May 9, 2019
Your Favorite Five Towns Family Newspaper
Distributed weekly in the Five Towns, Long Island, Queens & Brooklyn
See page 7
Around the
Community
Yet Another Ceasefire? Hamas Pummels Israel; IDF Hits Back Hard
pg
54
A Celebration of Commitment and Dedication at SCP
Remembering the Six Million Kedoshim
41
80
TO SERVE & PROTECT TJH Speaks with Auxiliary Inspector Danny Gluck of the 4th Precinct pg
84
My Mother, My Inspiration pg
98
O I L C H A N G E
When Challah is the Key and the Connection
53 PAGE 9
We Come to You
8 8 8 -ZO O M - O I L • W W W. ZO O M O I LC H A N G E .CO M
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MAY 9, 2019 | The Jewish Home
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Bais Medrash of Harborview RABBI YEHOSHUA KALISH Bais Medrash of Lawrence RABBI DOVID FORDSHAM Bais Medrash of North Lawrence Bais Medrash of Woodmere RABBI AKIVA WILLIG
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Bais Medrash of Cedarhurst Bais Tefillah of Inwood Rabbi Ephraim Shapiro 6pm Following Rabbi Yechiel Spero Mincha Cong. Bais Ephraim Yitzchok Charlie Harary 6:30pm
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Bais Tefillah of Inwood Michael Rothschild 6:50 Agudah of W. Lawrence Rabbi Yisroel Majeski 6:30 pm
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Irving Place Minyan RABBI AARON FEIGENBAUM
Yeshiva Bnei Torah RABBI YISROEL CHAIT Yeshiva Darchei Torah RABBI YAAKOV BENDER Yeshiva Gedolah 5 Towns RABBI YITZCHOK KNOBEL/ RABBI MOSHE ZEV KATZENSTEIN Yeshiva of Far Rockaway RABBI YECHIEL PERR Yeshiva Nishmas HaTorah RABBI YISSACHAR BLINDER Yeshiva Shor Yoshuv RABBI NAFTALI JAEGER Young Israel of Far Rockaway RABBI SHAUL CHILL YI of Lawrence-Cedarhurst RABBI MOSHE TEITELBAUM RABBI YAAKOV TRUMP Young Israel of Long Beach RABBI CHAIM WAKSLAK
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Eliav Frei n Yitzi Fried n Pinky Friedman n Heshy Friedman n Gershon Fruchter n Gadi Fuchs n Shimmy Fuerst n Eli Galler n Adrian Garbacz n Akiva Garbacz n Evan Genack n Andy Gladstone n Jonathan Glaubach n Dovi Gold n Alon Goldberger Menachem Gross n Yosef Grunfeld n Yehuda Hammer n R’ Moshe Chaim Horowitz n Yoni Kahana n Mosey Kaplan n Joel Kaplan n Ari Kleinberg n Avi Langer n Dr. Moshe Lazar n Adeil Leibowitz n Shmuel Lesser n Josh Leyton n Menachem Lieber Abi Liff n Moshe Majeski n Yoni Mendlowitz n Moshe Mermelstein n Yosef Moskowitz n Shmueli Muller n R Yisroel Munk n Nissan Nefes n Yanky Neuhoff n Yosef Nussbaum n Sholom Parnes n Eli Pasternak n Michoel Posy n Moshe Ratner Moishe Reisman n Aron Zelig Rosenberg n Dr. Tzvi Rubin n Yehuda Ruzorsky n Nechemya Salzman n Avi Satt n David Scharf n Elie Schwab n Avi Singer n Moshe Smith n Aaron Solomon n Steven Stein n Ari Treuhaft n Izzy Wasser R’ Benny Weilgus n Gedalya Weilgus n Jeff Weinberg n Avi Weinstock n Eli Weiss n Yehuda Zachter n Sholom Ziedel n Chaim Zlotowitz n Michael Zuckerman
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Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam n Bnos Bais Yaakov n Hebrew Academy of Long Beach n Hebrew Academy of Nassau County Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaways n Shulamith School for Girls n Talmud Torah Siach Yitzchok n Torah Academy for Girls n Yeshiva Darchei Torah n Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island n Yeshiva of South Shore
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MAY 9, 2019 | The Jewish Home
Dear Readers,
T
his week I had the privilege of joining together with a few women in the community to collaborate on ways to address certain issues within our community. There were only a handful of women in the room, but each person was a powerhouse. Their energy and enthusiasm – despite the late hour! – in wanting to support the community was inspiring. There were rebbetzins, teachers, therapists, politicians, principals, professionals, and lecturers around the table on Monday night. But every one of those women doesn’t just wear one hat. Within each role, there are so many nuances to what’s needed to fulfill that role. Take, for example, the rebbetzins. Aside from supporting for her husband, a rebbetzin is a role model for members of her congregation. She’s a listening ear, a teacher, an organizer. She is the warm hug for the little children in shul, the inspiration for the growing teenager, and the anchor for the women of the community. She’s one person, and yet she is able to balance a position that encompasses the characteristics of tens of others. And that’s just in her role as a rebbetzin. Many rebbetzins hold other positions in the community as well and also have a family of their own. How they do it all with a smile and aplomb is awe-inspiring. One day this week, my nine-year-old daughter took it upon herself to help out with the kids. I wasn’t home, and she told my husband that she wanted to put her two younger siblings to bed. She helped to bathe them and
then got them into PJs, brushed their hair, and read them books. When she finally came into the living room after laying down with them for a while, she had a glassy-eyed look on her face. “Being a mother sure is hard work,” she said. I was home already when she said that, and I laughed. Her enthusiasm for helping out around the house is matched by her maturity. Perhaps, I thought to myself, every one in the household should try out “being a mother” for a few hours. Then, at least, they’ll know that it “sure is hard work.” This Sunday is Mother’s Day. I was brought up understanding that every day should be “Mother’s Day,” as we should love, appreciate, and respect our parents regardless of the day on the calendar. But I also knew – and still know – that a special acknowledgment a few days a year is appreciated. So this year, pick up the phone or write a card and tell your mother that all those times she wiped your tears, or made you laugh, or helped you with homework, or drove you back and forth to practice were appreciated. Tell her that those little things – the laundry, the carpools, the shopping, the suppers, the jokes, the notes, the songs, the laughter, the trips, the walks (you can go on and on!) – weren’t so little in the grand scheme of things. They made you who you are today. And for that, you’re forever grateful. Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana
Yitzy Halpern PUBLISHER
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Nate Davis Editorial Assistant Nechama Wein Copy Editor Berish Edelman Adina Goodman Mati Jacobovits Design & Production Gabe Solomon Distribution & Logistics P.O. BOX 266 Lawrence, NY 11559 Phone | 516-734-0858 Fax | 516-734-0857 Classified: Deadline Monday 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.
Shabbos Zemanim
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MAY 9, 2019 | The Jewish Home
Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
8
COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll Community Happenings
8 39
NEWS
96
Global
12
National
28
Odd-but-True Stories
36
ISRAEL Israel News
24
My Israel Home
74
Yet Another Ceasefire? by Avraham Zuroff
80
PARSHA Rabbi Wein
68
The Daily Grind by Rav Moshe Weinberger
70
Parsha in Four by Eytan Kobre
72
PEOPLE The Wandering Jew
76
To Serve & Protect: TJH Speaks with Auxiliary Inspector Danny Gluck 84 Amos Yarkoni, A Bedouin Fighting for Israel by Avi Heiligman
110
HEALTH & FITNESS A Bad Day by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn
94
H2O: The Way to Go by Cindy Weinberger, MS RD CDN
96
My Mother, My Inspiration by Leah R. Lightman
98
FOOD & LEISURE The Aussie Gourmet: Chef Suzi’s Herb-Crusted, Pan-Roasted Brick Roast 102 LIFESTYLES Mind Your Business
Dear Editor, I don’t agree with the reader who wrote in last week about not judging people in the dating scene by what/ who they were a few years ago. Although people change, their backgrounds still make up a part of them. Not letting their date know about who they were a few years ago can be detrimental. It’s possible the person knows how to put on a good face on dates but that what you saw years ago is still there. It’s also possible that although they’ve changed, what happened a few years ago (hanging out, drugs, bad influences) could have had a lasting impact on them and who they are today. Additionally, if you know of anything that’s related to mental illness or truly bad middos like lying or fraud, then it’s important for a potential spouse to know about it. These are not issues to be taken lightly. Make sure to ask a rav before dismissing these things. He can tell you if you are obligated to tell people what you know. Hatzlacha, Debby L. Dear Editor, When someone first hears of an attack, lo aleinu, on a shul, they shiver and think, “That could have happened to us.” But a few days later, no one thinks about security when they go to shul. Thankfully, we live in a relatively safe neighborhood. We have a wonderful police force and are relatively “safe.” (I put that in quotes because safety is only min Shamayim.) In any
case, it behooves every shul to set up a task force to work on security for the shul. They should, as Sol Hirsch in his op-ed wrote, include members of the law enforcement at the meeting so that the police officers can show them what needs to be done. This includes making sure there are exits in case of a disaster but also making sure those exits are not accessible to those not part of the shul. There should be phones in the shul in case of emergency – one near the rabbi, the gabbai, in front of the shul, in back of the shul – this way, law enforcement can be called in case, G-d forbid, something happens. Members of the shul should be trained in self-defense. A guard should be posted in front of the shul. Members should be trained to look for anything suspicious. It’s vital to include law enforcement and security agencies in the plans for security at shuls. Members of the boards are well-meaning but they do not have the background or knowledge to implement a proper plan to protect the members of their shul. Sincerely, Alex Herman Dear Editor, Queens State Assemblymember David Weprin introduced legislation in the State Assembly to permit some prison inmates who committed murder or attacks against women to be eligible for parole once they reach age Continued on page 10
78
Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW 90
74
Your Money
116
Can You Be the First? by Rivki D. Rosen118 wald Esq., CLC, SDS
HUMOR Centerfold 66 POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes
104
The Barr Hearing Was Much Ado About Nothing by Marc A. Thiessen
107
Sorry Bernie but Most Americans Like Their Insurance the Way It Is by Megan McArdle 108 CLASSIFIEDS
112
Mother’s Day is almost here! Do you plan on buying something special for Mom?
52
%
YES
48
%
NO
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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MAY 9, 2019 | The Jewish Home
Continued from page 8
55 and have served at least 15 years of their sentence. The same legislation was introduced by Manhattan State Senator Brad Hoylman in the State Senate. This legislation, if passed by both the State Assembly and Senate and signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo, would permit the state prison parole board to assess a convicted felon’s potential risk to society as part of its decision on the possible early release of the inmate. Both Weprin and Hoylman reference as justification that allowing these criminals to be eligible for parole could save New York State a billion dollars or more over time. Never shy around a microphone or photo opportunity, Assemblymember Weprin has yet to promote this legislation at one of his standard Sunday press conferences. You will not read about it in one of his periodic newsletters mailed to constituents at taxpayers’ expense. This ultra-liberal “politically correct” legislation complements a similar push to allow convicted felons the right to vote while serving time in
prison. What’s next? Reparations in the form of taxpayers rebates to reimburse ex-felons for lost income due to time served in prison? Sincerely, Larry Penner Great Neck, NY Dear Editor, I began reading “A New Way of Counting” with interest. I assumed the author was using dieting as an analogy for the concept of Omer. As the article continued, however, I became more and more horrified. In addition to promoting a diet culture that harms many people, the author actually had the audacity to compare the gift of Torah to the gift of weight loss. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad – and didn’t reflect a real sickness in our community. It is embarrassing that our media continues to encourage people to “slim down” through outdated information and promoting diets that do not work (diets are 95% ineffective when it comes to long-term weight loss according to scientific research) and cause many health issues due to the inevitable “yo-yo” of gaining and losing weight. Our worth and value do not depend on our weight,
which is actually more determined by genetics than self-control, but these types of articles continue to perpetuate this harmful and judgmental attitude. What made this even worse, was that there was another article about weight loss in the same issue which also peddles some of these same stereotypes and attitudes (although at least Ms. Beer’s article had some health information thrown in!). The bottom line of both of these articles had less to do with health and more to do with encouraging people to focus on their waistlines. I truly believe that these messages must be banished from our community as they cause disordered thinking about food (which in some people contributes to actual eating disorders!) and triggers those who already have eating disorders. There are approaches to health and wellness – and even weight! – that are healthy and not damaging physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Health at every size and the intuitive eating approach are two science-based approaches to this issue. I would be happy to connect you to someone who can write an article about this for you. Maybe we can still undo some of the damage! In addition, I really enjoy yowur magazine – especially my friend Michelle Mond’s column! – and I know that you aim to provide quality information and content which is why I am reaching out. I would be happy to discuss further if you would like to. Thank you, Bracha Poliakoff Dear Editor, Today I am writing to you with the concern that the Democrat Party. One of the biggest political parties in America is becoming more Anti- American by the day. The radical leftism that they are pushing for can be demonstrated by their 2020 presidential candidates. These candidates are becoming so left with their loony ideas that we need to take these threats seriously. They start with repercussions for black Americans for slavery 150 years ago. Every American has equal rights in 2019 and
when we subjugate them to these standards of reparations, it has the opposite effect on them. Instead of elevating these Americans, we are just reminding them to what their ancestors were subjugated to, which brings backs terrible feelings towards each other. Aren’t we trying to erase these mistakes and memories!?! Well, aren’t the Democrats the ones that are tearing down Confederate statues because they claim it reminds people of America’s racist days?! So if they want to erase those feelings, then aren’t reparations doing the opposite effect?! The worst part about these new ideas is that each candidate tries to outdo the other. Then you have this whole criminal voting rights issue that Democrats are starting to subscribe to. It started with Senator Bernie Sanders who said he would be up to supporting criminals in jail to let them vote. Senator Sanders could have stopped there, but no he didn’t – he went further to say that even terrible people like the Boston Bomber should be able to vote because voting is, as Sanders said, “an inherent part of democracy.” Senator Sanders is right about it being an “inherent part of our democracy,” but that right is for people who keep the laws of that democracy. When you have criminals and terrorists that totally violate democratic principles, you can’t give them consideration in a discussion on the table of whether we should reward them with rights. How about talking about the Boston Bomber who took away people’s lives? Forget about rights – he took away their life! Senator Kamala Harris didn’t 100% subscribe to this, but she said that it should be a discussion that we need to have while she was nodding her head. What she was really doing was saying, yes, but in a refined, political-esque way. A few years ago, if you heard these ideas, they wouldn’t be taken seriously, but now they are! These are scary times, and we need to realize what we are dealing with. Sincerely, Donny Simcha Guttman
Views expressed on the Letters to the Editor page do not necessarily reflect the views of The Jewish Home. Please send all correspondence to: editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com.
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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MAY 9, 2019 | The Jewish Home
The Week In News
Cortizo Win’s Panama’s Presidency
Laurentino “Nito” Cortizo called for unity in Panama on Tuesday after edging out rival Rómulo Roux in an unexpectedly close presidential race. “Panama won today, and today
more than ever, Panama needs to join forces,” Cortizo told supporters after the official results came in. Cortizo received 33.2 percent of the total vote in the one-round election with 95% of the ballots counted, only two points more than Roux. The close finish comes as a surprise, as Cortizo had enjoyed a 10-point lead in the polls in the days leading up to the elections. Roux, who ran on a center-right platform, has refused to concede and is alleging widespread irregularities. While the final results will only be announced on Thursday, the country’s election tribunal has rebuffed Roux’s accusations and has maintained that the results are “irreversible.” Should the results hold up, Cortizo will be inaugurated into office on July 1. A former businessman, cattle rancher, and agriculture minister, the 66-year-old Cortizo had campaigned on an anti-corruption platform. Panama has been rocked by numerous bribery scandals in recent years involving Brazilian engineering giant Odebrecht as well as revelations in the Panama Papers leak that showed widespread tax evasion by the country’s elite.
“Panamanians don’t want, or merit, and won’t put up with more of the same,” Cortizo said. “The chaos is over. Public funds belong to the public, and they are sacred.” Educated in the United States, Cortizo has called on the U.S. to strengthen its relations with Panama in order to turn back China’s bid for influence in Central America. With relations between the Trump administration and the aforementioned countries growing increasingly strained over the issue of illegal immigration, Beijing has been working to strengthen its diplomatic ties in the region. As part of China’s diplomatic push, Beijing inked 19 different agreements with Panama in December, including treaties on trade, infrastructure, banking, and tourism. China has also poured money into Panama in recent years and is spending heavily on infrastructure and local investment. “We need, and we have asked, that [the U.S.] look toward the region more – the region, not just Panama,” Cortizo told Reuters on Sunday. “They need to pay more attention. While they’re not paying attention, another one is making advances.”
Journalists Freed in Myanmar
On Tuesday, after receiving a presidential pardon, two Reuters journalists stepped onto free soil after spending the last 500 days in jail in Myanmar. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were imprisoned under the country’s Official Secrets Act for reporting on a massacre of Rohingya civilians. They were sentenced to seven years in jail. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo had received this year’s Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. They had been locked up since December 2017, when they were charged under the country’s colonial-era Official Secrets Act for allegedly disseminating secret information sensitive to
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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The Yukon Striker dive roller coaster opened on Friday in Toronto. It has a straight vertical drop and is the longest (3,625 feet), fastest (80 mph) and tallest (245 feet) dive roller coaster in the world
national security. The two men were released as part of an amnesty of 6,520 prisoners by the country’s President Win Myint. Their final appeal had been quashed a few months ago. The trial and subsequent incarceration of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo became a cause celebre around the world, with numerous figures calling for their release. Wa Lone’s characteristic double thumbs up, which he accompanied at court appearances with an unflagging cheerfulness, was adopted by many journalists who posed for photos raising awareness of the case and demanding their colleagues’ freedom. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, their lawyers, and Reuters have all maintained that the pair never committed any crime. “They were victims of a police set-up to silence their truthful reporting,” the news agency said in April. The men led an explosive Reuters investigation – which eventually won a Pulitzer Prize – into the killing of 10 Rohingya men in the village of Inn Dinn, part of a military-led campaign against the Muslim minority which began in August 2017 after Rohingya militants attacked police posts. More than 720,000 Rohingya are estimated to have been forced to flee into Bangladesh as a result of the ensuing violence. As the military in the mainly Buddhist nation tore through Rakhine state, allegedly killing with impunity, attacking women and burning babies alive, authorities turned on the reporters trying to investigate the atrocities. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo say they were set up by a police officer posing as a source. They say that in
late 2017, officers invited them to a secret meeting at a restaurant on the outskirts of Yangon and handed them documents. Police then arrested them for having classified information in their possession. The jailing of the two journalists cast a pall over Myanmar’s media community and sparked increased international criticism of the nation’s de facto leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Thailand’s New King
Bangkok was awash in pomp and glitter on Saturday as King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun was sworn in as Thailand’s new monarch. The swearing-in ceremony commenced at 10:09 a.m., which is considered a sign of good luck in Thailand. Included in the festivities was a traditional purification ceremony, in which the king presented barefoot Buddhist monks with charity. Following the purification ceremony, the new king received the 16-pound “Crown of Glory.” Upon donning the diamond-studded crown, he issued his first official statement: “I shall reign in righteousness for the benefits of the king-
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
בס“ד
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MAY 9, 2019 | The Jewish Home
זצ”ל
לע”נ ר’ שלמה אליעזר בן הרב יעקב זקהיים
20th Annual
Rebbetzin’s Conference
Promoting and Enhancing Healthy Family Relationships
Guest Speakers
ESTHER WEIN Torah Educator and Lecturer
RABBI DONIEL FRANK MEd, LMFT Marriage & Family Therapist in Private Practice
Hosting Rebbetzin
REBBETZIN ESTHER REISMAN Agudath Israel of Madison
SUNDAY, MAY 19TH, 2019 9:30AM THE VUE 3007 Nostrand Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11229
dom and the people forever.” King Vajiralongkorn is the tenth king in Thailand’s Chakri dynasty, which has led the country for almost 250 years. Maha’s father died two years ago, following a seven-decade reign, and as such Thailand had been without a ceremonial monarch since 2017 – as a two-year mourning period was customary before the new king could take his father’s place. Born in Thailand, King Vajiralongkorn was the only son of the previous king and was appointed his successor at age 20. He spent the majority of his adult life in Germany. A few days before the coronation, Vajiralongkorn married General Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayudhya, his royal consort. She is now known as Queen Suthida. She had long been seen with the king previously, but their relationship was never acknowledged. In 2014, Vajiralongkorn had appointed Suthida Tidjai, a former flight attendant for Thai Airways, as the deputy commander of his bodyguard unit. He made her a full general in the army in December 2016. Vajiralongkorn has been married and divorced three times. He has seven children.
Coup Fails in Venezuela
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Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said that he may ask the U.S. to intervene in his poverty-stricken country following a failed coup last week. Guaido’s coup was unsuccessful in convincing the military to dislodge President Nicolas Maduro, leaving Venezuela locked in a standoff between the Guaido-led assembly and Maduro’s socialist regime. Speaking to the BBC, Guaido said that it would be “responsible to evaluate” the potential of military intervention from the U.S. in order to force current President Nicholas Maduro out of power. “I, as the president in charge of the national parliament, will evaluate all options if necessary,” said
Guaido. The opposition leader added that he hoped President Donald Trump would intervene in line with the U.S. president’s consistent anti-Maduro line. “I think President Trump’s position is very firm, which we appreciate, as does the entire world,” Guaido said. Guaido had called on the country’s military and intelligence agencies to oust Maduro last week following massive anti-regime protests. Calling the protests the “final phase” in the anti-Maduro effort, Guaido appeared in a video accompanied by senior military officers and exiled opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who has been under house arrest since 2014. “Today, brave soldiers, brave patriots, brave men loyal to the constitution have heard our call,” announced Guaido. “We have finally met on the streets of Venezuela.” Yet the attempt to force Maduro to relinquish his position failed after protesters refused to heed Guaido’s call to revolt. Key officers in Venezuela’s security apparatus also declined to force Maduro to flee to his rumored sanctuary in Cuba, causing the would-be coup to fail. The Trump administration, which has been supporting the anti-Maduro campaign almost from its beginning, condemned the military’s decision’s not to get involved. In a video released over the weekend, National Security Advisor John Bolton claimed that powerful Venezuelan officials, including the defense minister, military commander, and supreme court chief justice, had agreed to force Maduro out only to get cold feet. “The army must protect the Constitution and the Venezuelan people,” Bolton said. “It should stand by the National Assembly and the legitimate institutions against the usurpation of democracy. “The United States stands with the people of Venezuela.”
Intense Hunger in N. Korea A new United Nations (UN) report warns that North Korea’s chronic food shortage is liable to get worse as a result of a poor harvest and widespread drought. The findings were the result of a wide-ranging study by the UN’s World Food Program (WFP). Gain-
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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by Rabbi Shmuel Bloom In the more than five decades that he was involved in Agudath Israel, Rabbi Shmuel Bloom encountered literally thousands of fascinating people. From Gedolei Yisrael to dedicated askanim to politicians from all sides of the political spectrum. Here we will hear stories of greatness: from Rav Aharon Kotler to Rav Moshe Feinstein; from the Gerrer Rebbes to Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman — and dozens more. We also meet the Jewish people's askanim, up close and personal. On the Shoulders of Giants offers an unusual combination of Torah insights, stories, and historical perspectives. It tells the story of Torah Jewry's challenges and unbelievable resurgence. It’s our story — written by someone who was there to see it all.
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ing rare access to the isolated nation, the organization visited farms, rural towns, schools, and rationing centers to reach its conclusions.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, WFP Spokesperson Herve Verhoosel said that the inadequate harvest is causing 10.1 million North Koreans to “suffer from severe food insecurity.” Verhoosel added that North Korea “does not have enough food till the next harvest” unless the international community steps in. According to the WFP report, Pyongyang has implemented drastic rationing in an attempt to avert a full-blown humanitarian crisis. For instance, daily portions have been put from 360 grams per citizen to a mere 300 grams. Furthermore, sources of protein remain scarce,
with many civilians telling UN officials that they ate eggs or other proteins only a few times a year. Overall, the report found that 10.1 million people out of the rogue state’s population of 25.2 million are suffering from food insecurity due to a food deficit of 1.36 million tons over the preceding calendar year. The report listed several reasons for the food shortage, including climate change, flooding, drought, a severe heat wave, and a lack of fertilizer. The WFP also blamed North Korea’s refusal to scrap their nuclear weapons program in order to gain sanctions relief for their starving population. “The DPRK regime continues to exploit, starve, and neglect its own people in order to advance its unlawful nuclear and weapons program,” the report noted.
A Strong Message for Iran The United States has deployed an aircraft carrier and a bomber task force to the Persian Gulf amid
an upswing of tensions with Iran. National Security Advisor John Bolton announced on Monday that the redeployment of troops came in response to intelligence reports suggesting that Iran has been preparing to strike U.S assets. Tehran and Washington have been at loggerheads, with tensions escalating recently following a decision by the Trump administration to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRCG) as a terror group.
“In response to a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings, the United States is deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the U.S. Central Command region to send a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime that any attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting
force,” said Bolton. He added, “The United States is not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but we are fully prepared to respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or regular Iranian forces.” A U.S. official told CNN that the Pentagon had detected threats against both navy assets and landbased forces in the Middle East. The latest tension comes following several events that have pitted Washington and Tehran against each other, including the IRGC terror group designation and the decision to eliminate waivers for some countries that allowed them to buy Iranian oil. The Islamic Republic responded by announcing that it had designated the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) as a terror group, and threatened to conquer the Straits of Hormuz in response. Such a move would likely plunge the region into war, as upwards of 40% of the world’s oil supplies must pass through the narrow strait near Bandar Abbas. Iranian Foreign Minister Javid Zarif also hinted earlier this week
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that clashes with the U.S. are a distinct possibility. “Iranian and U.S. forces, which have been reciprocally designated as terrorist groups, may engage in clashes in the Persian Gulf or any other region, and there is no doubt that the U.S. will be held accountable for such a situation,” Zarif threatened.
41 Killed in Russian Plane Crash
Forty-one people perished on Monday when a Russian passenger jet went up in flames minutes after taking off from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.
Among the 41 dead were two children. Overall, 78 people had been on Aeroflot flight SU 1492, including five members of the flight crew. Five of the 37 survivors were hospitalized and remain in intensive care while the remainder were lightly injured. The pilot had requested to make an emergency landing shortly after taking off for the short flight to the Russian city of Murmansk. After touching down, the plane barreled across the runaway with its rear section in flames while emanating thick black smoke. Passengers escaped from the burning jet via the emergency chutes on both sides of the plane. The aircraft had already tried two emergency landings before skidding across the runway. The pilot had aborted the first attempt after the plane was unable to slow down in time, while the second approach failed due to a breakdown in the jet’s automatic systems. Contributing to the high death toll was the fact that the airplane was fully fueled, resulting in the conflagration that engulfed the jet upon landing. The pilot had requested permission to dump fuel on the way to the airport but had been denied by authorities due to health and environmental con-
cerns. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered that the probe into the tragedy “be as thorough as possible” and offered his condolences to the families of the dead. While the cause of the crash remains unknown, multiple passengers say that the airplane had been struck by lightning. Pyotr Yegorov, a passenger on the flight, told Russian media that the flight “had just taken off and the aircraft was hit by lightning,” adding, “The landing was rough – I almost passed out from fear.”
Britain’s Bouncing Baby Boy
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are officially parents after the Duch-
ess of Sussex gave birth to a baby boy on Monday. The royal couple first announced the tidings in a post on social media. “The Duchess and baby are both healthy and well, and the couple thank members of the public for their shared excitement and support during this very special time in their lives,” said the announcement on the couple’s official Instagram account. “More details will be shared in the forthcoming days.” Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace said in a laconic statement that “her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex was safely delivered of a son.” The baby was born a week overdue and weighed 7 lbs., 3oz. As Queen Elizabeth’s eighth great-grandchild, he is now seventh in line to the throne, behind the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, and his father Prince Harry. The Duchess had given birth at London’s Portland Hospital, contradicting earlier reports which said that she would deliver her first child at her Frogmore Cottage residence. A visibly exultant Prince Harry told the media outside the hospital that the event was “the most amazing experi-
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
Colombia’s stunning River of Five Colors, located in Serrania de la Macarena national park, is sometimes called a “liquid rainbow”
ence I could ever have possibly imagined” and thanked the British public for their support. “How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension, but we’re both absolutely thrilled and so grateful to all the love and support from everybody out there,” said the prince. “It’s been amazing, so we just wanted to share this with everybody.” The Duke of Sussex added that he and his wife had not yet decided on what to name their child but promised to introduce him before the world in a press conference by the end of the week. Speculation has been swirling over what the name will be, as British royals commonly give their offspring traditional monikers like George, Arthur, and Charles. “Still thinking about names,” said the happy father. “The baby is a little bit overdue, so we’ve had a little bit of time to think about it. That’s the next bit, but for us I think we will be seeing you guys in probably two days’ time as planned as a family to be able to share it with you guys and so everyone can see the baby.”
UN: 1 Million Species Face Extinction A report released on Monday by the United Nations warns that human activity threatens up to one million of the planet’s estimated eight million species with extinction. The report is the work of 150 authors from over 50 nations who spent over three years examining different species all over the world. The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Sci-
ence-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) says that the data represents the most up-to-date examination of the environment today.
The report highlighted climate change as the main driver of a slew of worrisome phenomena, such as mass extinction, a decline in biodiversity, overuse of natural resources, and pollution. These practices have resulting in overfishing, widespread pesticide use, urban expansion, and reduction of natural habitat size. Due to destructive human activity, over 300 million humans now face an increased danger from flooding. In addition, 40% of amphibians, 40% of all insects, and 33% of all marine mammals are faced with extinction. Overall, 75% of land and over 50% of marine environments have been altered by humans, while 33% of coral reefs are faced with extinction. Urban areas have also increased by 100% since 1992 due to humans’ increased propensity to move from farms to cities, a phenomenon that has accelerated over the past decade. Among the changes the report recommends to slow the ever-growing rates of extinction are an increased focus on waste and pollution reduction, changes in farming policy to support to better support indigenous species, fishing quotas, and an
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N e w Yo r k Ya c h a d G a l a Celebr at i ng 35 Ye a r s
W e d n e s d a y, J u n e 1 2 , 2 0 1 9 6:3 0pm
increase in protected areas. SIPBES head Sir Robert Watson wrote that “the health of ecosystems on which we and all other species depend is deteriorating more rapidly than ever” and that this accelerating rate of extinction, paired with the deterioration of biodiversity, weakens the “foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health, and quality of life worldwide.”
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An uneasy ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror groups in Gaza took effect on Monday morning following a weekend flare-up that took the lives of four Israelis. In his first statement to the public following reports of the ceasefire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cautioned that the hostilities would likely resume in the near future. “The campaign is not over, and it requires patience and deliberation,” he warned. “We are preparing for [the fighting] to continue. The goal was and remains to ensure the peace and security of the residents of the south,” the prime minister added. Netanyahu noted that the Gaza-based terror groups had suffered a heavy blow over the weekend as a result of non-stop Israeli airstrikes. “Over the last two days we have hit Hamas and Islamic Jihad with great force, attacked more than 350 targets, hurt their leaders and terror activists, and destroyed terrorist towers,” said the premier. Reports of the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire trickled in throughout the morning, despite the dozens of rockets that had landed in Israel overnight. The recent escalation began after Islamic Jihad snipers shot and
seriously injured two Israeli soldiers patrolling on the Gaza border on Friday evening, leading Israel to launch extensive airstrikes in retaliation. In response to the Israeli airstrikes, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad fired more than 600 rockets into Israel, killing four civilians and shutting down large parts of southern Israel, while also causing hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of damage. The four Israelis who were killed in the barrage were 60-year-old Ashkelon resident Moshe Agadi, 21-yearold Ashdod native Pinchas Menachem Pshevesman, and 40-year-old Ziad Alhamada, from an unrecognized Bedouin village. In addition, Moshe Feder was killed after his factory in Kfar Saba suffered a direct missile hit. Moshe Agadi ran a pair of produce stands at the Ashkelon open market. He was hit with shrapnel in his chest when a rocket hit his home. Although he was beloved by many, his funeral was not a large affair, as the IDF prohibited groups of more than 300 to gather while in the range of Gaza rockets amid the barrage. Reb Pinchas Menachem Pshevesman died after sustaining shrapnel injuries from a rocket that hit his home in Ashdod. The levaya was held at the Ger bais medrash in Yerushalayim after the Gerrer Rebbe, shlita, said he would attend. Reb Pinchas Menachem was married with a oneyear-old child.
Amazon Comes to Israel
In the latest “earthquake in the Israeli economy,” tech giant Amazon has confirmed that it is expanding into the Israeli market. The online retailer’s first move in the Jewish State came last week when Amazon representatives contacted Israeli merchants and invited them to use their platform to sell to local customers. “We are pleased to invite you to be part of a selected
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
group of sellers and to participate in the Local Delivery program in Israel,” read the email Amazon sent to Israeli storeowners. Among the benefits Amazon touted is its ability to provide “an improved delivery experience for local customers” and “sell unique products relevant to local customers.” Sources told Israel’s The Marker financial newspaper that Amazon intends for the merchants to sell their products via their special Hebrew-language site that will launch in the near future. As part of its preparations, a team of Amazon executives landed in Israel on Sunday for a series of marathon talks with leaders in the retail market regarding terms and conditions. Amazon’s entry is expected to accelerate woes plaguing local retail chains as Israelis increasingly turn away from brick-and-mortar stores in favor of online shopping. Last year, Israelis spent more than $4 billion online, an 18% increase from 2016. A mix of Amazon’s rapid shipping times and low import fees could cause a multi-billion dollar increase virtually overnight in Israeli internet shopping. Amazon is not the only international retail giant that is interested in Israel. According to numerous reports in recent years, Walmart has been examining the possibility of expanding into the Jewish State and has already looked into opening a logistics center. Speculation regarding Walmart escalated early last year following reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu sat down with senior Walmart executive John Furner at the World Economic Forum in Davos and urged the latter to open up a branch in Israel.
Israel’s Nuclear Bomb?
Throughout its 71-year history, Israel has always maintained a policy of strict ambiguity regarding its nuclear weapons. Never admitting that it possessed the deadliest weapons known to
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mankind, Israel is not a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and its defense establishment keeps the issue highly classified. Yet throughout the years, some information has trickled out, largely in part to revelations by whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu in 1985. A former technician at the Dimona nuclear reactor, Vanunu alleged
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to a British newspaper that Israel possessed more than 200 nuclear bombs. Vanunu also said that Israel had only received nuclear capability in the early 1970s and was ready to deploy the bombs against the surrounding Arab armies during the early days of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Now, a former Israeli nuclear ra-
diation inspector is claiming that the Jewish State had already possessed a nuclear weapon by the onset of the Six Day War in 1967, much earlier than commonly believed. In an article for The Nonproliferation Review scientific journal, Professor Elie Geisler says that he was tasked with guarding Israel’s only atomic bomb at a desolate military base in central
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During the war, an IDF colonel arrived and told Geisler that he was instructed to take possession of the bomb. The request struck Geisler as odd, as Israel’s nuclear weapons are not controlled by the IDF but by the Atomic Energy Commission. Fearing that the military was attempting to improperly requisition the atomic bomb against the wishes of Israel’s leadership, Geisler refused. An argument broke out, with the officer only agreeing to leave emptyhanded after Geisler threatened to open fire on him and his troops.
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Israel. Currently a behavioral sciences professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Geisler says that he was entrusted with the bomb by Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission head Professor Israel Dostrovsky. Holed up in an abandoned British police station near Gadera, Geisler’s job was to safeguard the weapon in the event that his government decided to use it against the Arab armies should the war effort fail.
“We deposited the crate in one of the rooms inside the main building,” recalled Geisler. “The room was empty of any furniture and without windows.” Given the only key to the room containing the bomb, Geisler commanded a platoon of 28-armed border policemen who awaited further orders from the Defense Ministry. Geisler has since left Israel and is a longtime U.S. resident but says that the sensitive mission he was
given haunts him until this very day. “On every occasion that I stood alone with the core, I’d silently pray and wish that we should never employ this horrific invention of humanity,” Geisler recalled. “I knew perfectly well that the use of the device would be the ‘last resort’ of the country’s political leadership, whose policy was, and remains to this day, to not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons to the Middle East,” he added.
Israel’s Population Hits 9 Million
Israel’s population has now surpassed 9 million people and includes 45% of world Jewry. These figures were part of a report released by the Central Bureau of Statistics ahead of Israel’s 71st birthday. The updated figures represent a massive growth in the country’s populace, as Israel had only 806,000 citizens at the establishment of the State in 1948. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, Israel’s population will likely hit the 15 million mark by the time the country celebrates its 100th Independence Day in 2048. Overall, Jews comprise 74.2% of the Israeli population. Meanwhile, 20.9% of citizens, or 1,890,000 people, identify as Israeli Arabs. Another 4.8% belong to other religions, while 434,000 people are classified as not belonging to any faith. Since the previous Independence Day, Israel saw a 2% increase in its population, totalling 177,000 people. During this period, 188,000 babies were born, 31,000 new immigrants arrived, and 47,000 individuals died. 3.2 million immigrants have arrived in Israel since the modern state’s establishment, with 43% of these immigrants arriving following the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1990.
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The report also found that the average life expectancy for women in israel is 84.6 years, slightly higher than the 80.7 years averaged by men.
Sub Affair Setback
State prosecutors on Tuesday informed lobbyist Miki Ganor that his deal with the state in a high-profile investigation into suspected corruption in the purchase of naval vessels from Germany was canceled after he stopped cooperating with investigators. This development means that Ganor, who admitted to taking bribes in the case, has lost his immunity from prosecution.
In a letter, attorney Liat Ben-Ari Shweiki told lawyers representing Ganor that the agreement was invalidated because Ganor had changed his testimony and damaged his credibility as a witness. According to the letter, Ganor had also begun to exercise his right to remain silent, which is a breach of his obligations under the deal. Ganor was the prosecution’s key witness in the Case 3000 submarine acquisitions corruption investigation. In March he told police in the top anti-corruption unit, Lahav 433, that he wished to alter key parts of the testimony he gave in the case. He now denies bribing anyone. Police believe Israeli officials were bribed to push a massive deal for military naval vessels worth hundreds of millions of dollars, in what some have called the largest suspected graft scandal in the country’s history. Ganor, a former agent in Israel for the German shipbuilder Thyssenkrupp, signed an agreement with prosecutors in July 2017 to become a state witness and cooperate in the probe, which focused on the period he worked for the company between 2009 and 2017. He admitted
to bribing a string of senior officials in order to help secure contracts for Thyssenkrupp with Israel’s Defense Ministry. Later, in rescinding his testimony, Ganor claimed that while he stood behind the facts he had given to police – the payments he gave were consulting fees, and not bribes. For Ganor’s role in aiding the police investigation, prosecutors agreed to set aside the major corruption charges against him and settle for a punishment only for his tax offenses in the case. The penalty included a 12-month prison sentence and a fine of NIS 10 million (roughly $2.7 million). The investigation snared several of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest associates, along with former senior officials, including Eliezer Marom, a former head of the Israeli Navy. Although Netanyahu himself is not a suspect in the case, the involvement of so many of his confidants and his own dealings with a separate company that had business transactions with Thyssenkrupp had been raised by his opponents in the lead-up to the elections on April 9.
A Bumpy Landing
All 142 passengers and crew aboard a Boeing 737 miraculously survived when their aircraft ran off the runway and into the sea on Friday. The military-chartered flight had taken off from Guantanamo Naval Station, and all seemed to be in order during the short flight to Naval Air Station Jacksonville. Yet something went wrong, and rather than gliding to the terminal after landing, the jumbo jet shot across the runway and plunged into St. John’s River. Somehow, everyone emerged alive from the doomed jet, standing
on the plane’s wings as they waited to be evacuated by rescue personnel. By the end of the evening, all those aboard had been taken to safety, without any recorded fatalities. Shaken passengers described the moments after the plane started skidding uncontrollably across the gravel lining the runway and barreling towards the water. “The plane literally hit the ground and then it bounced. It was clear that the pilot did not have complete control of the plane because it bounced some more, it swerved and tilted left and right,” Cheryl Bormann recounted to CNN. “The pilot was trying to control it but couldn’t, and then all of a sudden it smashed into something.” Bormann added that the alert flight staff helped passengers think clearly under pressure by giving out clear instructions and directions. Rather than panicking, passengers assisted one another to fasten their life vests before evacuating. Sixteen National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) inspectors arrived at the scene on Saturday to investigate what led to the accident. Later that day, the NTSB announced that they had recovered the plane’s black box and were studying the flight data. Preliminary findings pointed to bad weather as the culprit, noting that the pilot had attempted to land the airplane amid thunder and heavy rains.
Kentucky Derby Confusion
Country House was declared the winner of the 145th Kentucky Derby on Saturday after ostensible winner Maximum Security was surprisingly disqualified. Maximum Security had appeared to be the winner after crossing the finish line well ahead of the pack. Yet stewards eliminated the colt after determining that he had left his lane and blocked other horses during the heat, giving the prize to longshot Country House. The reversal was controversial
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and only came after officials reviewed three different video angles for over 20 minutes. The ruling makes Maximum Security the first horse to be disqualified in the race’s 145-year history, and left owner Gary West vowing to appeal the decision. “I think this is the most egregious disqualification in the history of horse racing, and not just because it’s our horse,” West told the Associated Press. President Donald Trump seemingly agreed, alleging that “political correctness” was behind the historic disqualification that handed Country House the victory. “The Kentuky (sic) Derby decision was not a good one,” tweeted Trump on Sunday. “It was a rough and tumble race on a wet and sloppy track, actually, a beautiful thing to watch. Only in these days of political correctness could such an overturn occur. The best horse did NOT win the Kentucky Derby – not even close!” he added. The unusual victory was a first for 65-year-old trainer Bill Mott, who had chased the elusive prize throughout his Hall of Fame career. “It’s bittersweet,” acknowledged Mott. “You always want to win with a clean trip and have everybody recognize the horse as the very good horse and great athlete that he is. “Due to the disqualification, I think some of that is diminished,” he admitted. West, owner of Maximum Security, has said that his horse will not run in the Preakness Stakes and that he plans to file an appeal with the state racing commission over the results of Saturday’s race.
China’s Stealing U.S. Military Secrets
China’s massive military buildup continues unabated, with Beijing using its considerable spying apparatus
to steal U.S. defense secrets in order to boost its own military. Such was the conclusion of a new report by the Pentagon detailing China’s military muscle. The Defense Department’s annual report to Congress spotlighted the growing threat from China’s armed forces and was presented amid the Trump administration’s saber-rattling vis-a-vis Beijing. Highlighting the extensive military and security developments involving the People’s Republic of
China, the report warned that China is rapidly becoming “a great power with the aim of emerging as the preeminent power in the Indo-Pacific region.” Key to China’s military buildup is the cutting-edge technology it steals from the U.S. via its extensive spying apparatus. Targeting both U.S. private sector companies and the armed forces, Beijing uses a mixture of human intelligence and hacking to obtain known-how and swipe weapons systems that cost billions of dollars to
develop. “China uses a variety of methods to acquire foreign military and dual-use technologies, including targeted foreign direct investment, cyber theft, and exploitation of private Chinese nationals’ access to these technologies, as well as harnessing its intelligence services, computer intrusions, and other illicit approaches,” the report found. “China obtains foreign technology through imports, foreign direct investment, the establishment of
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foreign research and development (R&D) centers, joint ventures, research and academic partnerships, talent recruitment, and industrial and cyberespionage.” Another area of concern the report highlighted was the growing Chinese threat in the Arctic. According to Pentagon researchers, the country’s growing involvement in the Arctic is a sign that it intends to have a muscular military presence in the future, potentially complicating U.S. Navy operations. Among the possible threats China’s activity in the North Pole could pose to the United States is deploying submarines armed with nuclear missiles that could act as a potential “Second Strike” capability to a U.S. attack on China. The warning regarding China’s growing presence in the Arctic comes as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sets out for a meeting of the Arctic Council, an international body made up of the eight nations who have territorial interests in the region. Speaking off the record, a senior State Department official said that Pompeo would bring up Chinese activity in the Arctic with the other nations and discuss theories of how to counter said activity. “We’re
committed to peace and sustainable economic developments [in the Arctic] for the long term, and we’re concerned about activities of other nations, including China, that do not share these same commitments,” the official said.
Does Diet Soda Make You Gain Weight?
Drinking diet soda may not, in fact, be the best choice for those looking to diet. A new study published in Pediatric Obesity found that children who were given diet soda to drink consumed an average of 200 more calories daily than their peers who only drank water. Diet soda drinkers tended to not only not eat less, but even to “make up” the missing
calories in other ways, such as by consuming snacks and larger meal portions. During the study, researchers examined the food diaries of 7,026 children who had participated in a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The data showed that those who drank diet drinks would eat an average of 196 calories more than those who drank only water. However, when compared to students who drank non-diet sugary sodas, this last group consumed an additional 312 calories daily. Meanwhile, those who drank both diet and non-diet sodas were taking in a whopping 450 calories more than their water-drinking counterparts. Researchers pointed to the data to say that water should always be a preferred option for drinking. “These results challenge the utility of diet or low-calorie sweetened beverages when it comes to cutting calories and weight management,” noted Dr. Allison Sylvetsky, a professor at George Washington University who led the study. “Our findings suggest that water should be recommended as the best choice for kids and teens,” she added.
Trump Pardons U.S. Soldier
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On Monday, President Donald Trump granted a pardon to a former first lieutenant in the U.S. Army who was sentenced to prison in 2009 for killing an Iraqi detainee. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders announced that Michael Behenna, of Oklahoma, would receive a full pardon. Behenna had been sentenced to 25 years in prison for unpremeditated murder in a combat zone by a military court, but there were issues involving his case, she said. “After judgment, however, the U.S. Army’s highest appellate court noted concern about how the trial court had handled Mr. Behenna’s claim of self-defense,” Sanders said
in the statement. “Additionally, the Army Clemency and Parole Board reduced his sentence to 15 years and paroled him as soon as he was eligible in 2014 – just 5 years into his sentence,” she added. Behenna deployed to Iraq in 2007. The following year, two soldiers and friends of Behenna were killed in a roadside explosion and he was on the scene. Shortly after the soldiers’ death, there was an intelligence report saying that then-Iraqi operative Ali Mansur possibly helped organize the explosion. Mansur was interrogated but then freed because the military did not have conclusive evidence tying him to the explosion. Less than a month later, Behenna went to interrogate Mansur on his own, without authorization, stripped Mansur naked and shot him twice. Behenna left the body and didn’t tell anyone, and the next day Iraqi police found Mansur’s body. According to a report by The Washington Post, Behenna maintained he acted in self-defense. Military prosecutors told the jury at his 2009 court-martial that they believed Behenna killed Mansur to avenge the loss of the two soldiers. In her statement, Sanders called Behenna a “model prisoner” when he was serving his sentence. She said Behenna’s case “has attracted broad support from the military, Oklahoma elected officials, and the public,” and noted that “thirty-seven generals and admirals, along with a former Inspector General of the Department of Defense, signed a brief in support of Mr. Behenna’s self-defense claim. “Behenna is entirely deserving of this Grant of Executive Clemency,” Sanders concluded.
Trump at an All-Time High
In the latest Gallup polls, President Donald Trump is stealing Americans’ hearts. The president is now at his highest approval rating since he took office two years ago. According to the numbers, 46% of Americans
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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3 Dead in Silicone Factory Explosion
approve of the president and the job he’s been doing. Despite the great numbers, there are still 50% of Americans who don’t like the president. Trump garnered a 45% approval rate back in June 2018 and in January 2017. Americans love the way the economy is booming. These approval rates were solicited before April 30, way before the amazing April jobs report that came out since then, which could
have increased the president’s approval numbers even more. Interestingly, it’s not necessarily Republicans that are backing the president. Nine out of 10 Republicans backed Trump in March, the same number who did so in April. It’s among Democrats where Trump’s job approval has improved the most month-to-month; just 4% approved of the job he was doing in March compared to 10% who said the same in April. Indepen-
dents went from 33% job approval for Trump in March to 39% in April. Despite the Mueller report and Congress’ grilling, Trump still came out swinging in this latest poll. Mick Mulvaney, chief of staff, made an interesting point last week. “People will vote for somebody they don’t like if they think it’s good for them,” he said. In other words, you don’t have to like his tweets as long as you like how he’s running the country.
The death toll resulting from a silicone factory explosion in Illinois has been raised to three after rescuers pulled an employee’s burnt body from the rubble on Sunday. Waukegan Fire Marshal Steve Lenzi told the media that rescue officials are still trying to get to the body of an additional worker whom they believe is buried under the doomed factory. The aforementioned employee had been at the AB Specialty Silicones plant in Waukegan, Illinois, when a massive explosion left the hulking building a smoldering ruin. Overall, nine people had been in the plant when it exploded. Other than the three casualties, four workers remain in the hospital, while two more didn’t require medical treatment. Located about 50 miles north of Chicago, the plant manufactures materials to be used for adhesives, sealants, and coatings. Early reports said that some of the employees on shift realized that something had gone wrong and yelled at their coworkers to get out of the building in the seconds prior to the explosion. Lenzi reported that investigators still did not know what caused the explosion, but said that foul play is not suspected. “Most of the processes that they do are very non-hazardous. Silicone itself is not a hazardous substance,” Lenzi said. “Something ... this weekend went horrifically wrong.”
In With the Old In choosing a new uniform, the U.S. Army is giving a nod to its past, outfitting its soldiers in clothing reminiscent of the iconic World War II dress greens. The Army’s newest uniform brings back the classic old green gabardine
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ting new uniforms, and those beautiful new uniforms with the belt. It was a big deal – the belt.
KEHILLAS AHAVAS YISRAEL UNDER THE DYNAMIC LEADERSHIP OF RAV DANIEL GLATSTEIN SHLITA, warmly invites the entire community to our Bais Medrash as we begin
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“And if you think those uniforms were inexpensive, they were very expensive. They were very,” continued Trump. “But they wanted it and we got it. We have equipment now like we’ve never had before.”
Tiger Woods’ Medal of Freedom
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wool field coat and khaki pants sported by officers during the Second World War. Known affectionally as “Pinks and Greens,” the uniform harkens back to the role the Army played in defeating Nazism and remains deeply popular among the rank-and-file. “We went back and asked, ‘When is the most prominent time when the Army’s service to our nation was universally recognized?’ and the answer came very quickly,” Army Sergeant Major Daniel A. Dailey said in an in-
terview with The New York Times. “That victory, that impact on the nation, is still felt today by the sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters of the ‘Greatest Generation,’” he added. Officially titled “Army Greens,” the uniforms were rolled out on Veterans Day and will become official Army-issue as of next January. Troops can either buy a green jacket or retro-styled leather bomber to go with the uniform.
The new uniforms were chosen following a decision by the Army to eliminate its blue uniforms that were widely despised by troops. President Donald Trump hailed the new design in a speech last week as evidence of his commitment to beefing up the military. “We’re rebuilding our military like never before. Brand new fighter jets. Brand new ships of all kinds. Every soldier has the best equipment,” said Trump. “In the Army, we’re even get-
Tiger Woods was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Monday by President Donald Trump in the Rose Garden of the White House. The president said that the champion golfer is “a global symbol of American excellence, devotion and drive.” “Tiger, we are inspired by everything you’ve become and attained. The job you’ve done is incredible,” Trump said to Woods. “Your spectacular achievements on the golf course, your triumph over physical adversity and your relentless will to win, win, win; these qualities embody the American spirit of pushing boundaries, defying limits and always striving for greatness.” Trump, an avid golfer who played with Woods at the president’s golf club in Florida this past February, also referred to Woods as “a true legend, an extraordinary athlete who has transformed golf and achieved new levels of dominance.” “He’s also a great person. He’s a great guy,” Trump added. At one point, President Trump paid tribute to Woods’ late father, Earl, calling him “a very special guy also.” “He was tough, Tiger, wasn’t he?”
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Trump asked Tiger about Earl Woods. “Not as tough as her,” Woods cracked in response, pointing out his mother, Kultida. Woods is the fourth golfer to receive the Medal of Freedom. Then-President George W. Bush presented the honor to Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Then-President Barack Obama gave the Medal of Freedom to Charlie Sifford, the first African-American to join the PGA Tour, in 2014. In his remarks on Monday, Woods mentioned that he had named his 10-year-old son Charlie after Sifford, whom he referred to “like the grandpa I never had.” “This has been an unbelievable experience and…everyone here has seen and been with me for them, some of you for my entire life, and some of you for more than half my life,” Woods said. “You’ve seen the good and the bad, the highs and the lows and I would not be in this position without your help.” Trump announced that Woods would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom last month after Woods won the Masters Tournament. It was the 43-year-old Woods’ first victory at Augusta National since 2005 and his first major title since 2008.
NY & NJ Sue IRS and Treasury
This week, New York and New Jersey sued the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department over a policy change that veils the identities of so-called “dark money” contributors to certain tax-exempt groups, including many with political agendas. The lawsuit, filed on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, accuses the IRS and Treasury of stonewalling information requests about the rationale for the new rule and for any lobbying around the new law, which allows these groups to avoid a donor disclosure requirement. The Treasury and the IRS released new guidelines last summer that eliminated a requirement for certain tax-exempt groups to provide the names and addresses of major donors on an annual tax form. Groups that no
longer have to file this information, per CNN, include the National Rifle Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP, the largely Koch brothers-funded Americans for Prosperity, labor unions, multiple issue advocacy groups, chambers of commerce, labor unions and volunteer fire departments. The Trump administration implemented the change without public notice or comment. New York Attorney General Letitia James, who filed the lawsuit along with New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, said in a statement that her office “depends on these critical donor disclosure forms to be able to adequately oversee non-profit organizations in New York.” James accused Treasury and the IRS of “refusing to comply with the law” to release information about the reason for this change. “No one is above the law — not even the federal government,” she asserted. The Trump administration has argued that the change protects the privacy of donors. But critics contend that the move shields the source of massive donations to tax-exempt organizations that work to influence U.S. policy debates and elections and effectively hides foreign contributors’ efforts to manipulate American politics. Last October, James and Grewal, who are both Democrats, filed a Freedom of Information Act request demanding all background information on how and why the new policy was developed. Their lawsuit is asking the court to order the Treasury and the IRS to promptly disclose all records related to the change. The Treasury and the IRS have declined to comment on the case because it involves pending litigation.
Locked and Loaded Politics is very different in South Korea. Last Thursday, a South Korean politician was locked in his office by rival lawmakers for over six hours in an effort to prevent him from attending a meeting ahead of a major vote. Chae Yi-bai of the Bareunmi-
rae party and four of his aides were trapped in his office at Seoul’s National Assembly. Eleven members of the rival Liberty Korea Party had entered Chae’s office at 9 a.m. and blocked the door with a sofa, sitting on it. Chae desperately tried to leave his office, but the windows were too small for him to escape. Five hours later, he delivered a press conference to reporters gathered outside the window. Police finally arrived at 3 p.m. to free the lawmaker. The bill that created the controversy and the craziness that ensued centers around expanding propositional representation in South Korea. Chae supports it; the Liberty Korea Party does not. This isn’t the first physical confrontation to take place in South Korea’s National Assembly. In 2004, a scuffle broke out as lawmakers voted on the impeachment of then-president Roh Moo-hyun. In 2011, an opposition politician set off a tear gas canister, hoping to derail the passing of a free trade agreement with the United States. Bernie Sanders’ fiery speeches seem almost tame in comparison.
The Miracle of Amen
The prayers of two teens were answered recently by a boat named “Amen.” Heather Brown and Tyler Smith from Jacksonville, Florida, were on a senior skip day trip with friends two weeks ago when they jumped into the water at Vilano Beach and swam out to sea. The two were having a great time, endeavoring to swim out to an island with a group of friends. Eventually, their friends turned around and went back to shore but Brown and Smith continued on. “I asked Tyler, ‘Do you want to keep going?’” Brown told ABC News. “He said, ‘I don’t care.’ ... He said, ‘Let’s go for it!’” The two daredevils eventually were caught in a current that quickly pulled them deeper into the ocean.
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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Yeshiva Beth Abraham Slonim of Jerusalem Graced by the presence of Harav Hagaon
R' Shlomo Weinberg Shlit"a
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Wednesday May 15, 2019
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MAY 9, 2019 | The Jewish Home
“By the time we were trying to go back, it kept pushing us out,” Brown said. They tried to swim out to a buoy they saw floating but weren’t able to get to it. The long swim, along with the strong current, wore the two teens down. Soon, Smith noticed that his legs were cramping. “While I was laying on my back, the best I could, floating, I just called out, ‘G-d, please don’t let this be the end. I still want to see my family ... send someone to save us,’” Smith said. And then, an hour and a half after they started their trek, the two saw that their prayers had been answered. A boat was slowly coming to their aid. The two started waving their arms frantically for the boat to slow down. The boat’s name was emblazoned on its side: “Amen.” Eric Wagner, the captain of the ship, said he saw the teens. “The situation was dire, pretty drastic,” Wagner said. “I asked, ‘Where is your boat?’ Heather said she’ll tell me later.” The two were exhausted, but unhurt after the ordeal. “We were the only boat there, too,” Wagner said. “It was a day that only the fishing boats were going out
and they go straight out to the Gulf Stream. They don’t go up and down the coast, so I don’t think any boats would have found them.” He added, “I don’t want to call it dumb luck, it wasn’t – it was the hand of G-d.” We say amen to that.
Snoozeterns
The Most Remote Town on Earth Don’t you just love laying under the covers on a cold day? Or even on a warm day when it’s the morning and you can barely open your eyes? Sounds like you’re the perfect candidate for Mattress Firm, which is looking for “Snoozeterns” to test out their beds. The company said that paid interns who get the job will be working 30 hours a week testing out beds and creating “written and video reviews for our social platforms and MattressFirm.com.” They’d be working
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out of the company’s “BEDQuarters” in Houston, Texas, and would need to create video content including sleep tips and interviewing locals about their sleeping habits. The ideal candidate would be “proficient in napping, regardless of time of day,” as well as “using editing software like Animoto, iMovie, Adobe Spark or Final Cut Pro.” In other words, it’s a dream job.
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If Orlando for Pesach was a bit too social for you and if you can’t leave Gourmet Glatt without meeting all your classmates from high school, you might be up for some time away from civilization. Consider, then, the town of Ittoqqortoormiit, possibly the most remote town on Earth. The town is the only inhabited piece of land on the desolate coastline south of Greenland National Park. At the center of this tiny village sits a bright orange guest house, which residents are hoping will spark a fragile travel industry in an isolated corner of the emptiest country on Earth. Greenland’s population density is an unfathomable 0.0 people per-square-kilometer, and three-quarters of the 57,000 citizens live in Nuuk, the capital, which lies on the west coast. As a result, there’s barely any human habitation for a 1,000-kilometer radius around Ittoqqortoormiit, which is filled with cheerfully painted houses. Despite the tranquility, guests here won’t have to rough it. The guest house is well heated and there’s an expensive supermarket nearby. There’s also a stack of DVDs with movies from the nineties, although cellphones don’t really work here. Residents of Ittoqqortoormiit – all of whom are of Inuit descent – enjoy amenities like electricity and
central heating and Wi-Fi in the local recreation center, and order parcels from Amazon that arrive by charter plane once every two months from Iceland. They eat food they have hunted on the tundra or in the sea – whelk, reindeer and Arctic char – for dinner each night and dress in polar bear fur coats and seal skin gloves. In their spare time, they go dog sledding along the snowy ravines and later feed their animals with seals harpooned from the icy rocks. In order to get to Ittoqqortoormiit, you need to take a helicopter ride from Constable Point in Greenland. During the summer, the days are longer in Greenland, which is lovely, although you won’t see the famed Northern Lights. In any case, you probably won’t see anyone else, either. And isn’t that what you were looking for – solitude?
Strawberry Shortcake Extravaganza
If you love strawberries, cream and spongy cake, then you should have been in Scanzano Jonico in Italy this week. A group of bakers there broke a Guinness World Record when they created a strawberry shortcake measuring nearly 200 feet long. The chefs spent a total of 300 hours creating the 198.4-foot cake that was unveiled at an event this week. The pastry, which was topped by 1,763 pounds of strawberries, was created by bakers Salvatore Di Trani, Dolce Voglia di Dartizio/Rapanaro, Dolci Privilegi di Angelo Corbino and Vincenzo Mastropierro along with a team of volunteers. Mama mia! Looking to recreate the recipe? Fuhgeddaboudit! Bakers used 3,500 eggs, 103 kg of flour, and 100 kg of sugar for the delicacy. The confection surpassed a 105foot cake created in France in 2017. Any way I can get a slice?
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
Around the
Community YOSS Talmidim Say Birchas Ha’Ilanos
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he Pre-1A boys at the YOSS ECC went on a walk this week to recite Birchas Ha’ilanos, the brocha said every year during the month of Nissan upon seeing the buds of a fruit tree. Along the way, Rebbe Eli and the moros pointed out different trees and flowers. As the boys experienced the sights and sounds of spring, they were able to appreciate “mah rabu ma’asecha Hashem,” how wonderful and great Hashem’s creations are!
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Around the Community
Awards for SKA at Holocaust Art Contest
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n an art contest run by the Fritz Ascher Society that included over 60 Jewish and non-Jewish students from all over the country, SKA sophomore Batya Wolff won first place, SKA freshman Eliana Weiss won third place, and SKA freshman Dena Lauber won honorable mention. Fritz Ascher was a German Jewish painter who escaped a concentration camp and survived the war by hiding in Berlin and the society asked for submissions that reacted to his life. These winning works of art, in addition to the other seven pieces sub-
mitted by SKA students, are the result of a new addition to the school’s art curriculum. In an effort to encourage girls to gain a deeper understanding of the Holocaust through visual expression, Mrs. Suzy Libin, Art Department Chair, added Holocaust Studies to the art syllabus. Through materials she received from Yad Vashem, and the rich discussions that ensued, students were well equipped to produce such high-quality Holocaust art. Following the artwork’s display at the German Academy, SKA was proud to line our hallways with the
students’ drawings and paintings as part of our Yom Hashoah programming that also included a moving video, presentations by survivors
Mrs. Rachel Heilbrun and Mr. Bernie Igielski, readings from our student Holocaust journal, and a candle lighting ceremony.
Rav replied, “Maybe until now I didn’t say it with enough intention, but now, when I say, ‘You chose us among all nations,’ I will say it more intently and joyfully than ever before, because I am lucky to be a Jew, because if I were not ‘chosen from among all nations,’ I would be like that Nazi.” In its optimistic and sometimes humorous manner, the film depicts how the Rav went on to rebuild his chassidic community, remarry and raise an illustrious family. In a negotiation with Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion the Admor noted, “The minimum I see in this country, it will be a place where I can go out on a Shabbos morning wearing my shtreimel and my chassidish coat, my white socks and a tallis on my shoulder, and no one will ever do me any harm,” and the maximum? “I see you in a shtre-
imel.” It should be noted that the Klausenberger Rebbe was the first Admor to bring his following to Eretz Yisrael. Rabbi Yaniv Meirov, founder and CEO of the CHAZAQ organization, extended special appreciation to the Hoffman family for giving the Queens community at large the opportunity to experience this groundbreaking endeavor. Mrs. Helen Hoffman, who was born in the DP camp portrayed in the film, explained how her family was personally affected by the work of the Klausenberger Rebbe.
Belief in the Face of Adversity
By Shabsie Saphirstein
C
HAZAQ collaborated with the Young Israel of Queens Valley on Yom Hashoah for an evening of reflection, where a standing room only crowd gathered for a special viewing of Hidden Face, a documentary about the life of Rabbi Yekusiel Halberstam, the Sanz-Klausenberger Rebbe, zt”l, whose wife and eleven children were murdered during the darkest days. Rabbi Shmuel Marcus, rabbi of The Young Israel of Queens Valley, gave background on the Admor’s struggle and ability to invigorate others throughout his ordeal. Rabbi Marcus pointed out that the Admor established several institutions, most notably the Laniado Hospital in Netanya, Israel, also known as the Sanz Medical Center. This medical
facility is a voluntary, non-profit operation in Kiryat Sanz serving a regional population of over 450,000 throughout Netanya and the Sharon plain. Yom Hashoah will forever be a day of reflection for the 6 million Jewish souls that perished during the Holocaust. The countless survivors helped assemble the world Jewry of today. Each of these precious survivors holds a unique tale of courage and spiritual resuscitation. Many opted to share their story for future generations to hold as a remembrance of the faith in the face of adversity and devastation and about the rebuilding afterwards. The film mentioned a remarkable query. On one of the Admor’s most difficult days in the camps, he was asked whether he would still recite the bracha thanking Hashem for choosing the Jews among all the nations. The
To bring this film to your community or for further information on CHAZAQ’s vast array of programming please email events@Chazaq. org, call 718-285-9132 or visit www. CHAZAQ.org.
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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Around the Community
Darchei Torah fourth graders made a collective siyum in memory of Churban Europe’s Kedoshim, together with fathers and grandfathers
Rabbi Moshe Sochet addressed the assemblage at the siyum
Mr. Sam Bergman, grandfather of a talmid, said the kaddish at the siyum
Rav Dovid Morgenstern, menahel
MTA Hosts Meaningful Yom HaShoah Program
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TA commemorated Yom HaShoah with a meaningful program, which began with opening remarks from head of school Rabbi Joshua Kahn, followed by senior Nadav Heller, who talked about his experience interviewing a Holocaust survivor as part of MTA’s Names, Not Numbers program. The introduction closed with senior Gavri-
el Iskhakbayev lighting a candle in memory of the 6 million Jews who perished during the Holocaust. Talmidim were then privileged to hear from a special guest speaker, legendary storyteller Rabbi Hanoch Teller. Rabbi Teller shared many inspiring Holocaust stories, highlighting the bravery, perseverance, and determination of those who endured the
atrocities of the concentration camps and encouraged talmidim to carry on their legacy. The program concluded with talmidim lighting 300 candles provided by Our 6 Million, an organization whose mission is to instill a family tradition to remember those who perished during the Holocaust. Each candle represented one of the 6 million Jews who were killed during
the Holocaust and included a label with the person’s name and information on who they were and what they did prior to the Holocaust, as well as their dates of birth and death and a QR code that can be scanned to access more information. Talmidim took the time to read about each person before lighting their candles to keep their memories alive.
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Around the Community
Yom HaShoah at Shulamith
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rades 2-4 of Shulamith Lower Division participated in a meaningful Yom HaShoah program. The girls heard from Mrs. Dagmar Green, a Holocaust survivor and grandmother of students Baylie, Esther, Suri, & Goldie Habib. The 3rd and 4th grades then performed an inspiring skit and choir performance. Pictured from L-R: Baylie Habib, Mrs. Joyce Yarmak, Goldie Habib, Mrs. Atara Habib, Esther Habib, Suri Habib, Mrs. Dagmar Green, and Morah Penina Deutsch.
Yom HaShoah: Rambam Rallies Against Lithuanian Anti-Semitism
By Avi Balsam
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n Yom HaShoah, Rambam students rallied against Lithuania for honoring a former Nazi collaborator. The Nazi, Jonas Noreika, is celebrated in Lithuania with statues in prominent locations, due to his working with the Germans against the Soviet communists. However, evidence uncovered by his granddaughter shows that Jonas Noreika collaborated with the Nazis, promoting the German rule of Lithuania rather than vying for an independent state. He also made large contributions to the removal of the Lithuanian Jews to ghettos and to their subsequent deportations to death camps. Due to the actions of Jonas Noreika and others, 95% of Lithuanian Jews perished in the
Holocaust, many of them by anti-Semitic Lithuanian militias. Rambam exposed these facts and more at the rally, as Rabbi Friedman laid out the facts and some evidence; sophomore Judah Orlanski read a document containing Noreika’s granddaughter’s research; junior Avi Balsam read orders signed by Noreika mandating the liquidation of the Jews; and Mr. Goldman led the students in chants and slogans. The day before the rally, an assembly was held in which Rabbi Friedman and Rabbi Eliach discussed the horrors of the Holocaust, and gave background to the upcoming rally. Rabbi Eliach showed videos of the lives of European Jewry before the Holocaust, to humanize the Jews and illustrate the degree of
loss that the Jewish Community felt after the Holocaust. Rabbi Friedman recounted his personal interactions with and feelings about the Holocaust, as well as the need for a rally the next day.
All in all, this Yom HaShoah was meaningful and inspiring and all the students came out knowing something they hadn’t known before, charged with a mission to use that knowledge to help Klal Yisroel.
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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Yom HaShoah at SHS
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n a moving Tekes Yom HaShoah this past Thursday, Shulamith High School commemorated and remembered the six million who perished in the Holocaust. The day’s program was both meaningful and inspirational and compelled the girls to think about what their history means to them and why it is important to remember the past. The program was framed with opening words from Rabbi Craig Lubner on the themes of legacy, storytelling and transmission of mesorah. Rabbi Lubner began by reading an excerpt from a stirring letter written by Rabbi Ahron Lopiansky, rosh yeshiva of the Yeshiva of Greater Washington. The letter is written from the perspective of a parent musing over what he will relay to his children on seder night. Knowing that he may not be able to adequately express his important message the night of the seder, the parent records his thoughts beforehand. The parent begins his message: “[We, the] Jewish People [are] links in a chain that started over 3,000 years ago and [we] will make it to the
finish line of the end of times. It is a relay race where a torch is passed on through all the ages, and it is our charge, to take it from the one before and pass it on to the one after. Tonight we are being judged as to how well we have received our tradition and how well we are passing it on.” The parent continues his letter, trying to convey to his child the amount of sacrifice that has gone into enabling the mesorah to continue, and he ends with a wish that his child also will, one day, appreciate the importance of continuing the legacy. After Rabbi Lubner’s opening, students and faculty together recited Tehillim and kel malei rachamim. The program then continued with a student-led cantata and candle lighting ceremony. In their beautiful and emotional performance, the girls sang moving renditions of Ani Maamin, Shema Yisrael and Cry No More. After the choir, the girls then lit candles in honor of those who were murdered in the Shoah. They chose six individuals who perished in the Holocaust, read aloud a brief description of their lives and deaths, and
lit a candle in their memory and in memory of all the six million. Those candles stayed burning for the rest of the day, silently honoring and commemorating those lost, as students took turns watching over the flames. The program continued with a viewing of the Holocaust film Who will Write our History? a documentary produced by the film and theatre companies Abramorama, Katahdin Productions and Match&Spark. The film – in addition to telling the larger story of Jewish life in the Warsaw Ghetto, detailing, with both narration and media, the raw and immense pain and suffering that befell the Warsaw community at the hands of the Nazis – specifically chronicles the resistance of the clandestine underground group Oyneg Shabes. Led by historian Emanuel Ringelblum, Oyneg Shabes, a group that began in the Warsaw Ghetto, was composed of journalists, scholars and community leaders who fought back against the Nazis by dedicating themselves to preserving and transmitting the truth. Unwilling to let the Nazis record and preserve the
history of the Holocaust the way they intended to, Oyneg Shabes compiled an extensive archive of documents, photographs, drawings, diary entries, letters and anything else that lent insight into the Jewish experience of the Holocaust. They did everything to ensure their archive would survive the war and thus tell the truth to the world – even if they themselves could not. After the film, the girls split up into breakout sessions to discuss the messages of the film and the overall message of the day. To do that, the girls were given copies of artifacts from the Oyneg Shabes archive. They were asked to analyze them, view them as an insight into life in the Warsaw Ghetto,
and reflect on how these artifacts from the past connect to our lives today. Although it wasn’t necessarily an easy day, students walked away from the program having internalized, to a deeper extent, the solemnity and the importance of Yom HaShoah. The messages of the day – the importance of honoring legacy, the importance of transmitting our collective truth to future generations, and the importance of looking to the past to inform the future – are messages that are an invaluable part of Jewish identity. It is for this reason, says Rabbi Lubner, that “these hallmark days are...key educational moments in our high school program.”
Shulamith Learns; Shulamith Remembers
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n advance of Yom HaShoah, last Wednesday was designated “Holocaust Education Day” in Shulamith Middle Division. In each classroom, teachers presented edifying lessons about the Shoah. Among the topics covered were “How Many are Six Million?” “Resistance in the Camps” and “Euphemisms Used by the Nazis.” On Thursday, Yom HaShoah was commemorated with two ceremonies. The morning assembly included the traditional lighting of six candles to represent the six million, tefillot said in memory of the kedoshim, a choir, and
Tamar Rabinovitz, Adina Baum, and Naava Belsky with child survivor Mrs. Celia Kener
an audio-visual presentation which movingly explained the stages of the Holocaust. Students gathered again in the afternoon to hear Mrs. Celia Kener speak about her experiences as a hidden
child. The girls were deeply affected by Mrs. Kener’s presentation and wrote letters thanking her for coming to share her story of survival with them. Sixth grader Adina Flug wrote, “I found
Sixth grader Leora Bindiger, with her grandmothers, both children of survivors, Mrs. Tamar Bindiger and Mrs. Barbara Hollander, and with Leora’s mother, Mrs. Nahva Bindiger
your story so emotional and inspiring. With so few survivors left in 2019, I feel so
lucky to have heard your firsthand speech.” Let us never forget.
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Around the Community
HAFTR Commemorates Yom HaShoah
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AFTR students participated in the commemoration of Yom HaShoah on Thursday, May 2. Under the direction of Lisa Patick-Rosenberg, fifth grade students in the TOTs program presented, “The Secret Shabbos,” an adaptation of a book by Doreen Rappaport. The story tells of a French family who risks everything to hide and protect a Jewish family from the Nazis. Despite the risk, the Benoits celebrate Shabbat and invite their non-Jewish friends to join their Shabbat table. It is a story of respect, peace, and love of mankind. Under the direction of Janet Goldman, a group of students sang, “Little Hands,” by Janet and Ronald Goldman. Students were fortunate to welcome Holocaust survivor Mr. Ivan Gluck, grandfather of 5th grade student Riley Gluck, to share his story. The Gluck family then led a meaningful candle lighting ceremony. HAFTR’s fourth and fifth grade students participated in The But-
terfly Project. Starting as a way to educate school children about the Holocaust, The Butterfly Project has swelled into a global phenomenon, collecting 1.5 million handmade butterflies from across the world. It was inspired by the poem “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” written by
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Pavel Friedmann, a young Jew from Czechoslovakia who wrote it while in the Terezin concentration camp. The project was a tribute to the lives of the young people lost in the Holocaust. Each student was given the name and biography of a Jewish child who perished during the war and will paint a ceramic butterfly in that child’s memory. The butterflies will be affixed to the display that the school began last year. Special thank you to Mrs. Tahra Mastour for her dedication and commitment to sharing this project with us and to her efforts in keeping the stories of the Holocaust from being forgotten. HAFTR Middle School hosted a very special assembly to honor the six million Jews killed in the Shoah. Mr. Joshua Gold, HAFTR Middle School principal, opened the program with a message that encouraged students to see their responsibility to never forget “as a call to action to stand up to hate speech and intolerance, and not acquiesce to extremist views that degrade the dignity of anyone.” Following this, the school’s choir, led by Mrs. Einat Rabinovich and accompanied by Rabbi David Lamm performed a variety of songs including “L’chol ish yeish sheim, Every Person Has a Name. Several students recited selections of poetry and special tefillot were recited. The program also showed a ten minute clip of the Names, Not Numbers documentary students made two years ago and closed with powerful words from Holocaust survivor Joanna Friedl, who shared her harrowing account
of war survival in which she moved through Europe and North Africa, ultimately settling in Israel to begin her life again. The program was deeply moving and meaningful for all involved. Special thanks to Ariel Glaubach and Tahra Mastour for their efforts in facilitating Mrs. Friedl’s attendance. In a very powerful presentation, HAFTR High School seniors reflected on their memorable Mission to Poland in March. Accompanied by Rabbi Moshe Hubner and Rabbi Gedaliah Oppen, the students embarked on an unforgettable journey. The trip was sponsored by Melodie and Marty Scharf, in memory of Mr. Scharf’s father, Abraham Scharf, z”l. After sharing several highlights of their trip, the students performed a meaningful candle lighting ceremony. The students then showed their classmates a video presentation depicting their experiences in Poland. Following the students’ presentations, the faculty and student body joined in the singing of “Hatikvah” and “Ani Ma’amin.” Rabbi Yonoson Hirtz taught a Mishnah to the students and led them in the recitation of Tehillim. We could not be more proud of our students, who showed great maturity and strength in preparing for this special Day of Remembrance. It is crucial to remember the atrocities of the Holocaust, to honor the lives of those lost, and to make sure that each generation to come never forgets.
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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Around the Community
HANC HS Freshman Wins Moshe Flescher Holocaust Scholarship Essay Contest
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n Wednesday, May 2, Yom HaShoah, HANC High School gathered in the auditorium for a special presentation by Mr. Alan and Judi Eisenman, parents of three HANC graduates. The Eisenmans generously sponsored tuition scholarships towards the ninthgrade winners of the Moshe Flescher Holocaust Memorial Scholarship Freshman Essay Contest. The scholarship was dedicated in memory of Mrs. Judi Eisenman’s father, a”h, Mr. Moshe Flescher. Mrs. Eisenman met with the students and provided them with a brief history of her father. This year, the winner was selected from a record number of essay entries who responded to the question: What has the world learned for the Holocaust over the past seven de-
Ori Baer with the Eisenman family and High School administrators
cades? The winner, Ori Baer, read his essay before a silent audience. Moshe Flescher was born in Poland in 1921. As the youngest of seven children, he survived the tumultuous period by hiding in the forest with five siblings. Mrs. Eisenman further
added that her father was soft-spoken and brief when responding to questions concerning his experience during the Holocaust. Mrs. Eisenman explained that the purpose of this scholarship was to educate young students about
the Holocaust and to perpetuate the memory of those who perished. She emphasized, “We should not be silent about this period, but rather our HANC students will serve to unite, through such education, the past and the future generations.”
ed the story being told. These songs included Ani Maamin, Tov Lehodot, Vehi Sheamda,and Acheinu. A poignant video clip of Abe Rottenberg’s “What has Become of the Memories”
moved the entire audience. Even though more time passes every year since the Holocaust, inspiring programs like this help to keep its memory alive.
Yom HaShoah Commemorated at HANC High School By Adena Cohen
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n Thursday, May 2, the students and faculty gathered together in the auditorium to commemorate Yom HaShoah. The program was introduced with the lighting of six candles by students and a faculty member whose relatives survived the Holocaust and Rabbi Shlomo Adelman reciting the Kel Maleh. This created a serious tone, which was sensed by everyone present. The audience was inspired by a meaningful program highlighted by the reading of an essay written
by ninth grader, Ori Baer. The essay was the winning entry of the annual Moshe Fleshcher Holocaust Memorial Scholarship sponsored by Judi and Alan Eisenman in memory of Judi’s father, Moshe Flescher, a Holocaust survivor. Following the candle lighting, four faculty members, Rabbi Chesir, Rabbi Selengut, Ms. Zucker, and Rabbi Weingot, shared incredibly powerful stories from survivors, including stories of how they escaped and how they were able to keep their faith in Hashem. After each story, the entire school sang songs in unison that represent-
Remembering the 6 Million
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entral commemorated Yom HaShoah with meaningful programming throughout the day. In the morning, a siren rang and names of child victims were read. Seniors lined the hallways holding lit candles and led the other students to the cafeteria where the choir sang. Once gathered, senior Rachel Musheyev remarked on her experience
interviewing a survivor for Names, Not Numbers. Junior Rina Shamilov read a poem she wrote for Yom HaShoah. Six yahrtzeit candles were lit, representing the 6 million Jews who were killed; each candle held a special meaning to the person who lit it. The highlight of the program was a presentation by Mrs. Shirley Gottesman, a Holocaust survivor, and the great-great-aunt of senior
Etty Weschler. She spoke about her experience in Kanada II in Auschwitz. Her story was truly meaningful and inspirational. The ceremony concluded with the entire school singing Hatikvah and Ani Ma’amin. Afternoon programming included learning about modern-day anti-Semitism and a museum program about the history of the Holocaust.
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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Around the Community
STEM Play at HAFTR
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engineer, and Iggy Peck, the architect, the first graders designed and constructed towers from toothpicks and mini-marshmallows. After their work was completed, they discussed in what ways they were successful and how they could improve their designs next time. One of the traits the children learned about was perseverance. We are really looking forward to seeing how the books are represented on stage!
n May 14, the children in grades 1 and 2 at HAFTR will visit the Adams Playhouse at Hofstra University to see the Theatreworks USA presentation of “Rosie Revere and Friends.” The play is based on the popular series of books by Andrea Beaty. The children have heard the books and are familiar with the characters who represent different aspects of the STEM curriculum. When learning about Rosie Revere, the
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Blasting into Space
T
he students in Mrs. Traube’s first grade class in Yeshiva of South Shore have blasted into outer space with our new science and ELA integrated unit. It all started because they had been learning how to read clocks and that led them to think about the concept of time itself. They all wondered: We know that Hashem made the world…but how does it all work? So they’ve taken the time to learn about our solar system, with lots of new vocabulary, lots of writing, lots of projects, and lots of games. Even their phonics words match up, with the “oo” vowel team helping us read “moon!” The boys are fascinated with all of their new knowledge and understanding of our world and are eagerly anticipating our trip next week to the Cradle of Aviation Museum to see a show of “Astronaut Allie: First Kid Astronaut,” with a visit to the lunar module exhibit afterwards!
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
Around the Community
Club Central: A First Class Gym with a “Second Home” Atmosphere
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ounded in Cedarhurst, New York, in 1996, Club Central continues to seek innovative ways to enhance the physical and emotional wellbeing of our community-based membership. Today, we still hold true to our commitment to reshaping the Five Towns. Our strong and successful growth stems from our commitment to understanding and meeting the distinct needs of the community we proudly serve. Enjoy total privacy with direct access from the women’s-only gym to the women’s locker room, including women’s-only group fitness classes and teen classes with our highly trained staff. Additionally, we provide men’s-only hours in our upstairs gym. We offer fun and effective workout options and membership types to members of all ages and interests, which include highly qualified trainers, to help you get in shape and to encourage you to complete your best workout. What sets us apart from surrounding gyms and studios is our pledge to prioritize having a workout environment that is always maintained and comfortable for our members. Our “second-home atmosphere,” as our members call it, is what keeps our gym community coming back for more. Consistency means results!
As we always have, and always will, cater to our members’ schedules, our weekday classes start as early at 6:00am, and our weekend classes
resume Motzei Shabbos. Fortunate enough to be located right in the heart of Cedarhurst, we are also surrounded by three parking lots, which allows all members to easily and safely park directly in the vicinity of the Club. Club Central has come under new ownership since June 2018 and it continues with the same management. Club Central has recently upgraded its facility. In addition, new equipment, such as ellipticals, bikes, and treadmills equipped with personal TVs, as well as spin bikes, were added to the gym to ensure a stronger and more encouraging workout for every member. We always have been true to who we are as a club as we continue to respect the community around us; we will always be Club Central. As we approach our first full year under new ownership, we want to give back to the community and offer our new Fitness Stimulus membership for new and current members. An anniversary gift from us to you. See our ad for more information on this amazing, limited-time offer. Call 516-295-3232 to join Club Central today! To view our class schedule please visit our website at ClubCentralGyms.com and for great workout videos, last minute schedule changes, and motivation follow us on Instagram @ClubCentralGyms.
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Rabbi Usher Jungreis with his Pre1A class in Yeshiva Ketana of Queens making the bracha of birchas ha’ilanos last week
Special Guests Visit BYQ
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he children at the BYQ Early Childhood Center love learning about Hashem’s beautiful world with Morah Gitle, our wonderful nature teacher. This week they went on a short field trip to our very own
pear tree to make the special Birkas Ilanos and to thank Hashem for creating trees. The children were amazed to learn that pears will soon grow in place of the gorgeous white blossoms all over the tree. It was a wonderful
opportunity to discuss some of the many things that trees give us. Morah Gitle also arranged for a special visit by two mounted police officers. They came to BYQ on their beautiful horses and spoke to the
preschoolers about health and safety. Some of the brave children even pet the horses. What excitement! Stay tuned for planting our very own garden, nature walks, nature hunts, butterflies, and more!
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
SHULAMITH ONE VISION. ONE HEART. ONE SCHOOL.
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Rav Yehuda Deutsch’s third grade talmidim at Yeshiva Darchei Torah learning about the Makkah of Tzefardeia in Parashas Va’eira
The “Write” Way at TAG
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lthough after Pesach it sometimes feels like we are approaching the end of the school year, at the TAG Ganger Early Childhood Center we are gearing up for even more fun and engaging learning experiences! This week in our handwriting special run by Morah Dena Isaacs, a pediatric occupational therapist with over 18 years of experience, the girls had an invaluable lesson in honor of our letter of the week: letter W. One of the major objectives of our handwriting special is to imbue our
students with a love of writing. To continue to impart that lesson, Morah Dena read each class The Word Collector, by Peter Reynolds. The plot of the story revolves around a boy who loves to collect words. Along the way he learns that words are used to share thoughts and ideas and how to express ourselves. After reading the book, each of the girls had an opportunity to collect words including the many sight words the girls have learned throughout the year as well as simple words that contained the letter W. Once words were collected
each student wrote her own sentence using the words she collected. This fascinating and enjoyable lesson allowed the girls to practice writing not only letters, but words and creative sentences as well. Throughout the year the girls have learned through songs, rhymes, chants and lots of laughter about rules regarding letter formations, letter size, spacing and so much more. The letter W lesson reinforced what we have been learning throughout the year! And WOW do our TAG talmidos love to Write!
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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Around the Community
YCQ’s Shlissel Challah Bake
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n Wednesday evening, May 1, the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) at the Yeshiva of Central Queens organized a Shlissel Challah Bake. Many people have the minhag to bake a shlissel, key, challah for the first Shabbat following Pesach. The idea is to make a key-shaped challah or place a key inside the challah prior to baking. The “key” symbolizes that our parnassa, livelihood, is in Hashem’s hands and we should daven that Hashem will shower us with abundance. The moments during the kneading and recitation of the blessing are considered favorable times for davening to Hashem. Some believe that it is a segulah to bake challah with
40 women as a refuah shelaima for someone who is ill. This extra spiritual component is the impetus for challah baking events around the world. At the PTO event during the week between the end days of Pesach and the next Shabbat, a crowd of 200 gathered together to partake in this meaningful mitzvah. For many it was the first time they would be baking challah and for others the first time they would be making the hafrashat challah blessing. Renowned spiritual and motivational speaker Charlene Aminoff from Great Neck, NY, told her story of how challah brought her closer to Hashem and her Yiddishkeit. She discussed why she began baking challah and the miracles that
followed, as well as the meaning it still has in her life, “Since I first made the commitment to bake challah for Shabbat, I have not missed a week. If I am unable to bake it, I am on the phone with my rebbetzin while she bakes, and we make the bracha together.” When the challah dough was complete, she taught the participants ways to braid it, including making a challah in the shape of a key – shlissel challah. Then in a meaningful moment, the entire room in unison made the hafrashat challah bracha, bringing a spiritual feeling of unity and understanding. Over the years, Mrs. Aminoff’s words have inspired thousands and on this night for those
in attendance at the YC-PTO event, her words gave inspiration and a connectedness to Hashem, their yeshiva and to klal Yisroel. For those in attendance, this night was truly different than all other nights. Hours of work and organization by the PTO committee Julie Faska, Daniella Gemal, Keren Birnbaum, Daniella Dykman, Valerie Olsen, and Rachel Andron- Stern was put into making this event an experience to remember and to encourage others to continue baking challah and davening to Hashem with kavanah A special hakarat hatov Aron’s Kissena Farms for donating the supplies and to Chazaq for their help with promoting the event.
Sen. Kaminsky Sponsors Bills to Fight BDS
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ast week, Senator Todd Kaminsky cosponsored two pieces of legislation to combat the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (“BDS”) movement and stand up for Israel. One bill (S.2430) bans companies that advocate for boycotts of Israel from receiving state contracts and investments. Another measure (S.2715) bars SUNY and CUNY colleges from providing funding to
groups that support BDS. “Israel is an integral ally of our nation, sharing unshakable strategic, economic and cultural bonds with New York State,” said Senator Todd Kaminsky. “It is unconscionable that our hard-earned tax dollars can be funneled to companies that attempt to delegitimize our nation’s greatest ally. The BDS movement and efforts to undermine Israel are nothing less
than thinly-veiled anti-Semitism, and will not be tolerated in New York – this bill says that loudly and clearly.” Senator Kaminsky has been a staunch supporter of Israel and previously sponsored legislation to strip state funding from anti-Semitic student groups on college campuses, such as Students for Justice in Palestine (“SJP”). Kaminsky led an As-
sembly delegation to Israel in December 2015, where he stood on the front lines of Israel’s fight against terrorism and redoubled his commitment to stand up for the Jewish homeland. The Senator also sponsored a measure to bolster New York’s sanctions on the Iranian regime in light of the Iranian Nuclear Deal and procured a $350,000 grant to bolster economic ties between Israel and New York.
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Members of the community who are part of the Semichas Chaver Program, led weekly on Tuesdays in North Woodmere by Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz, celebrated on Sunday when each participant passed a lengthy exam that included many questions and essays on basar v’chalav. This is the first of many exams to follow to qualify for the semichas chaver course. Rabbi Elyada Goldvicht, founder of the program, Rabbi Hershel Schachter, and Rabbi Shlomo Amar, Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel, joined in the celebration. Rabbi Amar spoke to the participants and focused on the importance of limud Torah.
Civic Spirit at Central
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n Wednesday, May 1, 16 Central Civic Spirit students and History chair, Mrs. Audi Hecht, joined students from eleven other Jewish and Catholic schools in the New York area to engage and experience civics through an array of interactive and collaborative activities and presentations. The elements of the program were designed to propel students to think about their sense of belonging to their respective communities and to instill a sense of purpose through action and service. Our students enjoyed having the remarkable opportunity of meeting and learning with a diverse population of students from backgrounds distinctly different than their own, particularly exploring ideas such as community in a manner that in-
troduced expanded meaning. They learned about the linguistic origins of the various words associated with governance and public affairs with Columbia Professor Dr. Roosevelt Montas and a civic story about public and private sector work from AT&T President Marissa Shorenstein. Students piloted ideas about public service with their group peers and facilitators and showcased radio advertisements that many of our Central students presented to the entire group of attendees. We are proud of all the thought, energy, and work products that our students have infused through their individual talents and look forward to the lifelong civic contributions that this experience will hopefully ignite.
Class K-1 of Shulamith Early Childhood celebrated their favorite principal, Mrs. Estee Scher, on National Principal Appreciation Day
Boys at MSP-LB enjoyed a barbecue in honor of Rosh Chodesh Iyar
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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MSH STEM Team Wins NYU ITEST Robotics Competition
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he MakerSpace at NYU Tandon School of Engineering became a shark tank of sorts on Tuesday, April 30, when high school students dove into entrepreneurship to pitch their robotic inventions to a panel of experts. The event was the finale of the second annual NYU ITEST InnoVention competition, a National Science Foundation-funded project aimed at showing metropolitan-area high schoolers and their teachers how robots can turn STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) into a scintillating team sport with real-world applications. Midreshet Shalhevet (MSH) of North Woodmere’s research team – juniors Zahava Ganchrow, Tal Gaon, Avigayil Roffe, and seniors Becky Haviv, Hadassah Krigsman, and Maayan Sandowski – won second place with The Water Bot, a robot that aims to promote proper hydration of students in schools. One of the students on the team will be chosen to participate in a two-week paid internship at Silicon Harlem this summer, as part of the award. The MSH students, their teacher Aliza Feder, and NYU ITEST fellow Shivam Bhardwaj, the only all girl team in the pool, competed against teams from all five boroughs and Long Island, representing technical high schools, STEAM academies, and NYC public schools, who brought robots, presentations, and talking points to the MakerSpace to vie for bragging rights. “I am so proud of the hard work, ability to problem solve, and teamwork the girls displayed throughout this whole process,” shared MSH STEM coordinator Aliza Feder. “There were so many aspects to this robot that needed to be done. While working effectively with the other groups, each girl worked hard at doing her group’s part, but also kept in mind the whole project. This competition, as well as the Advanced STEM
L-R: Avigayil Roffe, Zahava Ganchrow, NYU fellow Shivam Bhardwaj, Tal Gaon, Becky Haviv, and Mrs. Aliza Feder
elective class, truly teaches the skills essential for any job in the 21st century – a familiarity with robotics and programming, the ability to communicate effectively, and most importantly, the ability to problem solve in a real setting with deadlines. The best part is that everyone had fun doing it!” The competition was to identify a problem in their school’s environment that can be addressed using a robot. The teams were tasked to survey their schools, carefully analyzing opportunities for a robot to make a significant impact on the school community. They used Vex Robotics platforms to build the structural elements and mechanisms of their robot, along with an array of sensors and Arduino microcontrollers and were allowed to spend no more than $20 for other materials. The MSH team surveyed their school environment and identified that although most students know water is healthier than juice or soda, they tend to choose non-water drinks. They found that when water is out of sight, it’s out of mind – students don’t take the initiative to go get the
The key to being happy is within you Page 94
water. MSH’s team’s solution to this problem is to bring water to the students. They built a robot that follows a line to the vending machine, interfaces with the machine to collect bottles of water, and distributes them to each classroom twice a day. Each student has an ID card to counts how many water bottles they take and reports it to the school office, which can issue positive reinforcements for creating healthy habits. The teams had to market their solution to potential investors by creating a short video explaining how they came up with the problem, and the solution, how the robot helps address that problem. Judges Filippo Alimonda, CTO of VirtualApt Corp, Clayton Banks, CEO of Silicon Harlem, Dr. Elizabeth Waters, Associate Director STEM Outreach at Cooper Union, and Mina Salib from NYU Tandon Future Labs, scored the submissions on their design, product name, aesthetics, programming sophistication of logic behind the code, complexity, and approach taken, human interface, and use of sensors, actuation, and mechanism. They considered the teams’ entrepreneurship and market analysis and the presentations. The teams were scored on their visuals, content, and video, how they addressed the challenge and showed a fully functional prototype of their proposed solution to be used as a commercial for the eventual product. The NYU ITEST program, funded
through a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), and directed by Vikram Kapila, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Dr. Sheila Borges Rajguru, Assistant Director of the Center for K12 STEM Education at NYU Tandon, kicked off last summer when 16 teachers and 32 students from schools representing all five boroughs — most in underserved neighborhoods with diverse student bodies — participated in a month-long intensive program to learn how to incorporate robots into their STEM curricula. Last summer, Avigayil Roffe, Chaya Roffe, Tamar Waronker and Esther Conway, and teacher Aliza Feder participated in the program and spent two weeks on full-time guided training and another two on robotic-product development. Feder brought her experience back to MSH this fall, where she launched an advanced robotics course, where NYU Tandon student Shivam Bhardwaj made regular visits, building the blocks necessary for the girls to be able to enter and compete in the ITEST competition. Dr. Borges Rajguru explained that the program involves a rigorous set of guidelines developed by NYU instructors and the Center for K12 STEM Education. “Young girls...are even today told explicitly and implicitly that science is not for them; being able to be part of an institution like NYU and learning robotics, and entrepreneurship from people in the field and people who are starting their own companies — to be able to have access to that kind of human capital — is very empowering for the students and teachers,” she stressed. “It is an expensive commitment that we understand is of paramount importance, which is why we have undertaken our current program and continue to expand it each and every year,” shared Menahelet Esther Eisenman. “MSH students are young ladies who love to learn, and STEM classes allow them to develop that into valuable skills for life – creativity, practical applications of math, problem-solving, language skills, and multitasking.” MSH’s STEM curriculum is a testament to the commitment to its students.
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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Aish Kodesh in Woodmere Joins the Semichas Chaver Program By Ahron Rosenthal
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ounded by Rav Elyada Goldwicht only a short time ago, the Semichas Chaver program has quickly become a popular learning initiative that has spread to many communities around the world. This unique learning program was designed for working professionals to learn practical and contemporary halacha that can be applied in all areas of their personal and professional lives. Upon completion of each topic, and successfully passing a written exam, the participants of the Semichas Chaver program receive a certificate of accomplishment signed by three of the leading halachic authorities today: HaRav Hershel Schachter, Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, and HaRav Zalman Nechamiah Goldberg. Recently, the program celebrated a combined siyum with participants from the Beis Knesses of North Woodmere, under the leadership of Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz, and with participants of the SCP from both Teaneck and Queens. The siyum was attended
by two out of the three Torah giants who sign the certificate, Rosh Yeshiva Ha’rav Schachter and Chief Rabbi Rav Shlomo Amar. In addition to Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, numerous other communities will be starting the program, including: Manhattan, West Hempstead, Toronto, Boston, Chicago, Boca Raton, Silver Spring, Springfield, five locations in Yerushalayim, three locations in Beit Shemesh, two in Petach Tikvah, and one in Rechovot. The program is under the auspices of the Orthodox Union (OU) and sponsored by the Strauss family in memory of Shlomo Michael ben R’ Meir Strauss. In defining the vision and objectives of Semichas Chaver, Rav Elyada, the program founder, stated four aims of the program: learning and retaining the halachos that one encounters on a daily basis; the ability to engage one’s children with contemporary questions; attaining the knowledge behind the mitzvos; and finally, the celebration of accomplishment along with certificate of blessings by three of the leading Torah luminaries today.
Beginning on Thursday, May 9, Aish Kodesh in Woodmere will join this exciting program as it begins a new topic of learning: Hilchos ma’achlei akum. Led by Rabbi Yoni Levin, assistant rabbi at Aish Kodesh, the program will meet on Thursday nights from 9:00 PM - 10:15 PM, at the home of the Fuksbrumer family, 120 Elm St., in Woodmere. Rabbi Levin is the Rosh Kollel of Emek Halacha at Aish Kodesh and a popular maggid shiur and community posek, giving many weekly shiurim at Aish Kodesh, as well as on YU Torah and other Jewish magazines and periodicals. Already with a packed week of shiurim for both men and women, Aish Kodesh continues to look for ways to expand its Torah offerings, now with the introduction of this new Semichas Chaver initiative for men that has quickly become very popular in numerous communities. Rav Moshe Weinberger, Rav of Aish Kodesh, stated about the program, “This is a tremendous opportunity for chaverim of all ages to have a seder of halacha l’maaseh that can change the family,
Rabbi Yoni Levin
can change Shabbos, and can change our lives.” Much excitement and buzz has been generated in the recent weeks, as many people throughout the Five Towns community have expressed interest in joining Aish Kodesh’s launching of the Semichas Chaver program. For more information on joining the program please contact rabbilevin@ aishkodesh.org.
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LUCKY KOSHER TOURS PRESENTS
LUXURY SAFARI TOUR
Civic Spirit at MTA
THE TRIP OF WILDLIFE OF A LIFETIME
AUG 12-AUG 20
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
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n Wednesday, May 1, a group of MTA talmidim with a passion for public service were privileged to join like-minded students from other high schools for the inaugural Civic Spirit Day. This exciting program is part of MTA’s ongoing partnership with Civic Spirit, a program that has brought various schools together to revitalize student appreciation of our democracy. The event provided a forum for students to explore ways to become better citizens and leaders in their communities and beyond. Government and corporate leaders and university professors, including Professor Roosevelt Montas of Columbia University and AT&T’s NY President Marissa Shorenstein, shared their ideas and dreams with participants and chal-
lenged them to finds ways to improve our society. Students also participated in group discussions on the concept of what it means to be a member of a community and engaged in an interactive learning experience, where they designed service projects for rising high school graduates to take on during the summer that addressed gaps in NYC services. Students created visual and audio marketing promotions for their projects, which they presented to all participants. MTA talmidim returned from the event inspired and driven to make a civic difference in the greater community and were delighted to have had the opportunity to attend. MTA is grateful to Civic Spirit for hosting this meaningful event and helping its talmidim further develop their leadership skills.
R 8 TH EA
By Binyamin Fox
U
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JOHANNESBURG AND CAPE TOWN SAFARI
TRIP INCLUDES
3 delicious glatt kosher meals
Early morning and afternoon Game Drives
5- star hotelspa and pool
ATV Quadbike adventure through the safari, Segways through Sun City in Pilansburg
24 hour tea room
Lesedi Village
3 minyonim daily
Lion Park Helicopter ride over the Cape Town Peninsula Backsburg Kosher Winery
AHA SHABBOS
Strawberry picking patch Elephant Sanctuary
L U C K Y
Soweto/ Nelson Mandela museum Table Mountain Cape Point
with johannesburg jewish community Chazan, choirs
Blima & Yidel Perlstein
Boulders Beach Penguins
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Blima & Yidel Perlstein 347-526-0657 | www.kosherluckytours.com | kosherluckytours@gmail.com
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“When Our Children Date” Community-Wide Symposium
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ow financially secure does a young couple need to be before marriage? Should a parent be proactive in finding dates for a child? What if a relationship doesn’t progress after six months? Should we push? Are there any red flags to warn our children about?
I want to meet my son’s girlfriend. When is appropriate? These questions and many more will be addressed on Sunday morning, May 19 at 9:30 a.m. at a fascinating community Symposium and Benefit Breakfast for YUConnects at Congregation Beth Sholom. “When Children Date: The Complex Role of Parents” highlights contemporary scenarios
affecting family relationships. Panelists include Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz, Rebbetzin Elisheva Kaminetsky and Mrs. Mindy Eisenman. A breakfast buffet will be served and there will be an opportunity for parents to informally meet some top matchmakers and network afterwards. Attendees can learn about a brand new YUConnects initiative
Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz
Rebbetzin Elisheva Kaminetsky
Mrs. Mindy Eisenman
Eclipse
I N T E R N AT I O N A L
STEARNS & FOSTER
benefitting the greater Long Island area. A promotional code for a onemonth trial will be available. While this is not a singles event, funds raised will promote future programming. Celebrating 358 engagements, YUConnects serves as a one-stop dating resource for Orthodox singles. YUConnects’ friendly office is housed at Yeshiva University’s Center for Jewish Future; it is open to the entire Jewish community and self-funded. The program is internationally known for its unique social events, educational forums, personalized guidance and targeted match suggestions. RSVP appreciated for the Benefit Symposium at www.yuconnects.com or emailing yuconnects@yu.edu. Questions about this event, call Marjorie Glatt at 516603-8141.
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MAY Annual Dinner: Monday, May 20, Sands Atlantic Beach
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he Mesivta Ateres Yaakov community looks forward to its upcoming annual dinner to be held Monday, May 20 at the Sands at Atlantic Beach. The event will celebrate what has made MAY truly “Your Yeshiva for Life.” Under the leadership of the Rosh HaYeshiva, Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe, shlit”a, the Mesivta is a warm and inspiring makom Torah that shapes the quality of its talmidim’s lives not only during the high school years, but beyond as well. Students are instilled with a lifelong commitment to Torah and are provided with a solid educational foundation. Alumni are informed bnei Torah, prepared to succeed as professionals, husbands, fathers and contributing members of Klal Yisroel. Most notably, the dedicated rabbeim are always there to support MAY’s graduates as they pursue meaningful and successful lives. “Our theme for the din-
ner, ‘Your Yeshiva for Life,’ exemplifies our commitment to our talmidim from the moment they enter ninth grade through the many milestones they reach in life. MAY’s doors are literally always open and it is our goal to empower our talmidim to be strong Bnei Torah on the varied paths they choose to pursue,” said Rabbi Yaffe. “We are looking forward to paying tribute to our honorees, who are role models and represent the best of MAY’s values and vision for our talmidim.” Guests of Honor Avi and Goldie Dreyfuss Avi and Goldie are the proud parents of two MAY talmidim – Dovie (Class of ‘17) and Eli (9th grade). They are also the parents of Dina (TAG graduate, graduating Queens College this month with a masters in accounting) and Shira (TAG 6th grade). Avi is a CPA and CFO of an asset management firm in New
York City. Goldie is a CPA and attorney who runs an accounting and law practice with her father. Avi is also a MAY Trustee and Officer who, together with Goldie, will stop at nothing when it comes to their children’s education. They are Cedarhurst residents and members of the Chofetz Chaim Torah Center, where Avi serves as president.
Parents of the Year, Dr. Yechiel and Brenda Berkowitz Yechiel and Brenda are model parents, dedicated to the growth of their son, Natan (11th grade), and regularly involved in initiatives that benefit the talmidim and the community. They are also the parents of Yaeli (MHS graduate and Queens college), Chavi (LBY and Queens College), Faigy (TAG 7th grade), Matisyahu (YOSS 6th grade), Dovid (YOSS 2nd grade) and, most recently, Devora Rivka (newborn). Yechiel is a physician and Brenda is a pharmacist. The Berkowitzs recently moved to Cedarhurst from Brooklyn and are members of Kehillas Bais Yehuda Tzvi. Dedication of The Bahn Otzer Haseforim, in memory of Dr. Saul Bahn, z”l The Bahn Family and Dr. Yisroel and Susie Samson are dedicating the Yeshiva’s Otzer Haseforim as a perennial zchus in memory of Dr. Saul Bahn, z”l, who was niftar this past September. Dr. Bahn, along with his wife Annette, was a longtime Cedarhurst resident and an esteemed member of Kehilla Ateres Yaakov. Three of the Bahns’ grandchildren are MAY talmidim, Yosef Samson
(Class of ‘15), Natan Samson (Class of ‘17), and Dovid Samson (10th grade). Celebrating the Class of 2009 Over the past decade, the members of the Class of 2009 have continued their growth as bnei Torah, become leaders in their respective communities, and have realized the ideals and values instilled in them by their beloved Mesivta. The dinner will showcase a year of “MAY Milestones,” including the Yaffe Legacy Hachnosas Sefer Torah, the Ehrenfeld Aron Kodesh dedication, the Grand Siyum of over 110 Masechtos, the Mekor Chaim Night Kollel, the first MAY 5K Run, the 2nd Annual Wisnicki and Associates MAY Madness Alumni Reunion Tournament, and, of course, the completion of phase 1 of our campus expansion project, the Shaulson Gymnasium. The entire community is encouraged to attend and pay tribute to the Mesivta, its hanhala and rabbeim, as well as its distinguished honorees. For further information, to make reservations or for dedication opportunities, please contact the Mesivta’s office at 516374-6465 or dinner@ateresyaakov.com.
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Around the Community
Councilman Bruce Blakeman and Hempstead Town Board Approve Legislation for New Zoning in Inwood and North Lawrence Communities
T Rav Chaim Walkin, mashgiach ruchani in Yeshiva Ateres Yisroel, Yerushalayim, visiting his grandson’s class at Yeshiva Darchei Torah, Far Rockaway. He is seen with Rav Menachem Engel, rebbi. At right, Rav Shmuel Strickman, menahel.
This year, Morah Korf’s Kittah Gimmel at CCGLI has been learning all about the Lamed Tes Melachos, learning another melacha each week. This week they learned about the melacha of tofer, sewing, and they got to discover more about the melacha with a hands-on activity: learning how to sew on a button!
Mrs. Tsippy Nussbaum’s fifth grade science students at Yeshiva Darchei Torah learning about the properties of aluminum foil
he Town of Hempstead Town Board has adopted a smart growth-based zoning code guided by the vision of Councilman Blakeman to enable transformative change within the Inwood and North Lawrence communities. The Transit Oriented Development (TOD) code will provide for mixed-use development creating walkable and vibrant hamlet centers around the Inwood and Lawrence Train Stations. “These are two wonderful communities that have been the victims of haphazard zoning from yesteryear,” noted Councilman Blakeman. “This is a transformative project that will enhance these neighborhoods while maintaining their cultural diversity.” The TOD code will include a Neighborhood Business overlay district extending the vibrancy of the hamlet centers along Doughty Boulevard and Lawrence Avenue in a traditional “main street” character and also introduce new housing options for townhouse and rowhouse style residences within defined residential areas of Inwood and North Lawrence. The TOD code makes a strong commitment to affordable workforce housing and sustainable/ green building design with a focus on strengthening the distinctive char-
acter of each community. Priority for housing will be given to current community members. The TOD code is a progressive code that responds to today’s needs of the community and future generations in the Inwood and North Lawrence communities. Prior to the board hearing the zoning proposal, Councilman Blakeman presented it to the community, holding multiple meetings and adapting the proposal to address any concerns raised. Many members of the community and Eric Alexander of Vision Long Island attended the Town Board meeting to speak in favor of the proposal. In response to a question about the Inwood and North Lawrence LIRR stations, Councilman Blakeman noted that he has spoken with the MTA who believed that these railroad stations were underutilized and therefore not a high priority. Now, the Councilman added, with the transit-oriented zoning, they understand that these stations will have a much greater demand and the MTA has said they will invest in them as development takes place. “This zoning change will increase property values and tax revenue which will be a benefit to all those who call Inwood and North Lawrence home,” concluded Blakeman.
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Rav Moshe Shaul Klein and Rav Sariel Rosenberg Address Dirshu Kinyan Halacha Siyum 150 New Morei Horaah Receive “Cheilcha L’Oraisah” Certificate shimush, learning from veteran rabbonim. In addition, you need to have the yiras shomayim necessary to ensure that every psak that you render will be one in which the ratzon, the desire, of Hashem will be fulfilled.”
By Chaim Gold
“A
shreicheim – that is the word that is foremost in my mind when I look around and see 150 avreichim who have invested so much effort over the past five years in learning halacha l’maaseh and are now celebrating a siyum! Ashreichim, how fortunate you are that Torah is beloved and dear to you!” Those were the moving words of HaGaon HaRav Sariel Rosenberg, shlita, a son-in-law of Rav Nissim Karelitz, shlita and a member of Rav Nissim’s Bais Din. Rav Rosenberg was addressing a special siyum for avreichim who had just completed the five-and-a-half-year grueling Dirshu Kinyan Halacha program that is producing morei horaah for the next generation. At the event, the coveted Cheilcha L’Oraisah certificates were awarded to the yungeleit who had completed and been tested on the primary areas of halacha necessary for horaah. The impetus behind establishing the Kinyan Halacha program was some of Klal Yisrael’s most prominent poskim, among them, HaGaonim, HaRav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, zt”l, HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Wosner, zt”l and yblc”h, HaGaon HaRav Nissim Karelitz, shlita. 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. The event, held during bein hazemanim before Pesach was also addressed by HaGaon HaRav Moshe
HaRav Sariel Rosenberg (r) conversing with Rav Dovid Hofstedter
Shaul Klein, shlita, one of Eretz Yisroel’s most prominent poskim who was appointed more than a decade ago, by his Rebbi Muvhak, HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Wosner, zt”l, the Shevet Halevi, to guide and oversee the program. “Halacha is Not Just Learning a Piece of Gemara Here and a Piece of Gemara There” After congratulating the new Morei Horaah, Rav Klein explained the magnitude of their accomplishment. “What you have done over the past five-and-a-half years has been to acquire a kinyan on how to learn halacha b’iyun, with utmost clarity. You see, halacha is not just learning a piece of Gemara here and a piece of Gemara there, then a se’if in Shulchan Aruch that tells you what to do. It is far more than that. Truly learning halacha in a way that you can pasken properly and correctly requires not just learning a sugya here and there but learning the foundational underpinnings of each sugya and each halacha. It requires learning every siman in Shulchan Aruch from beginning to end, it requires learning and understanding each of the meforshim on the Shulchan Aruch and all of their sources. Becoming a moreh horaah involves much more than just taking a ‘semicha program.’ That is what Kinyan
Halacha has taught you. To learn everything from its foundation until the practical halacha.” Rav Klein than began to nostalgically reminisce about his great Rebbi, Rav Shmuel Wosner. He said, “My Rebbi, Rav Wosner was a talmid muvhak of the Mashgiach of Lublin, Rav Shimon of Zhelichov. Rav Shimon was a tzaddik and a kadosh who knew Shas and Rashi by heart, the Zohar by heart… Rav Shimon told Rav Wosner, ‘You should know that before Moshiach comes there will not be too much kedushah in the world, there will be no ruach hakodesh and no prophecy. Nevertheless, the power of Torah will remain. That koach haTorah will remain forever and will usher in the coming of Moshiach.” “Each of You is One Out of a Thousand!” Rav Sariel Rosenberg also made a point that resonated when he said, “Chazal say that out of every 1000 talmidim only one actually emerges l’horaah, as a posek. Imagine how dear you are to Hashem? Each of you is one out of a thousand!” Rav Rosenberg than cautioned, “With the special zechus that you have comes a tremendous responsibility as well. You now have the requisite knowledge to become morei horaah but knowledge isn’t everything. You need to know how to apply that knowledge and that requires
“I Myself Never Believed!” The final address of the evening was given by the Nasi of Dirshu, Rav Dovid Hofstedter. Rav Dovid shared a personal moment with the 150 avreichim. “At wonderful events such as this, Kinyan Halacha or Kinyan Shas events where avreichim have successfully been tested on the entire Shas,” Rav Dovid explained, “I am often approached by remarkable talmidei chachomim who tell me, ‘I myself never believed, five-and-ahalf years ago, when I started learning in this program, that I would be able to reach this moment! To learn all of sugyos of horaah b’iyun?! To be tested on the entire Shas? It was an impossible dream! So many tests, so many grueling sugyos. I don’t know how I did it.’ “The question is how did you do it and how did they do it? What is the secret that enables these talmidei chachomim to find the inner kochos, kochos that they didn’t believe that they possessed? “The Baal HaTurim says that Bezalel merited to build the aron because only he knew the secret location of the Shechinah so only he had the ability to build the Mishkan. “The Ramban also makes a profound point about the Mishkan. He says, look at the talented artisans who built the Mishkan. How did they learn fine artisanship? It was a miracle that people who until then were slave laborers who were accustomed to doing simple jobs with mud, bricks and mortar and had no idea of what to do with gold and precious stones were able to build the Mishkan! “If the entire Mishkan was a nes, what was so unique about Bezalel’s role in building the aron?” asked Rav Dovid. “If everything was a miracle, why did it specifically have to be Bezalel who built the aron?” Rav Hofstedter explained that
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Around the Community “Bezalel was the ultimate chacham lev, who the Torah describes. The Malbim says, a chacham lev is the person who has the burning drive to do Hashem’s desire. Hashem gives chochma to the person who really wants it and won’t rest until he achieves it. “Bezalel was that chacham lev, he had that burning desire to do Hashem’s bidding. It was that desire that gave him the ultimate zechus of building the aron.” “To Become a Baal Halacha is the Hardest Task” Rav Hofstedter concluded, “Rav Wosner would often tell me, ‘The area of Torah that is the most difficult is being able to rule on halacha. To become a baal halacha is the hardest task. How does one merit to become a baal halacha? How does one invoke the divine mercy and siytata dishmaya to be able to pasken cor-
Festive dancing at the Kinyan Halacha Siyum
rectly? The only way is chochmas lev and ratzon, true burning desire to do Hashem’s bidding. “When a person really invests his entire being into fulfilling that desire, Hashem gives him miraculous
abilities to reach that goal. Just like Bezalel! “Ashreichem, fortunate are you,” concluded Rav Hofstedter, “to be able to complete the first five-and-a-halfyear program. May it be Hashem’s
will that you take that desire to the next level and embark on the next even more advanced stage two, fiveand-a-half-year Kinyan Halacha Program as well!”
Five Towns Uniting in Shabbos of Inspiration 11 Schools and 54 Shuls to Participate
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n this Shabbos, Parshas Kedoshim, a historic movement for achdus will bring together 54 shuls and all 11 schools in the Five Towns and Far Rockaway community. It’s all part of the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation’s highly acclaimed Kamocha program that has been transforming students’ lives in schools nationwide for the past four years. The program focuses on the message of Sefira, which marks the devastating loss of an entire generation of talmidei chachamim, the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva. The message Chazal draw from this event – that Torah cannot stand when mutual respect is lacking – speaks today louder than ever. The Five Towns and Far Rockaway Shabbos of Inspiration, sponsored by the Majeski family, is a golden opportunity for every member of the community to proactively heed the message and turn inspiration into real growth and change. On this Shabbos, 54 shuls will join the 3,500 children in 11 Five Towns and Far Rockaway schools who are participating in the Kamocha program – a one-month effort during Sefira to focus on the mitz-
vos bein adam l’chaveiro. Parshas Kedoshim is a particularly appropriate time for the united Five Towns program, since it contains two of the seminal Torah pesukim of the mitzvos bein adam l’chaveiro: “V’ahavta l’reyecha kamocha – love your neighbor as you love yourself,” and “Lo seilech rachil b’amecha – Do not peddle gossip to your fellow Jew.” Kamocha takes the mitzvah of V’ahavta and simplifies it into a clear method of ensuring that a person’s deeds and words actually fulfill this mitzvah. As Hillel told the gentile who asked for a summation of the Torah, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.” With this in mind, Kamocha participants are asked to filter their words and actions through one lens: “How would I feel if this were done or said to me?” This question resolves most grey areas into a black-and-white picture of what should or should not be said. Everyone knows what would hurt him. Students, teachers and principals report that by using the “How would I feel?” barometer, along with learning the halachos of Shmiras Haloshon, taking part in interactive class projects, and hear-
ing inspiring words, an amazing transformation takes place in classroom, playground and playing-field behavior. Students are elated: “People used to yell at me when I missed a catch, but now they don’t,” said one boy. “This has had a huge impact on me because I learned that just one thing can have a huge impact on someone for the rest of her life,” a student reported. The Five Towns and Far Rockaway schools are all participating in Kamocha this year, and now, with the Shabbos of Inspiration, the shuls in the Five Towns and Far Rockaway are getting on board as well. Each rabbi will address his kehillah to highlight the importance of the mitzvos bein adam l’chaveiro and impart a deeper understanding of “V’ahavta l’’reyecha kamocha.” In addition, special guest speakers will
be rotating among the shuls on Friday night, Shabbos morning, Shabbos afternoon and Shalosh Seudos. They include Rabbi Ephraim Shapiro, Rabbi Yechiel Spero, Mr. Michael Rothschild, and Rabbi Yisroel Majeski, as well as Five Towns natives Ben Brafman, Esq. and Charlie Harary. Their goal is to push Ahavas Yisrael and Shmiras Haloshon from the wish list to the priority list of every listener. By learning, and being inspired, the families of Five Towns and Far Rockaway will have the opportunity to truly make an impact on their own families, their community and on Klal Yisrael. This year, Sefira can indeed become a time of lasting change as one community joins together to make v’ahavta l’reyecha kamocha a reality.
TJH’s Mind Your Business column Page 78
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TJH
Centerfold
Here’s to You, Mom “Silence is golden, unless you have kids - then silence is just plain suspicious.” “Cleaning the house while your kids are still home is like shoveling while it’s still snowing.” “You know you’re a mom when you understand why mama bear’s porridge was cold.” “Children are a great comfort in your old age – and they help you reach it faster, too.” “If your kids are giving you a headache, follow the directions on the aspirin bottle, especially the part that says ‘keep away from children.’” “Raising a kid is part joy and part guerilla warfare.”
Riddle me this? For being good during their shopping outing, a mother gave each of her four children two candies. Yaakov had an orange candy. The child who had a red one also had a blue one. No child had two candies of the same color. The child who had a green candy also had a red one. Sara didn’t have a red candy, and Danny had a green one. Miri didn’t have an orange one, and Yaakov had no blue sweets. Knowing that there were two candies of each color, can you tell the colors of the sweets each child had? See answer on the other page
“Nothing is really lost until mom can’t find it.” “I don’t want to sleep like a baby. I just want to sleep like my husband.” “If you aren’t yelling at your kids, you’re not spending enough time with them.” “A mother is the person you can always call to see how long chicken lasts in the fridge.” “It’s not easy being a mom. If it were easy, fathers would do it.” “If at first you don’t succeed, try doing it the way your mom told you to do it from the start.” “Great parenting lies somewhere between ‘don’t do that!’ and ‘whatever – try it if you want.’”
You gotta be kidding Abby: I have the perfect son. Betty: Does he smoke? Abby: No, he doesn’t. Betty: Does he drink whiskey? Abby: No, he doesn’t. Betty: Does he ever come home late? Abby: No, he doesn’t. Betty: I guess you really do have the perfect son. How old is he? Abby: He will be six months old next Wednesday.
The Jewish Home |Home OCTOBER The Jewish | MAY29, 9, 2015 2019
Mom Trivia 1. What is the average age of a new mom in the U.S.? a. 22 b. 25 c. 27 d. 29 2. In 1986, 82 percent of U.S. women agreed that sometimes children need a “good, hard spanking.” According to a poll conducted by “The Today Show,” in 2012, what percent of U.S. women agree that sometimes children need a “good, hard spanking”? a. 82%
Answers
b. 65% c. 32% d. 12% 3. According to experts, approximately how many diapers does a mother change during the first year of her newborn child’s life? a. 200-500 b. 700-1,000
mother (a peasant in Shuya, Russia, in the seventeen-hundreds)? a. 23 b. 37 c. 42 d. 69 5. Approximately how many mothers are there in the world today?
c. 1,000-1,500
a. 250 million
d. 2,500-3,000
b. 900 million
4. According to the Guinness World Book of Records, what is the greatest officially recorded number of children born to one
Federation (NRF), how much is each Mother’s Day shopper likely to spend on their moms this Mother’s Day? a. $12.50 b. $42 c. $78.75 d. $196
c. 2 billion d. 4 billion 6. According to the National Retail
Wisdom Key 5-6 correct: You know your stuff...now go buy your mom a Mother’s Day gift; you’d be nothing without her. 2-4 correct: Not bad. You are mediocre, or as your mom says, “Brilliant!” 0-1 correct: Looks like a good, hard spanking is in order. We’re just joking about that one.
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6. D 5. C 4. D- According to legend in Russia, this prolific mom gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets, and four sets of quadruplets. G-d bless her. 3. D 2. B 1. B
Answer to Riddle Me This: Yaakov had an orange and a green candy. Sara had an orange and a blue one. Miri had a red and a blue candy. Danny had a green and a red one.
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Torah Thought
Parshas Kedoshim By Rabbi Berel Wein
T
his week’s Torah reading makes a heav y demand upon us. It commands us to be a holy and dedicated people and to continually aspire to heights of piety and holiness. Some will say that this is an almost impossible task and is especially difficult since the Torah does not define for us how it is to be achieved. But that is only a superficial understanding of what this Torah portion is coming to teach us. In this Torah reading there appears a large amount – in fact a plethora – of commandments. At first glance one could mistakenly believe that this is nothing more than a jumble of laws thrown together almost at random without any discernible pattern or overall construction. But upon careful examination one will come to realize that it is this wide variety of seemingly unconnected commandments and laws that form the ladder upon which one can ascend to the level of piety demanded from us by the opening verse of the reading. Every phase of human life is
covered by this very long list of do’s and don’ts. They refer to personal behavior, the intimacy of marriage and the raising of children, commercial enterprises and all types of interactions between human beings. In effect, we are commanded to be as holy in the marketplace as we are in the synagogue and on a mundane
is covered by the perspective of the demand for holiness on a constant basis, that is the goal of Judaism. We live in a society that has mostly given up on the concept of holiness and dedication and functions only in the present and for today alone. We do not see a reverence for human life any longer, especially
We are commanded to be as holy in the marketplace as we are in the synagogue and on a mundane weekday as we are on Yom Kippur.
weekday as we are on Yom Kippur. It is in fact the very reason why there are so many commandments and so many laws and seemingly small details that make up Jewish life and values. Because human life
for infants and the unborn, nor any aspiration for spiritual growth at the expense of physical pleasure and leisure. There was a time that people ascribed attendance at a house of worship as being an act that could
lead to holiness and spiritual development. Now, across the board of all faiths in the Western world today, attendance at houses of worship has declined drastically and the worship service itself has become one of entertainment, political correctness, guitar playing and social activities at best. Only by strengthening the observance of the varied commandments that make up the bulk of this week’s Torah reading can we at least glimpse the amount of holiness that we are ordained to attain. The sheer number of commandments that govern every aspect of Jewish life emphasizes to us the proportion of the task that lies before us. There are no shortcuts to holiness and there are no instant remedies to the healing of society. Persistence and patience, repetition and tenacity remain today, as they have always been, the keys to Jewish life and to the fulfillment of the commandments that the L-rd demands from us in order to be a holy and dedicated people. Shabbat shalom.
32 לב PRIORITY
1
nd
ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE DINNER
CELEBRATING 32 YEARS OF
חינוך הלב
06.17.19 Y E S H I VA Z I C H R O N A R Y E H 1213 BAY 25TH ST, FAR ROCKAWAY
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SAVE THE DATE
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MAY 9, 2019 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
From the Fire
Parshas Kedoshim The Daily Grind By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf
T
he central focus of this week’s parsha and last week’s parsha of Acharei Mos is kedusha, holiness. The parshios return to that theme again and again. It is, however, difficult to understand. The books which delve into the deeper aspects of Torah explain how exalted the concept of kedusha, holiness, is. The Maharal (Tiferes Yisroel 37), for example, teaches that “holiness is something which is completely separate [from this world].” The picture of holiness that emerges from our parshios, however, is quite different. It starts out (Vayikra 19:2) “Kedoshim t’hiyu ki kadosh ani Hashem Elokeichem, You shall be holy because I, Hashem, your G-d am holy.” While this also sounds like an expression of exalted holiness, the entire remainder of the parsha contains, among other things, very mundane prohibitions against stealing, lying, tricking others, honoring one’s parents, and the forbidden intimate relationships. These are matters which any decent, moral human being would observe even if he were not commanded to do so. Can the Torah mean to teach that observing such prohibitions is the entire extent of holiness? Where is the exaltedness of holiness in our parshios? I came across a powerful insight into this question in the writings of Rav Adin Even-Yisrael (Steinsaltz). He explains that in our daily war against the evil inclination, and our
struggle to attain holiness, there are two general enemies. The first is the explosive intrusion of evil into our lives, the sudden temptations to commit the most devastating sins. Generally speaking, these are not an issue for most observant Jews. The second category, Rav Steinsaltz explains, is the “she’chikas ha’chaim,” the slow, steady grind of life. In this second manifestation of the evil inclination, there is no dramatic fight, no sudden temptation, and nothing unusual happens. This second strategy used by the enemy involves the slow, daily grind of life, which wears us down and chips away at our defenses. In order to counteract the effects of this daily grind, we must strengthen ourselves against this “slow, constant grind of life,” in the words of Rav Steinsaltz. The majority of the prohibitions in these parshios relate to sins which a person is likely to do primarily in the context of the daily grind of life, when one’s defenses are down and he is in a rut. One is not likely to steal or cheat in business in some dramatic, sudden event like a complete loss of livelihood. Sometimes it is easier to stay honest in such situations. But after days, months, and years of working and business life, after living with the monetary pressures of raising a family, one starts to let his guard down and rationalize “minor” acts of “bending” the rules to earn a little extra or save a few dollars here and a few dollars there. For example,
one may fail to report some of his income to save on taxes, or he bills his clients for just a little bit more work that he actually performed. Usually, one only transgresses the prohibitions (Vayikra 11, 35) against stealing, lying, or having dishonest weights and measures because, over time, he has simply stopped caring because of the long term effect of the pressures of the daily grind. There is a fascinating Tosefta in Beah (3:6) which praises Reb Elazar B’R’Tzadok and Aba Shaul for their extreme honesty with respect to proper weights and measures in the stores they kept in Yerushalayim. This is difficult to understand. Are we to assume that all of the other shopkeepers in Yerushalayim were thieves? Certainly not, but it could be that there were indeed many shopkeepers who let the the daily grind of life get to them. In addition, are we to understand that it was difficult for these Tana’im, authors of the Mishnayos, to maintain basic honesty in business? Certainly not, but the point of the Tosefta is to teach that it is no simple feat to maintain the highest standards of honesty even where one could rationalize that “everyone is doing it.” Even the elicit relationships at the end of both of these parshios do not usually occur suddenly. They come from the daily grind at, for example, the office. A person begins to become lax in the sense of modesty he used to maintain. He begins
chatting a little more than necessary with his female coworkers or he uses inappropriate words or tells jokes that he would not have even considered telling in years past. After letting himself get overly friendly with someone at work over a long period of time, eventually he allows things to get out of hand and does something he will regret. I regularly hear about these things actually happening from those who are brave enough to actually admit it and are seeking to turn their lives back around. The person did not get into that situation all at once. It happened slowly, as the person found himself in a rut and let his guard down. Such a person would have been able to withstand a great, sudden test. But he failed the little tests which ultimately brought him to the lowest place. The real test is standing up to the little challenges, the tiny temptations, day-in and day-out. That is why it is a great accomplishment to avoid looking at inappropriate things on the computer at work, even when they pop up in ostensibly innocuous places. These temptations never end so it is vital to keep one’s guard over over time. Similarly, with respect to how one relates to people of the opposite gender at work, he must maintain a constant polite but distant style at all times. In another vein, I have been hearing more frequently about the grueling effect of the daily grind of
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raising young children on young mothers. I have men come to me to complain that while they go to shul, learn in the evenings, and attend shiurim, the daily grind has worn away their wives’ desire for davening, Torah, and shiurim. These women are barely able to say amen at kiddush Friday night before falling asleep. Their husbands want to know where the enthusiastic seminary girls they married have gone. Meanwhile, these young mothers go to work or tend to young children all day and all night and between the children crying at night and their tzaddik-like husbands snoring away, they get very little sleep at night. The daily grind wears them down and takes away their interest in spiritual growth to the point where they can no longer relate to the noble aspirations of their younger years. Even in shuls where talking during davening is not acceptable, like ours, regular participation over time, although it is a great thing,
can lead to excessive comfort and a loosening of standards. People who previously would not have uttered a word during davening, after several years, start to take a certain amount of license, and begin saying a word here and word there. When enough
is the ability to maintain a standard, even a simple and basic standard of honesty and morality, with hasmadah, consistency, over time despite the grinding effect of day-to-day life. The battleground wherein one becomes a kadosh, a holy person,
The real test is standing up to the little challenges, the tiny temptations, day-in and day-out.
people do this, it begins to tear down the atmosphere of holiness and sanctity in davening that used to exist. That is the pernicious effect of the daily “grind” of the sanctity of a shul. The secret of holiness, therefore,
is his commitment to maintain his standards day-in and day-out. The pasuk says (Vayikra 19:2), “You shall be holy because I, Hashem your G-d am holy.” What is the secret of Hashem’s holiness? As it says in Malachi (3:6), “Ani Hashem lo sha’nisi, I
am Hashem, I do not change.” The secret of holiness is not letting the daily grind chip away at a person’s determination to live his life in strict adherence with Hashem’s will. May we merit to attain holiness by achieving and maintaining our commitment to simple expressions of holiness in day-to-day life despite the grinding effect it attempts to have on us. In the merit of the consistency of the fire of our Divine service, may we merit the rebuilt Beis Hamikdash where we will once again merit to offer the korbanos morning and afternoon with consistency (Vayikra 6:6), “the continual fire shall burn on the altar, it will not be extinguished” with the coming of Moshiach soon in our days.
Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, is the founding Morah d’Asrah of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, NY, and serves as leader of the new mechina Emek HaMelech.
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Parsha
in 4
Parshas Kedoshim By Eytan Kobre
Weekly Aggada Sanctify yourselves and you will be sanctified, for I am Hashem, your G-d (Vayikra 20:7) What is meant by the double reference to sanctification? R’ Avin likened it to a king who hired watchmen – some drunkards, others abstainers – to watch over his cellar of expensive wines. Upon completion of the job, the king paid the drunkards double what he paid the abstainers. “Did we not guard over your wine as one unit?” the abstainers complained
to the king. “Why were the drunkards paid twice what we were paid?” “You did indeed guard my wine as one unit,” replied the king. “You, by your nature, are not inclined to drink alcohol, so the task of guarding my wine presented no temptation for you. But they are drunkards by nature, and yet they overcame their base desires to guard my wine. They deserve double pay.” And so it is with mankind. The angels, which have no evil inclination, are endowed with but a single sanctification; humans, who are challenged by the evil inclination, are endowed with
a double sanctification (Vayikra Rabba 24:8).
Weekly Mussar Every man shall revere his mother and his father, and you should keep my Sabbaths; I am Hashem, your G-d (Vayikra 19:3) “What constitutes reverence and what constitutes honor? Fear: do not stand in his place and do not sit in his place and do not contradict his words and do not rule [in his presence]” (Kiddushin 31b). Now, we all know the meaning of reverence. So why the need to delineate specific examples? Can’t we rely upon the ordinary, dictionary meaning of the “reverence” to understand how we are to relate to our parents? That the Gemara goes out of its way to list specific examples, explains R’ Yerucham Levovitz, zt”l, demonstrates that G-d’s commandments are fulfilled not through “feelings” or “emotions” but through concrete action. Of course, there is a place for feeling and emotion, but only when they accompany and enhance concrete action; without action – even minor action – feelings and emotions are fleeting. And that, further explains R’ Yerucham, is the reason that the commandments are categorized as “commandments of do” and “commandments of don’t do” – positive commandments require a specific action and negative commandments require a specific inaction, but both are performed only in a concrete manner.
Weekly Anecdote You shall not curse the deaf, and be-
fore the blind you shall not place an obstacle; and you shall fear your G-d, I am Hashem (Vayikra 19:14) A man once came to R’ Yerachmiel Yisroel Yitzchok Dancyger (18531910), the Yismach Yisroel of Alexander, to seek his approval of a match for his daughter. This man was so poor that he could not afford to pay a dowry, but his daughter was eminently virtuous. She was to marry the pious and learned son of her father’s dear friend, who was not put off by the lack of dowry. The Rebbe was ecstatic about the poor man’s good fortune (to find a suitable match with a family who did not care about the lack of dowry), and he approved enthusiastically. The man returned home and told the shadchan to proceed with the match. But a few days later, the shadchan returned to the poor father of the bride-to-be with some bad news. “I’m sorry but your dear friend, the boy’s father, has declined the match. He said something about the disapproval of the Alexander Rebbe.” The girl’s father was distraught and dumbfounded. All indications had been that the match was a fait accompli, and it had even received the Alexander Rebbe’s blessing. So he confronted his friend and demanded an explanation. “Your daughter is most virtuous, and I cannot hope for a better mechutan than you,” the boy’s father replied. “But what can I do? The Alexander Rebbe advised against the match.” “Against?” asked the girl’s father. “That simply cannot be. You must have misunderstood the Rebbe. I went to see the Rebbe personally and he approved of the match enthusiastically.” But the boy’s father insisted that he had also consulted with the Reb-
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be, with the opposite outcome. So, seeing as they were good friends, the two fathers decided to travel together to the Alexander Rebbe and get to the bottom of things. The girl’s father went first into the Rebbe’s study, where he spent a few short minutes before emerging with a wide grin. “I was right! The Rebbe has approved the match!” Then the boy’s father entered the Rebbe’s study. He too spent several minutes with the Rebbe but emerged with an altogether different response. “The Rebbe said no.” Confounded by the Rebbe’s apparently contradictory answers, the friends entered the Rebbe’s study together. “We asked about the same prospective match,” they said. “How is it possible that one of us received an answer in the affirmative and the other received an answer in the negative?” “How could you not understand?” the Rebbe shot back. “We are commanded to not place obstacles before
another Jew, which includes not offering unsuitable advice (Rashi, Vayikra 19:14). You, the girl’s father, told me that you cannot afford to pay a dowry but nonetheless were able to secure a match for your daughter with a pious and learned boy. My good advice to you, therefore, was to proceed with the match. But you, the boy’s father, told me of your promising son who wishes to sit and learn and grow into an exceptional Torah scholar. Now, this girl is indeed a fine girl, but she comes with no dowry and no prospect for future support. My good advice to you, therefore, was to decline the match. To each of you, I gave advice that is good for your respective situations.”
Weekly Halacha You shall rise before the venerable and you shall honor the face of the elderly, and you should fear G-d; I am Hashem (Vayikra 19:32)
This is the source of the obligation to stand before (sages and) the elderly (Kiddushin 32b), which most authorities define as one who has reached the age of 70 (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Dei’ah 244:1). If in doubt as to the age of an elderly person, one should stand, as doubts about Torah obligations are resolved strictly (Yechaveh Daas 3:70). One must stand before the elderly even while learning Torah (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Dei’ah 244:11). When the elderly person merely passes by, one may sit after the elderly person passes by (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Dei’ah 244:2); when the elderly person lingers, most authorities require one to stand if the elderly person remains standing, but permit one to sit if the elderly person sits (Responsa of Har Tzvi, Orach Chaim 107:2; Responsa of Yabia Omer, Yoreh Dei’ah 6:22). While women are obligated to stand before the elderly (Sefer HaChinuch, Commandment 257), there is a
dispute as to whether one must stand before an elderly woman (although most maintain that one should) (Sefer Chassidim No. 578; Minchas Chinuch 257:3; Yechaveh Daas 3:72; Shevet Halevi 1:114). One should stand for an elderly person even if that person is not learned, so long as the elderly person is not “wicked” (Rama, Yoreh Dei’ah 244:1). The status of today’s non-observant elders is a matter of debate (see e.g. Shevet Halevi 9:198). Still, if not standing would embarrass the non-observant elder or cause a chillul Hashem (r”l), all agree that one should stand. The Weekly Halacha is not meant for practical purposes and is for discussion purposes only. Please consult your own rav for guidance. Eytan Kobre is a writer, speaker, and attorney living in Kew Gardens Hills. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? E-mail eakobre@outlook.com.
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My Israel Home
Good Night Moon By Gedaliah Borvick
Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut
I
was recently in Ness Ziona and wandered upon Ilan Ramon Street. Reading the street sign reminded me that, with so much focus on Israel’s recent lunar space project, it is an opportune time to focus on Israel’s first astronaut. The Beresheet spacecraft was a private initiative, rather than a government-funded enterprise, but was nevertheless a patriotic event in which Israelis and Jews worldwide were swelling with pride. The president of SpaceIL and the project’s largest funder, Morris Kahn, whose company collaborated with Israel Aerospace Industries, said at the February lift-off ceremony, “I couldn’t be prouder than to give this gift to the people of Israel.” Despite the failed lunar landing, Israel should take pride in becoming only the seventh country to successfully enter the moon’s orbit. The strong feelings of patriotism are reflected in the items that were attached to the spacecraft, including a disk containing drawings by Israeli children, the Bible, the national anthem, prayers, Israeli songs, and a map of Israel, among other cultural and religious items. Many aspects of this space odys-
sey reminded me of Israel’s legendary Ilan Ramon. Born to a mother who was a Holocaust survivor and a father who fled Nazi persecution, Ilan’s original last name was Wolferman. He changed it to Ramon based on his love for Mitzpeh Ramon, a southern Negev town that hosts the beautiful Ramon Crater – known to Israelis as the Machtesh – a valley surrounded
Heading into space
Ilan Ramon Street in Ness Ziona
War and the 1982 Operation Peace of the Galilee. Although not observant, Ramon understood his role as Israel’s first space diplomat. During the mission, he ate only kosher food, made kiddush Friday night, and recited Shema Yisrael as the shuttle flew over Jerusalem. Ramon explained that he decided to do so in order to “empha-
When Ilan Ramon, together with the rest of the Columbia shuttle crew, tragically perished during re-entry to the earth’s atmosphere, the Jewish nation mourned with his wife and family. Ilan’s dream of unity was fulfilled; unfortunately, it was accomplished in the nation’s collective grieving of his death. In addition to the Ness Ziona street, the newly opened international airport located on the outskirts of Eilat was named in memory of Ilan and his oldest son Assaf, who died in 2009 at the age of 21 during a routine training flight a mere three months after graduating at the top of his class from the Israel Air Force flight school. Ilan Ramon inspired us during his illustrious life, and his legacy continues to inspire us even after his death.
Israel should take pride in becoming only the seventh country to successfully enter the moon’s orbit.
by steep walls that is over twenty-five miles long, five miles wide and 1,500 feet deep. Prior to becoming an astronaut, Ramon was already an Israeli hero as a decorated Air Force pilot who participated in Israel’s 1981 strike against Iraq’s Osiraq nuclear reactor and served in the 1973 Yom Kippur
size the unity of the people of Israel and the Jewish communities abroad.” Similar to the Beresheet space capsule, Ramon engendered national pride by bringing a miniature Torah given to him by a Holocaust survivor, a mezuzah, a book of Psalms, and a picture drawn by a teenager who was killed in Auschwitz.
Gedaliah Borvick is the founder of My Israel Home (www.myisraelhome.com), a real estate agency focused on helping people from abroad buy and sell homes in Israel. On May 19 and 20, Gedaliah will be running Israel home-buying programs in Lawrence, Woodmere and Great Neck. For details, contact him at gborvick@ gmail.com.
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The Wandering
Jew
Extended Family By Hershel Lieber
I
n May of 1980 I went to Eastern Europe on a business trip. Or so I thought. I was sent by a sharp businessman to scout out business opportunities and products which could be imported to the United States from Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Hungary. In the end, nothing ever developed from this “business” trip but the trip surely was not in vain. I have previously written about my inspirational experience in Bucharest with a family of nine converts. My visit to Budapest was a harbinger for a relationship that lasts to this very day. This began with a mistaken address, or rather with a preordained plan by the Ribbono Shel Olam. In Budapest I met a young man who asked me to take a letter he had written to his mother, who lived in Boro Park, Brooklyn. He told me about his predicament, which did not allow him to be reunited with his mother. It seems that because he had a criminal record in Hungary, U.S. Immigration would not allow him to enter the States, even for a short visit. I gladly took his letter, which had an address as 1314 50 Street, which he described as a small apartment building. He did not give me an apartment number, just his mother’s name. The day after I returned from Hungary, I headed to that address, just off the famed shopping center, 13th Avenue. In my haste to deliver his letter and meet with his mother, I didn’t bother to doublecheck the address. Instead, I entered a similar, small apartment building across the street, with the address of 1315 50 Street. There were about twenty apartment buzzers in the outer lobby, the vast majority of them with-
Yakov, Mara, Mark and Milena (left), shortly after arriving to the U.S., with Pesi and my three daughters (right)
out any names. Just then, someone opened the lobby door to leave, and I was able to enter the building. I started going from door to door on the first and second floor to find the
to ask him a question, he replied in Russian, which I did not understand. He motioned again with a shy smile that I should come in, to which I haltingly obliged. When I came in, I
When Yakov opened his bag, the inspector pulled out a ten-inch decorated dagger.
mother’s apartment. Most doors either had a different name on them or no name at all. When I climbed up to the third floor, I noticed one door slightly opened and looked to see if there was a nameplate by the bell. Just then, the door opened, and a man motioned to me that I should enter the apartment. When I started
looked around and saw a bare room with a few mattresses on the floor. A number of half-opened suitcases were the only other items that occupied the parquet floor. He motioned me with his finger to wait as he went into a back room and brought out his wife. I was now facing a young woman with two children, a boy and
a girl tagging along behind her. Her husband told her something in Russian and she began to address me in heavily accented English. Her name was Mara, and her husbands name was Yakov. Their family name was Hanukov, and they had just arrived a few days earlier from Moscow. Their son Mark was about nine years old and his younger sister, Milena, was six. The family was originally from Kuba and Baku in Azerbaijan; they were Jews of Persian origin. Jascha, as she affectionately called her husband, was a film director formerly working with MosFilm, the most famous Soviet film studio. When they applied for emigration, he lost his position at the studio. They came to America for a better life and to unite with family that had emigrated before them. They arrived with literally nothing more than a few suitcases of clothing and mementos and hoped to be helped by Jewish charities to restart their lives. I still had no idea why they let me into their apartment and more so into their lives. Yet, I was eager to help them in any way that I could to make this difficult adjustment as new immigrants a bit easier for them. It was hard for me to leave them in their destitute state, and I promised I would be back soon. Leaving the building, I finally realized my mistake with the address on the envelope and delivered the letter from the young man of Budapest to his elderly, ecstatic mother where I spent a fair amount of time giving over regards and a report. I kept my promise to the Hanukovs, though, and came back many times with food and some furnishings, and before long we developed a close relationship. Summer was approaching and
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Yakov Hanukov, to my right, with some of my Russian and Polish friends at my home
The Russian samovar which was a gift to Pesi and me from the Hanukovs
J. Hanukov Bus Service will be remembered by thousands of grateful riders
I took Mark with me for a weekend to our bungalow colony where he charmed the children and the adults alike. Coming from a more traditional region of the Soviet Union, both Yakov and Mark had a bris, yet very little of a religious upbringing or knowledge. I made the arrangements for both children to go to yeshivas, which they attended for a number of years. The Hanukov family were our guests for Pesach sedorim, Chanukah parties, Purim seudos, as well as for many regular Shabbos meals. The hardest thing for the Hanukovs to adjust to was how to make a living. Yakov was sure that the moment he would arrive there would be many offers from Hollywood studios for him to direct films as he had in the past for MosFilm. When this did not happen, he was extremely depressed. He even went to the Russian Embassy in Washington asking
permission to return to Moscow. This was understandably denied. He became anxious and worried that he made a grave mistake in coming to the States. He had learned enough English to communicate with me, and we talked a lot about this subject. I did not have any immediate solutions but gave him constant hope and encouragement. A few months later, Yakov approached me with an idea for a business. Many Russian Jews were living in Boro Park, but the overwhelming amount of them were residing in Brighton Beach. All of them constantly complained that there was no direct way to travel between these two neighborhoods and there definitely was a need. He thought it may be a good idea to start a bus service connecting these two areas. I agreed that this was a good plan but had no idea of the legal ramifications and the
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Yakov and Mara at a gathering in our home
hurdles that needed to be overcome to make this viable. Yakov asked if I can research this, which I did thoroughly, and subsequently helped him apply to the NYS and NYC Departments of Transportation to get his permits. In the process, we needed community support for this project and letters attesting to the need of this type of service. I went to Rabbi Morris Schmidman of the Boro Park Community Council and to Rabbi Ezriel Pikus from the Jewish Council of Brighton Beach who were instrumental in making this happen. The next step was buying small buses and recruiting drivers, which Yakov did on his own. In a very short time, Yakov was in business and providing a decent living for his family as well as a much-needed service for both communities. In subsequent years, Yakov created a much-needed direct route between Boro Park and Flatbush and added additional buses to his fleet. He experimented with a short-lived route from Boro Park to Staten Island, but it was premature and it folded. Later on, I helped him to create an ambulette service which needed NYS authorization. I will always remember when we flew together to Albany. This was in the prescreening days when only one’s handbag was searched before boarding. When Yakov opened his bag, the inspector pulled out a ten-inch decorated dagger. When questioned, he explained that he always carried it with him and that it was part of his tradition. I was extremely embarrassed as he vehemently argued against parting with the dagger. Just then, the pilot arrived to board the plane
and asked what the commotion was about. When he heard the problem, he offered to take the dagger with him into the cockpit and return it to Yakov upon landing – a solution which would never work these days resolved the issue then. The Hanukovs remain part of our extended family to this very day. Unfortunately, Yakov passed away at the young age of fifty. His son, Mark, took over and ran the businesses for many subsequent years. I often think about how our relationship began from a mistaken address and the ensuing benefits that we all gained. Driving past Washington Cemetery in Brooklyn, where Yakov is interred, I always think of him and cherish those fond memories.
Hershel Lieber has been involved in kiruv activities for over 30 years. As a founding member of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel he has traveled with his wife, Pesi, to the Soviet Union during the harsh years of the Communist regimes to advance Yiddishkeit. He has spearheaded a yeshiva in the city of Kishinev that had 12 successful years with many students making Torah their way of life. In Poland, he lectured in the summers at the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation camp for nearly 30 years. He still travels to Warsaw every year – since 1979 – to be the chazzan for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for the Jews there. Together with Pesi, he organized and led trips to Europe on behalf of Gateways and Aish Hatorah for college students finding their paths to Jewish identity. His passion for travel has taken them to many interesting places and afforded them unique experiences. Their open home gave them opportunities to meet and develop relationships with a variety of people. Hershel’s column will appear in The Jewish Home on a bi-weekly basis.
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Mind Y
ur Business
Ron Karr: “Business is Nothing More Than Solving Problems” By Yitzchok Saftlas
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very Sunday evening since July 2015, Yitzchok Saftlas, CEO of Bottom Line Marketing Group, hosts 77WABC’s “Mind Your Business” show on America’s leading talk radio station. The show features Fortune 500 CEOs, CMOs, and top business leaders, where they share their business knowledge and strategic insights on how to get ahead in today’s corporate world. Since Q2 2017, the 77WABC “Mind Your Business” show has remained in the coveted Nielsen “Top 10” in New York’s highly competitive AM Talk Radio market. Guests have included John Sculley, former CEO of Apple and Pepsi; Dick Schulze, founder and Chairman Emeritus of Best Buy; Beth Comstock, former Vice Chair of GE; and Captain Sully Sullenberger, among nearly 200 senior-level executives and business celebrities. Every other week, TJH will feature leading questions and takeaways from Yitzchok’s popular radio show.
O
n a recent 77WABC “Mind Your Business” broadcast, Yitzchok Saftlas sat down to speak to Ron Karr about the secrets behind his remarkable success. Karr is a speaker, marketing consultant, and Fortune 500 sales expert based in New Jersey. He was elected as the president of National Speakers Association for 2013 and 2014 and is the president of Karr Associates, Inc. Karr is the facilitator of the Chief Revenue Officer Mastermind Forum and the creator of the Velocity MindsetTM sales concept. He is also the author of a bestselling book on sales, called Lead, Sell, Or Get Out of the Way: The 7 Traits of Great Sellers. In the book, Karr details his time-proven and successful sales philosophy and methods. Yitzchok: Ron, let’s go back to your roots. You’re a sought-after speaker, you wrote a hugely successful book on sales, and you were president of the Nation-
al Speakers Association at one point. Were you a born salesman? What’s your backstory? Ron: The story I usually begin my speeches with is how I was diagnosed with a speech impediment called rhoticism at the age of fourteen. Rhoticism is the inability to pronounce the letter “R.” It caused me a lot of grief and humiliation, especially with a name like Ron. After being bullied mercilessly for years, I finally went to a speech therapist for help. I quit after just 45 minutes because it was just too awkward and too hard. I went back to my comfort zone, like we all tend to do. But around a year later I decided to try again, and I committed to stick with it for as long as it took. It took more than two years – but who would have thought then, that 43 years later, I would have been inducted as the fortieth President of the National Speakers Association?! So the question I ask my audiences, and this a great way to start the show today: what’s your impediment? What stops you from doing more?
YS: That’s such a great thought and a great way to start. You have to ask yourself – what’s my challenge? You have to challenge yourself in order to go places. RK: Well, in sales, you have to challenge people because we have to get their attention, they have to be engaged. One of the best ways to engage people is by challenging them in a positive way. YS: Ron, in your book Lead, Sell, or Get Out of the Way, you talk about such a wide range of topics. Tell us how you came up with that title. RK: When people think of salespeople, they think of “talking too much.” To break out of that stereotype and be a successful salesman, you have to be a leader. You have to lead people through a conversation to see what’s important to them. You have to help them see what you’re selling as it really is and what the consequences will be if they don’t get it.
That’s why I called my book Lead, Sell or Get Out of the Way. If you don’t lead the customer, you’re not going to make the sale and you’ll be pushed out of the way. The number one thing to remember is to look at yourself as a leader, not as a salesperson. The second thing to keep in mind is the concept of psychological selling. If you start presenting your solution before you give context, it lands flat. But if you lead them through the conversation to where you’re trying to go, they’re going to be engaged, and they’ll probably end up doing business with you. YS: Over the past 30 years, you’ve developed the concept you call the “Velocity MindsetTM”. It’s such a fantastic concept – even just saying it causes an adrenaline rush! Can you explain to us what a Velocity Mindset is? RK: Well, the example I use is, if you’re a manufacturer, and you invest a lot of money in a big machine and you’re only producing ten units a week,
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that’s going to cost you because the overall costs are more than the worth of each unit. But if you increase production to a hundred units, your costs will go down and your profit will go up. The question we all have to ask ourselves is, how can we do more in the time that we have? We all have the same amount of time, right? We have to keep asking ourselves how we can sell more in the time we have and how can we sell faster. How we can successfully leverage the sales cycle? It’s really about how to become more successful. We do the same sales cycles as everyone else, but we do more in less time. That’s what the Velocity Mindset is all about. YS: You say salespeople often sabotage the chances of their success by having the wrong conversation. What does that mean? What is the wrong conversation in the world of sales? RK: The wrong conversation is when the salesperson is self-focused. They’re talking a small conversation around the products, and they’re not getting to what’s important to the customer. What you have to do to get the attention of the customer is take it away from yourself. The way you build a relationship is by bringing ideas to people and help them get to where they want to be. So the next time you call a potential customer say, “I really want to ask you an important question. When it comes to your money in the future, what are the three things you want your money to provide for you?” When you ask a question like that, there’s a change in the brain. All of a sudden, the guard that they had up to protect themselves from the persistent salesman goes down. Why? Because they are thinking about themselves and how what you’re selling can benefit them. That’s where you want to lead them. YS: The key is to focus on the outcome. RK: Yes, exactly. I teach sales executives and CEOs that you have look at yourself as a leader. You have control over the situation. Your number one job is not to sell anything; your number one job, your priority, is to create an environment where someone wants to engage with you. Most people do it
wrong, because they talk about products and services and remain self-focused. But, if you elevate the conversation beyond the product to what I call the enterprise conversation, then you’ll get to the bigger picture. You’re going to be able to get into bigger conversations that you wouldn’t have gotten into before. It’s no longer about a product; it’s about those things that are quantifiable and qualifiable within the whole picture. And that is what will separate you from everybody else. YS: Does this apply to business-to-business as well? RK: Oh, absolutely. When I leave a voicemail for potential business clients, I say, “Please give me a call so I can share some ideas with you.” It’s all
people say no to you, they’re not rejecting you. It’s simply an answer with no risk involved. “Yes” is a risky answer. Tenacity doesn’t mean you keep going after a bad prospect. But if you’re getting a “no,” find out what you’re missing. Maybe you need to ask a better question. Maybe the timing isn’t right. YS: What would you say defines a master salesperson? Is it simply someone who can sell anything? RK: Yes, in a way. But it’s not just about selling. It’s about helping others solve their problems. To me, a master salesperson has both the empathy and tenacity, and they’re really out there helping others succeed. If
A master salesperson has both the empathy and tenacity, and they’re out there helping others succeed.
about them. Now, they’ll call me back. Not all of them, but all we’re looking for is an increase of ten-twenty percent. That way, we’re making a lot more money by focusing on the client instead of the product. YS: What are the main character traits you think a successful salesperson should be hardwired with? RK: Great question. The number one trait is empathy. We want people who can empathize, and we want people that can really get into the world of the customer’s business and see it from their perspective so they can help solve their problems. Business is nothing more than solving problems. It’s not about selling. If you go into it that way, you may get a transactional sale, but you’re not going to get a lifetime customer and it’s going to be price dependent. But if you really want to sell at a higher value and higher prices, you have to find out what they’re trying to get to. Tenacity is a close second. When
you help others succeed, you’ll make more money than you ever thought was possible. YS: Here’s a tough question. How do you sell something that the customers believe is too costly? At the same time, the salesperson feels that they don’t know if the value is really there for the price they are asking. How would you coach that salesperson? RK: Well there’s a lot of things that come up for this answer. Number one – you’ve got to own the offer. You’ve got to believe in it. If you don’t, then there’s no way you’re going to be able to sell it. The first time someone has an objection, you’re going to cave or they’re going to feel your hesitancy. The question you have to ask yourself is how can I turn it around so that I do believe in my offer and product? To do that, you have to look at the costs of the lifetime and not just at the time of sale. You have to think about how you’re going to help that customer in
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terms of price productivity and market share. Always use the bigger number, because the bigger number always serves you and your customers better. YS: Holding onto the idea about the salesperson believing in the product: if the salesperson is not all in, they’re not invested. But if they take a step back and start focusing on the outcomes, they can re-engage. RK: Yes. It’s about outcomes, but it’s also about understanding what your strengths are. You will never be able satisfy a customer a hundred percent, and you’re always going be lacking something. Instead, concentrate on what your strengths are and look for opportunities. YS: Ron, you facilitate a Chief Revenue Officer Mastermind Forum. What it is all about, and who qualifies for it? RK: This group is for a vice presidents and CEOs – people that are responsible for driving the sales of their companies. When a vice president or CEO of a company has challenges, who can they to speak to? They can’t talk to the president; they can’t talk to their investors. So we created a safe forum for people that have a couple of things common. Number one, they want to build a high-performing, highgrowth company. Number two, they’re going to play hard. And what I mean by that is, they’re going to come to these meetings and they’re going to get vulnerable and open themselves up to get peer-to-peer mentoring and ideas from other people. And of course, you get the facilitation by me and we bring in some other speakers. But, it’s a membership, not a program. It’s not for everybody. We interview all the potential members to make sure they qualify. We look to see if they have the right attitude, if they have something to give to other participants. YS: Ron, do you have a final takeaway for us? RK: You have to stop worrying about yourself and how to make the next dollar. You have to just go in and be present in a conversation. If you focus on helping people get to where they want to be, your success will be automatic.
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Yet Another Ceasefire? Hamas Pummels Israel; IDF Hits Back Hard
By Avraham Zuroff
N
ew York Yankees legend Yogi Berra used to quip, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” Those words are ever appropriate for Monday’s ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Last week, tensions were enflamed when Arab terrorists fired at Israeli forces patrolling the Gaza border; two Israeli soldiers were injured. As a result, Israel retaliated by hitting at Hamas military installations in Gaza. Arab terrorists from Gaza escalated the rounds of fire by firing over 700 rockets into Israeli population centers on the Gaza border; some of the deadly rockets reached as far as Ashdod and Ashkelon. Dozens of Israeli civilians were injured, including four Israelis who were killed, and extensive damage was perpetrated against homes and infrastructure, including a train line in Israel’s south. Moshe Agadi, 58, was the first Israeli killed in the melee. A rocket
launched from Gaza hit his motherin-law’s home in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon on Saturday. The father of four was evacuated to the nearby Barzilai Hospital after being wounded by shrapnel in his chest and abdomen. According to family members, Agadi was not able to reach the house’s bomb shelter before the rocket fell. Agadi’s family had emigrated from Iran. He was one of 14 children. Agadi was a grocer in the Ashkelon market and was spending the night at his mother-in-law’s home when he was killed. Moshe’s brother, Shai, said that Moshe was so beloved. “My brother, Moshe, knew to respect every person,” he said. “He had a beautiful face, respected his parents, just like it’s written in the Book. We don’t know where to go from here; we feel helpless. He would be the one to
give us hope if he was here.... He was always happy with his lot in life, and this is a loss that cannot be described in words. We still haven’t processed it,” he lamented. Ziad Alhamada, 49, was the second person killed in Israel from the rocket attacks. He was working in a factory in Ashkelon when he was critically injured. He later died of his wounds. Moshe Feder was killed when an anti-tank missile hit the car he was driving near the Gaza border. The 67-year-old from Kfar Saba is survived by his wife, Iris, and children. Sadly, Iris suffered another tragedy in her lifetime. Prior to being together with Moshe for 17 years, her first husband died in the 1997 Israeli helicopter disaster. In the incident, two Israel Air Force helicopters ferrying Israeli soldiers into the Israeli security zone in southern Lebanon collided in mid-air, killing all 73 Israeli military personnel
on board. Iris said that Moshe was “a kind man, generous, loving, a wonderful father, a great friend, beloved and dear to all of his friends.” “Life threw many obstacles my way after my husband died, and I would not have been able to overcome them without Moshe,” Iris said. “The two loves of my life both went up in flames, one in a helicopter and the other in a car.” A member of the Ger community, Pinchas Menachem Pshevesman was only 21 years old when he was killed. Pinchas was wounded by shrapnel from a rocket that landed in the backyard of a building in Ashdod and later succumbed to his wounds. He had one child, a one-year-old.
Ceasefire or Seize Funds? The script was, unfortunately, pre-
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dictable: Israel hit hard at Hamas-controlled military installations, destroying Hamas compounds. Hamas continued to shower rockets upon civilians. Hours before the ceasefire went into effect, Israel assassinated Hamad Abad Chudari, a chief money changer responsible for bringing cash to Hamas and Islamic Jihad from Arab countries that fund their terror operations. Hamas was jubilant with the amount of damage and destruction its rockets had caused. Although many of their rockets were of poor quality, quite a few of them managed to evade the Iron Dome defense system. According to Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida, Hamas employed different tactics this time around. He said the group had “succeeded in overcoming the so-called Iron Dome by adopting the tactic of firing dozens of missiles in one single burst. The high intensity
of fire and the great destructive ability of the missiles that were introduced by [Hamas terrorists] succeeded in causing great losses and destruction to the enemy,” he crowed. After non-stop retaliation by the IDF, Hamas initiated the ceasefire with Israel, which was brokered by an Egyptian-negotiations team. Although the State of Israel never officially declared a ceasefire, the IDF announced on Monday morning that all security-related restrictions, such as the cessation of the Beersheva trainline, had been halted. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced that the decision was made to enable the Israeli government to deliberate its next move. As the script of Israel’s policy of “quiet for quiet” has played out in the past, the ceasefire will now enable Hamas to replenish its arsenal and improve the accuracy of its rockets aimed at Israeli population centers. Middle East expert Daniel Pipes notes that the Palestinian Authority and Hamas are “playing a game of chicken, disturbing the quiet in return for an Israeli pay-off.” According to Pipes, “The Palestinian Authority says, ‘Give us the money you’re holding back that we use to fund attacks on Israelis or our whole structure will come crashing down and you’ll have a much bigger mess on your hands.’ Hamas says, ‘Give us access to the money Qatar is sending us or we will make life miserable for you, with rockets raining down during your Memorial Day, your Independence Day, and the semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest.’” Israel is stuck between a rock and a hard place. If it holds back money from the PA or from Hamas, it is a deer in the headlights under the rockets and terror attacks threatened by these terror organizations. But if it releases funds to these groups in exchange for calm, it is essentially – inadvertently – allowing more rockets, guns, and missiles to be bought, which will then be used against it. Israel was given the “green light” from the U.S. State Department to defend itself this time around. Assuming Israel has the capabilities of removing Hamas from its control of Gaza, why hasn’t it done so? Like the previous ceasefire several months ago, Israel had an opportunity to defeat Hamas but decided not to. Why? According
Moshe Agadi, Hy”d
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Pinchas Menachem Pshevesman, Hy”d
Moshe Feder, Hy”d, with his two children, Amit and Hadar
to military analyst Gershon Hacohen, Israel has the capabilities to remove Hamas, but has decided to hold back for strategic reasons. If Hamas would no longer be controlling Gaza, who would replace it? In other words, Hamas may be a reprehensible terror group, but at least Israel knows what it’s dealing with. Additionally, Hamas’s reign of terror from Gaza substantiates Netanyahu’s argument that a withdrawal from Yehuda and Shomron would lead to an Arab state of terror. Netanyahu has yet to reveal the Cabinet’s reasons for ceasing its military operation. Thus, it’s too early to determine how effective Israel’s recent military operation was in quelling Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza – until the next outbreak of rockets. From Netanyahu’s own Likud party, MK Gideon Saar criticized the ceasefire. “The ceasefire, in the circumstances it was reached under, has no gains for Israel,” said Saar. “The time between each round of violent attacks against Israel and its citizens is shrinking, and terror orga-
nizations in Gaza are strengthening,” he said. “The fighting hasn’t been ended – it’s just been pushed off.”
Coalition Building: Deja Vu The Likud is currently attempting to create a coalition of a minimum of 61 Knesset seats, a requirement for forming a government. For those who may have forgotten, Israel’s early elections were partially caused a few months ago by Hamas rocket attacks and a subsequent ceasefire. As a result, Avigdor Liberman, then defense minister, withdrew his Yisrael Beiteinu party from Netanyahu’s coalition, leaving the Likud-led government a narrow coalition of 61. It was just a matter of time that the narrow coalition would topple, prompting early elections. Since MK Benny Gantz of the new Blue and White party has refused to join Netanyahu’s coalition, it seems that the Likud’s only hope to obtain at least 61 mandates to form his coalition is to enlist Liberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party and cede to Liberman’s
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demands. Now that Netanyahu has once again enabled a ceasefire with Hamas, it will be even more difficult to convince hardliner Avigdor Liberman to join the Likud coalition, which Liberman perceives as too pacifistic. Even with the religious parties joining the coalition, the Likud-led coalition count would be 60, just one mandate short of forming a government. If Netanyahu will be unable to form a coalition, President Reuven Rivlin may ask
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MK Benny Gantz to attempt to form a coalition, which will even be harder for him, as the chareidi parties (which have 16 Knesset seats) have already refused to sit in a coalition with MK Yair Lapid, a member of the Blue and White party. Will Netanyahu succeed and be able to get the numbers he needs to form a government? Time will tell. And Hamas and the terrorists in Gaza are watching closely.
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TJH Speaks with Auxiliary Inspector Danny Gluck of the 4th Precinct By Susan Schwamm
Danny, your family goes way back in the Five Towns. My parents moved here in 1968. There were maybe 26 members of the Young Israel of Woodmere then. Forty, fifty years ago, there were only two shuls here: Young Israel of Woodmere and Beth Shalom. I went to Hillel, which became HAFTR. Back then, on Friday afternoon, we would go home from school, and you wouldn’t see your friends from the other town until Monday morning. There were two different communities – Woodmere and Lawrence – that was it. Far Rockaway was a big community but back then it wasn’t considered part of the Five Towns. Today, the Five Towns is one big community. I’ve seen the change in the community. It’s a great community
that we live in. I got involved in the police department and law enforcement 20 years ago.
years and then there’s a waiting list and they take the highest performers. It’s much more exclusive.
Are there other Jewish officers in the police department? Today, you have more Jewish police officers in law enforcement than ever before. In Nassau County alone there are about 250 Jewish police officers out of a force of about 2,600. In the City, I know there are a lot of Jews in the NYPD and a lot of Orthodox Jews in the NYPD.
Do the NCPD officers have to live in Nassau County? No. The quality of the Nassau County Police Department is by far one of the best police departments, the best police forces in the United States. A lot of the police officers who work in Nassau have been in the NYPD and then they transfer over when they get into the NCPD.
It’s harder to become a Nassau County police officer than an officer in the NYPD, correct? Yes. It’s harder to get in. The NYPD gives the test every month. In Nassau County, the test is given every four
You lead the auxiliary police force in the Fourth Precinct. How did you get involved? Well, you know I’ve been in business my whole life. At one point, I
owned the Quick & Clean dry cleaners on Rockaway Turnpike, and at that time, unfortunately, we had a burglary and a robbery. When the detectives came down to take the reports, I got friendly with one of them. We became very close and he said, “Listen, the next best thing to becoming a police officer is becoming an auxiliary police officer.” He introduced me to the commanding officer in the 4th Precinct, and I got involved. Now, 20 years later, I am the commanding officer of the division. We have the largest auxiliary police unit in Nassau County. We have the fastest growing unit in Nassau County, and we are the most active unit in Nassau County. A unit is a group of auxiliary officers in the precinct that runs the community, does the patrols, we work
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
At Ground Zero after the horrific attacks of 9-11
Inspector Gluck receiving an award from Police Commissioner Ryder and County Executive Laura Curran at police headquarters
details, we do anything that’s asked for. We are an extra set of eyes and ears for the police force.
ceremony. It’s actually an awards, promotions, and longevity ceremony. Anything above and beyond your duties – for instance, if you ran into a building that’s on fire and you pulled somebody
Is it a volunteer group? It’s all volunteer. There is a police academy you have to go through. It’s the regular police academy that every police officer goes through but we’re an abbreviated version. We take the classes once a week for five hours at a time, usually on Wednesday nights, and it runs about 40 weeks. Forty? Forty weeks, yes. That’s almost a year. It’s almost a year, yup. You know, people think, Oh, I’m going to join the auxiliary police and I’ll put on a uniform and bulletproof vest, and I’m gonna go out there and do whatever we have to do. But it doesn’t work like that. There’s a whole background check that you need to have done to get in. Once you do get in, like I said, it’s 40 weeks, once a week, at the academy. You learn everything from evac training to baton training, handcuff training, first aid…. Every few weeks there’s a midterm and a final exam. Do you carry guns? No, we don’t carry weapons. We have radio communications, though, the same radios that the police department uses. We’re on the same channels, the same frequencies. If there’s any emergency, we call for assistance. Also, as part of the program, at the end of the year we have an awards
out during Sandy. We were also assigned to gas station details because the gas pumps weren’t working and the gas lines were so long. There were people on line waiting for gas fighting.
“A FRIEND OF MINE MADE A TOAST AT MY SON’S BAR MITZVAH. HE SAID, ‘WHEN YOU’RE IN TROUBLE, YOU DON’T CALL THE POLICE; YOU CALL DANNY GLUCK.’” out, you’ll get an award for that. There are different types of awards – there’s a meritorious award, an excellent service award, a commissioner’s award. What awards have you received? I personally have two excellent service awards, a command recognition award, and an award from working during Hurricane Sandy – there’s a special award for that. I personally was out for 10 straight days – sometimes 18 hours at a time – during that period. What did that entail? We were involved with making sure there was no looting going on after Sandy. Most of the area was blacked
When there was no more gas, you had to tell people that there wasn’t any left, and the reaction from people was out of control. It was a long, grueling experience working Superstorm Sandy. Can people become part of the auxiliary unit if they have another job? The requirements are that you need to do 15 hours a month doing auxiliary work – whether it’s a patrol, a detail, a unit meeting, anything that is required. You also have to do three County details per year. A County detail is basically when all the precincts, all the units, come together at a large event, like the Long Island Marathon, which took place on May 5, or the Town
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With Councilman Bruce Blakeman and Inspector Gluck’s daughter Rylee at the Kulanu Fair in Cedarhurst Park
of Hempstead fireworks, for instance. We also did the presidential debates – that was interesting. I personally got a post at the second presidential debates, where I was ten feet from President Obama getting onto Marine One. It was an experience. We have unit meetings once a month and everybody signs up for the upcoming details. You should know that there is always someone out at night patrolling every night in our community. That’s very comforting. Around how many officers are out every night? There’s usually at least one officer patrolling at night. We have close to 40 officers in the unit and from all different walks of life. We have doctors, lawyers, accountants, business owners…. Most events in our community would not go on without the help of the Nassau County Auxiliary Police. The Nassau County Police Department does not have the manpower to run events – especially all the events in our community. There are Torah dedications in our community every week. We ran out of weekends, so we do them now on weekdays. There are 10 or 20 or even 30 officers at each event. We also do the 5K runs for the community. These events would not go on without the help of the Nassau County Auxiliary Police. I’ll admit: it’s hard – we give up time from our family and friends, but we get the job done. We’re here to help protect our community and serve and help the police department.
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With Senator Charles Schumer at an event
With Governor Cuomo at a security meeting at Nassau Coliseum
Inspector Gluck with Ari Brown, Cedarhurst trustee, and Ron Goldman, Village Administration of Lawrence, at the awards ceremony at police headquarters
Inspector Gluck and his wife, Amanda, with Mayor Rudy Guiliani at an event in Woodmere
Who do you think would be the best person to sign up to join the unit? We have a lot of young officers, in their twenties, who want to pursue a career in law enforcement, so this is a great stepping-stone for them to jumpstart their career.
who just love what we do. I grew into this position. I started out 20 years ago when I went to the police academy. It was Wednesday nights back then, as it is today, and after I graduated the academy, Wednesday night was my night and I patrolled every Wednesday night for years.
They have the energy. They sure do. And they learn a lot. Oftentimes they get called into the NYPD or Nassau or Suffolk PD to become a regular police officer. This year alone I lost three officers, one to the NYPD, one to the Richmond Virginia Police Department, and one to Westchester County Corrections department. Then we also have the older generation who are retired and are looking for something to do to keep busy. They do a great job patrolling the neighborhood. You also have people like myself
How can people get involved? We’d love for more people to join us. You can go onto the Nassau County Police Department website, and there’s a section there for recruitment. The requirements are you need to have a high school diploma, you need to be a Nassau County resident, you need to have no arrests, obviously, and you need a clean driving record, just to name a few.
the moments that you’ve enjoyed the most? Well, I got great satisfaction out of the two excellent service awards that I received. One was actually from 20 years ago, when I was on my way to the police academy. There was a major car accident that happened right in front of us as we were driving to the academy. At that time the police academy was in a Nassau County correctional facility, the jail in East Meadow. If you weren’t there on time, those gates closed and you couldn’t get in or out because it was in the jail. I called up the commanding officer for the academy and I told them my situation: there was a car accident, the streets were blocked, what should we do? He said, “Don’t worry about coming here and do what you gotta do.” I went in and, with my partner who was with me in the car, we
You’ve been doing this for more than 20 years. What are
pulled the person out of the car to save him before the car exploded. So I got that award for saving a life and that was very memorable for me. Another award I got – around ten years ago – was when we were doing a detail in Lawrence/Inwood right on the border by the Five Towns Community Center. I believe it was an antique car show that was going on and they called for assistance. There was a gang drive-by shooting there, and we were there right away and called for backup. Within seconds, we were surrounded by police cars. I had trailed the pickup truck that did the shooting, and the NCPD cornered them and arrested them. That’s unbelievable. Are you wearing a unifor m when you’re on patrol? Yes. We have bulletproof vests, and we’re in marked cars.
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Inspector Gluck with officers in Hewlett Harbor with Mayor Mark Weiss
Inspector Gluck with Cedarhurst Trustee Izzy Wasser and members of his unit
I see you put the marked cars on certain streets, too. Yes. I came up with that idea many years ago with the former commanding officer of the 4th Precinct, Rick Capece, who is a close friend of mine. He gave the green light to go ahead with that program. It’s a great program for two reasons. One, to deter crime so if someone’s coming into the community and they see a car there, they don’t know if a police officer is inside someone’s house taking a report or just out of the car for whatever reason. When they see the car, they decide to go on to the next town or the next village. And the other reason it’s great is because it keeps traffic flowing. We park them at 4-corner stop signs. People see it, they slow down, and stop at the stop sign. It also prevents speeding.
Crime has gone down, but there are two types of crimes that are on citizens’ minds: one is terrorism and the other is petty crime, the guy walking down the street at 2 o’clock in the morning opening up car doors that are unlocked. I’m glad you brought that up. This happens every day. People call me up, Hey, they broke into my car. So first of all, let’s get one thing straight: there’s a difference between breaking into a car and opening a car door. People need to lock their
Last year, I saw patrol cars from the NYPD parked on the side of the Belt Parkway and it really made traffic slow down. Absolutely. There are times I’m driving down Peninsula Boulevard and I jam on my brakes because I say, Hey, that’s one of my cars. People call us and ask us to put them in certain locations. We put them out by the holidays to provide extra security. We have around 18 cars that we use, and it really helps deter crime. You’ve been doing this for a while. Has crime gotten better or worse in the neighborhood since you’ve started? Crime is at the lowest in Nassau County than ever before. Crime is actually the lowest for a municipality
of 1 million or more, the lowest in the country. And why is that? Because of the precinct, but thanks to the public also. The public are the eyes and ears of the police force. You know the old saying, if you see something, say something? Well, people are saying things. We urge you to call 911 if there’s an emergency or if you think there’s anything suspicious going on. I also want to thank the mayors of our Villages – including Mayor Ben Weinstock of Cedarhurst and Mayor
WE GIVE UP TIME FROM OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS, BUT WE GET THE JOB DONE. Alex Edelman of Lawrence – for their support and all their help throughout the years. We couldn’t do it without them. We don’t get any support from Nassau County. We get a little bit of funding from the Town of Hempstead, from Supervisor Laura Gillen, and from the local Villages. And we rely on donations from the public. Do you think legalizing marijuana will contribute to an increase in crime in the area? Hopefully they won’t pass it in New York. Any drug is a bad situation. I’m very against drugs and alcohol.
vehicles. Breaking into a car is when someone takes a rock or a hammer or a crowbar and smashes your window or picks your lock and gets into the car. That’s a break-in. When you leave your car doors open or your windows open, and someone goes into your car, that’s not a break-in. You left your car open. When people call me up about that, I tell them that they have to call it into the police station. They’ll say, Well, they didn’t take much. And I say, it doesn’t matter. The precinct needs to know. We need to know because if you don’t let us know, the officer who is on the next tour, the next shift,
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won’t know that something happened on your block in your neighborhood and won’t be patrolling that specific block looking for that person looking to commit another crime. So it’s very important – whether they take a dollar, sunglasses, or loose change that’s sitting in the ashtray – you need to report it. Everything needs to be reported. It happened to me. My wife always makes sure to click that automatic lock on the car fob before she goes to bed, so she knows her car is locked. I also have a very long driveway, and I have sensor lights at the end of the driveway so when you’re coming up the driveway they go off. That’s a deterrent. Right. So one night – well, actually, I come out one morning – and I come to the car and I see the car is a mess. I said to myself, this is not like my wife. My wife is really neat. Every night my wife clicks that automatic lock and that one night she apparently forgot. Oh, and also that night the lights didn’t go off because someone in the house hit the bypass switch in the house. And that’s the one night that the guys hit my car – me, out of all people. But I did file the police report. You must make that police report. Like I said, if you don’t, the police the next day or the next tour, the next night when the shift changes, they won’t know that anything happened on that block. Let’s talk about shul security and terrorism. What should the shuls in the area be doing
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Inspector Gluck with the fifth graders of HAFTR at the 4th Precinct for Safety Week
Last year at the 5K Run in Atlantic Beach
to prevent any nefarious person from coming in? I think the shuls are doing a great job right now, as far as security goes. Here in the Five Towns, I would say 99% of the shuls all have security, they’re either retired police officers or active NCPD police officers. There’s also the CSS, the volunteer security network that some shuls have, where members are trained in security. These
I won the election for chairman of the board back in 2018. I’ve accomplished a lot as chairman. We created a 501C3 – the Nassau County Auxiliary Police Foundation – which is a non-for-profit where people can donate, whether they want to donate funding or equipment, vehicles, etc. I also chaired the finance committee. In my position, I get calls all the time – whether it’s 2pm or 2am, the phone never stops ringing – someone’s in trouble, someone’s arrested, someone’s in a car accident. I’m on call 24/7. People call me because everybody knows me and knows that I’m a problem-solver. But I tell people, when there’s an emergency, I’m not 911. I’m happy to help everybody, but if there’s an emergency call the police directly. A friend of mine made a toast at my son’s bar mitzvah. He said, “When you’re in trouble, you don’t call the police; you call Danny Gluck.” It was a joke, and everyone laughed. But I’m telling you, call the police if there’s an emergency.
are volunteers, and they do a great job. I also tell people that when there’s an emergency, don’t try to be the hero. Leave it up to the police to take care of the situation. I’ve seen police officers shot in friendly fire, and I’m against members of the shul being armed. You’re serving your third term on the executive board of the Nassau County Auxiliary Police.
It sounds like you’re always on call but that you love what you do. I do. I love helping people. It’s good to do what you love and to do it well. You’re being honored by the Nassau County Police Shomrim Society on Sunday morning, May 19. Yes. I joined the organization around ten years ago. I now serve as the executive vice president. We help Jewish police officers and members of law enforcement and their fami-
lies. We have a scholarship fund for the children of Jewish law enforcement. We run a Passover food drive every year which was held this year in Freeport at Nassau Kosher Provisions. This is a society for Jewish law enforcement. In the police department there are a lot of different fraternal organizations. Besides for the Jewish Nassau County police officers in the organization, we have a retired FBI agent, we have Secret Service agents, we have probation officers. Any Jewish person who’s in law enforcement can join our organization. This year I’m being honored at their breakfast. We’re also honoring our Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder as Person of the Year; the Honorable Martin Elias; and Deputy Inspector Alan Hirsch of the Third Precinct and Probation Supervisor Cheryl Garber with the Avodah Service Award. Alan and Cheryl have been running the food drive for the past 20 years, so they truly deserve that honor. I hope everyone can come out and join us on Sunday morning, May 19 at the Sephardic Temple in Cedarhurst. Danny, it’s clear that you’re extremely busy but that you’re always there for the community. Thank you for serving the community with such dedication. Mazal tov on this well-deserved honor! Serve your community! Join the auxiliary police force of the 4 th Precinct. To volunteer, call Commanding Officer Inspector Danny Gluck at 516-522-5395.
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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Dating Dialogue
What Would You Do If… Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters
Dear Navidaters, My husband has always been a controlling person. Some people might call him a control freak. He has to be involved with everything and his way always has to be the best way to approach every situation. He is very successful in life, and I guess has reason to believe in himself. Our oldest son is starting to date. I’ve been looking forward to this period of his life for a while now and am very excited about being an important part of the process. I feel that, as a mother, I am much more tuned into our son’s emotional needs and of course, as a woman, I understand women better than any man would. I see that my husband is commandeering this part of our lives, like he does everything else. I feel this is finally something that should be my job. I don’t mind him being involved, but for once, I believe I should spearhead this important state of our son’s life. He thinks otherwise. How do I get him out of the picture, so that our son has the best chance of meeting his bashert? I know in my heart I can and will do a much better job at this.
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.
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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The Panel The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S. aking charge now when your son is dating is not going to be easy because of the longstanding pattern in your marriage. Just because you are the mother and you think you will do better at checking references, investigating girls and dealing with shadchanim doesn’t mean that you can take charge in this area. Logic, people skills and feminine intuition about your skills in this area of Jewish life will not help you if you have been passive in your relationship with your controlling husband. Needless to say, it sounds like your son has not seen a healthy marriage. He has witnessed control rather than shared responsibilities in running a family. This is not healthy for him nor for either of you two. Therefore, I would suggest that you go into therapy with a skilled couples therapist. Don’t wait for your husband to go with you. Get started on the extensive work it takes to repair an unhealthy relationship and begin building a healthy one. This will entail examining yourself and why you have allowed your husband to be controlling. It will entail learning new patterns of communication, behavior, and responses. It will be hard but you will have support if you stay the course and stay in therapy. Hopefully, your husband will join you in therapy at some point. But even if he doesn’t, you can still reclaim your voice and move toward communication and teambuilding with skilled help. You have bigger issues on your plate than being the active parent in the shidduchim parsha. You have a marriage to work on. This is the best gift you can give your dating child: observing a respectful, caring relationship between two adults with different strengths and weaknesses. Al-
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though your son will not see this for a long time because it takes time, energy and help to make it happen, this will be more valuable to him long term than taking over the leading role in shidduchim right now.
The Mother Sarah Schwartz Schreiber, P.A. he tipping point. The time has come. It’s taken how many babies, how many anniversaries, how many birthdays, how many milestones…to finally compel you to stand up for yourself and proclaim to your husband, “You may be the boss, but I. AM. THE. MOTHER!” Congratulations; it’s high time. There’s no doubt that shidduchim, the parsha, is a challenging stage in a child’s life. Your son needs the guidance, support, and input of both his mother and father. But what if the mother has allowed the father to take full control of all aspects of running the household? Not to blame the victim, but a commander (your husband) could not function without blind allegiance from the commandee (you). So now, as you seek to re-claim your rightful duties and privileges as mother, it shouldn’t surprise you that the commander balks at sharing the keys to the kingdom. It’s time to call the rabbi (the one your husband respects, who knows your children’s names) and make him your ally. Describe the lopsided dynamics in your marriage and how it can affect your son’s dating prospects. Ask the rabbi to meet with both you and your husband; allow him to listen firsthand to your husband’s authoritarian, archaic views on shidduchim. Share with him that you are anxious to participate in the process. Perhaps the rabbi may educate and enlighten your husband regarding the significant and incomparable role a mother plays in
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seeking her son’s future wife. And while your rabbi’s input may be invaluable, it may not be the sole solution to your quandary. In addition to spiritual guidance, I urge you to consult a qualified therapist. Only in therapy can you gain insight regarding the commander/ commandee nature of your marriage. In time, and with newfound therapeutic tools, you will develop the strength and confidence to become a happier, more functional, independent wife and mother. Not to mention, one terrific shvigger!
The Shadchan Michelle Mond he way you start your letter tells a story far bigger than the issue you raise as your actual conundrum. In this day and age, “controlling” is a buzz word. Knowing no details about your personal situation does not give me enough information to pass judgment on whether your husband is or is not actually controlling. However, the bottom line is: this is your husband and you have a son who is about to start dating. You ask the panel how to “get him out of the picture” but this is your husband we are talking about and your son’s father. You ask your question and are genuinely worried, and I quote, “so that our son has the best chance of meeting his bashert.” The tone of your letter bleeds an undertone of resentment and I highly suspect that this tone is present in your dayto-day interactions. If I may, I would like to redirect your focus by re-framing this situation. Use this as an opportunity to work on your relationship with your husband so that your son can be the best husband he can be to his bashert. I am sure this dynamic has impacted your son and will impact his future relationships. Perhaps go to therapy together so
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It shouldn’t surprise you that the commander balks at sharing the keys to the kingdom.
you can learn communication techniques that allow both of you to feel heard and respected. Disrespect is to a man’s ego as salt is to a wound; it’s not a good mix, to say the least. In the meantime, try to show him you respect the opinions which the two of you agree on. Don’t keep the positive attributes you see in him to yourself – share those thoughts and feelings with him as they come. Try to think of one particularly thoughtful thing to do for him each day. Giving is contagious. You mention he has been successful in life, so there must be things to admire as well. Now to your main concern. As his mother, you absolutely have every right to be just as involved in your son’s dating process as your husband. It is also unsettling to a shadchan when a parent of a single comes across as harsh or commandeering, which will not help your son’s cause. Hopefully your husband has proper social etiquette and realizes this. My hope for you is that through working on yourselves and learning positive communication techniques, in addition to your newfound expressive respect, your husband will ease up a lot (you may even be able to take the reins of your son’s shidduchim). This should not only positively impact your wish to be more involved in the shidduchim department but will also set a healthier example for your son to emulate in his own marriage, iy”H.
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The Single Tova Wein learly, you’ve been unhappy with your limited feelings of control within your marriage for
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some time – maybe as far back as the day you walked down the aisle. For some reason you tolerated it, but this new chapter of your life is the final straw in creating in you the proper awareness that something is very off in your marriage. And it’s time to go for help.
Pulling It All Together
You need therapy to finally understand why it is that you allowed someone (albeit a very successful man) to call all the shots. What’s up with that? Healthy women don’t tolerate that and it’s time for you to become healthy. Once you take care of that, it may be time for some serious couples therapy, assuming your husband is willing to join you. Good luck with that. Meanwhile, any
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You deserve a voice.
and all growth that comes out of this will not only provide a happier life for you but will also create a healthier environment for your son to observe, so that he doesn’t decide to emulate his father’s behavior and look for an insecure woman who will put up with bad behavior.
The Navidaters Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists
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f course, your letter is only a glimpse into your marriage and there may be lots of missing parts that would shed more light on the current situation and on the dynamics of your relationship. With that being said, what you did provide in the letter alludes to an unbalanced and unhealthy dynamic between you and your husband. You refer to him as “controlling” and “commandeering.” And asking how to completely rid him from the picture while your son is dating speaks to something. It seems as though it feels impossible for you take the reins, as well as to do anything together, as a team. The advice from the panelists is excellent, in my opinion. Please go into therapy. In marital therapy, the therapist will try to help shift this unhealthy pattern in the marriage. In individual therapy, the work will be exclusively focused on you. How did you get here? What role did you play, if any, in creating this controller/controllee relationship? Why and how have you tolerated this? Which route you take depends on your level of comfort in being vulnerable around your husband. Only you know your husband. If there is abuse in this marriage, and you fear there will be repercussions after a
therapy se s sion, do not go for marital therapy. If he refuses to go for marital therapy with you, which may be the case since it isn’t his idea, then by all means, please go by yourself. A little validation… You have every right to be involved in your son’s shidduchim. You’ve had every right to be involved in every aspect of your marriage, your home, your children’s lives (when appropriate), your finances all along. You and your husband are equals, partners. Your voice is just as important as his. Trying to change this years-long pattern will not be easy. It is going to take a lot of digging and heavy lifting to begin to shift it. And the work will start with what you decide you no longer are willing to tolerate. “I’ve given this more thought, and I’ve decided that I am going to be involved in Moishy’s shidduchim.” Notice how you are being polite and respectful and at the same time are not asking for permission. You are creating a boundary. This can feel scary because you’ve quite possibly never done this before and/or you don’t know how he will react. Will he dig his commandeering heels in further or will he soften when he
realizes that you mean business? A word about control and commandeering to the author of the letter and the readership. Sometimes a controlling spouse can be chalked up to some “meshugas,” mild to moderate anxiety or OCD and/or a spouse who has allowed the other to take the reins because it was easier to do so, for a myriad of reasons. Such a controlling person can often be worked with, gain new insights and awareness, and is quite capable of great change! Sometimes, though, control and commandeering is abusive. I’ve worked with enough people to recognize the potential language around abuse. Sometimes people know it is happening, and other times people have no idea they are being psychologically or emotional-
ly abused. It isn’t as easy to detect as physical abuse. Dear author, it is my deep hope that you and your husband will be able to make great changes to your marriage. You deserve a voice. All the best, Jennifer Esther Mann, LCSW and Jennifer Mann, LCSW are licensed psychotherapists and dating and relationship coaches working with individuals, couples and families in private practice in Hewlett, NY. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 516.224.7779. Press 1 for Esther, 2 for Jennifer. Visit www.thenavidaters.com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email thenavidaters@gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.
Hi Readers! Receiving your enthusiastic emails wanting to participate in the Reader’s Respond section has been wonderful! Just a reminder about how Reader Response works. Email thenavidaters@gmail. com with the subject line “Reader Response.” We will then ask you, in the order we receive your email, if you would like to respond to the coming week’s email. If you would like to respond to an already printed Navidaters Panel, please submit your answer to the editor at editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com. You can also join us on our FB page @thenavidaters on Sunday evenings to post your response to the week’s column. Interacting with you has been a pleasure! Thank you for all of your feedback. Esther and Jennifer
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Dr. Deb
A Bad Day By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.
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habbos was gorgeous, I mean, emotionally. The family was laughing, the food was delicious, my son-in-law was singing with my oldest grandson. And I thought that for sure this is mei-ayn olam haba. The next day the drizzle we had continued, and we marched to a bar mitzvah in the rain. The boy did well and we enjoyed the simcha. Later, I took my first walk to the park in several months as I finally got the go-ahead from the sports rehab doctor that I was good to start walking since the metatarsal that was broken should now be healed enough. The birds were happily nibbling the Bissli crumbs left by cute little kids running around the park and my three grandchildren renewed their love affair with the park since my own restrictions on walking had kept them housebound all this time, that and the weather. I was still in heaven. When Shabbos ends, I always have that sad feeling, made only worse by having to return to my lovely, peaceful, quiet home that has every item in place exactly where I want it and all is well – except that nobody is there but me. I was exhausted beyond the usual, and I figured that was because of the walk which I had not had in so long. I went straight to bed without even a nod at my computer, sitting there at the ready on my desk. However, strangely enough, when I woke up this morning I was as down as you can get with no explanation. I’d gotten pretty far into my todo list on Friday, so that was not the problem. I did have a really strange dream that couldn’t have meant anything, but so what? I ate reflectively
and a bit tearfully but could not figure out why the bad mood. And then I remembered something I’d heard a speaker recently say that one-hundred percent paralleled what I knew to be true: that often bad moods can simply come from the brain having trained itself that “when things are good, that’s the time something bad will happen so I may as well get a jump on it and just go south.” Or, in simple words, it’s a bad habit and nothing more. A bad mood can come from nowhere and have no meaning. Nothing to figure out, nothing to analyze, nothing to even give one more thought to. Simply to change. Done! The way to change it is really simpler than you realize: get off the train.
Get Off the Train Let me explain. When I was feeling down, the first thing I did was try to figure out why. This is usually a good idea because often the reason isn’t good enough to decide to sustain the feeling. There are times when it makes sense to be down. Just to give one small example, if you hurt someone’s feelings and they told you it hurt them, then you should feel badly about your actions, badly enough to consider how to never do such a thing in the future. Feeling badly keeps you on track to step up to the plate and make things right. Now, once you notice yourself feeling down, it is possible to start searching aimlessly for all the things that could possibly be causing it. So I did that. I remembered that no one thought of me when they were mak-
ing kiddush at the simcha’s kiddush after shul and enjoyed that moment of feeling sorry for myself. Then I started to wonder what other slights I might have received, and, of course, when you look for those, you can always find them. So pretty soon, I was on a train of thought from one slight to another. And I said to myself – out loud in the kitchen – “I don’t like the train I’m on. I’m getting off!” So I very precisely and with great focus, stopped thinking about all the misery I was making up in my life. I thought of a niggun I like and started singing. Luckily, there’s no one here to tell me I’m offkey. Then I went to another one. Then I went to sit in the chair where I daven and thank G-d for all the goodness in my life. I am extremely happy that I function. I’m not sick. This, itself, is amazing given all the people who I know that are. I thanked Him for my family and for my gifts, for the successes people are having through me. I thanked Him that my foot is healing and I can walk. My shoulder is getting better too, and started thinking about how nice it will be to go back to yoga. I started to get into those feelings of appreciation and joy for the good in my life. The list started to grow and I got on that train. I felt good. Then I remembered the things that I still have to do today and went into my office to get to work. I felt completely over the bad mood; it was a forgotten memory as I worked on my stuff with the energy one ought to have when doing the work one loves. It wasn’t always this easy. Actually, to get to this place took me years – no, decades – of hard
work. I’ve written before on this subject and I do not want you to jump to false conclusions about how easy I had it and therefore I am not the one to say this. On the contrary, my mom for sure was depressed – as an adult I realized this, although I didn’t growing up – and we learn to cope the way those around us cope. Research has proven this. My go-to place was, for many years, to wallow in sadness. It would take weeks to get out of. But I didn’t like it there even if there were benefits. There always are benefits to keeping us in bad places. Sometimes, it’s simply the familiarity of what we know. After all, there is going to be a total loss of identity if someone who has always known themselves to be blue changes. Sometimes the benefit is just keeping us soothed – at least someone feels for what we’re going through. Sometimes it is the kindness of professionals, or family, or well-meaning friends that keeps us stuck in that rotten place. We need that kindness so badly, after all. Whatever it was, I made a decision that it was not worth it. I didn’t want to land over there on a regular basis. And if I ever did – because habits die hard – I did not want to stay very long. After finally, finally coming to that decision, it didn’t take all that long to get used to getting out of it. I recommend it.
Dr. Deb Hirschhorn is a Marriage and Family Therapist. If you want help with your marriage, begin by signing up to watch her Masterclass at https://drdeb. com/myw-masterclass.
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Health & F tness
H2O: The Way to Go By Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN
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pring is officially upon us. The trees are blossoming, the tulips are growing, and the kids are able to run around and play outside. Spring is a season loved by all. We can finally escape our hibernation from the winter and see people again. Many enjoy a morning jog outside, a walk in the park, or going
outside to simply inhale the fresh air. And who doesn’t enjoy watching the kids run around freely outside? They get their energy out, get some physical activity, and most importantly, they are not trapped inside making a mess and fighting with each other. There is nothing better for kids than playing outside. Every kid can
use physical activity. However, along with running around outside in the heat comes thirst. The absolute best drink for anyone, especially kids, is water. Our bodies are made up of 70% water. Water has important functions in the body such as regulating your body’s temperature and digesting food. Water is not only essential for bodily functions, it serves as the best hydration. Many kids tend to get constipated often, either from lack of water intake, lack of fiber intake, or an irregular diet. Giving your kids water to drink will help ease digestion and relieve constipation. Additionally, by drinking water instead of sugary beverages, you will be decreasing your child’s sugar and caloric consumption. You might not even realize how much sugar is in the drinks you are voluntarily giving to your kids. A 20 oz. bottle of Coca Cola contains 65 grams of sugar. With Pepsi, it’s even worse, containing 69 grams of sugar. A 15 oz. bottle of apple juice contains 49 grams of sugar. Even a 32 oz. bottle of Gatorade contains 56 grams of sugar. The American Heart Association recommends that the diets of children over age 2 should be limited to 25 grams of added sugar each day and says that children should not drink more than one 8-ounce sugary drink per week. By cutting out sugar, you are not only reducing your child’s caloric intake but his/her risk of developing dental cavities as well. Sugar-sweetened beverages are a big contributor
to dental cavities in children. If your child insists on juice, dilute the beverage halfway with water. This way you are reducing the amount of juice, while providing additional water. How much water should your child be drinking? There is no set amount of water that kids need to drink every day. The amount kids need depends on their age, body size, health, and activity level, plus the weather. Obviously, give your kids water when they are thirsty and with all meals and snacks. As mentioned above, when it’s warm out, or when they are physically active, you’ll need to give them more. And of course, when they are sick. Kids don’t always know when they are thirsty or in need of a drink, so don’t rely on them to ask. Give them water way before they show signs of dehydration. Signs of dehydration include headaches, poor concentration, cracked lips, dry mouth, constipation, lethargy, dark urine, and crankiness. Remember: this spring and summer, it’s important to drink up! And there’s nothing better than a cold glass of water. 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.
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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Health & F tness
My Mother, My Inspiration By Leah R. Lightman
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t’s not Dr. Lightman writing this week. Sorry. This is a Mother’s Day column. He speaks to women all day long, day in and day out, but about their children and them being mothers. It’s not about their own mothers. Last year, I interviewed three working women who wear many hats. Come to think of it, don’t most Jewish women wear many hats? The feedback was uniformly positive. Women and men alike commented that they enjoyed hearing “authentic voices” speak about their lives. For Mother’s Day 2019, there is no time like the present to reflect on our mothers and how they have helped to shape and form us in almost every area of our lives. My mother, whose sixth yahrzeit is in Sivan, left me with a legacy that “you have to do for the Jews.” As the seeds of the Soviet Jewry movement were planted in this country beginning in 1969 into the early 1970s, one of the first protests took place on a cold Friday morning in the Boston winter. Arlene Rosenfield, a”h, made sure that she was present, together with her three young children. I recall the blustery day, standing opposite the headquarters of the Boston Jewish Federation building with my two younger brothers, holding signs that said, “Free My People Now.” It was one of the first rallies in this country to publicize the persecution of Soviet Jewry. Did my brothers and I complain about the cold? Most likely. And my mother’s most likely response: you children get to go home to a warm Jewish home. Soviet Jews do not. After the Shah of Iran had
left his country and the Ayatollah Khomeini had risen to power, young Jewish men fled Iran and many came to this country. Scores arrived in Boston yet the community was not prepared. These young men came with minimal possessions, yet were strongly connected to being Jewish and wanting to live Jewish lives. My mother, together with two friends – Brenda Gershon, a”h, and Goldie Nacht Maklev (who lives today in Bnei Brak) – came together and organized homes, schooling and everything for these young men. Unfortunately, we did not remain in touch with most of them. However, we were zocheh to dance at some of their weddings as they established their own Jewish homes. During our school years, my mother was active in the Maimonides School in different volunteer capacities. She chaired the annual candy sale fundraiser for several years and spearheaded the recruitment committee, at a time when enrollment in Hebrew day schools was plummeting. She was doing for the Jews while expressing her hakaras hatov to her children’s school. This year, I interviewed accomplished, powerhouse women who are wives and mothers (one is also a grandmother) who are raising families. Each reflects on what she has learned from her mother and how it impacts what they want their own children to learn. For a “twist,” I interviewed two sisters separately to learn what each says about their mother. They promised they did not collaborate on what to say. The three pieces are written “as told to” so the voice of each woman is captured as she describes her mother.
Morah Batya Krasnow, center, with her mother, Mrs Judy Ingber, and three of her children at a family simcha
Batya Krasnow is well-known to the Far Rockaway and Five Towns communities as the beloved Morah Krasnow who taught 2nd grade limudei kodesh and other classes at Torah Academy for Girls for over three decades. This past September, she assumed her new position at TAG as the Hebrew principal for the junior high school. Morah Krasnow is also a highly respected leader in the world of Jewish camps who believes that summer camps are a “necessity” for Jewish girls. Morah Krasnow, who is the mother of eight, grandmother of not-saying-howmany and the wife of Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s Rabbi Moshe Krasnow, speaks about her mother, Mrs. Judy (nee Zivitz) Ingber.
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y mother was born in Brooklyn in 1932 when there were few shomrei Shabbos families. Her mother was born in Poland, came to this country and attended public school for grades 1 through 4, and then returned to the “alter heim” where she married her cousin in 1918. She and her husband came to this country in 1920 with her daughters, urging them to become educators. My mother was raised in Brownsville where she attended public school and Talmud Torah from first through 12th grades. She studied at Hunter College where the late Dr. Lander (founder of Touro College) taught her Gemara. She qualified to be a teacher. She married my father and was widowed when I was 15 months old. She married again when I was 3 years old and this man raised me; he and my mother had a set of twins, my sister and brother.
At her husband’s behest, after a 10-year hiatus from the classroom, my mother returned to teach in a public school. My father was totally supportive of her, driving her to and from work and helped her with the running of the home. It is hashgacha that he encouraged her, and helped to make this happen because, unfortunately, he was niftar after 10 years of marriage. My mother was left to support three young children on her own and baruch Hashem, through teaching, she was able to do so. Despite having a life with challenges, my mother was never down and she has never complained. She always looks at the cup as “half full,” saying, “Look at how Hashem has blessed me. I had three wonderful years with one man and 10 wonderful years with another man.” My mother personifies hakaras hatov and an ayin tova. My mother is imbued with emu-
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
nah and bitachon. “Hashem will always take care of you,” she says. “I’m just doing the best with what Hashem has given me.” How has she done this? Part of it is her nature. But she is always
mevater people. She just lets the annoying things pass and then invests her energy into the good. She accepts whatever stage of life she’s in, like now, when she is living with us fulltime. I appreciate my mother’s emunah
Dr Esther Freilich Lowy, a”h, with some of her daughters and a granddaughter at a family simcha
Devorah Lowy Pelman with her mother on her wedding day
Devorah speaks first. y mother did not talk about what she did. She just did. Nothing was a big deal for her nor did she make anything into a big deal. My siblings and I grew up in an open home where there was a constant stream of people in and out of
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the house. Our friends loved coming over. We hosted a lot of guests. When I think about it now, my mother never talked about it. She just did. She made sure there was always a guest room ready, with fresh linen on the bed. The house was stocked with food. Anybody could step in at any time, and they would be welcomed. When my mother cooked for Shabbos and yom tov, there was plenty of food. She made sure that everyone was well fed and satiated. She did not “potchke” with recipes. She got the job done, and she did it well. The guest room was always made up so on a moment’s notice, we could host guests. Our guests were comfortable and had plenty of food. My mother did everything without fanfare. My mother never pressured me or my siblings into making a decision about anything. Doctor or lawyer or whatever – career choices were up to us. But you had to be college educated. My mother and father value college education. My mother was highly educated. Her doctorate was in mathematics, and she taught in
and bitachon in its simple, distilled form. Her simchas hachaim. The fulfillment of teaching and nurturing Jewish girls. Perhaps there is a direct line from my grandmother to my mother to me and to my children, all
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of whom are in the world of chinuch and camping. My husband and I never told them what careers to pursue. They see we are fulfilled by our life’s choices as my mother has been fulfilled by hers.
Tova Lowy Pfeffer of Inwood and Devorah Lowy Pelman of Far Rockaway are sisters (there are six more Lowy children) who were born and raised in Los Angeles. Both attended and graduated from the Bais Yaakov of Los Angeles and studied at Bnos Chava. Tova earned her bachelor of science from California State University at Northridge. She is presently on maternity leave from Pricewaterhouse Coopers where she is a Manager of Tax. She and her husband Alex have four children. Devorah graduated from Touro (including her MBA degree) and is a CPA who is presently the Chief Financial Officer for Amudim Community Resources. She and her husband Chananiah live in Far Rockaway with their four children. Their mother, Esther Freilich Lowy, a”h, was born and raised in Far Rockaway. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College (Phi Beta Kappa), and her master’s degree and PhD in mathematics from New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. She moved to Los Angeles after marrying Rudolf Lowy in 1974. She and her husband raised eight children. Before establishing Touro on the West Coast, Dr. Lowy taught mathematics at Cal Poly Pomona. She passed away in December 2014.
different college and university systems. But being a mother reigned supreme to her. She always said, “Being a parent is the most important job you will ever have.” She left the workforce until my youngest brother turned 10 years old. She was fully present in our lives, urging us to grow and achieve, always keeping in mind that being a parent is first and foremost. My mother trusted us. She didn’t stand over us, dictating to us what to do because she trusted us. Period. I can think of only one rule we had when we were teenagers: you had better be home by midnight. And if you were not home, then you had to call Mommy by midnight. My parents built us from the inside out, not by pushing their agenda to be who they wanted us to be but to be who each of us is meant to be. We were pushed to try hard at whatever we do. My mother believed in us, which is why each of us believes in ourselves. My mother also remained uninvolved in arguments between siblings. We fought over stupid things while growing up, and my mother left us to figure it out on our own. Be-
cause of this, my siblings and I are all genuinely happy for one another. My mother valuing family can best be seen in how she treated her parents. My grandparents moved to Los Angeles to be near their only daughter, son-in-law, and eight boisterous grandchildren. My mother always cared for her parents throughout her life, making sure finances were in order, doctors’ appointments were current, and many other details were taken care of. Even when my mother was sick and ailing and my grandfather had already passed away, she was concerned about her mother and cared for her until four short weeks before her death, never sharing her own physical pain. Most of the Lowy children were living in New York and she felt that her mother should be near them and the rest of the family. It took a lot of energy but my mother made sure that her mother moved back to New York and located close to as many grandchildren as possible. My children are still young, and I pray they can hold onto memories of my mother.
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Tova Lowy Pfeffer on her wedding day with her mother
Tova speaks. o me, she was just a mother. She created an open, relaxed house where people were in and out all the time. I never thought about her academic background and accomplishments unless a friend asked, “Do I call your mother Dr. Lowy?” I would have to stop and think each time (the answer was Mrs. Lowy) because to me, she was Mommy.
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It is also funny, but to me and my siblings, she was a young mother. She married at 26 and there’s a 17½-year difference between the oldest and youngest siblings in our family. Maybe our baby brother kept her young and energetic. My mother could be more fun than my friends’ mothers who were chronologically younger. I have a newfound respect for my mother now that I’m an adult raising my own children. For my parents’ 40th wedding anniversary, we compiled an album of letters. I have read and reread them and wonder, How does she do it? And nothing was ever a big deal to her. I can’t recall my mother ever complaining. My mother urged us all to be college educated. It was a must. But she and my father never told us what we had to be. That was our decision. But my mother always said, “No matter what you do, being a parent is the most important job you’ll ever have.” My mother always made me feel good about my decisions. When I was
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a stay-at-home full-time mommy, that was great. When I was juggling working outside the home and raising my kids, that was also great. My mother was at home full-time until my youngest brother turned 10 years old.
My mother always said, “No matter what you do, being a parent is the most important job you’ll ever have.”
Both my parents are more of “doers” than talkers. They don’t judge. They just do. Perhaps the biggest thing I learned from my mother is kibbud av v’eim, respecting parents. My mother built her life around respecting her parents.
They had done for her and it was her honor, not her burden, to do for them. After my grandfather died, my mother made sure that one of us always slept at my grandmother’s house (the Freilichs had relocated to Los Angeles to be near their daughter and her family) so she was never alone. It was done in the most respectful way. My sister Devorah slept there for several years. One of the last things my mother did in this lifetime was to help move her mother back to New York to be near all of us who all live in New York. My mother wanted her mother to be surrounded by family and love. My grandmother now lives at the Nautilus (in Long Beach) where the staff tells us that she is blessed with a constant stream of visitors, including on Shabbos and yom tov, when we walk across the Atlantic Beach Bridge to see her. It’s not a burden. It’s an honor. Every person has a story to tell about their mother. What’s yours?
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בס"ד
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In The K
tchen
Chef Suzi’s Herb-Crusted, Pan-Roasted Brick Roast By Naomi Nachman
Since I met Chef Suzi Gornish, she has been showing me some new ways to cook meat. When she told me about this technique, I couldn’t believe how flavorful this roast turned out. Ingredients Delmonico brick roast, 5 lb. Spice Rub: Rosemary Oregano Thyme
Cumin Crushed garlic Himalayan pink salt Fresh cracked black pepper Avocado oil
Preparation Combine all spice rub ingredients and spread evenly over the brick roast pressing the spices into the meat. Preheat a large pan with avocado oil. Salt the brick roast again with kosher salt. When the pan is very hot, sear the roast on each side until caramelized and dark. Roast the roast in the oven at 500˚F for 15 minutes in the same pan. Turn the oven off and leave the roast in for 45 minutes. Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer before removing from the oven. The roast will be medium rare.
Naomi Nachman, the owner of The Aussie Gourmet, caters weekly and Shabbat/ Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities, with a specialty in Pesach catering. Naomi is a contributing editor to this paper and also produces and hosts her own weekly radio show on the Nachum Segal Network stream called “A Table for Two with Naomi Nachman.” Naomi gives cooking presentations for organizations and private groups throughout the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area. In addition, Naomi has been a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, magazines as well as other media covering topics related to cuisine preparation and personal chefs. To obtain additional recipes, join The Aussie Gourmet on Facebook or visit Naomi’s blog. Naomi can be reached through her website, www.theaussiegourmet.com or at (516) 295-9669.
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Notable Quotes “Say What?!”
I don’t take no breaks. - 97-year-old Benny Ficeto of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, who works a four hour shift as a bag boy at the local Stop & Shop, in an interview with CBS
You can’t just stand around, like an idiot. You have to have a reason to keep alive. - Ibid.
You know, I mean, a lot of the policies that we have put in place has kind of helped lead the devastation in Venezuela. And we’ve sort of set the stage for where we’re arriving today. - Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) blaming the U.S. for the poverty and unrest in Venezuela which began when socialist dictators took control of the once prosperous democratic country
Do you know how many times the word “Woman” is mentioned in the Constitution? Zero. - Tweet by 2020 presidential hopeful Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), arguing that the Constitution must be amended to give women more rights
Some kids are unwanted, so you kill them now or you kill them later. You bring them in the world unwanted, unloved, you send them to the electric chair. So, you kill them now or you kill them later. - Alabama State Rep. John Rogers (D), during a debate on abortion
Do you know how many times the word “Man” is mentioned in the Constitution? Zero. There’s dumb and then there’s “can’t read or use CTRL+F before tweeting” dumb. - Tweet in response by Sean Davis, co-founder of the Federalist
People who know me know I don’t spend one bit of time on the internet, so I’m not really aware of what people say there. But I know people who come up to me seem to love that I do this. - Yankee announcer John Sterling talking to the New York Post about his beloved homerun calls
Sources tell me there is an investigation into how this counterintelligence investigation into Trump began. It is time to investigate the beginning of this coup and who in the DOJ, FBI and White House signed on to prevent and overturn the will of the American people. Grab your popcorn, folks… it’s showtime. - Jeanine Pirro, on Fox News
- 2020 presidential hopeful South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, at a campaign rally knocking “Make America Great Again”
I started to cry out to G-d, like, please send something, please send someone or some miracle to come save us because I still want to see my family again.
I’ll take “uncomfortable awkward silences” for a thousand dollars, Alex.
- Teenager Tyler Smith, on Fox News, talking about being rescued at sea along with his friend after they swam offshore in Florida and were swept away (the yacht that rescued them was named “Amen”)
That past that he is promising to return us to was never as great as advertised.
- Tweet by Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb) when none of the contestants on Jeopardy! were able to identify him when his image was shown in the category of “Social Studies” for $200
MORE QUOTES
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China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man. They can’t even figure out how to deal with the fact that they have this great division between the China Sea and the mountains in the east, I mean in the west. - 2020 presidential hopeful Joe Biden (D), during a campaign rally, dismissing China as an economic and militaristic threat
One I can say is Margaret Thatcher. - Ibid., at a fundraiser, while talking about heads of state who called him to voice their concern about the Trump presidency, mentioning Thatcher who passed away in 2013
Margaret Thatcher – Freudian slip. But I knew her too. The prime minister of Great Britain, Theresa May. - Ibid., correcting himself upon laughter from the audience
I’ve known Prime Minister Netanyahu for many, many years. We had our first job after business school together at the Boston consulting group. At that time, he was “Ben Nitay,” because most Americans do not pronounce “Netanyahu.” I’ve known him a long, long time. I’ve had dinner at his residence in Jerusalem. If I were on vacation after an election like he went through, I would not be looking to fly back to Jerusalem to meet with a couple of senators – two out of a hundred. - Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) while visiting Israel, when asked if he felt snubbed by Prime Minister Netanyahu who was on vacation in the Golan and did not meet with him while he was there
The calls of anti-Semitism were made through the Jewish propaganda machine, which is – anytime there’s criticism it’s because there’s someone anti-Semitic on the other side, and that’s not the case. - Antonio Moreira Antunes, who drew the cartoon in The New York Times depicting Netanyahu as a dog on a leash, defending his vile anti-Semitic cartoon, in an interview with CNN
I think the thing I’ve always felt for me in my life, winning has been a priority. And my wife makes a lot of money. I’m a little smarter than you think. Actually, it’s a salary cap. You can only spend so much and the more that one guy gets is less for others. And for a competitive advantage standpoint, I like to get a lot of good players around me. - Tom Brady explaining to Jimmy Fallon why he is the 18th-highest paid quarterback even though he is by far the most accomplished of them all
This is as big a sign of a guilty conscience or a real fear that you could possibly have. I mean, I’m living rent-free inside of Donald Trump’s brain. And it’s not a very nice place to be, I can tell you that. So I don’t know what they’re talking about. - Hillary Clinton on MSNBC when asked about a report that President Trump asked the Justice Department to investigate her
Well, certainly, Tiger was more heartfelt and more emotional than Donald Trump, who I think—he didn’t skip even one sentence of the Wikipedia entry on Tiger Woods. My goodness, that went on forever. You can see Donald Trump wants to attach himself to Tiger Woods. That’s what I think this was about. - CNN commentator Christine Brennan criticizing President Trump’s Monday evening speech honoring Tiger Woods while presenting the golfer with the Presidential Medal of Freedom
MORE QUOTES
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Trump is goading us to impeach him. That’s what he’s doing. Every single day, he’s just like, taunting, taunting, taunting, because he knows that it would be very divisive in the country, but he doesn’t really care. [He] just wants to solidify his base. - Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) at an event in the Capitol
The Persian ayatollahs have instructed their servants, Hamas, to escalate [the conflict] with Israel, and they obeyed. […] The Persians are tightening the pressure on the U.S. and Israel in retaliation for [U.S. President Donald] Trump’s decision, and the victims are the people of Gaza. - From a series of seemingly pro-Israel and anti-Iran tweets by senior Saudi journalist Muhammad Aal AlSheikh, who writes for the Saudi daily Al-Jazeera
It is not about recognition or ratification but to make history and to pass on a message that no human is limited.
I’m concerned if we don’t impeach this president, he will get re-elected.
- Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge, discussing an upcoming event in London in which he will attempt to complete a marathon in under 2 hours, setting a new world record
- Rep. Al Green (D-TX) on MSNBC
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Political Crossfire
The Barr Hearing Was Much Ado About Nothing By Marc A. Thiessen
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f Shakespeare had titled Attorney General William Barr’s appearance last Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, he would have called it “Much Ado About Nothing.” Democrats seized on the supposed “bombshell” that special counsel Robert Mueller wrote a letter to Barr expressing dissatisfaction with the attorney general’s four-page memo to Congress from March 24, declaring it “did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance” of his report. Barr told senators upon receiving the special counsel’s letter that he immediately called Mueller and said, “Bob, what’s with the letter? Why don’t you just pick up the phone and call me if there’s an issue?” Here’s a better question he should have asked: “Bob, why didn’t you accept my offer to review the memo before it was released to the public?” The fact is, Barr gave Mueller the chance to go over the document and offer comments or suggested edits before the attorney general made it public. Mueller declined to do so. Sorry, you don’t get to turn down an opportunity to review a document before release and then complain about it later if you don’t like how it is being covered by the media. And putting his complaints in a letter – “going to paper” in Justice Department parlance – the details of which (surprise, surprise) were then leaked to the media on the eve of Barr’s testimony was dishonorable. The entire episode hurts Mueller’s
reputation more than it does Barr’s. Moreover, officials told The Washington Post, “When Barr pressed [Mueller] whether he thought Barr’s letter was inaccurate, Mueller said he did not, but felt that the media coverage of the letter was misinterpreting the investigation.” So, there was nothing wrong with Barr’s letter per se. What Mueller really wanted was for Barr to release more information – specifically the introduction and executive summaries of each volume
munity. Barr did not want to release the report piecemeal. “I thought what we should do is focus on getting the full report out as quickly as possible,” he said. The attorney general did just that. Regardless, the whole issue was moot by the time Barr testified, because the entire 448-page report – including the introduction and executive summaries – has been released to the public. That did not stop Democrats from using it to attack Barr’s
If members of Congress want examples of dishonesty and efforts to mislead the American people, they can start by looking in the mirror.
of the report, which he had “marked with redactions to remove any information that potentially could be protected by Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure that concerned declination decisions; or that related to a charged case.” But, as Barr testified on Wednesday, even if he had agreed that releasing the introductions and executive summaries was a good idea (which he did not), he could not have done so because they required additional redactions from the intelligence com-
credibility. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, told Barr “you lied to Congress” and had “chosen to be the president’s lawyer” rather than America’s lawyer. She announced that she had asked the Justice Department inspector general to investigate his conduct. She called on Barr to resign. “Being attorney general of the United States is a sacred trust. You have betrayed that trust. America deserves better.” It was a disgusting partisan display. Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., right-
ly chastised Hirono, declaring, “You slandered this man from top to bottom.” Far from lying, Barr has bent over backward to be open with Congress and the American people. He overrode Justice Department regulations and released the full Mueller report with only minor redactions. That’s virtually unprecedented. And he has made an almost completely unredacted version of the report available to members of Congress, who now have access to all but one-tenth of 1 percent of the document. And while the Justice Department worked overtime to speed the redaction process, he released a memo which accurately informed the American people about Mueller’s bottom line conclusions. It is a fact that Mueller declared that his “investigation did not establish that the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.” And it is a fact that while the report “does not exonerate him” of obstruction it also “does not conclude that the President committed a crime.” For two years, Trump was falsely accused of being a Russian agent and colluding with Russian President Vladimir Putin – including by many of those on Capitol Hill now attacking Barr’s credibility. If members of Congress want examples of dishonesty and efforts to mislead the American people, they can start by looking in the mirror. (c) 2019, Washington Post Writers Group
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Political Crossfire
Sorry, Bernie, but Most Americans Like Their Health Insurance the Way It Is By Megan McArdle
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he 2020 presidential race looks increasingly like it will be the Medicare-for-all election, as an increasing number of Democratic primary candidates – including frontrunners such as Sens. Kamala D. Harris, D-Calif., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., -sign on to the slogan. The policy ought to be an easy sell, given that Medicare polls so well and American insurers so badly. Except no, it’s not going to be easy at all – at least not when vague talk about Medicare-for-all turns to the specifics of a system that could rationalize the myriad insanities of the fragmented U.S. healthcare system and get a handle on its exorbitant costs. That would inevitably mean bulldozing most private insurance to build something simpler and more straightforward. Unfortunately, people are actually pretty attached to their own little corner of the country’s collective disaster. No, really. You wouldn’t know it to read most of the news coverage, or to listen to politicians, but that is one of the more consistent results in healthcare polling: over and over again, roughly 7 out of every 10 Americans report that they’re fairly satisfied with the quality of their personal coverage. If that’s surprising, it’s because most Americans aren’t nearly so san-
guine about everyone else’s coverage. Only about a third of people say the general quality of healthcare coverage in America is good, and this worries them a great deal. But they tend to think that they themselves are doing just fine. Arguably, the reason they hate the system so much is that they’re fond of their own coverage and fear losing it. It’s nice, of course, that most Americans are reasonably happy with their insurance. However, if you agree with them that the healthcare system desperately needs a gut renovation, their satisfaction is something of a problem. Consider the political explosion when the Affordable Care Act went into effect, and a relatively small number of people lost their insurance plans. In vain did the Obama administration shout that the old insurance was “junk” and consumers would like the new plans much better; livid citizens stormed the offices of their nearest representative. Within weeks, the administration was scrambling to allow existing insurance to continue under Obamacare, and President Barack Obama was forced to apologize. Now consider trying to repeat that stunt with the 49% of the population that has employer-sponsored health insurance. The new program might be
an improvement, but the only way to find out would be for people to give up something they know they like. That’s a big ask about something as important to people as their health insurance. Which almost certainly rules out sweeping healthcare reform, whether it’s Medicare-for-all or a center-right plan such as Universal Catastrophic Coverage. To be politically viable, any reform must guarantee that people will have the option of keeping what they already have. A system designed with that heavy constraint will end up looking like ... well, a lot like Obamacare – an inefficient, jerry-built mess that may fill in some gaps but won’t address the healthcare system’s fundamental problems. The advocates of Medicare-for-all have a ready retort: other countries seem to have managed alright, so it must be possible here. But most of those countries’ systems started a long time ago, when healthcare was a much smaller share of the economy and fewer people had robust, comprehensive private medical insurance. For example, when Britain’s National Health Service was established in 1948, healthcare spending was less than 2% of gross domestic product, and many people simply couldn’t af-
ford to see a doctor. That meant that the tax bill for universal coverage was relatively modest. But perhaps more important, for both doctors and patients, the program offered an almost pure gain. Doctors could keep seeing private patients who wanted to pay extra for faster personal service. But they could also collect a salary from the NHS for seeing patients who previously couldn’t have afforded them. It was win-win. For the United States to do the same thing, the cost would at a minimum increase the federal budget by more than half again. And that would be political child’s play compared with the task of telling more than 100 million Americans that their current insurance is being canceled. That isn’t going to happen. Bernie Sanders, or some other Democratic presidential candidate, may well get elected promising Medicare-for-all. And a Democrat-controlled Congress might even pass something under that name. But in the end, there are just too many Democrats in swing districts for the party to take a suicidal charge at employer-sponsored insurance. More likely is Medicare-for-some – and once voters get a look at the price tag, even that seems doubtful. (c) 2019, Washington Post Writers Group
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The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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MAY 9, 2019 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Forgotten Her es
Amos Yarkoni, A Bedouin Fighting for Israel By Avi Heiligman
N
ot all soldiers and service personnel in the IDF are Jewish. In fact, the Sword Battalion has members of the Druze, Bedouins, Circassians, Christian and Muslim Arabs communities. Pre-
viously known as Unit 300 and the IDF Minorities Unit, it has plans to be disbanded as many of the soldiers prefer to be in a regular IDF unit. The Sword Battalion has produced many high-ranking officers and generals.
One of these soldiers, a Bedouin named Amos Yarkoni, became a decorated officer in his 20 years as an IDF soldier. Yarkoni was born in 1920 in a Bedouin village that is now part of northern Israel. His Arabic name was Abd al-Majid Khader al-Mazarib. He changed his name in 1947 just prior to the creation of the State of Israel and the IDF presumably for security reasons and to blend in with the Israelis. When he was sixteen years old he joined a band of youths as they sabotaged an oil pipeline that was under
the incoming mob to several electricians, which saved them from harm. This incident stuck with him and was a major reason for him joining the Jewish fighting forces. A few months later, Yarkoni joined the fledgling IDF and was a member of several units during the War of Independence. After the war he joined the Minorities Unit and became an excellent tracker and scout. In 1953, he passed the officers course and soon became the commanding officer of the Minorities Unit. The Southern Command of the
“Only a few know about your deeds, but the IDF and the State of Israel will not forget what you did.�
the British Mandate. After he had an argument with other members of the group he fled and was sheltered by Jewish families. It was at this time he came in contact with the Haganah and became friendly with Moshe Dayan. In the years leading up to Israeli independence Yarkoni worked as a laborer. On December 30, 1947 there was a massacre of Israeli workers by Arab rioters. Yarkoni ran and told of
IDF had a large area to patrol with only a relatively small force. Fedayeen attacks had been perpetrated out of Egypt, and Yarkoni was recommended to start a group to combat this threat. The result was the Shaked unit commanded by Yarkoni that focused on tracking and counter-terrorism. They operated as an independent unit of the very small Southern Command with the ability to detect and destroy
The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
infiltrators, spies, and intelligence coming from both Egypt and Jordan. In 1955, the unit had just 25 soldiers – 10 Druze and Bedouin scouts and 15 paratrooper and Golani veterans. Yarkoni was wounded twice on missions. During the winter of 1959, a group of terrorists were hiding in a thick swimming pool in the greenhouse hothouses north of Ashkelon. Suddenly gunfire opened up at close range and he was hit in his hand, causing it to be amputated. In 1964, he injured his leg from an explosion when the unit was ambushed Even after this injury, Yarkoni continued to command the unit. To counter the loss of his hand, Yarkoni placed the barrel of his gun on his prosthetic hand and continued to fight. In the first few years of Shaked, members were recruited from several sources. Both Jews and non-Jews served in the unit and only Bedouins from Northern Israel were accepted as they shouldn’t be fighting against their own brethren. Starting in 1961,
Members of Shaked in the Sinai during the Six Day War
Yarkoni began to recruit members that had undergone basic training in the Paratroopers Brigade. After commanding the Shaked unit, he was appointed governor of the Sinai. He served during the Six Day War on the Sinai front. Yarkoni
retired from the IDF in 1969 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Upon his retirement, his commander, Yeshayahu Gavish, told him, “Amos, my friend, I know to what extent your methods of operation, the fighting techniques, and the level
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of performance of your unit were an example of the entire IDF. Only a few know about your deeds, but the IDF and the State of Israel will not forget what you did.” For his actions while commander of Shaked, he was awarded the IDF’s third highest medal, the Medal of Distinguished Service. He is one of six Israeli Arabs to have been awarded this distinction. Amos Yarkoni passed away in 1991 at the age of 70. Six generals, all of whom had served under Yarkoni, carried his coffin at his funeral. It was held during the Gulf War and was attended by President Chaim Herzog. His brother-in-law eulogized him by saying, “You were the father of the scouts and the search for the IDF. So many owe you their safety and their lives without knowing it.” Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.
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The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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Classifieds HOUSE FOR RENT
COMMERCIAL RE 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 CEDARHURST 500-3,500 +/- SF Beautiful, newly renovated space for rent. Ideal for Retail or Executive offices. Prime location. Convenient Parking. Sam @516-612-2433 or 718-747-8080
HOUSE FOR RENT IN CENTRAL BOCA Beautiful 3BR/2B home for rent in Sierra Del Mar. Spacious living and dining areas.Renovated kitchen w/ granite countertops, SS appliances. Walking distance to Shuls and shopping. Backyard with screened patio & hot tub. Asking $2950/M, serious inquiries ONLY, no broker. Call (561) 985-3060 or (561) 990-6571
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SF MEDICAL OFFICE SPACE Available, Reception Area, Waiting Room, Kitchenette, 2 Consult, 4 Exam Rooms, 2 Bathrooms, 30 Car On-Site Parking, For Lease … Call Ian for More Details (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com INWOOD 10,000 sq ft brick building. Offices and warehouse. High ceilings. Asking $16/foot. Owner: 516-206-1100 mark@mbequitygroup.com
WOODMERE: BEST BUY Spacious 2BR Apartment, Washer/Dryer In Bldg, Elevator Bldg, Open Floor Plan, 1st Floor, Close To All...$199K Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com Far Rockaway apt for rent ground floor of 2 family house Brand new kitchen – apt freshly painted 3 bedrooms, playroom in basement, large backyard w/d hookup- 1.5 bathrooms $2,100.00 718 471-4502
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HELP WANTED
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Due to rapid growth and the opening of our Girls High School, the following positions are available at YDE for 2019-2020:
DRIVER FOR QUEENS DRY CLEANER ROUTE. Options to drive Tuesday am/ Thursday pm. Also hours available Monday am , Tue am and pm, Wed am and pm and Friday pm. Must have own car. Use of company van part time. Competitive salary. Contact Marc for info 917-612-2300
GIRLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Special Education Coordinator, Judaic & General Studies Teachers, 6-8th Grade General Studies Teachers, P3 Provider, Judaic & General Studies Permanent Sub, Assistant Teachers, Office Manager, Principal’s Executive Secretary. Email resume to: egresumes@ydeschool.org GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL: Social Worker, English Teacher, Judaic & General Studies Teachers, Sign Language Teacher, Principal's Executive Secretary, Learning Specialist. Email resume to: GHSresumes@ydeschool.org Looking for warm, motivated, lifelong learners seeking a professional environment. Reliable & competitive pay.
SPECIAL EDUCATION JUDAIC STUDIES TEACHER CAHAL is seeking a Part Time (AM) Special Education Judaic Studies Teacher for a middle school Bais Yaakov class for the 2019-2020 school year. Send your resume to shira@cahal. org, Fax 516-295-2899 or call 516-2953666 for more information. Machaneh Hakayitz is looking for a full time secretary during the summer months. Great work environment, good pay. Email: hakayitz@darchei.org
Also seeking GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS CONSULTANT (Email resume toesaff@ydeschool.org)
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Classifieds HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED
Local daycamp seeking preschool morah, full or part time, great work environment, good pay! Email mhpreschool@gmail.com
ASSISTANT TEACHERS FOR 2019-20 CAHAL CLASSES CAHAL, with smaller classes for children with learning challenges in our local yeshivas, is seeking part time or full time Assistant Teachers for Judaic Studies (AM) and/or General Studies (PM) for the 2019-20 school year. Send resume to shira@cahal.org or Fax 516-295-2899. Call 516-295-3666 for more information.
TAG JH OPENING 19-20 Math & Language Arts Please email resume to cdwieder@gmail.com Yeshiva Darchei Torah Far Rockaway, NY SEEKS 5TH GRADE GENERAL STUDIES TEACHER Afternoon hours Excellent working environment and salary Please send resume to ataub@darchei.org Seeking ELA and Science teachers for YKQ JH for September. Warm enthusiastic supportive environment. Competitive salary. Email resume to rlswia@aol.com or call 917-742-8909
SPECIAL EDUCATION SECULAR STUDIES TEACHERS CAHAL, with smaller classes for children with learning challenges in our local yeshivas, is seeking Part Time (PM) Special Education Secular Studies Teachers for the 2019-20 school year. Send resume to shira@cahal.org or Fax 516-295-2899. Call 516-295-3666 for more information.
SEEKING 1ST GRADE TEACHER for boys yeshiva Experience Masters degree prefered Competive salary Mon-Thurs 1:30-4:30 email res riswia@ aol.com or 917-742-8909
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The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
Classifieds HELP WANTED YESHIVA KETANA OF LONG ISLAND is looking for dynamic, experienced and professional teacher for a 4th grade, and a potential JHS position, teaching 4 periods of JHS World American History. Please email your resume to office@ykli.org SHEVACH HIGH SCHOOL SEEKS PART TIME AFTERNOON TEACHERS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE, English and AP Psychology for the 2019-2020 school year. Master’s Degree required. Please email resume to office@shevachhs.org. Due to continued growth, THE YESHIVA OF SOUTH SHORE is seeking ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS. Cert/Exp required. Please forward resume to monika@yoss.org Seeking full time PHYSICAL THERAPIST for Special Education school located in Brooklyn. Experienced preferred. Competitive salary. Room for growth. resumes@yadyisroelschool.org
HELP WANTED OFFICE MANAGER Do you have good organizational skills? Office Manager position available at local school. Responsibilities: work with vendors, coordinate staff schedules, manage schedules, etc. Must have good computer and communication skills. Great pay and work environment. Email resume to manager5towns@gmail.com ASSISTANTS NEEDED FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AFTERNOON SESSION. Email: fivetownseducators@gmail.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 SHULAMITH EARLY CHILDHOOD is looking to hire a full time teacher assistant for the current school year. Please email resume to earlychildhood@shulamith.org
REGISTERED NURSE openings to work with adults who have developmental disabilities within residential settings in Brooklyn, Manhattan, or Long Island. Current NYS RN, min 2 years hospital experience. OHEL: 855-OHEL JOB www.ohelfamily.org/careers
Seeking full time OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST for Special Education school located in Brooklyn. Experienced preferred. Competitive salary. Room for growth. resumes@yadyisroelschool.org
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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
Your
15
Money
Superheroes of Tax By Allan Rolnick, CPA
L
ast weekend, Holly wood made history. Disney’s threehour popcorn epic, Avengers: Endgame sent box-office records scrambling in panic, grossing 350$ million here in the U.S. And 330$ million in China. And 600$ million more in another 43 countries. It’s the first movie to top a billion dollars in its opening weekend. Endgame still has a long way to go before it catches Gone With the Wind, which made 3.4$ billion in inflationadjusted dollars. But did Scarlett O’Hara gross a single dollar in action figures, video games, or happy meals? This isn’t going to be one of those stories where we say, “Hey, let’s look at taxes in the Marvel Universe!” We have no idea how payroll works in Wakanda. We couldn’t tell you the first thing about import duties on Vibranium. And we don’t really care if Thanos of Titan is reporting all his income to the proper taxing authorities. (He’s not our client!) Surely, though, there were plenty of tax collectors in the audience swelling this weekend’s box-office gross. And they should be as happy as anyone, because they’ll be claiming a pretty nice share of it all! Start with the real stars of the movie. We’re talking about the CGI
artists who generated over 3,000 visual effects shots. (Director James Cameron’s company even created an entirely new facial-capture application called Masquerade specifically for James Brolin to play Thanos.) VFX work is time and labor intensive, so most of that budget goes to the animators, directors, and other technicians who work behind the scenes to make the magic happen.
first Iron Man movie, will take home north of $50 million. Middle-tier stars like Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and Scarlett Johansson earned a reported $15 million each. All of that is taxed as ordinary income, with 37% going to Uncle Sam, 3.8% going to Social Security and Medicare, and 13% going to California. Disney spent $356 million to make the movie, along with millions more
What if you could “Thanos snap” your fingers and make half your taxes go away?
Much of that money, in turn, finds its way into Uncle Sam’s pocket – and far faster than it takes Thor to find his way back from Asgar. Unfortunately, producers were forced to hire pricey people for situations like “dialogue” and “character” where special effects wouldn’t cut it. Robert Downey, Jr., who earned just $500,000 for his
to market and promote it. In Hollywood, the accountants are nearly as creative as the directors and writers, so the studios usually find a way to show a loss. But $1.2 billion in a single weekend may be a little harder to defeat than the usual gross, and if Endgame does show a profit, the studio will pay the usual 21% corporate tax. At the end of the last Avengers
movie, Thanos collected all six of the Infinity Stones and snapped his fingers to wipe out half the Universe’s population. Google celebrates that moment today with a Thanos “Easter Egg.” Just go to Google, type “Thanos” in the search bar, and hit “enter.” Then look for the jewel-covered glove, called the Infinity Gauntlet, in the upper-right corner. Click it, and you’ll see half the search results magically disappear from the page. But…and we’re just spitballing here…what if you could “Thanos snap” your fingers and make half your taxes go away? Well, we may not have any Infinity Stones in our pockets. But we do have an ensemble cast of concepts and strategies to put to work to help you pay less. A captive insurance company can be every bit as good as the Power Stone, for the right business, and a charitable remainder trust can be as illuminating as the Soul Stone. So call us so you can take a look at our special effects!
Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 years in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com.
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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MAY 9, 2019 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Life C ach
Can You Be the First? By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., MFT, CLC
H
ere’s how life works. When you initiate a conversation, do not say what you mean! Unless, of course, you can say it very nicely. If you can’t say it nicely, say something that means what you mean but communicate it in a sweeter way. Now, here’s another valuable piece
of advice. When you listen, try not to hear what you hear, unless, you can really hear what they are truly saying. Sometimes, a speaker really expresses themselves beautifully. In which case, who cares what they mean or if you misunderstood them? At least you feel great! However,
sometimes the speaker expresses themselves really poorly. And in that case the listener is lost to them. But the idea is for the listener to try not to be lost to them. Rather, the listener should try to find what they truly meant instead of getting stuck in what they said. In other words: look for the feeling that caused them to say what they said! So let’s recap: there are times a person says something in an offensive way but they didn’t mean to. If they can stop and calm down or rethink before they speak, they can come up with a better way to get their point across. But, if they are so upset or
ents and kids, and even with you and the person who inadvertently bumped into you with their shopping cart. We are all stuck in our own feelings. And when we something happens, we react and we don’t slowly unpack our thoughts and feelings. We need to look back, retract, and make a new impact. But we don’t! The listener already reacted to the conversation and they didn’t slowly unpack their thoughts and feelings – and so we feel justified. But the incommunicative cycle then continues out of control. So here’s this week’s challenge: can you be the first to break the cycle? When you talk or listen, try to “think
We are all stuck in our own feelings.
distracted and just blurt out something that hurts the listener, this creates a tremendous opportunity for the listener to avoid hearing what they are saying and instead look at the underlying emotion that caused them to say what they did. Well, that all sounds like amazing advice but what happens if the speaker messes up on the speaking and the listener messes up on the listening? Now we’ve got a giant piece of reality. This is what happens all the time with husbands and wives, par-
first,” don’t do your “worst,” don’t feel cursed.” Know that everyone’s “immersed” in the wounds they need to be “nursed.” And ultimately we’ll see that we all “thirst” for a sudden “burst” of consideration and understanding! Hope you have a successful go at it! Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and career and life coach. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or rivki@ rosenwalds.com.
The Jewish Home | MAY 9, 2019
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