Five Towns Jewish Home - 4-30-20 by The Jewish Home

April 30, 2020

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

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A FORCED MARRIAGE Will the Bibi-Benny Alliance Last?

Around the

Community

32 SKA Wins Spark! Challenge

Father to Many; Leader to All Remembering the Novominsker Rebbe, Rav Yaakov Perlow, ztâ&#x20AC;?l

35 Community Gives Back

36 Celebrating a Colorful Yom Haatzmaut

Tips from a Homeschooling Mom

pg 54

APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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Dear Readers,

news have shaken us to our core. Recently, I heard an inspiring thought that gave me a different, more encouraging view on these times. When a person is about to embark on a long, arduous journey, a goodbye party is thrown for them. All their acquaintances and friends come to wish them well and see them off. Those invited to the party know the importance of attending and the significance attached to wishing well to the person embarking on their long journey. On the other hand, when one is going on a short trip and will return shortly, there’s no need for a big goodbye party. Perhaps a neighbor or two drops by; maybe their relatives call to wish them well. During these times, only a very few people are able to attend the levayas of those who pass away. It’s heartbreaking that their friends and relatives aren’t there to see them off on their journey to the Next World. But, someone told me, perhaps it’s because Moshiach is right around the corner. Perhaps there is no large sendoff because we will, b’ezras Hashem, be united with our loved ones in a short time. That is our hope and what we are davening for. It’s hard to stay inspired every moment of this crisis, but when we put one foot in front of the other and make the best of the situation at each moment, we are fulfilling the tafkid given to us at this time. Hopefully our actions and our tikkun ha’middos will hasten the geulah, and we will all be present at the grand celebration that will take place with the coming of Moshiach, may it come soon. Wishing you a week filled with besuros tovos, Shoshana

y, have I gotten an education lately. I found out that in school my kids eat lots of granola bars along with a snack bag in between each class – at least that’s what’s been happening at home right now. But, then again, if it gets them through the day with minimal complaints, I’m all for it. I also have a newfound respect for Chabad shluchim, although I’ve always admired their gumption and resourcefulness and enthusiasm. They homeschool their children with no end in sight – and they do it voluntarily in places like Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Thailand, without Seasons Express or 7Eleven around the corner. This week I became a tech expert. I’ve been going from room to room to fix any technical difficulties that have come up. Throughout the day I’ve been repeating these refrains: “The reason you can’t hear anything is because you didn’t turn on the sound” or “your screen is black because you have to turn on the device” or “you can’t access the class because your teacher sent in the wrong code...you see, nobody is perfect; we all make mistakes.” The Geek Squad can count on another geek joining their crew in the next few weeks. The truth is that the biggest lesson that I learned this week is that our children are amazing, resilient, and able to roll with the punches; the schools and teachers are trying their hardest in this unprecedented time; and that parents are able to multitask on many more levels than we ever thought. Each one of us has been gut-punched by the numerous losses we’ve experienced on a communal and personal level over the past few weeks. The emails, phone calls, and WhatsApps bearing bad

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Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll

Community Happenings

NEWS Global

National

Odd-but-True Stories

ISRAEL Israel News

Praying to be Heard by Rafi Sackville

A Forced Marriage by Susan Schwamm

JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Wein on the Parsha

You Can Be Like Me by Rav Moshe Weinberger 44 Parsha in Four by Eytan Kobre

PEOPLE

The Wandering Jew

Remembering the Novominsker Rebbe 54

Turning the Tide in the Middle East by Avi Heiligman

HEALTH & FITNESS Tips From a Homeschooling Mom by Sara Rayvych, MSEd

Two Dozen Reasons Why I’m Grateful by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn

Now Is Your Chance by Cindy Weinberger, MS RD CDN

Just Hang on a Bit Longer by Dr. Hylton I. Lightman

FOOD & LEISURE The Aussie Gourmet: Vietnamese Coconut Chicken

LIFESTYLES Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW 59

Dear Editor, To the management and staff at our local food stores, please accept this “thank you” as a personal message of hakaras hatov from every member of our ever-growing communities for all the hard work and long hours you put in to make our yom tov successful. The circumstances were difficult, with the coronavirus and all its implications (social distancing and cancelled Pesach plans), but you made it work. For that we are thankful! A Reader Dear Editor, Just like everyone else, I suffered the losses of close friends and relatives due to the corona virus. But now that Pesach and the days of shiva are behind me, am I supposed to just move on? Make due with davening at home, Zoom conferences, and so on? Just ride it out until it passes? Imagine for a moment if this lifestyle of social distancing would have to endure for another year, or two, or even three. I have a one-year old child. Imagine if all he ever saw was Tatty davening at home, if he never went to a playground and learned to take turns with the other children, never went to say Kriyas Shma for a new baby boy, etc. Yes. Life would be good. Even joyous! But how would we ever be able to describe to him the excitement of getting a lolly in shul from the candy man, and licking it pleasurably as he sits next to Tatty in shul during Kriyas HaTorah? Or the exhilarating feeling of being thrown into the air for “Moshe Emes”? What about simply spending Shabbos at Bubby and Zeidy?

These are pleasures that literally form everlasting impacts on a child! Just like this child wouldn’t understand what he’s missing, we need to stop and think about what we are missing. We all want life to go back to normal. But was is really normal for us as Klal Yisroel? The truth is that we honestly have no clue what we are missing… I ’m looking for a Mordechai Hatzadik to go out into the streets, to gather us all to cry out to Hashem to save us! Alas, the very least I can do in my own private life is to take the opportunity I am being given to internalize that normal is relative. A Thinking Jew Dear Editor, Because it’s been such a struggle for everyone, I am trying to look at the silver lining amongst all this chaos. And there are so many to find. There is all the chessed that has come for this crisis. So many people are reaching out to others, providing food and assistance. In stores, people are more polite. People are thinking of others, asking about their families. Being at home has made people try to think outside the box when it comes to their neighbors and families. I’ve heard of people baking and cooking food for others. I’ve heard of them making daily and weekly phone calls to ensure that lonely people feel care for. At this time, I commend our community for continuing to reach out – I know that we were always a caring community, and this crisis has highlighted the chessed that we’re so famous for! Sincerely, D. Langsam

It’s All Possible by Rivki D. Rosenwald 78 Esq., CLC, SDS Your Money

HUMOR Centerfold 38 Say What?!

POLITICAL CROSSFIRE China Can’t Be “Scapegoated” If It’s Actually Guilty by Marc A. Thiessen

Chinese Secrecy Invites Conspiracy Theories by David Ignatius

CLASSIFIEDS

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The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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Fill out the paper form, call in to 1-800-923-8282 or use your code to ﬁll it out online at my2020census.gov We missed Use your home address or your unique code to complete the census; either one is valid out in 2010, let’s join together so it Have basement renters? Make sure to include them in doesn’t happen again! your household count!

APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home

The Week In News

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After almost dying from coronavirus, Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to work on Monday at 10 Downing Street in London. In his first address to the nation, Johnson stressed the importance of keeping the current lockdown in place despite the heavy economic toll. Warning that Britain is currently “at the moment of maximum risk,” Johnson implored his country’s citizens to keep to the social distancing guidelines. “I know there will be many people looking now at our current success and beginning to wonder whether now is the time to go easy on those social distancing measures,” Johnson acknowledged. “I know how hard and how stressful it has been to give up even temporarily those ancient and basic freedoms.” However, Johnson hit some positive notes, saying that the country appeared to be “turning the tide.” “If this virus were a physical assailant, an unexpected and invisible mugger, which I can tell you from personal experience it is, then this is the moment when we are beginning to wrestle it to the floor,” Johnson said. Johnson returned after two weeks recovering at home from the effects of the coronavirus that he contracted last month. At one point, Johnson was near death and put in intensive care at St. Thomas’ Hospital before pulling through. Foreign

Secretary Dominic Raab shouldered Johnson’s responsibilities while the latter fought the disease. The now-healthy premier is facing significant public criticism over what people say is the poor job the United Kingdom has done in handling the deadly pandemic. Coronavirus-related deaths have already surpassed the 20,000 mark in the UK, with fatalities peaking on April 8. Meanwhile, an increasing number of Britons are accusing the government of not having a clear strategy of how and when to end the lockdown. “Decisions need to be taken quicker and communication with the public needs to be clearer,” wrote Labour Party head and opposition leader Keir Starmer earlier this week. “The British public have made great sacrifices to make the lockdown work. They deserve to be part of an adult conversation about what comes next.”

N. Korea Will Outlast its Leader

Following Kim Jong Un’s dropping out of sight and failure to attend April 15 events celebrating the birthday of his late grandfather, Kim Il Sung, rumors have been circulating regarding the 36-year-old North Korean ruler’s health. U.S. officials reported that they had been told Kim was in critical condition following cardiovascular surgery, while South Korea stated that he was conducting “normal activities” in the countryside. Regardless of which version of events is closer to the truth, the fact remains that Kim has put his country in a position to outlast his reign, with North Korea in its strongest position to resist U.S. pressure in decades. Since the death of Kim’s father Kim Jong Il eight years ago, North Korea has grown less isolated and more secure. Of particular note are its nuclear arsenal and its leader’s personal relationship with the U.S. president, having met with President Trump in person on three separate occasions. North Korea is still among the

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home

world’s most impoverished nations, though living standards are on the rise in Pyongyang for the ruling elite. A United Nations report published last week accused the regime of widespread evasion, demonstrating Kim’s ability to withstand crushing economic sanctions. “The country has pole-vaulted in their nuclear-destruction potential and missile-delivery capabilities compared to capabilities under grandfather or father Kim,” noted Soo Kim, a Rand Corp. policy analyst who specializes in Korean peninsula issues. “The specter of a North Korean nuclear attack breeds enough unease in the international community to lean more towards accommodation than confrontation.” According to the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the U.S. retains control over trade restrictions that held North Korea’s economic growth to 1.8% last year, following its biggest slump in decades in 2018. While North Korea has utilized high-seas oil transfers and cyber-heists, among other ways around the restrictions, they won’t be able to withstand the embargo forever. “People that say Kim doesn’t have to worry about sanctions are likely

viewing the situation too optimistically, because North Korea is now under sanctions like never before,” said Kim Keun-sik, a Far Eastern studies professor at Kyungnam University who has advised South Korea’s foreign ministry. “The more it cries self-reliance or rehabilitation, the more trouble you know they’re in.” Following Kim’s handshake with Trump in Singapore almost two years ago, North Korea has not given up much. Aside from halting launches of missiles that can reach the U.S. mainland and demolishing some testing facilities, Kim has only signed a pledge which vaguely promises to “work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, who has traveled to Pyongyang four times, indicated that the dispute between the two countries would persist if a successor such as Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, took power. “The challenge remains the same, the goal remains unchanged,” Pompeo said last Wednesday on Fox News. “Whoever is leading North Korea, we want them to give up their nuclear program.”

Greenland Wants Aid but No Conditions

Less than a year after President Donald Trump first expressed an interest in purchasing Greenland, Washington is expected to announce the opening of a U.S. Agency for International Development office at the new American consulate in its capital, Nuuk, and to allocate more than $12 million in aid projects. Yet Greenlanders reported last week that while they welcome U.S. investment, the money cannot come with conditions. The government said in a statement preceding the announcement that the projects will fo-

cus on economic development within the mineral industry, tourism, and education, among other things. “This good news confirms that our work on building a constructive relationship with the United States is fruitful,” Greenland Premier Kim Kielsen said. “It is positive that the increased cooperation between Greenland and the U.S. is reflected in tangible results in the form of funding for projects in Greenland.” Meanwhile, Aaja Chemnitz Larsen from the IA opposition party called it a “charm offensive.” “The Americans are welcome if they want to invest in Greenland,” she told The Associated Press. “But it is important to make sure that Greenland doesn’t owe anything back to the United States. We are skeptical about what they really want besides influence.” Soeren Espersen of the opposition Danish People’s Party told Danish broadcaster DR that financial assistance “is something you say about third world countries when you provide development aid. But Greenland is not a developing country. It is a Western democracy. I think it’s reprehensible.” Last year, reports said that Pres-

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

ident Trump was looking into the possibility of purchasing Greenland from Denmark. The president reportedly sought the landmass to challenge China’s dominance of the world’s industrial metals and to block Russia’s Navy in the Atlantic Ocean.

Vietnam Triumphs Over Virus

It’s been three months since Vietnam saw its first case of coronavirus and it appears to have beaten the pandemic. Since the first person was infected with the virus, the country reported just two new infections in the last ten days – both of whom were students who had returned recently from Japan. Even more astonishing, there has not been a single death from the virus in the country of 95 million people. So what’s their secret? In January, when the world was starting to learn about the new coronavirus, Vietnam’s leader likened it to an enemy the nation must fight. Tens of thousands of people were quarantined in state-run facilities over the following months and entire villages locked down in response to even small clusters of infection. Stores and restaurants began reopening last Thursday after the government eased three-weekold restrictions on movement. Cafes reopened and ride-hailing services began to become available again. “We should not forget that we have only won individual battles, not the whole fight,” Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said Friday as some countries, including Singapore in the region, confront new waves of infection after early successes. Crucial to preventing a large outbreak in Vietnam was an aggressive quarantine regime that involved housing tens of thousands of people in military barracks, university dormitories and other state-run centers. When a person was confirmed

to be infected, many of their close contacts, including those showing no symptoms, were quarantined in state-run facilities or hospitals rather than their homes where they might infect elderly family members. All those who returned to the country from overseas in the last month were also required to stay in certain facilities for 14 days. In early April, when the country had reported less than 250 cases, nearly 45,000 people were quarantined in government facilities. The system relies on contact tracing to identify all those an infected person may have exposed. Health authorities publish widely read details of the person’s activities on government websites, newspapers and social media, for instance which restaurant they visited and how much time they spent at a market, urging people to come forward if they think they may have come into contact. In some big cities, social gatherings of 20 or more remain prohibited.

Mafia Bosses Released in Italy

Dozens of mafia bosses in Italy were given an early release this week due to the coronavirus. In order to prevent the coronavirus from spreading among Italy’s prison population, judges have been ordering inmates with less than 18 months left on their sentences into house arrest. This led to the release of a slew of senior mob bosses, including some convicted of murder. According to Italy’s anti-mob prosecutor, Cosa Nostra boss Francesco Bonura, Ndramgetha enforcer Vincenzo Iannazzo and Casalesi family crime kingpin Pasquale Zagaria were all put under house arrest. All had been given double-digit sentences for their roles in leading organized crime syndicates. Other mafia figures granted early release were Raffaele Cutolo from the Nuova Camorra Organizzata

APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home

and Rocco Filippone, a 70-yearold Sicilian mafioso. The criminals’ newfound freedom outraged many in Italy, where anti-mafia sentiment runs deep. “That is crazy,” fumed opposition head Matteo Salvini. “It’s a lack of respect for people, magistrates, journalists, policemen and victims of the mafia.” A dozen senators pressed the country’s Anti-Mafia Commission to overturn the ruling while Justice Minister Alfonso Bonafede declared that he is ready to “intervene.” Anti-mafia prosecutor Cafiero De Raho warned that letting up on the anti-mafia fight is particularly dangerous at a time when Italy is struggling to recover from the devastating coronavirus. Over 26,000 Italians have died due to the pandemic since January, and experts say that it will take years for the country’s economy to recover. “In this moment of crisis, mafia organizations can further infiltrate economic life, especially by supporting or even acquiring businesses in financial difficulties that aren’t able to access public aid and are therefore obliged to turn to alternative credit sources, those of the criminal organizations,” De Raho said.

Iran Threatens U.S. Shipping

The commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has promised to attack U.S. warships should they threaten the Iranian navy in the Persian Gulf. “I have ordered our naval forces to destroy any American terrorist force in the Persian Gulf that threatens the security of Iran’s military or non-military ships,” Major General Hossein Salami told an Iranian television station. “Security of the Persian Gulf is part of Iran’s strategic priorities. “We declare to the Americans that we are absolutely determined and serious...and that all action will be met with a decisive response that will be

efficient and quick,” Salami added. Tensions between the Islamic Republic and the United States have escalated in recent weeks following aggressive behavior by Iran’s navy on the Persian Gulf. Last week, President Donald Trump ordered U.S. forces to “fire and destroy” any Iranian warships that challenge them on the high seas. Trump’s revised orders of engagement followed a near collision earlier this month between U.S. Navy warships and Iranian speedboats. The Iranian vessels had approached the American warships at high speed, with disaster only averted when the U.S. captain took sudden evasive action. One of the IRGC speedboats reportedly was only 30 feet away from the cutter before turning around. The American vessels eventually scared off the Iranian ships by blasting powerful air horns and longrange acoustic noises. Iran denied that its vessels behaved dangerously and blamed U.S. forces for the incident. A few days later, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy Commander Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri warned that new weapons his men possessed put all U.S. ships in the region at risk. We “have a variety of surface-to-surface missiles with a range of 700 km [more than 430 miles] produced domestically,” he said, adding that his boats were “three times faster than American vessels.” “Wherever the Americans have been present, insecurity has arisen, and we do not know where the presence of the United States has led to security,” Tangsiri blustered.

Fatal Lightning Strike in India

At least 12 people were killed after being caught in a lightning storm in eastern India. According to Bihar State official Pratay Amrit, the villagers were harvesting vegetables near the city of

Patna when the storm hit. Nine people were killed instantly while another three passed away at the hospital. The victims included two boys aged 12 and 14. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that the death toll could have been significantly higher had most Indians not been indoors due to the coronavirus. Deadly lightning storms are a common occurrence in India, especially during the monsoon season. Last summer, 39 people perished after a series of lightning storms in Bihar. Such storms kill more people on an annual basis than any other natural disaster in India.

Australia Wants Probe of Coronavirus

Australia has now joined the United States in demanding an independent probe of the deadly coronavirus’ origins. In a statement last Thursday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that his country will demand at the World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual conference in May that the body investigate the pandemic’s origins. Australia wants to empower WHO inspectors to have legal ability to inspect suspicious sites in China similar to the powers afforded to international weapons inspectors. Australia, which sits on the WHO’s executive board, has already broached the idea with Germany, France, Britain, Canada, and the United States ahead of the WHO’s May 17th meeting. “The World Health Assembly is coming up in May. There are opportunities to pursue that matter there and that is our first port of call,” said Morrison. “They don’t have a roving commission to go anywhere they want in the world, but if you are going to be a member of a club like the World Health Organization, there should be obligations and responsibilities attached.”

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

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China reacted furiously to the suggestion, calling on Australia to abandon its “ideological bias and political games” in order to “focus on the Australian people and global public health security.” “Currently, with the pandemic still spreading across the world, the most pressing task is to put people’s life and health first and work together to defeat the virus,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang. “At such a critical juncture, it is highly irresponsible to resort to politically motivated suspicion and accusation.” Infecting 2.87 million people worldwide and causing 200,000 deaths, the coronavirus has been believed to have originated at a Chinese exotic food market in Wuhan back in late 2019. The United States and others have been casting doubt on the official version as to where the pandemic came from. Earlier this month, reports said that U.S. intelligence was investigating whether the virus originated from a Wuhan bioweapons laboratory located near the market. According to U.S. officials, Washington is attempting to “discern whether someone was infected in the lab

through an accident or poor handling of materials and may have then infected others.”

Wuhan: We’re Virus-Free

Once the epicenter of the world’s coronavirus outbreak, the Chinese city of Wuhan is now virus-free after the final patient infected with the virus was discharged from the hospital. “The latest news is that, by April 26, the number of new coronavirus patients in Wuhan was at zero, thanks to the joint efforts of Wu-

NOBODY

han and medical staff from around the country,” announced National Health Commission spokesman Mi Feng. “With the joint efforts of Wuhan and the national medical aid given to Hubei province, all cases of Covid-19 in Wuhan were cleared.” However, authorities are still concerned about a possible second wave of infection and have increased daily testing in Wuhan even as life returns to normal. Wuhan residents are being urged to report any suspicious symptoms they may have as well as others who appear to be suffering from a fever, dry cough, and runny nose. The deadly pandemic is believed to have spread from a Chinese exotic food market in Wuhan back in early December. Altogether, Wuhan had 46,652 cases, making up 56% of China’s total number of infections and causing 3,869 deaths. Wuhan had been in total lockdown since early January, with Chinese officials reportedly welding residents’ doors shut to prevent them from violating the social distancing guidelines. Trains, busses, and flights were banned throughout all of the province of Hubei before finally resuming on April 8.

China Bans “Uncivilized Behavior”

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China announced a new public effort to improve public hygiene that forbids sneezing without covering one’s face, not “dressing neatly,” and not wearing a mask when ill. Citizens are also required to keep a three-foot distance between each other, and restaurants must provide communal chopsticks and serving pieces for joint meals. Going outside shirtless is now forbidden along with sleeveless t-shirts and sharing cigarettes. The ban on what Beijing calls “uncivilized behaviour” is part of an effort to prevent the coronavirus from making a comeback. China has at least 85,000 coronavirus cases since

the first outbreak in Wuhan in late 2019. While activities such as littering, and indecent dress were already banned in the country, the new measures stipulate the fines violators can expect. Those caught littering and spitting, among other acts, in public can now expect a fine of 200 yuan ($28), up from the previous 50 yuan. Anyone found disposing of their garbage improperly will be fined 200 yuan, and fines for noise pollution violations were raised to 500 yuan.

Public Lashings for Christian in Iran An Iranian court sentenced a prominent Christian convert to a public flogging and a prison term for “disturbing the public order.” According to the verdict handed down in early April, 21-year-old Mary (Fatemeh) Mohammedi will be given 10 lashings and a three-month prison sentence. The prominent activist announced the news to her followers last Tuesday on Instagram. “After suffering many types of torture and 46 days in jail in the terrible conditions of Vozara detention and Qarchak [women’s] Prison, I have been sentenced to 3 months and 1 day in prison and 10 lashes,” Mohammadi wrote. Mohammadi added that the sentence was handed down for “protesting against the slaughter of human beings; because of showing sympathy for the families of those who perished on the Ukraine airline crash; because of defending the rights of all humans.” The sentence was condemned by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, who said in a statement that the “USCIRF condemns Iran’s sentencing of Christian convert and social activist Mary Mohammadi. No peaceful activist should be targeted on the basis of their religious beliefs.” Mohammadi was arrested on January 12 for protesting the downing of Ukrainian Air Flight 752 by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) that killed all 176 people on board. Coming shortly after the United States killed Iranian General Qassem Sulemieni in an airstrike, the IRCG had confused the civilian airliner for a U.S. air force jet.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

The Bais Yaakov of Long Island expresses its hakaras hatov and deep gratitude to the Principals, Teachers, Staff, Board Members and Parents for your tireless efforts over the past month which enable TAG to implement a Video Based Education System immediately after Pesach

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APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Mohammadi was held behind bars for over a month before being released on bail in February and charged with “disrupting public order by participating in an illegal rally.” Her case attracted international attention, with U.S. President Donald Trump blasting Iran during the National Prayer Breakfast in February for jailing her “because she converted to Christianity and shared [her beliefs] with others.”

Peretz Joins Bibi’s Gov’t Shortly before Israel’s second round of elections in September, Labor leader Amir Peretz shaved off his trademark mustache to demonstrate that he would never sit in a government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a viral campaign video taken

at a barbershop, Peretz told voters that he wanted them “to read his lips” when he said that joining Netanyahu was out of the question. The stunt was part of his effort to stem the surge of left-wing voters that had flocked to Benny Gantz’s Kahol Lavan party during the first round of elections in April.

“For 47 years, I’ve gone everywhere with my mustache,” Peretz told Channel 12. “In 2002, the Association of the Deaf in Israel contacted me, and that was the first time I trimmed it, because they couldn’t read my lips and understand me. “I decided to remove my mustache so that all of Israel will understand exactly what I’m saying and will be able to read my lips: I won’t sit with Bibi,” proclaimed Peretz months ago. The attempt to win back his party’s base did not prove to be effective,

as Labor earned a record-low 6 seats in September and dropped to an even lower three Knesset mandates in March. However, despite the rash haircut, Peretz has ended up joining Netanyahu’s government. Ever since agreeing to be part of the coalition in exchange for the Economic and Welfare Ministries earlier this month, Peretz has come under withering criticism from his party’s remaining supporters for flagrantly breaking his campaign promise. Peretz has remained unrepentant. Pointing to the coronavirus, the veteran politico said that the trying times that Israel is undergoing forced him to join Netanyahu. “I want the Labor party to return to the center of public life. When the socio-economic crisis is at its height, I could not stand to the side,” Peretz told Army Radio. Hitting back at claims that he would serve as a rubber stamp to a right-wing government, Peretz insisted that he would work only as part of a “strategic partnership” with Kahol Lavan. “Gantz is a good and decent man,” said Peretz. The Labor leader is slated to serve as Economy Minister in the emerging government, while Itzik Shmuli will head the Welfare Ministry. Both lawmakers are renowned for their strong socialist leanings and had conditioned joining the national unity government on getting the aforementioned portfolios. As part of an agreement reached last week between the Likud and Kahol Lavan, Netanyahu will remain prime minister for the next 18 months until he would be replaced by Benny Gantz. Kahol Lavan would control the powerful Foreign, Defense and Justice Education Ministries, while Likud would retain the Finance Ministry. Meanwhile, the haredi UTJ and Shas parties would retain control over the powerful Knesset Finance Committee as well as the Interior and Religious Affairs Ministry. Should Netanyahu dissolve the Knesset and announce new elections during this time, Gantz would automatically become prime minister.

Yehuda market demonstrated on Sunday over being excluded from businesses that were allowed to reopen.

Brandishing signs and shouting angry slogans, the stall owners blocked traffic and faced off with police. Officers responded with riot dispersal methods and arrested one person who was later released with no charges filed. Speaking with Army Radio, protest organizer Tali Friedman blasted the government for allowing stores nationwide to reopen while mandating that the market remain shuttered. Contending that the open-air promenade was safer than regular enclosed storefronts, she said that the shopkeepers were on the verge of collapse due to the government-mandated closure. “We’ve been kept closed for a month. This cannot go on,” said Friedman. The government had allowed a slew of stores to open for the first time in months on Sunday, including hair salons, electronics stores, and cafes that did not have indoor seating. Yet for unexplained reasons, open air markets were excluded, enraging stall owners. Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said in a statement that he “supports the merchants” and that he believed “that the government will soon approve the opening of the market, which is a source of income for hundreds of Jerusalemite families. “I promise to you, market vendors and Jerusalem residents, that I won’t let up until the market is reopened,” Lion asserted. “I believe there is no reason why other businesses should be allowed to open, and not the market.”

Litzman Leaves Machane Yehuda Health Ministry Remains Closed United Torah Judaism head YaaHundreds of angry shopkeepers from Jerusalem’s famed Machane

kov Litzman told Prime Minister Netanyahu that he wants to be ap-

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pointed Housing and Construction Minister in the next government, ending his long longstanding position in the Health Ministry. Rejecting claims that the move was tied to his controversial handling of the coronavirus, Litzman said that he seeks to bring down the country’s skyrocketing housing prices.

“After about a decade in the Ministry of Health, in parallel with the implementation of the exit strategy from the corona crisis in Israel, and towards the establishment of a new government, I made the decision not to return to the Ministry of Health for the fourth time, preferring to lead a broad response to the housing

shortage in Israel in the Ministry of Housing,” said Litzman in a statement. “As the head of the health system in Israel in recent years I can say with full mouth and heart that our health system is strong and stable,” Litzman added. The Kahol Lavan party announced that it would demand the Health portfolio after Litzman’s departure in order to help Israel recover from the coronavirus. Born in Germany before moving to Boro Park, Litzman emigrated to Israel when he was 17 and has been a Knesset member since 1999. He has served as Health Minister since 2010 and became renowned for his efforts to make medical care in the country more affordable. However, Litzman was harshly criticized for his handling of the coronavirus, with allegations swirling that he refused to take necessary yet politically unpopular action to prevent infection from spreading. With haredi communities in Bnei Brak, Kiryat Sefer, Elad, and Jerusalem having suffered from massive outbreaks, his popularity within the haredi community is said to have plummeted.

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Israel’s Population Climbs to 9.2M

The Central Bureau of Statistics recently announced that Israel’s population climbed to 9.2 million people ahead of its 72nd birthday. Seventy-four percent of the country’s citizens are Jewish, while 21% are Arab. Israel’s population grew by 171,000 people since last year, a 1.9% increase. Since Israel’s 71st birthday, 180,000 babies were born, 32,000 new immigrants arrived, and 44,000 died. Today, there are approximately 50,000 citizens living in Israel over the age of 90 and 950,000 children under four years old. Israel’s population is relatively young compared to other OECD countries, with 28% of its citizenry under 14 years old and only 12% over 65. At the time of Israel’s founding in 1948, its population numbered 806,000. Since then, 3.3 million people have immigrated to the Jewish State, with 44% arriving after 1990. Forty-five percent of the world’s Jewish population currently lives in Israel, and about 78% of Israeli Jews were born in the country. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics’ projections, Israel’s population is expected to exceed 11.1 million people by 2021 and increase to 13.2 million by 2040. On Israel’s 100th Independence Day in 2048, the population is predicted to surpass 15.2 million citizens.

At the Jenner Institute at Oxford they are scheduling tests of a vaccine involving more than 6,000 people. They hope that with emergency approval from regulators the first few million doses of their vaccine can be available by September – way earlier than other laboratories hoping to produce a vaccine.

It’s possible that the vaccine produced at Oxford may spell the end of the world’s pandemic. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health’s Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Montana last month inoculated six rhesus macaque monkeys with single doses of the Oxford vaccine. The animals were then exposed to heavy quantities of the virus — exposure that had consistently sickened other monkeys in the lab. But more than 28 days later all six were healthy, said Vincent Munster, the researcher who conducted the test. Even so, immunity in monkeys is no guarantee that a vaccine will provide the same degree of protection for humans. Other laboratories are working on a vaccine for the virus, which will help to quell the pandemic. Certain groups like children or the elderly may require different dosages or different vaccines than others. Having more than one vaccine will also help in manufacturing the massive amounts that would be needed.

Donation for Price-Gouging Brothers

Close to a Cure? According to The New York Times, scientists in Oxford University are saying that they are on the right track in producing a vaccine for the coronavirus.

Two Tennessee brothers have donated 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

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APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home

in order to avoid prosecution and a fine, under the terms of a price-gouging settlement announced last week by the state attorney general. Matt Colvin, 36, and Noah Colvin, 21, will not recoup the thousands of dollars they had spent on the supplies after stocking up during the early stages of the coronavirus crisis. Matt had told The New York Times last month that he had sold 300 bottles of hand sanitizer on Amazon for $8-$70 apiece. The following day, Amazon pulled his remaining items from their site, along with those of thousands of other sellers. “Disrupting necessary supplies during an unprecedented pandemic is a serious offense,” Herbert H. Slatery III, Tennessee’s attorney general, said in a statement. “It became clear during our investigation that the Colvins realized this, and their prompt cooperation and donation led to an outcome that actually benefited some consumers.” Tennessee’s price-gouging law prohibits individuals or businesses from charging “unreasonable” prices for essential goods or services in response to a disaster, regardless of whether it occurs in or out of the state. Clay T. Lee, a lawyer for the Colvins, stated that his clients had agreed to donate all the supplies to their church for distribution to local emergency responders before the state began its investigation. Under the settlement terms, the brothers agreed not to engage in any further price gouging during the pandemic. Shortly after the brothers’ story first became public, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute cases of price-gouging and hoarding of critical supplies such as face masks and sanitizing products.

City Open for Biz – but Not the State Businesses in New Mexico are closed – except if they’re located in the city of Grants. The mayor of Grants, Martin Hicks, is asking citizens to defy Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s public health orders and open their businesses. Hicks called all of the city’s 100

employees back to work on Monday, opened the city’s only golf course, and asked all local businesses to do the same.

At least four businesses opened its doors. All of them had some sort of social distancing measures in place such as allowing only one or two customers in at a time. Hicks has been arguing that the governor’s public health orders, which limits only “essential” businesses to open its doors, is discriminating against small businesses, which sell some of the same products. In New Mexico, the majority of towns are funded by gross receipts taxes, which is money the shopper pays on every sale. Towns like Grants are being hit hard, and the mayor is projecting a 33% loss of revenue. Albuquerque, the state’s largest city, is feeling the effects of a $20 million shortfall. Shortly after the Mayor declared the city was open, the state police showed up at the town’s golf course and gave them a “notice of violation.” It indicated if they continued to remain open, they could be fined $5,000. That did not stop Mayor Hicks. He rushed to the golf course, told all of the golfers who were coming off to get back on and finish their games. “What’s wrong? Social distancing guys get a shot of that,” Hicks told reporters while holding his arms up and walking towards a wide open golf course. “How is that for social distancing? “I am going to come back and golf today for sure and haven’t golfed in years.” About 20 people were on the course at the time including City Councilor Rick Lucero, who just finished 18 holes. “We are out here in the middle of nowhere,” Lucero said. “I think it is safer to be out here rather than Walmart.”

More Stimulus?

Over 80 million Americans have already gotten their $1,200 stimulus checks since the U.S. Senate approved the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act in late March. This week, millions more who didn’t file taxes in 2018 or 2019 will get their checks for the first time. The payments are slated to continue until September and are designed to assist the 26 million Americans who find themselves out of a job due to the coronavirus. Now, liberal groups are calling on the U.S. government to find ways to get even more money to Americans. According to a proposal put forward by the public advocacy group Third Way, the government should provide a “Coronavirus Safety” that would ensure monthly $1,200 payments until businesses return to normal. In an interview with Yahoo Finance, Third Way President Jim Kessler warned that the entire U.S. economy is liable to collapse if the stimulus checks stopped coming. “We are going to need to do more,” said Kessler. “We would like a V-shaped recovery, not a W-shaped recovery.” “People are being so damaged economically that, without additional checks, we start having the domino effect of foreclosures and homelessness,” Kessler added. “We should probably be providing that every single month at least for the next three or four months, possibly six months.” Kessler is not alone. A recent petition signed by 62 members of Congress, including prominent Democrats such as Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, maintained that “recurring monthly payments is the most efficient mechanism for delivering economic relief to those most at-risk in this crisis.” Former Democratic Party presidential candidate Andrew Yang went even further, proposing that the Federal government keep the stimulus checks coming indefinitely. “I just think we should do this in perpetuity,” Yang contended. “We can 100% afford it.”

U.S. to Chevron: Shut Venezuela Oil Fields

The Trump administration ordered Chevron to “wind down” activity at its Venezuelan oil fields in what is the latest move to punish the Maduro regime. The directive gives Chevron until December 1 to end its operations in the Central American country. In the meantime, Chevron is forbidden from exporting or drilling any of its Venezuelan oil. The order also applies to four U.S. companies that provide oilfield services to Chevron, including Halliburton, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes and Weatherford International. The only remaining U.S. energy company in Venezuela, Chevron’s assets in the crisis-plagued country are estimated to be worth over $2.6 billion and was responsible for 6% of Venezuela’s total oil output in 2019. The oil giant has an extensive relationship with Venezuela dating back to 1921 and has invested tens of billions in recent years in infrastructure and manpower. U.S. corporations have fled Venezuela in recent years as the country descended into anarchy and violence. ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips ended operations in 2010 after President Hugo Chavez nationalized oil fields while Modelez, Bridgestone, and Kimberly-Clark left the country in 2018. The order comes as the Trump administration seeks to ratchet up the pressure on the Maduro regime, which is struggling with an economic collapse and the effects of the coronavirus. With oil prices currently at a historic low, hurting Venezuela’s shattered economy, the U.S. views this is an opportunity to step aside. In recent months, the Trump administration has frozen assets belonging to senior Maduro loyalists and issued international arrest warrants for Maduro, top Venezuelan military officers, judges, and members of parliament for drug trafficking. “The United States continues to strengthen its maximum pressure

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

campaign against the illegitimate Maduro regime,” a Trump administration official said. “This action will further deprive access to financial lifelines that Maduro relies on to sustain his tyrannical hold over Venezuela.”

twice because of software errors. Boeing plans to repeat the test flight, again without astronauts, this fall.

NY Cancels Primary

From Rabbi Berel Wein Give it to your relatives, give it to your friends, give it to yourself!

Returning to Space NASA and SpaceX have picked May 27 for resuming astronaut launches from the U.S. after nine years of complete Russian dependence. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced the launch date last week. Astronauts haven’t launched into orbit from the U.S. since NASA’s last space shuttle flight in 2011. SpaceX aims to end the drought by sending two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. “On May 27, @NASA will once again launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil!” Bridenstine tweeted. Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken will blast off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, departing from the same Kennedy Space Center launch pad used by shuttle Atlantis in July 2011, as well as the Apollo moonshots a half-century ago. Hurley served as pilot on that last shuttle mission and will be the spacecraft commander for SpaceX’s Dragon crew capsule. Only three countries have launched people into orbit since 1961: Russia, the U.S. and China, in that order. SpaceX would be the first private company to do so. SpaceX successfully conducted its first test flight of a Dragon crew capsule a year ago, sending the capsule – without a crew – to the space station. NASA is also in the process of buying another seat on a Russian rocket. Russian Soyuz capsules have been the sole means of crew transportation to and from the space station since 2011. Boeing also is working to launch astronauts under NASA’s commercial crew program, but the company’s effort suffered a serious setback following last December’s botched test flight. Launching without anyone on board, Boeing’s Starliner capsule failed to reach the space station after ending up in the wrong orbit and came close to destruction

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New York became the first state to cancel its presidential primary over coronavirus fears. Douglas Kellner said the decision came after Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders suspended his presidential campaign earlier this month, which “basically rendered the primary moot.” “At a time when the goal is to avoid unnecessary social contact, our conclusion was that there was no purpose in holding a beauty contest primary that would marginally increase the risk to both voters and poll workers,” said Kellner, one of the Democratic commissioners on the New York State Board of Elections. The Democratic commissioners voted to remove a number of candidates who had ended their presidential campaigns from the ballot, including Sanders. That resulted in the cancellation of the primary because former vice president Joe Biden was uncontested. “The decision by the State of New York Board of Elections is an outrage, a blow to American democracy, and must be overturned by the (Democratic National Committee),” Sanders campaign adviser Jeff Weaver said in a statement. “Just last week Vice President Biden warned the American people that President Trump could use the current crisis as an excuse to postpone the November election. Well, he now has a precedent thanks to New York state.” Weaver said that the state had violated its approved delegate selection plan and should lose its delegates to the national convention if “this is not remedied.” Multiple states have postponed their primaries due to the coronavi-

Rabbi Wein’s sweeping gaze simultaneously takes in past, present, and future. Continually aware of history and its impact on today’s events, he looks at an empty field in the land of Israel and sees not only the farmer with his plow today, but one who worked the same land two thousand years ago. And with heartfelt faith and a vibrant awareness of ancient prophecy, he envisions those who will harvest that field in the future. In this troubled, insecure age of ours, he proves that one can, one must, be a realist and an optimist at the same time. If you are not already familiar with Rabbi Wein’s take on life, you are in for a treat.

Order online at www.RabbiWein.com or call: 732-987-9008/800-499-9346 Look for ‘In My Opinion’at your local bookseller

APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home

rus pandemic, which has significantly altered the daily lives of Americans. Last month, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order moving the primary from its originally scheduled date of April 28 to June 23. Cuomo said at a news conference Monday that he would not “second guess” the state’s board of elections. “I know there are a lot of election employees, employees of boards of elections who are nervous about conducting elections,” Cuomo said. “But I’ll leave it up to the board of elections.”

Running at 96

Ernie Andrus is no youngster. The World War II veteran is now 96 years old. Despite his age, Andrus is active – so active that he is running across America...again. Andrus averages 13 miles a week on a run that he expects to finish in the next four years. The nonagenarian is running to raise money to sail the fully restored military landing ship, the USS LST 325, to Normandy for a D-Day anniversary. The idea to run coast to coast started when Andrus heard about a man from Great Britain run-

ning across every country. This inspired Andrus to plan a run across the U.S., but first he had to make sure he could do it. He started running long distance relay races. At 88, Andrus ran his first Ragnar 200-mile relay. “People were asking for my autograph and wanting pictures taken with me,” he said. “I thought if an 88-year-old gets this much attention, how about a 90-year-old running coast to coast?” At first, the countrywide run was just for “the adventure and the fun of it.” But it occurred to him that he could raise money for a dream he thought was impossible: take the LST 325 back to Normandy. “This was a dream a few of my shipmates and I had which we figured could never happen,” he said. Andrus was a Navy corpsman whose job was to keep wounded Marines alive until they were brought to a hospital. “G-d was good to me,” he said. “I never lost a patient during the entire war.” Andrus made history with his first cross-country run, becoming the oldest person to run the distance. He finished one day after his 93rd birthday, on August 20, 2016. Since then, he decided to do the run again, this time East to West. Every day starts at 3 a.m. with a few exercises recommended by Kaiser Hospital to get the heart pumping. Next is a cup of coffee, then a shave. By 5 a.m., breakfast is finished, and Andrus spends the rest of the day rotating between naps and screen time. He is always accompanied by John Martin, Louisiana native and retired firefighter who met Andrus on his first run. Marin helps with driving, shopping, laundry, and planning Andrus’ runs. On days that he runs, Andrus postpones breakfast. “A shower, a nap, and back to the usual,” he said. ”I usually retire around 9 p.m. just after I lift weights to keep my leg muscles strong.” The current restrictions don’t

“Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.” – Dale Carnegie

slow Andrus down. He still runs, although there are a lot less people cheering and greeting him along the way. Run, Andrus, run.

Corralling Chicken Nuggets

When a popular restaurant offered four free chicken nuggets to customers to help out communities, one man decided to take advantage of their generosity. Known as “Skweezy Jibbs” on twitter, the man from Oregon went to every restaurant of that food chain within 17 miles of his home – twice that day. It took him five hours to hit the eleven food establishments twice, and he crossed two states doing so. But now, he tweeted, “we eatin free 4 a week WHAT IT DOOOO.” Apparently, these chicken nuggets are worth the effort.

Sneaky Snake

A team of researchers from India, upon discovering a new species of green pit vipers, have decided to name the snake after Salazar Slytherin of Harry Potter fame. Their findings were published this month in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution. Salazar Slytherin was one of the founders of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, along with his pals Godric Gryffindor, Rowena

Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff. Along with being some of the most powerful witches and wizards of their time in the Harry Potter world, they’re also the namesakes of the four Hogwarts houses. Slytherin, partly known for his ability to talk to snakes, is linked to the animals – the snake is, after all, the symbol of the Slytherin Hogwarts house. That’s why the researchers chose the name Trimeresurus salazar. In the research, the team suggests the snake commonly be known as Salazar’s pit viper. The pit vipers in the genus Trimeresurus are venomous, and found throughout East and Southeast Asia. This species was found in India, but there are at least 48 total species of this genus found in the region. One of the things that makes this particular pit viper stand out, though, is the orange-reddish stripe found on the side of the head in males. Very interesssssting.

Going Nowhere Fast

Staying at home doesn’t mean that you have to stop moving forward. Travis Samuel rode his exercise bike for 24 hours and biked the equivalent of 626 miles – all in the comfort of his parents’ home. Samuel’s bike ride broke a Guinness World Record. The Canadian climbed onto his Zwift stationary bike at 6 p.m. on Friday and rode until 6 p.m. on Saturday. Samuel, who was joined at various points by about 1,000 other riders through the Zwift network, managed a total distance of 626 miles, breaking the previous Guinness World Record of 614 miles. The ride, dubbed the CRUSH COVID 24-hour indoor cycling marathon, raised money for Toronto’s Michael Garron Hospital Foundation. “Surpassing a world record is pretty amazing,” Samuel said. Now we have no excuses to veg out on our couches.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

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APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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Community OHEL Continues to Do the Heavy Lifting... Then, Now, and Always

HEL’s “tent” has always remained open and available to the most vulnerable, providing an array of services for over 50 years. This “tent” has expanded like never before. With the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the demands for OHEL supportive services persist. While there are so many impacted by the global health crisis, thousands of individuals rely on the care, comfort, and support that OHEL offers to nearly 15,000 unique individuals on a yearly basis. OHEL is caring 24/7 for 500 young adults and adults in our group homes and apartments, individuals with developmental and psychiatric disabilities who call OHEL “home and family.” It’s our heroic and indefatigable residence managers, direct support professionals, nurses, and case managers who are doing everything possible to keep all healthy and safe. Necessary Personal Protective Equipment has been secured, and there is ongoing disinfecting of all group homes. Residents received Pesach catering and had access to engaging sedarim, uplifting and enjoyable, all the while indoors. Most importantly, each of these individuals are receiving the love necessary to manage during this time of uncertainty. There has been an increase in fun programming for thousands of OHEL individuals, to serve as a mean-

ingful and healthy diversion from daily worries. OHEL has provided access to free virtual concerts, from Jewish singers including Shloime Dachs and Joey Newcomb, DJs, magic shows, exercise programs, yoga and meditation sessions with Nesha (for mothers and their children), a Smile Club with gratitude motivator Sara Younger, and more. There has been a significant focus on offering entertainment while teaching coping skills for children and adults in these challenging times, and thousands have enjoyed this programming which we plan to continue. OHEL successfully launched “Thera-Zoom,” a hub for tele-mental health services to anyone in need. With over 4,000 sessions and over 1,000 individuals availing themselves of these critical services in three weeks, OHEL was and remains available to meet the mental health needs of countless children, adults, and older adults. OHEL’s Crisis Team, led by Dr. Norman Blumenthal, Zachter Family Chair in Trauma and Grief Counseling, has facilitated over 20 virtual webinars, available to communities in need throughout the United States. Collaboration with other organizations, including UJA Federation of NY, World Mizrahi, RCA, OU, Agudah, Achiezer, and Foundation for Jewish Camp has increased impact, as noted by a representative of Sephardic Bikur Holim, on a webinar on

grief and loss. “We are getting rave reviews about how helpful the information provided by Dr. Norman Blumenthal was and how on target what you said was to the people who needed to hear it. We are getting thanks and thanks and more thanks as the hour goes on. Thank you so much!” Providing services for older adults has been a top priority as well, impacting the lives of over 4,000 individuals that are part of OHEL’s Lifetime Care and Geriatric Programs. Check- in calls arranged with older adults, their caregivers or family members, food deliveries, virtual therapy sessions, and a warm voice at the other end of the phone from OHEL staff have touched many. A client’s daughter reflected that “dad is very anxious, especially after the death of mom last Shavuot. He is now even more fearful without his routine and so much has fallen on me; our OHEL therapist providing increased Zoom sessions has literally served as my lifeline.” Safety and solace have been ensured for over 20 women and children residing in OHEL’s Domestic Violence shelters. While sheltering in place, they were given access to tech equipment to participate in Thera-Zoom sessions, Pesach food and clothing were provided, and countless tools were offered to their children to maintain their school schedule and immerse in the holiday with joy. OHEL’s mandate has con-

OHEL dedicated staff member, Michael Smith, with Josh Englander in the Arlington Residence

sistently been to provide a safe haven to re-build lives and strengthen families and communities. Today, in this time of crisis, OHEL stands as a sanctuary of safety, healing, and hope. The OHEL Board, staff, and leadership have been working tirelessly to meet the needs of all individuals that rely on its highest quality, results-oriented, and evidence-based services, to continue doing the heavy lifting and to recognize that there is human need behind every call for help and love. OHEL’s tent will not fold. It is there…then, now, and always. If you are someone

you know can benefit from OHEL’s many supportive services during this challenging time, please visit www.ohelfamily.org/covid19 or call us today at 800-603-OHEL. To help elevate someone’s life today, please visit: www. ohelfamily.org/donate. OHEL Children’s Home and Family Services offers a breadth of services that meet the everyday needs of individuals and families. To access more information or services please call 1800603-OHEL email access@ ohelfamily.org or visit www. ohelfamily.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

Around the Community

The New Normal having family always around, and, unfortunately, sometimes, a spouse, parent or other family member who th his is my 29 year as pro- is ill. But we know that we have to gram director of CAHAL, keep moving forward every day. but in some ways, I feel as Our Limudei Kodesh staff has been if it’s my first year – as we all grap- placing special emphasis on bei’ur ple with transitioning to a totally tefilah and building our bitachon different learning platform and ap- and emunah. Chessed and kindness proach to teaching. Before Pesach, are at the top of the list, and hakaras I hosted a Zoom meeting for our hatov for the heroic efforts of the CAHAL teachers. It was absolute- members of the medical profession ly inspiring to get their input and and the Hatzalah volunteers. Mi k’amocha Yisrael! People all recommendations for how to work with video conferencing to teach over are calling each other asking how their students most effectively us- they can help. Our teachers have been ing distance learning. They spoke alerting me when they have become about the growing partnership with concerned about the financial and the children’s parents and the im- emotional well-being of parents. All portance of considering each child’s of us have been reaching out to help in emotional and social needs as well. any way possible. One of the wonderful Dr. Suri Weinreb, our CAHAL psy- roshei yeshiva called me recently to chologist, addressed the importance ask which families may need monof making and maintaining a special ey – how can the yeshiva help. We personal connection to each child have so much to be grateful for, and and their parents. Baruch Hashem, while we are living with social isolaI have been getting very positive tion, we are reaching out to others in feedback from the parents, as well need more than ever. May we be matzliach in all our as our teachers. It is truly awe inspiring to rec- efforts, and may we see a nechama ognize that we have all become for those who have lost loved ones master jugglers. We juggle with the and a refuah shleima for all the confinement and social distancing, cholai Am Yisrael.

Friendship Circle

By Naomi Nadata, Program Director, CAHAL

Yom Hashoah at SKA

deeply moving virtual Yom Hashoah program for the faculty and students of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls was held on Zoom on Tuesday, April 21. In her opening message, Mrs. Elisheva Kaminetsky, principal, Religious Studies, commented that Yom Hashoah and subsequently Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haazmaut are crucial days for us as individuals and as a nation. They give us the opportunity to pause and reflect, focusing and learning from our past. After six candles were lit by Mrs. Bluma Drebin, principal, General Studies, and her father, Rabbi Thumin, faculty members Mrs. Beate Menchel, Mrs. Barbara Martin, Mrs. Suzy Libin, Mrs. Sheila Liebtag and ninth grader Lea Septimus in memory of loved ones and the children killed during the Shoah, a video pre-

sentation was shown of Mrs. Rena Quint, a survivor who lost her entire family during the Holocaust. A choice of sessions provided to SKA students during the day offered topics such as Why I Learn About the Holocaust, Modern Day Amalek, Halachic Questions During the Shoah and many others. An original Holocaust journal, written and “distributed” by the ninth grade class under the supervision of Mrs. Liebtag, shared the thoughts of the students. Our thanks go to Rabbi Yosef Zakutinsky, SKA Director of Student Programming, and Mrs. Yafa Storch for organizing this virtual but so meaningful program. As faculty member Rabbi Gavriel Sanders expressed in his thanks, “This was one of the most stirring of programs I can recall. In contrast to all the isolation, I felt very connected to all on the call – and to the ones who were before.”

By Mrs. Malka Ackerman

chools have only been closed for three weeks. I say “only” because it feels like so much longer. In these three weeks, we have become ZOOM experts and master schedulers. We have found ways to spend much more time together using creative means and the great streaming devices. We have learned to work while having a kid on our lap and to teach our children while taking care of the house. In my house, this looks like my husband and me running between kids making sure each one is productive, happy, settled, or all around just not bothering anyone else (in that order) like a merry-go-round, while trying to accomplish our own work responsibilities. For the most part we are doing pretty well. Okay, there are those moments when nothing is working which requires a mandatory walk around the block or a dance party clean up, but for the most part we are navigating and figuring out a system that’s working. One of the great surprises that has greatly enhanced the emotional well-being of my seven-year-old son (and therefore the rest of the family) is in the form of an almost daily friendship video call. Enter Friendship Circle, and enter my son’s teenage friend, Moishy. Quite literally. It is a telewelcome. The Friendship Circle is an organization that pairs children with special needs with teenage volunteers. And just like my son and his teenage volunteer have spent time together before at Friendship Circle programs, they are spending a lot of time connecting during this social distancing. Moishy calls and speaks with my son. “Let’s play tic tac toe,” I hear as

my son giggles and runs around looking for paper and a marker. They play games, do math together, read, tell jokes. There is a lot of waiting on Moishy’s end. While my son gets oriented, goes to look for paper and markers, completes a drawing, he waits. There is a lot of guessing on Moishy’s end. He cannot be exactly sure of what is going on, but he keeps up and constantly shifts to appreciate the new dynamic, the new context. There is a lot of joy on our end, evidenced by big, large smiles. My son becomes animated for those 30 minutes, and the whole family feels the excitement. There is a lot of security, friendship, and encouragement. We are connecting with the outside world, and we know that we have a network of people out there. And there is a lot of appreciation. Teens: Reach out to a family that you have a relationship with. Reaching out looks like this: is now a good time for me to call _____? And repeat, unless told otherwise. Moms and Dads: Reach out to a teen that you have a relationship with. Most teens are happy to help. It feels good for them too. As we continue to navigate this reality being physically distanced a part, access and bring tele-friendship in. For more information about The Friendship Circle, check out their website at: https://www.fc5towns. com/ Malka is a mom of four living in the Five Towns and teaches at Shulamith. For more of her work or to check out her writing, go to https:// showedupandpresent.com

APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

AniTefilla@HOME

ever in the history of the Jewish Nation have we ever been “hit” in such a way. Every single shul and school is closed. Throughout the entire world, Torah learning and tefillah in its usual form has come to a complete halt. We are living in unprecedented times and are hearing over and over to increase our prayers, davening that the disease ends soon, that those stricken be healed, that our livelihood doesn’t suffer. Usually, in a typical classroom setting, or on a day when there is no school, tefillah is challenging. Now, when we and our children are davening at home, alone, and/ or in a virtual classroom, tefillah is harder hit. Our children do not have each other’s presence to “feed off,” and teachers cannot physically walk around the room, guiding and praising as our children daven. If Hashem caused our davening time to take such a sudden and drastic change then maybe, we too, have to do the same – make a change in the way we experience and/or teach tefillah. In addition to praying and singing tefillah, we have to do something more and improve the quality of the prayers being said, not only increasing the quantity. It is time to bring tefillah HOME. When davening individually or in a virtual classroom, how can children be inspired to be mindful when praying? About a year ago, a new tefillah program called Ani Tefillah was created, based on the idea to Stop, Think, and Feel while davening. Its goal is to foster mindfulness and raise awareness of Hashem’s presence and involvement in our life by being mindful of Hashem – allowing us to connect to Him in ways that we never did before. With Hashem’s help, this has been a highly effective and universal program, transforming the lives of children from all backgrounds. Living in these uncertain times, Ani Tefillah has started to develop a series of video lessons to bring Tefillah HOME, inspiring children to daven with kavana. As

the first series of video lessons is nearing completion, it is currently being offered at no cost. The methodology behind the videos is based on the Ani Tefillah curriculum: Stop – Remove all distractions and focus; Think – Be aware you are standing before Hashem – da lifnai mi ata omeid and understand the meaning of the words; Feel – Connect your thoughts to your emotions and connect to Hashem. The concepts are presented through hands-on activities and animation, and lessons and meshalim are kept short. At the end of every video lesson, children are asked to Stop, Think and Feel about the concept learned. This series of video lessons nurture mindfulness and awareness of G-d’s presence and explain the power and potential of tefillah. This will empower children and adults to find meaning and connection – specifically in tefillah. Halevai our present day situation “@HOME” should bring us quickly to be mindful of G-d’s presence every single moment that we are blessed to be alive. May we stand together and storm the Shamayim with tefillah, to bring the final yeshua and greet Mashiahch bimahira biyameinu. Please email Ani Tefillah at info@stopthinkfeel.org with comments or ideas, or register for the lessons at registerathome@ stopthinkfeel.org. Mrs. Tamar Nusbaum is a seasoned educator with an expertise in curriculum development and classroom management. She has been teaching all grade levels for the past thirty years and specializes in developing curricula. As the creator of the Lehavin ULehaskil Chumash curriculum and now Ani Tefillah, she possesses both the technical know-how for curriculum developments as well as the cirtical skills for classroom intergration. Her pedagogic approach ensures that each child and the class as a whole are engaged in the process of learning and growth.

SKA Bio Class Learns About Genetics

lass sessions continue at the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls on Zoom! Mrs. Elizabeth Rosenfeld’s freshmen biology class was privileged to hear from Dr. Zachary Lippman, father of ninth grader Adina, via Zoom on Monday, April 27.

Dr. Lippman is a Professor of Genetics at Cold Spring Harbor and runs a very impressive genetics lab which focuses on crop yield, especially on tomatoes. In a truly fascinating lecture, Dr. Lippman spoke to the girls about the benefits of mutations.

Central Commemorating Yom Hashoah

entral held a very meaningful Yom Hashoah program last Tuesday, led by Rabbi Joshua Strulowitz and the seniors from his history of the Holocaust elective. After a brief introduction by Rabbi Strulowitz, the student body was divided into breakout groups. Each group heard from three groups of seniors; each senior group speaking about a European city that was deeply affected by the Holocaust. These presentations were the seniors’ final project for the course, and the culmination of a semester’s worth of research and writing. Some of the cities presented included Amsterdam, Krakow, War-

saw, Paris, Budapest, and Vilna. The seniors covered the history of these places before, during, and after the war, intermixing interesting video clips with historical information and personal narratives. At the conclusion of the breakout groups, everyone joined together for a schoolwide conclusion, led by Mrs. Miriam White, Director of Religious Life, who prayed that “we are able to use the memories of the six million to propel us to a brighter future.” The program concluded with Tehillim, a moment of silence, along with the Yom Hashoah siren, and the singing of Ani Ma’amin.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

Around the Community

Torah Academy for Girls Celebrates the Successful Launch of Its Video-Based Educational Program

ight after Purim, when it became evident that the talmidos would not be able to return to their classrooms, TAG was faced with the same dilemma as all of the other schools in the neighborhood and beyond, “How do we educate our students effectively outside of the classroom environment?” The initial approach was to use a teleconferencing system, however, it became clear from day one that it was not an optimal solution. After discussions with gedolei Yisroel, TAG’s Dean, Rabbi Meyer Weitman, presented the challenge at an emergency meeting of the board. A task force was formed to find a video-based system that would not compromise TAG’s hashkafos and that TAG would feel comfortable sending into the homes of the talmidos. Within 24 hours a solution was found and the implementation began. Through a partnership between T-Mobile, a leading cellular provider, and SureLock, a Five Star Rated Mobile Device Management (MDM) software tool, TAG obtained 1,000 secured tablets that were distributed to those students who did not already have proper access in the home. Through this partnership, it was not necessary to have internet in the home, nor was it necessary to purchase a mifi, as these tablets have the ability to utilize the T-Mobile cellular network. The use of Surelock enables the school to have proactive control of the tablets remotely and provides TAG with the ability to monitor compliance with the guidelines it has set forth. Several of TAG’s classes were already using the new video-based system before Pesach, and by the

first day following Pesach vacation, the entire school, from pre-school through high school, was live on the new platform. But TAG did not stop there. In the interest of communal cooperation, which is so necessary during these challenging times, TAG immediately shared the proposed solution with other mosdos in the community as well as several throughout Brooklyn, Lakewood and Baltimore which have implemented what became known as the TAG Plan. One of the primary factors schools faced was controlling the costs of the tablet-based education. TAG recognized that these are trying times not just for the school, but for many of the parents who are facing challenges with their parnassah. TAG is especially proud of the fact that by absorbing the total expense of the project it was able to imple-

“If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.” - Oprah Winfrey

ment the entire solution at no cost to its parents. The overwhelmingly positive feedback has already begun to come in: “Thank you for all your efforts and hard work in guiding and creating this new method of learning.” -M.B. “Since going to this new system, I have seen the change in my girls’ ability to learn and overall demeanor throughout the week.” -C.B. “While nothing can replace actual school, it has been a wonderful substitute and has brought back the rich level of interactive learning that the girls (and the parents!) have sorely missed.” -S.F. “She verbalized many times during the week how happy she was to have her teachers and class back.” -B.F. “…a tremendous yasher koach to all the teachers and staff for all your endless dedication and efforts that go above and beyond for our girls.” -A.M. “Your devotion to our children and to their chinuch is so very clear. I am so proud to be a TAG parent.” -N.C. These are pieces of just a few of the many, many emails received. In honor of Rosh Chodesh, the elementary students participated in

an interactive Zoom Game featuring their favorite spots around the neighborhood. It was a truly special event to have over 650 girls logged in at one time, all playing and having a chance to interact with each other. The virtual assembly began with their acclaimed Rosh Chodesh song where the girls had a chance to sing along. It was a beautiful way to go into Shabbos. During this upcoming week, the elementary school is proud to be offering more than 20 optional specialty classes that the girls can join into. The classes range from story-time to movement, to learning PowerPoint, Israeli dance, art and science lab. We are excited to offer this virtual opportunity to our students. TAG, especially its upper division, Machon Sarah High School, is well known for many activities beyond its superior education, ranging from student activities to chessed that positively affects people near and far. Prior to Pesach, the students were able to enjoy a talent show and a kumzitz, both presented by the G.O. of the high school. They also participated in a “food for thought” program which included lessons from Rev Zelig Pliskin’s sefer on simcha.

APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

SKA Team Wins Spark! Challenge

A talmid of Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s Harriet Keilson Early Childhood Center enjoying the “Yeshiva without walls”

A Premier Celebration

ongratulations to students of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls who won a Best Presentation Award in the Northwell Spark! Challenge 2020. Despite numerous unforeseen obstacles due to the COVID-19 virus, the girls virtually worked together on their video and poster entries and received high marks for creativity and imagination. The SKA students’ three-minute video presentation highlighted medical assistants, one of the careers they had observed at Northwell Health during the fall. Incred-

he Five Towns Premier Rehabilitation and Nursing Center is pleased to announce that Mr. Callender, our first COVID-19 patient, was discharged back to his home in the community. Our entire staff at the facility came out to offer him a celebratory send-off. Mr. Callender was admitted to The Five Towns Premier from Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital on March 26, one day after the New York State Department of Health directed nursing facilities to accept patients who tested positive for COVID-19. Callender is a retired nurse who was admitted to our facility for short term rehab. He was determined to complete his rehab,

regain his independence, and return home to his wife. Despite the fear and uncertainty of treating COVID-19, the staff at the Five Towns Premier rose to the challenge. Upon admission, Callender was immediately placed on isolation and contact precautions. The Five Towns Premier Administrator Joe Benden and Director of Nursing Raywattie Persaud both donned their ppe and were the first to meet him upon his arrival. Mr. Callender stated, “All the staff, from the aides to the RNs did a wonderful job. I feel very happy to have gotten free of COVID-19 at my age. I thank all the Five Towns Premier staff for all they did.”

ibly, they donated their $1,000 in prize money back to Northwell in order to provide personal protective equipment to medical professionals in these trying times. Special mention goes to SKA seniors Atara Shtern and Rachelli Kirschner, who spearheaded the team, as well as all the students who worked on the video and poster presentations. Thanks go to mentor Dr. David Friedman, head of SKA Science Department Dr. Chana Glatt, and Mrs. Chani Kanowitz for her technical support.

From Aprons to Masks

ffie Mayerfield, a widow and great-grandmother with a home-based business selling hand-made aprons in Lawrence, NY, is volunteering to sew masks for community members to wear for food shopping or going to the pharmacy. Effie came up with the idea of repurposing the cotton and terrycloth she has been using for aprons and dish towels for the nose/face masks which are so heavily in demand and within one day of posting the free offer on a local chat, she says she had

20 takers. She said, “I put each mask in a plastic bag and place them on my porch for pickup to maintain social distancing and no hand contact. I’m so glad to be doing something useful and creative, since I’m isolated according to CDC guidelines.” A retired real estate professional, Effie started her apron business five-and-a-half years ago. When asked how long she plans to make masks, she replied, “As long as the fabric lasts and people need masks to stay healthy, I’ll do my best to keep sewing.”

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

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APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

JCCRP Offering Four Remote Career Courses

ake advantage of the time spent at home during the coronavirus by enrolling in one of the JCCRP’s career courses. In today’s current climate, new skills are essential to rejoining the workforce, advancing one’s career, or promoting your small business. NYC residents can sign up for one of the following courses: QuickBooks, SEO optimization, Coding, or Mic-

rosoft Office. Class starts on May 4, so don’t delay! In recognizing crucial skills, the JCCRP career services division has developed four courses offering a variety of opportunity. One of the courses is learning the intricacies of SEO. Search engine optimization (SEO) is often about making small modifications to parts of your website. When viewed individually,

Alan Horowitz presenting the Digital Marketing Class last summer

these changes might seem like incremental improvements, but when combined with other optimizations, they could have a noticeable impact on your site’s user experience and performance in organic search results. These skills are essential to gaining new employment or improving your current website. Michelle of Far Rockaway expressed after last spring’s course, “I run a children’s clothing store in the Five Towns, so I knew this course would be crucial for my parnassah. The instructor is fantastic! He clearly explains how to successfully market my clothing and products, and he even answers all of my follow up questions. I’ve followed a lot of his advice over the past three weeks, and it’s really increasing my bottom line.” These courses are run in partnership with a citywide initiative through the JCC of Greater Coney Island (JCCGCI) and NYC HRA. In addition to the JCCRP, the JCCGCI works closely with the UJO of Williamsburg, the Boro Park Jewish Community Council, the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, and the Sephardic Community Federation. “Our current financial crisis is

Danny Gavin, presenter for SEO Marketing

severe. We are committed to assisting community members during this time with food and financial assistance, however, our prime goal is to help people get back on their own two feet. There is no greater act of kindness than to help people find a well-paying job,” said Moshe Brandsdorfer, executive director at the JCCRP. “Our community is grateful to JCCGI, UJA and HRA NYC their investment in the workforce initiative which will help a large number in our community find meaningful employment opportunities or advance their own businesses.” For more information or to register for a career course, please call 718327-7755 ext: 6114 or email malka@jccrp.org.

JEP/Nageela Continues to Educate Jewish Children Online By Jen S. Zwiebel

ince the pandemic started, JEP/Nageela has still been providing original and fun interactive content to dozens of Jewish children each week. Some of the

popular programming includes the “WhoDa Thunk?!” bi-weekly game show with prizes, “Phoneg” Shabbat onegs, and online reunions that have brought kids together from all over the country. WhoDa Thunk?! is a funny and

“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

educational way to teach basic concepts of Jewish law such as kashrut in the “Chopped” episode, tzedakah in “Money, Cash, Flow,” and ethics in the “Deal or No Deal?” show. JEP/Nageela staff and hosts Ohavia Feldman, Chava Rina Stolper, Gitty Zimbal, Dani Locker, and guests are animated in costumes and play characters in accents to share the different scenarios in a fun way. Viewers are called on to answer as they present their response, which gives the kids a chance to shine and is an exciting way to participate. “I feel like it’s hard and stressful for all of us to be stuck in our houses doing nothing. Most of us miss Nageela like crazy, at least I do,” said Nageela camper Gabby Lax. She shared that the fun activ-

ities help everyone stay connected, be positive and stay motivated. “It’s making our quarantine a lot more interesting. I feel like I never left Nageela.” JEP/Nageela’s online programming is open to all boys and girls grades 3-10. Kids can join at the Zoom ID: 270-099-358 on Thursdays at 4:30pm EST to earn points and win prizes. For more information, visit campnageela.org or follow us on Instagram @campnageelaeast for upcoming programs. Check out our prize site at nageelarewards.org. If you would like to make a donation towards prizes, please visit jepli. org/donate or email jenz@jepli.org.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

Around the Community

Giving Back During COVID-19 By Shabsie Saphirstein

“T

he Alliance of Bukharian Americans Health Committee has been hard at work providing COVID-19 relief to healthcare workers at LIJ-Forest Hills Hospital as part of their recent initiative entitled Food for Our Heroes,” explained committee member Jonathan Koptyev, a second-year medical student a Rutgers-RWJMS. “On Friday, April 17, 2020, we delivered 160 kosher pizza pies from Benjy’s Pizza in Kew Gardens Hills to feed the nearly 800 daytime healthcare workers. Then, on the following Thursday we distributed 320 falafel pitas from Tov-Li Shawarma on 108th Street in Forest Hills to the evening staff.” This initiative was one of three that was implemented by the ABAHC COVID-19 Relief subcommittee. COVID-19: Hear it from our Healthcare Workers is a video series highlighting the unique professional experiences of Bukharian healthcare workers on the frontlines. Speakers share their perspectives on disease prevention techniques. Visit www.sites.google.com/view/ abahc/covid-19 to experience this program. Naomi’s Get-Well Cards are handwritten notecards from community members meant to provide emotional support for hospitalized COVID-19 patients who are unable to see family due to visitation regulations. After you

accrue 10 cards, email Health. ABA@Gmail.com for a safe and contactless pickup. Tax-deductible donations for Food for Our Heroes are currently being collected

through a GoFundMe link, https:// w w w.gof u nd me .c om/f/v 8br 2q food-for-our-heroes. For more information about their initiatives, you may visit their COVID-19 Relief

webpage above or follow their Instagram account and Facebook group, ABA_HealthofNY and ABA Health Committee, respectively. On a larger scale, the ABAHC has partnered with the All Bukharian Community Network (ABCN), a collaborative group of Bukharian organizations and individuals established to promote mutual support of individual community initiatives. This conglomerate is a strong testament to the unity and resilience of the Bukharian community during these difficult times. Shield Our Heroes, run by notfor-profit organization Congregation Emet Ve Emuna, is a campaign to gather donations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and funding to purchase PPE equipment for distribution to healthcare workers in the community who are inadequately prepared. Their collaborative efforts are underway providing kosher meals for hospital healthcare workers, aid in unforeseen burial costs, and Jewish educational lectures via live online video sessions to help alleviate the sudden changes in community members’ lives due to the pandemic. From donating funds for PPE, to making get-well cards for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, all initiatives are outlined at www.sites. google.com/view/abcn. Donations specifically for PPE can be placed at https://www.charidy. com/shieldourheroes.

Council Member Donovan Richards Secures Kosher Meals for Far Rockaway Public Schools

he Department of Education has expanded its food program with free kosher meals, available to any New Yorker at its participating sites in Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island during the coronavirus pandemic. “Food access and security for everyone is critical in ensuring no one goes hungry,” said Council Member Donovan Richards. “It’s important to provide adequate quality and sufficient quantities of food for our students

and families whether they eat kosher, halal, or vegetarian meals for the duration of this crisis and after. By making diverse meals available at our public schools, we in essence knock down barriers to accessing nutritious diets which is a need in every community.” During this unprecedented time, many New Yorkers are experiencing challenges with food security. Since then, hundreds of people have taken advantage of breakfast, lunch, and dinner for pickup daily at 435 public

schools throughout the city. “Kosher meals follow the USDA meal nutrition guidelines and are produced in partnership with a certified kosher distributor,” according to the NYC site. “Our kosher meal sites are housed in DOE school buildings and staffed by DOE food service staff. Meals offered at our kosher meal sites are free and available to any New Yorker that requests them. Parents and guardians may pick up meals for their children, and no registration or

ID is required.” As of, Thursday, April 23, 2020, the following locations in Far Rockaway will serve free kosher meals: • P.S. 197, The Ocean School, 825 Hicksville Road, Queens 11691 • P.S. 253, 1307 Central Avenue, Queens 11691 • P.S. 215, 535 Briar Place, Queens 11691 To find a location, text “NYCFOOD” or “COMIDA” to 877-877 or visit the DOE website.

APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Among the many activities Shulamith students enjoyed during their celebration of Israel this week was the Yom Haatzmaut Tape and Chalk Challenge

A Way to Get Important Planning Information You Need By Monet Binder, Esq.

e are seeing rays of hope, as New York seems to have “peaked” in the number of coronavirus cases appearing, as well as the number of deaths. More good news is that our hospitals did not get overrun with cases they could not handle, and our collective efforts and sacrifices have helped us avoid a disaster in health care in our state and communities. The sad news is the toll it has taken some of us, r”l, who have lost loved ones, and others we know. Also, many have been financially impacted, some worse than others. Hopefully, it won’t be long before we are all able to restart our lives, businesses, and the economy. Since most of us are still at home, this may be an appropriate time to take stock of parts of our lives that are important but have been receiving less attention. Some of the things we can consider may include working on ourselves, renewing and enhancing the relationships in our lives, and taking care of the many things that have eluded us for lack of time. As an Estate Planning and Elder Law attorney, I am here to assist and guide you, so you can have what you need legally, to protect yourself and those you love – particularly in these very turbulent and uncertain times. Given what we have been facing,

there couldn’t be a more important time to take the initiative to protect yourself, your family and your belongings. Now is a good time to get this done. If you are thinking about taking care of this important planning, I have put together a Webinar which you can attend from the comfort of your own home. You can use your smartphone, tablet/iPad, laptop or desktop computer. You do not need any special downloads or technical skills to attend. So many of you have questions and need real and practical information and guidance. People want to know what happens if you get sick and can’t take care of your finances? What happens if you’re faced with a medical emergency and don’t have the capacity to instruct medical staff regarding your wishes for your medical care? If something happens to you, how will your family get access to funds quickly, so they will have as little financial disruption as possible, especially during a time of grieving? Because we are not venturing out and travel is fairly restricted, I’m preparing a FREE Webinar, which will provide you with valuable information and answer your questions, in the comfort of your own home, without the need to travel anywhere. A webinar is a live, virtual event that happens online. You can access the event using your desktop com-

puter, your tablet or iPad, or your mobile smartphone. You can even call in by phone and just listen if that is easier for you. In this presentation, you will learn: The action steps you can and need to take in these turbulent times: What if you were to become sick or incapacitated? Who will have the authority to take care of your finances or speak for you medically, if you can’t? Planning for you to protect yourself and the ones you love: If something happens to you is your family taken care of? In a time of grief, will it be easy for them to move on financially? How you can avoid the courts when passing on your belongings: It is important that your family has immediate access to funds to go on with their lives, without going to court for a ruling- particularly now since the courts are not functioning normally. The webinar is FREE of charge and will be on Tuesday, May 19 at 8:00 pm. Go to coronaplanning.com and click the “Register” button – it’s as simple as that. You don’t need any special software or downloads to at-

tend. You will receive a link, so you can join us on May 19. During these times of uncertainty, when the risk is greater than ever, you can remove your concerns and those your family may have, and gain peace of mind. Join the FREE Webinar and you can always call us, at Monet Binder Law, PC, and we will help you understand what is best for you and your unique situation. 718-514-7575 or email us at monet@ mbinderlaw.com. Monet Binder, Esq., serves Queens, Brooklyn, and Long Island, dedicated to protecting families, their legacies, and values. All halachic documents are approved by the Bais Havaad Halacha Center in Lakewood, under the direction of Rabbi Dovid Grossman and the guidance of Harav Shmuel Kaminetsky, shlita, as well as other leading halachic authorities. To learn more about how a power of attorney can help you, you can send her an email at monet@mbinderlaw.com or call 718-514-7575. The information in this article is intended solely for your information. It does not constitute legal advice, and it should not be relied on without a discussion of your specific situation with an attorney.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

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Riddle me this? There are 11 bottles in front of you. You have a headache (perhaps from doing this riddle) and are told that one of the bottles contains an antidote that will make you feel better. The rest of the bottles are either Empty Bottles, Water Bottles, or Poisoned Bottles. You know the following facts about the order of the bottles: Bottles: 1) 2) Empty Bottle 3) 4) 5) 6) Poisoned Bottle 7) 8) 9) Empty Bottle 10) 11) Poisoned Bottle You also know that: • There are 4 Empty Bottles in front of you. • There is always a Poisoned Bottle next to another Poisoned Bottle, but never on both sides. • There are two other bottles between the Water Bottles. • There are only 2 Water Bottles.

• The Antidote is in between a Poisoned Bottle and an Empty Bottle. See answer below

Answer to Riddle Me This:

• Empty Bottles are just like Poisoned Bottles; there is always one of the same kind next to it but never on both sides.

Bottles: 1) Water 2) Empty 3) Empty 4) Water 5) Poisoned 6) Poisoned 7) Antidote 8) Empty 9) Empty 10) Poisoned 11) Poisoned

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TheThe Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2020 2015 Jewish Home | APRIL 30,

Facts of Life Laws Law of the Line: If you change lines, the one you have left will start to move faster than the one you are in now. Law of the Telephone: When you dial a wrong number, it’s never busy. Law of Mechanical Repair: After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch. Law of the Workshop: Any screw, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner. Law of Encounters: The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are wearing your most dowdy outfit. Law of the Results: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won’t work, it will. Law of Biomechanics: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach. Law of Coffee: As soon as you sit down for a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

She’s not, however, very good at farm work, so she writes a letter to him in jail: “Dear Sweetheart, I want to plant the potatoes. When is the best time to do it?” The farmer writes back: “Honey, don’t go near that field. That’s where all my guns are buried.” But, because he is in jail, all of the farmer’s mail is censored. So when the sheriff and his deputies read this, they all run out to the farm and dig up the entire potato field looking for guns. After two full days of digging, they don’t find one single weapon. The farmer then writes to his wife: “Honey, now is when you should plant the potatoes.”

rds of Wisdom

A farmer gets sent to jail, and his wife is trying to hold the farm together until her husband can get out.

Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you’re a mile away, and you have their shoes.

You gotta be kidding

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APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Torah Thought

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim By Rabbi Berel Wein

he death of the two sons of Aaron remain one of the great mysteries that the Torah presents to us. The Talmud and Midrash have advanced several ideas as to why such a tragedy occurred, and it may seem to a certain extent it was self-inflicted. The reasons for their failures are listed – they had drunk too much wine, they never intended to marry and father a family, and they wanted their elders to pass on so that they could be the leaders of the people. Over the centuries, other ideas of their failings have been enumerated by the commentators. In the face of all of this we have

the record of the Torah itself that their father Aaron was silent. The silence many times is the only acceptable answer in the face of tragedy. The silence indicates the line between the judgment of heaven and the understanding of life that humans bring to it. My thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are not your ways, that is what the L-rd says, and man must adjust to that difficult reality. So, Aaron is silent. He does not complain, and he does not cast blame. Is he aware of the behavior of his sons? The Torah does not comment upon that either. Many times, parents really do not comprehend their

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children nor are they privy to their ambitions or thoughts. But the Torah leaves all of this as an open question as far as Aaron and his sons are concerned. We have no idea as to what he thought of his sons, but we can understand the anguish and pain that he must have suffered on that terrible day of tragedy. Aaron remains a symbol therefore of the ability to continue life even when life has struck a deadly blow to the person. In this respect I always felt that he is a prototype of Iyov who also seems to suffer for causes that are unknown and inexplicable. However, Iyov complains loudly and demands to know why. Aaron is silent and does not raise his voice either in anger or in doubt.

ily or the leader of the country and they rose to the occasion. It is not that they imitated their older siblings who no longer were present, but rather it was that they were able to assert their own personality and their own inner greatness. One never knows the capabilities and potential that one has until and unless one is challenged by fate and life itself. Potential exists within everyone. The ability to bring forth that potential and to further it and strengthen it and make it beneficial – that is a challenge. So, included in the tragedy of the deaths of the two older sons of Aaron is the response of the two younger sons who apparently rise to the oc-

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One never knows the capabilities and potential that one has until and unless one is challenged by fate and life itself.

I can only imagine that the surviving sons of Aaron, Elazar and Itamar, are placed under enormous personal and emotional pressure. The older sons, Nadav and Avihu, were seen as the heads of the family and as the ones who bore responsibility for preserving the line of the priesthood and the holiness of the Tabernacle and Temple. Now they have suddenly been removed from the scene. Elazar and Itamar are the only ones left. Many times in human history we have seen younger brothers – who never expected to become a monarch or have a position of importance and influence – where fate decreed otherwise and made that younger person the head of the fam-

casion. Elazar will be the high priest that leads the Jewish people to the Land of Israel, and Itamar will be the one who is able to organize and correctly finance the building of the Tabernacle in the desert and other projects as well. The line of the priesthood of Israel that exists until today runs through Elazar and Itamar who never expected to be the ones that would have to bear that burden and meet that challenge. That is also part of the idea of Aaron’s silence. Who knows how people will respond and who knows what potential will be released that will help build the Jewish people and humankind? Shabbat shalom.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

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APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

From the Fire

Parshas Kedoshim You Can Be Like Me! By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

he two hardest words in the whole Torah are in this week’s parsha (Vayikra 19:2): “You shall be holy.” When Reb Shalom Kaminker, zy”a, was a child, he was brought to the Chozeh of Lublin, zy”a. When the Chozeh met little Shalom, he asked him, “Do you know what this week’s parsha is?” He answered, “Parshas Kedoshim.” The Chozeh asked him, “And do you know what Rashi says, ‘You shall be holy’ means?” Little Shalom was too afraid to speak before the Chozeh so he remained silent. The Chozeh therefore continued, “Rashi says it means you should separate yourself from physicality.” Shaken, the boy left the Rebbe. He was so affected by the Chozeh’s words that it took the boy several days to return to regular life. The demand that we be holy feels so daunting. Most commentaries explain that this means we must separate ourselves from sexual immorality. Most of us spend our entire lives working to achieve this; to become healthy, good Jews! And the command seems even more out of reach according to the Ramban, who explains that we must sanctify ourselves even with regard to things that are permissible! There are those who attempt to comfort us by explaining that it is not really a commandment, but rather, a prediction that one day, eventually, we will be holy. But it is clear that while this

is true, it is not in accordance with the simple meaning of the Torah and Chazal’s explanation of it. How can Hashem, who would never make unattainable demands of us, ask us to “be holy” when it is so hard even to fulfill the basic do’s and don’ts of Yiddishkeit? This commandment becomes even more mysterious when we consider a well-known Midrash (Vayikra Raba 24:9) which says: “‘You shall be holy,’ can you be like me, yachol kamoni?! The pasuk therefore teaches ‘because I am holy,’ My holiness is above your holiness.’” At first glance, this Midrash is quite comforting. It seems to release us from any obligation to be truly holy. “Do you think you can be like me?!” Our response to this might be, “No? Okay, wonderful, we’re off the hook.” But upon deeper reflection, what is the basis of the Midrash’s initial question? How could it think we could be holy in the same way Hashem is holy? It must mean that there is a reason to think that we can be holy like Hashem. In fact, many tzaddikim explain the Midrash on a much deeper level than the simple meaning of the words. Indeed, the Hebrew words for “simple explanation, pashut,” and “fool, tipaish” share the same letters because those that limit themselves to only understanding Torah according to its simple explanation are fools. The Torah is so

deep. The Kedushas Levi, Meor Einayim and others explain the Midrash not as a rejected initial thought and an answer but as a statement of fact. The Degel Machaneh Ephraim explains this alternate reading as follows: “’Yachol kamoni’ meaning that every person can be holy like Hashem, as it were, because the soul is a ‘piece’ of G-d above and the part can be like the whole… And how do we know this? The pasuk therefore teaches, ‘because I am Hashem. My holiness is above your holiness,’ [which should be interpreted to mean that] the reason my holiness is elevated ‘above’ is only because of your holiness. The Jewish people, through their good deeds, add strength and holiness, as it were, to the Heavenly host… ‘I am Hashem,’ meaning, that I am Hashem because I am your G-d, your G-d, the G-d of Israel…” In this remarkable comment, the Degel teaches that Hashem wants us to know that we can be holy like Him. And while this concept deserves a more robust explanation, the Degel does not stop there. He also teaches us that Hashem “derives” His holiness from our mitzvos in this world. I recommend that readers also see the Meor Einayim, who expresses this concept even more strongly. According to these tzaddikim, the Midrash is not a rhetorical question, “Do you think you could

be like Hashem?!” Rather, it teaches us an amazing thing. We can be holy like Hashem. But while we trust the words of these tzaddikim, the intellect simply does not allow us to accept that we can actually be holy like G-d. It cries out cynically, “This is impossible. How can we understand anything but the Midrash’s literal interpretation, ‘Do you think you can be holy like Me?!’” But the Rizhiner, zy”a, says that we cannot dismiss our capacity for true holiness. He quotes the pasuk in Yeshaya (4:3), “And it will be that those who remain in Zion and those who are left over in Yerushalayim shall be called ‘holy…’” The Rebbe explains that this refers to those who remain Jews at the end of time. It describes our generation. The angels call us, anyone who has managed to retain some semblance of Yiddishkeit despite everything, “holy.” Just as the tzaddikim explain the Midrash above, every person can be holy. But this truth is very difficult to internalize. The Rizhiner therefore creatively reads the Midrash above as offering some advice on how to believe in our own holiness. The literal understanding of the Midrash is: “Yachol kamoni, do you think you can be holy like Me? Talmid lomar, the pasuk therefore teaches, ki kadosh ani, because I am Hashem.” But the Rizhiner reads the Midrash as follows: “Yachol kamoni, you

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

wonder how you can be like me? Talmid lomar, teach yourself to say, ‘because I am holy, ki kadosh ani!’” We must repeat the phrase “I am holy!” to remind ourselves what we truly are because it is very easy to forget. The evil inclination whispers in our ear, “This sefer’s message doesn’t really apply to me;” “The rabbi’s drasha isn’t directed at me;” “I cannot arrive on time for davening;” “I can’t add an extra Torah learning project to my schedule;” “I can’t actually be holy.” But the Rizhiner advises us: Just say “I am holy! I am holy!” By doing this, we can counteract the voice within us that says we are limited by our physical, human nature; the voice which denies the power of the infinite Gd within each and every one of us. We can be holy. We can be good. We are the children of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov and are therefore so powerful. We have the power to say “No!” to the temptations, images, and electronic devices around us. The message that we are holy and that we may not sell ourselves short is repeated throughout the Torah: “You shall sanctify yourselves and be holy because I am holy” (Vayikra 11:44). “I am Hashem who makes you holy” (Shmos 31:13). “For you are a holy nation to Hashem your G-d” (Devarim 14:2). The key to success is to consistently remind ourselves who we are; that we are holy; that we are children of the Avos, that the prophets and tzaddikim have assured us that we are holy and therefore have the capacity to achieve greatness. In next week’s parsha, the pasuk (Vayikra 21:1) says, “Speak to the kohanim, the children of Aharon, and say to them: Do not defile yourselves to a dead person.” Rashi asks why the pasuk seems to redundantly say both “speak” and “say.” He explains that it means that “the adult kohanim should admonish the younger kohanim” regarding the mitzvos related to how they should guard their state of purity. The root word for admonish, l’hizaher, also means to illuminate, to shine a light, zohar. The mentors and older members of the generation should remind young

people (and themselves as well!) that they are shining with the light of holiness. They are holy, so they have the power to avoid impurity. Even those who think of themselves as small, similar to the younger kohanim, are really great. They actual-

joyous too, over having achieved such fortune and success. Do you think it’s possible for someone to see the King face to face and not be happy and joyful about it?... I know very well that if you were aware of the purity of heart

We must repeat the phrase “I am holy!” to remind ourselves what we truly are because it is very easy to forget.

ly have the capacity to achieve greatness and holiness. The use of both “speak” and “say” teaches us that we must keep on repeating and reviewing this great truth. We must drive it deep into our consciousness until it illuminates our very existence. This is the theme of the opening the sefer Chovas Hatalmidim by Reb Kalonymous Kalmish Shapira, zy”a, the Rebbe of Piaczezna and author of the Aish Kodesh. One can never review this message enough, which applies not only to children, but to all of us. Below are the opening paragraphs of the sefer: You, the Jewish youth, are fortunate; fortunate is your share, for you have been given the privilege of learning Torah, which is the light of Hashem, and have reached the elevated level of being one of His loved ones in whom He delights. The Heavenly angels both envy and respect you; the seraphim are amazed by you and honor you. The Heavens above and the earth below rejoice over you and even subjugate themselves to you; they ask each other: “Who is this young man? [When he learns Torah and davens,] a fire of holiness emits from his mouth! HaKadosh Baruch Hu is glorified and exults in him before His myriad angels and holy ones.” Hashem is happy with you and so you should be happy and

and mind that you possess when you learn Torah, or of the degree of Hashem’s closeness to you – that He figuratively sits across from you and learns together with you…then every fiber of

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your being would resonate and your joy would reach the depths of your soul. But because you don’t feel these things, and you regard yourself as just another child, no different than the others, you don’t find happiness in those things that you have every right to be happy about. What’s more, this lack of happiness sometimes diminishes your desire to learn Hashem’s Torah, and prevents you from being able to hear His message. We cannot afford to see ourselves as “just another guy” or “just another woman,” like any other. We must consistently remind ourselves “I am holy!” With G-d’s help, may we merit to succeed in believing in ourselves as much as Hashem believes in us.

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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APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Between the Lines

Brainwashing By Eytan Kobre

Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results. -Willie Nelson

wo Buddhist monks – an elder and his apprentice – were on a journey, when they approached a raging river. On the bank stood a young woman, unable to navigate the river without drowning. The apprentice marched straight past her and crossed the river. The elder, in contrast, picked up the woman and carried her across, placing her down on the other side. The two monks then continued on their way. But as the journey went on, the elder could see that something was troubling the apprentice. When prodded, the apprentice burst out, “How could you carry her like that? You know it is forbidden for us to touch women.” “I left the woman at the river’s edge,” the elder shot back. “Why are you still carrying her?” The notion that thoughts alone could be sinful is a strange one, especially from a contemporary Western society perspective. Society regards one’s thoughts as private and thus incapable of being wrongful. Has anyone been harmed? What is the sin? Where is the

wrong? Who is the victim? But whether they are consumed with theft or jealousy or licentiousness or hatred or pride, we regard our sinful thoughts as sinful all their own (see e.g. Meiri, Kiddushin 39b). In times of the Bais HaMikdash, one would atone for sinful “thoughts of the heart” by offering a Korban Olah (“burnt offering”) (Vayikra Rabba 7:3; Yerushalmi Yoma 8:7; Tanchuma, Tzav 13:13; Shabbos 64a [the army returning from war in Midyan offered sacrifices to atone for sinful thoughts]), and even nowadays we beg G-d’s forgiveness “for the sin that we have committed before you with sinful thoughts.” You see, we mistakenly assume that G-d sees the same chasm between thought and action that we do. Not so, explains R’ Yisroel Yaakov Lubchansky (Mashgiach of the famous Baranovitch Yeshiva). To Him, there is no difference between thought and action – thought is an action. That is what the Torah teaches in commanding us to “sanctify yourselves and you will be holy; for I am Hashem your G-d” (Vayikra 20:7). While it is obvious that one who sanctifies himself will then be holy, this refers to sanctification of thought – if we sanctify our thoughts, then all our actions will be holy and so will we be (Pele Yoetz, Kedusha; see also Zohar, Vayeitzei). Ridding ourselves of harmful thoughts might trump even halacha (in certain situations). So if the only

way to eradicate sinful thoughts in the bathroom is to contemplate Torah thoughts, it may be permitted to do so (Sefer Chassidim No. 28; Magen Avrohom 95:4; Mishna Berura 85:13). And it is better not to put on tefillin at all than to put on tefillin with sinful thoughts (Rama, Orach Chaim Aruch 38:4). And for good reason. “Sinful thought is the genesis of all sin” (Derech Eretz Zuta, Chapter 6). “Sinful thought leads to desire; desire to intent; intent to pursuit; pursuit to deed” (Kalla Rabbasi, Chapter 2; Meiri, Kiddushin 81b). Man cannot escape sinful thoughts for even one day (Bava Basra 164b). And, indeed, “thoughts of sin are worse than sin” (Yoma 29a). Why? Because “if one sins, it is generally due to circumstances resulting from his being a physical creature – that is, a person will sin due to his animal side. But thoughts are the treasure of a person that follow His ‘form’ (the image of G-d), and if a person sins with his thoughts, then he has sinned with his greatest asset...[because] the purpose of the mind is to cling to G-d, not to slip below [to the animal level]” (Rambam, Moreh Nevuchim 3:8; see also Iggeres HaKodesh of the Ramban, Chapter 5; Rabbeinu Bachaye, Devarim 29:17-18; Kad HaKemach, Taharas HaLev [it is essential to maintain a pure mind because the mind is a spiritual organ, with the power to elevate the lowly and degrade the lofty]). To sin with one’s mind is thus a greater des-

ecration than sinning with one’s body. Some even go so far as to liken the human body to the Mishkan (Tabernacle); and if the body is the Mishkan, then the mind is the Holy of Holies. Sinful thoughts are a desecration even greater than defiling the Holy of Holies, as the Mishkan was physical but the mind is spiritual (Nefesh HaChaim, Gate 1, Chapter 4; see also Pele Yoetz, Bar Leivav). R’ Elimelech of Lizhensk was once speaking ill of himself, when the Koznitcher Maggid confronted him. “You are a man of truth! How can you say such falsehoods about yourself?” “Let me offer an analogy,” replied R’ Elimelech. “If a big, heavy beam falls on a man, even on his head, it is possible that he will survive. He may be hospitalized for several weeks, but his wounds will heal. But if he is pierced by a needle, even in a minor organ, it can cause death. I am not afraid of the beam (which is the actual sin); I am afraid of the needle (sinful thoughts).” The Brisker Rav related that, although his father, R’ Chaim Soloveitchik, did not cry much by nature, there were three times when he cried. One of those times was Rosh Hashana, during the prayer describing G-d as “He who examines hearts on the day of judgement.” R’ Chaim would explain: “With his physical actions a person can be careful not to sin, but who can be so careful with his thoughts?”

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

So how can we overcome the harmful thoughts that inevitably pop into one’s head occasionally? Some suggest prayer and the recitation of specific verses (Mishna Berura 98:2) – particularly, “a pure spirit G-d created for me, and a proper spirit he renews in me” (Tehillim 51:12) or “a fire shall be kept burning upon the altar continually; it shall not go out” (Vayikra 6:6). It is said (in the name of the Shelah (R’ Yeshaya Halevi Horowitz) that repetition of the latter verse was taught to R’ Moshe Kordovero by Eliyahu HaNavi. (The Shelah explains that this is because it refers to the Korban Olah, which atones for sinful thoughts.) Others recommend specific physical exercises, such as doing handstands with one’s fingers dug into the ground (Sefer Chassidim Nos. 28 and 173). Still another solution is to exercise sheer willpower (Kad HaKemach, Taharas HaLev). A man once complained to R’ Dov Ber of Mezritch that he was unable to

clear his mind of the sinful thoughts that plagued him constantly. The Rebbe told him to visit the inn of R’ Zev of Zhitomir. It was late at night by the time the man reached R’ Zev’s village, and the inn was locked. The man knocked and knocked and knocked, but to no avail. There was no response. Now this was the height of a Ukranian winter, with bitter cold and driving snow, so the man banged on the doors again, crying out for those inside to open up for him. Still no response. “How can you people have no pity on a fellow Jew who is stranded out here in the middle of a bitter cold night?” the man roared. He had no choice but to hunker down outside the inn and hope to survive the night. When the doors swung open at daybreak, the man entered. Although he continued to stay at the inn for several days, R’ Zev said nothing to him. With each passing day, the man became increasingly frustrated. Why did the Maggid of Mezritch send me

here? This is a complete waste of time. As he prepared to depart back home, he decided to confront R’ Zev. “Our Rebbe, the Maggid, sent me to visit you on account of the sinful thoughts that I can’t seem to shake. But I don’t understand; you’ve hardly said a word to me since I’ve arrived.” “I’ll tell you why the Maggid sent you here,” replied R’ Zev. “He wanted you to learn from me that a man is the master of his domain, and whoever he does not want inside, he simply does not admit.” But perhaps the best way to rid oneself of negative thoughts is to fill the mind with good and positive ones. Indeed, “whoever puts the words of Torah on his heart [mind] is saved from thoughts of sin, thoughts of the sword, fear of tyranny, idle thoughts, thoughts of the evil inclination, thoughts of licentiousness, thoughts of evil women, thoughts of idolatry, fear of being controlled by others, and obsessive thoughts” (Tana d’Bei Eliya-

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hu Zuta, Chapter 16; see also Zohar, Vayeishev 190a [Bereishis 222]; Avos d’Rebbi Nosson, Chapter 20; Kiddushin 30b [Torah is the antidote to the Evil Inclination]). By filling one’s day with Torah study and other positive endeavors, there is simply no time and no space for sinful thoughts (Yoma 29a, Ein Yaakov citing Anaf Yosef; Sefer Chassidim Nos. 16 and 28; Rambam, Issurei Biah 22:21). And perhaps that is the reason that when the Evil Inclination plagues us, we are counseled to “draw him into the study hall” (Sukkah 52b). Because a mind filled with positivity and holiness leaves no void for negativity or impurity. (This article was written to merit the refu’ah shleima of a holy man, Avraham ben Freida.)

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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The Wandering

Jew

Balkan Journeys Part I: Slovenia By Hershel Lieber

Near the main square of Ljubljana

or the past year and a half, I have written about many of our experiences and the people we have met during our travels. Many of the exciting and moving stories were a direct or indirect result of our involvement with kiruv in Poland, Russia, and other European countries. I wrote about the challenges and hardships, as well as the successes and triumphs of the myriad of people we came across during these trips. We also expressed our gratitude to the Ribono Shel Olam for allowing us to be able to contribute to others while at the same time we have benefited so much from these encounters. To be honest, my enthusiasm for travel also serves to gratify my desire to see the world. I want to enjoy the beauty of nature and partake

In the harbor of Piran

in the excitement of foreign cities. I want to learn the history, look at the architecture, and appreciate the culture, art and music of the places we visit. Baruch Hashem, Pesi shares this desire, although I am definitely more passionate about it. Almost all the places we visited were combined with our kiruv projects. For example, after a two-week stay teaching at the Lauder Camp, we would continue on to visit other cities or countries. Most of the time, our second destination was for a week, but at times it was a lot longer. In June of 2007, Pesi and I were leading a group of thirty university students on an Aish Hatorah Jerusalem Fellowship tour of Europe. Beginning on a Sunday, and held for

four days, we were connecting and lecturing the young men and women, as we toured Jewish landmarks in Budapest, Bratislava, and Vienna. Then, on Thursday, we escorted our group to the airport for their flights to Israel. There, they would continue a program of study and touring for the next three weeks. We stayed on in Vienna for Shabbos in the Zweite Bezirk, Leopoldstadt, where most of the frum Yidden live. We stayed at the Stefanie Hotel, where they provide guests with a kosher breakfast and are cognizant about the needs of Orthodox Jews. On Friday, we still had the time to tour the famous Augarten Porzellanfabrik to watch how fine porcelain dishes are created. We were invited to the home of the parents of my daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friend,

and I davened at the Agudah shul. Our Shabbos seudah was beautiful and lasted until midnight. Shabbos morning, we went to Stadttempel, the main Orthodox synagogue, where we were inspired by the chazan and choir. Chief Rabbi Chaim Eisenberg invited us to the kiddush for an aufruf that took place at the adjoining restaurant, Alef- Alef. The affair was so lavish that all we had to do when we returned to our hotel was to wash and bentch. After a short nap, we took a walk to the magnificent Stadtpark where we met other heimishe people. The weather was warm, and the trees and flowers were dazzling. Later, I went to Ohel Moshe to daven and heard a Pirkei Avos shiur from Rav Margulies. All in all, it was a beautiful Shabbos and

The Jewish Jewish Home Home || APRIL APRIL 30, 30, 2020 2020 The

very restful. This served as a preparation for the ensuing seventeen days, which would be a whirlwind of travel and excitement. The train from Vienna to Ljubljana, Slovenia, took about six hours, and we passed the time reading, learning, talking, and snoozing. Our greatest burden turned out to be the trunk-size duffle bag which held two cartons of food for the two weeks that we would be in transit. Schlepping this bag up two flights from the train platform together with our two large suitcases was back-breaking and would have to repeated until most of the food was consumed. We were rewarded for our efforts when the modern Hotel Lev upgraded our room to a suite at no extra charge. We settled in, ate a bite, and started to explore the Old Town on foot.

was incredibly welcoming. “Mai’afeila l’orah” took on real meaning! Our day was still young. We drove to Lipica, where we visited the Lipizan Stud Farm where a special breed of white muscular horses are bred. These smaller stallions were used for warfare and are the stars of The Spanish Riding School in Vienna, where we saw them perform. While watching the horses as they pranced around the corral we marveled as we witnessed the majesty of Hashem’s creations. It was a summer’s day, and there were still many hours before nightfall. As I looked on our map, I realized that we were very close to the Italian border and the city of Trieste. The endlessly contested city was once part of the Hapsburg Empire which included Croatia and Slovenia.

I cannot do any justice in describing the beauty that met our eyes. A view of Lake Bled

Ljubljana is a relatively small city with a population under 300,000. The curving river divides the town, and along both banks are cafes and small boutiques. At the center of town are many decorative buildings ranging from medieval times to the 19 th century. There are museums, parks, and shops that kept our interest for the entire afternoon. We knew beforehand that this would not be a sufficient reason to visit Slovenia, so I had made plans to travel beyond Ljubljana for the next two days. The next morning, I rented a Mercedes, and we drove out for a very full day of sightseeing and activities. Our first stop was the Skopjan Caves, one of the largest and significant caves on Earth. The caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site of natural beauty. We took an hour walking tour, which included climbing hundreds of stairs. It was magnificent and breathtaking. As stunning as the cave’s stalagmites and stalactites were, the daylight that greeted us when we came out of the pitch dark

Italy was awarded the city in the aftermath of World War I, and after the Second World War this whole area became an independent free state. Eventually, the area was divided between Yugoslavia and Italy, with the city reverted back to Italy. There were always Jews living there, and a small kehilla still exists. We only spent an hour there walking around the center of the city, and the blocks that once were part of the Jewish ghetto. The ghetto was abolished in 1784 but Jews continued to live in that area. The weather was extremely hot, so after downing a cold beer at the Taverna del Ghetto, we continued our journey back to Slovenia. Next stop was Piran. Although Piran is mainly a resort town on the Adriatic Sea, we found a number of things that we were interested in seeing. The architecture is mainly Venetian with Austro-Hungarian influences. The walls are a remnant of the years that Piran was under Ottoman siege. The seaside cobbled

Triglav National Park

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streets, the harbors teeming with boats and tourists, the town square, and the colorful outdoor market all contributed to a most pleasant way to end off this beautiful day. The next day was the 17 th of Tammuz. I said Selichos, and we davened early as we began our fast. Though the events of this historically sad day were in our minds, we did continue our planned itinerary. When we left Ljubljana, it was drizzling, but when we arrived at Lake Bled, the sun came out in its full glory. I cannot do any justice in describing the beauty that met our eyes. The sparkling deep blue waters surrounded by forests and cliffs were stunning. We took a small boat to the small island in the center of the lake where we met some Israeli tourists. We were disheartened to hear that they climbed up the church tower to ring the bell as an omen for good luck. Sadly, they had no idea that the day was the 17 th of Tammuz and what this means for Jewish people. We returned from the island and started our thirty-minute trek up a cliff towards the castle. The views especially on the way down were spectacular. From Lake Bled we continued on the Gorge Vintgar in the Triglav National Park. Striding along the wooden walkways on the side of the gorge gave us a new insight to the word “gorgeous.” The rocks and the trees were a backdrop to the rushing waters along the paths. The occasional

Our view as we entered Piran

Lipica horses

cascading waterfalls highlighted our appreciation of maasei Bereishis. Our round-trip walk covered over two miles of Hashem’s wonders. We fared well considering that we were fasting, but I developed an ingrown toenail that started to give me a lot of pain. We drove back to Ljubljana, and I was advised at our hotel to go to the emergency room at the hospital. The doctor put on a dressing and gave me an antibiotic but did do any procedure to remove the nail. Unfortunately, the pain continued. Later, we went to the market for some vegetables and broke our fast. A good night’s sleep was in order to replenish our energy after a tiresome

Stopping for a beer in the Ghetto of Trieste

but exhilarating day. The next morning, after returning the car, we toured the Castle on the Cliff in middle of the city. We climbed up the steep stairways and

paths in the light rain and enjoed a panoramic view of the Slovenian capital. Our next stop would be the Central Station to board a train to Zagreb, Croatia.

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.

Exiting the Skopjan Caves

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020 OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Israel Today

Praying to be Heard By Rafi Sackville

abbis Kleinman and Peled – one lives on the street below me, the other above me. They are, both of them, imposing, barrel-chested gentlemen, whose voices are so intense, so strong and carrying, that standing close to them during Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur when they assume the position of head chazanim in our shul can be a shuddering experience. On one occasion I came too close to Rabbi Kleinman. His bellows sent a shockwave through me so visceral that I was forced to find another seat in the shul. Both are teachers. Both command presence. Neither does anything by half measure. Oh, COVID-19! Who can recall the last time they sat in a packed shul, let alone on a Shabbat? To me, it’s a slither of a memory past. I think more about how we’re going to assemble in our shuls once this is all over. Do I really want to be within close proximity to so many people? Do I need to be buffered in tightly between Noam and Shaul and their multitude of hovering small children? I think not. But that’s a matter for another day, because I can’t quite get Rabbis Kleinman and Peled out of my head. In explaining why, allow me to paint a picture of where we live. The name Maalot can be roughly translated a number of ways. It could mean steep or hilly. It could mean steps. The point is that there are many physical ups and downs in the city. The street in which we live is flanked by a road below us (almost 10 yards lower), while the road above us is another 10 yards above us.

When we went into lockdown, a minyan started up right outside my front door. The attached photo above was taken from our garage. This lasted a week and a half when the government imposed restrictions on minyanim like these. It’s the same country Bibi was touting as the world leader in the fight against COVID-19, which sounded a trifle suspicious, particularly when taking into account the deplorable situation in many highly concentrated neighborhoods as well as in old age homes. That’s one advantage of living so far from the center of universe; there are only a few people per square mile. Despite being unable to wander far from our homes, I can stand at the back fence or on my porch to purchase a view over the street below where Rav Shmuel lives. Or, should I care to, I might wander outside my front door and cross into the empty lot opposite us from where I can see Rav Uri’s house. Either way, I had the benefit of being able to continue davening with a minyan. With each participant standing outside (or inside) his property, the two rabbis continued to hold minyanim. Rav Shmuel would take each aliyah himself and make the brachot before and after each. On Shabbat, he wouldn’t read the maftir portion of the parsha twice because he was taking both aliyot. Furthermore, we didn’t say the prayer upon returning the Sefer Torah (inside his house) until after the prayers were over. The Torah sat on a table outside his front gate. Most pertinent was his pause

every time a bus or car drove by. Before the first of these minyanim, I told my daughter about the strength of the two rabbis’ voices. She was skeptical. Upon hearing them, however, her eyes opened wide as if to say, Abba, you weren’t exaggerating at all. Those in the street below us couldn’t join those in the street above us. Those above couldn’t join those below, which was okay unless you were like me, caught on the street between, because it became quickly apparent that from my vantage point concentrating on either minyan would be a challenge due to the tremendous decibel range of each of my neighbors. There are many neighborhoods within Ma’alot that cannot afford such options. In such places, people daven at home. There were, unfortunately, a few incidents that put an end to many of the street minyanim. At Rav Uri’s minyan, a gentleman from a neighboring Yishuv would join every day. This was unacceptable to those confined inside their fences. The police were called, and the gentleman was asked not to return upon the threat of a hefty fine. In other neighborhoods, fights broke out when participants couldn’t decide how to run the service correctly. All of our services have been in the presence of our shul’s rabbi, Rav Yosef Yagoda. As the Av Beit Din of Haifa, he is a halachic authority, which means that nobody questions his deliberations regarding the running of services. This wasn’t the case in other parts of towns, and the chief

rabbi of Ma’alot issued a ruling that in such places, no minyanim were to be held at all. I found the situation risible, but understandable. As a well-worn gabbai for four of the past five years, I am only too well aware of meddling parishioners, each of whom has his own idea of how a shul should be run. An acquaintance once asked me what I considered the greatest task of a gabbai. I replied, “Complaints! That’s my department.” Now that the restrictions have been loosened to the level they were prior to Pesach, we are back davening right outside my front door. And yet, Rav Shmuel and those that live on the street below have decided to maintain their minyan. As it begins at the same time as ours, the decibel battles continue apace. A penultimate observation: everyone has become more acutely aware of the different species of birds flying around our rooftops – marauding ravens expertly utilizing their predatory nature to advantage; the swallows who circle endlessly collecting dirt with which to build their mud nests; the Myna birds who mimic anything they hear, and the sparrows and warblers who make up the dull mundanity of the birds in our neighborhood. And one more thing. The weather is delightful. Perfect for the birds. Perfect for singing. Perfect for belting out prayers across the steps of Maalot.

Rafi Sackville, formerly of Cedarhurst, teaches in Ort Maalot in Western Galil.

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A FORCED MARRIAGE BY SUSAN SCHWAMM

t seemed inevitable – at the very least, most Israelis hoped that it would come to fruition. After three rounds of elections in the past year, Israelis were hopeful that politicians could iron out a deal that would produce a stable government and prevent Israelis from heading to the polls once again. Fortunately for them, it was a case of third time’s a charm. This week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz signed an agreement for an “emergency unity government,” inked just before Yom Hazikaron. But looking at a photo of the groundbreaking signing, no one looks particularly happy. Perhaps it’s from the fatigue of 17 months of wrangling; maybe it came from the exhaustion of the back-and-forth maneuverings and backstage finagling that goes on in political circles. Israelis don’t care. They’re just relieved that they won’t have to go through another round of elections.

ay’s elections resulted in Netanyahu garnering 58 seats; Gantz’s anti-Netanyahu conglomerate won 62 seats in the election. Gantz attempted to cobble together a government but soon realized that he would be falling short. When considering joining with the Arab Joint List, Gantz was hit with horror and deep dissatisfaction within his party and throughout Israel. The pandemic also hampered his attempts to put together a government. With much of the country going into lockdown, Gantz acknowledged that the country needed to remain united. “I am at peace because I did what my nation needs,” Gantz said in a Facebook post. “These are unusual times. Israel is in a state of emergency. Hundreds of thousands of families are hunkering down in their homes… This is the time for leaders to choose what is right and put the lingering issues and personal scores aside,” he said.

t’s uncertain how long Israel’s 35th government will last as it’s founded on a deep mistrust between two sides that have been pitted against each other for a while. Pushed into an agreement due to the coronavirus pandemic ravaging the country, the two leaders sought to push aside their intrinsic differences to come to the table and establish a united front. Despite the show of harmony, though, their innate divisions are simmering just below the surface. The agreement in its make-up is symbolic of that wariness. According to the agreement, the new government will lead together for 36 months. Netanyahu will lead the government for the first half; Gantz will take over the reins for the next 18 months. Those three years are divided into two parts: a six-month “emergency period” and a longer “unity period” to follow. The emergency period will allow legislation to be advanced that pertains to either the coronavirus crisis

or to legislation that are approved by both men – nothing else. Although it is set to exist for six months, the “emergency” state can be extended in three month increments as long as both sides agree. Additionally, each side has veto power on legislative initiatives, although Netanyahu will be free to work on annexation of parts of the West Bank on his own until July 1. The unified government is now made up of two blocs, as defined by Article 2 of the agreement: the Likud bloc, led by Netanyahu, and the Blue and White bloc, led by Gantz. Each leader is granted enormous power within his bloc. For example, each can fire a minister from his bloc – a power usually reserved for the prime minister alone. And neither – even if they happen to be a prime minister – can fire a minister from the other’s bloc. In normal times, a prime minister would need to approve moving legal power from the hands of one ministry to another. But not in this

TheThe Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2020 2015 Jewish Home | APRIL 30,

For the state as whole, the country will be seeing two ideologically-opposed forces leading policy. The new finance minister will be coming from Likud, which is economically liberal. The economy minister, Labor’s Amir Peretz, comes from an opposing side. After the country opens up businesses in the upcoming weeks, it will become apparent that there are two opposing sides working towards opening up the economy.

“unified” government. The head of that relevant bloc would be needed to approve the move or to move an agency from one ministry to another. Think of it as if each bloc has its own kingdom and that each “king” rules his own castle. Lest one side would wield more power than the other, the most powerful committees of the government (think the security cabinet or the ministerial legislation committee) are divided between the blocs with each side holding an equal number of members.

f things are divided so equally, was there any clear winner to this merger? Well, in agreeing to this partnership, the Likud was granted a tacit agreement for annexation of some portions of the West Bank – a tremendous achievement for the right. On the left, the Blue and White party managed to successfully wrench key ministries from Likud: justice, communications, and culture. Additionally, Yuli Edelstein – who was the former speaker of the Knesset and defied a High Court order to convene a plenum vote on his successor, saving Netanyahu’s skin – won’t be returning to his former position. The left also came out on top at the Judicial Appointments Committee. In the committee, MK Zvi Hauser, whose party is allied with Gantz, was selected as a compromise deciding vote. The committee is expected to appoint six Supreme Court justices in the near future. Hauser was a Netanyahu cabinet secretary at one point and is conservative on most issues, although he is thought to be moderate-leaning with judicial appointments.

n agreement is only an agreement if both sides can be held accountable. Granted, Netanyahu and Gantz have shaken hands, but both are deeply mistrustful of the other’s intentions at upholding the arrangement. To force Netanyahu to keep to his promises, Gantz was guaran-

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Netanyahu and Gantz in the Knesset in November

teed that if Netanyahu pushes a vote through the Knesset to dissolve the parliament and call early elections before Gantz has fulfilled his term as prime minister, then Gantz is automatically the interim prime minister in the months until a new government is sworn in. In other words, Netanyahu would have to vacate the premier’s chair after 18 months no matter what. Netanyahu, meanwhile, won the right to resign early from the premiership, let Gantz have his 18 months, and then return to complete his term – allowing him to enter the next election as prime minister once again. Additionally, Gantz is required to resign along with Netanyahu if Netanyahu is ruled unfit to serve as prime minister by the High Court of Justice in the first six months of the coalition’s lifespan — a measure Netanyahu, with a cloud of allegations hovering over him, believes will make the justices of the High Court think twice about removing him.

ike two parents who have two very different views on raising a family, Israel’s 35 th government suffers from disparate views and values. It’s certain that the country will feel the tug of both sides in the next few months. Take, for example, the issue of West Bank settlements. Seeking to grow and develop, those in the West

Bank will be able to count on the right-wing-led ministries of transportation or housing. But when it comes to agriculture and economy, which are held by Gantz’s parties, they’ll be looking at less sympathetic faces.

srael’s 35 th government has been billed as a “unity government.” For now, both sides have put aside their fundamental differences for the good of the country. But will this kind of relationship – cobbled together and built hastily on mistrust – be able to thrive? It’s highly doubtful but the Holy Land has been built on miracles and more miraculous events have occurred in the morethan-seven decades of its existence. Time, of course, will tell.

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Remembering the Novominsker rebbe

Rav Yaakov Perlow, zt ”l Father to Many; Leader to all By Susan Schwamm

t was just a few hours before Kol Nidrei decades ago. The seudah was already eaten; the dishes were put away. Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz walked into her parents’ home to wish them a gut yom tov. Sitting at the table were her parents, the Novominsker Rebbe, and his rebbetzin, Rebbetzin Yehudis, along with another person. The center of their attention, the person they were chatting with, was the developmentally disabled adult son of one of their friends from years ago. Their open hearts sensed he needed chizuk or maybe just a listening ear, and despite the minutes counting down to the Yom Hadin, they gave him the attention he desired. This, Rebbetzin Horowitz says, was not an anomaly. Their door was never locked – people knocked at all hours of day or night. There were no appointments and no blackout times; if you were a member of Klal Yisroel you knew that the Novominsker Rebbe and his rebbetzin cared for you. Their home became a haven for many. Whether it was a person whose child hadn’t gotten into a school, an administrator raising funds for a school for Russian immigrants, or a couple seeking advice for their children, they turned to the Novominsker Rebbe for guidance. It wasn’t just advice he dispensed. He gave with his full heart, offering counseling and assistance. He would personally call principals to ask for acceptance into schools on one’s behalf. He would travel with others to help them raise funds for their causes. He would advocate for special needs children. He would cry with those whose hearts were broken, his own heart squeezed by their pain.

Building on His Heritage

The Novominsker Rebbe, Rav Yaakov Perlow, zt”l, was born in 1930 to parents who immigrated from Europe in the late 1920s. He was the middle of three boys (his sister died of typhus in Europe), and the first to be born on American soil. Despite his birth certif-

icate attesting to his American citizenship, he was raised with a consciousness of the Torah and the traditions of his forebears. His maternal grandfather, whom he never met, the Sokolover Rebbe, Rabbi Yitzchok Zelig Morgenstern, zt”l, was a founding leader of world Agudas Yisroel and encouraged the settlement of Eretz Yisroel in the ‘20s and ‘30s. Reb Yaakov’s father, Rav Nochum Mordechai, who was the Novominsker Rebbe before Rav Yaakov took over the mantle, was an Agudah leader and involved in Torah institutions. Rav Nochum Mordechai joined in the famous March on Washington during World War II and was prominent in Chinuch Atzmai and Yeshiva Toras Chaim, the local yeshiva founded by Rabbi Yitzchak Shmidman in East New York which the young Rav Yaakov attended. Many future prominent Torah leaders attended Toras Chaim elementary school. Rabbi Shmidman was a talmid chacham who worked hard to instill Yiddishkeit and strong Torah skills in his talmidim. The Novominsker Rebbe would credit his exactitude in dikduk along with some of his Tanach skills to the curriculum taught in Toras Chaim. From there, before his bar mitzvah, he attended Yeshivas Chaim Berlin under Rav Yitzchak Hutner, zt”l. The young Reb Yaakov was younger than many of his peers at Chaim Berlin – among them, Reb Shlomo Freifeld, Rav Yaakov Weinberg, and, ybl”ch, Rav Dovid Cohen, Rav Feivel Cohen, Rav Yonason David, and Rav Aharon Schechter. Rav Hutner shaped his talmidim and instilled in many of them a strong sense of mission. The beloved rebbe-talmid relationship between Rav Hutner and the Novominsker Rebbe continued for many years. He learned the approach of the Maharal from Rav Hutner. Many of the maamarim of Pachad Yitzchak were based on the Novominsker Rebbe’s kesavim, and many of his published letters were written to Reb Yaakov. In fact, Rav Hutner pushed the Novominsker Rebbe to take on the title of Rebbe after his father had passed on.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

At the Agudah Convention in 1982

Learning during the summer

Greeting talmidim

An Activist Mevakesh

Heights, but as the family grew, they headed to Chicago, where Rav Yaakov held a position as maggid shiur in the Skokie Yeshiva, which he held for eight years. Living in Chicago offered a wholesome, rich upbringing for the Perlow family. The Rebbetzin’s

Telshe Yeshiva leadership, he helped to found initiatives that helped strengthen Torah Jewry in Chicago. The Rebbe was yosheiv rosh Vaad Hachinuch of the day school; the rebbetzin was involved in the PTA and taught there for years. In the Skokie Yeshiva, the Rebbe

The Novominsker Rebbe came from an illustrious line of rebbes but he sought and desired to learn and imbibe the Torah approach and hashkafa of those from other sects of Yiddishkeit. Even from a young age, he would seek out those who came from Europe to learn about the yeshivas and kehillas of yesteryear. When the shearis ha’plaita came from Europe – he never used the word survivors – the Rebbe looked to hear and learn from them. He wanted to hear about the atmosphere that existed in small shteiblach in Poland, along with the spirit felt in big Chassidic courts and in yeshivas in Radin and Grodno, Kovno and Slabodka. He was an activist mevakesh, yearning to learn Torah, to learn about the avodah, and to draw closer to the Ribono Shel Olam. His desire to learn about different perspectives of Yiddishkeit served him well in later years as he became an advocate for those from every stripe of Judaism.

The Early Years

Reb Yaakov married his rebbetzin, Yehudis, nee Eichenstein, in 1956, and the young couple settled in Crown Heights where he was a member of Kollel Gur Aryeh. Their home was open even back then, filled with chavrusas, bochurim, young families, and others who needed a warm meal and a listening ear. Reb Yaakov eventually taught in Breuers Mesivta in Washington

Klal Yisroel’s needs as a whole were always part of his consciousness and drove him no matter what role he was in.

family hailed from Chicago, and her parents lived just blocks away from the Perlows in a multi-generational home with a shul downstairs. The Eichenstein home was a magnet for many – even those who weren’t frum would join them for Friday night seudos. Their home was an open home, and everyone was welcomed like family, often leaving with homemade goodies. While there, the Rebbe became involved in the frum community in Chicago and founded Pirchei and Bnos there. Together with the

created a chabura called the EMES chabura, which stood for Igud Masmidei Torah. This special group of talmidim would come to the house on Rosh Chodesh and would sing and fahrbreng with their rebbe. For one of their initiatives, they made sure that, during Shaloshes Yimei Hagbalah, between all of the talmidim in the chabura, there was always someone learning for every minute for the entire three days before Matan Torah. The talmidim in the esteemed group were encouraged to stay and

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learn in yeshiva before going off to college. In fact, many of them ended up in Eretz Yisroel before getting married and became roshei yeshiva and Torah leaders because of the Rebbe’s influence. The Rebbe instilled within them a desire to become better people; he taught them how to learn; he encouraged them to increase their avodah; he urged them to become baalei achrayus. These she’ifos were not just taught and modeled by the Rebbe to his talmidim in Chicago. Throughout all his years, the Rebbe implanted these values into all of his talmidim in the different yeshivas in which he taught. The bonds he forged w ith his talmidim were strong – and long-lasting. His talmidim from Chicago remained close with the Rebbe decades later, calling him, listening to his shiurim, reaching out to him in times of need. While in Chicago, it became evident to the Perlow family that their son, Yitzchok, was profoundly disabled. The family visited neurologists and pursued therapies for Yitzchok but no progress was made. Despite the challenge, the Rebbe would note that the family grew from this hardship. Later in life, the Rebbe and Rebbetzin would become vocal advocates for special needs individuals, drawing on the family’s experiences with Yitzchok. The Rebbetzin served as president of Makor Disability Services (previously known as Women’s League Community Residences) for decades, and the Rebbe made himself

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With his talmidim

available at all times for questions of minor and major import.

Leading the Breuers Community

After spending time in Chicago, the Rebbe was invited by Rav Yosef Breuer, zt”l, and Rav Shimon Schwab, zt”l, to become rosh yeshiva of the Breuers bais medrash in Washington Heights and to be the rav of the Bais Yosef minyan there. It was also time for the family to move back to New York, as the Rebbe and Rebbetzin felt it would be beneficial for their children’s chinuch. The chinuch of their children swayed many of the Rebbe and Rebbetzin’s decisions. In fact, every summer, the family would pack their car and drive to Prager’s bungalow colony in the Catskills – even when they were living in Chicago and it would mean hundreds of miles in a small car. The Perlows wanted their children to be imbued with the warmth and authenticity of the Torah Jews who summered there. While there, the Rebbe wouldn’t take a rebbi job, like many of his peers did. Instead, he concentrated on his learning. He would sit near the bungalow, learning all day undisturbed. Moving back to New York presented a change for the family, but one thing didn’t change: their home continued to be an open home – talmidim, seminary girls, medical students, and baalei teshuva spent their Shabbos meals around the Perlow table. Despite the open home, melava malka meals were reserved for the family. Sitting around the table, the Rebbe would regale his chil-

dren with stories of rabbanim and Torah greats of yesteryear. They heard about Rav Yisroel Salanter and the Chofetz Chaim and the Imrei Emes; he lived with the giants of the past and brought them to life in front of his family’s eyes. In this same vein, the Rebbe and Rebbetzin would track down hard-to-find Jewish books for their children so they could read and learn more about Torah luminaries of yesteryear and their legacy. The Rebbe had tremendous respect for the Breuers’ mesorah and held a deep appreciation for the transplanted Frankfurt kehilla and its rabbanim. He gave ten shiurim a week and often spoke three times on a Shabbos and was very involved in neighborhood preservation and the many Breuers Torah institutions. While there, he also became more involved in work on behalf of Klal Yisroel with Agudah, Torah Umesorah, and other nascent community organizations. The Rebbetzin went to school and became a therapist, which was in line with her desire to help people and her deep concern for others.

Accepting the Mantle

In 1975, the Rebbe’s father, Rav Nochum Mordechai, who was the Novominsker Rebbe at the time, passed away. He had been living in Boro Park and had a small shteeble there. After his petira, Rav Hutner pushed the Rebbe to accept the title of the Novominsker Rebbe. The Perlow family would come to Brooklyn from Washington Heights every Shabbos to perpetuate the Novominsk tradition and keep it alive. Eventually, the family uproot-

ed itself and moved to Brooklyn, a sacrifice at the time because the Rebbe left his station in Washington Heights without a new position on the horizon. Soon, though, a mispallel in Novominsk, along with his friends, approached the Rebbe to open a high school for their sons. And thus began Yeshivas Novominsk, located in a building on 47 Street and 16 Avenue. The Perlows at first lived in the same building as the yeshiva. The Rebbetzin was extremely involved, cooking breakfast and lunch for the boys. She would monitor who needed a kind word or more time with his family; who had friends and who didn’t; who was more successful in their English studies – she was their “mother” in the yeshiva. During this time, the Rebbe was extremely busy with different causes, advocating on behalf of Russian Jewry, children who were not accepted into high schools, Torah-based Holocaust education, the establishment of a Tisha B’Av kinnah commemorating Churban Europa, the developing Torah press, and Torah institutions in Eretz Yisroel to meet the needs of new immigrant populations. After serving on the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah in Agudas Yisroel, in 1998, after the petira of Reb Moshe Sherer, zt”l, the Novominsker Rebbe was named rosh Agudas Yisroel. Indeed, he was an Agudah activist since he was a young man. In this new role, the Rebbe was able to channel his extreme love and concern for Klal Yisroel as an entity for which he always felt tremendous responsibility. He had a very highly developed commitment to Klal Yisroel as a whole, not just yichidim.

His son-in-law was once approached by a man who was incredulous that the Rebbe would care about a day school student in Minnesota. But that defined the Rebbe. Klal Yisroel’s needs as a whole were always part of his consciousness and drove him no matter what role he was in and no matter what part of the community he was advocating for. He saw the Agudah as the shaliach tzibbur of Klal Yisroel, often saying that it’s a “heilegeh zach” in its role in preserving and uplifting Yiddishkeit. He noted that it was a station where all streams of Klal Yisroel could come together to work to serve Hashem as one unit. The Rebbe carried Klal Yisroel; he carried communities. He was not afraid to be vocal about issues he felt were important to the klal. Recently, he drew the line against Open Orthodoxy, protecting the mesorah we hold dear. Every decision made by the Rebbe came after deliberate assessment of what was needed followed by a careful expression about in which direction the community needed to be headed. He weighed the different sides to every issue and gave responses with clarity. He felt an extreme sense of responsibility to both the yachid and the klal.

Hasmadah and History

There are a few characteristics that defined the Novominsker Rebbe and helped to make him a successful and caring advocate for his brothers and sisters. First and foremost, the Rebbe believed that it all comes from Torah, beginning with hasmadah and

Jewish Home | APRIL 30, TheThe Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2020 2015

With Rav Dovid Cohen

With Rav Steinman

With Rav Yonasan David

With Rav Elyashiv

a total immersion in the holy books of the Torah. Indeed, he would begin his day learning at 3 a.m. because he knew he could then learn undisturbed. Self-discipline and hasmadah were cornerstones of his Torah study. His sense of history was clear, and he made many of his decisions based upon the backdrop of Jewish history and the changes in contemporary Jewish history. The Rebbe was always conscious of the brachos that Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave us in the reestablishment of Torah Yiddishkeit in America. A mere 75 years ago, Torah Jewry stumbled onto the shores of America, shattered from millions of losses. Mere decades later, Yiddishkeit in America is flourishing. The Rebbe was always appreciative of the goodness in Hashem allowing for that to happen.

The Rebbe was also cognizant of the past and was aware of how the present is constantly changing – and how Yiddishkeit has to adjust to those changes. For instance, in the ‘90s, he noticed how the passion for Yiddishkeit seemed to be waning. As such, he was an advocate for incorporating “G-d talk” into our speech when parenting and teaching, encouraging adding in “im yirtzeh Hashem” or “baruch Hashem” into our vernacular. In recent years, when it came to technology, many people despaired about the challenges presented to Torah Jewry. But the Novominsker Rebbe understood that there are always going to be challenges in every generation. He would say, “Yidden are resourceful. We have to ‘figure it out,’ and Hashem will have rachmanus on us.” He pointed out how shemiras Shabbos when he

was growing up was a big issue for Torah-true Yidden. But Jews tried their best to keep Shabbos, and soon thereafter a five-day work week was instituted in the United States and Jews moved into different professions, making shemiras Shabbos less of a challenge. Challenges present themselves throughout the generations; we have to find ways to meet them head-on.

A Father Figure

Most people were aware of the Rebbe’s care and concern for each Jew. He empathized; he cried with his brothers and sisters. His tears and pain for a Jew’s sorrow were genuine regardless of the community from which the individual originated. But it wasn’t just tears he shed for them. The Rebbe davened for them and raised money for them. In fact,

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that was the last act he did before his petira. When he received a phone call from someone late at night asking for money for Pesach needs, the Rebbe summoned his strength, sat down at his desk, and wrote out a check for the individual. Mere hours later, he was niftar. Eretz Yisroel was very dear to him, and the Rebbe raised tremendous amounts of money for institutions in Eretz Yisroel. After Rebbetzin Yehudis passed away, the Rebbe established a fund for American Israelis who are experiencing financial stress in Eretz Yisroel. His sense of responsibility for assuaging a Yid’s pain compelled him to become involved in organizations and schools for kids at risk, baalei teshuva here and in Eretz Yisroel, and children with learning issues. When the need for Ptach became evident decades ago, the Rebbe told

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Giving a bracha to his grandson at his wedding

them that he would speak for them and talk about Yitzchok, his son with special needs. His sincere compassion for his fellow Jew manifested itself in the hachnosas orchim that the Rebbe and his rebbetzin were so famous for. When the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin moved with their family to Boro Park from Washington Heights, three single men made the move with them, not wanting to separate from the Perlows. These three men lived in apartments in the same building as the Perlow family and continued to be part of the family. Years later, when the Rebbe moved to a new building, one man, who remained single, moved with the Rebbe, who had built the man an apartment in the new building. The man continued to join the Rebbe at his Shabbos seudos and sedarim; the Rebbe would send cleaning help once a week to make sure the gentleman had a clean apartment. He took care of him. The Rebbe had become his father. The Rebbe and his rebbetzin worked hand-in-hand in offering succor to those in need. At times, someone would come to the Rebbe with a problem and, after listening to the person’s plight, the Rebbe would understand that the individual would best be served by a therapist. He would then bring the person to the next room, where his wife, a social worker, would be seeing clients. And at times, the Rebbetzin would be meeting with a client,

Sharing in a simcha

and it would become evident that the problem the person was having would be best resolved by the Rebbe. Together, the Rebbe and Rebbetzin helped to tend to the broken souls who came to their door. Thinking of others was intrinsic to the Rebbe and Rebbetzin. On Purim, during different years, the Rebbe would send the Rebbetzin

Rebbetzin Horowitz recalls that she knew to always allow for extra time when inviting her mother along on an outing with the kids as inevitably an individual would call her mother with a crisis that needed tending to. In fact, one erev Pesach, while in the midst of cooking for the eight-day yom tov, the Rebbetzin heard of a woman who was admitted

“Be menachem me,” the caller begged. “I need comfort. I lost my therapist; I lost my father.”

to visit recently widowed women to make sure their yom tov was leibedik. During one seder, the Rebbetzin went out to ensure that a fatherless family was enjoying a festive yom tov. They would invite lonely individuals to their sedarim and Shabbos table – the Israeli super from their building with his family, those without families, and those from dysfunctional homes.

to the psych ward the night before. And so, on erev Pesach, the Rebbetzin and her daughter drove to the hospital to deliver matzos to the woman. The Rebbe and his Rebbetzin were accessible to all. They didn’t have office hours or a gabbai. Their door was always open, and their phone was never taken off the hook. They felt a responsibility to both the klal and the yachid and never

desired to make things easier for themselves if it would be matriach their fellow Jews. People sensed their sincere love for each Jew, their authenticity. Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz recalls that, after her father was niftar, someone called her and blurted out over the phone, “Be menachem me,” the caller begged. “I need comfort. I lost my therapist; I lost my father,” she cried. He became a father figure to so many people. When it came to his talmidim, the relationships the Rebbe and his talmidim forged were ever-lasting. The Rebbe’s talmidim felt his warmth and his love; they felt his encouragement and spirit in spurring them on to reach greater heights. In Yeshivas Novominsk, he talked about exerting oneself to become a yarei Shamayim and a better oved Hashem. He modeled the she’ifos to become a better person and exhorted them to be emesdike Yidden. The Rebbe would tell his boys to do the emes because it’s emes – not because it would make a kiddush Hashem. He taught them to be ehrlech, not to cut corners – not in Yiddishkeit and not in life. His clarity of thought and articulation of key priorities in contemporary Torah education made him a preeminent educator. That clarity served him well in his public life as an advocate and spokesman for American Jewry.

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020 OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Dating Dialogue

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

Dear Navidaters, I have been dating an amazing girl for the past few months – she’s incredible and I definitely see things leading to engagement. We’d been on a roll the past few months but the current state of the world has put our in-person relationship on hold. I would say, if things were BC (Before Corona) we would have gotten engaged after another three or four weeks. Now it seems like things are up in the air and stagnant. Obviously we talk and video-chat – but we haven’t met each other’s parents nor do we live close to one another. As it is, we are dating long distance. Even if we wanted to see each other with social distancing, the travel restrictions have been prohibitive. What can we do in this very unique and crazy situation? Thanks, Avi

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 | OCTOBER 29, 2015

APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home

The Panel The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S. our final question is most telling. The lesson of coronavirus is that we can’t do everything we want to do. Medicine, technology, and communication are so highly developed but we are indoors throughout the civilized world because of a tiny organism. G-d forced us indoors in a spectacular way. What can you do? Not very much. Continue to talk, video chat, meet each other’s parents remotely, and keep the human connection (don’t text). Think of this as a challenge that will deepen your relationship. Navigating tough times together is very telling. Learning how you respond to each other’s need for support can be very revealing. Does she “get” what you need during these tough times when you can’t be together? Is she furnishing what you need? Do you understand her needs? Are you responding to them? For some people, it’s “solutionizing.” For some people, it’s expressing fantasy – I wish I could make this better. Some people need empathy. Some people need to vent. For others, it’s thoughtful, multiple, direct reminders of connection. Using this time fruitfully will be a big bonus to your future relationship as you learn how to give each other the support that each of you needs. Grow your relationship now, and you will find that the negative will become a positive.

The Shadchan Michelle Mond would not recommend coronavirus getting in the way of your relationship. Like in all areas in life, when issues come up, find a way to work through them. This will be a great opportunity to see how the girl you are seeing handles stress.

You will also be able to see how things progress when things do not go exactly as she may have planned. When engagements go sour, it is generally because the couple had not given each other a chance to show their true colors before they said “I do.” Pressure was on to make a decision, and a yes was given. Perhaps in those cases there were a lot of nuances that had not yet been expressed, and unfortunately these issues come out during the stress of wedding planning. You were given an official “yellow light” – proceed with caution. Use this as an opportunity to get to know each other very well. Speak often, and if your rav agrees, find a way to go out and stay six feet apart. You can both drive separately to a state park between the two of you; you can even bring your own chairs. If you feel that you are both happily ready to proceed, your families can have a phone conference and zoom meetings to get to know each other. When you’re ready, you will find a way to get engaged despite all that’s going on in the world. It is certainly still possible. Hatzlacha. Looking forward to hearing good news!

The Zaidy Dr. Jeffrey Galler t will be interesting to see if “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” And, it will be interesting for you to observe how your girlfriend reacts to stress and how she and her family deal with pressure. Previous Navidater columns have suggested creative virtual dating ideas. You can simultaneously log onto sites that offer virtual tours of world-class museums, famous tourist destinations, and major world cities, or you can both listen to online lectures, shiurim, or “Ted Talks” together. In order to keep the romantic flame alive, and demonstrate your

commitment and affection, how about sending a Pesach gift to her and her family? You can then follow up with a family Zoom chat. Or how about sending a good-old-fashioned note and flowers? On a side note, and putting things in a more positive light, a COVID-19 engagement party or wedding is a lot less expensive when only 10 or more guests are invited!

The Single Rena Friedman vi, making it to the point in a relationship where you were going to get engaged and then find yourself at a forced standstill is frustrating, upsetting, and simply

Every relationship has its challenges.

annoying. You’re so close, yet so far at the same time. Now you have this point of pressure and tension in a relationship that would have otherwise sailed rather smoothly. I am sorry to hear that you find yourself in this position. Let’s take a moment to thank Hashem for introducing you to a girl with whom you see real potential. You are still dating her and most likely will propose to her when

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

this all passes. That is a really big deal. Many long for that and are still waiting. While this does not negate the feelings you have towards this unique and crazy situation, it is important to show some hakaras hatov. Every relationship has its challenges. We do not get to pick when or in what form those challenges come, but oh, do they come. You are being dealt a specific challenge in your relationship during a stage when most people are not facing challenges of

this caliber. You cannot move forward in the relationship, and you most certainly want to avoid moving backwards. How do you handle this? What can you do? Continue video chatting and speaking on the phone. Keep virtually dating each other whether that be virtual coffee, Chopped competitions, or paint by number. Go outside and describe your surroundings to each other.

Pulling It All Together

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

Read the same articles or books and discuss them. You mentioned that you are already dating long distance, so you both know the virtual drill. The only thing you can do now is sit tight, daven to Hashem, and keep the relationship going. These are the stories you are going to tell your children and the foundation of strength, resilience, and perseverance that you will build the rest of your relationship upon. Most importantly, take this time to think about you r relat ion sh ip with Hashem. If we have learned anything from corona, it is that Hashem runs the world and that we

Navigating tough times together is very telling.

have absolutely no control. Daven to Him and ask Him to help you with this relationship. If Hashem could have microscopic bacteria literally shut down the entire world and crash the economy, then I am fairly confident that He is involved in and will most definitely guide you through this. When this all passes, I am excited for you to dance at your wedding.

The Navidaters Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

ear Avi, The coronavirus has really presented awful challenges to singles. And can we just validate for a moment how much this stinks?! There...I said it. It stinks! And I’m sorry. My heart goes out to you and all single people whose dating has been either put on hold, completely derailed, or “stagnant,” as you’ve described your relationship. Avi, I don’t know anything about your relationship so I’m simply going to surmise why this may have happened based on what I know about human nature. The world is in crisis. There is sickness, death, and fear of both the known and the unknown – the unknown being “Can I get it?” and “When is this ending?” While some people seem to be enjoying the break from the daily grind and “chilling,” as the young people like to say, most people are living in fear with varying levels of anxiety. Many people cannot sleep or are woken by nightmares. Under these pandemic circumstances, many men and women find it hard or impossible to start something fresh right now (which requires lightheartedness, smiling

and flirting and that carefree whimsy many present on a first date). And for others who have started relationships, it can be quite difficult to keep it moving forward. I understand that you had a meaningful relationship “BC,” Before Corona, and you may have been moving toward engagement if not for this virus and its devastating toll. My suggestion is that you and this lovely lady have a heart-to-heart. If you aren’t already, ask her how she is feeling. How is she holding up... What was her day like. If you feel the relationship is stagnating...bring it up with her. Say what you see. Tell her how you are feeling in the relationship and see what she has to say. People are so often understandably scared to bring up what they are noticing and feeling for fear of rocking the boat or losing the other person completely. But the truth is that very often by avoiding our truth we end up sabotaging relationships. The best advice I can give you is that you should talk about this with her.

Tell her how much you like her. Tell her! Ask her how she feels and how she wants to handle the relationship today in this new reality. She may want to put it on pause. She may be going through so much and not feel comfortable telling you. She may open up and that will be the freshness and movement you are seeking. I pretty much always encourage open and effective communication – even through Zoom. Wishing you, Avi, and everyone physical, emotional, and mental health to get us through these trying times.

All the best, Jennifer Jennifer Mann, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist and dating and relationship coach working with individuals, couples, and families in private practice at 123 Maple Avenue in Cedarhurst, NY. She also teaches a psychology course at Touro College. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 516-224-7779, ext. 2. Visit www.thenavidaters.com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email thenavidaters@gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.

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

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TIPS FROM A HOME SCHOOLING MOM

BY SARA RAYVYCH, MSED

s someone who has been homeschooling for many years and has a master’s in education, I periodically get calls about homeschooling. Homeschooling has little resemblance to the schooling at home most families are currently encountering but I think there is still much a veteran homeschooler can add to the conversation. All that I’m writing is written with respect to the dedication and hard work of the yeshivas and teachers. The yeshivas, rebbis and moros are heroes, along with our medical, mental health and other essential workers. We can honestly tell our children we are living in a time of heroes and that they have many role models. Usually, when speaking to parents, I have a chance to ask about their child’s individual needs. It’s impossible to write an article that will cover everyone. I limited this article to resources that cover a

wide range of ages and needs, is easily accessible from homes under lockdown, and costs little or nothing. Please note that I am not affiliated with any sites or resources mentioned, and (sadly) I’m not receiving any kickbacks from them.

SCHEDULING

Structure is important, and it’s unhealthy for kids to feel hefker all day. As a homeschooling family, my kids do have structure in their day. For example, there are set times for davening, meals, and learning. I used the term “structure” and not “schedule” for a reason. I’ve seen parents create schedules that make it look like their children are in boot camp. While some kids do need this level of structure, most kids don’t need it and it can lead to extra stress in an already stressful situation. People often ask how I keep my kids busy. The simple answer is “I don’t.” I expect my kids to learn how to structure their free time.

They read, play, and do activities and projects without me telling them how to keep busy. I may make suggestions if asked, but they usually don’t need it. This is a great time for kids to learn a new skill or spend more time on what they enjoy. Sewing/crocheting/knitting, logic puzzles, reading/writing for enjoyment, building models, learning an instrument or cooking/baking – the list is endless and the kids can gain so much from these activities. The whole day shouldn’t be free time but there is no reason kids can’t learn to structure themselves a bit. I know the schools and teachers are working hard, getting creative and making sure learning is happening. Despite their efforts, I know that some children will have trouble with the online format and their parents will want to supplement. Your child’s teacher/therapist is the best one to speak to as they know your child best. I will add some ideas that may benefit some parents.

Learning is everywhere. Baking uses reading, fractions and multiplying. Understanding the current crisis involves statistics and science. Compiling your shopping list is writing and spelling. Daily life offers so many opportunities.

MATH

For those who want to supplement math, themathworksheetsite. com is an excellent resource for extra practice. It allows you to generate the exact type of math worksheet you need. The site is free, and there is a free trial to the membership portion that offers even more options. Khan Academy is an excellent online resource for those who are having trouble explaining or understanding their child’s math work. The site is free and contains videos on topics ranging from basic addition to algebra and beyond. The videos explain clearly even the most difficult and complicated topics. Ad-

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ditionally, they have videos on other subjects. When teaching math, start with the more concrete (i.e. real objects you can hold) and gently move to the more abstract. This is especially important with younger children. Also, graph paper is your friend. An entire book could be written about the various uses for graph paper. It helps keep lines and columns straight and makes showing fractions easier.

READING

Reading is such an important subject but it’s also difficult because there are so many exceptions to every phonics rule. Reading with your child is always good. Reluctant readers will often be more eager to read if they take turns reading with an adult (i.e. mom and child alternate reading pages). Children usually enjoy when parents read chapter books out loud. This fosters both a love of literature and is a great way to bond. There are many digital libraries and resources available to

provide endless reading material. For the newer readers, sight words (search “Dolch word lists”), easy or graded readers (books arranged according to reading level), and letter/

and there is a paid membership for extra content.

WRITING

For those kids that need extra

PEOPLE OFTEN ASK HOW I KEEP MY KIDS BUSY. sound games can help reinforce new skills. Starfall.com is a website that has phonics and reading videos for kids that are entertaining and cover a variety of skills. The basic site is free,

handwriting practice, Handwriting Without Tears is an excellent workbook. You can also print out letters and words to trace from various online sites (search online “trace letters

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worksheet”). These sites print the letters as broken lines for the kids to trace. Journaling is not only a great way to practice writing, it can also be therapeutic for some children during this stressful time. Emails and letters to relatives will not only cheer someone up but give real writing experience. Your child’s education is very important, but at the end of the day, it’s not nearly as important as the parent-child relationship and helping your child cope with these unprecedented times. If you see that your child is getting overwhelmed, take a step back and give it some time before trying again.

Sara Rayvych, MSEd, has her master’s in general and special education. She has been homeschooling for over 10 years in Far Rockaway. She can be contacted at RayvychHomeschool@gmail.com.

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Dr. Deb

Two Dozen Reasons Why I’m Grateful By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

I’m so glad to be alive. I admit I was thinking that being alive right now is pretty empty when I’m all alone and sick and can’t see my family. But then I realized I must be a bit spoiled if I expected problems to be solved 1, 2, 3 on my timetable. 2. And I’m not in the hospital and I can breathe. These are big plusses. I’m able to be in the comfort of my own home, and I can walk. I’m not so weak that I’m in a bed. 3. I really appreciate when You came to my side and whispered in my ear that these horrible symptoms are not a punishment. They’re not even a test. They’re just a thing. For reasons of Your own, You decided the world would go through this and I’m just part of the world. Maybe, You made me realize that going through this with the right attitude will prepare me to accept great blessings later on. So I totally renounced the pity party

that I was in the middle of. That was a biggie. Thank You. 4. Thank You for the gift of my amazing children. They’re filled with love, concern – and jokes. I couldn’t do without the jokes. And they keep offering to bring me this or that. 5. But I don’t need this or that because of Yoel Steinberg of Gourmet Glatt and all his devoted workers in the store. I make an order and, nearly before I blink, the front door bell is ringing with it. I rush outside to thank the guy, but he is already halfway down the street and I can see a smile in his eyes behind his mask. G-d bless them all! 6. How fortunate I am that when Hurricane Sandy picked me up, it flung me here. Rebbetzin Aviva Feiner is one in a million. One in ten million for sensitivity, kindness, intellect, caring, and goodness. How blessed I am to have such a wonderful Rebbetzin!

7. And I so much appreciate my friend, R.B., who created an on-line yoga class every morning so we can stay in shape even if we are not allowed out of the house. 8. A few hours later, I get a little online chizuk from Rabbi Eytan Feiner who is a leader unparalleled. G-d bless Rabbi Feiner who has helped me through worse than this and makes each congregant feel like he’s been thinking about us individually. 9. And how about my friend, D.E.? She decided I definitely can sing on key although my lifetime trope (pun intended) is that I can’t. And she set out to prove she is right. Remotely. What fun! Fun is an important and necessary part of all this. 10. Because I was confined to my house, I said, “How can I have a seder without a seder plate?” so after seven years I finally unpacked my

Pesach dishes. They were in two boxes, a milchig and a fleishig, and I got to reunite with old friends. The boxes included the familiar yellow-handled silverware of my childhood, my grandmother’s dishes, and a splendid milchig set that I bought after we were married. And, of course, the seder plate. It was such a pleasure to throw out those two giant packing boxes with all the packing paper. I put the dishes in the bare breakfront that I had wanted to get rid of. Well, now it’s serving a purpose and looks quite beautiful. 11. And speaking of which, I got to eat dairy at whatever yom tov meals I wanted! Yay! No one gave me a fishy look (pun intended!) because there was no one here to do that. The tuna burgers were amazing and the spinach souffle was delicious, thank you. 12. On the subject of food, thank you Naomi Nachman for remem-

bering that there are those of us who must eat gluten-free. I loved the Blonde Brownie recipe. Okay, I wanted it parve so I substituted olive oil for the butter, but it was still delicious. 13. I appreciate you guys who opened Manna, too. I don’t feel so alone in the world with my annoying diet restrictions. Pastured eggs, pretty cool. In fact, with the Rorie’s flour, I could make Pesach food downright normal. Almost. Well, I mean, it’s Pesach. 14. One of the best recent decisions I made, on the subject of Pesach, was buying the machzor. I admit I am likely to daydream during davening and then I’m lost. Back and forth, forth and back through the regular siddur – completely eliminated. I knew where I was at all times and where I was was where I needed to be. Yaasher koach, Artscroll. 15. Speaking of davening, I got to sleep till 10 AM and then daven

at my own pace. I was never behind the rest of the shul. I was always exactly where I needed to be. And I even had my own Kiddush club, i.e., lunch, when I realized I was hungry. I spent a lot of time lost in meditation and for some reason, when I got to krias yam suf, I was so into it, I cried. Wow, this is what G-d did for us. Wow. Can’t get over it. 16. I’m grateful to Dr. Shaffran, my dentist, of Bayside, for seeing me on an emergency basis. Even if the prescription didn’t work, it was good just to try to do something about the ongoing pain. 17. The layout of my apartment is very useful. More than once, lacking exercise, I’ve told myself I’m going to take a “walk” up and down my rather long hallway. I decide that I have enough patience for 15 minutes, but as I get lost in thoughts and plans, it turns into a half hour “cardio.” 18. I appreciate my youngest son telling me that my excessive sleeping didn’t mean I was “very sick”

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because “that’s what people do on yom tov.” That was so helpful I got up at 6 AM to start writing this article today, feeling energized. (It’s amazing how much control over us our thoughts have, isn’t it?) 19. I have amazing neighbors. They knock on my door at random times and then dash back six feet when I open it, only to ask me how I’m doing and do I need anything. What a blessing! 20. My bed is so comfy. It doesn’t sag in the middle even though it’s an old bed. I can just nap whenever I want. Which is what I did today since 6 AM is unheard of for me. 21. Back in the day, at the 1965 World’s Fair, they had an amazing booth. One day, they promised us, we could actually see the person we were talking to. I am so grateful to those inventors so I can talk to my grandchildren whenever I want and see their cuteness. From the 17-year old who has to “illustrate” the package of meatballs he made before

putting it in the freezer to the 7-year old whose excitement to talk to me invades her whole body, I can enjoy from morning to night. 22. Not to mention texting. I can receive advice and solicitous texts from my children all day long and know that I still matter to important others. 23. I appreciate seeing my clients get better and better. It’s wonderful. I appreciate the patience You’ve given me to ride out the occasional backsliding (which is normal). I appreciate the relationship I have with them. 24. I appreciate Shoshana Soroka for this wonderful newspaper and the pleasure I have to participate in it. It’s been a joy, spiced with “interesting” moments along the way! 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

Now is Your Chance By Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

e are living through a very unusual time, a time period that will forever be marked in history. Non-essential businesses and schools are closed for the next few weeks. Many are working from home or are unfortunately at home, unemployed. The kids are going to virtual classes from the comfort of their own home. While for some this is a relaxing, once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully) opportunity, others are at their wit’s end. Many are stressed with the burden of getting work done from home while balancing homeschool and household chores, while others face severe financial worries. When schools were closed midMarch to help stop the spread of coronavirus, some were thrilled. No more rushing to eat breakfast and running out of the house in the morning! You could sleep in and stay in pajamas all day! Some even referred to the beginning of quarantine as total bliss. However, now that we got over the hump of Pesach, and with the mayor announcing that schools may be closed until the fall, reality hit. The feeling of hopelessness may be paralyzing, but there are certainly ways to cope with these challenging times and turn them into the complete bliss we had just a few weeks ago. Firstly, use this opportunity during “stay at home” for all those things you have always wanted to do but simply never had the time. Now is your chance. I can’t even begin to tell you how many clients have sat in front of me and complained, “I want to eat healthy, it just takes too much time and effort. I don’t have time to meal prep or to even sit down and have a

meal.” For all those times that you wanted to start dieting or eat healthier but “never had the time,” now is your chance. You are stuck at home with nowhere to rush out to. You can safely order food from supermarkets via email, online orders, or an app. Order all the ingredients you need to meal prep and create healthy meals that you never had the time to do. Many complain of a busy work schedule with no time to sit down for meals and are constantly eating on the go. Most of us are working from

For all those who claim, “I really wish I can exercise, I simply don’t have the time,” now is your chance. It’s time to bust out the exercise gear at the back of the closet. Wipe off the dust from the treadmill, plug it in, and go for a run. Dig out the bike from the back of the garage and enjoy a scenic bike ride around the neighborhood with your family. Aside from working and household chores, your schedule should be lighter than ever with no errands to run, no social gatherings to attend, and pretty much

There are certainly ways to cope with these challenging times and turn them into the complete bliss we had just a few weeks ago.

home now. Now is your chance to sit down and have a balanced breakfast, lunch, and dinner at normal times! I often hear complains that clients don’t have time to eat a whole day until the late evening. Being at home, I’m sure you can certainly find some time to sit down for three meals, even if it is while sitting at a desk working. You have no excuse now. Even if you are busy throughout the day, you can prepare your meals at night or in the beginning of week and just pull them out of the fridge (or even freezer), warm them up if necessary, and enjoy a healthy, balanced meal.

nowhere else to run to. Now is your chance to exercise indoors and/or outdoors like you have always wanted to do. For those without access to exercise machines, or a bike, you can always enjoy a brisk walk or a jog outside. Additionally, many exercise and yoga studios are offering free online classes. Exercise is important for all ages, and all stages of life. For many, this unique situation can generate feelings of boredom or stress that can lead to anxiety. Physical activity is essential for mood boosting and helps calm the mind and body during these stressful times.

This is a challenging time that nobody ever dreamed of, and certainly nobody asked for it. Being that the situation is out of our control, we can only control how we react. Use this unique opportunity as your chance to tackle those things you have always wanted to do but “never had time.” One blessing in disguise of this entire situation is the gift of time. Cherish these precious moments we have. Make memories with your families. Use this time to undertake tasks that you “never had time to do.” Create a diet or weight loss challenge for yourself with an end date in order to provide some sense of structure, time, and feelings of accomplishments. If you don’t have to time to change your eating habits and exercise habits now when you are home with a lot more spare time, then when will you have the time? Now is your chance. Pick a few things that you would like to work on, and challenge yourself. If you need help, motivation, or inspiration, feel free to email me with your goals, accomplishments, or questions. Best of luck! 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 private nutrition consultant and conducts nutrition workshops in assisted livings, senior centers, and nursing homes. She can be reached at CindyWeinberger1@gmail.com or 917623-6237. Follow us on instagram @EatBetterandFeelBetter.

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Health & F tness

Just Hang On a Little Bit Longer By Hylton I. Lightman, MD, DCH (SA), FAAP

new kind of schedule or rhythm is emerging for our children and for us. Children are Zoom-ing through learning. I sincerely hope that children of all ages with disabilities and/or special needs have the proper support to maximize their growth during this unprecedented time. Yet a disquiet pervades. It is ubiquitous. It is all our homes and in food stores and when we are out walking. The concern can be summed up in the following question: Are we ever going to return to “normal”? This question consumes our thoughts. It occupies a lot of real estate in all our heads. It was especially difficult to contemplate this past Sunday when Shabbos day’s weather had been beautiful. This parsha will not last forever. A lot of patience is necessary. I don’t believe that things will return to the normal we knew prior to Covid-19 plowing into our lives, wreaking havoc. It has not been an easy ride. Like other families, my family also misses shul and leining and answering Amen to Kaddish and the socializing after shul. We miss our children and grandchildren (and honorary children and grandchildren – ha’maven yavin). But, Baruch Hashem, we are trying to maximize the circumstances Hashem has given us. We are healthy and functioning and, because challenged to do so, are creat-

ing a new reality. Some of us have it easier than others. The tip of the financial impact on our community is only beginning to be revealed. Let’s not forget those among us who have lost loved ones or still have family members in hospitals. Think of the families that sat down to the sedarim having just gotten up from shiva for a spouse and parent or, G-d forbid, a child. The pain is unfathomable. We all share a desire to move on, or at least, those who spent the sedarim alone, we want to leave our homes and resume some semblance of social interaction as we knew it. It is not quite time to do so. Why? Join me for a brief history lesson about the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-19. It teaches us important information about “reawakening” society and why we should be cautious about lifting restrictions too soon. On November 21, 1918, because restrictions due to the pandemic had been lifted, the residents of San Francisco left their homes and flooded the city’s streets in celebration. Unfortunately, three weeks later, they learned the restrictions had been lifted too soon and had to be invoked. What happened? People resumed mingling and socializing without any thought or planning to phasing in “normalcy.” As a result, the city experienced a resurgence of the disease. Tragically, people became sick, and many

died. One day during the first week of 1919, there were 600 new Spanish flu cases in one day! Restrictions were re-imposed, including a new ordinance reenacting wearing masks which was promulgated on January 17, 1919. (San Francisco was the first city to use face masks. On October 25, 1918, every resident and visitor was required to wear a mask while in public or when in a group of two people or more.) San Francisco was one of 43 cities in the United States that experienced this disease resurgence phenomenon. On the other hand, Los Angeles implemented strict social distancing (school closures, home quarantines and bans on public gatherings) and face coverings about one week before San Francisco and kept those measures in place for several weeks longer. It briefly reopened and then experienced a sharp upward trend, especially among children. Municipal resources were quickly and completely refocused on re-quarantining and keeping people indoors. Some people did not accept these restrictions, especially when they were re-imposed. Theatre owners protested against what they believed was unfair treatment as some theatres were shuttered for up to six months. There were legal challenges from several churches. Inspectors, many of whom were veterans who returned home from World War I,

visited homes and other places to assure adherence. In the December 14th issues of the Los Angeles Times, a reporter wrote, “Study the regulations. This is a real war.” The city of Los Angeles had formed a working committee of health, education, and business leaders to address the pandemic. This committee developed and maintained the restrictions while also planning for the reawakening of society. Its strong connection with the Health Committee and the Board of Education led to working with physicians who inspected students and teachers as each school prepared individually to reopen. This working relationship allowed the first five of the 230 Los Angeles schools to reopen on January 9, 1919; the last school reopened on February 3. Alex Navarro, assistant director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan, underscores that L.A. and other cities in the 1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic that instituted “early, sustained and layered” practices such as social distancing, closing public events and stay-at-home orders – all non-pharmacological interventions – fared better than those that resumed “normalcy” quickly. The proof is in the following statistic: Los Angeles had 494 deaths per 100,000 people; San Francisco 673 deaths per 100,000. What is the takeaway for us?

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This is not the time to let up on social distancing. We must remain with our immediate family members only. We should keep to a minimum going to stores and other places. When we are out, we should wear gloves and masks. (Please put on new gloves when entering a food store and then dispose of them after exiting.) Whenever entering your home, leave your shoes in the entryway. When chatting with people in person, we should sit/stand a minimum of 6 feet apart because we want them to be alive, well and with us until their 120 years. History proves that social distancing works. Earlier this week, the Swedish ambassador to the United States announced that his country expects that the city of Stockholm will achieve herd immunity in May. Herd immunity means the majority of a given population has become immune to an infectious disease by either recovering from it or through

vaccination. Some researchers have put the threshold for Covid-19 immunity at 60% in some areas. But there is a problem – there is no scientific proof that people who have had Covid-19 and recovered

my beloved grandmother Nadja, a”h, when appropriate. And I am a proud grandfather. Yet no matter how painful to all, stay away. We must protect them. Call them. Facetime. Today’s grand-

History proves that social distancing works.

from it are actually protected from a second Covid infection. This sobering fact should make us want to slow down and maintain the precautions longer. This is also why I believe that visiting Bubby and Zaidy should NOT happen. Period. It’s not because I’m an ogre. I’m not. Promise. I love and venerate older people and quote

parents and great-grandparents are a cool, new breed – they might even have Zoom. If they don’t, then make it happen for them. There are drivebys. We want Bubby and Zaidy to live, be well and with us for their full 120 years. How can we get through these next weeks? It’s spring time (at least on the

calendar). As the weather allows, go outside. Children of different families can bicycle together in groups of 2-3 provided they wear masks and maintain distance. Don’t forget the helmets, please. Honestly, there are no easy solutions here. With our collective efforts and Hashem’s help, we can only hope to have camp in the summer. Children can then resume and experience a new but somewhat normal lifestyle. Appreciate what you have – and be sure to thank Hashem and the people in your life. Men: A reminder that Mother’s Day is next weekend. You really have to step up your game this year. As always, daven. Dr. Hylton I. Lightman is a pediatrician and Medical Director of Total Family Care of the 5 Towns and Rockaway PC. He can be reached at drlightman@totalfamilycaremd.com, on Instagram at Dr.Lightman_ or visit him on Facebook.

Ooh

PHOTOG

RAPHY

BY MIR IAM

By Miri am

CALL OR TEXT MIRIAM JACOBOVITS 347–572–8973

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In The K

tchen

Vietnamese CoconutPoached Chicken and Rice-Noodle Salad By Naomi Nachman

I have always been a big fan of coconut and rice noodles. If you don’t like coconut, just poach the chicken in broth with the other ingredients. Rice pasta is gluten-free so people who are gluten intolerant can eat it too. This “pasta” salad is a perfect summer salad or main dish for Shabbat lunch. Ingredients Chicken 2 chicken breast fillets 1-2-inch ginger, thinly sliced 1 stalk lemongrass, very thinly sliced 14 oz. can coconut milk

Dressing 4 TBS lime juice 4 TBS brown sugar 2 TBS soy sauce 2 TBS rice vinegar Zest of 1-2 limes

Noodles

Preparation

1 pkg rice stick noodles, prepared according to package 1 carrot, peeled, cut into matchsticks 1 head Chinese cabbage, finely shredded 1 cup bean sprouts 1 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped ¼ cup mint leaves ½ cup salted roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

To prepare the chicken: Combine the chicken, ginger, lemon grass and coconut milk in a medium-size saucepan on medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook, turning occasionally, for 10 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through. Cool and shred chicken. To prepare the dressing: Combine the lime juice, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and zest in a small bowl. Set aside. To assemble the salad: In a large bowl, place noodles, cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts, cilantro, and mint. Drizzle with dressing and toss to combine. Lay chicken on top of pasta and sprinkle with peanuts before serving. Cook’s note: The longer the noodles are in the marinade, the darker they get.

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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On The Lighter Si e “Say What?!”

People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.

The human brain is special. It starts working as soon as you get up, and it doesn’t stop until you get to school.

-A.A. Milne

I intend to live forever. So far, so good. -Steven Wright

-Milton Berle

I have always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific. -Lily Tomlin

I was trying to daydream, but my mind kept wandering.

A pessimist is a man who thinks everybody is as nasty as himself, and hates them for it.

I don’t know what’s more exhausting about parenting: the getting up early, or the acting like you know what you’re doing. -Jim Gaffigan

-George Bernard Shaw

I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.

-Charles Wadsworth

My doctor told me that jogging could add years to my life. I think he was right. I feel ten years older already. -Milton Berle

Most people work just hard enough not to get fired, and get paid just enough money not to quit. -George Carlin

-Steven Wright

By the time a man realizes that his father was right, he has a son who thinks he’s wrong.

I live in a neighborhood so bad that you can get shot while getting shot. -Chris Rock

-Fred Allen

We spend the first twelve months of our children’s lives teaching them to walk and talk, and the next twelve telling them to sit down and [be quiet]. -Phyllis Diller

I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

The first time I see a jogger smiling, I’ll consider it.

They say love is more important than money… Have you tried paying your bills with a hug?

-Joan Rivers

-Dave Chappelle

The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us. -Bill Watterson

The best measure of a man’s honesty isn’t his income tax return. It’s the zero adjust on his bathroom scale. -Arthur C. Clarke

If at first you don’t succeed...so much for skydiving. -Henny Youngman

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APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Political Crossfire

China Can’t Be “Scapegoated” If It’s Actually Guilty By Marc A. Thiessen

he blame-Trump-for-everything crowd is accusing Republicans of pointing the finger at China for the coronavirus pandemic to divert attention away from the Trump administration’s response. Rubbish. Case in point: The front-page headline in last Sunday’s New York Times read: “G.O.P. Aiming To Make China The Scapegoat.” Scapegoat? Sorry, it was the Chinese Communist regime, not the Trump administration, that unleashed this virus on the United States and the world through its lies and deception. Americans of all political stripes understand this and are more than willing to put the blame where it belongs. The Harris Poll finds 77% say the Chinese government is responsible for the spread of the virus, including 90% of Republicans and 67% of Democrats. By lying to the world and obstructing an earlier global response to the virus, the Chinese Communist Party started this global forest fire. Just as it would be ridiculous to say someone is trying to scapegoat a fire-starter to divert attention from the failures of the firefighters, it is ridiculous to say that President Trump is trying to scapegoat China to divert attention from his administration’s response. The fact is, no one – including our nation’s top public health experts – knew we were facing a once-in-a-generation pathogen. On January 21, Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an inter-

view, “This is not a major threat for the people of the United States and this is not something that the citizens of the United States right now should be worried about.” Our government’s smartest medical minds expected this outbreak to be like the SARS, avian flu, swine flu, MERS, Zika and Ebola outbreaks that came before it – a serious public health emergency, to be sure, but one we could handle. It wasn’t just public health experts who got it wrong. The day after Trump

missing the threat the virus posed. Why was everyone so slow to see the coming danger? Because at a time when China’s government should have been alerting us to prepare for an unprecedented contagion, Chinese officials were spreading disinformation that kept the United States and the world in the dark. The only countries that successfully contained the virus were those, like Taiwan, who have experience with Beijing’s disinformation, saw through its lies, and took

It would be ridiculous to say someone is trying to scapegoat a fire-starter to divert attention from the failures of the firefighters.

imposed travel restrictions on China, former Vice President Joe Biden accused the president of “hysteria, xenophobia, and fearmongering” – which suggests he would have been even slower to act. On February 24, Nancy Pelosi held a rally in San Francisco’s Chinatown where she said that while “it is sad that what’s happening in South Korea, what’s happening in China,” here in the United States “we feel safe and sound.” And some of the very journalists now trying to pin the blame on Trump were themselves dis-

early action. Despite all this, Trump heeded the advice of our public health experts every step of the way. When Fauci and Deborah Birx recommended that he implement population mitigation measures, he did so – shutting down a booming U.S. economy to protect public health. And the fact is, the decisions that slowed the U.S. response the most were not made by Trump. It was bureaucrats from the Food and Drug Administration who refused to allow private and academic labs to

develop coronavirus tests, costing us six crucial weeks in ramping up testing and forcing our country to adopt population-based mitigation. It was scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention whose sloppy laboratory practices contaminated the only approved test kits, rendering them ineffective. And if we are assigning blame to politicians, then recall it was the Obama administration that failed to replenish the Strategic National Stockpile of masks, gowns and respirators after the 2009 swine flu epidemic and that failed for eight years to implement the George W. Bush administration’s initiative to stockpile 40,000 ventilators for a pandemic. If Trump is personally to blame for our lack of preparedness, so are Obama and Biden. Ultimately, responsibility for the costs of this pandemic rests with a Chinese regime that intentionally lied about the virus and proactively impeded the U.S. response – refusing to share samples, disappearing doctors who sounded the alarm, and shutting down a Chinese lab that dared to share the genome sequence of the virus. Today, some in the media are arguing that any effort to blame China is a plot to deflect criticism from Trump. They’re wrong. In fact, what is really shameful is that many in the media are so eager to blame Trump that they are willing to deflect criticism from China. (c) 2020, Washington Post Writers Group

The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Political Crossfire

Chinese Secrecy Over Coronavirus Origins Invites Conspiracy Theories By David Ignatius

here’s a booming market in conspiracy theories about the origins of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. But the Chinese government has no one to blame but itself for this explosive debate. They have put the truth on lockdown. China has an obligation here: For its own sake and the world’s, it should promptly begin a serious, credible investigation into how the COVID-19 pandemic began. Such an inquiry is essential to understand how to treat the disease and prevent future eruptions. To make this probe trustworthy, China should invite international scientists to take part. Top scientists I contacted over the past week were skeptical about theories that are spinning about deliberate Chinese attempts to engineer the toxic virus. But many said it’s possible that a pathogen that was being studied by researchers in Wuhan could have leaked accidentally from one of two virology labs there, setting off the chain of infection. Many of these top scientists said they would remain “agnostic” about how COVID -19 emerged, until the Chinese provided clear evidence. Their calls for an investigation add weight to similar demands this week by political leaders, such as President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

“It is extraordinarily important to understand exactly how this pandemic began,” said Tom Inglesby, the director of the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins. He told me that Chinese public health officials should describe their scientific and epidemiological investigations and “invite international scientists to review that work. That process should be open to the world.” Tara O’Toole, a bio-safety expert who was the Obama’s administration’s undersecretary of Homeland Security for science and technology, made a similar recommendation in an interview: “The world needs scientists to do research on these viruses, and we need to be sure that research is done in containment as safely as possible. … The appropriate move would be to assemble an international team of experts to review safety and security practices at labs and to make the findings public.” A panel of prominent U.S. scientists gathered by the National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine described what an investigation should involve in a February 6 letter to the White House. They urged the Chinese to gather viral samples from different times and places “to determine the origin and evolution of the virus.” The letter stressed: “Samples collected as early as possible in

the outbreak in Wuhan and samples from wildlife would be particularly valuable.” Chinese researchers did some careful research in January and February, when the virus was spreading. But research was subsequently tightly controlled, and in at least one case with scientists in Guangzhou, suppressed. A senior military doctor was put in charge of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in late January, and President Xi Jinping announced a new bio-safety regime February 14. In late March, the Chinese government announced special vetting for any academic papers dealing with the outbreak, according to CNN. The recent commotion about conspiracy theories comes partly from an unpublished paper by several maverick European scientists that was privately circulating last week. The authors argued that COVID -19 was a “purposefully manipulated” virus created partly through so-called “gain of function” research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. A 2015 paper by Chinese and American scientists had described such an effort to enhance the potential infectivity of bat coronaviruses so they could be studied and treated better. But both U.S. and British intelligence analysts are skeptical that COVID-19 resulted from deliberate

human engineering. The claims about “engineered origins” in the paper were “not substantiated” by British government scientists, a British official told me. U.S. intelligence analysts are also confident that the virus wasn’t created in a laboratory, but they haven’t ruled out the possibility that a natural organic virus that was enhanced for scientific reasons may have leaked accidentally in Wuhan. “Science is not going to shift this from a ‘could have been’ to a ‘probably was,’” messaged Richard Ebright, a leading bio-safety expert at Rutgers. “The question whether the outbreak virus entered humans through an accidental infection of a lab worker… can be answered only through a forensic investigation, not through scientific speculation.” Ebright told me the Chinese government should launch a forensic investigation by reviewing “facilities, samples, records, and personnel.” The pandemic that began in Wuhan last year was a history-changing event, with catastrophic effects. The world should keep demanding answers until China explains clearly and transparently what happened. Beijing should realize that this is a situation where suppression of information will only make things worse. (c) 2020, Washington Post Writers Group

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APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Forgotten Her es

Turning the Tide in the Middle East Part II By Avi Heiligman

Major General Maurice Rose

he battle of El Alamein had a significant impact on the Jews living in British-controlled Palestine at the time. Many Jews who had escaped Europe be-

fore the Nazis began their reign of terror were living in the future State of Israel, then under the British Mandate. If the Germans crossed the Suez Canal, the results would

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have been disastrous. Armed groups of Jews were already fighting their unruly Arab neighbors and decided to join the British Army to fight the Germans and Italians instead. In addition, there were many Jewish servicemen who fought in the regular armies of the Allies, including the British, American, Australian and the Free French Armies that defeated the Afrika Korps throughout the entire North African Campaign. The British Army had been fortu-

African Campaign. Some of these soldiers who joined while the 8th Army was still in North Africa included Yisrael Carmi, Dov Cohen, and Arie Shai who all were important figures in the years after World War II and in the establishment of the IDF. These soldiers spoke fluent German and were tasked to carry out raids on German airfields to destroy planes on the ground. Frederick Kisch was born in

Streets in Israel are named after this highest-ranking Jewish officer to serve in the British Army.

nate to not lose its army in France; the evacuation at Dunkirk saved hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Many subjects of the British Empire saw this taking place and wanted to join in the fight against the Nazis. This included Jews in Palestine. Eventually, the Jewish Brigade was formed with 30,000 soldiers. However, it wasn’t until 1944 that this was allowed to happen and so many Jews joined the regular British Army instead and took part in the North

India to a British Jewish family in 1888. He was sent to England to study and soon became an officer in the British Army. When World War I broke out in 1914, he was sent to France with the Engineering Corps and was wounded twice. After recovering, he was sent to Iraq, where he was wounded for a third time. During the interwar years, Kisch became involved with the Zionist Organization and spent time in Eretz Yisrael. During this time, he

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

Frederick Kisch

maintained a good relationship with both the British and with some moderate Arab leaders. He returned to the British Army after the Germans invaded Poland in 1939 and was appointed chief engineering officer for the Eighth Army. Brigadier Kisch commanded 52 engineering com-

panies and was at El Alamein when the army stopped the Germans from overtaking Egypt. Just before the Germans were driven out of North Africa in 1943, Kisch stepped on a landmine in Tunisia and was killed. Streets in Israel are named after this highest-ranking Jewish officer to serve in the British Army; his grandson is an MK with the Likud party. There were several Jewish generals during World War II but one of the most well-known was Major General Maurice Rose. In 1917, he joined the army and was commissioned an officer. He was sent to France as part of the 89th Division and was wounded while serving with distinction for which he earned the praise of his commanders. After World War I, he briefly left the army to become a travelling salesman but rejoined the military a year later. He was promoted and during World War II served on the staffs of three armored divisions. During the North African Campaign, Rose was

the chief of staff for the 2nd Armored Division. After Rommelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defeat at El Alamein, the Germans surprised the American Army at a place called Kasserine Pass in Tunisia. While the Americans eventually emerged victorious, they were almost defeated in the process. Rose was sent to evaluate what went wrong and was soon sent to the 1st Armored Division after much of its staff was relieved of duty. Colonel Rose received a Silver Star as he personally led troops in the final defeat of German Afrika Korps. He personally negotiated with the German commander for the surrender of the German troops in Tunisia. He was then promoted to general and was given command of the 3rd Armored Division in France. After the breakout into Germany in the spring of 1945 only fanatical Germans and SS officers still fought the invading Allies while the rest threw down their arms. However, these fanatics were more dangerous than ever, and lead elements never

33 75

knew what type of enemy they would encounter. On March 30, General Rose was in a lead column near Paderborn when they encountered enemy fire. A German Tiger tank cut off their route and pinned his jeep to a tree. The hatch opened, and a German soldier with a machine pistol stepped down. General Rose reached for his sidearm, and the German opened fire. At least one bullet hit him in the head, killing the general. The fighting in North Africa was brutal and long as both sides continued to pour troops into the hot desert climate. Jewish soldiers and airmen took part in removing all Axis forces from the continent, preventing Eretz Yisrael from being overrun.

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.

APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Classifieds classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com • text 443-929-4003

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The Jewish Home | APRIL 30, 2020

Classifieds COMMERCIAL RE

BUNG COLONY SALE

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FOR SALE BUNGALOW COLONY IN CATSKILL MOUNTAINS ON 20 Acres. Fishing lakes, swimming pool, sauna and sports ground with tennis court. Contact Owner at 718-757-2595

Seeking full time OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST for Special Education school located in Brooklyn. Experienced preferred. Competitive salary. Room for growth. resumes@yadyisroelschool.org

Bais Yaakov in Far Rockaway seeking permanent substitute for Preschool and Elementary school. Please call 718-868-3232 ext 211

LOVELY ONE BEDROOM UPSTAIRS APARTMENT in a two family home on a lovely Lawrence street, feet from the LIRR and Shaaray Tefilla and near Central Avenue stores. Please call (516) 318-9153

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78 42

APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Life C ach

It’s All Possible! By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., MFT, CLC

lementine, valentine, quarantine. Who would have believed

we’d be adding that last word to a list of similar sounding words with any real connection to us?! ‫בס"ד‬

START THE SPREAD… of jobs! DID YOU RECENTLY LOSE YOUR JOB?

CAN YOU HELP SOMEONE WITH A JOB? DO YOU KNOW OF WORK-AT-HOME JOBS?

Sure, it made sense back in the Bible referring to tzaaras (spiritual leprosy) or when it was considered relevant in the olden days! But in our lifetimes?! It just goes to show: you just never know! But therein is the great news. Sorry, no, I have no idea when the quarantine will end or how life will get back to normal, normal. But the great news is that it just goes to show that anything can happen! Yes, that elusive guy you wanted for your daughter – he can show up. Yes, that job that pays you what

what conditions. Yet, the point of focus here is that we can learn something. Everything is on the table. G-d can do anything! Why not very good things too?! We can still be surprised. Even to the upside! So live life with a different attitude. You may need to cover your mouth and nose, but don’t turn a blind eye. You may need to keep your hands clean, but don’t wash away possibilities.

DO YOU HAVE A BUSINESS FOR SALE OR A BUSINESS IDEA WHICH CAN HELP PROVIDE JOBS?

WAS YOUR BUSINESS SUCCESSFUL AND NOW IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE OR FINANCING?

You may need to cover your mouth and nose but don’t turn a blind eye.

Unfortunately, there are many people in the 5 TownsFar Rockaway community who have recently lost their jobs or have had their paychecks cut. If you need help finding work, or if you are fortunate enough to be able to help others, in any way, please email Chaim Bess at 5tfrjobs@gmail.com or leave a message at (516) 453-0500.

Endorsed by local Rabbanim and Organizations

you wanted – it can be around the corner. Yes, that house with the right number of rooms and at the right price – that could certainly be out there. OK, sure, the question still looms: will you be out there?! But, of course, you will! I’m not guaranteeing when or with

Be more open. Be more optimistic. Be a believer...that it’s all in the realm of the things that can happen....

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 | APRIL 30, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Your

79 15

Money

Don’t Count Your Chickens... By Allan Rolnick, CPA

couple of weeks ago we spoke of the great toilet paper shortage of 2020. It gave us a great opportunity to indulge in the sort of lowbrow humor that makes 10-year-old boys melt into pools of laughter. The problem turns out to be simple. Toilet paper makers produce two separate products for two separate markets: the plushy stuff we use at home and the scratchy stuff we find at offices and businesses. With coronavirus stay-at-home orders keeping us housebound, we’ve upset that usual balance of supply and demand. But toilet paper isn’t the only commodity with a scrambled supply curve right now. This week’s story involves a much-loved delicacy invented by Teresa Bellissimo at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY, and an odd tax that has nothing to do with her creation. That’s right – coronavirus has created a national chicken-wing glut, at a time when politicians and economists are fighting over a “chicken tax” you’ve probably never heard of! First, the glut. Why are there so many wings? The problem here stems from the same imbalance that emptied toilet paper aisles. Most people don’t get their wing fix at home. They chow down at bars and restau-

rants, usually in front of TV sports. Suppliers were “locked and loaded” for March Madness. But now we’re all cooped up at home. Restaurants, bars, and even March Madness itself have all gone dark. Demand for the tasty snack has plummeted. The wholesale price of wings has dropped over 20%, from $1.60 to $1.25 per pound. And commercial packaging won’t fly for home kitchens.

en, which had been a delicacy in Europe, into a staple. We were producing enough of it here to satisfy demand in Europe, too. But overseas governments naturally wanted to protect their own farmers. So, in 1961, Germany and France slapped a tariff on American chicken. Deepfried diplomacy failed to resolve the dispute, dubbed the “chicken war.” In 1964, President Johnson retali-

Suppliers were “locked and loaded” for March Madness.

(While we’re on the topic, don’t get us started on so-called “boneless” wings. There’s no such thing as a boneless wing. It’s just something menu planners hatched up so grownups wouldn’t be embarrassed ordering chicken nuggets. As if there’s something wrong with chicken nuggets to begin with.) Now for the tax. After World War II, “factory farming” turned chick-

ated with a 25% tariff on imported chicken – and, among other things, light trucks and vans. (Definitely not chicken feed!) Of course, just like every party has a pooper, every tax has a loophole. (In trade, it’s called “tariff engineering.”) In 1972, Ford and Chevy realized they could import foreign-built trucks with no cargo bed or box at a 4% tariff, then fin-

ish the vehicles here to avoid the remaining 21%. (Jimmy Carter closed that loophole in 1980.) Today, Ford imports Transit Connect vans from Turkey with rear seats to avoid the tax, then strips them out before sale. Mercedes imports parts for its Sprinter vans to assemble in South Carolina, then sells the final product as “made in America.” That same tariff is still in effect, 55 years later. Donald Trump, never one to walk on eggshells, has even tweeted praise for it, arguing that if we had it in place on passenger cars, General Motors wouldn’t have had to close factories in 2018. (Right now, it may not matter, considering coronavirus has run new car sales off the road along with chicken wings.) Today it looks like most of the excess wings will wind up frozen for a day, hopefully not too far away, when they can be served at your favorite local pub. Until then, we’ll be keeping an eye out for any sort of tax planning developments to help ease your way through the crisis! 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.

APRIL 30, 2020 | The Jewish Home