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The Key to Bracha 43 Todd Kaminsky Sworn in as State Senator
The Minhag and Significance of Shlissel Challah
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A Special Gift for a Special Woman
40 Starting the Day off Right on Chol Hamoed
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48 From Despair to Cheers on Yom Tov – See pages 3 & 29
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Not in My Backyard by Hylton I. Lightman, MD, DCH (SA), FAAP Page 81
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home
Countless parents in our community are struggling over how to respond to their children’s requests to attend camp when their families simply cannot afford the expense. So long as there is a child in the community who cannot go to camp, our responsibility towards each of them remains unfulfilled.
BottomLineMG.com
...no child should be left behind.
When summertime rolls around...
To this end, Achiezer is now introducing an innovative summer solution in which a community-wide scholarship fund is created to allow these children to attend summer camp through the generosity of our entire neighborhood! Together with your help, we can try to ensure that every child will receive an ideal summer experience this year.
Every penny collected will go directly towards camp scholarships! Trustees:
Rabbi Boruch B. Bender Dr. Deborah Dienstag Mr. Alon Goldberger Rabbi Dovid Greenblatt Mr. Lloyd Keilson Mr. Adam Okun Mr. Yoeli Steinberg Mr. Avi Weinstock
To submit an application for assistance contact:
Donate online or call to sponsor a child’s summer camp today!
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The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home
Dear Readers,
O
ur poll this week brought some interesting results. The question posed asked respondents if they ate pizza on Motzei Pesach. This is not an earthshattering question, but sometimes it’s good to step aside from election talk for just a few minutes. When I was younger, we would all be helping to pack away the Pesach dishes and then would come the inevitable question: “So, who’s going out for the pizza?” Certainly, no one was interested in waiting on the long lines when it was already so late, but of course there was always one who was willing to take one for the team (and be excused from post-Pesach duty). Now that I’m older, pizza doesn’t seem to be such a necessity after yom tov. I was wondering about that. Could it be because now I’m more interested in getting my floors washed and my laundry done? Or maybe I just ate a little too much matzah over the past few days. Or perhaps it’s the food that’s available over Pesach that’s almost too good to be chometz-free. It’s not just macaroons anymore (although I do admit to buying them – and liking them!). What surprised me about the poll was that although I wasn’t consuming slice after gooey slice after Pesach, I always assumed I was among the select few. The rest of the world, I thought, was clamoring for cheesy goodness. But our readers are telling me that’s not the case: there are many others who have the self-control to wait a day or
two before heading to the pizza shop. In life there are many times that we feel that we are the only ones who have things a certain way and that we are different from the rest of the world. Take, for example, mornings in an average household. I bet that most of us think that our homes are the only ones on the block where one child is still in bed ten minutes before the bus is set to arrive, another child refuses to wear tights on a day when it’s snowing outside, and still another one doesn’t like the lunch that you prepared for them earlier that day. But don’t think that yours is the only harried household. Recently, in honor of Mother’s Day, someone sent me a news article highlighting the 26 tasks a mother has to do in the mornings. These include the obvious – such as getting the kids dressed, feeding them breakfast, and preparing lunches – to the more unusual – remembering that today is Dr. Seuss Day and that they have to wear red and white stripes. 26 tasks in the span of less than an hour is not easy to master. Everyone has their way of conquering their responsibilities. But don’t think that everyone else is June Cleaver while you’re fumbling through your morning. As long as we send our children off to school with a kiss and wishes for a good day, we have accomplished way more than the classic 26 tasks on our morning to-do list. And it isn’t even 9am! Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana
Yitzy Halpern PUBLISHER
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home
Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
8
COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll
8
Community Happenings
40
NEWS Global
13
National
25
Odd-but-True Stories
35 ISRAEL Israel News
68
21
My Israel Home: Baka: Evolution and Revolution 72 Buy This! by Rafi Sackville
73
PEOPLE Mass Execution: The Decimation of Greek Jewry during the Holocaust by R. Hunter 74 The Heroes of the Mexican-American War by Avi Heiligman
106
PARSHA Rabbi Wein
64
JEWISH THOUGHT Learn to Excel by Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz
66
Familiarity Breeds Complacency by Eytan Kobre
68
Rabbis, Doctors and Due Diligence by Rabbi YY Rubenstein
70
HEALTH & FITNESS Food Addiction by Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN
82
Not in My Backyard by Hylton I. Lightman, MD, DCH (SA), FAAP
81
FOOD & LEISURE
80
The Key to Bracha: Tamar Ansh Talks about the Minhag and Significance of Shlissel Challah 84 A Taste of Home by Susie Fishbein
88
LIFESTYLES
Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW
78
A Special Gift for a Special Woman
92
Store Opening Today by Rabbi Mordechai Kruger
108
Your Money
116
The Balloon Challenge by Rivki Rosenwald, Esq., CLC
118
HUMOR Centerfold Uncle Moishy Fun Page
62 109
POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes
94
The World According to Trump by Charles Krauthammer
102
The Trump Pivot by Michael Gerson
104
CLASSIFIEDS
110
Dear Editor, It’s been said before that President Obama does not respect the position he holds. The president of the United States occupies a unique status in the world and it’s incumbent upon the one who is called the commander-in-chief to portray himself as such. Recently, a comedian called the president a certain word when delivering a public speech at the White House in an effort to show just how “cool” Obama is. But even Al Sharpton was appalled at what was said that night. I wondered, how could someone be so flippant with the president of the United States? Do people not know their place anymore? That certainly can be true but even more than that, it’s a lesson to be learned. If one does not respect themselves or the position that they have, then they cannot expect others to respect them. My advice for Mr. Obama for the next few months: sit up a little straighter, keep your feet off your desk, remember who you are representing, and appreciate the Office and all that it represents. Maybe then you will earn respect in citizens’ eyes. Sincerely, S. Wasner Dear Editor, Israelis always seem to inspire me. Your interview with the youngest hostage at Entebbe was an interesting read and it brought back memories from those times. I remember being upstate when I got the news that Israel triumphed over the terrorists. It was such a relief; it was euphoric. We did
it! We prevailed! At the time, Israel was on a high. We showed the world that a small nation was able to accomplish what seemed to be impossible and against incredible odds. What pride we had at the time! Sadly, the noise from the media nowadays drowns out any positive news from the Jewish State. We are consistently slandered and belittled. Too often, we’re shown to be the villains. And yet, thankfully, we often take the high road, refusing to engage in petty fights with liars and deceivers. How I wish the world will once again see the strength and beauty of our beautiful country! Eddie Klein Dear Editor, I read the last chapter of the story between Rabbi Yaakov Emden and Rabbi Yonasan Eybeschutz over yom tov. I had been following it devoutly over the weeks, eagerly looking forward to each segment to read over Shabbos. I look forward to reading more articles by Rabbi Dunner. What was most interesting to me is that we view both Rav Yaakov and Rav Yonasan as talmidei chachamim in their own right. They are recognized and respected today. Yet during their lifetimes, each of them was ridiculed and derided by parts of klal Yisroel. Each side in this machlokes was adamant that they were correct – and they fought their fight in the name of Torah and G-d. At the time it was almost impossible to see who was right and who was wrong; the clouds separating Continued on page 12
Did you eat pizza on Motzei Pesach?
48
%
YES
52
%
NO
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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Sale Dates: May 8th - 13th 2016
Weekly Hunt’s BBQ Sauce
Gulden’s Mustard
32 oz Chicken of the Sea Solid White Tuna
99¢
4/$
99¢
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Canola, Corn, Vegetable - Gallon $ 99
Assorted - 4 Pack
5
6
Osem 7-9 Pickles
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$ $
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0-43427-90046-1
Effective of 02/03/2016 Assorted - 6 asPack
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299
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Canada Dry, 7-Up, A&W, Sunkist
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Osem Mini Mandel
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McCain French Fries
Crystal Light on-the-Go
0-43427-90047-8
349
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299
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99¢
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Luigi’s Italian Ices
Assorted - 14 oz
15.25 oz
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7
Lieber’s Consomme
19.75 35.45
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3/$
All Varieties - 59 oz
0-43427-90046-1 0-43427-90047-8
6 oz
Sabra Hummus
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Price
$
1
5
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Green Giant Whole Kernal Corn
14 oz
$ 79
......................................................
8.8 oz. 17.6 oz.
UPC
16 oz
All Flavors 64 oz
49
24 24
Size
38 oz
Turkey Hill Iced Tea
64 oz
Pack
.................................................
299
2/$
Whole, Diced, Peeled, Puree, Sauce 28oz/29 oz
1 .................................................
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$
All Flavors - 64 oz
Couscous Bnei Darom Couscous Bnei Darom Couscous
Hunt’s Tomatoes
$ 99
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Heinz Ketchup
Snapple Iced Teas
Discription
.................................................
19 oz
................................................. ................................................. New Item Oneg Chocolate Chips B’nei Darom Toasted 9 oz Israeli Pearled
5
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3/$
Gold’s Dip N Joy Rib or Chicken Sauce
Liebers Kosher Food Specialties, inc. 52-15 Flushing Avenue Maspeth, N.Y. 11378 Phone: (718) 499-0888 Fax: (718) 499-5636
26 oz
$
.................................................
99¢
5
Gefen Marinara & Pasta Sauces
2 Liter
299 .................................................
19 oz
4/$
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Coke, Fresca, Sprite, Dr. Pepper
Except Coconut & Canola - 5 oz/6 oz
$
Hunt’s Snack Pack Pudding or Jello
Wesson Oil
Pam Cooking/ Grilling Spray
All Flavors - 18 oz
All Varieties 12 oz
In Water or Oil - 5 oz
99
349
$
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Flaum’s Pickles Whole or Half Sour 28 oz
5
2/$
Bodek Spinach or Broccoli Cuts 24 oz
499
$
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Dagim Tilapia Fillet 16 oz
399
$
Daily Broths/Soups
2
$ ¾ Attributes 99 • • • • •
The #1 product current kosher consumers want and expect from Empire –Chicken Broth!* Certified Organic No Added Sugars, Low Fat No Artificial Flavors or Preservatives OU Kosher Certified
New Items This Week! no artificial flavors! no added sugar!
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Cedarhurst UPC 0 71627 08101 7 0 71627 08102 4 0 71627 08103 1 0 71627 08104 8 0 71627 08105 5
BRAND Empire Empire Empire Empire Empire
137 Spruce Street
ITEM DESCRIPTION Organic Creamy Butternut Squash Soup Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Broth Organic Creamy Potato Leek Soup Organic Creamy Homestyle Tomato Soup
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SIZE
CASE PACK
32 oz.
12
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oz. 12 SUN -TUE: 73232AM-9 WED: 7 AM-11 PM THURS: 7 AM-12 AM oz. 12 PM 12 FRIDAY 6:303232 oz. AM-2 HRS. BEFORE CANDLE LIGHTING oz. 12
Popinsanity Popcorn Assorted Flavors
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SUN - THURS: 7 AM-9 PM FRIDAY 7 AM UNTIL 2 HRS. BEFORE CANDLE LIGHTING
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
Sale Dates: May 8th - 13th 2016
Specials Frozen Minute $ 1199 lb. Beef Roast Patties
1299 lb.
$
Family Pack
CHICKEN BREAST
2
$
49
Top of
$ 99 8 lb. Rib 499 lb. the ................... ................... 12 Pack Small $ 49 ................... Minute Kolichel 8 lb. Steaks $1199 lb. Neck & Skirt ................... Ground $ 79 Family Pack 4 lb. Boneless ................... Beef Neck of Super Family Pack White Meat Veal $1049 lb. ................... Ground $ 49 Roast Untrimmed 5 lb. ................... Chicken Chicken $ 69 Family Pack TO 3 lb. Seasoned/ READY Cutlets ................... Bake or
RIB STEAKS
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Turkey Roast
With Wing
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$
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49
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...................
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3
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29
lb.
Marinated brill! Chicken Cutlets $749 lb. White or Dark Meat
Poland Spring Water 24 Pack - 16.9 oz
3
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Barilla Pasta
Except Plus, Jumbo Shells, Manicotti, Lasagna, Gluten-Free - 12 oz - 16 oz
5
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Post Cocoa or Fruity Pebbles 11 oz
5
2/$ Sweet Nectarines
Sweet Blueberries
new crop!
1
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lb.
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89¢ lb.
All Flavors - 6 oz
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1
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Snow 2/$4 White Cauliflower
Jumbo Green Peppers
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Hass Avocado
2/$3 Sliced Mushrooms
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Red Potatoes
Butternut ¢ Squash 69 lb.
Granny Smith Apples
99¢ lb. 89¢ ea.
79¢ lb. 79¢ lb.
Sweet Potatoes
69¢ lb.
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Grape 2/$3 Tomatoes
Spanish Onions
Florida Kirbies
String Beans
59¢ lb.
89¢ lb.
new! hot sandwich special! just $9.99!
Your Choice - Pastrami, Corned Beef, Turkey PLUS 4 Other Choices Served with Cole Slaw & Pickles!
10 1999lb. $ 99 4 lb.
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99 lb.
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monday only!
Large Black & White Cookie ¢ ea.
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799 $ 99 7
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1499 $ 1999 $
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Spicy Salmon Avocado $ Roll
495
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5
999
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1095
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1195
299ea. Honey Mustard Onion Dip new! $349ea. Pre-Packaged $ 99 Cabbage Soup Pre-Packaged 4 ea. $ Diet Broccoli Kugel Pre-Packaged 449ea. $ 99 Yerushalmi Kugel Pre-Packaged 3 ea. $ 99 Parve Cholent At the Counter 3 lb. $ 99 4 lb. Marinara Pasta At the Counter Tarter Dip
Package of 4
799ea.
450
$
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Cooked Salmon Roll $ 95
all our cabbage is greenhouse grown!
Onion Pockets $
order your shabbos platters early!
$
Grilled Salmon with 3 Side Dishes
8
99
699
$
Crunch Roll
Baked Ziti
Bell Cake
Original Only - 36 oz
129 lb.
Nile Perch $ 99 lb.
6
Amnon Pizza
$
Deli & Takeout
/
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Pumpernickel Bread 2 lb
1
$ 49 ea.
Hyacinths
249ea.
$
1699 $ 1699& Up
$
Bunch
Colorful Bouquets
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$
We reserve the right to limit quantities. No rain checks. Not responsible for typographical errors.
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Pesach for us was in Boston this year and after reading Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky’s interesting, thought-provoking and wonderful article in your publication, I was happy that we were there. There is nothing more valuable than your children being able to connect to their parents and grandparents at the seder. It adds more links to the chain that they will link to their children. Just two generations ago, there were no grandparents; we were all survivors. Now, thank G-d, we have rebuilt ourselves. It is a privilege for my children to connect with their grandparents and hear about our nation’s redemption and survival from those one generation closer to yetzias Mitzrayim. If Moshiach has not yet arrived next year, we look forward to another inspiring Pesach with Bubby and Zeidy. Sincerely, Temima G.
Continued from 8
the two camps were just too thick. In hindsight, though, the fog lifts and our vision becomes clearer. Indeed, throughout the generations – and even today – there are people or groups who have differences of opinions on certain things. They are so certain that they are correct; they see it clearly, and yet, things are not truly so clear. They may scream and chant in
the name of the Torah or mesorah or G-d. But who is right? Only time can tell and then – only then – can we see what is truly correct. I appreciate your worthy publication. Kol tuv, Aaron Kravitz Dear Editor, Every year my husband and I pack
up our family of five children and head to Boston for a four-hour trek to spend Pesach with my in-laws. We truly enjoy the time spent there and our children look forward to yom tov with Bubby and Zeidy. This year, though, we were contemplating spending yom tov at home; it would make things slightly easier on us, and my husband and I were interested in “making” our own sedarim.
Dear Editor, I can’t say that Trump was the underdog in this race, but I know that many saw him running for the nomination as a lark, something that he put on his list of things to do in his lifetime which include appearing on a TV show, owning myriad properties, and becoming a billionaire. But he surprised us all. Out of a field of very qualified candidates, he rose to the top. Truthfully, I shouldn’t use the word “rise” to describe Trump. He clawed himself to the top, elbowing other candidates in the way and stepping on those who dared to pick up their heads. It was a few months of barbs, insults, rudeness and vulgarity. It seemed that America was getting tired or repulsed by the uncouthness of a possible presidential candidate. But now it seems that Trump has gotten the message that a little respect is in order and America has responded that they’re interested in someone with a little fight in them. There is one lesson, though, that we can all learn from The Donald and that is a lesson that I’ve heard from my mother consistently throughout the years: Never give up. In every situation there will be doubters, people who don’t think that you’re qualified to accomplish what you set out to do. But if you believe in yourself and push yourself to go the distance, you will be able to succeed. An important and valuable lesson indeed. Sincerely, Mary Goodman
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
The Week In News
2 Day Work Week for Venezuela’s Public Workers
If you are a public worker in Venezuela your work week is two days long. Sounds like a dream job but it’s not as simple as you might think. After President Nicolas Maduro announced that public offices in Venezuela will now open only Mondays and Tuesdays, many employees said they will use their free time to stand in endless food lines. Although their pay will not be affected by the work schedule adjustment, there are other repercussions. Victor Urbaez, who works at the state-owned communications company Cantv, said he has mixed feelings about the new measures. “Seventy percent of Cantv employees reject this decision,” Urbaez, who is a union member, told Fox News Latino. “We think it affects production and, even though we are getting paid, we will be unable to do the overtime work that increased our wages,” he said. The cut in hours is an attempt to contain the growing energy crisis. The water level at the nation’s largest dam has fallen to near its minimum operating level due to a severe two-year drought — Guri’s dam, outside Caracas, provides 70 percent of the electricity used in Venezuela. The enforcement will affect all state employees except those in the medical field. Public hospitals will maintain their regular working hours. Experts are skeptical that the new measures will produce any noticeable positive impact on the electricity crisis since 63 percent of the country’s energy consumption
is residential, according to official data. If people are not at work consuming energy, then they will most likely be at home consuming energy, perhaps even more with excessive free time. It’s six in one hand, half a dozen in the other. As part of the initiative, public schools will be closed on Fridays. Venezuelan law requires 200 school days per academic year. That the number will be cut to around 150 this year. “If you have 30 children in a classroom, they are just using electricity for lights, but if they are at home many will turn on their computer or TV,” said Leonardo Carvajal, a pedagogue and professor at the Universidad Catolica Andres Bello. “This hurts the normal learning pace of children,” he said. “Schools are not companies. If you lose one day, it is not easy to recover it later on. Children have a certain working capacity and they can’t work extra hours that easily.” The new changes present a major hassle for Venezuelans. If someone needs to leave the country and obtain paperwork he will have to wait for a Monday or Tuesday to contact the government office and imagine the lines when everyone is waiting to take care of their affairs within just two days a week. Another example is those who need to obtain school certifications and university diplomas, which until now took six months or more; it is expected that it will extend dramatically.
Who Invented the Bitcoin?
After years of speculation, the creator of the Bitcoin, who was thought to be Satoshi Nakamoto until now, has identified himself. The creator of the electronic currency is actually Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright. Wright has provided technical proof to back up his claim using coins known to be owned by Bitcoin’s creator.
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home
ing to exchange for it. To process Bitcoin transactions, a procedure called “mining” must take place, which involves a computer solving a difficult mathematical problem with a 64-digit solution. For each problem solved, one block of Bitcoins is processed. In addition, the miner is rewarded with new Bitcoins. The reward provides an incentive for people to provide computer processing power to solve the problems. To compensate for the growing power of computer chips, the difficulty of the puzzles is adjusted to ensure a steady stream of new Bitcoins are produced each day. As of today, there are about 15 million Bitcoins in existence. To receive a Bitcoin, a user must have a Bitcoin address – a string of 27-34 letters and numbers – which acts as a kind of virtual post-box to and from which the Bitcoins are sent. Since there is no registry of these addresses, people can use them to protect their anonymity when making a transaction. These addresses are in turn stored in Bitcoin wallets, which are used to manage savings. They operate like privately run bank accounts – with the proviso that if the data is lost, so are the Bitcoins owned. Bitcoins are now accepted as pay-
Iran’s New Incentive to Fight for Assad
Iran will now be granting citizenship to the families of foreigners
killed while fighting for the Islamic republic. The new law is likely meant to further firm up support for the Assad regime in Syria. “Members of the parliament authorized the government to grant Iranian citizenship to the wife, children and parents of foreign martyrs who died on a mission ... during the Iran-Iraq war (19801988) and afterwards,” an Iranian news agency said. Iran’s outgoing conservative-dominated parliament will serve until late May. The Iranian parliament is a symbolic body which can only pass laws authorized by the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. No figures are available on the number of foreign fighters killed during the Iran-Iraq war, but Shia Muslim Afghans, and even a group of Shia Iraqis, fought alongside Iranian forces against the regime of Saddam Hussein. The law could also apply to “volunteers” from Afghanistan and Pakistan who are fighting in Syria and Iraq against Sunni rebels. Shiite Iran is a staunch supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and provides financial and both direct and indirect military support to his regime. Tehran says its Fatemi-
s’’xc
DARCHEI T O A R IV
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ment for a vast variety of goods and services – everything from international money transfers to ransoms for data encrypted by computer viruses. Each of the digital units is worth about $449 (£306). Satoshi Nakamoto is believed to amassed about one million Bitcoins which would give him a net worth, if all were converted to cash, of about $450 million.
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While meeting with the BBC, Wright digitally signed messages using cryptographic keys created during the early days of Bitcoin’s development. The keys are inextricably linked to blocks of bitcoins known to have been created or “mined” by Satoshi Nakamoto. “These are the blocks used to send 10 bitcoins to Hal Finney in January [2009] as the first bitcoin transaction,” said Wright during his demonstration. Renowned cryptographer Hal Finney was one of the engineers who helped turn Wright’s ideas into the Bitcoin protocol, he said. Jon Matonis, an economist and one of the founding directors of the Bitcoin Foundation, said he was convinced that Mr. Wright was who he claimed to be. “During the London proof sessions, I had the opportunity to review the relevant data along three distinct lines: cryptographic, social, and technical,” he said. “It is my firm belief that Craig Wright satisfies all three categories.” Bitcoin is often referred to as a new kind of currency. The units are often thought of as virtual tokens rather than physical coins or notes. Like all currencies, its value is determined by how much people are will-
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youn Brigade, comprised of Afghan recruits, are volunteers defending sacred Shiite sites in Syria and Iraq against Sunni extremists like ISIS. In reality, though, observers and opposition forces say the Afghans are often used as front line shock troops in battles against both jihadists and other rebel groups. More than three million Afghans live in Iran – one million as legal migrants. The “volunteers” are often convicts or illegal immigrants to Iran lured to fight in Syria with the promise of naturalization and financial reward, together with threats of imprisonment and expulsion if they refuse. The Islamic republic denies having any boots on the ground in the Syrian conflict and insists its commanders and generals act as “military advisers” in Syria and Iraq.
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own the retailing company George Weston, earned fourth place with £11 billion. Other Israelis that made it onto the list of Britain’s 100 Wealthiest People include businessman Idan Ofer. A £2.73 billion fortune landed Ofer in 40th place while £2.46 billion gave the 44th spot to Teddy Sagi. Well-known businessman Lev Leviev ranked 143rd, as he is only worth £775 million.
Leon & Shalvie Lantsman R’ Reuven & Rochele Levine Carlo & Dina Minkowitz Dr. Lindsay & Rivki Rosenwald Levi & Sarena Shapiro Laizer Shtundel Aaron & Chaya Rochel Solomon
Moishe & Janine Somerstein Dovi & Rikki Steinberg Rabbi Yonah & Chavy Stern Racheli Teichman Nussie & Rachelli Tempelman David & Chanie Tilis Yitzy Travis David & Mattie Weinberg
The two richest Brits are a pair of Indian-born Jewish brothers with a combined net worth of 13.1 billion pounds. David and Simon Reuben own a whole lot of real estate including the Millbank Tower in London, the London Oxford Airport and the London Heliport, which operates as the city’s helicopter airport. Simon began his career as a rug importer, while his brother David made his start in the metal trade market. Later on, they shifted their focus to real estate. The very close second place on the list also belongs to two brothers, businessmen Sri and Gopi Hinduja, with an estimated fortune of £13 billion. They are Hindu and were also born in India. Leonard Blavatnik, an Odessa-born Jewish businessman who owns Warner Music Group and the Israeli holding company Clal Group, landed in third place with £11.59 billion, after earning the top spot in 2015. Anglo-Canadian businessman Galen Weston and his family, who
It’s almost three decades since the infamous Tiananmen Square protests. Since 1989 Miao Deshun, 51, has been incarcerated; he is the last remaining prisoner from the protests still in jail. This week it was announced that Deshun will be released in October, after serving more than 27 years in prison for his involvement in the mass demonstrations that were brutally put down by China’s government. Chinese courts originally gave him a suspended death sentence for arson after he and “four coworkers allegedly threw a basket onto a burning tank,” it said. Commuted to life imprisonment, his prison term was subsequently reduced several times, most recently this year, when authorities shortened it by 11 months for good behavior. “People who served sentences with him in the 1990s remember him as a very thin man who refused to admit wrongdoing and participate in prison labor,” the statement said, noting that he had spent time in solitary confinement and been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Chinese troops killed hundreds of unarmed civilians during the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, by some estimates more than 1,000.
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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weaken the Islamic Republic’s values and principles.
Iranian women these days often forgo the traditional long black veil known as the chador and wear colored headscarves, and are sometimes seen driving with no head covering at all. Until now, it has been fairly easy to avoid punishment for not obeying the code. Prior to this announcement, police assigned to “morality-enforcement” normally wore the same dark green uniform as regular Iranian police and were stationed out in the open at major squares and crossroads. Dress codes were often enforced by handing out scarves as gifts, giving verbal warnings or having female officers physically remove excessive makeup. The worst case scenario found offenders in court and facing fines of up to $250 or hauled to the local police station until their family members gave a written promise that they would never commit the same offense again. Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani recently addressed the moral erosion during a sermon, saying that a woman driving without a veil “cannot be called freedom.”
Russia’s Economy in Decline
Iran Deploys Plainclothes Clothing Enforcers Seven thousand male and female officers have been deployed in Iran’s
capital city in a new plainclothes undercover division. Tehran police chief Gen. Hossein Sajedinia recently announced his department will patrol major Tehran streets and intersections, policing transgressions including harassment against women and excessive car honking and engine noise. Many residents are skeptical of
the new unit and fear the main focus will be enforcing the government-mandated Islamic dress code, which requires women to be covered from head to toe. The code of dress is the most recent point of contention in the struggle between relative moderates such as President Hassan Rouhani and establishment hard-liners who fear looser social norms will
Despite Putin’s bluster, Russia isn’t doing very well. The World Bank has published a report highlighting the shrinking Russian economy. In 2016, the bank is forecasting a 1.9 percent decline of Russia’s Gross Domestic Product. Its pessimistic outlook is based on the average oil price
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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falling to 30 dollars per barrel this year. Analysts have also said that the forecast concerning the poverty level is very worrying, with all scenarios predicting a further increase in the number of those beneath the poverty line and the worsening of indicators for public wellbeing. “The forecasted poverty growth in all the scenarios is partly conditioned by the strong negative effect of the reduction of real income in 2015 in combination with the continuing deterioration of the employment indicator,” says the report. In other words, people are making less money and are less employed so poverty levels have increased substantially. Birgit Hansl, the World Bank’s lead economist for the Russian Federation, remarked that the experts had based their forecast of the development of Russia’s economy in 2016 on the weakening ruble. “In our forecasts we do not publish this figure, it is done intentionally,” she said, noting that in 2017 the ruble is expected to strengthen slightly. Inflation in Russia by the end of 2016 will be 5.9 percent, according to Hansl. On March 30 the Development Center of the Higher School of Economics in Moscow published a forecast that indicates that Russia’s GDP will fall by a total of 8.1 percent in the 2015-2019 period.
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Three more members of the Labour Party in England have been suspended after making anti-Israel comments. One week before elections, British media reported that Salim Mulla, the former mayor of Blackburn, shared pictures on Facebook suggesting that Israel was using ISIS to attack nations that supported Palestinians. The mayor posted that ISIS
attacking France after it voted for Palestinian statehood and executing a Japanese prisoner after Japan donated to Gaza was an Israeli conspiracy. Labour councilor Shah Hussain was also suspended for sending Israeli soccer player Yossi Benayoun tweets in which he said Israel was doing the same to the Palestinians as “Hitler did to your race.” According to British media, the Labour party said Hussain is “now under investigation over comments made on social media.” Nottingham City councilor Ilyas Aziz has also been suspended pending an investigation. Aziz had suggested on Facebook that it might have been wiser to create Israel in America and that Israel could be relocated “even now.” Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has launched an independent review of anti-Semitism and racism within its ranks.
Iran Threatens to Sue U.S. Courts over $2B Settlement
Another threat from the Persian regime. This time Tehran has threatened to take legal action in the International Court of Justice against the United States if $2 billion of its frozen funds are “diverted” to compensate the families of victims of attacks. This threat followed Wednesday’s lawsuit that amounted to theft the U.S. Supreme Court’s conclusion that it is fair and just to deduct $2 billion from its frozen assets to compensate American victims of terror attacks. “We hold the US administration responsible for preservation of Iranian funds and if they are plundered, we will lodge a complaint with the ICJ for reparation,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said. The victims’ families include anyone who was killed as a result of any attack by the Islamic republic. These included the 1983 bombing of a U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut and the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia. This ruling would impact
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
more than 1,000 Americans. Since last year’s nuclear agreement there has been hopes of better ties between the U.S. and Iran, and five other major powers. Zarif called this recent ruling a “misappropriation” of Iranian funds and vowed to retaliate. “We have announced since the beginning that the Iranian government does not recognize the U.S. extraterritorial law and consider the U.S. court ruling to blockade Iranian funds null and void and in gross violation of the International Law,” he declared.
France Declined Israel’s Offer of Anti-Terrorist Technology
The overture was rejected due to an anti-Israel boycott in many European regions. “French authorities liked it, but the official came back and said there was a higher-level instruction not to buy Israeli technology,” a well-placed Israeli counterterror specialist familiar with the technology and the company behind it said. “The discussion just stopped.” Despite the rejection of their overtures, Israel has promised to put differences aside and help the world battle terror. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a pledge to work closely with Europe on improving security in the wake of the Brussels attacks. “In Paris or Brussels or San Bernardino or Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, terror must be condemned equally and it must be fought equally,” Netanyahu said. “Israel stands ready to cooperate with all the nations in this great struggle.” The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been long debated in the international community. Human rights groups constantly denounce Israel for allegedly repressing and harshly retaliating against Palestinian aggression, while Israel insists and often proves that they are simply acting in self-defense to protect its people.
Syria Releases Israeli “Spy” If there is one thing that Israel can brag about it’s their ability, skill, and intelligence when dealing with terrorists. Unfortunately, circumstances have forced Israel to excel in this area. Yet French security officials rejected an Israeli company’s offer of terrorist-tracking software before the Charlie Hebdo and Paris attacks. Perhaps had they not been so prejudiced against the Jewish State they could have saved hundreds of lives. The offer of data-mining technology would have allowed French authorities to “connect all the dots” in the Islamist extremist community. The software analyzes and matches up fragmented intelligence reports from across various national and international databases, providing counterterrorism officials with current information on potential threats. It was presented to the Directorate-General for Internal Security, France’s main intelligence agency.
On Monday, Bargas Awidat, an Israeli Druze student held in Syria for the past 12 years, was abruptly released from prison and made his way back to Israel. In 2002 Awidat travelled to Syria to study dentistry. In 2004, however, he disappeared without a trace, leaving his family and Israeli authorities searching for clues. In 2010 it was finally confirmed that Syria was holding him prisoner in the Al Adra prison complex in Damascus. Awidat, now 47, was accused of working as an Israeli spy, a claim he denies. The Druze student had been snatched from his dorm room by Syrian secret police before being summarily tried and convicted of spying. He was given a life sentence. Since the Syrian civil war erupted, however, Assad has worked to appease the Druze population, many of whom have pivoted away from his murderous regime. Awidat’s sudden
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home
said earlier this month. The West Bank-ruling Fatah considers Barghouti’s arrest an “abduction,” and has suggested he should have enjoyed diplomatic immunity because he was previously a member of the Palestinian Authority parliament. “The Palestinian Authority has claimed for years that they have a right under international law, confirmed by a UN resolution, to kill Israeli civilians in all places and at all times,” said Itamar Marcus, of Palestinian Media Watch. “Accordingly, those Palestinians who have killed Israelis are said to have done something positive and heroic. Palestinian murderers of Israeli civilians are presented as heroes and role models.”
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Marcus noted that the victims of the murders Barghouti, 57, was convicted of ordering would not help make his case to the Nobel committee. The PA and Fatah have recruited many of their leaders to campaign for Barghouti. “We, the Palestinian people, support this initiative, and we think this initiative carries several messages ... a judicial message, which is a response to the Israeli claims accusing the prisoners of being terrorists and criminals,” Karake said.
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release from prison may be linked to the regime’s desire to repair strained relations with the Druze.
Murderer Wants Peace Prize Meet the newest candidate being put forth to receive a Nobel Peace
Prize by the Palestinian Authority and Fatah: Marwan Barghouti, who founded al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades and is called “the Palestinian Mandela,” is serving five life sentences for murder. Barghouti’s killings include a 2002 attack at a Tel Aviv seafood market in which three civilians were killed. While in prison, he has toyed with running for president and polls
suggest he would win if it were up to the voters. “Barghouti’s candidacy is essentially a call to recognize the legitimacy of the prisoners’ struggle ... and also a response to the claims and Israeli terms that do not recognize the legitimacy of their struggle, and treat them as ‘terrorists and criminals,’” Issa Karake, head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs,
A new report has revealed that the Palestinian Authority has taken billions of dollars from various Western governments while breaching their donors’ demands that terrorist prisoners not be paid with the funds. Palestinian Media Watch has exposed how the PA has funded terrorism since August 2014.
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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At the time, the PA claimed that it would not pay the jailed terrorists their salaries and instead the payment would be made by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the body behind the PA that had its terror status removed in the 1994 Oslo Accords when the PA was created. But numerous official PA sources and officials in the organization have now confirmed that the PA has been deceiving the West for almost two years. The sources cited in the report all testify that the PA Ministry of Finance continues to be the body making decisions for funding and continues to be the source paying salaries to the jailed terrorists. Records from the PA Ministry of Finance show numerous monetary transfers from the PA to the PLO from 2012 to 2015. In 2015, following the PA’s promise that it was no longer paying terror salaries and after it closed its Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs, it suddenly made a transfer more than double the amount it had moved over to the PLO in previous years, jumping from 294 million shekels (around $78 million) in 2014 to 775 million shekels (over $206 million) in 2015. The extra 481 million shekels ($128 million) in the 2015 transfer was a sum nearly identical to the 442 million shekel (over $117 million) budget previously allocated to the Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs before it was closed. That extra funding matches the almost exact amount of money the PLO would need to pay terrorist prisoners – indicating the source of the salaries is still the PA funds propped up by Western aid. The difference between the extra 481 million shekels to the PLO in 2015 and the 442 million shekels to the Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs the year before works out to a roughly 10% yearly rise seen in the funding. Not surprisingly, the PLO Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs that was formed when the PA Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs was closed is identical to its predecessor, according to the report. The PA Minister of Prisoners’ Affairs became the director of the new PLO Commission. The PA didn’t feel the need to cover their tracks: the salaries of the terrorist prisoners remain under the “supervision” of the “Palestinian presidency.” In other words, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
Three-Pronged Anti-ISIS Force
Israel, Egypt, and Hamas have formed a very unlikely alliance to counter the increasingly bold and deadly ISIS attacks in Egypt. Hamas deployed several hundred fighters last week to Gaza’s border with Egypt’s lawless northern Sinai as part of a deal to keep militants of the Islamic State from entering their territory. The deployment came days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Israel’s decision to build a new barrier along the Israel-Egypt border, warning that “we would have been overflowed by thousands of ISIS fighters from Sinai.” The growing concerns have given birth to the greatest cooperation between the militaries of Egypt and Israel since their 1979 peace deal. ISIS’s well-armed affiliate – known as Wilayat Sinai – has grown bolder since it claimed responsibility for the October bombing of a Russian charter flight over the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 aboard. The group has mounted a steady stream of attacks on Egyptian soldiers, overrunning military posts and targeting them with roadside bombs. While many are worried about Egypt’s ability to stem the Islamic State’s activities, the United States and Israel are particularly concerned that the militants could threaten a multinational peacekeeping effort that has overseen the peace between Egypt and Israel along the Sinai border. Last weekend, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made his second trip to Egypt in two months to discuss the Sinai and regional security. Israeli and Egyptian officials have long suspected that Hamas allows the Sinai militants to enter Gaza through smuggling tunnels and use the Strip as a safe haven. Israelis say Hamas brings arms across the Sinai into Gaza and is helped by Bedouin smugglers, some tied to the Islamic State. Hamas denies the allegations, though, saying it has no sympathies to the Islamic
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
State, which branded Hamas as infidels in a video two years ago. The concerns were enough for the Egyptians to apply pressure on Hamas to control its border and prevent any movement of fighters or couriers between Gaza and Sinai. Gaza depends on Egypt in part for its economic survival, and Hamas has long wanted to have its border with Egypt reopened. A Hamas official this week said there are now more than 300 Hamas fighters deployed in three areas along the sea and two land border crossings with the Sinai.
La Bienvenida a Cuba! It has been a year of first-timein-a-long-times in Cuban-American relations. Another milestone was reached this week, when the first U.S.
cruise ship to travel to Cuba in half a century docked in Havana. The Adonia, a Carnival cruise liner, sailed into port in Havana after setting off from Miami one day earlier.
The ship had 700 passengers on board, some of them Cuban-Americans returning to the Communist island for the first time in decades. The voyage is the first of what Carnival says will become week-long cruises to Cuba twice a month, with the goal of promoting cultural exchange between the two countries following a warming of ties that began in December 2014 and led to the restoration of full diplomatic relations last year. The “cultural exchange” aspect is key, since ordinary tourism to Cuba
is still banned under a U.S. trade embargo, which remains in effect despite the diplomatic thaw. For the time being, Americans can travel to Cuba only for cultural, academic, sports-related or religious events. Carnival is the first cruise line company to win permission from both governments to offer trips, which ended after the Cuban Revolution in 1959. The Adonia has scheduled cultural activities in its ports of call in Havana, Cienfuegos, and Santiago de Cuba, including meetings with artists, musicians and business owners, as well as dance classes and guided tours. Uncertainty over whether the cruise would actually take place cleared up only last week, when Cuban President Raul Castro’s government lifted restrictions for seaborne visits of Cubans to and from the United States, opening a door for Cuban-Americans born on the island to board the ships. Looking to visit the island on your next vacation? The cost of a ticket on the cruise ranges from $1,800 to $7,000 per person. Regular flights from the United States to Cuba are expected to begin later this year.
Cities on Cloud Nine
What is your happy place? Gallup’s 2015 Healthways Well-Being Index measured the well-being of Americans in each metropolitan statistical area based on interviews conducted over the last two years. It seems that the higher the well-being of a person, the happier they are. So where should you be headed if you want to be happy? According to Dan Witters, research director at Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, “Cities are good for well-being.” However, there is a downside to living in urban areas. Cities are highly dense which makes residents more vulnerable to disease, causing them to tend to feel less secure than their
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10. Rockford, Illinois On the other side of the rainbow, residents in these cities are as happy as clams: 1. Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, Florida 2. Salinas, California 3. North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida 4. Fort Collins, Colorado 5. Barnstable Town, Massachusetts 6. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California 7. Boulder, Colorado 8. Charlottesville, Virginia 9. Anchorage, Alaska 10. San Luis Obispo-Paso RoblesArroyo Grande, California
CIA Director: Docs Contain “Un-vetted” Information
counterparts in in more more rural rural areas. areas. counterparts Somecities, cities,though, though,have havebeen beenfound found Some to be be home home to to more more happier happier people. people. to In general, general, cities cities with with low low well-bewell-beIn ing also also tend tend to to have have higher higher unemuneming ployment rates, rates, lower lower incomes, incomes, and and ployment worse health health outcomes; outcomes; the the opposite opposite worse holdstrue trueas aswell. well.Median Medianhousehold household holds incomes exceed exceed the the national national median median incomes of $53,657 $53,657 in in 18 18 of of the the 25 25 cities cities with with of
the highest highest well-being well-being scores. scores. At At the the the otherend, end,in inall allbut butone oneof ofthe the25 25citcitother ies with with the the lowest lowest well-being well-being scores scores ies medianhousehold householdincomes incomesare arebelow below median average. average. Here are are the the cities cities in in the the nation nation Here where residents residents are are all all doom doom and and where gloom: gloom: 1. Charleston, Charleston,West WestVirginia Virginia 1. 2. Fort FortSmith, Smith,Arkansas Arkansas 2.
3. Huntington-Ashland, Huntington-Ashland,West West 3. Virginia Virginia 4. Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, 4. NorthCarolina Carolina North 5. Chico, Chico,California California 5. 6. Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Youngstown-Warren-Board6. man, Ohio Ohio 7. Dayton, Dayton,Ohio Ohio 7. 8. Worcester, Worcester,Massachusetts Massachusetts 8. 9. Toledo, Toledo,Ohio Ohio 9.
There’s been a push to release the 28 classified pages from the 9/11 Commission report but CIA Director John Brennan said on Sunday that releasing the documents would be a big error. Brennan explained that the document contains inaccurate, un-vetted information that could be used to tie Saudi Arabia to the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. The 28 pages were cut from a report on the 9/11 terror attacks in 2003 by the George W. Bush administration in the interest of national security. But now, former and current congressmen argue the pages show the existence of a Saudi support network for the hijackers involved in the terror attacks. “This chapter was kept out because of concerns about sensitive methods, investigative actions, and the investigation of 9/11 was still underway in 2002,” Brennan said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I think there’s a combination of things that are accurate and inaccurate [in the report],” Brennan said. “I think the 9/11 Commission took that joint inquiry and those 28 pages or so and followed through on the investigation and then came out with
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home
a very clear judgment that there was no evidence that ... Saudi government as an institution or Saudi officials or individuals had provided financial support to al-Qaeda.” Former Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.), who helped author the report, says he believes it shows the 9/11 hijackers were “substantially” supported by the Saudi government, as well as by charities and wealthy people in that country. “I think it is implausible to believe that 19 people – most of whom didn’t speak English, most of whom had never been in the United States before, many of whom didn’t have a high school education – could’ve carried out such a complicated task without some support from within the United States,” Graham said in an interview with “60 Minutes” in April. At the same time, House and Senate lawmakers are backing a bill that would allow families of terror victims to sue foreign states that helped fund or support terrorist attacks in the U.S. In response to that legislation, which President Obama has lobbied against, the Saudi government threatened to sell off hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of American assets.
Portion and Pants Size Keep Growing
It seems like every week there is a new study released regarding America’s growing obesity epidemic. In a recent article published by Brian Wansink, a psychologist and author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, he claims that the biggest problem is that our portion sizes are too large and we may not even realize it. Wansink blames our growing portion sizes on oversized tableware. He says that people tend to fill up their plates, cups, and bowls to seem full
rather than considering how much food they need to consume to be satiated. If a utensil looks empty, our brain tells us we want more simply because it doesn’t look like much, regardless of the actual amount of food. Wansink calls this the size-contrast illusion. The “real danger of these kitchen traps,” writes Wansink, is that “almost every single person in the world believes they’re immune to them.” If you want to learn good habits on portion size, watch your toddler eat. Children up until the age of three or four generally obey their body’s red light and stop eating when they are full, regardless of the size of their plate. However, shortly after that age, the self-regulation of hunger fades and instead toddlers learn to eat like us. In one study three-year olds were served small, medium, and large portions of macaroni and cheese and in all instances they always ate roughly the same amount. By contrast, five-yearolds ate a lot more when the portion of macaroni and cheese was oversized. According to Wansink, who is based in London, this is a cross-cultural phenomenon. In 2013, the British Heart Foundation published a report called “Portion Distortion” on how portion sizes in Britain have changed since 1993. Back then, the average American-style muffin weighed 85g, whereas 20 years later it was not uncommon to find muffins weighing 130g. Ready meals have also ballooned in size, with chicken pies expanding by 49% and the average shepherd’s pie nearly doubling in size since 1993 (from 210g to 400g). Nutritionists also blame the food industry for oversized portions. In an attempt to sell consumers more food, companies have created different sizes. A few decades ago, chocolate bars came in a single size but now there is a variety of sizes that tempt the consumer to buy more. In 1988, there was one size of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate bar (Cadbury is England’s equivalent to Hershey’s) in a single size: 54g. However, these days there are four choices on the shelf – you can choose between 49g, 110g, 200g and 360g. Compared with the truly gigantic 360g bar, the still-massive 110g looks almost dietetic. For those of you (us) trying to lose those Pesach pounds, simply buy smaller plates and keep a close eye on your portion size. The pounds will surely melt away.
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The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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A Call For Communal Action:
Inspiration for Responsibility
Did you know that Bridal Secrets, located on Central Avenue in Cedarhust, donates its profits to the local Be’er Miriam Tziporah Hachnasas Kallah Fund? How perfectly fitting (no pun intended!) that Bridal Secrets rents and sells bridal gowns, head pieces, veils, and more, and turns over its gain for the benefit of those struggling to make weddings. Are you aware that a former TAG student who was inspired by her experience with the Be’er Miriam Tziporah Chinese Auction during high school founded Badek’d, a Woodmere-based tzeddakah subsidizing jewelry for purchase by chosonim when they cannot afford to extend this kavod to their kallahs? And how about the former TAG student who quietly distributes beautiful gift cards to kallahs through Be’er Miriam Tziporah, inviting the recipient to choose something special for her wedding day?
“Kol Yisroel areivem zeh ba zeh”—every Jew is responsible, each for the other. These individuals have taken their responsibility to heart. We call on you to take your responsibility to heart. Be’er Miriam Tziporah, now in its 18th year, has cumulatively dispensed more than one million dollars, predominantly in our own community. However, the need for assistance has continued to grow, accelerating since the deep economic downturn in 2008. Unfortunately, the organization has had to cut back on its individual grants to spread a limited pool of funds over a growing population of beneficiaries.
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Fulfill your obligation to your community in the crucial mitzvah of hachnasas kallah by participating generously in the Be’er Miriam Tziporah Hachnasas Kallah Fund’s Chinese Auction on May 22th at Machon Sara TAG High School. Come to the Chinese Auction and enjoy, while showing your support for this noble cause and the hard-working TAG girls who make it happen.
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The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
• Sunday, May 22, 2016 •
Machon Sara TAG High School
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World Banking Attacked by Hackers
In what is being named the most daring digital bank heist ever, a group of anonymous hackers obtained tens of millions of dollars from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. They accessed the funds through the Bank’s highly trusted international bank messaging system called Swift. Swift, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, is regarded as a super-secure system that banks use to authorize payments from one account to another – “the Rolls-Royce of payments networks,” one financial analyst called it. Back in February, the group of
hackers siphoned $81 million from from Bangladesh’s central bank. Swift acacknowledged that the thieves have atattempted to carry out similar attacks attacks at other banks on its network by by slyly slyly getting into the global banking system. system. This admission, that the attack is is not a one-time out-of-the-ordinary ococcurrence, has created doubt surroundsurrounding Swift. There have been questions questions regarding just how securely money is is being moved around the world. At At the the same time, the attack is also proof proof of of how sophisticated and advanced hackhackandother other cyber-criminals have ers and cyber-criminals have bebecome. come. It is the digital version of the the heist heist depicted in the movie “Ocean’s ElevEleven,” a popular movie involving aa large large scheme, said Adrian Nish, head of of the the cyber-threat intelligence team at BAE BAE Systems, a defense and security comcompany. “The trend is moving from opporopportunistic crime to Hollywood-scale atattacks,” said Mr. Nish, whose firm firm has has analyzed the malware believed to have have been used in the Bangladesh breach. In the United States, many banks banks have taken special precautions with with their Swift computers, building mulmultiple firewalls to isolate the system system anfrom the bank’s other networks and
keeping the machines physically isolated in a separate locked room. The central bank in Bangladesh, by some accounts, employed fewer protections against cyberattacks than many other large banks. The bank, for example, used $10 routers and no firewalls, according to news reports. The server software that the Bangladesh bank employed was a Swift product called Alliance Access, which connects banks to the central messaging system. In a sign of how seriously Swift regards the breach of Alliance Access, the group issued a “mandatory software update” last week to help its members identify possible irregularities. “These hackers figured out this was a weak point on the periphery, and they went for it,” said Jeffrey Kutler, editor in chief at the Global Association of Risk Professionals, a trade group. “But they were not able to compromise the core.” As investigators attempt to make sense of the hack, they have speculated that the codes assigned to the Bank of Bangladesh by Swift were recognized (each bank on the Swift network is identified by a set of codes) and that cleared the way for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to transfer $81 million of the Bangladesh bank’s
money to the Philippines without realizing that the codes had been stolen. Originally, the thieves had requested a series of transfers totaling $951 million into several bank accounts in Sri Lanka and the Philippines. This large sum was a red flag, prompting the New York Fed to investigate and ask the Bangladesh bank to reconfirm that it indeed wanted to move the money. After the bank in Bangladesh did not confirm the request, the Fed caught on but not before processing five of the 35 payments. The attack was timed perfectly – at the time that the Fed attempted to reach the Bangladesh for confirmation, it was the weekend and no one was working. By the time central bankers in Bangladesh discovered the fraud, it was the weekend in New York and the Fed offices were closed. To conceal the crime, the malware disabled a printer in the Bangladesh bank to prevent officials from reviewing a log of the fraudulent transfers. The money was traced to accounts in the Philippines and then into the Philippine casino system, which is exempt from many of the country’s anti-money laundering requirements. The New York Fed has been criticized for letting the $81 million slip out. Representative Carolyn B. Malo-
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ney, a New York Democrat and member of the Financial Services Committee, has called for an investigation, warning that the breach “threatens to undermine the confidence that foreign central banks have in the Federal Reserve, and in the safety and soundness of international monetary transactions.” The New York Fed said in a statement that “there is no evidence that any Fed systems were compromised” and that the transfer of the money had been “fully authenticated” by Swift. Swift, which prides itself on its secrecy and low public profile, also put out a statement about the attacks. But its executives declined to speak on the record about the episodes, which are still under investigation. The group’s chairman, Yawar Shah, who is a senior executive at Citigroup, also declined to comment. In its statement, Swift emphasized that the hackers had been able to breach only some of the banks that communicate over Swift, not the network itself.
Trump v. Hillary 2016: Ready, Set, Go!
When Donald Trump announced his candidacy in June of last year, the pundits declared that it was a gimmick. Perhaps it was, but now he is the presumptive Republican nominee. After Trump trounced Ted Cruz in the Indiana primary on Tuesday, Cruz dropped out of the race. Until his surprise announcement, Cruz had been promising to take the race all the way to the Republican convention in Cleveland. For the past month he had been mounting a behind-the-scenes push to win the “inside baseball” game by convincing unbound delegates to cast a vote for him at the convention or to prevent Trump from getting a majority of the delegates and to then try to win on the second ballet. In his last ditch effort to turn around the race, Cruz announced last week that he had tapped former
Hewlett Packard CEO and short-term Republican candidate Carly Fiorina as his running mate. But that unconventional maneuver did not have the intended consequence and with Trump being less than 200 delegates from securing the Republican nomination outright, Cruz saw the neon writing on the wall. “From the beginning I’ve said that I would continue on as long as there was a viable path to victory,” Cruz said on Tuesday, with his wife Heidi by his side. “Tonight I’m sorry to say it appears that path has been foreclosed.” For his part, Trump pivoted towards a more gracious tone when addressing Cruz during his victory speech at Trump Towers in New York. “Cruz, I don’t know if he likes me or if he doesn’t like me, but he is one [good] competitor. He is a tough, smart guy and he has an amazing future.” This “kumbaya” moment came hours after the two had perhaps their nastiest exchange – earlier in the day Cruz declared that Trump is immoral and Trump insinuated that Cruz’s father may have collaborated with Lee Harvey Oswald shortly before the Kennedy assassination (yes, you read that correctly). Although many in the Republican establishment are vocally anti-Trump, the Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus sent a clear message moments after Cruz’s announcement and tweeted that Donald Trump “will be the presumptive GOP nominee” and that “we all need to unite and focus on defeating Hillary Clinton.” The Democrats wasted no time in painting Trump as a mean-spirited hate monger, which seems to be a page out of the standard playbook, although they may have more to work with when it comes to Trump. “The decades-old Republican strategy of exploiting unfounded fear of immigrants, minorities, the poor... have laid the groundwork for Donald Trump,” declared Democrat National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The Democrats also immediately began distributing free bumper stickers with Trump’s silhouette blaring, “Stop bigotry!” According to a Real Clear Politics’ average of national polls, Clinton now tops Trump by 6.5 percent. But, as Trump says, “We haven’t even started yet on Crooked Hillary!” The general election between these two presumptive nominees, who both have astronomically high unfavorable ratings, is sure to be a
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knockdown, drag out battle. Conventional wisdom says that the electoral map favors Hillary Clinton, but conventional wisdom also laughed at Donald Trump when he descended the escalator at Trump Towers last June to declare his candidacy for the Republican nomination. One thing is certain: if you enjoy the sport of politics, whip out the popcorn and chicken wings because you are about to watch a six month political Super Bowl like you have never seen before.
Navy SEAL Killed in Iraq
On Tuesday, a U.S. serviceman was killed in northern Iraq by Islamic State militants after blasting through Kurdish defenses and over-
running a town in the biggest offensive in the area for months, officials said. The Navy SEAL who lost his life is the third American to be killed in direct combat since a U.S.-led coalition launched a campaign in 2014 to “degrade and destroy” the jihadist group, and is a measure of its deepening involvement in the conflict. “It is a combat death, of course, and a very sad loss,” U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said. A senior official within the Kurdish peshmerga forces facing Islamic State in northern Iraq said the man had been killed near the town of Tel Asqof, around 28 kilometers (17 miles) from the militant stronghold of Mosul. The Islamic State insurgents occupied the town at dawn on Tuesday but were driven out later in the day by the peshmerga. A U.S. military official said the coalition had helped the peshmerga with air support from F-15 jets and drones. The SEAL was killed by an Islamic State attack on the peshmerga position behind the forward line. Such Islamic State incursions are rare in northern Iraq, where the Kurdish peshmerga have pushed the militants back with the help of coa-
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There is more to being popular than getting lots of presents at your birthday party. In fact, having lots of friends can be therapeutic, according to new research. Scientists at Oxford University discovered that individuals with large groups of friends have a higher tolerance for pain. Experts focused
How rabbis should be like doctors Rabbi YY Rubenstein on page 70
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lition airstrikes and set up defensive lines that the militants are rarely able to breach. The Kurdistan Region Security Council said at least 25 Islamic State vehicles had been destroyed on Tuesday and more than 80 militants killed. At least 10 peshmerga also died in the fighting. In mid-April the United States announced plans to send an additional 200 troops to Iraq, and put them closer to the frontlines of battle to advise Iraqi forces in the war against Islamic State. Last month, an Islamic State attack on a U.S. base killed Marine Staff Sergeant Louis Cardin and wounded eight other Americans providing force protection fire to Iraqi army troops.
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
on endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, and concluded that they can be more effective than morphine. The chemical is a “potent analgesic, indeed more so than the pain-relieving opiate drug morphine,” the authors write in the journal Scientific Reports. Spending time with friends can increase endorphins in the body. “Endorphin has a powerful pain-killing effect – stronger even than morphine,” Katerina Johnson, one of the psychologists involved in the study, revealed. “Endorphins are part of our pain and pleasure circuitry – they’re our body’s natural painkillers and also give us feelings of pleasure. Previous studies have suggested that endorphins promote social bonding in both humans and other animals. One theory, known as ‘the brain opioid theory of social attachment,’ is that social interactions trigger positive emotions when endorphins bind to opioid receptors in the brain. This gives us that feelgood factor that we get from seeing our friends.” This conclusion is based on a study that involved the evaluation of 101 adults aged between 18 and 34 who were questioned on a number of aspects of their lives and also received a non-invasive, physical pain test. They discovered that participants with larger social networks had a higher pain tolerance. The study also found that people who exercised more often and those who reported high stress levels tended to have smaller social networks. The researchers wondered if it was simply a result of time management: people who spend hours at the gym or in a stressful work environment simply have less time to socialize. Johnson added, “These results are also interesting because recent research suggests that the endorphin system may be disrupted in psychological disorders such as depression. This may be part of the reason why depressed people often suffer from a lack of pleasure and become socially withdrawn.” She continued, “However, there may be a more interesting explanation. Since both physical and social activities promote endorphin release, perhaps some people use exercise as an alternative means to get their ‘endorphin rush’ rather than socializing.” Next time you are feeling pain, plan a night out with friends. Seems that laughter really is the best medicine.
The Chicken Tradition
You know what Reb Tevye says, “It’s tradition!” And Mike Hovak agrees. Mike and his wife Angela have been married for 15 years. And for 15 years they’ve been doing the same thing to celebrate their nuptials: eating Kentucky Fried Chicken. That may seem mundane to most of us living in New York, but the Hovaks live in Yellowknife in the UK and KFC is hard to come by. So how did this tradition start? Well, it began at the couple’s wedding reception in Kugluktuk, Nunavut, 15 years ago. Mike hadn’t wanted to get married in Kugluktuk. He wanted to get married at a talent show where he figured they would win first place. The prize? Plane tickets on a fun journey. But wife Angela wasn’t too excited to tie the knot at the talent show and so she offered Mike something tasty instead: “I let him have his KFC,” she said. “We had to order it from Yellowknife, and at that time they could sell KFC frozen,” she related. They ordered 500 pieces. “Everybody that was invited to the wedding was more excited about the KFC than our wedding.” Such good friends they have. Every year, the couple celebrates with the crispy chicken on their anniversary. But this year, the tasty tradition became a little more tough. The local KFC restaurant in the capital closed down, and Mike – without hesitation – drove 700 kilometers to the town of High Level, picked up 15 buckets of chicken and then drove the 700 kilometers back, all in one day. The cost? According to Mike, 1,400 kilometers worth of gas, plus the purchase of 15 buckets of chicken and popcorn chicken came to about $600. But was it worth it? “Every penny,” Mike insists. “We have to keep traditions alive. Fifteen years. Why stop now?”
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works by renowned South American artists, ready to be sold complete with fake certification.
The show’s curator, Mario Naranjo, says that some of the forgeries are really good. They are worth $600,000 overall, though, a fraction of the market, but an important example for raising awareness of art fraud. Some of the works have been faked in minute detail, with the forgers even adding holes to make the canvas look moth-eaten. “This kind of crime makes millions of dollars. It is considered the biggest racket in the world after arms and drug-trafficking,” Naranjo said. The exhibition runs until mid-May at the finance ministry in Buenos Aires, after which the works will be returned to the court handling the case against the forgers and eventually destroyed. Seems like these criminals may need to have a change of art – I mean, heart.
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Tevye would surely agree, although he would make sure to bring a shochet along.
Not-So-State of the Art Oh, those art critics. They stand around, staring at paintings, tilting
their heads, moving forward and backward entranced by works of art. But how much do they really know about art? A new gallery in Buenos Aires will set art critics’ heads spinning. The paintings there may look like works of great artists – but are actually rip offs. One painting is very telling. It is supposed to be a masterpiece by the late Argentine painter Antonio Berni, but
the main figure’s head is cut off by the frame. Hmm, sure doesn’t seem like you need an art degree to figure that one out. The 40 canvases on display at the exhibition in the Argentine capital were seized in a raid organized by cross-border police agency Interpol on a band of forgers. Police got hold of 240 works overall, fake versions of
It was bound to happen, Mr. Schultz. Customers were going to realize that spending $7 on their favorite Iced Skinny Caramel Macchiato Blended Coffee with Chai and Mocha and Crème was a little over the top. But wait! It seems that consumers aren’t mad about the exorbitant prices they’re shelling out at Starbucks nationwide; they’re just upset that they’ve got too little drink and way too much ice. Stacy Pincus is one mad coffee drinker. She’s suing the chain for $5 million and is accusing them of packing almost half of their cold beverages with ice as a means of skimping on serving actual coffee to customers.
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
According to Pincus, when ordering a 24-ounce “Venti,” a customer only receives 14 ounces of actual coffee, and ice takes up the remaining 10. And that ice is gonna cost you. Consider that hot beverages cost less than iced ones – seems that Starbucks is serving designer ice cubes. A spokesman for Starbucks has fired back at the lawsuit. “Our customers understand and expect that ice is an essential component of any ‘iced’ beverage,” the spokesperson stated, adding that the company would remake any beverage if a customer is unsatisfied. Pincus says she represents every person who has purchased a cold drink from Starbucks over the last ten years. So truthfully $5 million isn’t a whole latte much.
What’s in a Name? There are some things that children are just not old enough to do: drive cars, vote, cross the street by themselves, remember to brush their teeth. It seems that they are not yet at the right age to discern right from wrong. Perhaps school officials would
be wise to consider that when renaming schools.
Thankfully, the schoolboard wisely just asked for recommendations for the new name. The board members will have the final say. And will probably not choose any of those suggested above. Democracy at its finest.
Belly Button Beer Recently, a schoolboard in Austin, Texas, voted to rename Robert E. Lee Elementary School. Instead of proposing a new moniker, they sought the community’s input. They probably now regret that decision. The top nomination for the school’s new name is really great – I mean, it will make the school great again. The community chose to name the institution Donald J. Trump Elementary. Other nominations for the new name include Adolph Hitler School for Friendship and Tolerance, Bleeding Heart Liberal Elementary, Boaty McBoatface Elementary School, Hypothetical Perfect Person Memorial Elementary School, and Schoolie McSchoolface. Also, Schooly McSchoolerson. Well, they can all get an A for effort.
If you love beer, you may not want to read on. The 7 Cent Brewery in Victoria, Australia, has announced that they’ll be using yeast from a very interesting location in their newest batch of beers. The 2016 Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular next month in Melbourne and Sydney will see the debut of Belly Button Beer, which is brewed using belly button fluff from brewers. “Perhaps the first beer in the world fermented from yeast captured from the brewer’s belly button fluff; there will be a little bit of 7 Cent in every glass,” the brewery boasted in a blog post. “Some say why? We say why not?” It wasn’t easy finding the right belly button fuzz. The brewery said the team created several trial batches
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using yeast collected from different brewers until they found the one with “the best character.” Doug Bremner, co-founder of 7 Cent, said great care was taken to ensure the yeast strains were sterile. “It’s perfectly safe,” he insists. “Yeast is yeast – this beer is no different to any other beer out there.” The “completely unique yeast strain” give the beer a unique flavor, which the brewery said “exhibits qualities of Belgian beer with the key characteristics being spiciness, clove and light banana esters.” “The orange zest and coriander seeds were used to help complement the yeast and a calculated amount of Riwaka and Mosaic hops were added to increase the citrus qualities and give it a refreshing hop kick,” the brewers wrote. “Four different grains were also used to add both body and complexity including: barley, wheat, oats and rye.” Looking to imbibe a Belly Button Beer in your town? The beverage may become more widely available if there’s a demand for the product. For now, though, there is a brewery in Oregon that has created a beer using yeast collected from a brewer’s beard. This type of news makes me want to keep Pesach all year round.
Announces Our
Annual Dinner Celebrating Yom Yerushalayim At our beautiful new Cedarhurst Campus Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Guests of Honor Menachem & Shayna Landau, שומר ישראלAward Josh & Miri Lifshitz, מחזיקי תורהAward Chaim & Rebecca Schreck, כתר שם טובAward Morah Naomi Hollander, מחנכת השנהAward To place reservation: wizadjournal.com/shulamith2016
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The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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Community 608 Students, 41 Schools, 4 Continents
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tudents from all over the world entered the Technion’s (Israel Institute of Technology) competition to build a Pesach-inspired Rube Goldberg machine. For the uninitiated, a Rube Goldberg machine is a contraption or device that is deliberately over-engineered to perform a simple task in a complicated fashion, generally including a chain reaction.
Boys and fathers learned together on Chol Hamoed mornings at this year’s Avos U’Bonim Pirchei KNH/Learn & Live program
In the weeks leading up to the challenge deadline, students tinkered away – working through lunch and long after school. They enjoyed brainstorming, building, testing, problem solving, rebuilding, and of course, working together as a team! We are proud to announce that Shulamith High School was recognized as one of four finalists in the HS category. Congratulations to the Shulamith STEM club members – Hana Adler, Hadassah Allman, Chevi Charlap, Ella Lax, and Avigail Sassoon – and to Ms. Vais on their hard work and achievement! We’d like to congratulate the winners of the competition: Abraham Joshua Heschel High School (NYC) and the Weber School (Atlanta, Georgia) as well as our fellow finalists: Adelson Educational Campus (Las Vegas, Nevada), Lauder School of Prague (Prague, Czech Republic) and Gann Academy (Waltham, Massachusetts).
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
Are you raising a child or family member with special needs?
Join us. Tuesday, May 31, 2016 Presenters: Andrew Cohen, Esq.
Elderlaw and Special Needs Planning Specialist
Blima Druker
HASC Center Area Coordinator
Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman
International Director of Yachad
Dr. David J. Marks, Phd
Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Director of Educational Outreach, The Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center
Leah Steinberg BottomLineMG.com
Director of Project LEARN, the Special Education Division of Agudath Israel of America
Esti Waldman, MS SpEd
Director of Evaluations at On Our Way Learning Center
Mitchell Weisbrot, CLU, ChSNC Special Care Financial Planner
For more information or to register:
T: 516-791-4444 ext 113 W: achiezer.org/specialcare E: specialcare@achiezer.org Cong. Beth Sholom | 6:30-11 pm 390 Broadway - Lawrence, NY 11559
Benjamin Brafman, Esq. Honorary Event Chairman
SpecialCare+ EXPO 2016 RESOURCES. INFORMATION. SUPPORT. Achiezer’s SpecialCare+ Expo promises to empower families with children who face special challenges. Our goal is to provide a wider scope of resources to these parents and caregivers. Through our new forum, we can support one another and gain insight from professionals.
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On Wednesday of Chol Hamoed, Ashreinu held its annual trip. They headed to New England, visited the Mystic Aquarium, hiked around the Breakers Mansions, davened Mincha at the Touro Synagogue (the oldest shul in America), and then enjoyed the famous Ashreinu BBQ dinner with Rock Spot Climbing. For more info about Ashreinu programs, please email danielwaldman@gmail.com.
Kollel Tiferes Avos to Hold Annual Breakfast
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ollel Tiferes Avos is pleased to announce that its sixth annual breakfast will take place at Congregation Shaaray Tefila, 25 Central Ave, Lawrence on May 15 at 9:30 AM. All are encouraged to attend and give chizuk to the various Torah activities of this unique Kollel. Under the leadership of Rabbi Dov Bressler, and with the assistance of Rabbi Dovid Scheiner, the Kollel provides shiurim and chavrusas for Jews of all ages and backgrounds. The Kollel looks back at its accomplishments of having united Jews of all ages and occupations across the Five Towns, Far Rockaway, and Bayswater in a unifying learning experience. It has injected an air of enjoyment, interactive learning and stimulation into the regular study of the Torah. The Kollel looks ahead to accommodate the increasing number of “Chevrei Hakollel.” At the breakfast, the Kollel will be awarding its Keser Shem Tov Award to Mr. Sam Futersak for his decades of supporting Torah institutions, being at the forefront of chesed projects in the community and actively participating in the give and take of Torah dialogue and dissemination. Mrs. Chaya Robinson will accept the Zecher Olam Award in memory of her recently departed husband, Tevya Robinson, z”l, who attended Rabbi Bressler’s shiurim for thirty five years. Finally, Mr. Samuel Feigenbaum
will be recognized for his long time participation in the Shabbos and Friday evening shiurim of Rabbi Bressler. A crowning feature of the morning will be the address of Harav Uri Orlian shlita. As the incoming Rabbi of Congregation Shaaray Tefila, he has infused the neighborhood with a new zest for learning and middos tovos. The entire breakfast program will be adroitly led by Rabbi Bezalel Korn who will move the proceedings with dignity, enthusiasm and dispatch. Kollel Tiferes Avos holds sessions weekdays at Shaaray Tefila on Central Ave in Lawrence. A day at the Kollel begins with a 9:45 Shiur in Sefer Hachinuch and insights into the weekly Parsha given by Rabbi Dovid Scheiner, distinguished talmid chacham. It is followed by a daily Shiur in Mesechta Avoda Zorah given by Rabbi Dov Bressler, noted expositor of divrei Torah and Rav of HILI Beis Medresh. Simultaneously, chavrusos study the same mashecta, albeit at a more advanced and intricate level. Probing Shiurim Klalli on machshava and mussar are also presented. In addition, for those who cannot attend in the morning, shiurim in Mesechta Moed Katan are given every Tuesday at 8:00 PM and on Shabbos in Mesechta Taanis. The Kollel looks forward to the participation in the breakfast of every individual in the community.
Gesher Century Challenge – Upcoming Bike Tour to Benefit Local Yeshiva Day School Students
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egistration is now open for the upcoming Gesher Century Challenge that will take place on Sunday, July 10. Proceeds from the event will be used to provide clinical and financial support for children in our community whose learning styles challenge their ability to fully succeed in the typical classroom setting. This ride is in conjunction with the very popular Gold Coast Tour that is organized by the Huntington Bicycle Club of Long Island. It runs along Long Island’s North Shore, passing famous estate homes and properties and several cultivated vineyards. Many cyclists from our area have participated in the Gold Coast in the past several years and have found the routes to be beautiful to view and enjoyable to ride. There are several itinerary options allowing the not-yet seasoned rider to participate as well as children. Cyclists can choose between 12 miles, 25 miles, 55 miles, 70 miles, or the full 100 mile Century. Gesher’s participation in the tour allows its riders the benefits not commonly found on a large tour.
There will be a minyan for Shacharis in an appropriate setting, breakfast, kosher snacks throughout, and end of race refreshments. Gesher would like to thank Seasons for providing the end of race refreshments. Additionally, Gesher riders will have special treatment at the race, including quicker registration and separate start times. The HBC provides full SAG support throughout the event. Fundraising commitments begin at just $250. Commitments of $500 and above entitle the rider to additional incentives including a free Hincapie professional riding jersey. Gesher is currently in the process of lining up corporate sponsors to prepare the artwork for the event jerseys. All jersey orders must be received by May 16th and riders are encouraged to register ASAP. For more information about the event and about the Gesher Early Childhood Center, or to register or sponsor please visit www.GesherCenturyChallenge.com or email Gesher.Century.Challenge@gmail. com.
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
Around the Community
Todd Kaminsky being sworn in as New York’s newest State Senator
Margaret Frantz Appointed Chief Patient Experience Officer at St. John’s
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t. John’s Episcopal Hospital, Far Rockaway, announced the appointment of Margaret Frantz as the company’s first Chief Patient Experience Officer, effective immediately. In this role, Frantz will be responsible for leveraging best practices that have been developed to help ensure patients have the best experience possible. “St. John’s has fabulous caregivers and physicians who put patients first and deliver high quality care. The creation of this new position will enable us to identify and implement practices that help ensure the patient experience throughout the Hospital matches the high level of care we provide,” said Jerry Walsh, the Hospital’s CEO. “Margaret Frantz has a broad background in patient care and she is familiar with the Hospital’s culture, having worked in her previous role here as Director of Patient Relations. We are excited to add someone of her caliber and experience to our leadership team.” Margaret has a law degree from Syracuse University and spent 18 years as an international flight at-
tendant and purser for American Airlines. She graduated from Drew University Theological School with a Master of Divinity and was on her way to becoming an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church when she came to St. John’s as a Chaplain intern in the Clinical Pastoral Education program. When that program was finished she stayed on as Patient Advocate and gradually grew the department until she became Director of Patient Relations, supervising a department of four Patient Advocates. Margaret reports to the Senior VP, COO, Christopher Parker.
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Israeli Wines for Yom Haatzmaut By Gabriel Geller
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ne of the traditions of Yom Haatzmaut is the nearly-mandatory BBQ, often referred to as the mitzvah of the day by the Israelis… A great BBQ is not complete without all the salads, grilled corn and some fresh fruits. And of course, some delicious Israeli wines to pair with the plethora of food! Having myself lived in Israel for many years, I have made it my personal custom to enjoy on Yom Haatzmaut some of the best wines produced by the many and very dynamic Israeli wineries. Some wineries such as Carmel have played an important role in the history of the State of Israel. The first telephone ever in Israel was installed at Carmel winery even before the State was founded. As well, three former prime ministers have worked at Carmel. Speaking of History, the Carmel Appellation Carignan, a wine made with grapes from 45-50 years old vines, makes for a great match with grilled meats. It is full-bodied and earthy with flavors of dark berries and spices. Psagot winery is located in the mountains north of Jerusalem. Their best wines mature in oak barrels in an old, natural cave dating back to the time of the Second Temple, more than 2000 years ago. On the bottles, you may find the replica of a coin from those times which was found in that very same cave. The new Psagot Rosé is a delightful and refreshing wine that is very pleasant on its own as well as an accompaniment to fresh salads and roasted veggies. It features a salmon color with mouth-watering acidity as well as notes of ripe strawberries, tangerines and papaya. If you fancy some grilled fish rather than meat, I would then recommend you to check out the bright and buttery Barkan Special Reserve Winemaker’s Choice Chardonnay. Served slightly chilled, its creamy texture as
well as flavors of lemon and almonds, it complements some fresh tuna nicely and with class. In a few weeks, we will also celebrate Lag Baomer. The custom is to sing and dance around a huge bonfire, often with a BBQ as well. Every year, as part of the celebration, thousands of people visit the sepulture of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai at Mount Meron in the Galilee. That beautiful region in the north of Israel is filled with beautiful vineyards from which some of the best Israel wineries source their grapes. Or Haganuz is one of them, producing distinctive wines from selected plots. The Horkenus is the new flagship wine of Or Haganuz. It is a Bordeaux-blend that matured for 40 months in French oak barrels. The result is a powerful, tannic and bold wine, loaded with bursting aromas of blackberries, currants, toasted oak and dark chocolate. This wine comes in a beautiful wooden box, reflecting its standing. While approachable now and quite adequate with a big steak, it will soften and evolve over the next few years. Roy Itzhaki is a young entrepreneur who serves as a reservist officer in the IDF’s Air Force. Roy is also the founder and owner of the Tulip winery. Devoted to serve his country both in his personal and professional life, Roy wanted to make great wine while making a difference, in terms of quality of course but also for his community. Tulip employs adults with special needs who resides in Kfar Tikva, the Village of Hope, where the winery is located. Roy has achieved success with his wines, some of which having received the highest accolades from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. On a warm afternoon, whether enjoyed as appetizer, dessert or both, there is nothing more refreshing than some cold and juicy watermelon. And it tastes even better with a bottle of Tulip White Franc, a delicious, semi-sweet wine with tropical and citrus fruit flavors. L’chaim and Chag Atzmaut Sameach!
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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Learning and Growing at Kehillas Ahavas Yisrael
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f all species of fruit, the Torah is likened to a fig tree. The Midrash Rabba (Parshas Nasso, Parsha 12) explains that the fig tree differs from all the others. Other trees’ fruit ripens at once, while the fig tree ripens gradually, one fruit at a time. So it is with the Torah. A small amount today, a small amount tomorrow. But the cumulative effect is often astounding. It seems like only yesterday that Kehillas Ahavas Yisrael began learning Mishna Berura each morning at 6:45, before their daily Shacharis at 7. But this coming Monday morning, they will be finishing Chelek Alef of Mishna Berura. Rabbi Daniel Glatstein, the new Rav of Kehillas Ahavas Yisrael, believes strongly that the success and growth of a kehilla is based, first and foremost, on Limud HaTorah. “There is no better way to start the day than by learning the halachos that are relevant to one’s life on a daily basis.” The daily attendees of the shiur are diverse. There are young working men
catching the shiur after an early minyan, others who will remain for the 7:00 Shacharis at KAY, even a Rebbi at a local yeshiva who likes to begin his day with a shiur in Mishna Berura. And, as Rabbi Glatstein points out, many of the mispallelim listen to the shiur online at Torahanytime.com on their way to work. Kehillas Ahavas Yisrael offers a wide range of shiurim throughout the week given by Rav Daniel Glatstein. On Sunday mornings, after the
8:30 Shacharis, Rabbi Glatstein gives an iyun shiur, and will be starting Meseches Succah on Sunday, May 15. Every Wednesday night, the shul fills with attendees from the tristate area for Rabbi Glatstein’s weekly parsha shiur. This dynamic shiur is based on a wide array of sources which are presented to the audience to follow and take home for further study. The Wednesday night shiur is streamed live on Torahanytime.com. Among other shiurim, Rabbi Glat-
stein’s shalosh seudos shiur has become a highlight of the week for many mispallelim, as well as members of the community who come to elevate themselves at the departure of Shabbos. Kehillas Ahavas Yisrael warmly invites the Five Towns community to join Rabbi Glatstein’s Mishna Berura shiur, which will begin Chelek Beis of Mishna Berura this coming Tuesday morning, as well as all the shiurim and programming which are open to the entire community.
PINNY FARKAS,
LCSW
GROWTH AND SELF DEVELOPMENT THROUGH MUSIC Therapy through music will help your child/teenager: •Develop skills for self expression •Learn how to work through feelings of anger and frustration •Gain confidence and self-esteem •Cultivate a sense of unique self
To learn more or set up a consultation please call 516.666.0374 | www.PinnyFarkas.com
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
PEDIATRICS AT ST. JOHN’S The Pedriatic Department at St. John’s is pleased to welcome Dr. Arthur DeLuca to the Pediatric Team. Dr. DeLuca is a board certified Pediatric Pulmonologist. He is a graduate of SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn Downtown and completed his residency training at Bellevue Medical Center. He trained as a Pediatric Pulmonology Fellow through Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and served as an attending at Schneider’s Children’s Hospital, Winthrop, New York Hospital of Queens and Cornell Medical Center. Dr. DeLuca is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and Diplomate in Pediatric Pulmonology.
THE TEAM Dr. Cynthia Criss is a graduate of the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed her training at Schneider Children’s Hospital of Long Island Jewish Medical Center before coming to St. John’s. She has been on the medical staff of the Hospital for 15 years, is the Pediatric Department Chair and is Board Certified in Pediatrics. Dr. Allan Steinberg completed his training at Long Island College Hospital and his fellowship in neonatology at Brookdale Hospital. He has been a dedicated member of the Hospital and community for more than 25 years. He provides specialized care required for the sick and well newborn, and is Board Certified in Pediatrics. Dr. Steinberg is fluent in Spanish. Dr. Lesly Gracias Michel offers endocrinology services. He completed his training at Nassau County Medical Center and
his fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology at Winthrop Children’s Hospital. He specializes in diabetes, thyroid disease, growth disturbances, precocious puberty, short stature and obesity. Dr. Michel is fluent in Spanish, Creole and French. Dr. Rami Grossman completed his neurology training at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. He has been providing care to the community for more than 20 years. Common disorders that he diagnoses and treats include ADHD, autism, developmental delay, seizures, headaches, learning difficulties and tic disorders. Dr. Grossman is boarded by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Neurology with a special qualification in child neurology, and is fluent in Spanish. Debbie Steiger Cohen R.N. is a certified lactation consultant. She is available to assist mothers and babies with their breast feeding needs. She is fluent in Spanish.
Please call: (347) 619-5950 for an appointment. Our offices are located at 495 Beach 20th Street.
ST. JOH N’S EPISCOPA L HOSPITA L E P I S C O PA L H E A LT H S E R V I C E S I N C . 718.869.7000 | WWW. EHS.ORG
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Chai4ever Turns Illness and Despair into Simchas Yom Tov
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wanted to thank you, even though it’s hard to thank you enough for such an awesome day! Unlimited rides and games is every kid’s dream and that dream became a reality today! Cancer adds a lot of worries to life but one thing I didn’t have to worry about was planning a fun Chol Hamoed trip. I didn’t even have to worry about taking enough food. You took care of everything and it was absolutely amazing!! It was a day we will all always remember. Thank you,”I wanted to thank you even though it’s hard to thank you enough for such an awesome day! Unlimited rides and games is every kid’s dream and that dream became a reality today!! Cancer adds a lot of worries to life but one thing I didn’t have to worry about was planning a fun Chol Hamoed trip. I didn’t even have to worry about taking enough food. You took care of everything and it was absolutely amazing!! It was a day we will all always remember. Thank you.”I wanted to thank you even though it’s hard to thank you enough for such an awesome day! Unlimited rides and games is every kid’s dream and that dream became a reality today!! Cancer adds a lot of worries to life but one thing I didn’t have to worry about was planning a fun Chol Hamoed trip. I didn’t even have to worry about taking enough food. You took care of everything and it was absolutely amazing!! It was a day we will all always remember. Thank you.”I wanted to thank you even though it’s hard to thank you enough for such an awesome day! Unlimited rides and games is every kid’s dream and that dream became a reality today!! Cancer adds a lot of worries
to life but one thing I didn’t have to worry about was planning a fun Chol Hamoed trip. I didn’t even have to worry about taking enough food. You took care of everything and it was absolutely amazing!! It was a day we will all always remember. Thank you.” writes Rivka L. about Chai4ever’s Chol Hamoed Pesach Day of Fun and Adventure at The Funplex in Mount Laurel, NJ, on Wednesday, April 27. There was fun for children of all ages, with many indoor and outdoor attractions including a roller coaster, go-karts, lazer tag, bowling, unlimited arcade games, and much more. With over 1,000(!) children and parents, you might think there would be chaos, but Chai4ever’s devoted volunteers seemed to be everywhere all at once, juggling multiple tasks to make sure every child had the absolute best time. Serving snacks, helping kids with rides, giving out souvenir T-shirts –
and always with enthusiastic smiles. “I was surprised to realize how stressed out I had been,” said Dovid, a cancer patient and father of four. “Once I saw how competent and caring the volunteers were, I relaxed, and all of a sudden it was like a thousand pound weight rolled off my shoulders. There was nothing left for me to deal with – you thought of everything!” Food is always a challenge on Chol Hamoed outings, particularly on Pesach, but Chai4ever rose to the challenge. “My kids are very picky,” mused Avi W., “so we packed some food. But it ended up staying in the car, unneeded. As soon as we walked in to the Funplex, we saw mountains of chips and cookies, bowls of fresh fruit, mounds of candies, and platters of tuna and lox. There were hot dogs for those who wanted meat, cheese snacks for those who didn’t, and all kinds of drinks. My kids even got to-go bags to fill with snacks for the ride home!” The day ended on a high note – literally! – with a rocking concert by Boruch Sholom and Yehuda Green. Spirited singing and dancing were the perfect conclusion to an exhilarating day. Seriously ill parents danced and swayed to the music, holding their children tightly, and the volunteers made sure to keep everyone’s spirits soaring. Rabbi Shmuel Zaks, Executive Vice President and Founder of Chai4ever, explained why he and his staff expend so much time and effort putting together these grand events. “Pesach is a difficult time for anyone,” he said, “but when you consider the stress families with a seriously ill parent suffer on a
constant basis, you realize that they and their children need a chance to relax, enjoy, and celebrate. We are determined to make their Yom Tov as joyful as possible, and with the help of Hashem, our generous benefactors, and dedicated volunteers and staff, we were able to give them a Chol Hamoed trip to remember.” The Chol Hamoed extravaganza was the cherry on top of Chai4ever’s wide array of programs aimed at helping families with a sick mother or father. “We carefully assessed each family’s situation and needs,” explained Rabbi Zaks, “and devised a tailor-made solution to ensure they could have a normal Yom Tov.” Their staff and volunteers have had an extraordinarily busy few weeks, ensuring their families’ homes are made free not only of chometz, but also of stress and anxiety. Homes and cars were cleaned, hundreds of meals were prepared, packaged, and delivered, and groceries, clothing and shoes were carefully selected and purchased. For families who simply could not remain at home, respite retreats at Pesach hotels for all or part of yom tov were arranged. They even bought personalized Afikoman gifts for each Chai4ever child to make sure they all experienced their own simchas yom tov. One precocious eight-year old poignantly summed up the event in as ringing an endorsement of success as anyone could hope for: “I haven’t had this much fun since Mommy got sick!” The exhausted but elated faces all around suggest that she is not alone in this sentiment.
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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Midreshet Shalhevet Pays Tribute at Annual Dinner
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idreshet Shalhevet will pay tribute to Guests of Honor Dr. Jeffry Beer and his wife, Mrs. Shira Beer, Parents of the Year Mr. Mickey Hyman and his wife, Mrs. Malkie Hyman, and Teacher of the Year, Mr. Jeff Ganeles, at its Seventh Annual Scholarship Dinner to take place on Sunday, May 15 at 5:30pm at Temple Hillel in North Woodmere. “The Scholarship Dinner is the cornerstone of the school’s scholarship campaign, the success of which ensures Midreshet Shalhevet’s longstanding policy to provide the best Orthodox Jewish high school education, regardless of financial capabilities,” said Rosh Mesivta, Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman. “The dinner is also an opportunity to reflect upon past achievements and future aspirations.” Shira and Jeffry Beer have been residents of the West Hempstead community for the past eight years, having moved there after spending over ten years in Far Rockaway. They are the proud parents of Tamar and Michal (12th and 11th grade students at Midreshet Shalhevet), Yonatan (13), Sari (9) and Azi (4). Jeffry, a long-time talmid of Harav Yisroel Chait, shlita, is
Jeff Ganeles
Mickey and Malkie Hyman
Shira and Jeffry Beer
a physician in private practice at Long Island Spine Rehabilitation Medicine, PC, where he devotes his time caring for patients with spine and joint disorders. Shira, a devoted mother, has been actively involved in community and school activities for many years and currently serves as President of the Shalhevet Women’s League. Being involved with Midreshet Shalhevet over the past few years, they have witnessed firsthand the incredible and unique learning environment that the school fosters for its students. Passionate and inspiring teachers who serve as
wonderful role models have imbued in our daughters the ability to become independent thinkers and learners. “Shalhevet cares deeply about each student’s emotional development,” the Beers shared. “This has allowed each of our girls the opportunity to express their unique talents and abilities in a Torah environment. We sincerely appreciate all of the faculty and administrators at Midreshet Shalhevet whose hard work and dedication to the students is evident every single day. We hope that the school continues to experience much success, allowing it to shape and mold generations of b’not Torah for many years to come.” Mickey and Malkie Hyman have lived in Cedarhurst for 19 years, where they have been fortunate to raise three beautiful girls, Rachel, Rivka (Shalhevet ‘14), and Gayil (Shalhevet ‘17 iy”H). They welcomed their son-in-law Shmuly to the family at the end of 2014. Mickey, currently President of Community Federal Savings Bank, is a past President of Kehillas Bais Yehuda Tzvi (The Red Shul) in Cedarhurst. Malkie currently teaches fifth grade CAHAL boys at Yeshiva Darchei Torah. She has been involved with CAHAL for close to 20 years, and has seen firs-hand, and personally helped, a high percentage of students mainstream into regular classrooms. Malkie has also been active in the community, having served as Co-President of the Sisterhood of Kehillas Bais Yehuda Tzvi. The Hymans shared a quote from Benjamin Franklin, “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” “It is our belief” they said, “that the Midreshet Shalhevet administration understood this quote well when developing their model of education. Two of our daughters have
attended Shalhevet; Rivka graduated in 2014, and Gayil is currently a junior. Both have had tremendous experiences with the school. Aside from the strength of education, and richness of activities, programs, and clubs, Shalhevet excels at involving the girls in supporting worldwide causes. This involvement is where children learn how to navigate the real world from an active perspective, and not from just a textbook. The other involvement comes from the partnership between student, school and parents, the likes of which we have never experienced with another school. Over the years Shalhevet has gone above and beyond anything we could have imagined, and found creative ways to ensure our daughters education requirements were met, while more importantly caring for them as only someone who is genuine can do. We are grateful for all that Shalhevet has done for us, but we are humbled by what Shalhevet does day in and day out.” The dinner committee – Yaakov and Esti Bodner, Daniel and Estee Burg, Ari and Shoni Eidlisz, Rav Yotav and Hildy Eliach, Yitz and Susie Elman, Efraim and Miriam Farkas, Chayim and Zahava Herskowitz, Robert and Tamar Koppel, Stuart and Tsippy Nussbaum, Moshe and Yael Oppenheim, Samuel and Ofra Sandowski, Michael and Shari Vatch – are proud that Midreshet Shalhevet has a broad base of support from the diverse Jewish communities in the area its students reside in, and beyond. Our contributors recognize the school’s remarkable impact in Jewish high school education, and as a major force in growing and strengthening our Jewish future through the success of our graduates.
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
L A RE
Face Time WITH YOUR
s n e Te
WHAT Parenting Workshops Mindi Werblowsky, LMSW
Director of Adolescent Programming at Madraigos will run a series of 4 parenting workshops for the community to help parents connect with their teens
TOPICS INCLUDE Creating An Attuned Relationship With Your Child Fostering Respect In Our Children Learning The Art Of Empathy Implementing Healthy Boundaries
WHEN May 9, 16, 23 & 30th at 8:30 pm
WHERE Madraigos 936 Broadway, Woodmere, NY 11598
limited space available
For more information please contact Mindi Werblowsky at (516)371-3250 ext. 113 or email mwerblowsky@madraigos.org 936 Broadway, Woodmere, New York 11598 | P: (516) 371-3250 F: (516) 612-4515 | www.madraigos.org
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Another Criminal Off the Streets
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the window. He went on to state, “Despite the visual presence of valuables within these vehicles, it didn’t seem like much was stolen besides some loose change.” Police reports were filed with the 101st Precinct of the NYPD and the 4th Precinct of the NCPD. Reports were filed immediately by those who were local and upon return by those who were away for the week. Stepped up patrols by the NYPD and RNSP resulted in the closure of this matter. RNSP units geared up and went on special unmarked patrols each night after the first occurrence to try to catch the perpetrator responsible for smashing the more than 30 windows. At 2:15am on Thursday, April 28th, an RNSP unit witnessed the suspect smash a window of a vehicle and quickly hide in a driveway. RNSP units maintained a constant visual of the perpetrator until NYPD officers arrived and arrested him. Upon being arrested, the perpetrator was found by arresting
etween the hours of 2am and 6am on the mornings of Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, April 24 - 28, approximately 30 vehicles had their windows smashed. These collective acts of intentional and targeted vandalism and theft occurred in Far Rockaway, Bayswater, Lawrence, and Woodmere – most prominently in Far Rockaway. Vehicles parked at the following locations were affected: Far Rockaway: Sage St., Mobile Rd., Oak Dr., Reads Ln., Cedar Lawn, Cedar Hill, Cornaga Ct., Virginia St., and Annapolis Rd. Bayswater: Bay 25th St., Mott Ave., Waterview St., Coldspring Rd., Granada Pl. and Westbourne Ave. Lawrence: Cumberland Place. Woodmere: Midwood Rd. RNSP Tech Squad Supervisor Shmuel Kassover pointed out that camera footage from one location shows the perpetrator using a cigarette lighter or matches as a light to look into a vehicle before smashing
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officers to be in possession of a firearm. This marked the 17th weapon taken off the streets as a direct result of the devoted efforts of RNSP patrol units. Coincidently, the same male who was ultimately observed smashing the car window as described above, was also spotted trespassing through yards earlier in the week by RNSP patrols. At about 12:15am on Tuesday April 26th, he was observed trespassing onto a property on Virginia, off of Bolton. He was seen in the yard by the homeowner, who immediately called 911 and the RNSP’s 24/7 Hotline. RNSP units maintained a constant visual of the suspect until NYPD officers arrived and cited him with a summons for trespassing. Neighbors have expressed concern with the fact that this incident occurred in predominantly Orthodox Jewish areas, on Passover, at a time where many local families were away for the weeklong holiday. Councilman Donavan Richards reached out to the 101st Precinct to request extra patrols, a request that was readily granted by D.I. Justin Lenz, the commanding officer of the 101st Precinct. Queens Borough President Melinda Katz also reached out to the RNSP regarding the matter. A request was made by the Jewish Community Council of the Rockaway Peninsula for the assigned Queens Assistant District Attorney to consider the strong possibility that this was a targeted act of hate. The JCCRP also sent out an email to their clients and their email subscribers advising them of the matter at hand and what must be done by victims who were in the area and those who were away for the Passover holiday. Through the email sent out by the JCCRP, an email to their own security alert subscribers, and
through the various forms of public outreach via social media employed by the RNSP, RNSP patrol units were able to secure vehicles and tape up smashed windows of those who were unable to do so. Sholem Klein and Elkanah Adelman, Coordinators of of the Rockaway Nassau Safety Patrol, expressed much appreciation for the outstanding work by the many hardworking and dedicated volunteers and of the RNSP and their families. They were equally grateful to the men and women in blue (NYPD officers), many of whom took special overtime shifts, successfully putting an end to this matter. They made it a point to thank the commanding officer of the 101st Precinct, D.I. Justin Lenz, who took this matter very seriously from start to finish. Mr. Klein specified that the cooperation between the RNSP and the 101 Precinct NCO officers, the 101 Anti Crime team, and the 101 midnight patrol officers who responded swiftly and were able to make an outstanding arrest, an arrest which also took a gun off of the streets.
Rabbi S. M. Leiner, CLTC
Licensed Independent Broker for All Types of Insurance
Call: 917‐543‐0497 – Leave a message
Mail: Rabbi S. M. Leiner, CLTC P.O. Box # 7655 600 Franklin Ave Garden City, NY 11530
Premier clients receive a copy of my book (sefer) “Sweeter Than Honey” as a gift
TJH extends sincere condolences to Dr. Deb Hirschhorn upon the loss of her husband, Matt Hirschhorn.
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home
Around the Community PHOTO CREDIT: IVAN H NORMAN
The selling of the chometz for Far Rockaway and the Five Towns took place before yom tov. Pictured here are some of the members of the beis din, L-R: Rabbi Yisroel Meir Blumenkrantz, Rabbi Shaul Chill, Rabbi Betzalel Korn and Rabbi Dov Bressler. Not pictured, Rabbi Pinchas Chatzinoff. Mr. Duke Walters, the purchaser of the chometz, is seen shaking hands with Rabbi Yitzchok Frankel of the Agudath of the Five Towns.
OU Torah’s Mishnah Brurah Yomi Series with Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt
T
he cycle of Torah learning never stops. Following Pesach, OU Torah’s Mishnah Brurah Yomi series will conclude the first volume of Mishnah Brurah on Sunday, May 8 and commence the second vol-
ume on Monday, May 9. The online series lectures are delivered by Rabbi Aaron E. Glatt, M.D. Each lesson in the series analyzes an amud (page) of Mishnah Brurah daily, Sunday through Thursday, based on the six-
year Dirshu Mishnah Brurah cycle that began last year. The Mishnah Brurah – the magnum opus of Rav Yisrael Meir HaKohen Kagan (1838-1933), who is better known as the Chofetz Chaim – is widely considered the seminal work of the practical application of Jewish law. Rabbi Jack Abramowitz, editor of OU Torah, said, “Rabbi Dr. Glatt’s Mishnah Brurah series is the perfect companion to our OU Torah series on Daf Yomi, Mishnah and Parsha. Not only does it fill an important need in many people’s daily learning schedules, at about 15-20 minutes a shiur, it’s not a difficult time commitment.” Rabbi Dr. Glatt explained, “The Dirshu Mishnah Brurah Yomi program, available as a five-times-a-week online shiur at outorah.org, is a phenomenal way for busy individuals to learn and review the basic essentials of practical daily Jewish law. Each shiur is a self-contained 15-20 minute class that covers all of the Shulchan
Aruch, Rama and Mishnah Brurah commentary on each daf ‘inside,’ plus many other interesting comments of contemporary poskim (halachic decisors).” In addition, there are occasional complementary in-depth classes (chaburas) on selected subjects from the week’s material given by Rabbi Glatt’s son, Rabbi Ephraim Y. Glatt, Esq. (a practicing litigation attorney and the Assistant to the Rabbi at the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills). Rabbi Dr. Glatt currently serves as assistant to the rabbi at the Young Israel of Woodmere as well as associate rabbi at Congregation Anshei Chesed in Hewlett, both OU member synagogues on Long Island. He continues to give a Daf Yomi shiur at the Young Israel of Woodmere, in addition to weekly classes in Gemara and halacha. Feedback and questions on OU Torah’s Mishnah Brurah Yomi series are welcome. Email Rabbi Dr. Glatt at aglattmd@gmail.com.
There are about 122.5 million phone calls made on Mother’s Day. Make sure to call your mom.
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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For more information about CHALLENGE: T. 718.851.3300 W. challenge-ei.com
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home
Around the Community
Chesed in the Military
R
abbi Captain Travis and the women of Kosher Troops visited with the HAFTR Middle School students to describe the generous chesed this organization provides. Jewish American military personnel can celebrate holidays, Shabbatot and enjoy the familiar tastes of kosher food even when they are deployed as far away as Afghanistan, Iran or Iraq. Mrs. Yehudeet Gore, our chesed coordinator, invited the Kosher Troops organization in as a prelude to Memorial Day and Shavuot.Â
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home
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MAY 5, 2016 Home Home OCTOBER 29,| The 2015Jewish | The Jewish
1.
TJH ?
Riddle me
Centerfold !
this?
You gotta be
kidding
In honor of Mother’s Day, there is
David goes on safari in Kenya with
a cake baking competition. The four
his wife, Stephanie, and his mother-
moms who finish in places 1 through 4
in-law, Beth. One evening, while still
win a prize. You have to determine the
deep in the jungle, Stephanie awakes
name of the four winners, what position they finished in,
to find her mother, Beth, has disap-
and what cake they baked.
peared. Rushing to David, she in-
Their first names are: Janna, Betty, Vicky and Sara Their last names are: Cohen, Smith, Adler and Fried Positions are: 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Cakes baked are: chocolate cake, cheesecake, fruit cake and sponge cake.
sists on them both trying to find her mother. Sighing heavily, David picks up his rifle and starts to search for Beth. Soon, in a clearing not far from the
Clues:
camp, they come upon a frightening
1. Janna Fried beat Vicky by two places. 2. Betty’s fruit cake beat Mr. Smith’s wife, who came in 3rd. 3. The sponge cake, despite being a bit bland, got in the
sight. Beth is backed up against a thick, impenetrable bush, and a large lion is standing facing her. Stephanie
top three. 4. The judges obviously had a sweet tooth, as the choco-
cries out in panic, “David, what are we going to do?”
late cake came in 2nd place. 5. Cohen’s mother cried as she watched her daughter take 1st prize.
“Nothing,” explains David calmly. “Absolutely nothing, my
What are the full names of the top four, what position did they come and what cake did they bake?
dearest. The lion got himself into this
See answer below
mess, let him get himself of it.”
out
Answer to riddle: Betty Cohen came in 1st with her fruit cake. Janna Fried came in 2nd with his chocolate cake. Sara Smith came in 3rd with her sponge cake. Vicky Adler came in 4th with her cheesecake.
The Jewish | MAY29, 5, 2015 2016 The Jewish Home |Home OCTOBER
* 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Top 20 Mom Jobs
Playground medic Personal Chef Tantrum and Meltdown Negotiator Search & Rescue Ops: Small Plastic Pieces Unit PhD in Anger Management Keeper of Secrets Laundry Machine Operator Toy Repair Expert No-Thumb Sucking Enforcer Playdate Coordinator Birthday Events Director Sleep Scientist Scary Monster Patrol Officer
13. 14. 15. 16. 17.
Dramatic Story Teller Boo-Boo Fixer Vacation Coordinator & Tour Guide PhD in Reverse Psychology Seamstress of Frilly Dresses and Super Hero Costumes 18. Mrs. Fix-It 19. Stain Removal Expert 20. Archeologist Specializing in Under Bed and Inside Closet Digs
Mother’s Dictionary Bottle feeding: An opportunity for Daddy to get up at 2 am too. Defense: What you’d better have around “de yard” if you’re going to let the children play outside. Drooling: How teething babies wash their chins. Dumbwaiter: One who asks if the kids would care to order dessert. Feedback: The inevitable result when the baby doesn’t appreciate the strained carrots. Full name: What you call your child when you’re mad at him.
do by the time you scream it. Puddle: A small body of water that draws other small bodies wearing dry shoes into it. Show off: A child who is more talented than yours. Sterilize: What you do to your first baby’s pacifier by boiling it and to your last baby’s pacifier by blowing on it. Storeroom: The distance required between the supermarket aisles so that children in shopping carts can’t quite reach anything. Temper tantrums: What you should keep to a minimum so as to not upset the children.
Grandparents: The people who think your children are wonderful even though they’re sure you’re not raising them right.
Top bunk: Where you should never put a child wearing Superman jammies.
Independent: How you want your child to be as long as he does everything you say.
Whodunit: None of the kids who live in your house.
Look out: What it’s too late for your child to
Verbal: Able to whine in words. Whoops: An exclamation that translates roughly into “get a mop.”
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Torah Thought
Parshas Achrei Mos By Rabbi Berel Wein
T
he Torah has already described the tragedy of the family of Aaron, when his sons Nadav and Avihu died while performing incense burning on the day of the final dedication of the Mishkan/Tabernacle. So why does the Torah return to the subject and mention it again in this week’s Torah reading? The commentators over the ages, from the time of the Talmud onwards, have derived many explanations, laws and moral ideas from the repetition of this incident here in this parsha.
Since the Torah is limitless, eternal and speaks to all generations, I take the liberty of suggesting another idea to help us understand the depths of the Torah’s sensitivity to the human psyche and condition. In a subtle but important way the Torah emphasizes that from now on everything that Aaron and his sons will do in the service of G-d and Israel, inside the holy Mishkan/Tabernacle or outside of it, will always be influenced by the tragedy they witnessed and experienced on the day
their sons and brothers died. Moshe’s comment that Nadav and Avihu were holy and sanctified people, close to G-d, so to speak, only amplifies the tragedy and makes it more difficult to comprehend and rationalize. For the rest of their lives, Aaron, his surviving family and the entire Jewish nation will be haunted by this tragic event. It will hover over every occurrence that will befall them, personally or nationally, for all time. Everything will now be encapsulated in the timeframe of “after the
death of the two sons of Aaron.” And this idea is implicit in the message of the Torah to us this week. In a very few days from now, Holocaust Remembrance Day will be upon us. The inexplicable iniquity of this tragedy haunts the Jewish people today, even seven decades after the fact. It seems that every accomplishment and shortcoming in Jewish life generally, and regarding the State of Israel particularly, is Holocaust driven. Everything is seen as being holy vengeance or justified retribution, as “remember and do not forget,” or “never again!” There is no event that takes place in Jewish life today that does not have Holocaust overtones. We are always “achrei mot” – after the tragedy that brooks no expla-
nation and constantly challenges our faith on one hand and our rationality on the other. It is as though the formal commemorations of Holocaust Remembrance Day are not that special and unique, hard as we try to make them so, because every day and every occurrence now is still just another form of that memorial. Naturally, the formal commemorations of Holocaust Remembrance Day invoke again the emotional connection to this enormous national tragedy. That is why such a national day of mourning is justified and necessary. And this only enhances our realization that we are all living in the time of “achrei mot.” And this explains a great deal of the mood and behavior of the Jewish people on our time. Shabbat shalom.
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The Observant Jew
Learn to Excel By Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz
R
abbi Issamar Ginzberg, an international marketing expert who happens to be a religious, Chasidish Jew, recently asked a group of people: “Agree or disagree? ‘If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!’” A number of people jumped in with various opinions. Some said absolutely, while others said not to take on something you’re not ready for. One person let the cat out of the bag when he revealed that the opportunity quote came from Sir Richard Branson, a British entrepreneur and business magnate. Suddenly, many people rethought their positions, but not me. You see, I’ve experienced the above quote on the receiving end of someone saying yes before they knew what they were doing. I needed some short term help with data entry and advertised for someone who was proficient in the spreadsheet program Microsoft Excel. In case you’re not sure, proficient means having a level of familiarity and ability to easily do most required tasks in a certain software or occupation. Because Excel is a complex and powerful tool,
it’s not enough to have seen it before, or even to have typed into it. Trying to use Excel after having received a spreadsheet or list from someone else is like trying to drive a Formula One race car because you’ve ridden on a city bus. One respondent spoke with confidence about how she had all sorts of experience and was a fast worker. Because I knew her son a bit and she sounded good, I hired her. I offered an hourly wage, dropped off the pages I wanted entered into the spreadsheet, and told her I would e-mail it later. She questioned me intently about her task, and pointed to some numbers on the side of the page, asking what they were for. I told her to ignore them as they had nothing to do with the current project. I e-mailed her the spreadsheet but the next day she said she couldn’t open the file. I sent it again. Once again she couldn’t open it. I copied the file onto a flash drive and brought it over myself. I plugged it into her laptop and realized the problem – she didn’t have Microsoft Office or its sub-program Excel on her computer! She had lied to me about being experienced with the program and wasn’t even fazed by it. She said, “I fig-
ured it’s like any job where you say you can do it and you learn as you go along.” I was stunned by the dishonesty and was shocked when she asked to be paid for marking up the pages I’d left with her and made notations on the numbers I’d told her to ignore! I had mercy on her and paid her because she was a widow but I was very upset. I relayed to Rabbi Issamar that this is why you should not accept an opportunity when you don’t know how to do it – with one exception. If the boss tells you that you can learn on the job and that it’s you that he or she is interested in, that he sees potential in you and wants you as part of the organization, then you are not misleading anyone by going in unprepared. That’s an opportunity you should jump on, as Mr. Branson said, and then throw yourself into the learning of the job so you can succeed. We are now in the weeks of sefira when we count the days to Shavuos and Kabbolas HaTorah. These days are meant to be our learning time, when we prepare ourselves for success in this great opportunity. Hashem, by taking us out of Egypt, expressed an interest in us and declared His full faith in
our potential and ability to do the job. We’re being given the chance not just to learn, but to excel. This brings me to one final point I want to make: Those who have used Excel
the number without understanding why it was there. You might be correct in this very specific moment but in any other scenario, you’re miles off base and you’ve got an error.
We’re being given the chance not just to learn, but to excel.
are familiar with formulas. These sometimes confusing strings of numbers, letters, and symbols guide the software in performing powerful tasks. If you looked at a printed spreadsheet you might see a number, but if you clicked on the box in the software, you’d find a complicated calculation taking into account many variables to provide that number on the printed page. We need to realize that there is so much more to the Torah than what we see or take at face value. There is a complex structure intertwined with all of Creation and each mitzvah or word of Torah is connected to each other mitzvah or word of Torah. Just dressing or acting a certain way is like erasing the formula and typing in
In order to excel in life, it’s not sufficient to just fill in the blanks. We need to understand what’s behind them and strive to be proficient in understanding what the Boss wants from us.
Jonathan Gewirtz is an inspirational writer and speaker whose work has appeared in publications around the world. You can find him at www. facebook.com/RabbiGewirtz and follow him on Twitter @ RabbiJGewirtz. He also operates JewishSpeechWriter.com, where you can order a custom-made speech for your next special occasion. Sign up for the Migdal Ohr, his weekly PDF Dvar Torah in English. E-mail info@JewishSpeechWriter.com and put Subscribe in the subject.
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
Fitz and Floyd Accent Stemware Set of 4
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home
Between the Lines
Familiarity Breeds Complacency By Eytan Kobre
Habituation puts to sleep the eye of our judgment. - Michel de Montaigne
N
obel Laureate writer Isaac Bashevis-Singer was resting at home after receiving news of his award, when a reporter appeared at his door. “Are you surprised, Mr. Bashevis-Singer? Are you happy?” “Of course,” answered the writer, “I am very surprised and very happy.” Ten minutes later, another reporter appeared. “Are you surprised, Mr. Bashevis-Singer? Are you happy?” “Not much. After all, how long can a man remain surprised and happy?” * * * Habituation refers to the decreased arousal of the nervous system on repeated exposure to the same stimulus. In layman’s terms, it means that familiar things get boring. And while habituation
can hold adaptive value (we are able to tolerate even unpleasant things to which we are acclimated), it also has its pitfalls. In one of Aesop’s fables, for instance, a fox was terribly frightened to see a lion for the first time. The next time the two animals met, the fox approached the lion but stopped at a safe distance. The third time they met, the fox went straight up to the lion and turned its back on the lion. Familiarity, it is said, breeds contempt, or at least complacency. Hearken back to your first airplane trip. It was new. It was exciting. The airport was fascinating. You meandered through interesting stores while waiting to board. You bounced down the jetbridge. Settling into your seat, you pulled out the airline’s headphones and little pillow. You may even have enjoyed those little kosher meals, or at least the way they were wrapped so tidily. But after several times your attitude changes. Now you spend what feels like an eternity waiting in the
airport because your flight is delayed, too frustrated to walk into those overpriced stores. You trudge down the jetbridge knowing you won’t stretch your legs for hours. You now know that the headphones have been used (many times), as has the pillow, which is too small to be of use anyway. And that “meal”—enough said. Nothing changed. You were just habituated. And the whole experience lost its luster. The Kohen Gadol was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies only once per year (on Yom Kippur)—not “at any time”—so that he not become a frequent flier to that holiest of places (Vayikra 16:2 and Rashi ad loc.; see Sefer HaChinuch 184). Anything more and the Kohen Gadol would grow desensitized to G-d’s Divine Presence. For the same reason, while quite expensive (Yoma 3:7), the Kohen Gadol’s Yom Kippur garments were buried after one use, never to be used again (Vayikra 16:23 and Rashi ad loc.). This, too, was intended to avoid be-
coming overfamiliar with, and ultimately numb to, the holiness of the day. And if the Kohen Gadol can become desensitized to the awe-inspiring, once-ayear Yom Kippur service, surely the common person must be wary of the ill effects of habituation on a day-today basis. Indeed, “once a person sins and repeats it, [that sin] becomes almost permissible to him” (Kiddushin 20a; Yoma 87a). By the third commission, observed R’ Yisrael Salanter only half in jest, the sinner regards it as a good deed. During World War I, the Chofetz Chaim was forced to wander through Russia as a refugee. On his first Friday night in one particular town, he witnessed a Jew desecrating the Shabbos, and he shook in horror and sobbed inconsolably. “For sixty years I had not seen the desecration of the Shabbos until now. This must be a Divine punishment…” When the Chofetz Chaim saw a local Jew violating Shabbos again the next Friday night, he again was hor-
rified and wept—this time, not out of shock, but out of disappointment that he already felt less disturbed by the Shabbos desecration than he had been the week before. Habituation also can take a toll on interpersonal relationships. “Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s home, lest he be sated with you and come to hate you” (Mishlei 25:17). Or, as Benjamin Franklin put it, “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.” It is for this reason that a couple engaged to be married should not stay in the same house, even where there is no possibility of prohibited seclusion, “lest they become disgusted with one another” (Rama and Darkei Moshe, Even HaEzer 55:1). The sad reality is that we grow accustomed to those closest to us, and then we take them for granted. And habituation ultimately results in a lack of sensitivity to others or even mistreatment, intended or otherwise. The Gerrer Rebbe, R’ Chanoch Henoch of Alexan-
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
der, once observed: “I spent many years in the presence of someone whom people consider a great man. The closer I got to him, the less I felt connected to him. He
for Torah scholars, as all people, declines the more familiar they become: at first they are as a golden ladle, then as a silver ladle, and ultimately as an earthenware
habituation is necessarily bad. Each day we ask G-d to “accustom us to Your Torah,” or, formulated differently, to “accustom us to good deeds, and not accustom us to sin”
He again was horrified and wept—this time, not out of shock, but out of disappointment that he already felt less disturbed by the Shabbos desecration than he had been the week before.
shrunk in my eyes. When I met the Kotzker Rebbe, however, it was just the opposite: the longer I stayed with him, the deeper my respect and reverence for him became.” But that latter scenario is rare. More often, our regard
ladle, which, once broken, cannot be repaired (Sanhedrin 52b). As in all our relationships, the more we interact with someone, the more we risk treating that person insensitively. Now, to be sure, not all
(Berachos 60b; Rambam, Tefilla 7:4). Likewise, we are encouraged to give smaller donations to more recipients rather than larger donations to fewer recipients so that we become accustomed to charitable giving (Rambam,
Avos 3:15). And, at its core, child-rearing is an exercise in proper habituation (Mishlei 22:6). But even when it comes to good deeds, we should never mistake habituation for allowing things to become old hat. So we seek to “dwell in the House of G-d… and visit His Sanctuary” (Tehillim 27:4). The true goal is to “dwell in G-d’s House,” yet remain ever sensitized and excited as a “visitor to His Sanctuary.” * * * On the Three Pilgrimage Festivals, “one who entered [the Bais HaMikdash] by way of the Northern Gate, exited by way of the Southern Gate; one who entered by way of the Southern Gate, exited by way of the Northern Gate; he shall not return by way of
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the gate whereby he entered” (Yechezkel 46:9). This was done so as not to grow desensitized to the gates—and, by extension, those auspicious moments—as we would with the doors of our own homes (Sichos Mussar, Achrei Mos; see also Shulchan Aruch and Levush, Orach Chaim 141:7). Exiting those gates after Pesach, as we do now at least metaphorically, the challenge is to not exit through the same gate we entered, but rather to venture forward with a renewed commitment to avoid becoming habituated by our actions and desensitized to one another. Eytan Kobre is a writer, speaker, mediator, and attorney living in Kew Gardens Hills. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? E-mail eakobre@outlook.com.
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home
Another L
k
Rabbis, Doctors and Due Diligence By Rabbi YY Rubinstein
I
remember a story that made headlines in the UK many years ago. In a small town in Wales, four doctors were partners in the same office. The medical practice was very successful and the patients felt they were getting the very best care. Then it was discovered that one of the doctors wasn’t ... a doctor, that is. He had forged his qualifications and with no training whatsoever treated patients for ten years. I suppose he must have done some self-teaching and read books, but in the end he was a fraud and a fantasist. The ironic thing was the BBC interviewed several of his patients after he had been exposed. They all wanted him back! They claimed he was nicer and more sympathetic than the real doctors. Perhaps on calmer reflection they might have reached the conclusion that it is better for someone who is qualified to look at the results of your bloodwork than someone who isn’t, even if he speaks to you more kindly than the person who knows what he is actually talking about. The Rambam writes that there are doctors for physical ailments, as he himself was, and doctors for spiritual ailments. Both need to be qualified and monitored in the work that they do. Let’s stay with the medical analogy for a while lon-
ger. Most rabbis are very much like MDs. I was the rabbi for two medical schools for over twenty years in England so I know a little of the process of turning students into doctors. I think it would fair to describe an MD as someone with a broad but shallow knowledge of medicine. They will spend six months or so attached to a cardiology unit getting experience and matching the facts learned in textbooks and lectures to real cases. After that they will spend another six months in another hospital department, perhaps oncology, and so on. This is hardly going to make a doctor an expert in any of those fields. However, when he sees a problem in those areas he will know to refer it to someone who is an expert in that area. If the specialist does not know how to solve the problem, he will discuss it with the head of his department who may take it to the professor of the specialty. If the professor does not know the answer, he will call the world’s leading experts to find out. When I learned for semicha in Gateshead Yeshiva Gedolah, you were only allowed to do so once you had been in learning for a minimum of five years. My chavrusa and I were expected to first learn Meseches Chulin with the Rosh and
Rif. Then we had to know the whole of Chelek Aleph of Yorei Deah, Shechitah, Traifos, etc. Knowing hilchos Shabbos was already expected. The test was oral and took twelve hours, in two six-hour parts. The Gateshead Rav, Rabbi Rakow, zt”l, farhered me on my own. At the time, I had committed the whole of Yorei Deah Chelek Aleph by heart. That made me the rabbinic equivalent of an MD. I knew where to look. I know who and how to ask. I knew my limits and I sincerely hope I still do. In fact, the only real area of expertise I possess I discovered by accident. A large number of phone calls come to me from batei din in Israel and elsewhere because I was born in Scotland. Rabbanim want to ask me about the process of making single malt Scottish whisky. (I should add that anyone concerned about this subject who has bottles they are unsure of should bring them to me for safe disposal!) If we take the Rambam’s analogy seriously – and the Torah and halacha is no less serious than medicine – we should arrive at a conclusion for those Welsh villagers. The Torah’s “doctors” and practitioners have to be properly qualified and supervised too. The title M.D. has a le-
gal definition. The title rabbi sadly does not. There are people in charge of Christian churches who call themselves “rabbi.” Reform women do. Some atheists and those who eat pork do. The title rabbi is misleading, confusing and wide open to abuse. In the Orthodox Jewish world things are just as confusing. When the Choftez Chaim wrote the Mishnah Brurah, he did not have semicha. I have a son who finished Shas four times by the age of twenty-four. He knows much more than I do and he teaches Yorei Deah in a yeshiva. He does not have semicha. Then there are those in our world who enjoy the title rabbi because the yeshiva they come from gives them out with little or no testing whatsoever. As a friend once joked, “They find the semicha at the bottom of the Corn Flakes box.” We also often use the term as an honorific. Real problems start when people who are not qualified even to be MDs start making diagnoses and writing prescriptions with insufficient or no knowledge to justify them. They sometimes even argue with those who are actually qualified and experts. Ordinary Jews hear this and think, “Well, they are both rabbis, aren’t they?” I believe in what the Rambam writes: there are doctors for physical ailments and doctors for spiritual ailments. I also believe that both are hugely important roles that should result from proper qualifications. There is a problem with those deluding themselves and others when they prescribe the most complicated protocols. Doctors have to know where their expertise reaches and where others need to take over.
There are some who have been given the title rabbi who are paskening shaylos in Hilchos Nidda when they literally cannot translate a posuk in Chumash correctly. Sadly, I know of some! Others who have appropriated the title for themselves manifest their hubris by declaring gedolim wrong or mistaken or criticize other aspects of our mesorah. If getting the best possible medical health for physical ailments makes sense, then so too does seeking the best rabbinic help. Although the title “rabbi” sadly does not mean much anymore, where the title comes from, though, still does. A medical degree from Yale in the U.S. or Edinburgh in the UK indicates a high quality of the person holding the degree. After that – and equally important – there is the reputation the doctor builds up over years of helping people. The bigger the problem, the bigger and better the expert we need to solve it. Our responsibility is to do “due diligence” and find out what the rabbi’s qualifications are and, crucially, where they came from. Then we have to make sure that he has grown and added to his expertise through his “practice” and has a good reputation, respected by his peers, the specialists, professors and leaders in the field. We have to be informed consumers before we listen to a shiur on the internet. If what we eat has to be supervised and certified as kosher, the Torah we listen to or let our children hear needs to be qualified and supervised too.
Rabbi Y Y Rubinstein is a writer and au- thor who speaks all over the world. He lives in Inwood.
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home
My Israel Home
Baka Evolution and Revolution By Gedaliah Borvick
Mesillat Harakevet
B
aka is an upscale, family-oriented community located in southern Jerusalem, which has come a long way since its humble beginnings. Centrally located between the German Colony to the north and Talpiot to the south, the name Baka is Arabic for “valley,” which alludes to Emek Refaim – or Valley of Refaim – that runs along the western border of the neighborhood. Baka was established in 1892 when the railroad line from Jerusalem to Jaffa was completed. During the ensuing years, wealthy Christian and Muslim businessmen built magnificent homes and moved into the neighborhood. Soon after the War of Independence, the Israeli government moved immigrant families into these recently deserted buildings and built housing projects to provide shelter for the thousands of Jewish immigrants who had been expelled from neighboring Arab countries.
Charming Baka
During the same time period, neighboring Old Katamon and the German Colony attracted academics, doctors, lawyers, and political leaders. As a result, the community started to gentrify, as families desiring to live near these prestigious communities began purchasing homes in Baka. Starting in the early 1980s, it became fashionable to purchase and renovate Baka’s attractive older houses which boasted high ceilings and oodles of charm. Over the years, the community, situated within a half hour walk of the Kotel, became a magnet for religious families. Today, Baka boasts many thriving synagogues, such as Nitzanim and the Yael Shul, plus the neighborhood is home to a number of outstanding elementary and high schools, such as Efrata and Pelech. The population is about two thirds religious – primarily Dati Leumi or national religious – and relations
Penthouse in Park Eight
between the observant and secular residents are positive and respectful. So far, we have focused on the evolution of Baka, but there is also a revolutionary dynamic that has driven the gentrification of the neighborhood. Baka has become in vogue due to it being the last central Jerusalem neighborhood that had land available to create luxury projects within a communal infrastructure, which is exactly what many families had been clamoring for. Let me elucidate: A number of luxury properties have recently been constructed in the City Center. Interestingly, though, these developments have not generated the same excitement and sales traction as have the Baka projects. Many wellheeled buyers have preferred to purchase homes in Baka because it offers an excellent communal infrastructure comprised of wonderful shuls, entertainment, and restaurants.
Let’s focus on two recent projects that have led the charge in Baka’s transformation. A few years ago, iconic Ulpan Etzion vacated its large 18 dunam (4.5 acre) campus, which has been transformed into Bustan Baka, an upscale residential complex comprised of 180 units and a beautiful park. Due to the tremendous pent-up demand by local and overseas buyers for upscale housing in this tight-knit community, the project was a tremendous success, and we were honored to have represented over sixty families who purchased homes in this prestigious development. The second project is Park Eight, a more intimate and well-appointed residential complex comprised of 55 units located in the heart of Baka, which has set a new standard for luxury and elegance. By offering top of the line finishes, excellent facilities, and concierge services,
this project has attracted a number of our clients who relish the combination of residential living coupled with the amenities of hotels. Notwithstanding all this construction activity, strict preservation laws have helped Baka retain its charm. Large-scale projects, such as the restoration of the original train station – renamed Hatachana Harishona (“The First Station”) and reinvented as a vibrant culture and entertainment venue – and the creation of the walking and cycling promenade along the route of the original train tracks have enhanced the neighborhood’s appeal to tourists and residents alike. Gedaliah Borvick is the founder of My Israel Home (myisraelhome.com). He will be in the U.S. the week of May 15th, introducing Park Eight’s Premiere Collection of apartments. For more information, please contact him at gborvick@ gmail.com.
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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Israel Today
Buy This! By Rafi Sackville
I
f I were to take stock of all of my worldly possessions and categorize them according to their necessity one would discover more than a few unnecessary purchases I’ve made in my life. For example, my acquisition of Apple iPhones, computers and tablets over the years seemed like good ideas at the time, but excessive in hindsight. Our daughter, Batya, pointed out that I was a model victim of consumer hype. She advocated cheaper products which offered similar, and in some cases, better alternatives. It took me three years of living life in the periphery in Israel’s north to come to the realization that, not only was she right, but had I listened to her earlier I would have saved myself some money. This shouldn’t suggest that Israelis are free from the allure of hype. Many of my students carry the latest phones, some of which are as expensive as they are in the States. The irony is that some of these same students’ parents can’t afford tuition. Phones aside, I have yet to find iPads or MacBook Pros among the things they carry. The extent to which most of my students maintain par with the Western world is generally in fashionable things like leggings or torn and frayed jeans, but not big ticket items. I finally feel unhinged from the spell I was once under, particularly around the
time of every new Apple release. Maybe that’s why I was able to observe this corporate stranglehold on the public in a new, unaffected and objective light when Keren and I recently visited New York. It was on an early December morning that we ventured into the city. We wandered around Times Square until we eventually found ourselves on 49th and 5th. As we were passing the American Girl store, Keren told me that
We walked around for almost half an hour. I was both absorbed and flummoxed. In fact, I felt about as lonely as a cloud in a desert sky. The most fascinating station in the store was the hairdressing salon. Those in line had to wait two hours. I picked up a catalogue from which one could choose from dozens of styles. Behind the counter were three workers. They had trussed the dolls in place and were working on their hair.
girls and mothers waiting on line to the women behind the counter, were playing their roles with the utmost seriousness. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I was tempted to say to one mother who was holding a doll with what appeared to me a head of hair that would have been respectable at a family simcha, “I can’t believe you waited this long to bring your doll in. Her hair is disgusting! I hope you kept her in your bag till now because if it were me,
All those involved in the hair process, from the little girls and mothers waiting on line to the women behind the counter, were playing their roles with the utmost seriousness. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
she knew of people in Israel whose daughters sometimes sent their dolls back to the U.S. to get their hair done. I did a double take. “What girls?” I asked her. “Girls from families who have made Aliyah,” she explained. “They send their dolls here for a rinse and a perm?” Keren nodded. “I want to go in and see for myself,” I brazenly announced. “Rafi, it’s a doll store!” “A doll store that does long distance hairdos is something I’ve got to see.” The store’s three floors were packed with customers.
“You didn’t believe me?” Keren asked me. I ignored her question. “Close your mouth, Rafi. You’ll catch flies.” “They charge anywhere between $10 to $25 to have their hair styled. Would you like to look at the catalogue?” I said as I thumbed through it situated on a stand in the middle of the floor. “Come on, Rafi. Why don’t you just walk out? Why work yourself up over a doll?” My doll fascination had not yet worn as thin as my hair. I stayed where I was. All those involved in the hair process, from the little
I wouldn’t want anyone looking at that hair!” I didn’t open my mouth, but sensing the boisterous side of my personality Keren dragged me away from the offending hair station. There is no need to go into depth about the price of American Girl dolls. Yet it’s worth mentioning that spending over $120 (to fork over more than 400 shekels), not to mention accessories, is inexplicable to me. I watched the cash registers chink over, the outrageous sums flashing in their LED displays. I wasn’t thinking correctly, or maybe I was,
for all I could think about was the excess and the eagerness in the customers’ eyes while waiting for the next available register. I later did some rudimentary research and found that most of the salaries of the lowest tier of service staff (most of those I saw) earned minimum wage. Some specialists earned a little north of that. Do these workers represent a true cross section of society’s working class? Maybe they do. I’m no sociologist. Yet what stood out like an Israeli at a Hezbollah convention was that most of the customers were white whereas almost all of the serving staff were African-Americans. “Well, I won’t be buying an American Girl doll anytime soon,” I said to Keren as we made our way out onto 49th street. “If we hang around here any longer, you may change your mind,” she quipped. And thereby lies the tale of our few hours in the city. A few days after arriving back home in Israel I happened to be in a mall. I thought I saw an American Girl doll but was mistaken. It cost less than a hundred shekels, looked similar, and regardless of how long I looked at it I couldn’t see anything askew with the hair on its China-made head, the same country that manufactures American Girl. Rafi Sackville, formerly of Cedarhurst, teaches in Ort Maalot in Western Galil.
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Mass Execution The Decimation of Greek Jewry during the Holocaust By R. Hunter
The deportation of the Jews of Ioannina
U
p until the Holocaust, Greece had a thriving Jewish community dating back to the time of the expulsion from ancient Israel. Salonika was known as the Jerusalem of the Balkans and had a Jewish majority in Ottoman times. During Ottoman rule, the Jews of Greece thrived and coexisted peacefully with their neighbors for the most part. Under Ottoman control, Jews would experience a golden age that rivaled Muslim Spain. The Greek Jewish community consisted of two groups: the Sephardic Jews, who were heirs of the Golden Age of Muslim Spain, and Romaniot Jews, who were Hellenized and lived in the area for over 2,000
years. However, this rich and ancient Jewish community dating back to antiquity was wiped out during the Holocaust. In comparison to other nations occupied by the Nazis during the Holocaust, Greece lost the largest percentage of its Jewish population. A larger percentage of Greek Jews were selected to die at the death camps than that of any of the other Jewish communities; no less than 87 percent of the Greek Jewish community were killed. Most of them were murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Only between 8,000 and 10,000 Greek Jews managed to survive the Holocaust, thus serving as the remnants of what was once a flourishing Jewish community.
Jews from Macedonia who were rounded up and assembled in the Tobacco Monopoly transit camp before deportation to the Treblinka killing center
There are many reasons why a larger percentage of Greek Jews perished in the Holocaust than Jews in other Nazi occupied countries. They had a much longer journey to travel in the cattle cars to the concentration camps than the other Jews did. As a result, when the Greek Jews arrived in Poland, a greater percentage had died during the journey and if they survived did not appear fit to work slave labor as far as the Nazis were concerned. Another factor leading to their deaths was the language gap. Since they didn’t speak any of the surrounding languages, their chances of successful escape attempts were virtually non-existent and they could be killed on site for
not understanding German orders. Another factor that one should take into consideration is that Greek Jewish men were more likely to be assigned to be Sonkercommando than other Jews, since they were usually strong and able-bodied because they worked in the ports in Greece. At Auschwitz, Treblinka, Birkenau, Belzec, Chelmno and Sobibor the Nazis established the Sonderkommando, groups of Jewish male prisoners picked for their youth and relative good health whose job was to dispose of corpses from the gas chambers or crematoria. Some did the work to delay their own deaths; some thought they could protect friends and family. The
men were forced into this position, with the only alternative being death in the gas chambers or being shot on the spot by an SS guard. These Jews were executed every three to four months to ensure that there would be no witnesses to the Nazis’ Final Solution.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF GRECIAN JEWRY
There were Greek Jews before there were any Greek Christians. This is so because there were Jewish communities in Greece even before the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD. They lived in Sparta, Samos, Rhodes, Cos, Delos, Crete, Aigina, Argos, and elsewhere.
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
A Greek Jewish couple with compulsory yellow stars on their clothing. Salonika, Greece, between February and June 1943
There is archeological evidence that synagogues existed in Athens, Corinth, Salonica, and Veria. In the 11th century, Benjamin of Tudela found many prosperous Jewish communities in Greece. Around 1400, the Turks occupied Greece. Hungarian Jews came to Greece to avoid the persecutions following the Black Death. In 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella expelled the Jews of Spain.
money they needed and they recalled Columbus. Soon Portugal expelled its Jews and many came to Greece. They were quickly followed by Italian Jews expelled from Sicily and Apulia, and in 1648 Jewish refugees arrived escaping the Cossack massacres. The Turkish sultan remarked, “They tell me that the Christian rulers are wise. But how can they be wise if they expel the Jews who enrich
SS troops advance into Greece
of Greece. They introduced printing, the textile industry, and international trade.
THE GOLDEN COINS
Yossi Genis, born in 1942, is today a youngish, 73-year-old Holocaust survivor; he has lived in Israel since 1949, surrounded by his children and grandchildren who live nearby. Yossi’s first memories of the Holocaust are very much
“I didn’t want to be a Jew – as a child I was told many stories that the Jews were devils – so I took this revelation traumatically. I remember the shock till today.”
They left behind their fortunes, which financed the expeditions of Columbus. The royal couple initially rejected Columbus’ proposal to find a route to the Indies because they thought that they did not have enough money to finance his voyage. But their new treasurer, a Jew who converted to Christianity, persuaded them that they had all the
me?” Regardless of their place of origin, upon their arrival in Greece, the Jews were assimilated into one of two traditions. In cities like Salonica or Veria, they became Sephardim, speaking Ladino. In cities like loannina or Arta they became Byzantine or Romaniot Jews, speaking Greek. The Spanish Jews contributed greatly to the development
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childhood memories, but first a brief family portrait. Yossi’s parents came originally from an area known as Yanina in northern Greece. This area is known for having Jews that lived for tens of generations dating back to the period of the 2nd Temple. His family lived in a small town in northern Greece called Kavala (rhymes and reminds of
the word Kabbalah) which is located close to Salonika. The city of Salonika had such a large and influential Jewish community that on every Sabbath the city and its famous port would be virtually shut down. The family moved to Athens prior to World War II, and within a relatively short time his father had a thriving shoe business employing many workers. In 1942, the Nazis conducted mass deportations of the Jews of Salonika and immediately moved on to the city of Athens. Little was known of what awaited the Jews of Athens. The Chief Rabbi tried to delay the inevitable by giving the Nazis lists of Jews that were no longer alive, giving the Jewish community a few more days to attempt to flee. Yossi’s father had a Christian employee who worked as his foreman. This loyal employee was always grateful to Yossi’s father for taking him on and teaching him the skills of the business. Upon hearing of the expected deportations, the foreman allowed Yossi and his entire family to hide in
his home so that they could prepare for their escape from the city. The family liquidated all that could be sold and Yossi’s mother clandestinely purchased 40 gold coins, helping them to pay for housing and food as they fled to an area in the mountainous area of Greece known as Agrafa (meaning “unknown/unregistered”), the area being so desolate and remote that little, if any, records existed of the small hamlets and villages and of who lived there. Yossi’s family moved from village to village over a three year period until liberation approached. When the war ended, only one gold coin remained.
◊ ◊ ◊
The last remaining coin
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
RJ: Can you share your first memory from the period of the War? YG: Well, interestingly, my first memory was when I was told that I am a Jew. When my family fled Athens, we, the children, were all given alias Christian names and my name was Yanni. As the war ended, all of a sudden I was told that my name is Yossi and that I am a Jew. I didn’t want to be a Jew – as a child I was told many stories that the Jews were devils – so I took this revelation traumatically. I remember the shock till today. The 40 gold coins your family used for their survival during the War reminds me of the
40 year journey of the nation of Israel in the Sinai Desert until entering the Promised Land. Do you see any connection? The gold coins are a very important aspect of my family history. My mother decided that she would not spend more than one gold coin per month. But allocating a specific amount and sticking to it was not easy. You could imagine a family with three children, unexpected expenses, always on the run, paying for housing and food with no money coming in, never knowing when the war would end. And then one day, the war ended, and one gold coin remained. My mother put the coin away for safekeep-
ing. Years later in Israel, when the first grandson was born, my mother asked her grandson what he wanted for a gift. He told her that he wanted the gold coin that
ers and sister must be very close with such a unique tradition. As you know, little is left of Grecian Jewry. Outside of my own family, most if
“By remaining Jews – strong Jews – and remaining faithful to our religion, to Am Yisroel, only then can the Jewish nation be strong.”
remained from their Holocaust years of fleeing. My mother of blessed memory was so touched that not only did she give him the coin for safekeeping but afterwards, when other grandchildren were born, she purchased
OF THE BOSTONER BAIS MEDRASH
PROFESSIONAL CHILDCARE CHILDREN AGES 21/2 & 3 IN A LOVING ENVIRONMENT 0 PROVIDING THE FOUNDATION TORAH EDUCATION
for each grandchild a similar coin to give them on their bar/bat mitzvah. After she passed away, we, the children, made sure that each grandchild born was
OF
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given a similar gold coin for safekeeping and of course the story of the gold coin is recited and embedded in the memories of all the grandchildren. You and your broth-
not all of my extended family did not survive the War. My family was the lucky few, so naturally we are all very close till today. Outside of a distant cousin, we have no one left except the five brothers and sisters. My
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016 The Jewish Jewish Home Home || OCTOBER OCTOBER 29, 29, 2015 2015 The
mother over the years when she was with us shared many stories of the period of the war with many details about how we endured and survived. The story of the gold coins always was a favorite story for us as children and for the grandchildren as well.
manufacturer in Greece. My family kept in contact with him over the years, and after he passed away, my brothers and I have been in contact with his children including visiting Greece as their guests. Their father was recognized as a Righteous Gentile after the war.
Do you have contact with this distant cousin? Yes, he also has a story worth sharing during the war. My cousin as a young kid was very muscular and gravitated towards boxing. During the war he was taken by the Nazis and used as a boxer for entertainment purposes. The Nazis used to conduct boxing matches for entertainment and parties and he was one of the boxers. He was very good and strong, enabling him to outlast other contenders and survive the war. Today he lives in Israel.
He sounds like a wonderful person. As a Sephardic survivor of the Holocaust, do you feel that you have been given equal attention for what is known by many as mainly an Ashkenazi experience? The Jews of Greece who survived the war number only a few thousand. When many of them moved to Israel, they tended to settle in the area of the Tel AvivYaffo because of their likelihood of finding work at the port. The Recanati Family build a beautiful Bet Knesset in that area of Tel Aviv to commemorate the Jewish communities of Greece. Once a year my generation that survived the Holocaust meets to commemorate our families and all of our former communities that didn’t survive the war. I always attend these gatherings. As you know, we
Whatever became of the Christian foreman who hid you and your family? It turned out that during the war he saved other Jewish families as well. After the war he became of very successful and wealthy shoe
are not many, so we tend to stick together, most of the Grecian Jews still live in this area until today. There is also an organization that represents Grecian Jewry but that’s about all of it. I have always known that I am “Samech Tet” (pure Sephardi), and I have always been proud of this identity. Do you ever speak about your experience to the younger generation? During the ‘90s, between 1994 and 1997, I was sent as a shliach to be the principal of a Jewish school in Panama. I don’t know if you know but Panama had at the time a total Jewish population of 6,000. All of the community’s 1,200 children studied in one of two schools, the Albert Einstein school and the more religious Hebrew Academy. The Panama Jewish community provided for all of the community’s needs to maintain a Jewish way of life including ensuring that future generations do not assimilate. On Holocaust Remembrance Day I would gather all of the children and share with them my own personal history during the Holocaust so that they
never forget and that they should always be on guard. I always emphasized that the Holocaust came out of nowhere and that we as Jews must be vigilant that it never, G-d forbid, happens again. By remaining Jews – strong Jews – and remaining faithful to our religion, to Am Yisroel, only then can the Jewish nation be strong.
◊ ◊ ◊ In all, only 8,000 Greek Jews decided not to obey the Germans. With the help mainly of the naval branch of the Greek resistance, ELAN, 1,500 Jews crossed the Aegean and eventually went to Palestine. There was collaboration between the resistance movement of the Hagana in Israel and EAM-ELAN. The British also operated similar boats, but they did not accept Jews unless there were vacancies. Most of the Jews who saved themselves in Greece found safety in the free mountains, while more than 650 became partisans. The BBC could have helped, but it did not. The daily BBC news, which the resistance and partisan forces were distributing, never mentioned anything about the
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murder of the Jews of Europe or gave any warning for the Greek Jews. The Allied nations with their silence helped the Germans in the slaughter of the Jews of Greece. I remain amazed at the resilience and inner strength that emanates from Yossi as he speaks and revives so many painful memories that are a part of him and define his own personal identity as a Holocaust survivor. Each survivor has a story; each person who was able to walk away from the inferno that raged in Europe has their own story of the 40 coins. They all have their own miracle to impart and to inspire; they all saw the Hand of G-d leading them to survival. I conclude with a poem by Yitzhak Katznelson, z”l, which was written a few days before he was murdered by the Germans. Sure enough, the nations did not interfere, nor did they protest, Nor shake their heads, nor did they warn the murderers. Never a murmur. It was as if the leaders of the nations Were afraid that the killings might stop.
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Dating Dialogue
What Would You Do If… Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters
I am a grandmother who started dabbling in shidduchim a few years back. Basically, I took it upon myself to find spouses for family members who were single, divorced, hard to fix up, etc. Every family has some of those. Wonderful people, but not “A-listers” and they all seemed to require some special attention. So basically my commitment to this cause did not extend outside the family unit. I devoted myself to nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. I have to say that I totally rolled up my sleeves and got very busy. A day didn’t go by that I didn’t mention it to at least one person. That was how I went about it. Sometimes I even asked total strangers. Hey – you never know! Anyway, I can’t say that I was the ultimate hero, but I did have some success. And I am very proud of the shidduchim I made and also feel so happy that I was able to bring so much joy and happiness into their lives. It’s really the ultimate high when you see a happily married couple and know that you had something to do with it. And then, when children are added to the picture, nothing is better. So I did get satisfaction and hopefully some well appreciated mitzvahs – and I know that should be enough. The reason I’m writing to you is because in one instance, I don’t feel it’s enough. I have a brother who I never had a great relationship with. We are as different as night and day and he was always very mean to me growing up. Even as adults, he always treated me dismissively and if I didn’t know better, it would be hard to believe that we were even related. He has a daughter who was kind of different. Nothing specifically wrong with her, in fact a sweet young woman, but her personality was kind of quirky and she was getting older and was still single. I decided I would work as hard as it took to find a shidduch for her. My main reason of course was because we all wanted to see her married and happy. But I also felt that if I could be the hero of this story, my brother might start to send some love my way. I was successful and found someone who turned out to be a perfect match. They are so happy together and I’ve never seen her look so radiant. I’m glad I did it. However, aside from a quick thank you from my brother, he and his wife (she’s no better), didn’t even give me some gift to show their gratitude. Believe me, I didn’t do it for the gift or perhaps money, but some “hakaras hatov”? Some time has gone by and it’s never been brought up again. My brother continues to treat me badly – if there wasn’t an occasional family simcha probably years could go by without him calling or caring if I was even alive. Recently, his oldest son got divorced. I happen to know of a young, wonderful woman, also divorced, who I think might be a good shidduch for him. Yet, I can’t bring myself to get involved. I feel so abused and taken for granted at this point that I don’t want to do him any more favors. I’m feeling so guilty, so conflicted, so angry that my brother has turned me into this person who I really am not by nature. I wonder if your wonderful panel has some words of wisdom to help guide me through this very disturbing time. I know what the right thing is to do, but I just can’t bring myself to do it!
Dear Navidaters,
The feedback from our readers has been remarkable. In order to facilitate further discussion, you can now continue the conversation anonymously on our website. Every Sunday, we will upload the weekend’s most recent edition of What Would You Do If to the dating forum at thenavidaters.com. Join The Navidaters and your fellow TJH readers in a comprehensive dialogue with regard to dating, relationships and marriage. The forum will be moderated daily for everyone’s comfort and safety. See you there! Disclaimer: This column is not intended to diagnose or otherwise offer resolutions to any questions. Our intention is not to offer any definitive conclusions to any particular question, but to offer areas of exploration for the author and reader. Due to the nature of the column receiving only a short snapshot of an issue, without the benefit of an actual discussion, the panel’s role is to offer a range of possibilities. We hope to open up meaningful dialogue and individual exploration.
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The Panel The Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S.
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ol hakavod for your efforts towards facilitating shidduchim for your family members. It’s such a time-consuming effort to network, follow up, get the “yesses” and run interference with the young people and their parents. Getting the go ahead for a date also seems to take so much more effort these days. You have had a full time job advocating and working for your siblings’ progeny. Whether or not they are “A-lister,” as you call them, everyone needs help when it comes to shidduchim. Most people don’t find each other at the local candy store these days and working on shidduchim is everyone’s responsibility. As you say, it’s about the mitzvah of helping people find their matches and establish Torah homes. It’s not about your satisfaction and nachas factor when the next generation comes. It’s about helping one another, not your own feelings and being the hero. It’s healthy to keep your feelings about your own self-worth separate from helping your family members find shidduchim. You have been very honest about your relationships including your childhood hurts and that’s commendable. But it also shows that you haven’t faced the realities of your relationship and neither have you spoken up to try to resolve the past and move on. Working on your niece’s shidduchim despite old hurts was good of you; you did it for her, not for your brother. And he did not acknowledge your efforts sufficiently, which still hurts you deeply. I understand you lacking the will and heart to work on a shidduch for our divorced nephew. You don’t have to. Give the suggestion to a professional shadchan or a person of influence in his life. Let him or her work on expediting dates with the young woman you have in mind. But at the same time, recognize that you have unfinished work to do
in terms of your relationship with your brother. Face past pain and incidents openly and stop fantasizing about a dream ending. A good therapist will help you establish goals in this relationship and assist you in deciding on the means to do so. S/he will offer clarification and support adjusted to what you want to accomplish. You may want to be open with him and get him to talk with you about the past and jointly move slowly towards a healthier relationship as mature adults. The other choice is focusing on giving up hope for the relationship if he is truly a narcissistic person or has another type of personality disorder. Some people don’t get along with anyone. You have not told us about multiple varied efforts you have undertaken to remedy the situation nor about guidance you have sought in the past to help you improve the relationship. So it’s impossible for me to determine if your brother is a very difficult person and to suggest that you give up on having a relationship with him. Neither path with the therapist is easy; both require work, reflection and maturity. Decide on what you want and then get help to go for it. The professional will not make you feel better about yourself; you need to achieve that through a facilitated process no matter which goal you choose.
The Mother Sarah Schwartz Schreiber, PA
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ol hakavod to Bubby, the Super Shadchan: Facilitating shidduchim is truly partnering with the Ribbono Shel Olam in His holy work. Be assured that your reward is accumulating interest in the Celestial Bank. What about your current dilemma? To borrow your words: your motivation for seeking a shidduch for your niece was that you wanted to see her married and happy. One look at her radiant face should reassure you that you succeeded ad-
mirably. Tap into that motivation and work on your nephew. Even if it doesn’t endear your brother to you, it can make your nephew delirious with joy. To be sure, hakoras hatov is as fundamental to Yiddishkeit as please-and-thank-you is to menschlichkeit. It would have been icing on the wedding cake if your brother gave you credit (or cash) for setting up his children. For the time being, take comfort in the fact that you did a phenomenal mitzvah. And the One Above is a meticulous Accountant.
Believe me, I didn’t do it for the gift or perhaps money, but some “hakaras hatov”?
find a way to make peace with your brother. Hatzlacha.
The Single Irit Moshe
The Dating Mentor Rochel Chaftez Educator/Mentor
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think it’s wonderful that you have made so many shidduchim and are so good at it. May Hashem help you continue in this holy work. But you see, this mitzvah and the ultimate way to do any chessed, is to do it in order to emulate Hashem. Not for anything else. It’s important that you know that and perhaps you have to work on that concept. The fact that your brother has not thanked you is not your problem. That’s something that he will have to take up with his Creator. You should just be concerned about the avoda that you do in this world. View yourself as partners with Hashem and just keep making shidduchim. Frankly, why would you think that things would have changed between you and your brother if the conflict has been going on for so long? That is a separate issue, which would probably require a mediator to help both of you out with. Obviously there is some serious underlying deep issue(s) going on here. However, don’t allow yourself to get sidetracked or distracted from doing what you are obviously so good at. And don’t let his bad behavior get in the way of you doing a chessed for his son. Hashem gave you a koach. Keep using it and daven that in the zchus of what you are doing, you will
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am sorry to hear about your relationship with your brother. I think it’s probably something you might want to address with a therapist, since it seems to be giving you pain and it is hindering your ability to enjoy your family as a whole. At some point, when you feel safe with your therapist, see if your brother will accept an invitation to have a session with you in order to “bury the hatchet,” and hopefully salvage whatever time you both have to have a healthy and loving relationship with one another. Or at least, not have any regrets for not trying. No matter what your relationship is with your brother, either good or bad, your gift shouldn’t be held back from your nephew. Your nephew may take offense at the fact that you have helped others in the family and not him. Remember, there are more people who benefit from “your gift” of matchmaking than just your brother. And, as you pointed out, it brings you much joy to see others married and happy. Especially when you begin to see generations come out of your handiwork. Try to focus on the good and not dwell on the bad. Also, this may be one of your greatest tests and opportunity for accomplishment in your life that Hashem has in store for you, to push through your own discomfort in order to attain personal growth. Who knows? Whatever you choose to do in this situation, may Hashem continue to bless you and your endeavors.
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something larger and more important than simply the self. Needing a sincere “thank you” is perfectly human and not getting it would stir up anyone’s emotions. I wish it were your brother providing you the validation you need, but the reality is he can’t do that or won’t do that right now. I hope that the validation you receive from the panel will fill a tiny portion of that. And for what it’s worth, I am sure that everyone who will read your What Would You Do If email will think you are a special lady and hopes that one day your brother will give you the gratitude you deserve and treat you with kindness. Somewhere inside of you, you felt that if you could save the day and be the “hero” of this story, you brother might finally love you. How many of us bend over backwards in an attempt to receive love? The answer: many. “See me,” we scream through our actions; “Love me,” we cry through accepting their bad behaviors; “Need me,” we beg by doing one last favor. “Be who I need you to be so I can feel healthy.” Clearly, you and your brother have a layered history that has left you not speaking. His lack of gratitude is one piece of a complicated puzzle. You do not give much history or background but I do understand that you feel he never treated you properly and has been outright cruel to you. I am so sorry you find yourself in this position. It has to hurt. Your brother has never been capable of participating in a healthy relationship with you. With that being said, I do encourage you to make a shidduch for his son, your nephew. Being that you are drawn to shidduchim, do them well, and you are in it for the mitzvah and the inner joy it brings you, I have a feeling you were always going to make the shidduch. What is the alternative, really? To not make the shidduch and live with the guilt? To prevent two people from building a life together because your brother will not include you in his? By the way, I think some people in your shoes would not make the shidduch and I think it takes a lot
Pulling It All Together The Navidaters Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists
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here are two separate and distinct issues here which leave you in a place of inner turmoil. On the one hand, you are a shadchan extraordinaire, having made successful matches, and would like nothing more than to set up your divorced nephew. On the other hand, you have a strained relationship with your brother and sister-in-law. They showed next to zero gratitude for making a shidduch for their daughter, and you have no contact with your brother otherwise. You end your email with the following: “I know what the right thing to do is, but I just can’t bring my-
self to do it!” And understandably so. Most of us want some recognition when we perform an act of kindness. Needing a “thank you” does not make you selfish or say anything negative about your pure intention of wanting to set up your family members. Many people struggle with the concept of doing a mitzvah purely for the sake of the mitzvah. Is that even possible? After all, mitzvos make us feel good, they make us feel like we have a purpose and we are devoting ourselves to
It would have been icing on the wedding cake if your brother gave you credit (or cash) for setting up his children. of humility and strength to move forward with it. It is not an easy thing to do. With regard to you and your brother, I have to wonder if you have ever had a frank discussion with him as two adults. What is your understanding of his behavior? Does he treat everyone this way, or is this a personal vendetta against you? If he is an allaround toxic kind of guy and creates chaos and distress wherever he goes with a scorched earth mentality, then it behooves you to work on your own understanding of why you can’t have him in your life. However (and this is a big however), if there is a missing piece of the puzzle that you did not include in your story to us and you think there is a tiny possibility that you and he can repair this, then you can choose whether or not you’d like to attempt a reconciliation. I hope that the joy of making this shidduch can outweigh the pain your brother has put you through. Wishing you all the best. Sincerely, Jennifer Esther Mann, LCSW and Jennifer Mann, LCSW are licensed, clinical psychotherapists and dating and relationship coaches working with individuals, couples and families in private practice in Hewlett, NY. To set up an appointment, please call 516.224.7779. Press 1 for Esther, 2 for Jennifer. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question anonymously, please email thenavidaters@gmail.com. Jennifer is starting a Marriage Support Initiative for Women; an 8 week support group for married women to celebrate the positive aspects of their marriages and delve into the more private corners of marriage. Difficulties in a marriage can feel isolating. Come find support and make friends. For more information, reach her at the above phone number.
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Health & F tness
Not in my Backyard, Not in my School, Not in my Shul, Not in my Home By Hylton I. Lightman, MD, DCH (SA), FAAP
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he Pesach dishes, pots, pans and other supplies are packed away. Pantries are restocked with chometz food, and lives and schedules are returning to normal. However, there are families in the community for whom life will never be normal again. Why? They have sat shiva for precious children who passed away tragically. Although I have not known all the niftarim, I cannot make peace with these unfathomable tragedies. The existential pain that these people lived with is beyond comprehension and I will not even dare to gauge what their poor parents, siblings and other family members must be experiencing. However, this has not absolved me from trying to find a solution to helping others who are enveloped in this web of confusion that leads to nowhere good – nor should any of us believe that we are separate, immune and not vulnerable to the agony that is crying for intervention. We live in a world today where there’s a surge of physical, emotional and spiritual pain, the proportions of which mimic an epidemic. Adolescents and young adults from all walks of life, including religious and nonreligious, all socioeconomic groups and even from the most stable of homes are becoming prey to the cheap and commonplace availability of illicit drugs. It may start with
e-cigarettes and marijuana and then progresses to opiates and heroin. By the way, heroin is no longer the recreation drug reserved for the wealthy: it is the scourge of society as it’s cheap and readily available for purchase in our own neighborhoods. And heroin’s insidiousness is exacerbated because needles are no longer needed.
cluding a 200% increase in the rates of death involving opioid pain relievers and heroin. The rabbonim cared. However, we have been unable move the concern and good intentions to positive action: Why? Because most people have the attitude, “Not in my backyard, not in my school, not in my shul, not in my home.”
We live in a world today where there’s a surge of physical, emotional and spiritual pain, the proportions of which mimic an epidemic.
Drug abuse happens 24/7, including on Shabbos. Shabbos is a day of frustration, boredom and mental agitation for many disillusioned young people and married couples. Hence, drugs and alcohol become the means to survive. In February, I addressed an asifa called by Achiezer of over 40 community rabbonim about this issue. I reported that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had announced in January that since 2000, the deaths due to drug overdosing/ poisoning has increased by 137%, in-
Take the time to sit with adolescents and young adults and hear some of their vocabulary. “Baby sit” means to guide someone through their first drug experience. “Baker” – a person who smokes marijuana. “Bed bugs” – fellow addicts. “Special K” is no longer a cereal: It’s illegally procured ketamine (used to induce anesthesia) which is boiled into crystals and then crushed and sniffed. Find out on your own what Spice and Brownies are. For your information, they’re not such innocuous foods. And these slang terms are but the tip of the user’s lexicon.
I applaud the local schools that have mandatory drug testing. In fact, my son will be enrolling in such a high school this September, please G-d. Mandatory drug testing means that the school’s hanhala is in touch with the generation and refuses to bury its head in the sand, mired in denial. As one Rosh Yeshiva of a school that mandates drug testing said, “We don’t abandon a student if he tests positive. There’s no one algorithm that works other than a commitment to nurture each neshama as needed.” At a bris last week, a community rav who had been at the February asifa approached me, saying that although his community is still on the young side of life, he and his rebbitzen have begun scanning the horizon, planning what they will do to head off this problem before it rears its ugly head in their community. My wife and I are in awe by these visionaries who have the foresight to invest now in order to reap future dividends. I welcome your insights and suggestions you have. Please feel free to email me at drlightman@totalfamilycaremd.com. Dr. Hylton Lightman is a pediatrician and Medical Director of Total Family Care of the 5 Towns and Rockaway PC. He can be reached at www.totalfamilycaremd.com, on Instagram at #lightmanpeds or visit him on Facebook.
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Health & F tness
Food Addiction By Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN
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he prevalence of obesity continues to rise in the United States. More than 85% of adults are projected to be overweight or obese by the year 2030. Multiple factors contribute to the obesity epidemic, such as increased caloric intake, increased availability and ease of access to food, low prices of fast food, larger portion
sizes, and decreased physical activity. Although the causes may be interrelated, there’s one underlying cause of obesity which may lead to unintended overeating, also known as food addiction. “Don’t put those chips in front of me. I’m addicted to chips,” or the known catchphrase, “Once you pop,
you can’t stop,” are terms often associated with food addiction. Some people refer to themselves as “addicted to food,” but only mean so in a joking manner. However, food addiction is a serious problem affecting many Americans. Food addiction is defined as a behavioral addiction that is charac-
terized by the compulsive over consumption and/or frequent episodes of uncontrolled eating, also known as binge eating. Binge eating means eating an unhealthy, uncontrolled amount of food. The notion that a person can be addicted to food has recently got a lot of recognition. Experts believe that highly palatable food triggers the same pleasure in the brain as addictive drugs like cocaine and heroin. Those foods include foods high in fat, sugar, and salt. Like addictive drugs, highly palatable foods trigger “feel good” brain chemicals such as dopamine. Once people experience this “high” that they feel when they are done eating, they quickly feel the need to eat more or eat again to get that feeling back. The reward signals from foods may override other signals such as fullness and satisfaction. As a result, people keep eating, even when they’re not hungry or even more so, stuffed. Food addiction is a serious problem and in many cases can lead to a deteriorated quality of life. Physical, emotional, social and spiritual happiness and well-being are all affected by food addiction. It’s a problem that that can affect anyone. Studies on the subject, though, portray that not all obese people are food addicts, and not all food addicts are obese. Many people are unaware of the fact that they have a food addiction and are using the wrong approaches to weight loss. Many victims of food addiction find it much easier to cope with and treat once they are aware that they are suffering from an addiction. Symptoms include eating when not hungry, worrying about cutting down on certain foods, feeling tired and sluggish after eating, continuing to eat large amounts or certain foods even after it no longer feels good, and craving or obsessing over certain foods. Food addiction often stems from low self-esteem, depression, high impulsivity, genetics, overweight or obese, food cravings and emotional dys-regulation. Dr. Nicole Avena of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai performed multiple studies and found
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
that certain types of foods, such as processed foods which share characteristics of drug abuse, had a strong association with food addiction. Among the 500 study participants, the top addictive foods were found to be pizza, chocolate, chips, cookies, and ice cream – in that order. The least addictive foods were found to be cucumbers
about the foods, you’re putting the item on a virtual shelf, and can substitute other, healthier items.” Dr. Peeke also suggests cutting out the food product that gives you the “feel good” sensation and managing the amount of food you eat. Combinations of protein and fiber will help curb the cravings. For example, try celery sticks
If you know that you are addicted to chocolate ice cream, don’t have any ice cream in your house. (with no dip), carrots, beans, apples, and brown rice. The most addictive foods are foods that are high in fat and sugar. Since the studies demonstrate that food addiction is more than just poor self-control and technically is an addiction, a different approach should be used in terms of dieting. Cutting back on highly addictive foods can be extremely tough; therefore one must create a solution to avoid these foods completely. For example, if you know that you are addicted to chocolate ice cream, don’t have any ice cream in your house. It will be much harder to control yourself and stop after one scoop than not having it at all. The trick is not to start at all. Keep the pizza, chocolate, chips, cookies, and ice cream far away. Dr. Peeke, author of The Hunger Fix: The Three Stage Detox and Recovery Plan for Overeating and Food Addiction, suggests another helpful tip. “Before eating what is in front of you, ask yourself, ‘If I eat this, will I feel loss of control?’ and ‘If I eat this will I feel guilty?’ If the answer to both of these questions is yes, then tell yourself, ‘Whatever is sitting in front of me doesn’t work for me.’ This puts the power in your hands,” she says. “By giving yourself a minute to think
and celery, or whole wheat crackers and hummus. Make sure the addictive foods stay out of your house and substitute those items with healthier, non- addictive ones. The obesity epidemic is getting out of control. However, by controlling what we put into our mouths we have a better chance of controlling the amount of how much we eat. Hopefully nipping food addiction in the bud will help solve the obesity epidemic. Make sure to fill your fridge, freezer and pantries with healthy, non-addictive options so that you don’t get caught in the trap. And remember, “Once you pop, you must stop!” 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. Her Dietetic Internship was completed under Brooklyn College primarily in Ditmas Park Care Center and Boro Park Center where she developed clinical and education skills to treat patients with comprehensive nutrition care. She is currently a dietitian at Boro Park Center and a private nutrition consultant. She can be reached at Cindy Weinberger1@gmail.com.
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The Key to Bracha Tamar Ansh Talks about the Minhag and Significance of Shlissel Challah
TJH: Tamar, it’s a pleasure speaking with you. This week is “shlissel challah” week. Can you tell us a little bit about the minhag? TA: We know that the first Shabbos immediately following Pesach is what is known as “Key Challah” week, aka, shlissel challahs. The minhag to bake shlissel challah for the first Shabbos after Pesach is a long-standing one. To quote the Sefer HaTodah by R’ Eliyahu Kitov: “The Shabbat after Pesach when we announce the coming of Iyar some…have the custom to make challah in the form of a key and to sprinkle it with sesame seeds. This is to remind us of the mahn that fell in the desert and began falling in the month of Iyar; it also symbolizes that the ‘key’ to
our parnassa is in Hashem’s hands. We pray that Hashem will open up His store of treasures and shower us with abundance.” Sesame seeds are used to depict mahn as they are small and white, as it says about the mahn, “they were like small seeds, white, and [tasted] as if they were dipped in honey.” As for what is decreed on Rosh Hashana…a Yid always can use more bracha. We all want to pray that our parnassa comes through an easy and normal way, with no undue stress and hardship, so the extra tefillos and brachos can only help. I also interviewed Rebbetzin Sara Meisels (of Bobov) about this minhag and she had an additional background story to share: There’s a beautiful
story about the Maharal M’Prague. After lail ha’seder, the Maharal was sitting and learning at home; the key to the shul was with him, hung up in its place on the wall. The key suddenly fell to the ground. He picked it up and put it back on the hook. After it was hung up, it fell again. He picked it up once more. And then it fell a third time. This time he realized that Shomayaim
was trying to tell him something, so he went to check the shul. When he got there, he saw that the paroches was moved out of place. He opened the Aron Kodesh and saw, hidden inside the Aron, what looked like a bottle of wine. After opening it he realized it was a bottle of blood; the non Jews were trying to set up a blood libel against them! Quickly, he pulled out the bottle, poured
out the blood and rinsed it. He then poured wine inside instead. The next morning the goyim burst into shul with the police, yelling and screaming. They went straight to the Aron Kodesh – obviously they knew where to go – and pulled out the bottle. The kehilla was very frightened but the Maharal was calm as he watched what happened next…the police
The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
opened it up and smelled it and it was only wine! They got very angry at the perpetrators and threw them in jail. Miraculously, the entire kehilla was saved. It was a huge hatzalah for the whole Jewish community. Afterwards the Maharal wanted to do something to commemorate this special miracle. He knew that everyone bakes challah right after Pesach so he told his Rebbetzin to bake the challahs from then on for that week in the shape of a key. Afterwards, it became part of Klal Yisroel for every generation and we know that it also symbolizes the key to parnassa, as the Sefer Hatodah mentions. This is only one source of many – the minhag is holy and has many levels of meaning to it, which we
can’t cover in the space of this conversation. And since all of us want blessing for a good parnassa, we usually find a way to push ourselves to get those challahs done somehow, even after all the work of Pesach has just finished. I know of someone who would make extras and give it out to some of her neighbors to wish them a blessed year filled with parnassa tova… These thoughts are beautiful. I never knew of the background and meaning behind shlissel challah. You wrote a cookbook dedicated just to challah, A Taste of Challah. What was your motivation for doing so? The challah book, A Taste of Challah, is actually my fourth book, my second
cookbook. It was a dream of mine for a long, long time. I did not know how to make challah at all when I got married. And although I really wanted to, I had no clue how to begin. I looked for a good book on the topic and there was nothing. It took me a long time – and I went through so many interesting experiences and met so many wonderful women along the way that if I only had more time I’m sure I could fill another whole book on just “how” I got to challah – but after learning all that I did, I decided that if there was no book on the topic of challah, why not just make one myself… I couldn’t shape pretty challahs for the life of me at first. I wanted so badly to learn how to braid properly and make them look
good. Without exaggeration, once I started davening for Hashem to help me out, I literally was led to one person after another who showed me “just one” more way to shape…and it still happens until today. It’s great because now when I do live shows I have several shapes to demonstrate that never made it into my book simply because I did not know them at that time. To make a very long and interesting life story somewhat shorter, that’s how we have a book. A gift straight from Hashem, Who was the One that led me to every person that so generously shared their experiences with me! You’ve been baking challah for a long time. What can you tell the
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newlywed who is scared of starting to bake her first challos? This is the best tip I ever got and ever give out to others – the mitzvah of challah pertains any and every day of the week whenever you make a dough that is 5 lbs/2.25 kilos of flour in the dough. But – you also must accept Shabbos on time – with, hopefully, a smile too! You can make your challahs in the beginning on a different day of the week when there is no stress of erev Shabbos coming and this way get used to the process and also enjoy it. Only when you know how to make Shabbos on time should you attempt it on a Friday. If you use your freezer and freezer bags properly, your challahs will be 100% fresh – I guarantee it!
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Remember: a dough that is 5 lbs of flour is only about 16-17 cups of flour and it is not a lot – but the bracha it brings into your home after you are zocheh – yes, zocheh – to be mafrish challah with a bracha on it is literally incomparable. Even if it’s “just the two of you,” you should be doing this mitzvah. Shape all the challahs and freeze some away for a different week, or give some out to a lonely older neighbor, someone who can use a smile. It’s worth it. Can you give us your
best, tried-and-true challah recipe? Sure. It’s available for free as a beautiful pdf download from my website, www. aTasteofchallah.com. I also have them as recipe cards that I give out for free whenever I give a live challah demo, class or show. There’s lots more to say on the topic of challah and I include tons of information in the many shows I run. I hope your challahs will come out spectacular and that all of Klal Yisroel is zocheh to a year filled with parnassa tova u’veshefa!
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ARTISTIC LARGE SHLISSEL CHALLAH WITH 12 PIECES By Tamar Ansh
T
his challah comes out so beautiful and it is great for a large family. In fact, you can even combine this with another minhag of having a challah that is made out of 12 pieces, a yud beis challah… Take 12 smaller pieces of dough. Roll each one up into a small roll, whichever shape suits you. I liked the idea of them being small round flower-like shapes. You roll out the challah strand, and holding one end you make a small circle; the long
end of the strand that you have left over, weave in and out of the hole of the circle three times, ending on the bottom of the roll. When these bake they will resemble a closed flower. Line up five of them in one row, with one or two rolls connected to the side of the second to bottom roll in this row. This will become the bottom of the “key.” The top part is very simple. Continuing where the top roll of the handle is, place the rest of the little rolls in a circle coming off of it. This
is the top of your “key.” Now take a piece of baking paper that you squish into a ball shape or a round small cookie cutter (and grease it with oil first so it won’t get stuck inside the challah) or use a piece of foil. Place this in the center of the circle so it will stay open. Let it rise for 15-20 minutes and not longer. Too long and it will lose its shape. Preheat the oven; while it
is heating, brush your challah with a beaten egg. If you make more than one challah, even better! Then sprinkle them with white sesame seeds and bake them at 375°F / 190°C. It should take about 20-25 minutes to brown to perfection on both the top of the challahs as well as the bottom. When it is done, remove it carefully to a wire rack to cool, being careful that
it should not break apart. Freeze it on a flat, lined cookie tray until hardened and then wrap it in plastic until the day of use. Or just shape it that Friday morning and then bring it directly to the table to await Hamotzi that night. Just break off the rolls and serve. If you have more than 12 people at the table, I guess you will have to cut them up a bit more!
Tamar Ansh, author of A Taste of Challah (Feldheim), is the director of the JWWS seminar and network for frum writers and a widely published author of books, interviews and inspirational true stories. She is also an internationally-recognized expert on challah, hosting lectures, demos and workshops for bas mitzvahs, yahrtzeits, tzedakah events, tour groups, “The ninth month,” engagements, the Shabbos Project & more. Her other publications include: Let My Children Cook!, Pesach- Anything’s Possible, and others. Learn to make your challahs the best they can be and sign up for her free Challah Bytes tips at www.aTasteofChallah.com.
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A Taste of Home Now that Pesach is over and you’ve had your fair share of potatoes at every meal, here are some inspiring dishes to enhance your menu. By Susie Fishbein
Coconut Lime Pargiyot Skewers
Yields 6 servings Thai flavors come together beautifully for this stunning appetizer. It is fine at room temperature, so it would make a great Shabbos lunch starter or buffet item. Since the chicken is dark meat, it does not dry out the way some white meat cutlet dishes do when held over.
Ingredients 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (pargiyot) 1 cup coconut milk, stirred well 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon honey 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger Zest of ½ lime Juice of 1 lime ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
12 cremini mushroom caps 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, cut into ¼-inch dice 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, cut into ¼-inch dice 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves 8 fresh basil leaves, chopped Juice of ½ lime 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Preparation In a 1-quart container, using an immersion blender, combine the coconut milk, soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, lime zest, lime juice, and red pepper flakes. This can also be done in a blender. Transfer mixture to a Ziploc bag. Add the chicken and mushroom caps. Marinate in the refrigerator for
an hour. Cut each chicken thigh in half widthwise. Thread a mushroom cap, folded chicken piece, second mushroom cap, and second folded chicken piece onto a skewer. Press the skewer through the stem end of the mushrooms through the top to avoid splitting them. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a grill pan until very hot but not smoking. Lay the
skewers into the grill pan so they all fit. Sear for 5-6 minutes per side, trying not to move them around until it’s time to flip them to the second side. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine avocado, mango, and black beans. Stir in the cilantro and basil. Drizzle with lime juice, olive oil, and salt. Spread onto platter; arrange the chicken skewers over the mixture.
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Stadium Salad
Yields 6 servings Over the years, I have been invited to give shows in almost all of the 50 states. Every time I took a flight to a place that had a Major League stadium, I would make a pit stop to the stadium to buy a souvenir hat and to take a picture of myself in front of the stadium. I would quickly email the picture to my baseballloving young son, Eli, so he would know where I was. In honor of those memories, I came up with this salad, a salute to the baseball experience. Pretzels, hot dogs, peanuts … and caps off to my friend Linda Gruenbaum for the yummy dressing.
Ingredients Salad 3 large handfuls mini pretzel twists 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard 1 tablespoon favorite barbecue sauce 2 large chicken cutlets, cut into 1-inch cubes ¼ cup canola oil, divided 3 hot dogs, cut into ¼-inch thick slices 3 ounces lettuce of choice Handful cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped ½ English hothouse cucumber, seeded, cut into ¼-inch dice ½ cup honey roasted peanuts 1 cup pretzel crisps, broken Dressing ½ cup canola oil ¼ cup sugar 2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons yellow mustard 1 clove crushed garlic, can use frozen
Preparation Place the pretzel twists into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal “S” blade. Process until they resemble breadcrumbs. Transfer to shallow bowl or container. In a second shallow bowl or container, combine the spicy brown mustard with the barbecue sauce. Coat the chicken cubes in the mustard mixture, then bread in the pretzel crumbs. Set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large skillet. Add the hot dog slices; sauté until golden brown, caramelized, and slightly puffed. Use
tongs to flip slices to caramelize both sides. Remove to a bowl; do not wipe out the pan. Add 2 more tablespoons canola oil to the pan. Add the coated chicken cubes; sauté until golden brown on all sides and chicken is cooked through, 3-4 minutes total. You may need a little more oil if preparing the chicken in batches. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing: In a 1-pint container, whisk or shake together the ½ cup canola oil, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, yellow mustard, and garlic until smooth and emulsified. Place the lettuce into a large bowl. Add the tomatoes and cucumbers. Top with the pretzel-crusted chicken, hot dogs, and peanuts. Add dressing to taste. Garnish with broken pretzel crisps.
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Korean Short Ribs
Yields 8-10 servings I have done numerous shows in the Los Angeles area; each time I work there I reserve some time to explore a favorite spot, The Grove and the Original Farmers Market attached to it, established in 1934. It’s a really fun culinary experience. While I was chatting with a vendor there, he recommended that I check out LA’s Koreatown, the largest in the country. Talk about a sensory adventure! Since nothing there was kosher, I could hardly wait to call my chef friends for advice on making ribs. These hit the spot. Mix, dump, and cook. A simple recipe for a simply divine Asianinspired dish. Remember to grab some napkins! Ingredients 5 pounds (5 strips) breast flanken, not trimmed, cut into 2-3 bone sections 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons red chili garlic sauce or sambal oelek; I like Hung Foy brand ¾ cup soy sauce ¼ cup water 10 very thin slices ginger, not peeled, chopped, to make 2 tablespoons 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 tablespoon sesame oil
¼ cup ketchup Fresh scallion, chopped, for garnish
Preparation Place the ribs into a large (2-gallon) heavy-duty Ziploc bag. Sprinkle with brown sugar. In a medium bowl, stir together chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, water, ginger, garlic powder, and sesame oil. Pour into the bag. Rub it into all surfaces of the ribs. Marinate ribs in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight, the longer the
better. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the ribs, meat-side down, in a casserole dish that fits them snugly in a single layer. Pour the marinade over the ribs. Cover with foil; bake 2½ hours. Uncover the ribs. Carefully pour off 1½ cups of the pan juices; mix with the ketchup. Turn the ribs meatside up. Pour and brush the mixture over the ribs. Transfer to serving platter; garnish with scallions.
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Glazed Donut Twists
Yields 26-28 donut twists No need for donut envy when you see all the incredible photos of sufganiyot on social media all over Israel. And there is no need to wait for a Chanukah miracle to whip up these goodies! Another mighty fine option in place of the glaze is to toss twists while still warm into cinnamonsugar.
Reproduced from Kosher By Design Brings It Home by Susie Fishbein with permission from the copyright holders ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications, LTD.
Ingredients
Preparation
Donuts 2½ teaspoons instant or bread machine yeast 1 teaspoon and ¼ cup sugar, divided ¼ cup warm water (not too hot) 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter or margarine, softened 2 large eggs ¾ cup warm milk or soymilk 2 teaspoons fine sea salt 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting surface Canola oil, for frying Glaze 2 cups confectioner’s sugar ¼ cup milk or soymilk
Place the yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, and warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir and allow to bubble, about 10 minutes. Add butter, ¼ cup sugar, eggs, ¾ cup milk, salt, and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Add in remaining 2 cups flour and mix until a soft dough forms. Cover with a damp cloth; allow to rise in a warm place for 2 hours or overnight in refrigerator. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper. Punch the dough down. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece into a 9 x 11-inch
rectangle. Cut widthwise into ¾-inch strips. Fold each strip in half lengthwise; twist 4-5 times. Pinch the ends to seal, place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Allow the donuts to rise while the oil heats. Heat canola oil in a deep fryer or halfway up in a large pot, to 355°F. Fry the donuts, a few at a time, about 40 seconds per side until golden brown, using tongs to help turn them. Drain on paper towels. Return to cookie sheet to cool slightly. Prepare the glaze: In a small bowl, combine confectioner’s sugar and ¼ cup milk. Drizzle and brush over the donut twists.
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A Special Gift for a Special Woman By Susan Schwamm It may be cliché, but it’s true: every day is Mother’s Day. A mother’s love is constant and continuous. And although most of her work is centered around loads of laundry, homework, shopping, cooking suppers and doctors’ appointments, she does it all with love. Because there’s no love like a mother’s love for her children. This Sunday is officially Mother’s Day. Although we can thank Hallmark for making it such a celebrated event, make sure
to pick up the phone and call mom to thank her and show her your love and appreciation. And while you’re at it, why not buy your mother something she can enjoy and cherish this year? She will remember your kind gesture, shep nachas at the wonderful child that she raised, and will read your heartfelt note over and over again. To all the wonderful mothers in our community, we wish you a very happy Mother’s Day.
ON A HIGH NOTE
Although technology has taken over our lives, Mom knows the value of the (hand)written word. A gift of classy notecards will be enhanced with her perfect handwriting, probably extolling the virtues of her children to all her friends! www.crane.com, $29/10 cards
THE CHIC COOK
Shabbos, yom tov, every day of the week … moms spend an inordinate amount of time in the kitchen whipping up delicacies for the family. Now she can prepare and serve in style. The blooming flowers bring springtime into the kitchen as she kneads her challah dough. www.anthropologie.com, $34
WHAT’S COOKING?
You love her meatballs and her special kugels on Shabbos. No one’s chocolate cake compares to hers. And her apple pie? It’s mouthwatering. Her food has brought you joy and comfort for so many years. Why not organize her recipes into one beautiful book that she can cherish and share with the next generation? www.createmycookbook.com, $34.95
MORE THAN A THOUSAND WORDS
There’s nothing more precious to a mother than her children. This year, take a family portrait – yes, all the children and grandchildren! – and present it to her so she can gaze at her nachas all day long. www.irathomascreations.com, 516-791-7230
The Jewish | MAY29, 5, 2015 2016 The Jewish Home |Home OCTOBER
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ALL ABOARD!
As the weather gets warmer, she’d love a night on the town. Just get those boat shoes ready! Sailing around the city as the sun sets will make for a spectacular experience for mom and dad. The rhythmic lulling of the boat and the warm breeze in the air will create memories for life. www. sail-nyc. com, $56/person
SAY IT WITH FLOWERS
What can we say? A woman can never have enough flowers in her home. Surprise her this Sunday with a beautiful vase filled with her favorite blooms. But don’t just stop there. Make sure you drop in every erev Shabbos carrying more vibrant blossoms that she can use to enhance her Shabbos table. www.bloomingdales.com, $300
A DAY AT THE MUSEUM
Spending time with mom is the best time spent. Take her out one day to tour the museums of Manhattan. The City isn’t just home to the Museum of Natural History; consider the Frick, MOMA, the Met, the Guggenheim, and the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Choose one and explore its halls. Then, of course, end the day with a dinner for just the two of you.
Pizza & Refreshments
Chavrusa-Style Learning with the Developmentally Disabled
B’LEV ARI BAIS MEDRASH PROGRAM Back for Another Exciting Year!
Dancing & Singing
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SH’OR YOSHUV 1 Cedar Lawn Lane Lawrence, NY 11559 Contact Us: Dr. Robert Block(602) 387-0483 blevariprogram@gmail.com
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Home Home OCTOBER 29, 2015Jewish | The Jewish
Notable Quotes “Say What?!”
Here’s a Jew from Brooklyn who never even saw a gentile till he was 28. Obviously, this man has a very, very big sickness. There’s something about being Jewish that makes him self-conscious and nervous. And he has to prove to himself and to the country that he doesn’t favor Israel in any way. He’s so determined that he’ll tell any lie about Israel that he can think of to say to you: “Do you see that? This is proof that I don’t play for Israel. The fact that I want every Israeli to drop dead for me to prove a point doesn’t matter. If they all get wiped out, it’s not my business. The main thing is that I’m not favoring Israel.” – Jackie Mason, on Aaron Klein Investigative Radio
I really wish I had a twin, and that twin had eaten broccoli his entire life. I know I would have been happier, and I think the odds are I would have lived longer. - Warren Buffett defending his lifelong sweet tooth at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting last week
If either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton becomes president, and one of them is very likely to be, I think Berkshire will continue to do fine.
Bernie Sanders … doesn’t even know what’s going on and doesn’t care. Because to him Israel getting wiped out is no problem. Climate change is the only problem. To him, the most important thing in the world is climate change. If Israel gave up their country but they fought for climate change, he would love Israel. In ten minutes, they would be his favorite country. - Ibid
- Ibid., commenting on the 2016 presidential race
The NFL Draft started last night and the Los Angeles Rams used the first pick to select quarterback Jared Goff. He’s a college student who just got a job worth over $20 million, or as he put it, “I no longer support Bernie Sanders!” - Jimmy Fallon
Earlier today, despite losing five primaries, Ted Cruz stunned everybody by announcing his vice presidential candidate is Carly Fiorina. This means Fiorina is now just a heartbeat away from never being president. – Conan O’Brien
In my family there was no Jewish blood, which I accept with regret. I would like to be a part of the Chosen People but I am not. - Former Polish president Lech Walesa in a Facebook posting
Bernie Sanders said it’s a great idea to have a woman as vice president. John McCain was like, “Is it?!” – Seth Myers
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Former presidential candidates Martin O’Malley and Mike Huckabee might actually be starting a bipartisan band together. The band has a great way to make money: Their concerts are free, but earplugs cost $200. – Jimmy Fallon
Donald Trump had a bit of a stumble yesterday. He was giving a speech in Buffalo and accidentally referred to the devastating terrorist attacks of 7/11 instead of 9/11. Of course, who can forget that fateful day when the Cokeflavored Slurpee machine broke and we were forced to settle for that blue raspberry stuff. – Jimmy Kimmel
No, I don’t think so, because I think Israel should have … they really have to keep going. They have to keep moving forward… I don’t think there should be a pause. –Trump when asked by the Daily Mail whether he agrees with the Obama administration’s position that Israel should cease all building in the West Bank
I saw you hanging out with NBA players like Steph Curry from the Golden State Warriors. It kinda makes sense, because both of you like raining down bombs on people from long distances. - Comedian Larry Wilmore addressing President Obama at the White House Correspondence Dinner
A restaurant in Pennsylvania has unveiled a pizza inspired by Hillary Clinton. Apparently, the pizza is not that fresh or tasty, but it sticks around your stomach until all the other food has given up. - Conan O’Brien
President Obama at the White House Correspondence Dinner
Huh, [Trump’s] not here tonight? We had so much fun last year. You got a room full of reporters, celebrities, cameras, and he says no? … Is he at home eating a Trump steak, tweeting out insults to Angela Merkel? What is he doing? Anyway, here we are. My eighth and final appearance at this unique event. And I am excited. If this material works well, I’m going to use it at Goldman Sachs next year. Earn me some serious Tubmans. Next year at this time, someone else will be standing here in this very spot, and it’s anyone’s guess who she will be. Anyway, in this last year I do have more appreciation for those who have been with me on this amazing ride, like one of our finest public servants, Joe Biden… And I want to thank him for his friendship, for his counsel, for always giving it to me straight, for not shooting anybody in the face. You’ve got to admit it, though, Hillary trying to appeal to young voters is a little bit like your relative just signed up for Facebook. “Dear America, did you get my poke?” (Laughter.) “Is it appearing on your wall?” “I’m not sure I am using this right. Love, Aunt Hillary.” It’s not entirely persuasive. There’s one area where Donald’s experience could be invaluable – and that’s closing Guantanamo. Because Trump knows a thing or two about running waterfront properties into the ground.
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May is finally here! Yep, it’s that special time of the year when the Earth puts the weather on “Random Shuffle.” - Jimmy Fallon
In his campaign against Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump says he’s going to start quoting some of Bernie Sanders’ speeches. Which means Trump’s opening line will now be, “My nurse is stealing from me.” – Conan O’Brien
Today was another big day for the election. There were five different primaries in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Or as Hillary Clinton put it, “Why, those just happen to be my five favorite states!”
In Washington, D.C., yesterday Ben and Jerry, the ice cream guys, were arrested for being part of a political protest on the steps of the Capitol building. But some good did come out of it. They got a lot of new attention for their cause. Also, they got a new flavor of ice cream, which is Toilet Wine Toffee Crunch.
– Jimmy Fallon
– Jimmy Kimmel
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Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island
Father Son Bar Mitzvah Breakfast וְחָזַקְתָּ וְהָיִיתָ לְאִיׁש
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A JetBlue pilot had to appear in court today after being caught flying into New York’s Kennedy Airport while drunk. Apparently he kept turning on the cabin intercom to tell the passengers how much he loved them. – Seth Myers
I’m not comfortable with Goofy Uncle Joe. - Vice President Joe Biden, in an interview on CNBC
Were he to be nominated, conservatives would have two tasks. One would be to help him lose 50 states — condign punishment for his comprehensive disdain for conservative essentials, including the manners and grace that should lubricate the nation’s civic life. Second, conservatives can try to save from the anti-Trump undertow as many senators, representatives, governors and state legislators as possible. – Conservative columnist George Will, Washington Post
And by the way, the so-called Goofy Uncle Joe — if you notice, I beat every Republican in every poll when they thought I was running. You notice that my favorability was higher than anybody that’s running for office in either party. - Ibid.
A Taste To Die For - Name of a new ice cream shop in Chicopee, Massachusetts, which opened in the location of the town’s old funeral home
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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Political Crossfire
The World According to Trump By Charles Krauthammer
F
oreign policy does not determine American elections. Indeed, of all Western countries, we are the least interested in the subject. The reason is simple: We haven’t had to be. Our instinctive isolationism derives from our geographic exceptionalism. As Bismarck once explained (it is said), the United States is the most fortunate of all Great Powers, bordered on two sides by weak neighbors and on the other two by fish. Two world wars, nuclear missiles and international terrorism have disabused us of the illusion of safetyby-isolation. You wouldn’t know it, though, from the Democratic presidential race where foreign policy has been treated as a nuisance, a distraction from such fundamental questions as whether $12 or $15 is the proper minimum wage. On the Republican side, however, foreign policy has been the subject of furious debate. To which Donald Trump has contributed significantly, much of it offthe-cuff, contradictory and confused. Hence his foreign policy speech on Wednesday. It was meant to make him appear consistent, serious and presidential. He did check off the required box – delivering a “major address” to a serious foreign policy outfit, the
Center for the National Interest (once known as the Nixon Center). As such, it fulfilled a political need. As did its major theme, announced right at the top: America First. Classically populist and invariably popular, it is nonetheless quite fraught. On the one hand, it can be meaningless – isn’t every president trying to advance American interests? Surely Truman didn’t enter the Korean War for the sake of Koreans, but from the conviction that intervention was essential for American security. On the other hand, America First does have a history. In 1940, when Britain was fighting for its life and Churchill was begging for U.S. help, it was the name of the group most virulently opposed to U.S. intervention. It disbanded – totally discredited – four days after Pearl Harbor. The irony is that while President Obama would never use the term, it is the underlying theme of his foreign policy – which Trump constantly denounces as a series of disasters. Obama, like Trump, is animated by the view that we are overextended and overinvested abroad. “The nation that I’m most interested in building is our own,” declared Obama in his December 2009 West Point address
on Afghanistan. This is also the theme of Bernie Sanders. No great surprise. Left and right isolationism have found common cause since the 1930s. Socialist Party leader Norman Thomas often shared the platform with Charles Lindbergh at America First rallies. Both the left and right have a long history of advocating American retreat and retrenchment. The difference is that liberals want to come home because they think we are not good enough for the world. Conservatives want to wash their hands of the world because they think the world is not good enough for us. For Obama, we are morally unworthy to act as world hegemon. Our hands are not clean. He’s gone abroad confessing our various sins – everything from the Iranian coup of 1953 to our unkind treatment of Castro’s Cuba to the ultimate blot, Hiroshima, a penitential visit to which Obama is currently considering. Trump would be rightly appalled by such a selfindicting trip. His foreign policy stems from a proud nationalism that believes that these recalcitrant tribes and nations are unworthy of American expenditures of blood and treasure.
This has been the underlying view of conservative isolationism from Lindbergh through Pat Buchanan through Rand Paul. It is not without its attractions. Trump’s version, however, is inconsistent and often contradictory. After all, he pledged to bring
death. Yet Trump excoriated the Obama-Clinton foreign policy for losing the trust of our allies precisely because of its capriciousness. The tilt toward Iran. The red line in Syria. Canceling the East European missile defense. Abandoning Hosni Mubarak.
The difference is that liberals want to come home because they think we are not good enough for the world. Conservatives want to wash their hands of the world because they think the world is not good enough for us.
stability to the Middle East. How do you do that without presence, risk and expenditures (financial and military)? He attacked Obama for letting Iran become a “great power.” But doesn’t resisting that automatically imply engagement? More incoherent still is Trump’s insistence on being unpredictable. An asset perhaps in real estate deals, but in a Hobbesian world American allies rely on American consistency, often as a matter of life or
Trump’s scripted, telepromptered speech was intended to finally clarify his foreign policy. It produced instead a jumble. The basic principle seems to be this: Continue the inexorable Obama-Clinton retreat, though for reasons of national self-interest, rather than of national self-doubt. And except when, with studied inconsistency, he decides otherwise. (c) 2016, The Washington Post Writers Group
PRESENTS:
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
SIACH YITZCHOK WOMEN’S LEAGUE Featuring the Renowned:
AN EVENING OF INSPIRATION & GUIDANCE
Mrs. Seryl Berman
of Nachas B’Nachas Parenting Lectures Mechaneches at Shiras Devorah High School
Symposium by leading mechanchos:
Rebbetzin Hindy Sitnick Mrs. Debbie Greenblatt Mrs. Miriam Jaffe Strategies for teaching children to respect themselves and others Unique AUCTION - Win fabulous PRIZES Comic relief - Mrs. Elana Jacobs: Mom’s Musings
Sunday · May 22/14 Iyar Congregation Aish Kodesh 894 Woodmere Place Woodmere, NY 11598
INSIGHT and TOOLS for·raising RESPECTFUL
children
Admission $12 For more info: (718) 471-7027
Auction viewing and light refreshments at 7.30 PM
Program begins at
8.15 PM
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Political Crossfire
The Trump Pivot By Michael Gerson
W
ord on the street is that Donald Trump wants to hire a serious campaign team and give some serious policy speeches – 10 months after his presidential announcement and just as he has nearly secured the Republican nomination. A consistent plurality of GOP primary voters has found such establishment credentials – a campaign with actual content – to be unnecessary. Trump’s disdain for outsiders and his air of authenticity have been enough. But now, according to campaign adviser Paul Manafort, Trump will demonstrate “more depth,” show that he is “evolving” and change “the part that he’s been playing.” The campaign has promised to hire speechwriters and Trump is practicing on a teleprompter in his office. “At some point,” says Trump, “I’m going to be so presidential that you people will be so bored.” In the Trump pivot, he may move right, or left, or some incomprehensible combination of the two. (How many supporters of Planned Parenthood have the immediate instinct to punish women who have abortions?) Lacking a political philosophy, the reactions of any given day are uncertain. Trump is the quantum candidate: You can know his position on an issue, or the date on a calendar, but it is impossible to predict both at once. Any rebranding effort must honestly confront the problems of the brand. Trump has a disapproval
rating of 70 percent among women and the highest overall disapproval rating recorded by Gallup since it began tracking this measure in 1992. Among voters 18 to 24, Trump loses to Hillary Clinton (who is notoriously weak among younger voters) by 25 points. A recent poll found Trump with 11 percent support among Latinos, the lowest support for a Republican presidential candidate since polls began tracking Latino votes. In Florida – which was won by Jeb and George W. Bush as governor and president – Trump is losing to Clinton among Hispanic voters by 51 points. Fifty-one points. A recovery from these problems would require spectacular and sustained political skills that Trump has never demonstrated. Trump has only shown one skill: displaying the Trump persona in public. His campaign is crippled by a technology developed by Thomas Edison – the ability to record the human voice. Trump can’t be the candidate who didn’t call for the systematic exclusion of Muslims at the border; the candidate who didn’t call for the mass expulsion of 11 million undocumented workers; the candidate who didn’t call women bimbos and fat pigs and attack the looks of an opponent’s wife. Trump has spent years purposely cultivating an image that is misogynist and “politically incorrect” on racial issues. There are limits to a speechwriter’s ability to make his cruel and cold creed seem warm and lifelike – as there
are limits to the taxidermist’s art. In fact, Trump has been so vitriolic, so irresponsible, so far over the line, that he would need a commensurate repudiation of his previous views in order to be persuasive. He would need to
in revolt against their party’s presidential pick. It was under Priebus’ leadership that the 2012 Republican “autopsy” was produced, a document calling for accelerated outreach to women, the young and Latino voters.
“At some point,” says Trump, “I’m going to be so presidential that you people will be so bored.”
reverse himself on immigration, on religious bias and on a national security policy consisting of war crimes. Rebranding Trump would require the repudiation of Trumpism, thus undermining the appeal of authenticity at the heart of his candidacy. GOP leaders such as Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus are trying to pretend this is a normal political moment, in which the party should forget its disagreements and unite against the Democrat. “We can’t win,” he says, “unless we rally around whoever becomes our nominee.” This is a dangerous delusion. If Trump is chosen in Cleveland, the Republican Party is headed toward electoral disaster, all the way down the ticket. Many if not most Republican candidates at the state and local level would need to run
Trump represents the reversal of everything Priebus had planned for the Republican future. If Priebus ends up blessing the Trump nomination, the results would reach far beyond 2016. It would turn the sins of Trump into the sins of the GOP. And Priebus would go down as the head of the party who squandered the legacy of Lincoln, the legacy of Reagan, in a squalid and hopeless political effort. If Trump wins in Cleveland, Priebus should think beyond the current election and demonstrate the existence of a party better than its nominee. The head of the RNC should resign, rather than be complicit as his party is defiled. (c) 2016, Washington Writers Group
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home
Forgotten Her es
The Heroes of the Mexican-American War By Avi Heiligman
Ulysses S. Grant in Mexico, 1847
I
n a deviation of my typical minhag of spending Pesach by my parents, I decided this year to enjoy sunny Cancun, Mexico. While there I read up on the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) albeit from an American standpoint. Many famous Americans including three presidents and top notch Civil War generals fought during the war. Before the Civil War the U.S. had their sights on expanding into territories that were controlled by Mexico. President James K. Polk had campaigned for the presidency under this notion and in 1846 prepared to carry it out. In 1845, the U.S. annexed Texas which prompted a sharp response from Mexico. However, the Mexicans were ill-prepared for war and lost several battles including the defense of Mexico City. The war ended in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Many foreign nations thought that the Mexicans, under national hero and general at the Battle of the Alamo (1836) General Santa
Franklin Pierce during the war
Anna, would easily defeat the Americans but the Americans were better led. Here are some of the American heroes who led an outnumbered army to a surprising victory. The leader of the American forces was General Winfield Scott. In 1847 he decided to attack Mexico City and after the defeat of the Mexican capital served as the military governor of the city. Known as “Old Fuss and Feathers,” Scott was a national hero but lost in a landslide in the 1852 presidential race to Franklin Pierce. Scott’s first war that he participated in was the War of 1812 where he became a lieutenant colonel in an artillery regiment. He was captured when his commanding officer capitulated to the British but was released in a prisoner exchange. Scott was an important figure during the wars against the Indians and in 1841 became the commanding General of the Army. At the start of the American Civil War, Scott offered the command
General Winfield Scott.
of the army to an officer who had also served during the Mexican City Campaign but in the end Robert E. Lee chose a different army. Lee was a Virginian who distinguished himself on the way to Mexico City as one of Scott’s chief aides. Twice the Mexicans thought that they had the Americans cornered with no way to press the attack. Both times Lee and his reconnaissance party found little known routes around the Mexicans and surprised the Mexican commanders. Lee was wounded at the Battle of Chapultepec and saw a fair share of fighting even though he officially was in the engineers. At the start of the Civil War Lee refused command of the Union Army to avoid fighting his neighbors but his counterpart in the Union Army was another officer who fought with him in Mexico. Ulysses S. Grant was with Lee when Scott marched from Vera Cruz to Mexico City in 1847. Both were graduates of West Point but Grant originally planned to leave
the army before being sent to Mexico. Since he was part of the quartermaster unit he did not officially have a fighting role so instead he volunteered for dangerous missions. In one battle he led a cavalry charge and at the Battle of Chapultepec he led his men inside a building to rebuild a disassembled howitzer which was used to drive off the enemy. After the war Grant decided to stay in the army, became the commanding general of the Union army, and in 1869 became the 18th president. The other commander besides Scott in Mexico became the 12th President of the United States. Zachary Taylor had fought in some of the Indian Wars before being sent to the Mexican border to guard it from being invaded by the Mexicans. Known as “Old Rough and Ready,” Taylor led his men to victory in several battles including crushing the Mexicans at the Battle of Monterrey. Santa Anna attacked Taylor’s 5,000 men at the Battle of Buena Vista with a
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
force three times their opponents’ strength. However, the Americans were better soldiers and had the better ground which forced Santa Anna to retreat with heavy losses. Taylor became a national hero and went on to the White House because of his victories in Mexico. Franklin Pierce rounds out the three officers to fight in the war who went on to become president. He was a general but did not attend West Point. In fact, he was a career lawyer and politician having served in both houses of Congress before the war. In 1846, after Congress had passed a bill to call up more soldiers, Pierce volunteered and was made a brigade commander under General Scott. During the Battle of Contreras his horse kicked him in the saddle and then tumbled over leaving the future president with a painful leg injury. During the same battle Robert E. Lee built a path through a lava field so the Americans could outflank the Mexicans. Soon after the war was
General Zachary Taylor at Battle of Buena Vista
over Pierce resigned and in 1852 defeated his former commander Winfield Scott to become the 15th president. Many others distinguished Americans served in the war including three Jewish officers. Alfred Mordecai was a Jewish officer who attended West Point and commanded the most important arsenal in the
country during the Mexican-American War. Dr. David Camden De Leo became known as “the fighting doctor” and hailed from a Jewish family in South Carolina. On two occasions at the Battle of Chapultepec, he led a charge of cavalry after the officer commanding had been killed or wounded. Leon Dyer was a German immi-
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grant who settled in Baltimore and held the position of acting mayor during the “Bread Riots.” He was in Louisiana during the Texas Revolution in 1836 and answered the call for volunteers. He became a major in General Scott’s staff and under his command was a young Lt. George B. McClellan who became infamous during the Civil War. During the Mexican-American War, Dyer was a lieutenant colonel under General Scott. These men accomplished what many observers thought to be impossible and defeated the numerically superior Mexican Army. Through dedicated leadership, the U.S. won the war which is hardly talked about today, making them forgotten heroes. 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.
Please join us for a
Breakfast Reception Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 9:30AM in my home, 180 Harborview North, Lawrence N.Y. to welcome
Rabbi Yonason Martin MA, Founder of Hakshiva.
We look forward to seeing you there,
Dov Lebovic
Louis Greenspan Pinny Ackerman Zev Brown Yitzy Halpern Adam Mayer Hakshiva is saving the lives of American teenagers at risk in Israel through its unique and innovative programs. As more of our neighbors and families make Aliyah it is critical that they receive the support necessary to thrive.
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home
Hire
Education
Store Opening Today! By Rabbi Mordechai Kruger
S
ome people never get the message. No matter what you do to make sure that everyone hears the news, there are always a few who just aren’t listening. Even when it applies especially to them, they’ll be the last to know. Some people are like that, but the world record holder for not getting the message is a fish called coelacanth (see-la-Kanth). The coelacanth was known only because it was found as a fossil. Not a single human had ever seen one, and every science book listed it as extinct. Extinct as in, well, since forever. But the coelacanth didn’t get the message. It was found swimming happily about near Africa in the 1930s. Unaware that it was supposed to be extinct, it just went about its business. Of course, very wise people explained that it was a freak of nature, an exception that proves the rule. Totally maladapted, it clearly was a unique phenomenon, without any ability to survive, except in its narrow environmental niche. Everyone knew that until 1998, when its cousin, a second species of coelacanth, was found off the beaches of Indonesia. And while both are considered endangered, they’re hanging in there and probably will for a long time to come. Small retail stores may be the business equivalent
of the coelacanth. In our age of online shopping, national chain stores, urban blight and myriad ghoulish threats, mom-and-pop owned stores should have become extinct. Indeed, many have succumbed, living on only as memories because of their fossilized remains, which are sometimes found beneath the penny-filled fountains at the mega-mall. But many others just haven’t gotten the message, and many of them are getting along, well, swimmingly. True, the customers who are only motivated by finding the lowest price may not recognize the value that these stores can provide. But there are still many people who want to know their merchants, ask questions, see and handle the merchandize. These consumers want to support vendors that know their products and know their customers. Vendors that instead of showing them what they could buy, show them what they should buy. These businesspeople have deep knowledge of their merchandise, driven by a real interest, even fascination. They also care deeply about their customers, striving not only to supply their needs but to share their vision, their aspirations. People who have these skills can start and build viable businesses in the modern age. I interviewed two local
merchants, one whose business serves very basic needs which come up on an ongoing basis, the other’s, items which are much more occasional and discretionary. The key point that both emphasized was the personal relationships that they develop with their customers. They are part of simchas, yomim tovim, and family events of all kinds. This means that they not only have to know their merchandise, they have to know how their products fit into the lives of their customers. For them, Sukkos is in June, and Pesach starts in January. You can buy just about anything online. But Amazon won’t figure out how to solve your problem, or suggest a new item that you have never heard of. If you pick something that is eye-catching and expensive, your computer won’t point out that something less expensive with fewer bells and whistles is perfectly adequate, or even preferable. Your computer certainly won’t make sure that you know how to use your purchase, that you have all the other items that you will need to make it work (batteries?), or take it apart and reassemble it after you mangled the whole affair (blame it on the Chinese instructions). Your small, local storekeeper does all of these things and more, because that’s what a real business
relationship is all about. If someone wants to succeed in retail sales, he has to look forward to building this kind of relationship and serving as a problem solver, a patient instructor, almost a member of the family. But first, he has to actually have some skills and background, or else he’s not going to get the job. Both of the proprietors that were interviewed for this column had years of experience before they opened their own retail outlets. They had spent time selling wholesale and working in similar family businesses to learn the ins and outs of sales and management. Someone who can take advantage of such opportunities should do so, but there are other ways to learn a business. There are journals and trade publications, courses and internships, books and websites, all devoted to various aspects of retailing. Someone who wants to understand what’s involved can immerse himself in any of these and use what he learns as a springboard for research and conversation. He can spend time shadowing a manager, visiting different stores with similar merchandise, all the while keeping a notebook of observations and ideas. The goal is to be in the conversation, sharing thoughts and learning from the people who do the work every day.
When an opening comes up in retail, being in the conversation will give the best chance of getting the job. But there’s no need to wait for an opening. In fact, the far better route to a job is not to look for an opening at all, but to create one. Remember that place that said they’re “not hiring”? If someone comes in and offers a skill they don’t have, knows how to reach a new type of customer, can create value where there was none before … then they’re hiring. If establishing a presence online is important, and a candidate offers both sector-specific knowledge and the ability to build a website, then they’re hiring. Should this retailer add a complementary line of merchandise? The candidate should learn all about it, before the interview. A serious candidate needs to come in not only ready to do the job, but with a business portfolio that shows that he’s already a professional. A job hunter can build real experience in a workplace or in his mind, as long as he is ready to use it to produce value for an employer today.
Rabbi Mordechai Kruger’s Job Search for Champions has helped clients of all kinds find the jobs they really want. He can be reached at jobsearch forchampions@gmail.com
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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COLORING
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GOAT
LOTTERY
LAZAZEL
KORBAN
FORGIVENESS
NADAV
AVIHU
KETORES
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home
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Charming 2BR House, Near Beach, Eik, LR/DR, On Lovely Quiet Street, Close To All.. Also Available for Winter Sept ’16 - May ‘17… For More Details Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com FAR ROCKAWAY 3 Bedrooms – New Construction Central air, oak floors, granite kitchen, elevator building. Asking $2350 Call Yossi 917-337-6262 ON SEAGIRT AVENUE 2 & 3 bedroom. Newly renovated. Washer and dryer hook up. Granite countertops. More info call or text 917-602-2914
APT FOR RENT CEDARHURST 500-3,500 +/- SF Beautiful, newly renovated space for rent. Ideal for Retail or Executive offices. Prime location. Convenient Parking. Call Sam @ 516-612-2433 or 718-747-8080
HELP WANTED Experienced Real Estate Sales agent needed for a HIGH Producing real estate office who is seeking an opportunity to Earn & Learn more!!! Call Today (516) 295-3000 x 128. All calls kept confidential.
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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Classifieds classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com / text 443-929-4003 APT FOR RENT
HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED
Great summer job opportunity. Great pay, and overtime is available. Job description: • Field Service Technician for a Green Company - all products are safe and non-toxic. • All training provided. • Job available from May - September. • Fun and positive company, good pay. • Work for a professional company in a structured and progressive work environment. Qualifications: • Need to be physically fit able to lift 50 lbs. consistently • A valid and clean driver’s license. • Strong work ethic. • Good communication skills. • Able to work well without direct supervision. • Be responsible and courteous. • Ok with working indoors and outdoors in higher temperature conditions. For more information: Call - 516-206-1600 Email - serviceny@ greenhomesolutions.com Make sure to reference the “Field Service Technician”.
SERVICE COORDINATOR POSITION BA in Health or Human Services or 2 yrs of SC exper. Or a combination of exper. & education Earn Upwards of 45,000 to 55,000 annually Great Work Environment Challenge E. I. Center, Queens E: cara.challenge2@thejnet.com, F: 718-261-3702 An Equal Opportunity Employer
SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS AND ASSISTANTS CAHAL has openings for Special Education teachers and assistants, Sept. 2016, P/T and F/T for lower and middle school classes, Secular Studies, and Limudai Kodesh E-mail resume to shira@cahal.org or fax to 516-295-2899
TEACHERS AND ASSISTANT TEACHERS wanted for coming school year for Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam in Far Rockaway. Send resume to teachingpositions1@gmail.com
ut Check oW our NE ! website
CLERICAL POSITION F/T for Queens office Proper candidate will have: good computer skills, ability to multitask and office experience. Prior early intervention experience a plus. Will Train. Competitive comp. pkg. Fax Resume 718-261-3702 Att. Bella Or email: cara.challenge2@thejnet.com LIMUDAI KODESH TEACHER for 6th Grade Girls CAHAL class Located in Lawrence, P/T afternoon position Starting May 9th - through the end of the school year E-mail resume to shira@cahal.org or fax to 516-295-2899
355 Central Avenue, Lawrence NY 11559 (Across the street from Seasons)
P: 516.791.6100 | F: 516.374.7059
www.WeissmanRealty.com
1334 Caffrey Avenue Newly renovated apartments. Secure elevator building. Parking available. 1 bedrooms starting at $1150 2 bedrooms starting at $1300 Call or text Mindy 516-272-6445
Exclusively ours: Lovely 3 bdrm, 2.5 bth, 1 family house on quiet residential street in Bayswater. Lrg LR/DR, nished bsmnt, storage attic, walk-in closet. Call Kathy (917) 306-1610
FAR ROCKAWAY
Total gut renovation on Meehan. All new semi-detached w/ full bsmnt & 2.5 bths. Location Location Location!!
FAR ROCKAWAY APARTMENT RENTALS
GREAT OPPORTUNITY Looking for class B CDL DRIVER with clutch for a heimishe lumber co. Great pay, Call: 718-369-3141 Ext. 348 Far Rockaway Mesivta looking for EXPERIENCED TEACHERS in ELA, Math and Social Studies for September, Grades 9 -12, afternoons only: Please e¬mail resume to: mesivtayamhatorah@gmail.com
SEEKING TEACHER ASSISTANTS for special education preschool in Far Rockaway. $10.50 an hour Email resume to scohen@onourwaylc.org
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LIMUDAI KODESH TEACHER for 1st-2nd Grade Girls CAHAL class Located in Far Rockaway, P/T morning position Starting May 9th - through the end of the school year E-mail resume to shira@cahal.org or fax to 516-295-2899
PART TIME AND FULL TIME BOOKKEEPING POSITION Fast growing accounting and consulting firm seeks a qualified individual to assist our accounting staff in providing bookkeeping services for our clients. Qualified individuals will have the opportunity to join our employee friendly culture At least 2 years working experience Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, QuickBooks a MUST Email – info@smallbizoutsource.com
CEDARHURST
Newly renovated 4 Bdrm expanded cape. New Kitchen and Bths. Finished bsmnt. Call Kathy 917-306-1610
5 TOWNS & CEDARHURST OFFICES 1-2 Rm executive offices available all utilities & internet included. Shared conference room. Locations & pricing, Call Sherri 516-297-7995. Starting at $550 Large 4 room suite 2,250 Sq. Ft. 4 private offices, kitchen and reception, Cedarhurst location. Call Sherri 516-297-7995 850 Sq. ft. suite 2 private offices, open space for four additional desks. $1,950
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home
Classifieds
classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com / text 443-929-4003
HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED
YESHIVA SECRETARY Yeshiva near Brooklyn/5 Towns Seeking help during Dinner Campaign. Detail oriented and ability to multi task Yeshiva experience a plus Morning Hours, Immediately after Pesach Send Resume to officepositionhire@ gmail.com
CATAPULT LEARNING Teachers for Title I in Boro Park andWilliamsburg Chassidic boys schools *College/Yeshiva Degree Required *Strong desire to help children learn *Excellent organizational skills *Small group instruction *Competitive salary Email resume: nyteachers@catapultlearning.com. Fax (718) 381-3493
5TOWNS BOYS YESHIVA SEEKING ELEM TEACHERS. Exc working env’t, supportive admin, exc pay Lic’d & experienced preferred. Email resume to yeshivalooking@gmail.com We are looking to hire a MARKETING/SALES SPECIALIST Job requirements: Your own car and internet savvy. Hob has unlimited income potential. Don’t delay, give us a call at 917-612-2300 PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANTS (PTA’S) & OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS ASSISTANTS (COTA’S) For 200+ bed Nursing Home in Queens. Must have Hospital or Nursing Home experience. Please email resume to promrehab@aol.com Local F.T. Accounting Office Seeks P/T JR. ACCOUNTANT proficient in Q.B. knowledge of payroll tax, sales tax, business tax and individual taxes Qualified applicants should please e-mail resume to: 5towntaxoffice@gmail.com General Studies teachers for Sept. ‘16 due to expansion. 5 Towns area boys’ school. Middle school teachers: M.-Th, 2-4:30 pm. JH male teachers: M.-Th., 2:45-5 pm. candidateteacher@gmail.com. Are you tired of your present job or out of work and looking for a job where you can make good money and be your own boss? We are looking to hire a marketing/sales specialist. Job will require your own car and being computer/internet savy. If you consider yourself a marketing professional, this is the position for you. Opportunity to make unlimited income potential, Don’t delay. Give us a call at 917-612-2300
DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL to work with men with autism and other disabilities in a residential setting in Long Island. Available shifts include morning, afternoon, evening and overnight. High pay rate, plus benefit package. Contact OHEL Bais Ezra 718-686-3102 or email your resume to resumes@ohelfamily.org/careers
SITUATION WANTED LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE seeks position in homecare with the elderly or pediatric care. I am skilled, caring and dependable. Please call me at 631-759-0025
MISC DONATE YOUR CAR, TRUCK, VAN OR SUV Help ill children and get $1200 gift card and $1500 tax deduction 718-974-9428 SPACE AVAILABLE FOR 3 YEAR OLD PLAYGROUP IN FAR ROCKAWAY. EXCELLENT MORAHS. PLEASE CALL (516) 406-2980
SHIDDUCH DATING? NEED PLACES TO GO? Check out Pegishaplace.com Tutors desperately needed for Zichron Etel, a gemach providing free tutoring to those who cannot afford it. Now in Brooklyn and the Five Towns! Kindly visit our website at www.zichronetel.com
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The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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732.534.9834
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Your
Money
POTUS Meets IRS By Allan Rolnick, CPA
F
or most of us, filing a tax return is a fairly private affair, just between us and our friends at the IRS. But for President Obama and his family, it’s a high-profile event. Last week the White House posted the Obamas’ return online, and it reveals a lot about how the tax laws apply at the highest levels. The President’s base pay is $400,000 per year, the same as when he took office seven years ago. When he talks about American workers not getting pay increases, he really does feel their pain! (He’s not the only one in Washington with that complaint; Congressional salaries have also been frozen since then.) Of course, the job comes with some pretty nice tax-free perks. There’s a nice white house on 18 acres of prime Pennsylvania Avenue real estate, with a fenced yard, vegetable garden, and tennis court. Zillow says it would rent for about $2 million/ month. There are a couple of nice private jets for trips to see foreign leaders around the world. There’s a nice helicopter just to get from the nice white house to the nice jets. And there’s a $50,000 entertainment allowance for hosting the friends he makes on those trips around the world. The President also earned $348 in taxable interest, $9 in taxable div-
idends, and $3,000 in capital losses. Finally, he earned $56,069 in net business income from book royalties. That’s way down from 2009, when Dreams From My Father and The Audacity of Hope raked in $5.2 million. Those revenues have dropped
which limits their actual deduction to just $145,545. That isn’t the only phaseout that hits the Obamas … their income level means no child tax credit for daughters Sasha and Malia, and the Personal Exemption Phaseout costs them $16,000 in personal
There’s a nice helicopter just to get from the nice white house to the nice jets. And there’s a $50,000 entertainment allowance for hosting the friends he makes on those trips around the world.
every year since he took office, and his current income is barely enough to put him in “the 1%.” On the bright side, the self-employment income let him stash an extra $11,064 into a self-employed retirement account. On Schedule A, the Obamas included $18,390 in state and local income taxes, $30,167 in property taxes, $36,587 in mortgage interest, and a generous $64,066 in charitable contributions. However, there’s a phaseout on itemized deductions starting at incomes over $309,900,
exemptions they could otherwise claim. The First Family finishes with $290,640 in taxable income and $71,440 in tax. But wait … there’s more! The Alternative Minimum Tax wipes out those state and local tax deductions and costs the Obamas an extra $7,743. The President owes $1,502 in self-employment tax on his book earnings. He also owes $1,766 in additional Medicare tax imposed, starting in 2013, by his own Affordable Care Act. (“Thanks, Obama!”)
The Obamas signed their return on April 7. Under “Occupation,” Barack listed his as “US President” and Michelle listed hers as “US First Lady.” So where is her income in all of this? Nowhere to be found! Realistically, the Obamas won’t ever have trouble making ends meet. But fans of the First Lady’s work argue that failing to pay her sends a terrible message about paycheck equality. Even former President Ronald Reagan, who probably would have opposed today’s paycheck fairness legislation, once quipped that with his wife Nancy the government “gets an employee free.” Here’s what may be the most surprising fact about the Obamas’ taxes: they paid too much. Granted, the President is in a unique position of having to demonstrate strict compliance with the law. But his 1040s over the years reveal plenty of perfectly legal missed opportunities to pay less. Fortunately, you don’t have to publish your return every year, so you can take advantage of every legal strategy. Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 yea rs in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com.
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FIGHTING ILLNESS WITH LOVE IS MORE THAN A SLOGAN. IT’S WHAT WE DO. When Jake was diagnosed, getting him better and keeping their family functioning became his parents’ only priorities. So they became Chai Lifeline’s priority as well.
We Care For 4,300 Children and Families Around the World. And One Jake Katz. Jake’s parents breathed easier in the cradle of Chai Lifeline’s hospital support: hot kosher meals that nourished bodies and souls, transportation assistance and the support of caring volunteers. His brothers benefited from the attention of Big Brothers and i-Shine after school activities. And the whole family thrived during retreats, recreational activities and our new Family Camp Adventure. Two summers at Camp Simcha have given Jake the confidence he needs to face painful treatments, and the friends who will help see him through them. Chai Lifeline took care of the entire Katz family, so they could take care of Jake.
151 West 30th Street, New York, NY 10001 (877) CHAI-LIFE (212) 465-1300 www.chailifeline.org Hospital Support: Meals | Transportation assistance | Hospital visits | Respite Children’s Programs: Big Brothers and Sisters | Recreational activities | Creative arts and art therapy | Music programs | i-Shine Sibling activities | Trips Friends ‘n Fun weekends | Camp Simcha/Camp Simcha Special Family Programs: Advocacy and information | Retreats | Insurance Advocacy | Family Recreation | Counseling |Bereavement services Community Programs: Project CHAI
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Photo for illustrative purposes only.
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MAY 5, 2016 | The Jewish Home
Life C ach
The Balloon Challenge By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS
Am I or am I not a human balloon? You keep filling me up and I keep expanding. The holiday ended thankfully, exactly one day before I burst. That’s not to say I might not keep the damage going. I’m just “praying” I won’t. Though I know that’s already a lame start. This is going to take a lot more than prayer. It’s going to take a vise grip or self-control. Both of which I’m not feeling that handy with.
S
o I’ve reached out and asked people for their suggestions. And here are some of the answers I got that might help you too. Keep it simple: Adjust your scale downward.
Self-walk. Walk away from the fridge and ... the dessert. And keep walking... Passover is definitely misnamed. Because the one thing we don’t do is pass-over any food. We
Self-walk. Walk away from the fridge and ... the dessert. And keep walking... Get “engaged”: that always keeps people busy and the nervous energy helps them to lose weight. I just can’t guarantee how your mate will feel about this! Buy lots of salad and protein. And – no, that’s not enough – you have to eat it too! Join a gym. Yes, same problem as above: you need to make sure you go. Use self-talk. Say, “I can do this” and try to actually believe yourself. Or
eat too much. It’s as simple as that. Everyone says, “Uch, no bread,” and yet we all seem to do quite nicely without it – too nicely! So what can we learn from the balloon? Well the same way it can keep inflating it seems to have the ability to deflate. It has to stop taking in in order to do this. Reverse the trend, so to speak. Get away from the mouth. Once the trend starts going the other way it does go faster than
you think. However, if you fill it up again, you get yourself in trouble. Unless you decide to just be a water balloon! Now I know the analogy is funny ‘cause a balloon is filling up with air and that’s easy to get rid of! But, those Pessach calories, they really stick to your ribs. It’s the capacity they have to grow and shrink that reminds me of us. What’s inspiring is its ability to take in a little and then squeeze the opening shut. To make a temporary knot and stay just that way for a while. So ... I’m going to be trying to emulate it. Join me in the balloon challenge?! Write the editor if you have any good advice to share to make it happen! We’ve got seven weeks now before the cheesecake descends! Let’s see if we can float through this together!
Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and career and life coach. She can be contacted at 917-7052004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com
The Jewish Home | MAY 5, 2016
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AN 8,000 SQ. FT. GRAND BALLROOM WITH IMMENSE CEILINGS WILL SURELY TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY!
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