and Ms. Elka Feder.

The culmination of this very meaningful and inspiring Yom Iyun was guest speaker Ms. Chevi Garfinkel. In her unique style, she succeeded in keeping the girls entertained and motivated. She explained that the reason people do not always focus on Hashem is because of life’s distractions such as enticements, acquisitions, and our involvement in societal demands. It is incumbent upon us to refocus and remind ourselves that Hashem is our Father and only He can help us in all our endeavors.

A special yasher koach to Mrs. Meltzer for producing and implementing this invigorating and momentous Yom Iyun.

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Around the Community

HAFTR’s Early Childhood Center learned about Parshas Noach and all the colors of the rainbow

RCCS: Saving Lives

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here is nothing more terrifying than when a person receives a cancer diagnosis. The fear and despair are overwhelming, as the individual struggles to accept and understand his or her new reality. Which doctors should be contacted? How are these bills going to be paid without the proper insurance coverage? Who is going to be there to fight and advocate when the insurance company denies a claim? While all these questions plague the mind and heart of a newly diagnosed cancer patient, there is one organization that can provide all the answers: RCCS. With a budget of over $8 million devoted to helping 2,100 cancer patients throughout the world, and specifically, 42 patients throughout the Five Towns/ Far Rockaway area, RCCS through its payment of insurance premiums, referrals to top specialists in the field, and advocating for patients against the insurance companies is literally a lifeline for any cancer patient and their family. In the last year alone, almost $230,000 was allocated by RCCS on behalf of patients in the 5 Towns/ Far Rockaway area.

I would like to share one of the many wondrous stories that illustrate the lifesaving work of RCCS. An elderly patient from San Diego was experiencing pain and went to his local surgeon. After taking a CT scan, the doctor noticed a large oral mass. The patient didn’t have insurance and his doctor graciously offered to perform the surgery free of charge.

The patient felt compelled to take the doctor up on his offer. However, his daughter, sensing that something was awry, reached out to RCCS. She wanted to make sure that everything was being handled properly. RCCS referred the case to its team of physicians and they instructed that the patient needed to first do a biopsy before having the surgery. The patient’s doctor disagreed and refused to treat the patient. Now the patient needed another option and turned to RCCS for help.

Once again, RCCS reached out to its team of experts and were referred to a doctor in L.A., who in turn, referred them to a top specialist in San Diego. At the same time, RCCS made sure to purchase proper insurance for the patient that would go into effect on October 1st.

RCCS felt that it was vital that he see the specialist as soon as possible.

So they emailed the specialist directly and explained to him the situation and implored him to see the patient immediately. The specialist only saw patients on Wednesdays and RCCS made sure to get the patient an appointment the first Wednesday after Yom Kippur.

Upon seeing the scans, the specialist informed the patient that because the mass was lying on a carotid artery, had he had the original surgery prescribed by his doctor, he would have been in mortal danger. By dissuading the patient from his original surgery, RCCS literally had saved his life.

While this story is truly remark-

able, it is only one of the many miracles that are performed by RCCS on a yearly basis. Let us come together in support of this great organization and the 42 families of RCCS here in our community. Please come out on Octo-

ber 29th to the home of Elie and Cindy Becker, 570 Cedar Hill Rd, at 9am, to show these special families that we share in their plight, and in this merit may all of the cholim of Klal Yisroel receive a complete refuah.

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Around the Community

In Came the Animals Two by Two

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e love Parshat Noach at HALB Lev Chana Early Childhood Center. Our children start asking if Banana and Swiper will be visiting right after they return from the Sukkot break. Who, you may ask, are Banana and Swiper? Two stars of the amazing, phenomenal Party Pets menagerie of exotic reptiles, animals, birds and insects that visit us every year during the week of Parshat Noach. This entertaining, fun and educational program, run by Andre Ricaud, enables our children to interact with a variety of animals, many of whom our children have never seen before and, at the same time, learn about their habitats, eating habits, care, and some fun facts the children always find fascinating. The look of astonishment and awe on the children’s faces as Andre and his assistant, Andrew, lifted Banana, a huge 13-foot-long yellow python, and stretched him out for the children to pet told the whole story. Swiper, a Fennec fox from Egypt, Sonny and Sweety, a pair of bearded lizards from Australia, Jill, beautiful soft chinchilla, and Yonah, a descendent of the original Yonah from our parsha, were just a few of the stars of the show. A real appreciation of mah rabu ma’asecha Hashem was felt by all.

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

Discover Your Future.

Open House

Tuesday evening October 31, 2017 7:30 PM At the High School Campus 636 Lanett Ave Far Rockaway, NY

Rabbi Meyer Weitman Dean

Mrs. Aliza Kadosh

Principal, Limudei Kodesh

Entrance Exam Sunday morning November 5, 2017 9:00 AM At the High School Campus 636 Lanett Ave Far Rockaway, NY

Mrs. Miriam Tropper

Assistant Principal, Limudei Kodesh

Rabbi Michoel Shepard Principal, General Studies

Mrs. Barbara Cinamon

Assistant Principal, General Studies

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Learning at Ohr Leah

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ow in our third year, we really hit the ground running at Ohr Leah Academy! The girls are engaged and learning, each at their own pace and developmental level. Utilizing the Montessori structure of multiage classrooms, the children learn from each other and they learn because of each other. The younger girls get excited about what’s coming by observing the older girls and what they are doing. The older girls get a chance to reinforce what they’ve learned by helping their young friends. Each class spans three years with the youngest class being three- to five-year-olds. Every three years the girls will move up to a new age group, allowing them to alternate through school from being the oldest in the group to being the youngest again. Socially, there are children who socialize better with peers who are a bit older or younger than themselves. The multiage classroom provides them with a broader social group.

Walking in, one encounters a calm, peaceful scene that produces growth and stimulation. Each girl is working

independently or in a small group.

The teachers are there to direct girls to choose appropriately leveled work, explain how to do a new work, and to work with the child, when necessary.

Throughout the morning, each girl must choose at least one “work” that is math-related, one that is Hebrew and one that is English. There are also works that teach life skills, geography, fine motor skills, and more. Most works will incorporate a skill with an academic area. A fun example of this would be Alef Bais yoga! The girls use yoga cards as a guide. On each card is a picture of a child posing to resemble a letter which is also printed on the card.

The children copy the pose and say the letter. A child who has not yet learned the letters may work with one who has. For one, it will be new learning and for the other it will reinforcement.

This activity also gives the girls an opportunity to learn using their bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, following the theory of “multiple intelligences” which teaches that children should be allowed to learn using all of their multiple intelligences since people have

strengths in different areas!

The incoming three-year-olds are beginning to learn how to use the different works and to write their names.

They’ve started by learning how to write the first letter of their names so they can “sign in” every morning, just like the older girls! After signing in, each girl picks a “work” to do either on a floor mat or at a table. The girls switch works throughout the morning with classical music playing in the background. A healthy snack awaits them on the snack table for when they are ready. The children will serve themselves snack and clean up after themselves as well!

Language works will incorporate reading and/or writing. For younger girls who are just learning their letters, there are many choices. There are sandpaper letters for them to trace with their fingers, various types of letter matching games, wooden letters to put in order or arrange as words, wax sticks which can be bent to form letters on a card, and much more. Of course there is play dough which can be shaped into letters by hand or cut with letter cookie cutters!

Math works are done using many types of manipulatives. There are blocks in varying shapes and sizes.

Blocks can be stacked, inserted into holders laid out as steps, and more.

Beads are used for counting, adding, subtracting, and place value. A favorite math work is spindles. The girls count out the wooden spindles and place them in a sectioned box marked with the numbers zero through nine, putting the appropriate number of spindles in each section.

After “work time” we transition to “line time.” Special music signals the girls to clean up what they are doing, put away their mat and come to the carpet. There, we will welcome each other with a song, daven, mark the

calendar and weather chart, and learn about the parsha. If a new work has been put on the shelf related to something we are learning, Morah Peshy will demonstrate how to do it so the girls can use it themselves the next day.

Lunch and outdoor time follow.

Each day in the afternoon is a different specialty. The girls will make crafts related to the parsha or a unit they are learning such, as fall. Then, they will engage in an activity, either movement (yoga, ballet, etc.), art, music or science.

Each month, a new (classical) composer is introduced. The teacher will discuss what the composer is trying to convey such as in Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.” If you listen carefully, you can hear each season! While listening to the music for the first time, the girls will be asked to do something to express how the music makes them feel such as dance or drawing. For the rest of the month, the new composer’s music will be playing quietly in the background during worktime in the morning.

Every Rosh Chodesh we introduce a gadol of the month. The gadol for Tishrei was the Chofetz Chaim. For Cheshvan, we are learning about Reb Moshe. The new gadol is introduced with a story. Then, we learn about his life and what he taught us. His picture will be hanging in the classroom all month and the middos we learn from him will be stressed.

The girls are busy and happy to come to school each day! They enjoy being engaged in learning!

If you are interested in learning more about our school, please join us for an open house on Sunday, November 12 at 10AM at 111 Irving Place, Woodmere. For more information please contact Suzanne Burger at 347-794-4940.

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Community Celebrates Opening of New 4th Police Precinct Headquarters

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n Tuesday afternoon, October, 17, under a bright blue sky, a large turnout of a wide array of our representatives of our communities’ many Torah institutions joined Nassau County government officials and its top police brass to celebrate the grand opening of the Nassau County Police Department’s newly rebuilt Fourth Precinct station house in Hewlett.

The ceremony, for the precinct located in a most vibrant Jewish area, was surely greeted warmly by an inordinate number of representatives of yeshivos and shuls, who all expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the warm relationship between the Nassau County Police Department and the community.

As recently as last month Acting Commissioner Patrick Ryder met with local rabbonim and lay leaders to discuss safety and security concerns in preparation for the Yomim Noraim and holiday of Sukkos.

In addition to Long Beach island from Point Lookout to Atlantic Beach, plus Oceanside, Island Park and East

DRS Students Spread Sukkot Joy to Kulanu

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t DRS, we are extremely proud of our special relationship with the neighborhood’s Kulanu program. We are so privileged to be able to join our friends at Kulanu many times during the school year. Every Thursday night, many of our students spend an hour learning, playing ball, and hanging out with the Kulanu participants, and before Sukkot, Rabbi Cohen’s 12th Grade Shiur spent the morning helping build Kulanu’s sukkah. We look forward to many more amazing years of partnership with this incredible organization.

L-R: Nassau County Legislator Howard Kopel; Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano; NYS Assemblywoman Melissa Miller; NYS Senator Todd Kaminsky; Commanding Officer Inspector Lee M. Steinberg; Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky; Yisrael Menachem Kamenetzky; Town of Hempstead Councilman Bruce Blakeman; Nassau County Legislator Denise Ford; Chief of Police Department Kevin Smith; and County Legislator C. William Gaylor

Rockaway to the north, the Fourth Precinct is responsible for the Five Towns, which includes the communities of Hewlett, Woodmere, Lawrence, Cedarhurst and Inwood. Thus, every local Five Towns shul and yeshiva is within their domain.

Police Chaplain Rabbi Barry Dov Schwartz, adorned in his police uniform, opened the ribbon cutting ceremony with a wonderful talk about the mezuzah that he affixed it on the precinct doors. He explained the significance of the mezuzah and how it serves

as a protection from the Almighty.

With those words he offered an entreat for the protection of the dedicated officers who protect our community. He was followed by County Executive Ed Mangano and Acting Commissioner Patrick Ryder, who all were thrilled with the new facility.

The 20,000-square-foot, stateof-the-art facility located on Broadway includes a dedicated line-up room, multiple private interview areas, a community room and more.

Construction on the $13 million proj-

ect began in February 2016. The old building that was replaced had been flooded during Superstorm Sandy five years ago.

At the conclusion of the event, Yisrael Menachem Kamenetzky, a sixth grade student at Yeshiva of South Shore, represented his yeshiva by presenting the officers with a beautiful plaque with a beautiful poem entitled “Men in Blue,” which according to Commanding Officer Inspector Lee M. Steinberg will hang proudly in the precinct.

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MAY Talmidim + Simply Tsfat: A Recipe for Simcha

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ast Friday, Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, Mesivta Ateres Yaakov ushered in the new month in its signature fashion with their monthly Rosh Chodesh breakfast with the added bonus of a visit from Simply Tsfat, three Breslov chassidim from the mystical city of Tsfat who spread joy and inspiration around the world through story, song and dance.

A heavily anticipated annual event at MAY, talmidim were itching in excitement for the kumzitz/ concert, and Simply Tsfat did not disappoint. After a moving kumzitz replete with original niggunim and inspirational anecdotes, 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.

“It was just an amazing day overall,” commented one student. “From

the Rosh Chodesh breakfast to the Simply Tsfat concert, it was the most amazing erev Shabbos ever!” As for

the band’s reaction to the talmidim: “There is no one like the talmidim of Mesivta Ateres Yaakov.”

student and family are unique, and the school will help each create a personalized game plan to make the college process as stress-free as possible.

Joining Dr. Lorch in this mission is 11th grade advisor Tamara Klein.

She will be meeting with the students both individually and collectively to ensure that they take the steps they need to take to be set up for success, both in the admissions process and as college students: enrolling in challenging courses, taking advantage of the variety of co-curricular and extracurricular opportunities made available to them, and seeking out leadership opportunities, both in school and in the broader community. “This year, my most important priority is to listen and support,”

said Mrs. Klein.

Every student will be guided and supported throughout the process by this caring and thoughtful support staff, culminating in her admission to a best-fit college. What otherwise might be a daunting process will be an opportunity to explore and grow.

As is true in everything else Shulamith does, the college exploration process will educate both head and heart, meeting the academic, emotional, and practical needs of the students. “We want everyone to become knowledgeable about the options available locally, nationally, and internationally for committed Orthodox young women and to make a decision that will best fit her needs,” Dr. Lorch said.

College Guidance at SHS

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he founding class of Shulamith High School, the class of 2019, embarked this week on the first steps of college exploration and selection. The junior year is the year in which college begins to loom large.

ACTs or SATs? A gap year to go to seminary, or straight to college? How many APs should one take? What is the Common App? How does one apply for financial aid and scholarships?

With questions like these, college can feel like a daunting challenge for both parent and student. To tackle this challenge, last spring Shulamith recruited Dr. Steven Lorch, a trained and very experienced supervisor of college guidance programs.

Most of the preparation for college takes place in the 12 months from

January of 11th grade to December of 12th grade. While the first college guidance session took place this week, and an admissions representative from Barnard will be stopping by later this month, the hard work begins in earnest after winter break. Visits from Stern, NYU, Columbia, Fashion Institute of Technology, Queens College, and Lander College are being lined up for later in the year. The diverse representation captures the focus of the program: to help students clarify their core identity and find a college that reflects and will help them nurture that identity.

The college guidance program is multi-faceted. First, students learn how to explore the various college options open to them. The needs of each

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

Around the Community

Central Siemens Semifinalists

Elegance Where

Mrs. Ruth Fried, Chairperson Science Department, Yael Laks, Leeba Sullivan and Mrs. CB Neugroschol, Head of School

C

entral seniors Yael Laks and Leeba Sullivan, along with their partner Jason Kurlander of North Shore Hebrew Academy, were selected as semifinalists in the Siemens Science, Math and Technology Competition.

Their research, conducted this past summer at Stony Brook University’s Garcia High School Scholars Research Program, focused on identifying an effective mechanism for delivering stem cells into the body.

Stem cells harbor a great potential to regenerate defunct organs, and therefore present an important alternative to organ donation. However, in order for stem cells to proliferate successfully in the body, they must be transferred into the body within a scaffold.

Laks, Sullivan, and Kurlander focused on identifying an appropriate scaffold that would allow stem cells to migrate successfully into the body and grow into a new organ. Their research focused on Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSC).

Laks, Kurlander, and Sullivan experimented with a promising scaffold known as a three-dimensional gelatin hydrogel. Hydrogels are made of wa-

ter mixed with another material, such as gelatin, creating a harmless and injectable material optimal for cell delivery. Since gelatin does not solidify at body temperature, however, it must be crosslinked. One method of crosslinking uses the enzyme mTG. Laks, Sullivan, and Kurlander situated dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) in mTG crosslinked gelatin hydrogels and tested whether these gels would be suitable for transplant.

Their experiment was successful.

It demonstrated that the gels did not adversely affect the stem cells, which were still able to perform normal activity, as well as migrate out of the gel. Additionally, the experiment demonstrated that the amount of crosslinking in the hydrogels, based on the concentration of mTG, affected how the DPSC began to differentiate into normal body cells. In other words, Laks, Kurlander and Sullivan demonstrated that these gels could potentially be used for stem cell transplant.

The team soon will bring their research to another competition, the New York State Science and Engineering Fair (NYSSEF).

“Some people deny their own potential,” explained the Baal Shem Tov, “because if they recognized their own light, they would be too afraid of it.”

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Welcome to Our School! SKA Holds its 26th Open House

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hat makes SKA...

SKA? Nurturing, inspiring and empowering!

A record turnout of prospective parents and students from many elementary schools were welcomed to the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls on Sunday, October 22, at the Open House of the school which is celebrating its 25th year!

The overflow crowd extended through the hallways during the introductory remarks by Mrs. Helen Spirn, Head of School; Mrs. Bluma Drebin, Principal, General Studies; Rabbi Yosef Zakutinsky, Director of Student Programs; and Ms. Elana Flaumenhaft, Associate Principal.

PHOTO CREDIT JORDANA MALLIN

PHOTO CREDIT IRA THOMAS CREATIONS

How does SKA stand out? The visitors were amazed by the student-centered video featuring the opportunities where our girls can “create the school that’s best for them.” SKA faculty presenters shared their enthusiasm for their subject areas throughout the guided parent and student tours and workshops; the warmth and dedication of the staff and the amazing opportunities for growth that the school offers were apparent the entire morning.

Over 100 student volunteers, including our Student Ambassadors, shared their insights of the excellent limudei kodesh and outstanding general studies academic program of

SKA, together with the exceptional extracurricular experiences that are offered. Pointing out the recently built Graphic Design Studio, the newly remodeled Art Studio, renderings for the new Stem Lab, the state of the art Smart Boards, the new iMac center, plans for a new Science Center and our “whirly desks,” the SKAers were eager to share their school with the prospective students. They highlighted the sought-after Art Academy and electives such as coding, forensics and sign language, while also emphasizing our popular sports program, student-driven religious growth opportunities, Israel Action programs, and the successful chessed initiatives which

are such an integral part of the school.

Serenaded by chamber music performed by members of SKA’s band under the direction of Production Head Mrs. Terri Wagner, the guests were given SKA laptop totes filled with informational brochures about the school. Following the program, parents and incoming students had the opportunity to chat with students, administration and faculty members of SKA, including our Admissions Liaison and SKA Social Worker, Ms. Lisa Fogel, and enjoy a delicious collation.

Design your destiny at SKA! We look forward to welcoming the Class of 2022!

their beach balls. We received photos at water parks and beaches as well as a visit down South to see the eclipse and across the country to Alaska. One student, Noah Segelnick, his beach ball and his family even took a visit to the Dakotas after studying and creating a presentation on North Dakota for his

fifth grade Western Hemis“fair” project.

Now that the yom toviim have passed, faculty and students are in full academic gear and are looking forward to an exciting and productive year. The pre-school had an amazing visit from Noah’s Ark as the experi-

enced hands-on our second parsha, Noach. Extracurricular activities and clubs began this week as well, and we are looking forward to many other exciting programs this school year that will excite and engage students to feel a great sense of pride in their school, their communities and in themselves.

YCQ Spirit

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t the end of last school year, the YCQ Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) handed out beach balls with our school logo as part of their Spirit campaign. Parents and students were asked to send pictures over the summer of students’ various activities and trips with the beach ball or any YCQ “swag.” The idea of the campaign was to engage families in all aspects of our yeshiva. Prior to Sukkot, a “Spirit Video” was created as a fun way to show all the different places YCQ families went along with

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Tzedaka Day at DRS

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very year, DRS students revel in the pure joy of tzedaka and helping others through DRS’s annual Tzedaka Day; students from all grades went around DRS to collect funds for charities. Every boy in yeshiva was able to either assist in gathering tzedaka or donating to the cause. The students walked away with a valuable appreciation for selflessly helping others, an idea DRS aims to instill in their students. $2,500 was raised to help families who were affected in Hurricane Harvey.

A Rainbow of Smiles as YOSS Sails Through Parshas Noach

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eshiva of South Shore’s dynamic Hollander Early Childhood Center engaged their youngest talmidim in some exciting activities to celebrate Parshas Noach.

Rabbi Eli Herzberg demonstrated the size of the teiva by measuring the backyard with the children’s feet and using balloons to see how high is 30 Amos. The boys explored water outside which was floods of fun and took a schoolwide photo as they were dressed in rainbow colors. There were also a lot of little Noachs discovering the high seas when the Pre-1A boys set sail from Freeport.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

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Around the Community

Midreshet Shalhevet Shabbaton

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idreshet Shalhevet’s “event-of the-year” took place on Shabbat Parshat Noach at Camp Seneca Lake. The student body, along with alumni and faculty, joined together for the annual Shabbaton. We kicked Shabbaton off with an amazing event run by Coach and G.O. which allowed the whole school to “travel” to eight different countries before becoming immersed in this year’s theme of “Around the World in 180 Days.” Everyone participated and had an amazing time.

Shabbat kicked off with a beautiful Minchah, Kabbalat Shabbat led by the madrichot, and Ma’ariv. Before dinner, Menahelet Mrs. Esther Eisenman welcomed everyone with a heartfelt, inspirational d’var Torah. Junior Eliana Hirsch gave a dvar Torah during dinner, followed by learning

sessions with topics including: Going Against the Tide, What Makes Judaism So Special, Around the World [to Come]: How to Get In or Out of the World to Come, and Ticket for One: Leaving the Rest of the World Behind.

At the open forum tisch, the panel of Mrs. Eisenman, Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss, Rabbi Ariel Rosensweig, Mrs. Shira Glas, and Mrs. Hindy Feder answered a host of different Torah-based questions. Rabbi Shalom Glas even lent his opinion on some of the questions!

Shabbat morning began with a beautiful Rosh Chodesh davening and d’var Torah from Rabbi Elie Feder. Following an outdoor kiddush in the unbelievably pleasant weather, each grade participated in another learning session with a limudei kodesh teacher with topics including:

Was Destroying the World Really Necessary, Shabbos Around the World, People Around the World, and Where you Land – Navigating the World after Graduation.

After the enlightening sessions, we sat down for lunch and a dvar Torah from senior Sarah Austin. As Shabbat came to a close, everyone joined together for seudat shlishit.

After a dvar Torah from senior Hayley Tanzman, which led into an enjoyable kumzits, we were fortunate to hear a beautiful havdalah rendition

by Mr. Moshe Seewald and Mr. Robert Zeitz. It was the perfect ending to an amazing Shabbat.

Melaveh malka at the MSH Shabbaton is probably one of the most exciting events on the school calendar!

The ruach carried over from Shabbat, as everyone made their way to the

gym and started the festivities with a G.O. activity that went wrong, turning into an enthusiastic silly string war.

After the games, the students changed into costumes from countries around the world such as Greek, Mexican, French, and Scottish. The entire weekend was filled with zemirot, ruach, and achdut among all the girls.

MSH is incredibly grateful to everyone who was instrumental in making the Shabbaton successful: Coach Ilona Diamond; G.O. president Sarah Austin, G.O. members Aviva Marmer, Becky Haviv, Jackie Kramer, and Lital Davidov; alumni madrichot Malka Marmer (MSH ‘14), Noa Eliach, Tamar Yastrab, and Bella Weiss (MSH ‘16); and especially to our generous sponsors.

Inaugural NCSY Gala Will Recognize Honorees for Their Leadership and Deep Commitment to Jewish Youth

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CSY, the global organization

that helps Jewish teens build a strong connection to their Jewish roots through inspiration and leadership skills, will hold its NCSY Gala on Sunday, November 12 at 6:00 p.m. at the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Charles Lindbergh Blvd., Garden City, NY. The gala event celebrates the tremendous growth of NCSY across the country, which has connected with more than 24,000 Jewish teens. In addition to local, national and regional programs throughout the school year, NCSY offers more than 17 different summer programs in the U.S. and abroad, bringing upwards of 1,500 teens on these programs each year.

Honorees include Jeffrey and Sharona Weinberg of Woodmere, NY;

Rabbi Moshe and Serena Benovitz of Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel; and Benyamin and Esti Kaminetzky of Teaneck, NJ. The program will also feature a special Ben Zakkai Memorial Tribute to the late Joseph and Julia Macy, for their stalwart support of the New England chapter of NCSY. The efforts and support of this year’s honorees have made an impact on Jewish teens across the globe.

Rabbi Moshe Benovitz has been the Director of the NCSY Kollel summer program for more than 18 years in Israel. He has learned with thousands of young men over the years at Yeshivat Reishit where he currently teaches, in addition to his senior role as Managing Director of NCSY. Both the Kaminetzky and Weinberg families have sent their children to various NCSY

summer programs and are generous supporters of the organization.

“Recently, NCSY was on the ground in Houston on a Chessed Mission. And quite frankly, NCSY is always on the ground making a difference in Jewish communities around the globe,” said Moishe Bane, President of the Orthodox Union. “As we continue to reach more and more teens through our innovative programing, we are proud to acknowledge all of our supporters and are especially grateful to our honorees, all of whom help to inspire our Jewish teens to develop a positive Jewish identity and embrace Torah as they journey into adulthood.”

The NCSY gala will take place immediately following the 23rd annual Ben Zakkai Scholarship Reception honoring the newest members induct-

ed into the Ben Zakkai Honor Society: Freda Greenbaum of Bal Harbour, FL, Dr. Allan Jacob of Miami Beach, FL, and Rabbi Ethan Katz of Bergenfield, NJ. In addition, Dvorah and Ben Gasner, who reside in Israel, will also be recognized at the event prior to the OU Israel Center’s Ben Zakkai Honor Society Induction Ceremony.

“For over 63 years, NCSY has been part of the national fabric of American Jewish life,” said Avi Katz, Chairman of NCSY. “Our gala on November 12th is an opportunity to ensure that Jewish teens today benefit from this powerful Jewish movement.”

To reserve tickets or journal ads for the NCSY Dinner, Amy Mauskopf, amy@ncsy.org, 212-613-8193.

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“Hey Hey, Ho Ho. David Myers Has Got to Go”

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ednesday evening, October 18, outside the Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16thStreet, NYC, Americans For a Safe Israel/AFSI and JCC Watch.org led a protest against David Myers, the new President and CEO of the CJH. Over 200 people assembled in front of the stage set up on W. 16th Street to hear speeches from AFSI’s Co-Executive Directors, Helen Freedman and Judy Freedman Kadish, JCCWatch.org President Richard Allen, ZOA’s Liz Berney, AFSI’s Charlie Bernhaut, Concerned Citizen Stewart Cahn, Yom HaShoah Committee Chair Lynn Bursky-Tammam, along with rocking music by the trio of brothers, Pey Dalid.

The overall message was the following: We, the people, the grassroots, are here to speak up for truth.

Enough of the lies and falsehoods.

Enough of the revisionist history.

The time is now, as we stand before the Center of Jewish History – the home of five esteemed institutions – that has allowed itself to be trapped in a quagmire. With David Myers as CEO and President of the Center, it becomes the Center of Revised Jewish History, with the Jewish story, the Jewish entitlement, biblical, historic, and legal, lost in the fictions and distortions that he brings with him.

Myers has preached the “inevitable demise of Israel.” How dare he deny our 4,000-year-old history, and Hashem’s promise to us that we are his chosen people, to whom He gave the Torah and the Land of Israel? How dare Myers speak about removing Israel as central to Jewish identity?

There is no other people that has always made Jerusalem its central core. In the midst of the joy of the Jewish wedding, the glass is shattered, reminding us of our connection to Yerushalayim.

Has David Myers been to the “settlements” in Judea and Samaria?

Has he ever been on a trip such as an AFSI Chizuk mission, where we climb the hills of Itamar, Yitzhar, Kedumim, Elon Moreh, Shilo, Eli, and on and on? Has he met the people and seen their homes, schools, work places? If he has, then he knows there is no “occupation” and these are the biblical holy places, and not the West Bank. If not, then he must visit them before he condemns them.

How dare Myers excuse the evil terrorism of the Arabs which has been going on since the early 1900’s and continues on a daily basis today?

He says that it is “frustration” driven.

What drivel is that? What humanity is that? Do we excuse mass murderers because they are “frustrated?”

How dare Myers rewrite Jewish

history so that the Balfour Declaration of 1917 is questioned, the Israel victories of 1948 and 1967 are declared disasters, and a case of Israel “conquering” its own land, rather than re-claiming it?

The time is now!!

We have to change the trajectory – anti-Israel propaganda against Israel cannot be tolerated – especially in an institution named The Center for Jewish History.

What history will David Meyers be teaching those who walk through

those doors? What lies and defamations will he be promoting, disguised as historical facts? Will it be the propaganda of J Street, the New Israel Fund, BDS, IfNotNow, Open Hillel, and the Academic Advisory Council of Scholars for Israel and Palestine?

This is intolerable.

We denounce the evil of such teachings and plead with the Center of Jewish History to purge itself of this infection in its midst: Fire Myers! Fire Myers! Fire Myers!

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

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Skating Unites at Shulamith Middle Division

Winter Zman at Siach

Mrs. Danyel Goldberg, social studies teacher, and Aviv Amar, grade 8 student

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n Monday, October 2, students of Shulamith Middle Division arrived at school brimming with excitement and ready for the first school-wide achdut event of the year. No buses were needed, as Joel Rappelfeld of Roll, America brought trucks full of roller blades in all sizes, helmets, and knee

and elbow pads to us!

Each grade had the opportunity to lace up their skates for an enjoyable period of rollerblading in our spacious yard. For those who didn’t wish to skate, the activity offered the chance to dance to the lively music, help put their friends on blades, and just chill out together in a relaxed atmosphere.

Bnos in Far Rockaway

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inter Zman at Siach Yitzchok is in full swing. Rabbi Weiss’s class was tested on 11 out the 18 brachos of Shemona Esrei, and the boys did great. Morah Kamenetzky’s fourth graders recently completed a unit on apples. They had the opportunity to taste about 15 different varieties of apples and examine the different properties of each one. The boys came to the conclusion that although all were tasty,

W

alking through the streets of Far Rockaway, there is a certain buzz throughout the air. News of the upcoming community-wide Bnos program, under the auspices of the Agudath Israel of Long Island, is definitely creating lots of excited chatter. The greater Far Rockaway area has never before seen a Bnos program like this that reaches across school borders and includes all local first through fourth grade girls as well as many of the community

mainstays.

On Sunday, October 23, the Bnos inaugural event was held in TAG elementary school. It featured over two hundred local girls, Avi Devor the Activity Guy, refreshments, raffles, and finally a professional CD featuring the Bnos theme song for the year 5778.

We can’t wait to welcome the girls on Shabbos beginning Parshas Lech Lecha, October 28! For sponsorship opportunities please contact office@ agudahli.org.

some were crispier, some were sweeter, some were softer, some had thinner skin and some had thicker skin.

They concluded that certain varieties are better for cooking or baking, while some were best for eating or for snacks.

At the construction site for the new building, the steel is nearly completed with some of the steel going up to the 3rd floor already.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

From left to right: Dr. Nadia Rao, Dr. Mindy Scheer and Dr. Diane Garrigan

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Learning Hakaras Hatov and Hakaras HaBorei at Gesher

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earning is back in full swing at the Gesher Early Childhood Center following the recent yomim tovim.

While Elul and Tishrei are packed with lessons based on Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Sukkos, the focus now turns to the Avos and the parshiyos that describe their greatness.

The Pre1A classes are focusing this month on the middah of hakaras hatov, being grateful. It is especially important following the time of the year that parents have to work so hard to make yom tov so enjoyable.

The lessons begin with learning about Avraham Avinu, who found Hashem by recognizing that this world must have a Creator. Reading materials

Blacksmiths, pony rides, a petting zoo, a vaudeville show and many booths were some of the attractions at this weekend’s annual Rock Hall Country Fair in Lawrence

and writing projects will incorporate this theme. Other classes are also learning about the importance of recognizing their surroundings and relating to people, objects, and events in that context.

The Nursery class practiced what Lech Lecha feels like by going with their morahs to a different part of the building. They were able to recognize the feeling of being safely watched, just like Avraham felt safe knowing that Hashem was watching over him. Footprint paining and sand art with a star collage were great reinforcements to the stories of Avraham traveling and being promised children as numerous as the sand and the stars.

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Be the Parent Your Child Craves

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n Monday, October 30, Madraigos is pleased to present “Be the Parent Your Child Craves - An Evening of Practical Insights and Inspiration” to be held at Congregation Beth Sholom at 390 Broadway in Lawrence at 8 PM. Rabbi Zechariah Wallerstein, Founder and Director of Ohr Naava Women’s Center, will deliver a talk on “The Importance of Conscious Parenting” and Dr. Brad Reedy, world-renowned parenting expert and author of The Journey of the Heroic Parent will enlighten and empower parents to grow in their relationships and parenting skills. Men and women are invited to attend at no charge.

The program will recognize the

tireless efforts of two individuals, Rivki Rosenwald, Esq., MFT, CLC, and Rena Kutner, MFT, who selflessly dedicated themselves to launch and facilitate Madraigos’ ongoing weekly parenting groups which have taken the community by storm. Madraigos will be presenting awards of hakaros hatov to Rosenwald and Kutner for their efforts and success.

The great popularity of these parenting groups, based on the teachings of Dr. Reedy, prove the community need is real. Parent after parent share their feelings of joy to finally find a free resource where they could gain practical parenting skills and advice in an atmosphere that is open, honest, and positive. Parents feel em-

Pheffer Amato Honors Shmuel Russell of RNSP

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ast Thursday, Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Far Rockaway) presented a citation to Shmuel Russell, a Far Rockaway resident who volunteers with the Rockaway Nassau Safety Patrol. Russell was out on patrol with the RNSP in August when he noticed a person stalking around with a machete, who was, as the RNSP puts it, “looking for trouble.” Russell called in help, which resulted in the arrest of the man and the confiscation of the machete.

“When you really take a deep dive into a community, you can augment safety, comfort and connectedness – and since 2012, the RNSP has been living proof of that concept,” said Pheffer Amato. “They’re totally professional – they patrol, surveil and are trained to maintain safety, working hand in hand with police but not trying to do the NYPD’s job. Shmuel Russell represents the best of this tradition. We’re so grateful for his vigilance and that of the whole Nassau Safety Patrol!”

Dr. Brad Reedy

Rabbi Zechariah Wallerstein

powered and secure that they now have a support system for their parenting responsibilities.

“Attending a Madraigos parenting workshop is one of the best decisions I have made for myself as a parent,” says Shira Stern* who attends one of the groups. “I have not missed a meeting. The moderators always make sure the parents are comfortable to share their feelings and experiences.

I’ve been looking for a group like this for a few years now, and I’m so happy the community offers it.”

The parenting program was launched initially with one group of thirteen sets of parents. After only six months, the popularity necessitated the change of venue from the Madraigos facility into the home of participants who volunteered to host weekly. Due to the strong demand, a second and third group were started last year and a fourth group is now in formation. With the success of the parenting groups as a foundation and inspiration, Madraigos hopes to reach the wider community with their upcoming program.

As a therapist and parent educator for thousands of families, Dr. Reedy has a unique vantage point watching parents move away from anxiety and confusion towards empowerment and clarity. He provides parents with an enduring source of truth – themselves. Reedy’s message allows parents to break through their shame and guilt, replace control with influence, understand their intent, and develop a greater capacity to truly see

their children.

Mr. Eli Perlman, LCSW, Clinical Director, said, “This event was inspired by observing the positive impact on children whose parents have developed effective parenting skills and tools from our parenting groups.

We have also witnessed the positive effect that educated parenting has on shalom bayis of the home. With that backdrop, we wanted to provide the greater community with quality tools they can bring to their own families.”

Rabbi Dov Silver, Founder and Executive Vice President, commented, “I am excited and honored to have Rabbi Wallerstein and Dr. Reedy address our community. I encourage parents as well as therapists to participate in what will, b’ezras Hashem, be a very successful program.”

Madraigos extends their appreciation to Rabbi Kenneth Hain of Congregation Beth Sholom and his kehilla for graciously opening their doors to host this special event. Since the inception of Madraigos, Rabbi Hain has been an avid supporter and devoted partner in helping families in the Five Towns community thrive and grow.

For more information about the program please contact Eli Perlman at 516-371-3250 ext. 111 or eperlman@madraigos.org. For program sponsorships, please contact Rivka Lock at 516-371-3250 ext. 5 or rlock@ madraigos.org. *name has been changed to protect privacy

Every single Jew has the opportunity to stand alone against the entire world like Avraham Avinu did in his own time.

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SEPTA at HALB

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ALB’s very own SEPTA (Special Education PTA), formed last year by a group of parents, hosted its second parent and faculty event this past Wednesday evening, October 18, at the New HALB Woodmere Campus.

HALB welcomed Dr. Eve Goldschlag, PSY.D Clinical Psychologist, to address the parents on “The Worrying Child: Practical and Helpful Tools for Parents.” She explained how some children have a tendency to worry and be anxious and how we as a school and as parents can help our children deal with stress, anxiety and making mistakes. She recommended setting up clear rou-

tines for children, teaching them time management and study skills, implementing breathing exercises and creating a worry basket to help children express their concerns in a healthy way.

Following Dr. Goldschlag, a Q & A panel discussion on “Setting My Child Up For Success” was facilitated

by HALB’s Support Services Directors from all four HALB Divisions.

Thank you to the HALB SEPTA

Committee and its co-chairs Mrs. Jessica Lampert and Mrs. Lisa Hecht for organizing such an enjoyable and informative evening.

Stay tuned as SEPTA plans more events in the future.

Bestselling Author Comes to Rambam: Debunks Idea of Palestinian People

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tudents from Rambam Mesivta’s Writers’ Guild and Meet The Author Book Club skipped their dinner and savored the opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with bestselling writer Edwin Black, author of IBM and the Holocaust.

They asked him, “What is the secret of writing?” and he answered, “Rewriting,” explaining that he writes and rewrites a sentence multiple times until he feels it expresses exactly what he wants to convey in the most succinct manner possible. He compared it to a sculptor who hews away at a rock, until the image emerges.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Mr. Black headed downstairs to address the entire Mesivta. The topic of his talk was “The Balfour Declaration: 100 Years Later.” During his interactive presentation, he peppered the crowd with questions and was amazed by the knowledge the students had of Jewish history in general and Israel in particular.

With a well-prepared PowerPoint presentation he took the students back thousands of years to the inception of the land promised to our forefathers and later settled in the time of Joshua. He recounted the history of both Ottoman and British Empires and the impact it had on land of Israel.

The 1919 agreement between King

Faisal and Chaim Weizmann was discussed and analyzed. That agreement carved out two separate geographic areas, a swath of land in the area which is now Syria which would be controlled by King Faisal, and a Jewish State in the land of Israel. Although both parties signed the agreement and a picture of them standing together was shown, the agreement never took effect and was later denied and disavowed by Arab leadership.

Mr. Black demonstrated that the Arab World never began referring to those living in Israel as Palestinians until the 1960s. “There never was a Palestinian people living in Israel,” said Black, a noted historian. Among the proofs to this point was a headline from the New York Times around the time Israel had declared itself a state.

The headline referred to the fact that

the Arab world was boycotting Palestinians…with “Palestinians” being a reference to the Jewish population in Israel.

He also drew attention to the fact that over 900,000 Jews were evicted from Arab lands in 1948. “Most left everything behind and were only permitted to take out a minimum amount of money,” said Black who wrote another book titled the Farhud, detailing the events of the time.

Students listened enthusiastically to everything that Mr. Black had to teach them. Mr. Black lauded the students for their interest and their knowledge saying that “of all the high schools I visit, the Rambam students are tops.”

The lecture was made possible by coordination with the Stand With Us, an on college campus Israel advocacy

group. Not surprisingly, the Northeast Regional Coordinator of that organization is a Rambam alumnus, Avi Posnick.

When the lecture was over Mr. Black and his entourage departed for Manhattan to prepare for his next series of lectures. He will be testifying before Congress shortly thereafter.

Rambam was privileged indeed to have such a knowledgeable, dynamic historian share important information about Israel which is rarely highlighted in the media. His special presentation was greeted with a rousing ovation both at the inception and later at the conclusion of his speech.

The lecture was sponsored by Mr. Shalom and Iris Maidenbaum and Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan and Marcy Farrell.

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Thousands Begin Third Machzor of Dirshu Kinyan Halacha Senior Poskim Address Testing Sites in Eretz Yisrael

By Chaim Gold

“Y

ou are engaged in making the greatest possible nachas ruach to Hashem Yisbarach, the Nosein HaTorah, by learning halacha comprehensively in the Kinyan Halacha program. Chazal tell us that Hashem has nothing in His world other than the four amos of halacha. Let us think for a second.

Hashem, the King of the world, has nothing else but the four amos of halacha and it is you avreichim who merit to be in this world of Hashem.

Fortunate are you and fortunate is Klal Yisrael that possess such avreichim within their midst!”

These were the warm, powerful words of HaGaon HaRav Chaim Meir Wosner, Rav of the Zichron Meir neighborhood of Bnei Brak and Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin of Bnei Brak, at Dirshu’s first test at in the third machzor of the Kinyan Halacha program.

Kinyan Halacha Advanced Track Holds First Test At the Bnei Brak testing site last Tuesday, October 17, hundreds of avreichim who diligently took the twice-yearly test listened with bated breath to the words of the illustrious poskim, HaGaon HaRav Chaim Wosner, shlita, HaGaon HaRav Sariel Rosenberg, shlita, and the Nasi of Dirshu, Rav Dovid Hofstedter.

Later that day, the large testing site in Yerushalayim was addressed by HaGaon HaRav Yisrael Gans, shlita, R”M at Yeshivah Kol Torah, HaGaon HaRav Pesach Eliyahu Falk, posek from Gateshead, and Rav Dovid Hofstedter.

“The crowds were massive at all testing sites,” explained Rabbi Avigdor Bernstein, a senior member of Dirshu’s hanhalah, “because there were participants who have begun two separate Kinyan Halacha tracks. In addition to the thousands of new avreichim who have joined the regular five-and-

HaRav Sariel Rosenberg greeting HaRav Chaim Wosner at the Dirshu Kinyan Halacha testing site in Bnei Brak

a-half-year Kinyan Halacha program for the beginning of this new machzor and are poised to be become future poskim and dayanim of Klal Yisrael, there is a second track for those who have finished the previous five-anda-half-year program that covers all of the major areas of horaah.”

The impetus behind establishing the Kinyan Halacha program was some of Klal Yisrael’s most prominent poskim. They approached the hanhala of Dirshu explaining how, despite the phenomenal growth of Torah and limud haTorah in our generation, there remains a dearth of qualified poskim familiar with the intricacies of psak halacha. Even among those who understand halacha how many can immediately answer a shailah on all common areas of halacha?

The idea was to create an environment where mature kollel yungeleit, who have already spent several years immersed in full time learning, could progress to the level of lilmod al menas laasos – to learn Torah in order to practice in a program that guides them through the details of the sugyos.

Achdus Through Torah The first test in the third machzor of Kinyan Halacha was held in numerous locales across Eretz Yisrael as well as in major frum population centers in North America, Europe and around the world.

“One of the remarkable things about the various testing sites,” said

Rabbi Shlomo Rozenstein, Dirshu’s Director of Public Relations, “was the fact that there was such a wide-ranging variety of test takers. It was not uncommon to look at one table in the large hall and see a Sephardic talmid chacham flanked on one side by a Chassidishe talmid chacham, on the other side by a Litvishe talmid chacham who was sitting next to a Religious Zionist talmid chacham all on the same bench! Dirshu is an organization that unifies all of Klal Yisrael through the one thing that is our ultimate source of unity – the Torah hakedosha itself!”

HaRav Falk: The Importance of Chazarah At the Yerushalayim site, Rav Pesach Eliyahu Falk pointed out that a person who learns without reviewing will not gain from what he learned because the fact that he learned it once and did not review it confuses him and makes it more difficult for him to learn it properly in the future. “Dirshu has instituted programs wherein every participant must learn and then chazer responsibly.”

HaRav Sariel Rosenberg: Kinyan Halacha Cultivates Knowledge of Halacha Coupled with Yiras Shamayim At the Bnei Brak testing site, Rav Sariel Rosenberg pointed out that Dirshu’s Kinyan Halacha program has produced scores of poskim for Klal

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

Around the Community SE U LA

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NOT A BELIEVER IN TEHILLIM KOLLEL….

AFTER SON’S CANCER CURED, A BELIEVER!

HaRav Yisrael Gans: “Being a Posek is Not Only about Knowing the Halachah, It’s About How To Apply It.” At the Yerushalayim site, HaGaon HaRav Yisrael Gans spoke. Rav Gans has been giving invaluable guidance since the program’s inception. He explained that his Rebbi, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, once said that the Shulchan Aruch possesses not four parts, but five. Before one even begins to study the four orders, there is the first part – the part that requires every posek to develop a keen understanding of who the petitioner asking the she’eilah is and how to speak specifically to that petitioner.

“Being a posek,” Rav Gans said, “is not only about knowing the halachah, it’s about how to apply it, knowing for whom one can rule leniently, as a shaas hadechak, a case of extenuating circumstances, and for whom one must rule according to the simple or traditional understanding of the halachah.” That is another thing that Kinyan Halacha members learn, through the constant guidance that the program provides.

The Chazon Ish explained, “We, the religious Jews, are analogous to the camel with the load – we carry a burden of hundreds of commandments. You” – secular Israel – “have to give way.”

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as builders! They build the world, they complete the world! Shalom, peace, comes to the world when there is shleimus, completeness, in the world when all of the components come together and everything is functioning as designed. It is thus the talmidei chachomim, who are the builders of the world, who bring peace to the world.”

Rav Hofstedter expressed his tremendous admiration for the lomdei Kinyan Halacha who spend their days and nights learning halacha with great depth ensuring that they comprehensively understand the halacha and its underpinnings so that they will have the siyata d’Shmaya to be able to render correct halachic rulings.

E

Rav Dovid Hofstedter: Talmidei Chachamim Build and Bring Completeness to the World Rav Dovid Hofstedter pointed out that it is talmidei chachamim and especially those who learn halacha that build and complete the world. Rav Hofstedter cited the words of Chazal that say, “He who learns halacha is guaranteed a place in Olam Habaah.

Chazal also teach us that talmidei chachamim increase peace in the world and are called builders of the world.

What is the connection between increasing peace in the world and being a builder?”

Rav Hofstedter explained, “In parshas Bereishis we learn that Hashem rested on the seventh day. The creation was completed on the seventh day and even though Hashem didn’t actually perform an action on that day, nevertheless Shabbos is the day that kedusha and ruchniyus entered the creation, thereby transforming the physical creation of the world into something spiritual.

“The purpose of Am Yisrael, the purpose of talmidei chachamim, is to instill ruchniyus in the mundane world, to serve as the connection between the mundane world and the Ribono Shel Olam. That is what completes the world. Perhaps this is why Chazal refer to talmidei chachamim

‫בס"ד‬

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Yisrael and will continue to produce morei horaah of the greatest caliber.

What is special about this program beyond the fact that those who emerge from the five-and-a-half-year program possess the knowledge of halacha requisite to become poskim muvhakim is the fact that those who participate in the program are endowed with tremendous yiras shomayim as well.

Dirshu participants learn mussar, as yiras shomayim is an absolutely vital component in a posek.

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I

have seen those ads and read those stories. I never believed in them. It seemed too easy: pay some money and get miraculous results. Maybe it worked for other people, but not for me.

Until… it was my son in the hospital. My son with cancer. My son fighting for his life.

I felt so alone. So desperate. So hopeless.

And I remembered those stories. And they gave me hope.

And so I signed up my son with Tehillim Kollel, hoping that the miracles could and would apply to our family too, that they do indeed have a special zchus, as they davened at the holy sites of tzaddikim for our yeshua.

Now, you may think we are just another story. But we are not. It’s real. My son. My son. My son was cured!

And now, I not only believe. I know. The power of Tehillim is very personal and very real in my life.

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718.705.7174

info@TehillimKollel.org | www.TehillimKollel.org

TJH

Centerfold

You gotta be kidding A baseball scout found a remarkable prospect – a horse that was a good fielder and that hit the ball every time he was up at bat. The scout got him a tryout with a big league team.

Up at bat, the horse slammed the ball into deep left field and stood at the plate, watching it go.

“Run!” the manager screamed, “Run!” “Are you kidding?” answered the horse. “If I could run, I’d be in the Kentucky Derby.”

Winner Speak Match the statement with the winner: A. Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.

G. Competing at the highest level is not about winning.

It’s about preparation, courage, understanding and nurturing your people, and heart. Winning is the result.

“"

B. I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

C. I hated every minute of training, but I said, “Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”

D. Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing. Breathing first, winning next.

E. It kills me to lose. If I’m a troublemaker, and I don’t think that my temper makes me one, then it’s because I can’t stand losing. That’s the way I am about winning, all I ever wanted to do was finish first.

F. The person that said winning isn’t everything, never won anything.

H. Winning isn’t everything, but wanting it is.

I. Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games.

1. George Steinbrenner

6. Mia Hamm

2. Jackie Robinson

7. Babe Ruth

3. Joe Torre

8. Arnold Palmer

4. Muhammad Ali

9. Michael Jordan

5. Vince Lombardi

 Wisdom Key

Riddle me this?

What is the difference between a Yankee Stadium hotdog and a Citi Field hotdog?

See answer to the right

Answer to Riddle: You can buy a Yankee Stadium hotdog in October. Ouch!

1.

OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

A-5, B-9, C-4, D-1, E-2, F-6, G-3, H-8, I-7

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

World Series Trivia 4. When were the Dodgers last in the World Series before 2017?

1. Who is the only player to play in 75 World Series games? a. b. c. d.

a. b. c. d.

Yogi Berra Mickey Mantle Joe DiMaggio Phil Rizzuto

2. The Houston Astros played in one prior World Series in 2005 and were swept in four games. Who did they play in that series? a. b. c. d.

5. Who was clearly not the MVP of the 1986 World Series? a. b. c. d.

Braves Dodgers White Sox Marlins

Ron Darling Bill Buckner Roger Clemens Bob Stanley

a. Enter Sandman...

Mariano Rivera b. Jeff Nelson c. John Wetteland d. Doc Gooden

Indians Tigers Yankees Braves

a. b. c. d.

1 2 3 4

8. Which pitcher threw a fourhit shutout to defeat the Giants in Game 7 of the 1962 World Series? a. b. c. d.

6. In the 1996 World Series, this pitcher had four saves for the Yankees, earning the MVP award:

3. Which team appeared in the World Series the most in the 1990s? a. b. c. d.

2006 1999 1988 1964

7. How many World Series rings does Joe Girardi have?

Whitey Ford Bill Stafford Ralph Terry Jim Bouton

9. Which one of these players never hit three home runs in a World Series game: a. b. c. d.

Babe Ruth Derek Jeter Albert Pujols Reggie Jackson

 Answers 5. B- In game 6 with the game tied, Mookie Wilson hit a dribbler up the 1st base line which should have

B

9.

C

8.

4. C 3.

 Scorecard

D- He was on the Yankees for their 1996, 1998 and 1999 wins and was the Yankee manager when they won in 2009.

7.

C- Mo was the set-up man in 1996.

6.

D C- If you are wondering how the 2005 World Series featured the Houston Astros, who are in the American League, against the Chicago White Sox, who are also in the American League, stop wondering: The Astros at the time were in the National League. They switched to the American League in 2013.

2.

A

1.

6-9 correct: You are a baseball MVP! 3-5 correct: Not bad. Well, actually, if you got 3 correct, you lose. If you got 5 correct, you win, with one to spare.

0-2 correct: You get the Bill Buckner award!

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been a routine play to end the inning and put the Red Sox up to bat, but Bill Buckner had a Little League moment and the ball went right between his legs into the outfield. The Mets scored and won the game and went on to win the Series in the 7th game.

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Torah Thought

Parshas Lech Lecha

By Rabbi Berel Wein

T

here is much comment and many different interpretations regarding the first two words of the second verse of this week’s Torah reading. The second word “lecha, for you” seems to be somewhat redundant in the construction of the sentence. Rashi therefore interprets it to mean “for your benefit and good.” The L-rd instructs Abraham to leave his homeland and family located in Mesopotamia in order to achieve the greatness that is inherent within him, as the forbearer of nations and the founder of the Jewish people.

There is an alternative interpretation of the use of this second word “lecha” in the verse that has always fascinated me. Travel can be a very broadening and entertaining experience. The travel industry the world over is bourgeoning as people crave to visit unseen shores and exotic locations. So why would the travel of Abraham and Sarah from Mesopotamia to the land of Canaan be considered by Jewish tradition to have been such a challenging test of Abraham’s faith on the Al-

mighty? He simply was embarking on a travel experience and was one of many such travelers in his time and world.

The answer lies in the fact that the word “lecha” implies permanence. Abraham, you are never going to return home to Mesopotamia again. You are not a visitor, a tourist, a traveler, but you are now a refugee, an alien, and a non-citizen.

acteristic to it. Abraham and Sarah were to be truly challenged by this travel experience. They were not going on vacation.

Abraham’s descendants, the Jewish people, have shared this test and challenge with him over our long history. We always were insecure and homeless during the long night of our exile and dispersal. Even countries where Jews resided for centuries, such as Spain,

You are not a visitor, a tourist, a traveler, but you are now a refugee, an alien, and a non-citizen.

And such a status in life is truly challenging and potentially dangerous.

So, unlike the interpretation of Rashi, the word “lecha” has a certain ominous char-

Germany, Poland, etc., eventually no longer would accommodate our presence. We were always a positive part of any national society we found ourselves in but at the same

time we were always the odd man out.

But somehow we were able to survive this enormous test and challenge because we always believed and knew that eventually we were going to go home. We prayed for it to happen and we struggled against all odds and enemies to make it happen. And in our time it has happened.

This belief of the return to Zion and Jerusalem sustained us in our darkest hours. It transferred us in our minds, though not in the minds of others, from the status of tolerated but unwanted aliens into mere visitors and sojourners who have a legitimate and permanent home elsewhere. This is the feeling I have every time I present my Israeli passport for inspection when I travel to a foreign destination. I am no longer a pariah, a refugee but merely a visitor, a tourist, perhaps even an honored guest. The children of Abraham have returned home.

Shabbat shalom.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

Open House Motzei Shabbos November 11, 2017 23 Cheshvan 5778 8:00pm

Mini Open House Monday November 13, 2017 25 Cheshvan 5778 8:00pm

Pre-Register at www.Rambam.org

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

From the Fire

Parshas Lech Lecha One Against the World

By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

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his is the most exciting time of year. Once again, as we begin parshas Lech Lecha, we read about the Avos, starting with Avraham Avinu. Everything begins with Avraham and everything ends with Avraham. As Rashi says (commenting on Bereishis 12:2), in the first paragraph of Shemoneh Esrei, we mention Avraham first among the Avos, and we conclude the blessing with a reference to Avraham as well.

“We conclude with you.”

Beyond the text of a paragraph in Shemoneh Esrei, what does it mean that we open and close with Avraham Avinu? Rav Nosson Nota Spira, zt”l, writes in Megaleh Amukos that the deeper meaning of Chazal’s teaching is that the Jewish people begin and end exile with the powers we inherited from Avraham. What was Avraham’s most identifiable characteristic? Yechezkel describes Avraham with a unique statement not used regarding anyone else in Tanach, in-

cluding Moshe Rebbeinu and Dovid Hamelech. He says (33:24), “Avraham was one.” He was unique and stood alone against the entire world.

As a nation, we certainly feel what it means to be alone, standing against everyone else. We look around us and feel that not only is the entire Muslim world against us, but the Western world as well has again turned its back to us, isolating and rejecting us. We know that we are, in a very real sense, alone.

The Megaleh Amukos’s teaching that we begin and end our exile with the power to stand against the entire world like Avraham Avinu is not, however, directed only at the Jewish nation as a whole. It applies to every individual Jew as well.

We live at a time of unprecedented spiritual blessings. There are more people studying in yeshiva than ever before. It is astounding how many shiurim available to people. Deeper levels of Torah are now extremely accessible.

But with all of our spiritual blessings, one thing has changed drastically. In earlier times, most people lived a “single life.” In other words, they davened, learned, worked, and raised their families. They lived one, consistent, cohesive life. There was, of course, tremendous variation in the spiritual and physical quality of that life, but people lived “single lives.” Even those who left the path of Yiddishkeit did so completely and lived a consistent, albeit nonobservant, life.

Today, however, there is a different reality. Many, many people live fine, upstanding lives during the day. They get up to daven and learn Torah. Perhaps they even go to the mikvah. They go to work, teach in yeshiva, and may even be roshei yeshiva or prominent rebbeim. They are known far and wide as ehrlicher Yidden, honest religious Jews or talmidei chachaim, great Torah scholars.

Yet at night, when all the doors are closed, they descend down into the

depths of the forty-nine levels of impurity with the click of a mouse or the tap of a screen. So many people are now living double lives.

And no one knows about people’s alter ego besides themselves and Hashem. Sometimes wives or parents catch them and bear the pain of knowing about their secret life of impurity.

But no one in their communities has any idea who they really are or the nature of their struggles and failures.

Many people remain immersed in the depths of Gehenom by night, but look like the same holy Jews they always were during the day. Today’s technology enables people to live a double life to a degree that was not possible just twenty-five years ago.

What is the significance of this new reality in these last few minutes before Moshiach? It means that now every single Jew has the opportunity to stand alone against the entire world like Avraham Avinu did in his own time. “Avraham was alone” meant

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

that he was called (Bereishis 14:13) “Avraham the Ivri because, according to the Yalkut Shimoni on that pasuk, “the whole world was on one side, eiver, and he was on the other side.”

Most Jews today carry a device in their pockets that can access the entire world in just a few seconds. So, just like Avraham Avinu, when a Jew sits in his home at 11 p.m. with no one watching, he finds himself alone, facing down the world. And just like his great-grandfather Avraham, he has the power to say, “No!” But that challenge feels daunting.

Because the whole world is now so easily accessible to a person, we have never before seen a situation in which every boy and girl, every man and woman, has been called upon to fight against the entire world.

My father has occasionally commented that he is so impressed with yeshiva bochurim, young men studying in yeshiva, today. Why? Because they have so many more options and choices than he and his contemporaries had growing up in Ungvar, Hungary. In those days, leaving Yiddishkeit meant never seeing his family or anyone else he knew ever again. And it was not so easy to sin in private.

There were simply not very many options. So if a person there loved his family and was not so motivated that he was willing to give up his entire life, he had to live a relatively specific life. There was very little wiggle room.

He had one cousin who decided to leave religion. He traveled to Vienna to study in university and eventually moved to Australia. But such occurrences were rare in Ungvar. So my father expresses amazement that even though young people today have so many choices, they choose to spend a year in seminary or go to yeshiva for several years after high school. It is astounding.

There certainly have been choices that our people have had to make. We were threatened by many movements that were very tempting, like the Enlightenment, Reform, Communism, and many others. But we were able to fight these things as a community. We formed yeshivos, chassidic groups, political groups, and organizations.

We rallied together and faced these threatening movements together. But the threats today are different. There

are no shuls or religious political organizations together with a Jew when

switch to public school. He knew I was unhappy, listened to my prepared state-

Because the whole world is now so easily accessible to a person, we have never before seen a situation in which every boy and girl, every man and woman, has been called upon to fight against the entire world.

he is sitting with the lights off at night and no one is looking. He faces the collective impurity of the whole world alone. “Avraham was alone.”

Avraham had the whole world open to him – he had a choice. Yet he chose to embrace Hashem and spurn all the insanity of the world, even though people persecuted him for his choice.

Similarly, each person today has the whole world in front of him right in his pocket. Just like Avraham had no one to help him in his fight because he was alone, a Jew today must also stand against the whole world alone.

I will tell a personal story. When I was in sixth grade, I decided I could no longer tolerate yeshiva and I wanted to transfer to public school. My rebbe that year was a cruel and vicious man.

He beat his students every day – and not with the palm of his hand, but with his fists. Such a teacher would be arrested today. He was an extraordinarily angry person and I was miserable in his class. To make matters worse, my family was one of only two religious families on my block. In the winter, I arrived home after it was already dark, at which point all of the other boys on my block had already played basketball and hockey, returned home, and were already watching their third TV show by the time I got off my school bus. Especially after the misery I endured between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. every day in my rebbe’s class, this injustice was more than I could take.

I told my father one Thursday that I simply could not stay in yeshiva anymore. I was miserable and I wanted to

ment, and responded, “I understand, but this is a very big choice. The decision is yours, but I believe you ought to think about it over the weekend. Let’s talk about it Sunday morning.” I was shocked that my father would even consider it. So Friday night, as I lay in

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bed, I began thinking about it. I wondered how a grandson of Jews who had been killed in gas chambers by the Nazis could attend public school and other thoughts that go through the head of a child of Holocaust survivors. I also thought about the fact that I would probably have a different rebbe the next year. Eventually, I went to sleep.

After davening Sunday morning, my father asked me, “So, what di2vinu and makes the right choice, Hashem considers it an act of kindness to Him! May each of us merit to see how precious our personal battles against the world are to G-d – how Hashem will say about each one of us “He was one” or “She was one” against the whole world!

Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, is the founding Morah d’Asrah of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, NY, and has served as Mashpia in Yeshiva University since 2013.

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Between the Lines

Becoming Avraham

By Eytan Kobre

Whatever else is said of man, this much is clear: he is not what he is capable of being.

-G.K. Chesterton

“I

f you could live your life over and be anybody,” George Bernard Shaw was asked shortly before his passing, “who would you be?”

“I would choose,” replied Shaw, “to be the man George Bernard Shaw could have been, but never was.”

Deep down, we know that if we had to live our lives over again, we could do more than what we’ve done.

And that proves a point – what we accomplish in life is only the tip of the iceberg of what is possible for us.

Our potential is limitless.

G-d made this clear to Avraham, changing his name from “Avram” to “Avraham” at the age of 99 (Bereishis 17:5). The name change certainly signified an elevation in Avraham’s stature (Chizkuni, Bereishis 17:5). But it was more than just a symbol of Avraham’s development; it was a sea-change in his very essence.

Before becoming Avraham, Avram (numerical value: 243) was master over only 243 of his 248

limbs; in renaming him Avraham (numerical value: 248), G-d gave Avraham mastery over all 248 of his limbs (Nedarim 32b). Before becoming Avraham, Avram could not and would not have children; in renaming him Avraham, G-d gave him the ability to have children and spring forth an entire nation – “Avram had no children; Avraham will have children” (Koheles Rabba 5:1; Shabbos 156a). Previously, he had been “Av-ram,” “father to Aram” (his homeland); now he was “Avraham,” “father of a multitude of peoples” (Rashi, Bereishis 17:5; Berachos 13a). He was now destined to become the “father of all the inhabitants of the earth” (Berachos 13a; Rambam, Bikkurim 1:4). The name change was meant to impress upon Avraham the boundless reach of his potential – and the limitless potential of all mankind.

This is one reason it is prohibited to count the Jewish people (Pirkei Torah, Bamidbar 1:2). Counting inherently implies finiteness; we possess potential that is unlimited. A terrible plague resulted when King David counted the Jewish people, implying (unwittingly) that their potential was limited (II Shmuel 24:1-17), and one who calls Avraham by the name “Avram” violates a commandment because Avraham’s old name represents limitation on his potential influence.1 To count is

to limit; to limit is to cap potential, and one must never do that.

Indeed, each of us has the potential to be as righteous as even Moshe Rabbeinu (Rambam, Teshuva 5:2).

So much so that we are obligated to put this question to ourselves: When will my actions reach the level of the actions of my forefathers Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov? (Tana d’Bei Eliyahu Chapter 25; Yalkut Shimoni, Devarim No. 830 [Devarim 5:6]).

If we are obligated to strive for such greatness, it must be within reach.

Reaching for such greatness is the task with which we are charged each day. We begin by thanking G-d that He “returned my soul to me with mercy.” But why thank Him for our soul? Wouldn’t we be better off if we awoke one morning to find that we have the soul of one of our great sages and leaders? Ah, but there’s the rub. Our own souls are not inferior to those of the great and pious and wise ones; our souls are laden with every bit as much potential as theirs.

That much is confirmed by the stature of those to whom we will be compared on our day of reckoning (Yoma 35b). A poor person who claims he was unable to learn Torah because he struggled to make ends meet will be asked if he was poorer than Hillel, who went to extraordinary lengths to learn Torah even when he lacked funds to gain entry

into the study hall. Conversely, a wealthy person who claims he was unable to learn Torah because of his business ventures will be asked whether he was wealthier than R’ Elazar ben Charsom, who learned Torah despite immense business holdings. G-d (so-to-speak) compares apples to apples: if we can be compared to such greats, we must have the potential to meet the standards they set.

The only true obstacle to realizing our limitless potential is our own penchant for denying it. As Marianne Williamson put it, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.”

A childless couple once came to the Baal Shem Tov for a blessing.

They desperately wanted a child but, alas, they could not conceive. After spending some time with the couple, the Baal Shem Tov informed the couple that, regrettably, he could not help them as the matter was beyond his powers.

But as the disappointed couple turned to leave, the Baal Shem Tov said, “Although there is nothing I can do for you, I know someone who can. Go two towns over. There you’ll find the holy R’ Chaim in the back of a tavern. He can help you.”

Skeptical about finding a savior

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

in the back of a tavern but with little choice, the couple set out to find the holy R’ Chaim.

When they arrived at the tavern, the couple asked the bartender where they might find “the holy R’ Chaim.”

“Holy R’ Chaim? Don’t know him,” replied the bartender. “The only ‘Chaim’ we have in these here parts is that wild drunkard you see in the back, spilling beer on everyone and making a fool of himself.”

What choice did they have? They approached the drunkard cautiously. “Um, are you the holy R’ Chaim?

We were referred to you by the Baal Shem Tov. We desperately wish to have children, and the Baal Shem Tov says we need a blessing from you.”

Knocking over tables and chairs and drinks and people, the drunkard struggled to his feet and almost immediately fell flat on his face.

That’s it – the couple thought – we’re out of here.

But on their way out, the couple was stopped by a bystander.

“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversations. That drunkard is the holy R’ Chaim you’re looking for.”

“But he’s a drunk!” claimed the couple. “What can he possibly offer us?”

“He is indeed a drunk. But if you

standing before him. “I extend to you the blessing of children!”

Within a year, they gave birth to a son. Realizing that the “drunk Chaim” was in fact the “holy R’ Chaim,” the couple could contain their curiosity no longer. So they returned to the Baal Shem Tov. “Why is it that G-d placed such

To count is to limit; to limit is to cap potential, and one must never do that.

can get him sober you’ll receive the blessings of a lifetime.”

So the couple hired a burly man to subdue the drunken “holy” R’ Chaim, and they kept him away from alcohol for several days, feeding him nothing but bread and water. When he finally came to, he saw the couple

power in the hands of a drunkard?

We just don’t get it.”

“Some people deny their own potential,” explained the Baal Shem Tov, “because if they recognized their own light, they would be too afraid of it.”

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And so it is for each of us. Our potential is infinite. We should not deny it. We should own it. And then we should actualize it.

1

Most authorities do not codify the prohibition against calling Avraham by the name “Avram” as a formal commandment (Maharsha/Tzlach, Berachos 13a; but see Magen Avraham 156:2), either because it was not promulgated at Sinai (Maharitz Chiyus, Berachos 13a; Zohar HaRakia, Positive Commandment No. 85; Rambam, Chullin 7:6) or because the prohibition applied only during Avraham’s lifetime (Responsa of Maharil Diskin [Kuntres Achron] No. 19). As a practical matter, most latter day authorities have relaxed any such prohibition (see e.g. Minchas Yitzchak, Vol. 3 No. 30; Sdei Chemed, Vol. 3, “Chof,” No. 83).

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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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

The Observant Jew

Ask Your Father

By Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

R

emember how, as a kid, you often got mixed messages? “Mommy, can I have ice cream?” “Ask your father.” “Daddy, can I have ice cream?” “Ask your mother.” Then, of course, you say, “Mommy, Daddy said I can have ice cream,” so she gives it to you even if she didn’t want to and Daddy gets an earful of what-for.

I’m not saying it was this way in all households, but I’m sure it’s pretty common. It’s like we choose to send the child to ask someone else so we don’t take the blame for saying no. We hate to disappoint our children, but sometimes it’s unavoidable or for their own good.

We have a saying in our house, “You get what you get and you don’t get upset.” On a simple level it means, “I don’t want to hear any arguments or complaints if you’re not happy. Be a sport and don’t let things get to you.” On a deeper level, it means we realize that whatever we get is what Hashem has determined we should get and is best for us. That way, we don’t have to be disappointed if we don’t get what we wanted.

Of course, it rarely works. Disappointments happen and they are hard to deal with calmly.

However, recently, a small story occurred that made me think about this concept. My daughters take a bus to school which does its pick-up from a central location near our home. It is right down the block from where I daven Shacharis in the

morning so it’s pretty convenient.

One morning, after I’d dropped them off, I drove down to the shul and parked. My phone buzzed – I turn it to vibrate before going into the shul building, a good idea for all involved – and I looked down to see a text message from my daughter, complete with a frowny face, that

opened his window, reached out to take the cup, and pulled it gently inside so my daughter didn’t miss out on her cocoa.

I texted her, “You’re welcome” before she even had time to say, “Thank you.”

It struck me. She thought there was no way she was going to get her

With a smooth movement he opened his window, reached out to take the cup, and pulled it gently inside so my daughter didn’t miss out on her cocoa.

she’d forgotten her hot cocoa in the car. As I noted the warm drink was, in fact, in the cup holder next to me, I looked up to see their bus beginning to pull out of the parking lot ahead of me. The lot is perpendicular to the street the shul is on so I was parked facing the lot exit.

In a moment, with almost divine enlightenment, I put the car in gear, glided swiftly down the block and across the road to the parking lot. As I did so, I slowed, rolled down my window, and extended my hand with her drink out towards the driver. With a smooth movement he

cocoa. It was a fait accompli and she was going to miss out – or so she thought. In truth, all she had to do was turn to me, her father, who loves her and wants to make her happy.

Now, you could not have asked for a more graceful resolution to this mini-crisis. It could have been set to music like it was choreographed. And of course, it was – by G-d Himself.

Hashem is our Father and He wants us to be happy. He can surprise us and come through in ways we couldn’t imagine before they actually happen. All we have to do, though, is know that He’s listening

and ask our Daddy to help us, or just let Him know we are suffering and are OK with whatever He decides for us.

We will get what we will get and we shouldn’t get upset because no matter what He’s planned this out for us well in advance of the situation we cannot see beyond. That means that no matter how daunting the prospects seem, we don’t need to worry. First of all, it doesn’t help.

Second of all, Hashem is our loving Father and the first step to facing any problem should be to reach out and tell Him we’re sad and know He’s the right One to turn to.

If we remember that, we will be able to take life’s disappointments as the best path for us as determined by Hashem who loves us and knows better than we do what we need. Then we will never have to cry over spilled milk – even if it’s a hot chocolate.

Jonathan Gewirtz is an inspirational writer and speaker whose work has appeared in publications around the world. You can find him at www.facebook.com/RabbiGewirtz, and follow him on Instagram @RabbiGewirtz or Twitter @RabbiJGewirtz. He also operates JewishSpeechWriter.com, where you can order a custom-made speech for your next special occasion. Sign up for the Migdal Ohr, his weekly PDF Dvar Torah in English. E-mail info@ JewishSpeechWriter.com and put Subscribe in the subject.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

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A Fulfilled L fe

Along the Ethical Divide

By Rabbi Dr. Naphtali Hoff

T

raditionally, corporate leadership has been understood as a mechanism through which managers drive and inspire their employees to increase production and profits. This narrow, results-oriented view is slowly diminishing, however. An increasing number of contemporary theorists are asserting that leaders also have the responsibility to establish and maintain moral and ethical standards within their organizations. This mandate is commonly called “ethical leadership,” and is in greater demand today than perhaps any time since the onset of capitalism.

What has prompted this recent drive towards ethical standards and practice? Many point to numerous instances of commercial greed that have generated headlines and untold angst over the past decade. Countless stories of business self-indulgence and corporate failures, such as those involving Enron, Worldcom, Coun-

tryside, and Ponzi scandals, highlighted a corrupt corporate landscape in which values and ethical conduct took a back seat to the bottom line.

And we all know the devastating outcome of these ill-fated decisions and cover-ups. In response, many leaders have been rethinking competitive advantage and the costs of trying to achieve it. They have positioned beliefs and relationships at the center of their organizations, placing increased emphasis on how we behave rather than on what we earn.

Of course, ethical leadership permeates every aspect of a leader’s conduct and decision-making. And it’s not limited to the corner office or the corporate boardroom. The political arena is also filled with debates and decisions that are cloaked in the pretext of ethics and morality. One need not look any further than the current federal government shutdown to see proof positive of this reality.

In a development that shocked no one, Republicans and Democrats

were unable agree on a spending plan for the fiscal year that started last Tuesday, leaving federal coffers short. The main issue was Obamacare, and whether the possibility existed for members of the GOP to overturn or at least lessen the impact of the controversial legislation. House Republicans have insisted that any new spending bill include provisions to defund, derail or otherwise reduce the scope of Obamacare.

Senate Democrats are insistent that it does not.

While it may be relatively easy for folks in the nation’s capital to understand Obamacare and to take a position on the matter, the situation blurs significantly when related tactics curtails other areas of governmental function. A group of Republicans believe the president’s signature domestic policy achievement is so bad for the country that it is worth disrupting government funding to undercut it. Others clearly disagree. While such aggravating

governmental machinations may be permitted to carry on indefinitely, the players continue to try to keep us focused on the ethical issues as they see them and gain our support in their political struggle.

Ethical leadership may be viewed in the world at large as a more recent phenomenon. However, from the Torah’s perspective it is perhaps the oldest form of leadership out there.

What makes the Torah’s presentation of ethical leadership more complex, however, is that it often combines issues of good and bad, moral and unjust, all in one person and/ or a single situation. The challenge is in identifying right from wrong despite the many justifications and arguments on either side.

Take, for example, the complex relationship of Avraham and Lot. The challenge is well-known. Avraham had dedicated his life to promulgating his view of a single, caring G-d. He did it primarily through a life of kindness, giving to others, and

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

had come to visit him in Sodom (see Bereishis 19) was less a reflection on his personal generosity than a reflection of Avraham’s training (Michtav M’Eliyahu, Vol. 1, pp. 115).

What was Avraham to do under such conditions? Ultimately, Avraham chose to part ways, primarily because of the friction that existed

If Avraham could go to extreme lengths to inspire complete strangers, was he not obligated to do so for his nephew?

5TJT Graphics 516.569.0502

using his generosity of spirit to bring pagan strangers under the wings of the shechina.

His nephew Lot accompanied him on his journey to Canaan and lived with him for years afterwards.

Yet, Lot was not prepared to internalize and embrace his uncle’s magnanimousness. For Lot, riches were

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something to hoard, not share. We find this first in the incident with his shepherds (see Bereishis 13). Later, he set his sights on the riches of Sodom, a desire that he maintained even after his capture by the four kings and supernatural release at the hands of Avraham.

At that earlier juncture, when Lot’s shepherds demonstrated a cavalier approach to feeding their cattle at others’ expense, Avraham had a serious dilemma on his hands. On the one hand, Lot was his nephew, brother of his wife Sarah.

He had demonstrated his capacity for self-control when he remained silent about Avraham and Sarah’s marriage while in Egypt. Furthermore, if Avraham could go to extreme lengths to inspire complete strangers, was he not obligated to do so for his nephew?

Yet, we see that Lot was clearly a source of regular concern for his uncle. He was a rasha; Avraham did not merit receiving divine communication so long as Lot resided with him.

His shepherds’ practices reflected poorly on the Hebrew progenitor and opened Avraham to criticism and the real prospect of chillul Hashem.

According to Rav Eliyahu Dessler, even his willingness to risk his own wellbeing and that of his family for the sake of complete strangers who

between his camp (including his shepherds) and his nephew’s. But it took much deliberation and a moral compass as finely tuned as his to make that difficult decision.

Leading ethically requires that leaders have a clear sense of right and wrong, even when the issue sits very much in between two legitimate, opposing sides. Minimally, it demands that he be in touch with someone who can see above the moment and offer clear, straightforward guidance. Ideally, it also requires that the leader himself be of impeccable or at least upstanding character.

Ethical leading takes courage and conviction. It means doing the right thing, even when it is neither popular nor easy. Nevertheless, when leaders base their decisions on divinely inspired values, then they send an important message that they will not be bought, while maintaining a standard that can help protect them from accusations of personal interests or ulterior motives.

Rabbi Naphtali Hoff, PsyD, is President of Impactful Coaching and Consulting.

He can be reached at (212) 470-6139 or at nhoff@impactfulcoaching.com. Buy his new leadership book, “Becoming the New Boss,” on Amazon or at BecomingtheNewBoss.com/order.

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A CONTENTIOUS ISSUE

Chareidim and the IDF Draft

By Sholom Nachtman

O

ne of the most perennially contentious issues in Israel is the draft exemption for yeshiva students. Over the decades since the State’s founding in 1948, draft exemption has fueled countless debates, protests, and legislative skirmishes. It is an issue that highlights the stark ideological divisions that exist among different sectors of the Israeli population. Last week, protests once again erupted across the country after chareidi men were arrested during protests and for refusing to comply with draft laws. This unrest follows on the heels of a September ruling by the Israeli Supreme Court invalidating draft laws formulated by the current coalition. These events indicate that government

forces have set themselves on a collision course with the chareidi population and that this divisive issue is set to roil Israeli society once again.

A full exploration of this sensitive, controversial, and complex issue is far beyond the purview of one article. But let’s take a look at the background of the issue and some details that can shed light into the current controversy.

Torato Omanuto

To begin understanding the situation as it stands today, a brief history of the long and tumultuous saga of chareidi draft exemptions is necessary.

After the State was founded in 1948, Israel began a policy of man-

datory conscription for all citizens.

All males, when they reach the age of 18, must serve in the army for 32 months; women need to serve for 24 months. The religious leaders of the time requested exemptions for yeshiva students as a way to restore the world of Torah scholarship which had been ravaged by the Holocaust.

Prime Minister David Ben Gurion reached an agreement to exempt yeshiva students from military service, a group which numbered 400 men, a mere .07% of the Jewish population at that time.

This exemption had a status which was given the designation Torato Omanuto. A Talmudic term, Torato Omanuto literally means “Torah is his craft” and refers to individuals whose sole occupation is

Torah scholarship. As the chareidi population grew, the number of citizens under the Torato Omanuto exemption increased exponentially. In 1968, there were 800 exemptions.

By 2005, exemptions had jumped to 41,450.

The increase in exemptions has been accompanied by a concomitant increase in discontentment and controversy surrounding the draft.

Unlike other countries that have mandatory military service, armed conflict and security concerns are an unfortunate pressing reality of Israel’s existence. Many Israeli citizens feel that the heavy responsibilities of military service are being shared unequally because of the chareidi draft exemption. Chareidim maintain that they serve the country through their

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Torah study and tefilla. Additionally, they find service in the army to be incompatible with their religious observance. This controversy, which reflects many overarching ideological disputes, is a fundamental point of contention between the chareidim and other sectors of the Israeli population.

As the debate wore on over the years, the Torato Omanuto exemption saw a shift in its legislative status. Up until the 1990s, the arrangement was under the authority of the Ministry of Defense. Towards the end of the decade, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the Ministry of Defense did not have the authority to dictate the terms of these exemptions. This ruling forced the government to reevaluate its policy towards exemptions for chareidim. Prime Minister Ehud Barak formed The Tal commission in 1999 to change the policy, and in 2002 the Tal Law was passed.

The Tal Law preserved the Torato Omanuto designation but under different parameters and with an eye towards reducing the number of exemptions that were issued. Opponents of the Tal Law said that it was too broad and that it failed to equalize responsibility for military service. In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that the Tal Law was unconstitutional, a move that brought the draft issue to the center of the national conversation yet again.

In 2013, while in a coalition with Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party, the Netanyahu government proposed new draft laws that would radically change the status quo. Yeshivas would be allowed to keep set quotas of students, but the remainder of chareidim would be required to go to the army. Those who refused would have the status of criminals. Additionally, the government’s distribution of financial benefits would be linked to cooperation with the draft laws.

This new legislation was met with outrage from the chareidi community who felt that it amounted to religious persecution and gross governmental overreach. Disapproval reached its peak in March of 2014, when chareidim came together to protest the new laws in Jerusalem.

Between 300,000 and 600,000 cit-

izens took to the streets to decry the new draft laws in one of the largest protests in Israeli history. Eventually, these laws were put on hold when the government fell apart later that year. In the 2015 elections, Orthodox parties were once again part of the coalition government, and regulations that would allow for further exemptions were proposed. In the current iteration of the law, full-time yeshiva students are not required to serve in the army provided they appear at a military office each year to get a deferment, or p’tur, to maintain their draft status.

A New Ruling

Recent turmoil in Israel regarding the draft started in September, when the Supreme Court issued a ruling that brought the question of chareidi exemptions to the fore. Facing pressure from non-governmental groups as well as opposition member Yair Lapid, the Supreme Court ruled that the law exempting yeshiva students was unconstitutional and did not reflect basic principles of fairness. The courts gave the government a year to come up with new laws that would spread military responsibility across the population in a more “equal” manner.

In the wake of this critical ruling there have been an increase in protests and arrests. On September 17, a week after the Supreme Court ruling, a major rally against the draft took

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

place in Meah Shearim. Protesters marched through the streets and blocked major thoroughfares, carrying signs to let their feelings be known about the issue. These protests turned violent when the crowds would not disperse. Water cannons, riot police and officers on horseback were utilized against the protesters, leading to many injuries. A large number of people were detained in the aftermath of the September protests, a harbinger of the increase in arrests that have taken place over the last month, many for draft-related infractions.

Among chareidim, there are those who fail to report to the mili-

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tary office to get their yearly p’tur.

Some do not appear for ideological reasons and some for more prosaic ones, such as moving to a new address and not receiving a notice in the mail. It is these p’tur-less citizens who have been targeted by the police and the military in recent months.

Last Sunday, two yeshiva students were pulled over after being seen driving erratically in the Dead Sea region. When the police saw that the two men had not reported the draft office for their p’tur, they arrested the pair and transferred them to the custody of the military police. Almost immediately, demonstrations erupted in Jerusalem against this action. Throughout the week, protesters blocked roads and clashed with authorities as they vented their anger against the arrests. On Tuesday, protesters gathered near the Jerusalem Central Bus Station, causing enormous traffic jams and blocking the train tracks. In cities across the country, from Tzfat to Bnei Brak, smaller demonstrations sympathetic to the cause of the arrested men have also occurred. As of Thursday, 120 people had been arrested. These protests have continued into this week and show no signs of stopping or decreasing in their intensity. The unrest has garnered international scrutiny, with accusations of police brutality and egregious behavior by protestors being leveled at the opposing sides.

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A Never-ending Battle?

It is unclear what the future holds for chareidi draft exemptions. This rancorous battle has been raging in Israeli society for decades, and the recent developments make it seem unlikely that a simple solution lies around the corner. The intractability

existence of religious devotion are incompatible with army service. From this perspective, the government’s proposals are grievous and undemocratic threats to religious liberty. The chareidi position is further complicated by differences of opinion among the community as to the best way to approach the draft issue. Finding a way to bridge this yawning ideological divide will be a monumental task.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

Ben Gurion & the Chazon Ish

Finding a way to bridge this yawning ideological divide will be a monumental task.

of this dispute is inextricably linked with ironclad convictions on both sides. A major segment of the Israeli population feels that the refusal of chareidim to join the army is the height of ingratitude and tantamount to betrayal. In their view, it typifies chareidi society’s rejection of amity with the rest of the country. This attitude, combined with what is seen as an outsized share of governmental influence and financial subsidies, has led to disapproval of the chareidim among the Israeli public.

For their part, the chareidim say that the government is using the draft to forcibly integrate them into a secular society. They feel that their desired

The government coalition, particularly religious MKs, have a tough road ahead finding a compromise that will be satisfactory to both sides. One development to watch in the months ahead will be the continued role of the Supreme Court’s involvement with draft laws. Habayit Hayehudi chairman Naftali Bennet has indicated that a major part of the upcoming winter session in the Knesset will be focused on reigning in the powers of the Supreme Court, whose ruling on the draft laws reignited the controversy. This may prove to be the first step on the path towards formulating new comprehensive draft legislation.

On October 20, 1952, there was a meeting between Ben Gurion and the Chazon Ish about the planned conscription of girls into the army.

The prime minister traveled to Bnei Brak to meet with the Chazon Ish. There was only one other person, Yitzchak Navon, in the room during the meeting, in which the two spoke for 50 minutes and then looked at the Chazon Ish’s shelves filled with seforim together. In recording his impressions in his diary after the meeting, Ben Gurion described the Chazon Ish as possessing the “face and eyes of a spiritual man.” He noted that the Chazon Ish spoke through the entire encounter “in a good spirit and with much laughter, lacking in a zealot’s anger, even though there is definitely something of the zealot about him, although it’s hidden from view.”

“There’s the question of existence, of preserving human life,” Ben Gurion recounted saying to the Chazon Ish. “Shouldn’t love of [the People of] Israel take precedence over everything?”

The Chazon Ish responded that, although love of Israel and love of Torah may seem like two separate things, they’re not, because “there is no Torah without Israel, and

no Israel without Torah.”

It was during this meeting that the Chazon Ish spoke about his famous mashal to Ben Gurion. When asked how the two groups can “live together,” the Chazon Ish described a scene from the Gemara in which “two camels meet on a path, and one of the camels is weighed down with a load, and the other camel is not.” In that scenario, “the one not carrying the burden must give way to the one who is.” The Chazon Ish explained, “We, the religious Jews, are analogous to the camel with the load – we carry a burden of hundreds of commandments. You” – secular Israel – “have to give way.”

Ben Gurion didn’t give into the Chazon Ish’s mashal so easily. He asked, “And the [second] camel isn’t weighed down with the burden of commandments? The commandment to settle the land isn’t a burden? ... And the commandments to defending life aren’t mitzvot? And what those boys whom you are so opposed to do, sitting on the borders and protecting you, that’s not a mitzvah?”

The Chazon Ish countered, “It is only thanks to the fact that we learn Torah that they [the soldiers] are able to exist.”

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OCTOBER 29, 26, 2015 2017 || The OCTOBER The Jewish Jewish Home Home

Dating Dialogue

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

Dear Navidaters,

I’m 47-years-old and divorced for three years. After about a year of being single again, I decided I was ready to meet someone new, but somehow really wasn’t being set up very much and when I was set up it was never with anyone that seemed right to me. After hearing this advice from a number of people, I decided to try one of the dating sites.

Eventually I met Evelyn on one of the sites and we started dating. She is a wonderful woman and I found myself really falling for her. On these sites, they ask you all sorts of questions so that before you reach out to anyone you have a pretty good sense of the details of their life. Along with many other details, I figured I should be dating a woman in the mid-forty age range. Evelyn said that she was 45, which was fine, and the entire time we were dating, I viewed her as a 45-yearold woman.

I recently bumped into my cousin, who I don’t see very often, and mentioned to her that I was dating someone named Evelyn, not thinking that she could possibly know who Evelyn was. Upon a longer conversation, it turned out that my cousin was pretty convinced that Evelyn went to school with her and was in her grade. My cousin is 51-years-old! I told my cousin that this could not possibly be, since Evelyn is 45. Eventually my cousin found her high school yearbook and showed me her picture. Sure enough, you could tell it was the same Evelyn.

The fact that she is older than I was looking for is disappointing, but not the end of the word. After getting to know her, I realize age is just a number and she has a young personality. But the fact that she lied to me is driving me crazy! I’ve spoken to a number of people who tell me that it’s not entirely unusual to lie about one’s age on these dating sites, but I’m having a very strong reaction to the whole thing. I feel like if Evelyn lied about her age, what else could she be lying about?

I’m wondering whether I‘m making more of this than I should or whether you think I should stay clear of Evelyn, even though we’ve really had a great connection.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

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51

The Panel

The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S.

I

will now turn the tables on you and ask you a question. Why haven’t you asked Evelyn directly yourself? It’s easy to bring a conversation around to the subject without coming across as attacking her. If honesty is important to you, don’t stew in your own juices; come right out and talk to her about it. That’s what people do in a relationship; they do not let things fester and build up resentment and anger. They talk and see where it goes.

Obviously talking is not going to resolve the age gap or what she did. But you will get a deeper sense of how she handles things. Let her talk and give this relationship time.

See if she is an open person and whether more chemistry develops.

Do not drop her.

It could be that she got advice; it could be that she tried being honest in the past. It’s different for men and women in the dating world, unfortunately. Lying about age on a dating site is not the same as being a compulsive liar.

As you keep seeing her, you want to examine and discuss with Evelyn your own age requirements and why you were so rigid about them. Do you let feelings fester or do you deal with them? Are you a rigid person? Do you have a fixed approach to things and find it hard to adapt when things don’t work out according to plan? Do you have a plan for the future that you

want your potential wife to fit into (early retirement, Aliyah, travel, etc.)? Are you capable of learning about a potential partner’s interests or do you want her to mesh perfectly with your own hobbies and passions? Can you work out issues?

Midlife marriages can be very satisfying but they are not the same as raising a family together. Think about these matters and discuss them with her and a wise person. Take the time to consult about second marriages, too, so you will be reminded about what’s important.

The Mother Sarah Schwartz Schreiber, P.A.

I

f you question concerns honesty, let me ask you a question. Answer honestly…

If you knew that Evelyn was 51 – six years older than you – would you have considered dating her? I would venture to guess you wouldn’t have given her a chance.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it umpteen times: age is just a number. There are farshlepte twentyyear-olds and energetic septuagenarians. How to confront Evelyn about her little white lie and deduce whether it portends of a dishonest character? Tell her you met her former high school classmate, your cousin. (In other words: Evelyn, my dear, the gig is up.) Assess

her reaction and tell her how this fib shook your trust in her. Undoubtedly, her explanation and the ensuing dialogue should help you determine whether her birthday will make or break this relationship.

The Shadchan

She probably isn’t robbing banks nor is she committing identity theft.

Michelle Mond

F

irstly, I must say that it is so wonderful that you have found a woman who you connect with so strongly after the difficult time you’ve had – don’t take it for granted! It sounds like you need to have a very open conversation with Evelyn. She will probably be delighted to set this all straight.

There can be so many reasons that a woman’s age will appear different on a dating site than in reality. Firstly, as I’m sure you have considered, websites are no strangers to glitches. It could be that her birthday was not updated on the site for a few years due to a technical error. Another possibility, which can cause this to happen, is when a friend or a parent fills out the online profile for the single. Many times the friend will push her friend to join when she really does not want to. She will then agree to fill out the forms for her, taking care of all the nitty gritty details. However, when this happens, often the naïve friend who is not thinking of consequences will

change the age so as to allow for more possibilities.

I have also had women tell me that their rabbanim say that it’s completely acceptable to stretch the truth about age on a profile. I would never personally recommend that because the age will come out eventually and then you get caught up in this exact predicament you are in. Nevertheless, there are rabbeim who give the OK for women to do so.

Bottom line is that it is possible she does not even know about the site having the wrong age and you can ease your anxieties by broaching the topic with her. Hear her out and see what her reaction is to the whole thing. If she did know about the age, you will want to hear where she was coming from, what led her to that decision, and find out who she got the guidance from to do so.

A relationship must be built

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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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

on trust, so you will have to have complete trust in her to move forward with this. Have an open conversation that will hopefully end up putting this issue to rest – hatzlacha!

The Single Tova Wein

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he sad truth of the matter is that many, many women lie about their ages when it comes to dating websites. I’m sure most of them feel terrible about doing so but have learnt the hard way that a few years off their age often opens up the door to a lot more potential contacts. Sad but true.

Men have the luxury of com-

fortably reaching out to women significantly younger than they are and no questions are ever asked. But when women want to date men who are the same age as themselves, or G-d forbid, men who are a few years younger than themselves, it becomes a major no-no!

You are a perfect example of the reality that exists. Had you known Evelyn’s true age, you probably never would have reached out to her. But, because of her lie, you felt comfortable connecting and subsequently meeting a wonderful woman whom you seem to have so much in common with.

So clearly the problem here is much greater than Evelyn’s age.

The problem lies within our existing expectations, which is a whole other story and I’m not sure how it can be resolved.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

At this point, however, I’m curious to know how long you’ve been dating. Say you’ve been dating for six months and the issue of her age has not yet come up. That would concern me, because at this point, Evelyn should be feeling safe enough with you to get real and explain her strategy, which though on the surface seems dishonest, is unfortunately, often necessary. If, however, you’ve only been dating for a month or two, maybe she is still struggling with figuring out when the perfect time would be to come clean.

My suggestion to you is that you bring it up to her and hear what she has to say about her little white lie. If she acts as though it’s no big deal, I would wonder whether she is capable of other white lies. However, if she acts uncomfortable and apologetic and explains to you why

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There truly is a secondary shidduch crisis – an emotional crisis.

she felt the pressure to put down a false age on her questionnaire and appears truly remorseful, I would consider it an isolated occurrence that does not necessarily reflect her attitude toward honesty in general.

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

E

velyn’s lying about her age does not concern me…yet. One isolated and culturally supported fib does not make Evelyn a liar, so be careful not to jump the gun. She probably isn’t robbing banks nor is she committing identity theft.

Let’s face it. It is challenging for women of a certain age to meet a man in any circle, let alone in Orthodox circles. Men are able to date much younger women as they age, while perfectly attractive, intelligent women of a certain age struggle to find a date. As my kids would say, and for once I concur, “It’s not fair!” For the time being, try to see Evelyn as a product of her environment.

With a positive, supportive at-

titude and spirit approach Evelyn about what you found out. Relay exactly what happened. I bumped into my cousin… yearbook…there you were, etc. And then, don’t say a word. Be prepared to observe her reaction. You want to see genuine remorse. Obviously, if she continues the lie, insisting she is 47, or if she is cavalier, or if she shows no remorse or regret, this speaks to a personality deficit. If that is the case, you will make your decision about your relationship. If she is truly apologetic and has a good reason for the lie, I encourage you to stay in the relationship because

you said you are falling for her. That is so precious and rare.

As for now, to all our readers, please keep in mind that this “shidduch system” has the power to make anyone a little meshugah. I see people every day who are impacted in one way, shape or form. Whether it is a beautiful, accomplished 25-year-old woman crying and depressed because she believes she is an “Old Maid,” or parents who are so anxious to see a child married off that they are unknowingly ruining their relationship with their child, or girls starving themselves, or older singles and divorcees being encouraged to lie about their age because the men their age are marrying younger women, there truly is a secondary shidduch crisis – an emotional cri-

sis. It would be nice if the people who had the power to change this would do something about it.

Sincerely, Jennifer Mann Esther Mann, LCSW and Jennifer Mann, LCSW are licensed psychotherapists and dating and relationship coaches working with individuals, couples and families in private practice in Hewlett, NY. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 516.224.7779.

Press 1 for Esther, 2 for Jennifer. Visit www.thenavidaters.com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email thenavidaters@gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Dr. Deb

Establishing Trust

By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

“D

o you see that big house?”

David said proudly to his new kallah, Laurie.

“That’s the kind of house we will live in.” (This story, like all stories that appear here, is made up.)

Except that didn’t happen.

Well, dreams don’t always come true and you can’t hold David responsible for dreaming big.

Except that for the next fifteen years, this seemed to be a pattern of his. With everything.

“Yes, I heard you. Yes, I will definitely check the boys’ homework tonight and be sure they do what they’re supposed to do.”

He didn’t.

“I understand we are late paying the mortgage. But it is only a day.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll withdraw money from my investment tomorrow. I’ll call Bookie the broker in the morning.”

Except he didn’t do that, either.

How in the world did Laurie continue to believe him? Well, she really didn’t. But she thought he was a good man, deep inside, and she didn’t want to end the marriage. It seemed he was lying. Or at the very least, not reliable. She didn’t believe a thing he said.

What David is thinking is that he is buying time, being optimistic, and showing Laurie he understands what she wants.

What David doesn’t seem to realize is that the compounded disappointments have made Laurie totally estranged from him. She doesn’t confide in him her dreams, hopes, or plans. She has often thought that maybe she ought to divorce him after all. She doesn’t respect him.

If David understood the damage he was doing to their relationship, he would work hard on the following middos:

Reliability Don’t say it unless you will do it.

Yes, of course, you often may intend to do it, but something got in the way, something not of your doing. So the solution to that is don’t say it even if there is a small chance, say, one percent, that an unexpected event will mar the plan.

Like the father who promises little Moishe he will come for him and take him out on Sunday. Except Sunday, he finds himself overwhelmed

with paperwork at the office and can’t make it. He is so unhappy with this turn of events that he doesn’t even phone to cancel. Moishe is waiting by the window, looking for daddy who never comes.

Don’t be that person. Prepare for the unexpected or the not-so-unexpected and only commit to what you will do, not hope to do. Come out of your dream world and assess how much time you have, how much money you have, how much work you have to do, who else needs your attention, and what else is pulling you off track.

Then stick to the plan. And keep sticking to each and every plan. The Torah says that if you have a reputation for some bad middah it is not enough to go back to a happy medium like everyone else. No, you have to go in the other direction, to the other extreme, in order to convince people that you have really changed. So you are not allowed even one slip-up.

Consistency (external) External consistency means a match between your behavior on Friday and your behavior on Monday. You can’t change. You’ve got to be whoever you really are. You can’t be friendly one day and unfriendly the next, talkative one day and silent the next. You can’t be upbeat and excited one day and hopeless the next.

You can’t be a softy with homework or kids cleaning rooms one day and a tyrant the next. You can’t be uninvolved one day and intrusive the next.

You’ve got to figure out who you are, how you want to act, and stick

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

with whatever it is you are.

That means that if you are a moody person and the prescription medications you are taking are not working, then you need to see a therapist who will help you regulate your moods.

This way, people in your life will know who you are and anticipate how you will respond, and if you are consistent, they will feel safer. Safety comes in because it is very disconcerting to not know what to expect in someone you know well.

That is why the best approach to becoming consistent with oneself is not to notice your own body language – although that could be a solution if it is less subtle and more obvious – but

Consistency (internal)

instead to notice how you really feel.

So if you really are angry but trying to hide it, it will show up in all sorts of unwanted body language.

Others may not notice the body itself but will get a negative impression.

Incidentally, when the body language and words of a person conflict in this way, the observer does not trust the individual.

The solution to this mismatch is to do some serious introspection and

Research has shown that people interpret body language as representing what we truly feel. This presents a problem of internal consistency when our body language and our words do not match. And the most difficult part of tracking down just what is going on with a person is that the differences in body language are often so subtle that we do not even notice them consciously.

learn exactly what you feel and why you feel that way and make a decision exactly about what you wish to share with another person.

Let’s say Jake does not want to

Prepare for the unexpected or the not-sounexpected and only commit to what you will do, not hope to do.

visit Julia’s parents on Sunday. He also doesn’t want to fight with Julia over it so he goes. But he is unhappy and angry. Don’t you think that will show? Not only will that get Julia annoyed – the very thing Jake wanted to avoid – but it pushes her away from him. Who is he? She doesn’t know. He’s this person behind a wall.

Jake has to say to Julia, “I don’t enjoy visiting your parents for X, Y, and Z reason. These things make me

45 101

very uncomfortable. We already have seen them the last two Sundays and I don’t think it’s fair to inflict this on me one more time. However, since I love you and you have your heart set on it, I will go this week but I don’t want to go next week, so let’s make other plans for next week.”

In this way, Jake not only speaks his true feelings to Julia, but explains why, tells her the lovely sacrifice he is making this time, and makes an assertive request for something better next time. He is now internally consistent – and has opened up the door to some real communication with Julia.

Reliability and consistency, both external and internal, are keys to becoming the trustworthy person you need to be in your most intimate relationships.

Dr. Deb Hirschhorn is a Marriage and Family Therapist. She can be reached at 646-54-DRDEB or by writing drdeb@ drdeb.com.

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Health & F tness

How to Boost Your Metabolism

By Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

M

Drinking water generally substitutes sugary beverages, saving you those extra calories. Additionally, drinking water fills you up, leaving less room for extra snacks. Even more so, studies have actually shown that drinking water alone can help boost your metabolism. When your body feels even slightly dehydrated, your metabolism slows down.

ost people want to be slim and look good. The problem is that keeping thin may not be so easy. While some people tend to be naturally thin while still eating whatever junk food they desire, others can diet and exercise regularly yet still struggle to lose weight.

This difference can be blamed on the different metabolic rates of each individual. Those with faster metabolisms tend to be “luckier.” Those with slower metabolisms need to work a little harder to keep the pounds off.

So the burning question is, how can you speed up your metabolism?

2. Drink green tea. Green tea contains a substance called catechin which has been shown to boost your metabolism. The antioxidant poly-

1.

Drink plenty of water.

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phenols found in green tea help convert the fat stored in your body into fatty acids which can increase fat burning and has therefore been shown to increase your metabolism by 4-5%. Green tea is also very low in calories, and like water, drinking green tea will most probably substitute sugary beverages and fill you up, thus aiding in weight loss and weight maintenance.

should convince you to sit down and have a solid meal when you wake up. Eating a nutrient dense breakfast – like oatmeal with almonds and berries or an omelet with a slice of whole grain toast – within 1-2 hours of getting out of bed literally wakes up your metabolism.

5. E xercise.

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Ideally, you should be eating 5-6 small meals a day, rather than 3 large meals.

rink coffee. You might 3. D feel that caffeine gives you the jitters. That’s because caffeine speeds up your metabolism by 5-10%. Caffeine increases the amount of energy your body uses.

4. E at breakfast! You probably know by now that I’m a big fan of eating a good breakfast.

Aside from the many benefits of eating breakfast, this alone

up your metabolism. This is true for all types of exercise – cardio workouts, high intensity interval training, and weight lifting. However, the higher the intensity, the better the results. Push yourself to do more intense workouts to get optimal results.

6. Eat spicy foods. Spicy foods not only add a kick of flavor to your food, they kick your metabolism into a

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

faster mode. Pepper contains a substance called capsaicin which is known to boost metabolism. Add chili powder or crushed red pepper flakes to your dishes, salads, and pizza.

Even try adding some jalapeno peppers to your sandwiches and feel the quick results.

7. G et a good night’s sleep.

Sleep deprivation is linked to obesity. This may be due to the fact that lack of sleep slows down your metabolism.

8. E at your omega-3s. Omega-3 fatty acids balance blood sugar and reduce inflammation, thus helping boost your metabolism too. Salmon, herring, tuna, and flaxseeds are great sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

9. E at small, frequent meals.

Your body tends to slow down

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in between meals. Ideally, you should be eating 5-6 small meals a day, rather than 3 large meals. Eating more often helps speed up your metabolism. Don’t go more than three hours with eating. This doesn’t mean you should be stuffing your face every three hours. Eat three meals a day, plus three healthy snacks.

10. Eat a lot of protein. Your body uses more energy to burn protein than it does to burn fat or carbohydrates. Thus, eating high protein foods help boost your metabolism. Good sources of protein include lean beef, turkey, fish, chicken, tofu, nuts, beans, eggs, and low-fat dairy products.

To summarize, in order to boost your metabolism after a good night’s sleep, have a well- balanced breakfast. Then go for a high intensity

workout while staying hydrated with plenty of water. Don’t forget to have a healthy snack shortly after. About 2-3 hours later, sit down for a protein-filled lunch with green tea on the side. Continue with the pattern of having a small snack about 3 hours later while drinking plenty of water in between. Later, sit down for an omega-3-rich spicy dinner. Try not to eat past 8pm, as your metabolism tends to be slower at night. Head for bed at a decent time, wake up and

start all over again!

Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN, is a Master’s level Registered Dietitian and Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist. She graduated CUNY Brooklyn College receiving a Bachelor’s in Science and Master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Sciences. She is currently a dietitian at Boro Park Center and a private nutrition consultant. She can be reached at CindyWeinberger1@gmail.com.

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Health & F tness

Five Years after Sandy – Lessons Learned

By Hylton I. Lightman, MD, DCH, FAAP

Dr. Lightman's office the day after Hurricane Sandy

H

urricane Harvey. Hurricane Irma. Yes, we here in Far Rockaway and the Five Towns can empathize with Houston, Florida, Puerto Rico, and other areas. Sifting through the pieces in a vortex of information and misinformation in trying to piece back together lives is not unfamiliar to us.

This October 28th marks five years since Hurricane Sandy blew her way into our lives, leaving devastation and desolation in her wake, including my medical office. With Sandy’s 5-year anniversary looming, there’s no time like the present to discuss lessons learned.

Preparation, preparation, and preparation is the first order of the day. Every day, and especially on the eve of a hurricane, our homes (and offices) should be ready with flashlights (with batteries that work), bottled water, canned food, and other nonperishable foods. The sprinkler system for yards should

be turned off; don’t rely on the rain sensor. Property should be secured so there are no potential flying objects. Windows should be taped at a minimum, or boarded up if necessary. Furniture and other objects should be removed from window areas and moved into the center of rooms. Make sure laundry is up to date. If blessed with a full generator for a property, ensure that it has “exercised” regularly and will kick in, should power fail. Fully charge all cellphones and laptops.

Is your property prone to flooding or water damage? Put all computers on higher floors or desks to minimize damage.

Speaking of failed power, walk through your homes in advance of the storm, viewing your home through the lenses of lost power. Are paths clear? Can you navigate stairs with minimal or no light? Assign a place on each floor of your home for key items like flashlights and candles

so you can access them easily, with minimal fuss.

Partner with your insurance broker in advance in reviewing your insurance policies. What does your policy cover and not cover? Do you have flood insurance? You may not live in a designated flood zone but you never know. Are your air conditioner compressors covered if they’re damaged by water? If you have a full generator, it is not necessarily covered under your homeowner’s policy but requires a separate rider. Question your broker until you’re clear and he has obtained the facts in writing for you.

Interesting fact we learned as a “by the way”: If, G-d forbid, there would be a terrorist attack, G-d forbid, your policy wouldn’t cover damage. You need a rider for it.

Another important avenue of pre-storm preparation is listing the contents of your home and/or office.

Invest the time – even without a

superstorm looming – to systematically inventory computer and other equipment, artwork and other valuables, and, in the case of my medical office, medical equipment and supplies. The ubiquitous cellphones with cameras are invaluable; make sure you backup this information to a cloud. Again, speak to your broker about this.

Now that your preparations are done and you’re staying put, please think of others. Speak to your friends and neighbors prior to the storm to ascertain who is home and who might need help. The Young Israel of Hollywood, Florida, set up a system during the recent Hurricane Irma to account for every shul member. Mi ki’amcha Yisrael.

Are you the parent or a family member of a person with disabilities who needs access to electricity and other amenities? Evacuate. Evacuate to a place where the needs can be met.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

Stay home and indoors during the storm. Wishing to watch the tidal surge and other parts of a storm may beckon but please don’t venture outside. It’s not the responsibility of the police, Hatzalah or other first responders to rescue such people from stupidity.

Specific to a medical office, we reviewed in advance our chronic needs patients, contacting and urging those we believed would be best served by not being in the area during Sandy.

We accessed medical and pharmaceutical information for all patients so there were no gaps in care. We worked with the local pharmacists to make sure medicinal needs were met.

Had we been more savvy about social media during and after Sandy we would have conveyed our messages even more cogently in order to help others.

Andre Perry and Amy Liu, vice president and director of the Metropolitan Policy Program, writing in

the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, says that the Trump administration and Congress can take lessons from Katrina and other hurricane outcomes to show that the “speed of action, scale of aid, and interagency coordination can set a strong foun-

know many people still waiting to be reimbursed. I’m not sure anyone can ever measure the overall stress and displacement and their effects on physical health. Never mind the exposure to mold.

It’s here that I sing praise for the

By knowing and recognizing G-d’s blessings, we are well on our way to being prepared for anything in life. dation for helping people and communities restore their lives and activities.”

These are nice words but based on our experiences, they’re just nice words. Politicians and government agencies, including FEMA, paraded through here but to what effect? We

power of community which cannot be underscored enough. The Jewish community near and far helped us. We will always remember the tractor-trailer trucks filled by Frank Storch and his fellow Baltimoreans that brought much relief to this part of the world. Boston’s Maimonides

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School sent a coach bus filled with high school students to help with the cleanup in Long Beach one Sunday afternoon. There were the tireless efforts of the Davis Memorial Fund, CAF, Nivneh, Tomchei Shabbos, Achiezer and key individuals who prefer not to be named. And many more. On a personal note, thank you ad infinitum to The White Shul which provided me with space to see patients while the office was rebuilt.

Truth be told, we should live each day to the fullest, appreciating G-d’s blessings. By knowing and recognizing G-d’s blessings, we are well on our way to being prepared for anything in life.

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

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

In The K

tchen

Mouthwatering Challah

Ingredients 4 cups warm water 2 cups sugar 2 tablespoons dry yeast 6 eggs ¾ cup canola oil 5 pound bag high gluten flour 1 tablespoon salt For topping: 1 egg, lightly beaten Your favorite toppings, such as sesame or poppy seeds

Preparation

By Naomi Nachman

This week has become known as “The Shabbos Project.” As part of this initiative, challah bakes around the globe have become wildly popular and successful. In some of these events, hundreds of unaffiliated women participate together to learn to make challah for Shabbos.

I have always loved baking bread, especially challah, and there is hardly a week that I don’t bake. Here is my easy challah recipe that will impress your family and friends. You can use all kinds of fillings, such as roasted garlic, dried fruits, fresh herbs and chocolate chips; you can also add toppings such as sesame seeds, poppy, garlic, zaatar, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. The sky is the limit!

In a large bowl pour 4 cups very warm water (not hotter than 115°F), then add sugar and yeast.

Let it sit and proof till it bubbles about 5 minutes and set aside.

While the yeast is proofing, mix eggs and oil together in a small bowl.

After the yeast has proofed, add oil/egg mixture to the yeast mixture, and stir to combine.

Add half of the flour into the mixture and mix together. Once it has started to combine add the salt and remaining flour. Mix and knead until a dough ball forms. It shouldn’t be too sticky or crumbly.

Let rise for 1 ½ - 2 hours, then divide the dough into 6 portions.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Divide each portion into 3 parts, then roll each part into a log. Braid and place on prepared baking sheets. Brush the tops with beaten egg and your choice of toppings, if using.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

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 | OCTOBER 26, 2017

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Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

It is time for players in the NFL to stop protests during the anthem and move on from what has become a divisive political sideshow. Instead, I encourage them to use their voices and influence to take a stand against domestic violence.

- Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in a letter to Roger Goodell, trolling the NFL which has a rather large domestic violence issue

Wow, what a moving evening this is. I’m sitting here listening, watching, absorbing, thinking about Ali even though I never met him. And with this kind of inspiration, I will go and take out Trump tonight.

President Bush embarrassed himself….

It’s clear he didn’t know that he didn’t understand anything he was talking about.

He equates the industrial revolution, agriculture revolution, globalization. He has no earthly idea whether he’s coming or going, just like it was when he was President of the United States.

- Steve Bannon responding to George W. Bush’s speech in which he took veiled shots at President Trump

- Rep Maxine Waters (D-CA) at the Ali Forney Center gala in New York City

There’s talk of including video gamers in future Olympics.

Olympic gamers would be treated like all other athletes, except they’d be tested for “performance-enhancing ramen.

- Conan O’Brien

Breaking news out of Brooklyn: a cow was on the loose… This cow was actually a baby bull; it escaped from a slaughterhouse – the only slaughterhouse in Brooklyn that hasn’t been converted into an art gallery/event space.

– Jimmy Kimmel

We’re going into an era where people want someone who comes up with solutions. I think we’re going into a time where you need somebody who can connect to people and relate to people at a base level and appreciate what they’re going through — and I think I qualify on each of those.

- Mark Cuban, on Fox News

“[I’ll] probably [run as a] Republican…

Because I think there’s a place for somebody who’s socially a centrist but I’m very fiscally conservative.

- Ibid.

MORE QUOTES

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I have to give them credit.

Trump and his allies, including Fox News, are really experts at distraction and diversion. So the closer the investigation about real Russian ties between Trump associates and real Russians, as we heard [Attorney General] Jeff Sessions finally admit to in his testimony the other day, the more they want to just throw mud on the wall.

- Hillary Clinton on C-Span responding to a new bombshell report by The Hill that in 2010 the FBI became aware that Russian nuclear industry officials gave large donations to the Clinton Global Initiative in an effort to sway the U.S. to approve a uranium deal with Russia

Quips From the Famous

A quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest.

- Complete contents of a note by Albert Einstein to a messenger in Japan, recently revealed and now up for auction

This man is a sick man. He’s coldhearted, and he feels no pity or sympathy for anyone.

- Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) on CNN, talking about a phone call between President Trump and a Gold Star widow which she eavesdropped on and in which she claims President Trump was flippant and said “that’s what he signed up for” about the dead soldier

It stuns me that a member of Congress would have listened in on that conversation. Absolutely stuns me. And I thought at least that was sacred. You know, when I was a kid growing up, a lot of things were sacred in our country. Women were sacred, looked upon with great honor. That’s obviously not the case anymore as we see from recent cases. Life – the dignity of life – is sacred. That’s gone.

Religion, that seems to be gone as well. Gold Star families, I think that left in the convention over the summer. But I just thought, the selfless devotion that brings a man or woman to die on the battlefield, I just thought that that might be sacred. And when I listened to this woman and what she was saying, and what she was doing on TV, the only thing I could do to collect my thoughts was to go and walk among the finest men and women on this Earth. And you can always find them because they’re in Arlington National Cemetery.

- White House Chief of Staff John Kelly in a press conference after Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) listened into President Trump’s phone call to a Gold Star widow and then claimed that President Trump was insensitive during the call

You mean to tell me that I have become so important that the White House is following me and my words? This is amazing.

That’s amazing. That is absolutely phenomenal. I’ll have to tell my kids that I’m a rock star now.

- Rep. Wilson in an interview with WSVN-TV in Miami

As we say in the South, “all hat, no cattle.”

- White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders categorizing Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.)

MORE QUOTES

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Every morning I wake up in my office and I scroll through Twitter to see which tweets I will have to pretend I didn’t see later on.

Every afternoon former Speaker John Boehner calls me up, not to give advice, just to laugh.

-Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, at the Al Smith dinner

The truth is, the press absolutely misunderstands and never records the big accomplishments of the White House. Look at all the new jobs the president has created — just among the White House staff.

- Ibid.

When you read the papers tomorrow, everyone’s going to report this thing differently. Breitbart is going to lead with: “Ryan slams the president among liberal elites.”

The New York Times is going to report: “Ryan defends the president in a state Hillary won.”

And the president will tweet, “300,000 at Al Smith dinner cheer mention of my name.”

- Ibid.

Oh, I don’t know what it would be; I have everything.

- Lucy Treccasse, of Pittsburgh, when asked on her 112th birthday what she would want for her birthday

MORE QUOTES

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By executing this Agreement below, the Applicant verifies that the Applicant: (1) does not boycott Israel; and (2) will not boycott Israel during the term of this Agreement – Part of the application that residents of Dickinson, Texas, have to agree to in order to get Hurricane Harvey relief funds, in accordance with Texas’ anti-BDS law

He is barely on speaking terms with the English language. I don’t think I’ve heard him complete a sentence in two years that had a subject, an object, and a verb.

- Washington Post columnist, NBC News political commentator and “Never Trumper” George Will joining the histrionics against the president

At least the Taliban were honest enough to say, “I’m the guy who’s gonna cut your throat.” Here, it could be the guy I pass in the corridor who’s going to sign the paper that sends me away for life.

- Bowe Bergdahl in a recently released interview complaining about his treatment in the U.S.

The people here needed this. Harvey didn’t care what your address was.

- Baseball Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, about his former team, the Houston Astros, who dedicated their ALCS Game 7 win over the New York Yankees to the victims of Hurricane Harvey

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

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Political Crossfire

The Rubble in Raqqa is a Reminder

By David Ignatius

L

ooking at photographs of the ruined, desolate streets of what was once the Islamic State’s capital of Raqqa is a reminder of the overwhelming, pitilessly effective military power of the United States.

Perhaps it’s a tribute to the inevitable nature of American force, once it’s engaged, that the fall of Raqqa last week provoked so little public discussion. Commentators focused on whether President Trump had dissed the parents of America’s fallen warriors, but they barely seemed to notice that our military has achieved a goal that three years ago seemed distant and uncertain.

The heaps of rubble in Raqqa that once housed terrorists and torturers convey a bedrock lesson, as valid now as in 1945: It’s a mistake to provoke the United States. It may take America a while to respond to a threat, but once the machine of U.S. power is engaged, it’s relentless – so long as the political will exists to sustain it.

The Raqqa campaign is a reminder, too, of something we rarely see in these divisive days – the continuity of U.S. commitments from the Obama administration to Trump. Truly, it was a shared enterprise. Trump deserves credit for accelerating the campaign against the Islamic State and giving commanders more authority. But the basic strategy – and the will to resist the jihadists in the first place – was President Obama’s.

A secure and confident Trump would invite Obama to the White

House to meet with commanders and troops returning from the battle. That would remind the world that America can keep its word, across administrations. Trump, still anxious about his authority, seems incapable of such generosity.

Thinking back to the beginning of this campaign is to recall how fragile it initially seemed. The Islamic State exploded in the summer of 2014, overrunning Mosul and racing like a firestorm across the Sunni regions of

When Obama announced his goal to “degrade and ultimately destroy” the Islamic State, it sounded like an obtuse and conditional war aim. And it didn’t help that nobody agreed on a name for this enemy, variously called “ISIS,” “ISIL” and “Daesh.” America was hardly enthusiastic for the war after long, frustrating battles against Islamic insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. But Obama pushed ahead.

The campaign got off to a slow start. Tribes in Iraq’s Euphrates Val-

The heaps of rubble in Raqqa that once housed terrorists and torturers convey a bedrock lesson, as valid now as in 1945: It’s a mistake to provoke the United States.

Syria and Iraq. The lines of defense buckled. The Kurdish capital of Irbil was in danger; so was Baghdad.

As a precondition for American military involvement, Obama demanded a new government in Baghdad that would be less pro-Shiite sectarian and better able to win Sunni trust. He was right, and he got what he wanted in the replacement of Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister by Haider al-Abadi, who has had a steadier hand than Iraq-watchers initially predicted.

ley pleaded for American aid that was initially slow to arrive. The Iraqi military was a mess until the U.S.-trained Counter-Terrorism Service began to display real combat power. But gradually, mostly invisibly, the battle turned: U.S. airpower killed tens of thousands of recruits to the caliphate, obliterating anyone who raised a digital signal.

The U.S. military said little about this harsh campaign, but Syrian and Iraqi fighters saw it, and people go with a winner.

Watching this battle unfold during multiple visits to Iraq and Syria, I saw two factors that changed the tide.

First, the U.S. found committed allies.

The toughest fighters initially were Kurdish, the KDP and PUK peshmerga militias in Iraq, and the YPG in Syria.

They stood their ground and fought, and died. (This Kurdish loyalty is worth remembering now, in their time of troubles.) The anti-Islamic State alliance broadened as the Iraqi military got stronger, and YPG recruited Sunnis into a broader coalition dubbed the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Victory came from marrying these committed fighters to America’s devastating firepower. The U.S. could dial in strikes from an array of platforms – drones, fixed-wing aircraft, advanced artillery. The ruin of Raqqa makes it look like we just pounded everything, and the U.S. needs to make a self-critical accounting of civilian loss of life.

Honesty about the war’s human cost, and American responsibility for mistakes made in the fog of battle, is the best bridge to the future.

The problem with this campaign from the beginning was that our military dominance was patched on top of political quicksand. That’s still true. Obama never had a clear political strategy for creating a reformed, post-Islamic State Syria and Iraq; neither does Trump. Our military is supremely effective in its sphere, but the enduring problems of governance, it cannot solve. (c) 2017, Washington Post Writers Group

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Forgotten Her es

The Blackbird Rules the Skies

By Avi Heiligman

The SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest plane in the world

T

o the inquisitive mind that is interested in military machines there are a few military machines that are just so extraordinary that they turn heads when they are even mentioned. Flamethrowers, for example, have been banned in international law for the sheer destructiveness that they caused. Another example is the two largest battleships in history, the Yamato and Musashi.

The Japanese battleships were sunk during World War II but until that point had the American Navy on the edge of their seats. The same could be said with the British hunting down the German battleship Bismarck.

Many different types of airplanes have changed the landscape of battles and therefore have a place in aviation history. However, there is one plane that just went faster and higher than any other manned plane in history and is one of only a few described as spectacular. Built out of desperation, the SR-71 was a plane like none other built in history.

Kelly Johnson was the team leader at Lockheed’s Skunk Works in the 1950s and ‘60s. His resume was impressive as he led the team that built the P-39 Lighting during World War II and America’s first operational jet fighter, the P-80 Shooting Star. In 1955 he was contacted by the CIA to produce a spy plane and to create a top secret facility. The plane was the U-2 “Dragon Lady” spy plane and the place where it was built and tested is still top secret, known today as Area 51. The U-2 provided an all-weather intelligence gathering at high altitudes. However, in 1960, its slow speed

caused the U-2 piloted by Gary Francis Powers to be shot down over Russia with surface-to-air missiles. The international incident quickly escalated when the USSR demanded an American apology. President Eisenhower refused Nikita Khrushchev’s demand The Russians, despite the tensions, were able to walk away with much of the secret equipment from the wreck.

Two years later another U-2 was shot down over Havana, Cuba.

Two problems with the U-2 were that it was subsonic (flew at speeds slower than the speed of sound) and the large radar “cross-section.” The CIA wanted to have a faster spy and reconnaissance plane that could fly undetected by enemy radar. Lockheed, under Kelly Johnson, was battling against Convair to produce a stealthy spy plane. Known as a Black Project (CIA terminology for projects so highly classified that the public isn’t made aware of their existence), the A-12 was developed in 1962 and was the precursor to the SR-71. Lockheed won the contract, and it was determined that the A-12 was too good to be used on spy missions. The Blackbird was a tad bit slower, heavier and had a surface ceiling of close to 90,000 feet instead of the A-12’s 95,000 ceiling. This made it more manageable for the crew of two as a backseater was added in the SR-71.

In 1968 the CIA instructed Lockheed to destroy the tools that made the A-12 as the titanium-made SR-71 was coming off the production line.

During the 1970s the SR-71 was sent to three bases: Palmdale, California; Mildenhall, England; and Kadena Air

A U-2 reconnaissance plane in flight

Force Base in Okinawa, Japan. It was during this time that records were set for speed and altitude for air-breathing aircraft that still stand today. The fastest and highest the unarmed jets flew has been recorded at Mach 3.5 (Mach is the speed of sound; Mach1 equals 767 MPH.) In fact, no one really knows how fast it can go and its limits on altitude. Estimates range from 87,000 feet to over 100,000 feet.

Many of the missions the Blackbird went on are recorded and one factor is a part of them all. Great skill and handling was needed to operate the Blackbird as it wasn’t like anything else the air force had in service.

Spacesuits and pure oxygen were needed by the operators to breathe normally at really high altitudes. Titanium doesn’t work like other metals and gas used to leak out of the wings at high altitudes.

With the Arabs receiving help from the USSR and North Korea, the Israelis was assisted by the Americans during the Yom Kippur War. While no American plane took part in aerial combat, they were vital in the resupply mission and flew key intelligence reconnaissance missions. These missions were flown by a SR-71 Blackbird and were assisted by KC-135 air refueling tankers. Three missions over Egyptian territory provided a wealth of information that was passed onto the Israelis.

The real problem for the Blackbird wasn’t being shot at by missiles but rather the tremendous costs to keep it airborne. To refuel the plane midair on an across-the-world mission cost the air force hundreds of thousands of

dollars per mission. Special fuel was required by the jet as it was designed not to vaporize or blow up at high altitudes or pressure. Air refueling KC135 tankers were specially fitted for the task of refueling the Blackbird.

In 1989, the air force decided to terminate the SR-71 citing budgetary concerns as satellites would take over the spy missions. Five years later, Congress voted to refurbish three Blackbirds, and these were in service until the end of the decade.

Today, the remaining twenty SR71 Blackbirds from the 32 originally built are in museums. None were shot down by the thousands of missiles shot at them and only one airman was killed when his Blackbird crashed on a training flight. Instead of the satellites used in the period when they initially were retired in 1989, the air force relies on UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, aka drones) for surveillance and reconnaissance.

Lockheed recently announced that they are in the development stage of the SR-72. It is an unmanned spy plane that can go in excess of Mach 6.

It may never be put into service, and even it does see use in the air force, the SR-71 will still hold a special place in air force history.

In a couple of weeks we will explore some of the missions of the Blackbird and other planes that may have not reached the headlines.

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@ gmail.com.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

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Good Hum r

Crucial Clips

By Jon Kranz

A

stronomers are fascinated with the Big Dipper. Dolphin enthusiasts are obsessed with the TV show “Flipper.” Notre Dame fans like to win one for the Gipper. Others, however, are more intrigued by the Clipper. No, not a Clipper from the Los Angeles Clippers of professional basketball or the Columbus Clippers of minor league baseball. The most intriguing Clippers are the Jews who fasten their skullcaps to their heads with a clip.

No, I’m not talking about paper clips, money clips, movie clips or military instructions to Cancel Launch in Progress (CLIPs). I’m not talking about news clippings or lawn clippings and I’m also not talking about clipping someone’s wings or clipping someone on the football field. To be clear, I’m talking about clipping a kippah using one of those menschy metal kippah clips that desperately hold on to a yarmulka for dear life like a string holding a kite, like a rock climber gripping a jug-hold or like an infant clutching a pacifier.

Many Jews take kippah clips for granted but they actually are a relatively new invention. For thousands of years, Jews had no such clips and that challenging period of time is referred to by most historians as the B.C.E. (Before the Clip Era). During the B.C.E., Jews resorted to wearing relatively large and heavy head-gripping kippot that did not require extra fastening. Eventually, however, the larger head-coverings fell out of fashion and some Jews transitioned to less massive kippot. This transition was made

possible largely by the creation of the game-changing bobby pin. (In the United Kingdom, a bobby pin is known as a hair grip, which also describes what happens when you fight with your siblings.)

The bobby pin was invented after World War I and was named after the then-popular hairdo known as the “bob cut” (which is not to be

visible but the latest fad is to have the clips sown into the lining on the underside of the kippah, thus removing those unsightly clips from view. As a result, many kippah clips have become invisible heroes, always playing second fiddle and taking a backseat to the attention-grabbing, scene-stealing kippah. Yes, the kippah clip is to the kippah what

Yes, the kippah clip is to the kippah what Robin is to Batman and what Tanto is to the Lone Ranger.

confused with the “babka,” an arguably more important invention).

Bobby pins are credited with saving thousands of flimsy yarmulkas from the most depressing and hopeless destination on the planet, the lost & found. When it comes to the lost & found, many enter but few leave.

(The same could be said of retirees moving to Boca Raton.) Conversely, there is at least one place which has more people leaving than entering: a hospital delivery room.

At some juncture, the bobby pin (like most of my wardrobe) went from being hip to homely, thus opening up the market for a trendy substitute, the modern-day kippah clip. (Hooray!) For many years, the shiny metal clips remained highly

Robin is to Batman and what Tanto is to the Lone Ranger.

For kippah-wearing Jews, the kippah clip has opened a wide array of action-filled activities previously unapproachable for those worried about keeping their heads covered.

Such activities include sky diving, trapezing and sleeping like a bat.

Of course, these pursuits require several of those metal clips to keep the kippahs intact. That said, you are using far too many kippah clips if you set off airport metal detectors from the parking lot, if you routinely must dodge magnets flying right at you, or if you can conduct enough electricity to power your village.

For those who do not wear skullcaps with clips, it may be difficult to

appreciate how critical the clips can be. Perhaps the best way to convey the importance of kippah clips is through song. So please, sing the lyrics below to my song, titled “Totally Clipped from the Start”: Turn around, every now and then I get a little bit tired of picking up my fallen kippah Turn around, every now and then I get a little bit worried that I’m gonna lose my best yarmulke...

Turn around, Oy-Vey! Every now and then my lid falls off Turn around, Oy-Vey! Every now and then my lid gets lost And I need clips now, tonight And I need them more than ever And if I only clipped it tight I’d be wearing lids forever And I’ll never let my lids take flight Clips will never be wrong...

Once upon a time I was losing my lids, but now my head is covered in part Nothing I can say, totally clipped from the start.

Once upon a time I was losing my tops, but now I have the happiest heart Nothing more to do, totallyclipped from the start.

Bottom line on the kippah topic: Loose (c)lips sink ships.

Jon Kranz is an attorney living in Englewood, New Jersey. Send any comments, questions or insults to jkranz285@ gmail.com.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

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COMMERCIAL RE

COMMERCIAL RE

CEDARHURST 500-3,500 +/- SF Beautiful, newly renovated space for rent. Ideal for Retail or Executive offices. Prime location. Convenient Parking.

Call Sam @516-612-2433 or 718-747-8080

HEWLETT: 2,512 +/- Turn-Key Medical/Office, All Rooms have Sinks, Lovely Atrium-like Setting, 8 Car On-Site Parking, Handicap Access, For Lease…

Call Randy For More Details (516) 2953000 www.pugatch.com

EAST ROCKAWAY: 1,500+/-SF Office Space in Professional Elevator Bldg W/Full Bsmt & Ample Parking, 3 Private Offices, Conference Rm, Bullpen & Reception Area, For Lease… Call For More Details Broker (516) 792-6698

ISLAND PARK: 1,400+/-SF Storefront with Office Space and Kitchenette in Rear, 3 Parking Spots + Municipal Parking, Great Location, For Lease …Call Sean for More Details (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

FAR ROCKAWAY: 8,600SF DayCare/School Available, Various Classrooms, Offices, Multi-Purpose Room, Kitchenette & Bathrooms, Ready to Go!!! For Lease …

Call For More Details Broker (516) 792-6698

LYNBROOK: 725 +/- SF Commercial Co-Op, Any Professional Use, Waiting Room, Exam Rooms, Lab, Reception, Consultation, Can be Fully Furnished, For Sale … Call For More Details Broker (516) 792-6698

HUNTINGTON STATION: 1,500 +/- SF Free Standing Building W/ Parking, Great Location, High Visibility, For Lease…Call Ian for More Details (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

CEDARHURST

Great first floor 2 bdrm, 2 bth, spacious apartment with enclosed porch. Call Chana (516)449-9692 $299K

FAR ROCKAWAY

Why rent when you can own? 3+ bdrm home in the heart of Far Rockaway. Great finished bsmnt. Call Malka (516) 967-1967 $579K

LAWRENCE

LAWRENCE

6br 3bth expanded ranch on very large property in prestigious Sutton Park. Call Chana (516)449-9692 $5400/month

Gut-renovated colonial w/ 4bdms on 1 level. New EIK, hardwood floors. Large yard with deck. Call Bryna (516)322-4831 $729K

WOODMERE

WOODMERE

New Construction! Grand 4100sqft CH w/ full attic. Quiet block in Academy section of Wdmr SD#14 for top local builder. $1.35M

New exclusive! Completely renovated 6br 5.5 bth colonial in prime location. Top of the line updates. Call Chana (516) 449-9692 $1.85M

WOODMERE

LAWRENCE

New exclusive! 3br 2.5bth colonial with large EIK, den, finished basement. Call Bryna (516)322-4831 $799K

Beautiful and updated 1-3br rentals available.

Call Bryna (516) 322-4831. $2000-$2900/month

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

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New From Ground Up, Spacious 2BR, 2BA, Eik, 3BR, 2BA Cape, Finished Charming 3BR CH Col, 2BR,Near All..$1,950/mo 1st Flr, Parking..$2,650/mo Bsmt, Low Taxes..$575K Porch,Bsmt,SD#14..$649K

HEARD IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD Turn Clocks Back Nov 5 @ 2am  The Great Challah Bake At The Sands Spacious 6BR, LR W/Fplc, Very Lg Split Level, 9BR, Atlantic Beach - Nov 1 @ 7:30pm Den, Garage..$4,000/mo Lot Size 103x118..$1.199M Email Carol at cbraunstein@pugatch.com for any special announcements or events. 

Carol Braunstein

Susan Pugatch

(516) 592-2206

295-3000

Call or Text

cbraunstein@pugatch.com

(516)

www.pugatch.com

spugatch@pugatch.com

H E W L E T T: 56 Prospect Ave (12-1:30)$619K I N W O O D : 1 W e s t v i l l e R d ( 1 2 - 1 : 3 0 ) $575K LAWRENCE: 4 2 B a r r e t t R d ( 1 2 - 1 : 3 0 ) $1.199M WOODMERE: 4 0 N e p t u n e Av e ( 2 - 4 ) $975K WOODMERE: 1075 Highland Pl (12-1:30)$649K

 8600SF Turn Key DayCare/Nursey  W/ Various Classrooms, Offices, &

More Call Lenny Bobrow For Details!!!

 1,100+/- SF Medical Ste  Modern Bldg, Great Parking

Call Randy For More Details!!!

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Classifieds classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com / text 443-929-4003 COMMERCIAL RE

APT FOR RENT

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

VALLEY STREAM: 1,200+/-SF Office Space, 2nd Floor Walk-Up, features Kitchenette, 3 Small Offices, Conference Room and 2 Bathrooms, Great Location, For Lease …Call Paul for More Details (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

2 BEDROOMS APT IN FAR ROCKAWAY available furnished newly renovated basement apartment with high ceilings, airy and light Brand new kitchen and appliances. All rooms have split air conditioner. Full bathroom and WiFi. $1350 + utilities Please call Ricki 347-248-9160

Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, Woodmere, NY, seeks MIDDLE SCHOOL LANGUAGE ARTS TEACHER for immediate hire.

Resumes to Ulubetski@halb.org

Local F.T. Accounting Office Seeks P/T JR. ACCOUNTANT proficient in Q.B. knowledge of payroll tax, sales tax, business tax and individual taxes Qualified applicants should please e-mail resume to: 5towntaxoffice@gmail.com

INWOOD OFFICE SPACE LOWEST PRICES IN TOWN! 500-7000 Square feet gorgeous office space with WATERVIEW in Inwood!

Lots of options. Tons of parking.

Will divide and customize space for your needs! Call 516-567-0100

CO-OP FOR SALE WOODMERE: BEST BUY – NEW PRICE SMALL PETS OK: Beautiful Corner Unit In Elevator Bldg, 2BR, 5 Closets, All Large Rooms, Sunny & Spacious, Close To All...$165K Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com FAR ROCKAWAY 833 Central , 1st floor, balcony, doorman. Completely renovated, near LIRR, 2BR/2 full bath, 2 DW/sinks, wood cabinets, granite counters $339 917-572-9644

CEDARHURST: Fabulous & Very Spacious 2BR, 2Fbth, Storage Units, Close To All...$2,650/mo Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com FAR ROCKAWAY: Bungalow: New from the Ground Up, Roof, Siding, Eik, 2BR, Near All $1,950/mo.

Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

HELP WANTED SEEKING PAYROLL CLERK in Valley Stream corporate office to process weekly payrolls, & benefits. *detail oriented *tight deadlines *proficient in Microsoft Excel Apply at: (case sensitive) https://goo.gl/m2cGVc

ASSISTANT MORAH Looking for a heimish, post-high school girl to work as a warm and loving assistant Morah in a 2 year old Far Rockaway playgroup. Hours are 9-3 (12:00 Friday). Alternatively, 2 assistants: 9-12 and 12-3. Competitive pay, vacation, and sick days.

For more information, please email mirimiller3@yahoo.com Seeking PRE-1A AFTERNOON TEACHER for a Bais Yaakov in Far Rockaway to start immediately.

Please email resume to teachingpositions1@gmail.com First Grade and Preschool assistant teacher needed for a Bais Yaakov in Far Rockaway- to start immediately.

Call 718-868-3232 or email teachingpositions1@gmail.com

Help Wanted Pugatch Realty Corp., in Woodmere, is looking to hire and train a select group of motivated Realtors. If you are looking to build a career in real estate, or looking to take your existing career to the next level, there is no better place to start that the #1 Real Estate Brokerage in the Five Towns…

Call Today (516) 295-3000 x 128. All calls kept confidential.

BOYS KIRUV SCHOOL LOCATED IN KEW GARDENS SEEKS GENERAL STUDIES TEACHERS for upper elementary grades. Must be proficient in Common Core curriculum and comfortable with technology in the classroom in addition to receiving training in an award winning system.

Competitive salary.

Hours are Monday-Thursday 12:30-3:45 Please send resumes to jobseekfr@yahoo.com

Brand New Modern Offices for Rent In Heart of Cedarhurst

FOR RENT

➢ Features:

➢ 1,700 Sq. Ft ➢ 2 Bathrooms ➢ 3-4 offices/areas ➢ Office/Retail Space ➢ Beautiful & Sleek Design ➢ Adjacent to Municipal Parking

Great for one or multiple offices of any type!

For more information please call:

Sam @ 516-855-8548

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

Classifieds HELP WANTED F/T & P/T 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 experience. OHEL: 855-OHEL JOB, www.ohelfamily.org/careers FIVE TOWNS OFFICE LOOKING FOR immediate hire of several people…part time and full time…starting at $15 per hour. Need detail- oriented person to handle A/P, A/R, customer service, and ability to negotiate bids and contracts.

Computer literate a must.

Please email fabadi@egwaste.com 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

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classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com text 443-929-4003

HELP WANTED YESHIVA KETANA OF LONG ISLAND is looking for a dynamic, positive and professional afternoon assistant for a general studies first or second grade position.

Please fax resume to 516-368-9199 or email to office@ykli.org

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

MISC SHIDDUCH DATING? NEED PLACES TO GO? Check out Pegishaplace.com WIG GEMACH Everyone in our community deserves to look great! Donate used wigs and make a world of a difference.

For appointments to see wigs or to donate, call Deena 845-304-6668

Small Ads at Work

Weekly Classifed Ads Up to 5 lines and/or 25 words 1 week ................ $20 $10 2 weeks .............. $35 $17.50 4 weeks .............. $60 $30 Email ads to: classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com Include valid credit card info

Deadline Monday 5:00pm

Classifieds

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Baby-Friendly Care

 Personalized Attention

Expert Skill and Dedicated Service you Deserve

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Your

Money

They Hate Him at the IRS, Too

By Allan Rolnick, CPA

W

e live in an unfortunate era of disunity. Cultural divides, racial divides, religious divides, and political divides are threatening to tear America apart. Every so often, though, someone comes along to unite us all in a great primal scream of rage. Remember “Pharma bro” Martin Shkreli, who bought the company that manufactures the prescription Daraprim, then jacked the price from $13.50 to $750 per pill? We really do need more people like him to unite us against a common enemy.

Rick Smith probably never imagined his company would become one of those uniters. But up until last month, he was CEO of Equifax, the credit-reporting bureau that got hacked and waited six weeks to reveal it. By that time, intruders had made off with critically sensitive information on 143 million Americans. Was the hacker just some pimply Russian teenager living in his babushka’s basement?

An international gang of cyber-thieves? We may never know. But that 143 million figure certainly includes thousands of our friends at the IRS, who may not look kindly on the millions of dollars Smith earned leading up to the leak.

Smith’s abrupt resignation means he’ll walk away with only a pro-rated portion of his $1.45 million salary for 2017. He’ll also lose his

in the stock. In fact, Smith has taken home 633,427 shares of Equifax stock, worth roughly $60 million, just since the start of 2016.

Here’s how it works: • 203,427 of those shares came at no cost in the form of restricted stock awards or outright grants. Smith pays ordinary income tax on the fair market value at the time it’s awarded.

tired,” rather than getting canned, he keeps his unvested options to buy millions more worth of shares over the next few years, just as if he were still working for the company.

No matter how Smith acquires his stock, he recognizes capital gain or loss when he sells. And he’s not shy about selling — since 2016, he’s unloaded 679,286

Was the hacker just some pimply Russian teenager living in his babushka’s basement?

An international gang of cyber-thieves? performance bonus, which could have been another $3 million. Of course, he would have paid the IRS 43.4% of those amounts anyway. But Smith can afford to shrug off losing the cash comp. That’s because, like with most top executives at publicly-traded companies, the real action is

• He acquired the rest by exercising options at cost to him of about $15.4 million. He pays regular tax on the difference between that amount and fair market value at the time he exercises the options.

• Because Smith “re-

shares for a net gain of $68.9 million. That’s nice timing, considering the stock has dropped by more than a third since the hack was revealed. It’s cost Smith $13 million of his own fortune (sorry – not sorry), and the rest of the company’s shareholders, billions more.

Usually when CEOs leave unexpectedly, they put out a lame excuse like “leaving to spend more time with family.” In Smith’s case, that might actually be true — his family is going to need a lot of help recovering their stolen identities following the breach! But hey, let’s be fair here — it’s not like everyone in America hates him. The class-action lawyers must be drooling at the thought of suing his company into the ground.

Smith’s story illustrates one of the most important lessons in tax planning. How you make your money is just as important as how much you make. So make sure you have a plan for making the most of your income — and hopefully you aren’t hacking into anyone else’s server to make it!

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

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 26, 2017

VE I S LU C X E

CAHAL IS HIRING

Assistant Teachers

2017-2018 FULL TIME / PART TIME POSITIONS AVAILABLE

Judaic and General Studies NEW CLASSES Grades K - 8

Apply Today!

Send resume and references Shira@cahal.org or call: 516-295-3666

INTEGRATE D in Community Yeshivas

5 TOWNS FAR ROCKA WAY

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OCTOBER 26, 2017 | The Jewish Home

Life C ach

Ix-nay on the Politics

By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

I

f you ever need to blow off steam or want to have a great argument, you might as well bring up politics. Not that anyone ever changes anyone else’s mind, but the conversation is never boring.

People can make every great point possible but they don’t get their opponents to budge one notch. That’s because the great points they make are only great to them.

Now, in the alternative, if you ever want the most supreme bonding experience, you should actually discuss politics – that is with someone who holds your same views! Be-

lion-dollar question.

Everyone is worried about themselves – not having it, not getting it, or losing it! The desire to help each other is overridden by the feeling that someone’s out to get us. The change would have to take place in our heads first. We’d have to have an equator mentality instead of a polar one.

Free speech is being redefined.

Patriotism is being redefined.

Racism is being redefined.

People are losing sight of the fact that there are many different perspectives and everyone has

The only other thing everyone agrees on is that the Russians did it!

They’re just not sure what.

cause this leads to the most supreme backslapping, connective moments.

Politics is so charged these days.

The only thing we can all agree on is it’s safest to steer clear of it.

Everyone has some kind of outlook. Government should be big.

Government should stay small. It should stay out of things. It should get involved. Bail us out. Keep us in! It’s catering to the rich. It’s favoring the poor.

The only other thing everyone agrees on is that the Russians did it! They’re just not sure what.

What’s our best way of resolving this volatile polarization? Don’t ask me. That would be pinning me in a corner. And I’m trying to stay neutral here.

How do we get people to see each other’s sides? Ah, the mil-

some justification coming from their vantage point. Instead, people feel completely right.

I’d say we can only make healthy progress if some reasonable person reminds us that if we are all Americans, and in this together, then we all need to be more respectful to one another. Otherwise, let’s talk turkey, not politics.

On that note, Thanksgiving’s around the corner. Let’s keep finding things to be thankful for.

And maybe one day it will be for each other, no matter what our politics.

Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and career and life coach. She can be contacted at 917-7052004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com

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