Five Towns Jewish Home - 1-20-22

January 20, 2022

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40 Three Generations Celebrate Tu B’Shvat at Gesher

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home

‫סיום למחזור השני‬ ‫של דף היומי בהלכה‬

The 7-year cycle of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha will be completing the 2nd complete cycle of the daily limud halacha this coming ‫ אדר תשפ״ב‬/ February 2022.

Join in celebration, as tens of thousands worldwide BE”H mark this watershed moment, and prepare to embark on the next journey through Mishnah Berurah.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home

Dear Readers,

F

or families with children in school, this weekend heralds the beginning of mid-winter break.

Many of you are headed out of town (if you haven’t done so already) to warmer climes or chiller destinations, bags packed with swimsuits and goggles or gloves and ski jackets.

I always look forward to vacation. I love the change of scenery. And even if we don’t go away, the change of pace is so relaxing. There’s no rushing to the school bus in the morning and no homework frenzy at night. Bedtimes are later, too, which means that the kids get to hang out in the evenings together.

I find that vacations lead to great family bonding. Sure, there are differences of opinion about what music to put on in the car or if the kids want pizza or poppers for dinner, but it creates fun memories of spending time together. I can recall so many trips we took as a family when I was younger.

My siblings and I still reminisce about the experiences we had in Washington, D.C., or in Lake George, or at the beach.

When winter break comes along, we know that spring is not far behind. And with Tu B’Shvat still in our rearview

mirror, we recognize that the ground is getting ready to start to its annual process of renewal. Still, the ice is on the ground, and we’re bound to have more snow in the future. But knowing that there’s an end to the frigid winter – and that we’re nearing that end – is an uplifting thought.

This week, we feature an article about the “One Kotel” petition that has been circulating by the Am Echad organization and explain the importance of signing the petition. There aren’t many times that Jews in the Diaspora can help to influence key decisions in the Holy Land. But each signature on this petition makes our collective voice louder in sharing our concerns with the Israeli government.

I urge you – if you haven’t done so already – to sign this petition. It takes less than a minute to do (and you can add on family members as well with just a click of a button), but it is wellworth it the few seconds it takes to do it.

Sign the petition here at https://onekotel.org/onekotel/TJHFiveTowns.

Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home

Contents Letters to the Editor

8

COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll

8 36

Community Happenings NEWS

78

Global

12

National

26

That’s Odd

32

ISRAEL Israel News

World Builders

20 74

There’s No Compromising on the Kedusha of the Kotel: Why You Need to Sign the “One Kotel” Petition Now 76 JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Wein on the Parsha

62

Learning to Fly by Rav Moshe Weinberger

64

The Journey to Your Ultimate Self by Rabbi Shmuel Reichman

66

Delving into the Daf by Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

70

PEOPLE My Mentor Dr. Allen Goldstein, z”l, by Rabbi Baruch Fogel Bagpipes, a Limp, and a Ghost by Avi Heiligman

72 102

HEALTH & FITNESS Avoidance by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn

86

Arm Yourself with Immune-Boosting Foods by Cindy Weinberger, MS 88 RD CDN FOOD & LEISURE The Aussie Gourmet: Vietnamese Rolls

95

Dear Editor, This letter is to “Dena,” the person who wrote into the dating column about shadchanus money. I know that Dena came into shidduchim to help people. She sounds like someone who is concerned about the issues of singles in the community and wanted to help bring people together. And I loved how she was so involved in helping the couple and pushing them towards more dates.

But after date #4, they decided to use someone else as a mediator.

That must have hurt. Here, Dena spent so much time and effort.

She worked it, and she felt like she wasn’t appreciated. Even more than that, she felt like she was used, as she was only given a paltry sum after the couple got engaged.

Halachically, the panelists wrote that Dena should have gotten shadchanus. Perhaps a family rav can help to rectify that situation. But I am more concerned with Dena’s hurt feelings when it comes to this.

This young couple would certainly never want to enter into a marriage knowing that they caused someone involved pain. That is certainly not a good way to build a foundation of a beautiful home. So here’s my suggestion: Either Dena can have someone approach the couple (or their par-

ents) and explain the situation to them. This way, they can rectify the wrong – pay her shadchanus along with a nice card thanking her for her time – and make sure Dena does not feel slighted.

Or, if that can’t be done, my only thought is that Dena should “let it go.” Yes, this is very hard to do – even impossible, in a way. But Dena sounds like such a good person. Would she want this hanging over the young couple’s head as they embark on a new journey together?

So the onus now is on Dena. Either she can have someone approach the family or she can work on herself on letting go of her frustration and disappointment.

This strategy works so well in many other areas in life. There are times when we feel hurt or slighted or disappointed. If we can rectify the situation or fix it in some way, that’s wonderful. But many times, we don’t have that control. And so, we need to focus on the one thing we can control: our feelings and our reaction to the situation. We can let that person’s snide remark slide off our back; we can forget about the invitation that we never received to that neighbor’s wedding; we can ignore the hurtful comment that our Continued on page 10

LIFESTYLES Teen Talk

80

Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW

82

Parenting Pearls

89

JWOW! 94 Your Money

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Pack Up Your Troubles by Rivki D. 111 Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS HUMOR Centerfold 60

POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes

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As the U.S. and Russia Debate Ukraine, It’s Hard to See the Wiggle Room 99

by David Ignatius Biden is Failing Politically by David Ignatius A Flailing Biden Sold His “Whole Soul” in Political Desperation by Marc A. Thiessen CLASSIFIEDS

100 101 106

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home

Continued from page 8

coworker just made.

In this way, we can live more peaceful, happy lives, feeling more in control of our feelings and our energy.

Sincerely, Golda Rabinowitz Dear Editor, I’m so happy that your dating column last week featured a question about shadchanus. As an “amateur” shadchan, I see that I am sometimes passed over for real shadchanus money because I am young and not as experienced as others.

I am happy that your columnists brought to the community’s attention how important shadchanus is and how it’s important to pay it to the shadchan, regardless of their experience or title.

Malka H. Dear Editor, Music expresses human feelings to the highest degree. Its notes, stoppages and new beginnings fill the soul with endless emotion. If you were to attend a Mozart or Beethoven concert, you would likely be swayed by the pulse and emanating poetic ballads that supersede time and place. Nonetheless, as penetrating as these concerts might be, their compositions and notes fall short in comparison to another composition: the Torah.

Rav Ahoron Soleveitchik, zt”l, notes how the shirat hayam speaks

to the compositional beauty of the Torah. The shira is written in block form with large spaces in-between.

He masterfully points out that often words can’t capture the depths of one’s emotions. Only through song can one’s full heart and soul be revealed. The Torah’s written form of the shira captures this idea, as the large blocks between speak to the emotions that rise above words and enter an unspoken realm that expands the capacity for expression and vocalization. We can only marvel at the notes, rhythms, and tempo of the Torah that far surpasses any form of music created after its construction.

Steven Genack Dear Editor, Kudos to you for writing about your support for victims of abuse.

More people in our community should publicly stand up and applaud them for their efforts in stopping such abuse.

I’d like to point out that when a person stands up for those who have been abused, it shows their children and their family members that they can be trusted if something, G-d forbid, happens to them. Their children will know that they can come to the parents about anything – whether it’s abuse, chas v’shalom, or bullying, or an incident where they may have been wronged.

By standing up for an injustice, you become someone that people can trust.

Y. N.

Make your voice heard!

Be part of TJH’s weekly poll.

Email the editor to be included in the weekly poll at Editor@FiveTownsJewishHome.com

Views expressed on the Letters to the Editor page do not necessarily reflect the views of The Jewish Home.

Please send all correspondence to: editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

Inspiring stories, uplifting chizuk, and practical advice on shidduchim

“W

hen I was 17 years old, my parents and my uncle the Chazon Ish worked very hard to find a shidduch for me. Yet, shidduch after shidduch did not come to be... Now, consider this.

When the search for my zivug began, my future wife Batsheva was not yet bas mitzvah! She was certainly not ready to begin shidduchim, but since she was my ‘basherteh,’ Hashem caused those who were suggested for me to not want to proceed...”

– Heard from Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlita

INCLUDES SELECTED TEFILLOS

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his unique work, by Naftali Weinberger, presents the the many aspects of shidduchim through the eyes of some of our greatest sages — Rav Chaim Kanievsky, the Chazon Ish, the Steipler, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, and Rav Ahron Leib Shteinman.

• What are the most important traits to look for in a shidduch?

• What is the proper balance between hishtadlus and emunah?

• How important are money, age, and yichus?

Financial and health issues, the role and efficacy of segulos, the power of tefillah, the importance of being involved in redting shidduchim, and much more are discussed in this book. Gain a greater understanding of the process and receive important chizuk and practical guidance on shidduchim.

Featuring over 250 unpublished Hebrew teshuvos from Rav Chaim about shidduchim, with English summaries.

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

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home

The Week In News

Mexico Seizes Kellogg’s Cereals

Authorities in Mexico have seized 380,000 boxes of Kellogg’s cereals, saying that the breakfast food poses a hazard to children’s healthy lifestyles.

The confiscated products include Special K and Corn Flakes, which were seized when officials raided 75 stores. Most of the raid took place at a warehouse north of Mexico City.

The decision to conduct the raid was made because the cartoon mascots on the cereal boxes were seen as breaching laws aimed at improving children’s diets. The new laws ban food companies from using marketing ploys to entice children.

A 2020 study showed that approximately 73% of Mexicans are overweight.

Mexico’s consumer protection agency said that the boxes seized in the raid reportedly excluded nutritional information.

Tonga’s largest island.

The volcano initially erupted on Friday, with a second eruption on Saturday at approximately 5:26p.m. local time. The eruption triggered a severe tsunami on Tongatapu, where the capital is located. Tonga’s King Tupou VIA was evacuated from his palace as a precaution.

New Zealand, meanwhile, has not received any reports of eruption-related deaths or injuries in Tonga, the country’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. At the same time, she noted that the tsunami had a “significant impact” on Nuku’alofa.

Meanwhile, tsunamis were reported in Japan, Australia, and American Samoa. The tsunami was also felt in California and Alaska.

According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning, no damage was reported so far in the Hawaiian Islands.

Professor Shane Cronin, from the School of Environment at the University of Auckland, told the New Zealand Science Media Center, “Further similar-sized eruptions to the 15 January 2022 event are possible.”

He added, “The eruption is likely to result in significant ash fall (up to 10 centimeters) in Tongatapu as well as the Ha’apai group of islands. Help will be needed to restore drinking water supplies. People of Tonga must also remain vigilant for further eruptions and especially tsunami with short notice and should avoid low-lying areas.”

Conviction for Senior Syrian Official

Tsunamis Hit Hawaii, Japan, and Tonga

An underwater volcano in the South Pacific Ocean erupted over the weekend, causing tsunamis to hit Hawaii, Japan, and Tongatapu –

The United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet praised the Thursday conviction of a former Syrian secret police officer.

Anwar Raslan, 58, was convicted of crimes against humanity by a German court. He is the highest-ranking Syrian official convicted of that charge so far.

Raslan oversaw the abuse of detainees at a Damascus-area jail a de-

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home

cade ago. Prosecutors alleged that he supervised the “systematic and brutal torture” of over 4,000 prisoners between April 2011-September 2012, which resulted in the deaths of at least 58 people. The judges ruled that there was enough evidence to hold him accountable for 27 deaths.

Raslan was sentenced to life in prison, with a possibility for parole after 15 years.

In a statement, Bachelet said, “This trial cast a much-needed, renewed spotlight on the kinds of sickening torture, cruel and truly inhuman treatment … that countless Syrians were subjected to in detention facilities.”

She added, “It is a landmark leap forward in the pursuit of truth, justice and reparations for the serious human rights violations perpetrated in Syria over more than a decade.”

Bachelet continued, “This conviction has put state authorities on notice – no matter where you are or how senior you may be, if you perpetrate torture or other serious human rights violations, you will be held accountable sooner or later, at home or abroad.”

Raslan’s attorneys have promised to appeal the conviction.

medical exemption from COVID-19 vaccination, due to a recent COVID-19 infection. However, he was detained following his arrival in Australia, after border guards claimed his exemption was invalid.

Following the ruling, Djokovic said he was “extremely disappointed” but said he was “uncomfortable” with the amount of attention the issue had received.

He added, “I hope that we can all now focus on the game and tournament I love. I will now be taking some time to rest and to recuperate, before making any further comments beyond this.”

The organizers of the Australian Open have now replaced top seed Djokovic. The new order of play inserts Salvatore Caruso in place of Djokovic. The Italian will face Serbian player Miomir Kecmanović.

Australian Prime Minister Morrison welcomed the federal court’s decision to dismiss Djokovic’s appeal on Sunday, saying in a statement that the cancelation decision “was made on health, safety and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so.”

He added, “I welcome the decision to keep our borders strong and keep Australians safe.”

Djokovic Deported

Tennis player Novak Djokovic will not play at the Australian Open following a court ruling upholding the government decision to cancel his visa and deport him. On Sunday, he left on an Emirates flight to Dubai from Australia, hours after he lost a legal challenge against a decision to revoke his visa.

The Serbian star, who had won three consecutive Australian Opens, would have had a chance at the $2.1 million prize had he competed in the tournament – something his refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccination did not allow for. He was set to play in the Open on Monday.

Initially, Djokovic had received a

Calls for KFC Boycott in China

An anniversary toy in KFC meals in China have caused a frenzy, leading to one customer spending $1,649 to buy 106 meals. The craze is causing one group to call for a boycott of the restaurant chain.

The fried chicken chain partnered with Chinese toy maker Pop Mart to give away Dimoo toy dolls with select KFC orders in celebration of the brand’s 35th anniversary of its first restaurant in China.

Some would-be collectors hired helpers to buy meals and find toys for them, in some cases throwing away the food they were required to buy.

The China Consumers Association is calling on consumers to boycott the brand.

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“KFC, as a food operator, uses the limited-edition blind box sales method to induce and condone consumers’ irrational and excessive purchase of food packages,” the organization wrote, which is “contrary to public order, good customs and the spirit of the law.”

China has taken legal steps in recent years to curb food waste from promotions, including a major campaign in 2020 banning influencers from posting “wasteful binge eating” videos on social media.

Spending sprees around limited-edition fast food items aren’t exclusive to China. In 2021, McDonald’s included limited-edition Pokemon cards in some Happy Meals in the U.S., and fans quickly began buying up 50 to 100 cards at once to keep or resell, prompting some locations to begin limiting order sizes.

Fan excitement over McDonald’s “Rick and Morty”-inspired Szechuan sauce was even more extreme, with some dedicated customers buying sauce packets online for hundreds of dollars, or even purchasing photos of the packets.

A New Capital for Indonesia

Indonesia has announced that its new capital will be called Nusantara, meaning “archipelago” in Javanese.

Jakarta, the current capital, is rapidly sinking.

The idea of building a new capital 800 miles away on the island of Borneo was first proposed in 2019.

Jakarta has become crowded, polluted and is sinking at an alarming rate due to the over-extraction of groundwater. Home to more than 10 million people, it sits on swampy land on the large island of Java. Air pollution and traffic jams in the city are notorious. Government ministers have to be escorted by police convoys to get to meetings on time.

In building a new capital in East Kalimantan, an Indonesian province on the island of Borneo, the government hopes it can take some of the pressure off Jakarta.

Known for its jungles and orangutan population, mineral-rich East

Kalimantan is home to only 3.7 million people, according to the most recent census.

Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Planning Minister Suharso Monoarfa said “the new capital has a central function and is a symbol of the identity of the nation, as well as a new center of economic gravity.”

Not everyone is happy with the move. Critics have argued that the construction of the new city will lead to the expansion of palm-oil plantations and logging in an area rich in diverse wildlife and lush rainforests.

Groups representing the indigenous people of Borneo have also voiced their concerns previously, saying that their environment and culture could be endangered by the move.

The move will cost an estimated 466 trillion rupiah ($32.4 billion) and will be one of the biggest infrastructure projects the Indonesian government has ever undertaken.

Indonesia is not the first country to change its capital. Brazil, Pakistan, and Nigeria have all changed theirs to newly planned and constructed cities.

Indonesia is located in Southeast Asia between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands and is the world’s largest island country. There are around 270 million people who call Indonesia their home, making it the world’s fourthmost populous country.

Lebanon: Telecom in Crisis

Lebanon’s largest telecom companies are suffering a financial crisis.

Alfa and Touch, the telecom companies which once served as cash cows for their countries, have seen revenues nosedive and are struggling to pay their biggest expense – diesel – so that they can run their networks.

Telecoms Minister Johnny Corm noted, “We are in crisis management mode without being able to look at all at long-term problems or see what the overall solutions are because we’re distracted by daily matters. We are living day by day.”

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

Last year, fuel comprised about 7% of the telecom companies’ expenses, but that figure is expected to reach two-thirds of their budget this year, Corm said. According to him, a large part of the problem is the collapse of Lebanon’s economy.

Revenues dropped to just 5% of their pre-crisis level from 2019.

“Every day there is a robbery. It has reached the point that we contact municipalities to ask for help because the security services no longer have the capacity,” he added.

“When there was a lot of corruption there was a lot of money. Today there is no money left,” he concluded.

More Congestion at World’s Largest Port The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is spreading rapidly around the globe and may cause worse disruption to the global supply chain than its predecessors did.

Shanghai, the world’s largest port, is seeing increased congestion as ships reroute there to avoid bottlenecks at nearby ports which have

suspended or limited operations due to coronavirus outbreaks, according to Bloomberg.

The resulting backlogs, exacerbated by an increase in coronavirus outbreaks across the country, have left ports and freight companies understaffed and operating at a reduced capacity. This is further worsened by coronavirus testing protocols which companies have begun mandating ahead of the Chinese New Year next month.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., around 800 dock workers fell ill this week, slowing operations and creating backlogs.

According to Frederic Neumann, co-head of Asian Economics Research at HSBC, these delays could contribute to the “mother of all supply chain stumbles.”

In his opinion, Omicron is “potent enough to deprive Asia’s factory of a

critical number of workers” and may therefore be “hugely disruptive.”

“A rapid spread of Omicron across Asia — from Korea to India, and mainland China to Indonesia — raises the risk of major production disruptions. And, here, Omicron, might prove even more disruptive than past waves. With slower moving variants, many governments were able to shield essential manufacturing operations, limiting the impact on the output of essential goods and components.”

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Looking to travel? You may want to consider owning a Japanese passport, which would allow you access to almost 200 countries around the

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globe. A new report by advisory firm Henley & Partners offers data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) regarding the world’s most travel-friendly passports.

Those holding top-ranking passports are able to travel visa-free to nearly 200 destinations, while those whose passports rank at the bottom can travel to just 26 countries without requesting a visa.

At the same time, in 2006, the Henley Passport Index showed that an individual could visit an average 57 countries without needing to request a visa in advance. Now, that number has risen to 107.

Christian H. Kaelin, chair of Henley & Partners and creator of the passport index concept, noted, “Passports and visas are among the most important instruments impacting on social inequality worldwide as they determine opportunities for global mobility. The borders within which we happen to be born, and the documents we are entitled to hold are no less arbitrary than our skin color.

“Wealthier states need to encourage positive inward migration in an effort to help redistribute and rebalance human and material resources worldwide.”

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home

’‫נֶ ָחמֹות ‘נֶ ָח ַמת יִ ש ָֹר ֵאל‬ With broken hearts, we and our

TALMIDIM AND TALMIDOS who are now, and have been in the past, sponsored by

NECHOMAS YISROEL humbly send our ‫ תנחומין‬to the

ROSH HAYESHIVA HAGAON HARAV

SHMUEL KAMENETZKY ‫שליט"א‬

NASSI OF NECHOMAS YISROEL ‫ הרה״ג ר׳ אברהם שליט״א הרה״ג ר׳ דוד שליט״א‬,‫ובניו החשובים הרה״ג ר׳ שלום שליט״א‬ ‫ הרב אלי׳ הי״ו‬,‫ הרה״ג ר׳ דוב שליט״א‬,‫ הרה״ג ר׳ אהרן שליט״א‬,‫הרה״ג ר׳ זאב שליט״א‬

UPON THE LOSS OF

HIS REBBETZIN ‫ע"ה‬ ‫מרת טעמא ע״ה בת הרה״ח ר’ מרדכי ז”ל‬ It is only through the devotion of the Rosh Yeshiva ‫ שליט"א‬and, ‫להבחל"ח‬, the Rebbetzin ‫ ע"ה‬to every Jewish child and their tireless efforts that these neshamos and the generations that descend from them were reconnected to the ‫מורשה קהלת יעקב‬.

May Hashem Yisborach grant the Rosh Hayeshiva many more healthy and energetic years so he can continue to be maamid talmidim and lead Klal Yisroel, and may He be menachem the entire mishpachah ‫בתוך שאר אבלי ציון וירושלים‬.

19

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

‫בס״ד‬

THE PRINCIPALS AND SCHOOLS with Nechomas Yisroel Chidren Achiezer Yeshiva Ahavas Torah American Friends of ACHY Arie Crown Hebrew Day School Ashreinu schools for Girls Ateres Miriam Atlanta Jewish Academy B.Y Queens Bais Esther Klausenberg Bais Sarah Beer Hagolah Institutes Beth Jacob High School Bnos B.Y of Far Rockaway Bnot Rachel Bnot Torah Institute Bunom Lamukom Chabad Jewish Academy South Carolina Chabad Northeast Queens Chaim Berlin Davis Renov Stahler YHS Derech Derech Hatorah Desert Torah Academy Eitz Chaim Emek Hebrew Academy F.R.E.E.-Mazal Day School Faxman Torah Institute Ganeinu Academy Gesher Yehuda H.A Community School Hebr Acad. For Five Town Hebrew Academy Nassau Cou Hebrew Day School SUC Hillel Academy Hillel Academy of Denver Ichud Mosdos Hachinuch Jewish Institute of Queens

Katz Hillel Day school Kesher Kohelet Yeshiva HS Kulanu Lev Aharon Lev Hatorah Lev Torah Lman Achai Lubavitch Educational Center Lubavitch Yeshiva Magen Avraham Magen Israel Meohr Bais Yaakov Mesivta Rambam Mesivta Torah VEmunah Midreshet Amit Midreshet Eshel Midreshet Tehila Ner Eliezer North Shore H.A. Ohr Chaim Ohr Hatorah Ohr Yisroel of Atlanta Or Hachaim Academy Park East Day School Pninim Prospect Park Ptach Program Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva Rabbinical College America Rabbinical Seminary H.S. Rambam Mesivta Rozenbaum Yeshiva of New Jersey Scheck Hillel Community S Shalsheles B.Y Sharei Torah Shevach H.S. Shulamith School

Silverstein Hebrew Academy South shore Staten Island Hebrew Academy Stein Yesh. Of Lincoln Pa Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia The Jewish Academy The New Seminary The Shefa School Tichon Meir Moshe Tiferes Moshe Tiferes Torah Institute Torah Academy Buffalo Grove Torah Academy Jacksonville Torah Academy –girls Torah Day School Atlanta Torah Temima Valley Torah California Westchester Day School Yeshiva Derech Etz Chaim Yeshiva Elementary School Yeshiva Greater Washington Yeshiva HS of Arizona Yeshiva Kinyan Torah Yeshiva Nesivos Chaim Yeshiva of Brooklyn Yeshiva of Miami Yeshiva primary Yeshiva Toras Chaim Yeshiva University Yeshivas ohr Vdaas Yeshivat Bitachon Yeshivat Darchei Eretz Yeshivat Yesod Hatorah Yeshivat Yishrei Lev Yula Girls High School Ziv Hatorh

Aharon Rubenstein Aryeh Davidowitz Yeshiva Ketana of Los Angeles

Rabbi Dovid Plotnik Yeshiva Ohr Dovid

Dalia Shabatian Long Island Hebrew Academy

Rabbi Yossi Bassman Bader Hillel High School

Rabbi YoniFein, Head of School Brauser Maimonides Academy

Harav Doniel Lander, Rosh Hayeshiva; Rabbi Shmuel Gordon, Menahel Mesivta Yesodei Yeshurun;

Mrs. Karen Goldstein Jewish Foundation School of Staten Island

Mrs. Dina Blank Machon Maayan

Rabbi Naftulie Weiss The Jewish Center for Special Education

Rabbi Yaakov Bender Yeshiva Drachei Torah

Adrianne Mittan Executive Director Hebrew Academy of Long Beach

Rabbi Eli Meir Kramer Rabbi Pinchos Scharf Shalom Torah Academy

Rabbi Rafael Ribacoff Yeshiva sharei tzion

Rabbi Menchel Yeshiva Har Torah

Rabbi Dov Machlis, Menahel Yeshivah Ohel Moshe

Rafael Farhi, Head of School Souza Ebadi, Head of Finance Mill Basin Yeshiva Academy

Mrs. CB Neugroschl, Head of School Ma'ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls Rochelle Brand Sha'arei Bina Torah Academy for Girls Avraham Kovitz Yeshiva Of Central Queens Rabbi Michael Weichselbaum Bnos Malka Academy Rabbi Moshe Aharonov Yeshiva Tiferet Tzion Queens, NY Rabbi Yesocher Ginzberg, principal Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem Rabbi Mordechai Shifman, Head of School

Emek Hebrew Academy Teichman Family Torah Center

Rabbi Michoel Peikes, Dean Torah High School of San Diego

Rabbi Dr. Yisrael Rothwachs, Dean Sam Fishman, Managing Director SINAI Schools Rabbi Druin IDVU School for Special Education

Rabbi Yehudi Leib Schwarzburg Stars of Israel Rabbi Milstein Ner Eliezer Rabbi Don Pacht Yeshiva Tiferes Moshe

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home

According to the Index, the best passports to hold in 2022 are, in descending order: Japan and Singapore (192 destinations); Germany and South Korea (190 destinations); Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Spain (189 destinations); Austria, Denmark, France, Netherlands, and Sweden (188 destinations); Ireland and Portugal (187 destinations); Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States (186 destinations); Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Greece, and Malta (185 destinations); Poland, and Hungary (183 destinations); Lithuania and Slovakia (182 destinations); and Estonia, Latvia, and Slovenia (181 destinations).

The worst passports to hold are those from North Korea; Nepal and the Palestinian Authority; Somalia; Yemen; Pakistan; Syria; Iraq; and Afghanistan (26 destinations).

Mass Trials in Cuba Cuban prosecutors have put over 60 citizens on trial, charging them

with sedition and other crimes for participation in demonstrations last summer. The detained protesters could face up to 30 years in prison in their country’s largest mass trial since the early years of the revolution.

At least five of the protesters being prosecuted are 16-year-olds. The number of detainees being prosecuted may reach over 620.

According to activists, the charges’ severity is part of an effort by the government to deter further protests.

Cubans began protesting on July 11, denouncing inflation, power outages, and shortages of food and medicine. The government soon responded to the protests with a crackdown, detaining over 1,300 protesters.

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Racial Hatred from French Pres. Candidate

French far-right presidential candidate Éric Zemmour was convicted on Monday of inciting racial hatred over comments he made two years ago about unaccompanied migrant children. A Paris court ordered Zemmour to pay a fine of 10,000 euros (more than $11,000) and several thousand euros in damages to anti-racism groups.

“I’m one more time the victim” of a political injustice, Zemmour asserted, adding, “I absolutely do not regret” the comments.

Samuel Thomas, president of the Maisons des Potes (“Homes of Friends”), a network of anti-racism associations, said the sentence is “very light.”

“We had hoped for him to be deprived of civic rights,” Thomas said.

“So Éric Zemmour will be able to continue his political career.” He added: “When you’re inciting racial hatred, you’re also responsible for crimes that are committed by farright thugs.”

Zemmour, who has two prior hate speech convictions, went on trial in November on charges of “public insult” and “incitement to hatred or violence” against a group of people because of their ethnic, national, racial, or religious origin.

The former TV pundit, who is running in April’s presidential election, is drawing fervent audiences with his anti-Islam, anti-immigration invective. He is considered to be among the major challengers to centrist President Emmanuel Macron, who is seen as the front-runner, according to polls. Macron has yet to confirm he will run for a second term.

The case against Zemmour focused on September 2020 comments that he made on French news broadcaster CNews about children who migrate to France without parents or guardians.

“They’re thieves, they’re murder-

ers, they’re rapists. That’s all they are. We must send them back,” he said. “These people cost us money.”

Zemmour previously was convicted of incitement to racial hatred after justifying discrimination against Black and Arab people in 2010, and of incitement to religious hatred for anti-Islam comments in 2016.

He has also been tried in other cases where he was acquitted.

Zemmour is a descendant of Berber Jews from Algeria. He was born in France in 1958 to parents who came from the North African country, then a French colony, a few years earlier.

Friendly Fire Fatalities

Hundreds gathered last Thursday for the funerals of Major Ofek Aharon and Major Itamar Elharar, both part of the special Egoz Unit, who had been killed in a friendly fire incident in the Jordan Valley.

Although the families did not place blame on the soldier whose fire killed the officers, they did demand answers from the military.

At his son’s funeral, Aharon’s father Eli said, “I want an explanation from [IDF Chief of Staff Aviv] Kochavi.”

Kochavi, for his part, promised a thorough investigation into the incident.

Elharar, 26, was a newlywed and was set to begin a part-time university program while staying in the military.

According to IDF Central Command Commander Major-General Yehuda Fuchs, Aharon, 28, was set to be promoted next summer, either to a higher position within Egoz or to the Golani Brigade, where he would have served as a deputy battalion commander.

Fuchs said about the incident, “An officer who went to investigate

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home

the theft of night-vision equipment encountered two officers whom he believed to be terrorists and fired at them at short range.

“In the Nabi Musa area there are several units with a number of tents nearby, and a night prior to this incident, a night-vision device was stolen from this unit, and senior officers decided to investigate the theft.

“While an officer was engaged in investigating the theft, the two other officers were patrolling the area – also in order to investigate the theft – without coordination between them.

They perceived a figure at a distance of around 200 meters and began to advance toward it, considering it suspicious.

“At the same time, the first officer suddenly heard a noise from behind and was convinced that it was an enemy. He opened fire at the other two soldiers due to this error.

“Medical personnel were immediately summoned but were forced to determine the deaths of the two officers.”

On Monday, Or Elharhar, Itamar’s widow, said that she wants to make sure the person who killed her husband is not wallowing in guilt.

“I would want first of all for him to know that we aren’t angry, that all

of us are sending him strength,” she said. “I pray and hope that he will find a place to draw [strength] from.”

Over the weekend, she went to shul. “Suddenly I felt that every Shemona Esrei prayer is ‘the resurrection of the dead,’ that these are the only words that are there… I constantly feel that I am between conversations, between G-d and Itamar,” the young widow said.

$35M Upgrade to Kotel Infrastructure

develop new educational programs, and continue existing projects.

In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said, “The Western Wall is one of the holiest and most important sites for the Jewish people, and millions of visitors from all over the world visit it regularly.

“The five-year plan we have just approved in the cabinet will continue to upgrade the infrastructure needed for the site and will help encourage the arrival of many more visitors.”

The plan is unrelated to the “Western Wall Compromise,” which would have seen changes to the site’s religious status quo and granted semi-official recognition to the Reform movement.

Tisch Tours

Israeli Cabinet ministers on Sunday approved a five-year plan to upgrade infrastructure at the Western Wall.

The plan will cost 110 million NIS ($35.4 million) and will improve public transportation accessibility,

For those longing for a taste of cholent before Shabbos, “tisch” tours are debuting in Jerusalem.

In the tours that run on Thursday evenings, a local guide takes participants to the best places in town for tasting cholent and kugel – including pop-up cholent restaurants and bakeries.

The price? A mere NIS 99.

The Aspaklaria Theater in Jerusalem’s First Station complex is putting on a show called “Jerusalem Tisch,” a show about tisches that also includes the foods served at a traditional tisch.

On Thursday and Saturday nights, the Nadav family in Shaarei Chesed opens its tisch to visitors, offering a glimpse of their customs and the opportunity to ask questions. Tickets cost NIS 59 per person, or NIS 100 per couple.

Kishka, anyone?

Probe After Death of Detainee Omar Abd al-Majid As’ad, an 80-year-old Palestinian Authority (PA) resident and American citizen,

4.5” x 11.25” 23

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

died last Wednesday of a heart attack following his arrest by the IDF. Following As’ad’s death, the Biden administration demanded answers from Israel.

40 Days from Rosh Chodesh Adar Aleph until Purim

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Reports that Israel Police has been using the highly controversial Pegasus spyware system to hack into phones belonging to regular Israeli citizens have caused outrage after being revealed on Tuesday. Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev categorically denied that police intruded into devices without a judge’s approval.

According to an expose published

Salvation Ribnitzer ‫ו י נ ת ן‬

Did Israel Spy on Its Citizens?

Among the phones broken into were devices belonging to mayors as well as leaders of the “Black Flag” protests against former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The spyware used by the police allowed them to activate the camera and microphone on cellular devices without the user’s awareness, as well as listen to all calls and read all messages. Calcalist alleges that police failed to seek court warrants or judicial supervision before infiltrating devices, and that there was similarly no oversight on the way in which the information obtained was used or where it was transferred to.

Israel Police has allegedly been using Pegasus since December 2015, when Ronni Alsheikh became General Commissioner, and has cost the force tens of millions of shekels in purchase, maintenance, and ongoing usage. Just last year, Pegasus’ parent company NSO denied that the spyware was used against Israeli citizens. In separate interviews, CEO Shalev Hulio and President Tami Mazel claimed that NSO had “chosen not to operate against Israeli and American numbers.”

Responding to Tuesday’s allegations, NSO said in a statement that the company “does not comment on existing or potential clients.” They added that employees were not exposed to any of the information obtained and stressed that their products were sold “under license and supervision to be used by national security and law enforcement agencies to prevent crime and terror in a legal manner and according to court orders and the local law of each country.”

Israel Police, in their response, flatly denied Calcalist’s claims, calling them “untrue.”

‫בס"ד‬

‫ל ך‬

As’ad’s family claimed that the IDF soldiers “tied his hands and beat him.” He was later released from detention. As’ad suffered from diabetes and other chronic conditions, and it was not clear if IDF soldiers were present when he collapsed.

After he was found, he was taken to a Palestinian Authority health clinic before being transferred to the Palestine Medical Center in Ramallah, where he died, the PA health department said in a statement.

According to the IDF, “The Palestinian was arrested during an operation by IDF troops after he refused a security search. The detainee was released later that night.”

The IDF has opened an investigation into As’ad’s death.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, “We have been in touch with Mr. As’ad’s family to express our condolences about this tragedy. We’re providing all of the consular assistance to the family at this time.”

“We’ve also been in touch with the government of Israel to seek clarification about this incident, and as you may have seen the Israeli Defense Forces have indicated that there’s an ongoing investigation into the matter. We support a thorough investigation into the circumstances of this incident.”

by the Calcalist online magazine, police have been using the spyware for years without any oversight. Even more than that, the information obtained is not necessarily related to ongoing investigations but is often harvested in order to have it at hand for potential future use.

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home

Passing Along Info to Iran

Four Israeli women and one man have been arrested for transferring information to Iranian intelligence.

The women were initially contacted on Facebook by a man presenting himself as Rambod Namdar, a Jew living in Iran. Later, the conversations moved to WhatsApp. During the course of their correspondence, the women sent Namdar photos of the U.S. Embassy, the Holon mall, and a Knesset member in exchange for money.

As part of the ongoing monitoring of the activities and investigations of the suspects, it emerged that they maintained ongoing contacts with an Iranian intelligence source.

During the interrogations, extensive evidence was gathered about these

connections, and indictments were filed against several of the suspects.

Despite the suspects’ suspicion that their contact was an Iranian intelligence official, some of them continued their contact with him, agreed to perform tasks he assigned them, and received money from him.

As part of the connection with Namdar, one suspect was asked to direct her son, who was about to be drafted into the IDF, to serve in the IDF Intelligence Division. In the meantime, Namdar spoke by phone with her son to give his opinion on his proficiency in the Persian language. It was further revealed that the suspect was instructed by Namdar to gather intelligence about senior members of the defense establishment.

Another suspect worked with Namdar for more than four years and performed tasks assigned to her in exchange for an attempt to get her son into the Intelligence Corps, including facilitating the establishment of a club for Iranians in Beit Shemesh, taking photos of the ballot box during the elections for the 23rd Knesset, attempting to photograph the American embassy in Jerusalem, purchasing electronic devices and

installing a hidden camera in a massage room in her home, approaching an MK, entering and transmitting information about the connection between them, and more.

The male suspect is the husband of one of the women and is accused of being aware of his wife’s connection with Namdar, speaking with Namdar himself, and transporting his wife on at least one of his missions, despite “suspecting that this was an Iranian intelligence figure,” Shabak said.

A senior Shabak source said that “this is a serious affair, in which an intention to establish a spy network for Iran, which operated within the State of Israel, was exposed and thwarted.”

“In this case, we are witnessing attempts at espionage within Israel, by applying the ‘innocent’ coverage of Israeliness and degenerating into a long-term relationship. This is despite the suspects’ suspicion that this was an Iranian intelligence source, and in view of their choice to continue the relationship with him and even perform tasks for him.

“In their serious acts, those involved endangered themselves, their family members and innocent

Israeli citizens, whose details were passed on to Iranian intelligence, in addition to passing on information on Israeli and American targets in Israel in a way that could be used for terrorist purposes,” the senior official added.

The five suspects — four women and one man — are all Jewish immigrants from Iran or the descendants of Iranian immigrants.

Sheikh Jarrah Evacuation Unsuccessful

For the first time since 2017, Israel police officers attempted on Monday to evacuate a Palestinian Authority Arab family from a home which

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they were illegally occupying in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Shimon Hatzadik (Sheikh Jarrah).

Police bulldozed the family’s plant nursery, but the Salihiya family barricaded themselves in their home, and one family member took a gas balloon with him up to the roof.

Five Arabs were detained during the day-long standoff. As night fell, the police withdrew, without having accomplished their goal of evacuating the squatters.

Most of the Arabs who stand to be evicted from Shimon Hatzadik are being evicted in private cases.

However, the Salihiya family’s home stands on land belonging to the Jerusalem municipality, which wants to construct a school for special needs children, as well as several preschools.

Last year, a Jerusalem court ruled in favor of the municipality, but the Arab family has refused to accept the ruling.

In a statement, the Jerusalem municipality said, “Since the ruling, the family has been given countless opportunities to hand over the land by consent, but they have refused to do so, even after repeated extensions, meetings and attempts at dialogue.”

In a video circulating on social media, Mahmoud Salihiya said, “We won’t leave. We’ll either live or die.

I’ll burn myself with fuel.”

Meanwhile, European diplomats protested the evacuation, arriving to show solidarity for the Arab family.

In a statement, the European Union’s mission to the Palestinian Territories said it is “imperative to deescalate the situation and seek a peaceful resolution. Evictions/demolitions are illegal under international law and significantly undermine the prospects for peace as well as fuel tensions on the ground.”

Public Security Minister Omer Barlev (Labor) tweeted, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too — to demand that the municipality act for the welfare of Arab residents and oppose the construction of institutions for their welfare.”

SCOTUS Stymies Vaccine Requirement

The U.S. Supreme Court has stopped a push by the Biden administration to require employees at large businesses to either get a COVID-19 vaccine or submit to regular testing and masking.

Despite the ruling last week, SCOTUS is still allowing a vaccine mandate for most U.S. healthcare workers.

According to the Court, the administration’s imposition of Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) demand that employees either be vaccinated or test regularly was overstepping its authority, the Court said.

SCOTUS conservatives wrote, “OSHA has never before imposed such a mandate. Nor has Congress.

Indeed, although Congress has enacted significant legislation addressing the COVID–19 pandemic, it has declined to enact any measure similar to what OSHA has promulgated here.”

The court’s liberals wrote, “Acting outside of its competence and without legal basis, the Court displaces the judgments of the Government officials given the responsibility to respond to workplace health emergencies.”

U.S. President Joe Biden said he was “disappointed that the Supreme Court has chosen to block com-

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mon-sense life-saving requirements for employees at large businesses that were grounded squarely in both science and the law.”

Meanwhile, the National Retail Federation praised the decision as “a significant victory for employers.”

A vaccine mandate for federal contractors has not been considered by the Supreme Court.

Neo-Nazi Sentenced to Prison

counts of mailing threatening letters and conspiracy.

Commenting on the case, U.S. Attorney Nick Brown said, “The work that we are seeing manifested today would not have occurred but for the bravery of the men and women that were impacted by this.”

Cole, leader of the neo-Nazi group “Atomwaffen Division,” had been convicted in September by a federal jury in Seattle.

In 2020, he was charged together with four other group members after they were accused of online and mail harassment of journalists and of the Washington state ADL chapter.

Fatal Subway Attack in NYC

Kaleb Cole, leader of a Washington state neo-Nazi group, has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for threatening journalists and Anti-Defamation League (ADL) employees.

Cole, 25, was found guilty of five federal charges, including three

A woman in New York City was pushed on Saturday morning into the tracks in front of an oncoming

train and died.

According to New York City police, the attack occurred in a Times Square subway station at approximately 9:30a.m., when the woman, Michelle Go, 40, was pushed onto the tracks in front of a southbound R train by a homeless man.

The man who pushed her initially fled the scene but turned himself in to transit police a short while later.

At a news conference, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said, “This incident was unprovoked, and the victim does not appear to have had any interaction with the subject.”

The attacker has been identified as Simon Martial, 61.

Assistant Chief Jason Wilcox said that Martial has a criminal history and has been on parole. He had been arrested 10 times since 1998.

Wilcox also said that the victim was the second woman who the suspect had approached and that the first also feared he would push her onto the tracks.

“He does have in the past three emotionally disturbed encounters with us that we have documented,” Wilcox admitted.

Martial has been charged with second-degree murder in the attack, which is not currently being treated as a hate crime.

“This latest attack causing the death of an Asian American woman in the Times Square subway station is particularly horrifying for our community,” said Margaret Fung, executive director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. “These attacks have left Asian Americans across the city and across the country feeling vulnerable and they must stop.”

Michelle, an MBA graduate at NYU’s Stern School of Business, was a senior manager at Deloitte. Ironically, she volunteered with New York Junior League, where she helped support the homeless.

Florida: 7,000 Without Power Two tornadoes on Sunday morning struck southwest Florida, destroying at least 28 Lee County homes and damaging many others.

The tornadoes also left some 7,000 homes without power, officials said.

Speaking at a Sunday news conference, Lee County Board of Com-

missioners Co-chairman Cecil Pendergrass said that at least 62 homes are currently “unlivable.”

According to officials, four injuries were reported but none required hospitalization.

In a bulletin, National Weather Service said, “A waterspout moved across Gasparilla sound near Boca Grande Causeway before then moved ashore as a short-lived tornado near Placida damaging at least 35 homes and a marina storage facility.”

Meanwhile, in a tweet, the Charlotte County government added that no one was injured, but some have been displaced.

UK Citizen Took Hostages

The FBI on Sunday named Malik Faisal Akram as the man who held four people hostage at Congregation Beth Israel, a Reform synagogue in Colleyville, Texas.

Akram, 44 years old and a British national, was killed by an FBI Hostage Rescue Team following the hostages’ release at approximately 9:00p.m. on Saturday, the agency said. Investigators recovered one firearm believed to have belonged to Akram, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives spokesperson shared.

The hostages were freed nearly 11 hours after Akram entered the synagogue as it livestreamed Saturday morning services. The livestream, which captured some of the incident, was removed from Facebook at around 2:00p.m. local time.

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker said the incident had been a “traumatic experience.”

He added, “Without the instruc-

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

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information that he may have been involved in Islamist terrorism.

A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday that the attack was “a terrible and anti-Semitic act of terrorism.”

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tion we received” in security courses throughout the years, “we would not have been prepared to act and flee when the situation presented itself. I encourage all Jewish congregations, religious groups, schools, and others to participate in active-shooter and security courses.”

On Saturday, two law enforcement officials said that Akram may have been attempting to secure the release of Aafia Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year sentence for seven charges, including attempted

murder and armed assault on U.S. officers in Afghanistan. Siddiqui’s family has insisted that she is not a terrorist.

In the livestream, Akram can be heard saying, “I just want a bullet in me, and I want to go – that’s it.”

“I’m gunned up. I’m ammo-ed up. Guess what, I will die,” he told someone he called a “nephew.” He later told a second person, “I am going to die, so don’t cry for me.”

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday told reporters,

“I don’t – we don’t have – I don’t think there is sufficient information to know about why he targeted that synagogue, why he insisted on the release of someone who’s been in prison for over 10 years, why he was engaged, why he was using an anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli comments.”

Akram was the subject of a short, low-level investigation by the U.K.’s MI5 domestic intelligence agency in the second half of 2020. It lasted over a month and was based on

Shipping companies have seen a sharp spike in railroad theft over the past few months.

Some of the boxes looted off the trains in Los Angeles County, California, are from companies such as UPS, FedEx, and Amazon.

The thefts occur despite the containers’ locks.

Meanwhile, Union Pacific, one of the largest railroad companies in the U.S., has announced that it may avoid operating in Los Angeles County and blamed the rise in thefts on lax prosecution of crimes.

In a letter last month to the Los Angeles District Attorney, Union Pacific noted a 160% year-over-year increase in theft in LA County, and said that in the last quarter of the year, it made over 100 arrests of “active criminals vandalizing our trains” in cooperation with the LA police department and LA Sheriff Department. However, it noted, those arrested are released from custody within 24 hours.

Alex Bastian, Special Advisor to District Attorney Gascón, said in defense, “Our office is committed to working with law enforcement to ensure collective safety across Los Angeles County’s sprawling infrastructure, whether it’s at our ports or on railroad tracks.

“Some cases presented to our office by Union Pacific have been filed, such as burglary and grand theft, while others have been declined due to insufficient evidence. We make charging decisions based on the evidence. Our office takes Union Pacific’s concerns seriously and hopes to discuss this issue more in the coming weeks.”

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

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Meanwhile, Ted Greener, spokesman for the Association of American Railroads, said, “In coordination with local law and where necessary federal law enforcement partners, the industry is committed to pursuing all avenues necessary to address this criminal behavior.”

Criminal Tree-tment P

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any of this.”

The tree was in the nature preserve, and its trunk was nearly 6 feet in diameter, making it one of the oldest in the Buckeye State, Metroparks spokesperson Jacqueline Gerling said.

“We suspect the tree was possibly over 250 years old. Given our urban setting and the threats to healthy tree growth, it is very uncommon to find a black walnut of this size,” Gerling said.

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A tree that was felled by two Ohio siblings is now causing them lots of problems.

Todd Jones, 56, and Laurel Hoffman, 54, allegedly chopped down a black walnut tree that is said to have been centuries-old in September.

The siblings cut it down to sell it for lumber.

But the tree was not on their property, officials say, and that’s why Jones and Hoffman are in hot water. Authorities note that the center of the 5.5-foot-wide tree was outside the two siblings’ property by more than seven feet.

Supposedly the tree was worth $28,814.74. Replacing it would cost $102,909.77.

Hoffman and Jones were charged on December 29 with one count each of theft by deception and falsification, according to court documents.

Hoffman told Cleveland.com: “It’s ours. I just don’t understand

Looking to move to a wonderful new town? Be sure to pack gloves and boots and leave your appendix behind.

In order to settle in Villas Las Estrellas, which is one of two civilian settlements in Antartica, people need to have an appendectomy done.

Located in Chile’s Frei base on King George Island, the outpost only boasts 100 inhabitants max – predominantly researchers and military personnel. But there are some who bring their whole families to the frozen village, and even their children need to leave their appendixes in warmer locales.

Because the nearest hospital is 625 miles away from the small town, appendicitis can be fatal. For that same reason, women are advised not to get pregnant while residing in the area.

As temperatures can plummet

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below -100 degrees Fahrenheit, citizens in the town are required to stay indoors or risk freezing to death. Because of this, most people choose to only live there in the summer, when temperatures “soar” to 36 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sounds like the perfect place – to avoid.

World’s Toughest Row

These veterans are still giving of themselves to their fellow countrymen.

The four former soldiers from Florida are rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to raise awareness for PTSD while raising

money for former soldiers who face mental health challenges.

So far, the group, called Foar From Home, has so far raised more than $727,000. The money goes to help vets struggling with PTSD, identity issues, housing accessibility and cognitive disorders.

The crew is made up of Billy Cimino of the U.S. Army, Cameron Hansen of the U.S. Air Force, A.M. ‘Hupp’ Huppman, U.S. Navy, and Paul Lore, U.S. Marines. The four men departed from La Gomera, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, on December 12.

As of January 10, the crew has been on the ocean for 29 days with 1,608 nautical miles rowed and 1,240 nautical miles left to go. Their journey is part of the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge, a worldwide charitable initiative known as “The World’s Toughest Row.” They’re expected to make it ashore to their destination in Antigua by the end of the month.

Talk about he-rows.

Dolphin Spies According to Hamas, Israel is now using dolphins to spy on the

terrorist organization.

Recently, Hamas naval operatives said that during an operation they were chased into the sea by a dolphin that had been equipped with a device capable of killing them. An Al-Qassam brigades naval commandos spokesperson revealed the incident in a video last week.

This is not the first time that Hamas has said that the Jewish state has recruited underwater creatures to work for them. In 2015, Hamas said that it succeeded in capturing an Israeli dolphin operative that was armed with a camera and weapon.

Since then, it is not known where that dolphin is being kept – or if it still exists – by Hamas.

It’s not just Hamas that asserts that Israel has a whole zoo in its military. In 2010, Egypt’s South Sinai Gov. Mohamed Abdel Fadil Shousha suggested that deadly shark attacks in Sharm el-Sheikh were part of a Mossad operation to harm Egyptian tourism. In 2011, Saudi Arabian authorities held a vulture in detention under suspicion that it was spying for Israel after a misunderstanding about the purpose of the tracking device it was carrying.

Turkish authorities also detained a suspected Israeli spy bird in 2013, but released it after X-rays showed that it was not embedded with surveillance equipment.

Blood Sport

With a blood shortage affecting most of the country, the American Red Cross is coming up with innovative ways to encourage Americans to donate the lifesaving liquid.

This week, it announced that it will be offering people who donate blood the chance to win a trip to the Super Bowl in Los Angeles, California. It’s not just the major football game that the donor can win. The lucky winner will receive round-trip airfare, three-night hotel accommodations, and $500 gift card for expenses. Oh, and they’ll also get entry to the official NFL Tailgate and tickets to the Super Bowl experience.

And for those who won’t be lucky enough to fly out and see the game in-person, the American Red Cross is also offering blood donors the opportunity to win an at-home Super Bowl experience, which includes a short-throw laser projector, speakers, and a $500 gift card.

On the contest’s promotional page, the Red Cross wrote, “Health emergencies don’t pause for holidays, game day or a pandemic. Donors are needed now to help patients make a comeback this winter.”

Even if donors don’t win the amazing package, we’ll consider their donation a real score in helping the American Red Cross achieve its goals.

Make your voice heard!

Be part of TJH’s weekly poll.

Email the editor to be included in the weekly poll at: Editor@FiveTownsJewishHome.com

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

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Around the

Community

The Ganger Early Childhood Center at TAG made fruit kabobs this week to celebrate Tu B’Shvat. The fresh fruit and skewers were sponsored by Shmulie and Hindy Klaus, in honor of their granddaughter Esti Steier

Chag Ha’Ilanos

I

n conjunction with our Tu B’Shvat lessons, all of the HAFTR Early Childhood Pre-K students learned firsthand about the

Shivat HaMinim. A beautiful Tu B’Shvat seder was held, and children sampled olives, dates, figs, grapes, pomegranates, wheat crackers, and

different kinds of grape juice. In the weeks leading up to the chag, the children discussed the importance of trees as a resource for people,

shelter for animals, and as a necessity to keep our planet strong.

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Around the Community

Students at Lev Chana celebrated Tu B’Shvat by making trees and having a special Tu B’Shvat seder

Tree Time at Shulamith

I

t may be cold outside, but in Shulamith School Early Childhood Center, Tu B’Shvat has arrived.

The birds are chirping, and the trees are blooming. Through the study of trees, the children are learning so much in every curriculum area.

The study of trees began with a nature walk to visit to our favorite local trees. The children examined the trees from roots to crown, learning new vocabulary and the function of each of the parts of the tree. They made rubbings of the bark, collected twigs and branches and measured the width of different trees by seeing how many children are needed to hug them. Since Tu B’Shvat is the new year for the trees, the nursery and kindergarten children delighted in the opportunity to wish the trees a “Happy Birthday” and even make a “birthday party” for the trees!

The children were so fascinated by trees that the learning continued in every curriculum area. The children went on wood hunts and constructed wood sculptures, tree collages and easel paintings full of green and brown. They wrote stories about trees and labelled wooden objects. They measured, they counted, and created Venn Diagrams. They exam-

ined the rings in a large tree branch and thanked Hashem for all the amazing things we get from trees.

Of course, fruits grow on trees, and our young scientists had a wonderful time examining various fruits from peel to core. The most special ones grow in Eretz Yisrael, and the Pre-1A children were excited to have the opportunity to learn about them.

They puzzled over real wheat stalks and ground wheat kernels into flour which produced delicious

cake. The children tasted barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates and dates. The Pre-1Aers were determined to figure out how many seeds are in a Rimon, so they grouped the seeds in cups of ten seeds each to count them. What a wonderful (and delicious) math lesson!

The unit of study culminated with a Tu B’Shvat seder where the children had the opportunity to really appreciate the special role played by trees in the beautiful world that Hashem gives us.

Tree-rific Tu B’Shvat at YOSS ECC

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he children at YOSS ECC learned all about Tu B’Shvat and trees this week. They tasted, smelled and compared the

Shivas Haminim. They discovered that so many different items come from a tree – wood, paper, cardboard, tables, shades, and so much

more.

Some classes painted trees on easels, while others used branches dipped in paint to create paintings.

All the children enjoyed tree-rific games in our Imaginarium (Sensational Gym).

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

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Around the Community

Tu B’Shvat Celebration at Gesher

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ast Wednesday, January 12, Gesher Early Childhood Center held its annual Tu B’Shvat celebration, honoring the mothers and grandmothers of the Gesher family. To commemorate this special event, grandmothers and mothers joined their children for an exquisite Tu B’Shvat art display, where each class created beautiful masterpieces using different modalities of art.

Families then had opportunities to engage in interactive projects together, all centered around fruit, flowers, and the Shivas Haminim.

Some of the stations included: decorating a bag and collecting all seven of the Shivas Haminim (while using a checklist to make sure that all seven were collected), bead making, photo booth/picture frames, a raffle, and (a personal favorite!) opportunities for children to make their own edible flowerpots and edible trees.

In preparation for this event, each family had an opportunity to fill out an individualized family tree, includ-

ing family photographs. The family trees were on magnificent display alongside the art show, perfectly tying together the underlying theme of trees, family roots and Tu B’Shvat.

The roots and legacies of our parents are the bedrock of our Gesher family, which B’ezras Hashem, with care and cultivation, will be future seeds for the growth of our children.

“Ilan Ilan ba’ma avarechecha…”

Our bracha to our Gesher families is that as your children continue to blossom and develop, they will grow upward and outward from their family roots and continue to carry

the lasting legacies of their parents and grandparents. It is truly special when teachers, parents, and grandparents are able to share in this family nachas together!

We want to thank the parent committee for spearheading this event and making sure that every detail was attended to. Special thanks to Mrs. Menche (mother of Gadi, Nursery), Mrs. Kazarnovsky (mother of Chaya, 1st Grade), Mrs. Weinreb (mother of Yitzi, Pre1a), Mrs. Schiffmiller (mother of Noam, 1st Grade), Mrs. Ettedgui (mother of Justin, 1st Grade) and Mrs. Schreier

(mother of Zevi, Pre1A) We also would like to thank our generous sponsors who made this event possible: Shoshana and Allen Pilevsky (grandparents of Rena, 1st Grade), Naomi Elzas (grandmother of Dovi Raskin, 1st Grade), Eitan and Alisa Schreier (parents of Zevi, Pre1a), and Pnina and Mordechai Braun (parents of Kobe, Kindergarten).

Also, a very special thanks to Morah Shoshi Schmukler, whose artistic talent and inimitable style gave the event a memorable aesthetic and heartwarming touch.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

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Machane Yehuda at HANC

Gan Amy in West Hempstead celebrated Tu B’Shvat with a fresh fruit salad, planted seeds to grow fruits and vegetables, and gave their tzedaka money to help plant trees in Israel

I

n honor of Tu B’Shvat, the lunchroom in HANC’s Samuel and Elizabeth Bass Golding’s Elementary School in West Hempstead was transformed into Machane Yehuda

by Morah Leah Rauch and the sixth grade girls. The room was divided into booths and each booth displayed a different food that could be found in the Shuk in Yerushalayim.

“It was a cooperative learning experience for the students,” remarked Morah Rauch. “The girls worked in groups and researched online how the actual booth would look and then designed their own booth and store signs. They tried to make it as authentic as possible, using Hebrew words and phrases in their artwork as well.”

The girls also wore uniforms and costumes that represented what they were selling.

Due to the generous sponsorship of the PTA, the sixth grade girls “sold” dried fruit, candy, ice cream, popcorn, borekas, rugelach, pickles, olives and Prigat fruit drinks. Each child in the school received a “shuk punch card,” which displayed the different food items that were available for “purchase.” As Israeli music filled the room, each class visited the shuk, and the students were able to visit the various booths and experience

the different tastes as if they were actually in Machane Yehuda.

In addition to providing food to eat, the sixth graders created three-dimensional displays about the laws of Shemitta. After studying the topic in class, the girls worked in groups to create magnificent posters and models of what actual fields look like during Shemitta and replicated the signs that are hung at the entrance to the law-abiding farms. The signs explained that for the farmers that observe Shemitta, they display a sign to let everyone know that they observe Shemitta and that anyone can come and take what they want from their fields.

Many thanks to the PTA for their help and support for this exciting program. HANC commends Morah Rauch and Morah Daniella Hirt, HANC Activities Coordinator, who worked tirelessly to collect all of the materials needed and coordinated the details to make this event run so smoothly. Hakarat Hatov as well for the enthusiastic sixth grade girls, for providing the entire school with a meaningful and delicious Tu B’Shvat celebration.

It was a multi-sensory program that brought a genuine Israeli experience closer to home.

Mrs. Bella Gleich made a Tu B’Shvat party and get-together this week for the women of the community

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Tu B’Shvat Fair at Gan Chamesh

T

he children at Gan Chamesh enjoyed a natural, beautiful experience at the Tu B’Shvat fair this week.

The hands-on experience helped them gain a deeper appreciation of Hashem’s natural world.

The talmidim in Yeshiva Ateres Eitz Chaim enjoyed a festive Tu B’Shvat Tisch with a beautiful display of shivas haminim and other fruits this week along with divrei Torah and music.

The Heart of the Matter

T

The children of HANC ECC enjoyed a Tu B’Shvat seder with Morah Or Guy this week with four cups of grape juice, signifying the four seasons

his past Monday, Tu B’shvat, found all the elementary grade talmidos at TAG at a special assembly where they graduated to the next stage of their amazing Bilvavi curriculum. To introduce the tefillah portion of the program, the girls watched a video about a talmid who asked his rebbe what he needs to do to help him concentrate on davening? His rebbe, R’ Yisroel Salanter, zt”l, sent him to watch a tightrope walker go through his act. When the talmid asked the tightrope walker how he was able to concentrate, he answered, “I need to concentrate be-

cause my life depends on it.” So too, we need to realize that our lives depend on concentrating on our tefillos.

When we concentrate and daven with all our hearts, praise Hashem with all our hearts and thank Hashem with all our hearts, we show Hashem that tefillah is the language of our hearts. To help everyone remember this important lesson, the girls colored a magnet that read, “Good morning, the perfect start, tefillah with all my heart.”

We daven that this heartfelt message will help all of us with our davening.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

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Around the Community

“Tu” Much Fun with JEP/Nageela

By Jen Reiz

T

his past week, kids got together in the Five Towns and beyond to participate in fun activities with JEP/Nageela.

On Monday night in Woodmere, JEP Girls learned about Yitziat Mitzrayim. One girl asked for clarification on when we should give people a pass for hurting us and when people get punished like the Egyptians. The JEP leader answered that the beauty of Judaism is that Hashem gives everyone a chance to do teshuva and get closer to Him, but sometimes if they don’t

take the opportunity, Hashem has to punish him. They also decorated tambourines in honor of the woman thanking Hashem for Kriyat Yam Suf. JEP Boys in Monsey got together to create colorful Tu B’Shvat platters with the help of Rabbi Dovid Delman, JEP’s Director of Jewish Outreach. JEP Boys at Ohr Torah in North Woodmere had the pleasure of learning with Rabbi Dovid Shenker, Founding Director of JEP/Nageela about Tu B’Shvat.

Along with the JILs, there are also regular Torah Partner programs.

JEP/Nageela kids and volunteers

meet on Zoom or one-on-one by phone, which is a great way to connect to the “Nageela Family” week-in and week-out.

JEP-LI was founded in 1985 by Rabbi Shenker and is an organization dedicated to sponsoring Jewish Education Programs throughout the year.

Its Suri Schwartz Jewish Individualized Learning (JIL) program pairs kids interested in exploring more about their Jewish roots with JEP volunteers. Shabbatons and events hosted across Long Island and beyond provide participants with a sense of belonging to a rich, deep, cultured,

and meaningful tradition.

Camp Nageela, JEP-LI’s top-ofthe-line sleepaway camp at the Dovid and Suri Schwartz Jewish Experience Center gives kids an opportunity to really enjoy a complete Jewish environment for the summer supplemented by the great outdoors with a paintball field, swimming, sports, trips and many other activities daily.

Each year hundreds of kids and staff benefit and grow from their experiences with JEP/Nageela. To find out how to help support upcoming programs, please email jenr@jepli. org or visit jepli.org/donate.

learn more about Shemitta. Utilizing different Multiple Intelligences, the children created mini greenhouses and planted parsley seeds, designed a beautiful art project, sang songs and created a dance with music teacher Mrs. Janet Goldman, and made “frushi.” These handson activities were creative, fun, and

will leave long-lasting memories of this event.

The fifth grade girls presented a play on Shemitta to teach students about the ideas of hefker and kiddushat shiviit, the sanctity of the Land of Israel and its produce.

Shemitta at HAFTR

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tudents at HAFTR Lower School have been learning about the mitzvah of Shemitta all semester in their Judaic Studies classes. On Monday, they celebrated Tu B’Shvat with a Shemitta fair. Students came dressed with farm accessories like hats, bandanas, and suspenders and brought

special tzedakah to give at the fair.

All the tzedakah collected in HAFTR Lower School from the first half of the school year will be given to Keren Hashviis. Principal Ms. Joy Hammer will iy”H personally deliver the tzedakah over winter break.

The students then rotated through different activity centers to

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Around the Community

“Keeping Tech in Check” Yeshiva of South Shore shifts the conversation about technology, empowering parents and children to set boundaries for tech usage

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or the past decade, much has been said, written, and discussed about the dangers of the new technological advances in our world. Adults and children alike are becoming more and more distracted from life – and their friends, families, work and education are being affected, both directly and indirectly.

Yet schools have a unique perspective and a unique advantage to confront the issue.

While Yeshiva of South Shore does not have all the answers to every problem, they have practical research-and experience-based solutions tailored specifically for the needs of their talmidim.

After months of planning and discussions with various psychologists, social workers, professionals, and rabbonim, this past week, YOSS introduced the “Keeping Tech in Check” workshop and follow up program.

The “Keeping Tech in Check” program focuses on the foundation of a Jewish home and how adults and children alike make daily decisions which have maximum impact. The framework and structure of the atmosphere of a home is based on the values of the parents. Yet sometimes, when we don’t realize the impact of our decisions, or worse, we don’t even realize that we are making decisions, the results can quickly take a life of their own and lead to places never imagined possible.

Using technology responsibly, or “Keeping Tech in Check,” is “the first step to enriching your lives, the lives of your families, and your children,” explained Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetzky, Director of Advancement at YOSS, in his introduction to the program.

Rav Mordechai Kame-

netzky, Rosh Yeshiva, opened each evening, and reminisced how his parents, Rav and Rebbitzin Binyamin Kamenetzky, zt”l, worked against the tide to ensure that their home was safe and secure. “Each one of you took that important step tonight, by attending this workshop to learn how to create a safer home to welcome the Shechina.”

The solution-based program is focused on two areas: awareness, and skills.

“We, at the Yeshiva of South Shore, are here to shift the conversation,” explained Rabbi Avraham Robinson, LCSW, Menahel of the Elementary division of YOSS, and creator and presenter of the workshop. “We are not here to rid the world of technology, nor is that even possible. We are here to work together to keep technology in check, by educating parents to create sustainable boundaries that will empower their children to navigate and control their own tech usage, resist peer pressure, and create a much healthier home environment.”

He explained, based on the stages of normal child development, that we need to clearly define the world that the children are living in, where they feel competent, and how they learn (or lose the opportunity to learn) to navigate life’s challenges and social difficulties.

“If we don’t discriminate between ‘real time’ and ‘tech time,’ we are stealing from our children the opportunity to follow normal development.

Children who are immersed in gaming, chats, or social media are missing out on unstructured play skills, social interactions with peers, and lack the ability to be creative.

The lack of authority over our children’s development has long lingering consequences.”

He compared technology

to a car, which not only needs safety precautions and instruments such as a seatbelt and airbag, but also needs training on how to use it correctly.

Working to develop appropriate, reasonable, and integral boundaries to technology use is essential to keeping our children safe.

Technology is an ever-evolving entity. But our values are not. Our values, though they vary from family to family, are all rooted in the Torah. Rabbi Robinson explained that the approach to chinuch in technology is rooted in the Torah, as Chazal tell us, “Push away with the left, and bring close with the right.” After explaining several practical ways to create boundaries, such as tech-free times and tech-free zones, and creating “family devices” instead of “personal devices,” he explained that parents must believe that these measures should be implemented out of love for their children, and not out of frustration.

“Your children should know that too,” he said. “Tell them that you are teaching them self-control because you love them. Explain to them that you are empowering them to take control of their decisions because you love them – and, ultimately, they will thank you!”

Rabbi Zev Davidowitz, Menahel of the Silber Mechina, also addressed the audience. “Unfortunately, we have seen with our own eyes, how a pure child in the younger grades – the lichdige kid with a twinkle in his eye – is gone by the time he’s in seventh grade.

“It was simply a series of small steps, which one thing led to the next, which led to the next and before you know it your child is in too deep.”

Rabbi Yehuda Kamenetzky, M.Ed., NCC, School Guid-

Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, Rosh Yeshiva, and Rabbi Avraham Robinson, Menahel of Elementary Division of YOSS, presenting at the “Keeping Tech in Check” Workshop

ance Counselor, and Mr. Eli Fogel, LMSW, Directors of Guidance and Counseling at YOSS, also spoke shortly. They described the importance of how to develop a child’s “moral compass” which directs him or her to say “that’s not for me,” as well as the addictive tendencies technology can come along with.

Rabbi Davidowitz discussed how children addicted to social media develop a distorted perspective that will never change and will have devastating effects which can take years to overcome. “Unfortunately,” he commented, “We have seen the fallout all over the world. Broken families, broken people, and even suicide are directly linked to social media engagement, and unfortunately, we have seen these shattering effects in the Jewish community as well.”

The content of the “Keep Tech in Check” program deals directly with these issues, and, if followed properly and diligently, will prevent these problems.

Those who attended the workshop took the first step.

But many of the over 230 families who attended the workshop have taken the second

step as well, by committing to three specific guidelines, tailored for each family’s needs, to take control of their children’s tech usage.

“By joining together with a group commitment, we are eliminating the ‘everybody has one!’ excuse, to which many parents cave, against their better judgment,” Rabbi Robinson said.

But this was not only a one-night event. A committee of YOSS mothers are planning monthly meetings through the LinkUp organization, to bond together to share ideas and advice, and to gain valuable chizuk and camaraderie with one common goal.

YOSS talmidim who sign up will also be treated to incentives and monthly prizes and will earn special recognition for doing their part to keep their tech in-check.

“Keeping Tech in Check is not just a program,” Rabbi Robinson concluded. “This is a movement – which has already begun!”

As the parents left the filled beis medrash in YOSS with a clear plan, clear guidelines, and valuable user-friendly skills to succeed, they all felt the same.

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HAFTR Students and Rebbi to Run With Team Lifeline

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his campaign took on a life of its own in the most amazing way,” explains Rachel Hersko, a nurse and mother from Woodmere who will be running in the Miami Marathon on February 6th for Chai Lifeline.

“As more and more people heard about what we were trying to do and how much this means to Jacob, people just wanted to be a part of this experience, and within a short amount of time we had 26 people signed up for Team Jacob and have raised close to $150,000 for Chai Lifeline.”

Rachel’s son, Jacob, a student at HAFTR elementary school, was born 11 years ago and soon after birth was diagnosed with a severe digestive condition requiring the removal of most of his small intestine. He spent most of his first year in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and remains dependent on a feeding tube until today. Over the course of his life, the family became closely connected to Chai Lifeline, the international children’s health organization that helps patients and families coping with the challenges of lifelong and life-threatening illness.

For the past three years, Jacob has attended the organization’s Camp Simcha Special summer camp exclusively dedicated to these children.

Rachel says that “Team Jacob” is full of people closest to his heart – grandparents, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and Jacob’s HAFTR classmates – runners who know Jacob and welcome the chance to be able to give back to an or-

ganization that has given so much to their family.

“Jacob’s school friends were incredible,” said Rachel. “They put together a bake sale, they made and got permission to sell Team Jacob kippas at school. And then one by one, they decided to sign up and run for Jacob in the Marathon. It snowballed in the most amazing way.”

Joining Team Jacob is his HAFTR class rabbi, Rabbi Chaim Siff.

“When some of my students asked if I wanted to contribute to their fundraiser, I was happy to,” said Rabbi Siff. “When I found out it was to raise money in honor of their friend, my wonderful student, and Chai Lifeline, I knew I wanted to take part in a bigger way. Camp Simcha means a lot to our family, and we have seen what it can do for a child.”

Team Jacob is part of the broader “Team Lifeline,” a delegation of 420 runners from around the country who are all united in their passion to help raise critical funds for children with life-threatening or lifelong illness.

“You don’t realize how much you need the help until you are in the situation,” Rachel recalls.

Team Lifeline members will gather in Miami and include runners of all ages and skill levels.

Within the delegation are numerous recovered patients, family members of sick children, and those running in memory of those who have lost their battles with illness.

“Those who join our team are not simply unit-

Snapshots from the 2019 Miami Marathon. Courtesy of the Hersko family and Chai Lifeline

ed in the personal goal of crossing the finish line or crossing this off their bucket list,” said Moshe Turk, Director of Team Lifeline. “They are a special caliber of people, connected by a sense of dedication and determination to use this experience to help others.”

Rabbi Simcha Scholar, CEO of Chai Lifeline, saluted the runners and said he takes great pride in the community that comes together in support of Chai Lifeline families. “Each year, we are more and more encouraged by how many choose to come out and train for these physically challenging events.

Literally every step that these athletes will be taking is helping a sick child and family, and that is an incredible thing to witness and support.”

YCQ Girls Melave Malka

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he Grade 4 Girls Melave Malka held at Yeshiva of Central Queens (YCQ) on Motzei Shabbos, January 9, was a marvelous event! The girls were accompanied by their mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and sisters, to enjoy a night full of creative projects, beautiful performances, a meaningful shiur presented by guest speaker Mrs. Amit Yaghoubi, and a delicious dairy dinner.

Melave Malka (Escorting the Queen) is the name of a meal that, as per halacha, is customarily held after Shabbat. The intent of the meal is to figuratively escort the “Shabbat Queen” on her way out via musical performances, singing and eating, as one would escort a monarch upon departure from a city. This meal is alternatively called “the fourth meal.”

Reported Mrs. Melissa Cohen, Elementary School Assistant Principal of General Studies at YCQ, “We wanted to create an opportunity for the girls to spend quality time

with their mothers or special family members in a fun and spiritually uplifting atmosphere. It was a time for students to bond with each other, their families, and their teachers, while enjoying delicious food, creating a beautiful art project together, and listening to words of inspiration and chizuk. We also wanted to give the girls a chance to shine, which they certainly did, as they gave beau-

tiful musical performances up on stage. We were all so proud of our incredible students, and most importantly, they were extremely proud of themselves. It was an evening that was truly enjoyed by all.”

“The goal of the event was to create a warm and beautiful Motzei Shabbat atmosphere where the Grade 4 girls could engage in a meaningful lesson about emunah, spiritu-

ality, and connection with Hashem,” stated Rabbi Michael Ribalt, Elementary School Assistant Principal of Judaic Studies at YCQ. Thank you to all the members of our YCQ community who attended, and to the very special organizers of the event, Rabbi Ribalt, Mrs. Cohen, Mrs. Shirley Pourad, Morah Silverstein, and Morah Friedman, for an unforgettable evening.

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Around the Community

Eitan Katz visited the home of Rabbi Shonek and his eighth grade students at YOSS during their Thursday night Mishmar

New NCSY Conference Provides Jewish Public School Youth Leaders with Valuable Skills and Opportunities

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li R., a junior at a public high school in Dallas, Texas, that enrolls about 2,000 students, estimates he’s one of only about 10 who are Jewish. But that didn’t stop him from starting a Jewish club – a branch of NCSY’s Jewish Student Union (JSU) when he was a freshman.

“The club meetings don’t get a ton of students, but we’ve been attracting a few more steadily over the years,” he said. “I’m happy with whatever showing we get because I know it’s slowly building community, and Jewish community is the basis on which I believe all Jews can have pride in who they are.”

This past fall, Eli joined 80 other Jewish student leaders attending public schools who came from across the country in New Jersey for the first-ever JSU Presidents’ Conference, a two-day mission designed to instill critical leadership skills and the opportunity to grapple with timely Jewish issues before returning to their public high schools where they oversee JSU clubs.

JSU clubs are an initiative of NCSY, the Orthodox Union’s Jewish youth movement. The program is designed for Jewish students who attend public schools to learn more about their heritage, forge a connection to Israel and meet other Jewish teens.

Founded in 2002, JSU was recently boosted by a $3 million gift – the Katz Family Initiative Driving Impact in JSU – by Jewish philanthropists Becky and Avi Katz.

NCSY’s 300+ JSU clubs in 21 U.S. states and multiple Canadian cities serve more than 12,000 teens, providing Jewish cultural experiences and learning with the help of Jewish role models and a connection to their peers nationwide. In addition to teaching about Judaism, the clubs focus on incorporating fun and social connections through Chanukah parties, Shabbat dinners, and other events.

JSU presidents frequently run clubs against a backdrop of limited Jewish engagement and identity; they must be particularly self-motivated, inspired, and undaunted to found and lead the clubs.

At meetings, they, along with JSU advisers, students explore topics ranging from the meaning behind Jewish traditions to learning to deal with people who are anti-Israel.

Eli said he especially appreciated the JSU Presidents’ Conference because he had the opportunity to share the struggles and triumphs of running a JSU club with others who could not only relate, but also share their own hard-won insight into topics such as recruitment strategies and conducting club meetings over Zoom. The conference included a variety of training and sessions on topics such as networking and creating lesson plans.

Becky and Avi Katz, longtime supporters of causes that champion Jewish engagement and pride, were on-hand for much of the conference.

“It was a profoundly encouraging experience to see these young Jewish leaders engage with and, by extension, enrich each other and see themselves as part of a greater whole,” said Avi. “Throughout the conference, you could see students sharing ideas, best practices, successes and struggles,” Becky observed. The creation of this in-

formal network was an outgrowth from the conference that we didn’t expect but are so thankful for as the impact is so powerful and ongoing.”

Rabbi Micah Greenland, NCSY’s international director, noted the powerful impact of the Katzes’ generosity: “Investing in the leadership of the JSU clubs has an incredible ripple effect on other teens throughout the country. This conference is a magnificent platform to leverage strong student leaders by providing them skills and networking opportunities to engage their peers. I am grateful to Becky and Avi for their vision in making this possible.”

With their establishment of the Katz Family Initiative, the Katzes have enabled the creation and continuity of the Presidents’ Conferences and other programs that amplify JSU’s impact. The gift also created a new position – national director of JSU, held by Devora Simon.

“It was a privilege to drive a gathering of thoughtful and deeply committed Jewish teens at the first-ever JSU Presidents’ Conference,” Devora said. “The ownership of their Judaism and passion for building their JSU communities was clear in the presentations, in their interactions, and most importantly, their commitment to bring it all back home. I’m grateful for Avi and Becky’s generosity in enabling JSU to bring together these teens who will play an integral part in the Jewish future.”

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Chaverim Membership Appreciation Dinner

Rabbi Moshe Hamel, coordinator, Yoni Dembitzer, Vice President of the JCCRP, New York State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr., Rabbi Mayer Kramer, founder, and Binyamin Lipsky, coordinator

O

n Thursday, January 13, over 50 members of Chaverim of the Five Towns and Rockaways gathered at their 13th annual Member Appreciation Dinner held at Ateres Eitz Chaim of Cedarhurst. The dinner celebrates the Chaverim participants, all of whom are volunteers who give hours of their time to help motorists in need.

During the delicious buffet dinner, New York State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. and Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers addressed the members and described their great admiration for Chaverim. We would like to thank Yoni Dembitzer, Vice President of the Jewish Community Council of the Rockaway Peninsula, Village of Cedarhurst Trustee Israel Wasser, and Pesach Osina for coming out on a very busy night and showing their sup-

port for Chaverim.

A special mention of appreciation to Rabbi Shalom Axelrod, rav of the vibrant community of Young Israel of Woodmere, who gave an inspiring dvar Torah to the members about the importance of the work they do for our community. In addition, we would like to mention Cedarhurst Trustee Israel Wasser, Community Liaison P’nina Gluck and Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato who gave Chaverim a plaque for all their dedicated community work.

Following the awards and speeches was the highly anticipated entertainment, featuring Marc Garfinkel who performed some mind-boggling mentalism and illusions which left everyone in hysterical laughter and amazement.

Most importantly, the members came away inspired, knowing that what they do

makes a real difference in the community and is greatly appreciated.

2021 was a very busy and successful year for Chaverim. We received over 5,000 calls – a record for Chaverim – with over 90% of the responses within 10 minutes or less. We also run Defensive Driving Class programs (see details below) and car-seat safety inspection events throughout the year. Chaverim is also planning to continue their program to teach many basic car functionalities to new drivers in high schools throughout the community. Please stay tuned for new developments by following us on social media and our website.

Chaverim is a 501c3, 100% volunteer organization. Please help support us by making a donation on our website (https://chaverim5t. org) so that we can continue

(L-R) Rabbi Mayer Kramer, Rabbi Sholom Axelrod, rabbi of the Young Israel of Woodmere, and Binyamin Lipsky

Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers, Rabbi Mayer Kramer, and Binyamin Lipsky

to help you in your time of need!

Upcoming Defensive

Driving Class: February 7 at 7:00 PM or February 20 at 10 AM at Kehillas Bais Yehuda Tzvi. For more information, please go to https:// w w w.c h a v e r i m 5 t .or g / book-online or send an email to info@chaverim5t.org or call us at (516) 331-1460.

Chaverim Emergency Help Line: (718) 337-1800 or send us a Twitter direct message “@Chaverim5t” with your name, location, problem and phone number, and a dispatcher will get back to you ASAP. Chaverim Info Line: (516) 331-1460, P.O. Box 701, Lawrence, NY 11559.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

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New Study Disproves Myth that Orthodox Jews Resist Mental Health Treatment

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or years, experts have believed that Orthodox Jews resist treatment for mental illness.

New research led by Dr. Steven Tzvi Pirutinsky, associate professor at Touro College Graduate School of Social Work, busts that stereotype. The findings were published last week in Transcultural Psychiatry.

The study authors compared 191 Orthodox Jews to 154 similar non-Orthodox people, both Jews and non-Jews. “When it comes to deciding to seek therapy, sticking with therapy over time and willingness to use prescription medicines for mental health, the two groups were remarkably similar,” said Dr. Pirutinsky.

Orthodox patients had fewer symptoms when they started mental health treatment than the non-Orthodox control group, indicating a willingness to seek care before their issues became overwhelming. They also stayed in therapy for more sessions.

Anxiety disorder was the most

common symptom for which people sought treatment. It affected 68 percent of people studied. Depression was the second most common, affecting 38 percent, while obsessive-compulsive disorder affected 24 percent.

There are several possible explanations for this. First the historic role of mentorship in the Jewish community and cultural value of seeking self-knowledge make people more likely to seek out expert advice. Also, Jewish culture and halacha highly prioritize preservation of health. This religious obligation may be particularly important to the Orthodox community and may encourage members to seek treatment or therapy, despite concerns regarding stigma.

The Orthodox Jewish group and the control group were demographically similar in terms of gender, age, income, or employment status. However, Orthodox patients were more likely to be married and White and were less likely to have completed a secondary degree. About half of the

study participants took prescription medicine for their mental health. The study also compared modern Orthodox and Haredi Jews and found that they also were similar.

“The myth that Orthodox Jews are resistant to mental healthcare is outdated and out of place. Reinforcing that outmoded stereotype in the media and other forums only provokes anxiety and unnecessary fear of stigma. Orthodox Jewish patients are moving past the stigma; the media must keep up with them,” said Dr. Pirutinsky.

Based on the study findings, Pirutinsky recommends that therapists and community mental health programs reach out to engage those at risk, since they are more likely to seek treatment than previously assumed.

“It’s also important for therapists treating people who express concerns about stigma to explore the issue with the specific individual and not to automatically attribute these concerns to religion or culture. While thera-

Dr. Steven Tzvi Pirutinsky, professor at Touro College Graduate School of Social Work

pists should be sensitive to religious patients, exceptional accommodations to maintain privacy and encourage adherence may be unnecessary, since these might interfere with treatment and could actually increase communication stigma and reinforce negative and outdated beliefs.”

For more information on Touro Graduate School of Social Work, visit gssw.touro.edu.

Ezra Academy Takes the Edge Off Before Midterms

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ike all high schools, Ezra Academy just finished their rigorous midterms. Understanding the intensity of this time period, the school decided to help the students prepare a little differently. To create a calmer, less-stressed midterm atmosphere, the school hosted a Melava Malka for the students. On Motzei Shabbat, January 8th, the students and their teachers all came to school

for an enjoyable evening. The night began with some pizza, soda and hanging out. This was followed by a magic show by Yechiel Ungar. His card tricks were simply mind-blowing and had everyone enthralled throughout the show. After the magician disappeared, the evening shifted gears, and everyone prepared for a kumzits. Sruli Prero led us in beautiful niggunim and shared some words

of chizuk and inspiration.

To continue building on this energy, Rabbi Geller held a small shabbaton in the middle of midterms. He invited the senior boys who attend his Kollel program as well as a hand full of alumni and two married alumni with their wives. Rabbi Fink, one of the other rabbeim in school, also attended with his family. The Shabbaton was held in Toms River, NJ,

and was hosted by one of the members of the Traveling Chassidim, Naftali Felfelkorn. Over the course of Shabbat, all of the boys (including Srule Geller) shared divrei Torah. We would like to thank Rabbi and Mrs. Rotberg for hosting the oneg and Mr. and Mrs. Devor for hosting the Melava Malka where Rabbi Freilich, the school’s dean, joined us.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

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Fire ‘Em Up! All Mishnah Jr. at HAFTR Middle School

O

n Thursday, January 12, Rav Asher Tesser and the OU video production team made a special visit to HAFTR Middle School to film the All Mishnah Jr. student ambassadors and experience their excitement for this new Torah learning initiative. OU President Mr.

Winter Learning at CAHAL

Moishe Bane even made time in his busy schedule to tour HAFTR Middle School, break out in song with some classes in the midst of Torah learning, and congratulate the students on their incredible accomplishments.

Rav Chaim Siff has spearheaded the program and takes his lunch peri-

od to run three opportunities for students to drop in and learn the daily Mishnayot during lunch with special slideshows and interactive elements.

HAFTR Middle School is proud to already have over 100 students signed up for All Mishnah Jr. The HAFTR Middle School All

Mishnah Jr. student ambassadors are sixth graders Reanna Frand, Reagan Adelstein, Mordechai Werzberger, and Meir Zrihen, seventh graders Ruth Wallach, Eli Appel, and Sammy Mayer, and eighth graders Noa Sharon, Sasha Bokor, and Avi Pultman.

Bringing Homer’s Odyssey to Life

S

tudents in Morah Keren Englard’s Shulamith Pre-1A CAHAL class are having a great time learning about winter. They measured, mixed, and baked their very own delicious winter cookies.

They also connected this experience to learning the letter ches and the Hebrew sight word choref, which means winter.

M

TA freshmen put both their English and creativity skills to work and designed innovative projects for their end-of-semester English Literature assessment on Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. The talmidim created board games, brochures, websites, and presentations to advertise a travel adventure, as well as movie posters, storyboards, and trailers for imagined film adaptations and digital retellings of the epic.

“This hands-on, project-based assessment provided the talmi-

dim with an opportunity to utilize the skills they developed in class throughout the semester and bring learning to life,” shared MTA English Department Chair and Instructor Mrs. Hadassah Siegfried. “Their creativity is inspiring and demonstrates their mastery of all that we have learned together.”

Each class also had the chance to showcase their projects to their fellow classmates and teachers, who were all extremely impressed by their hard work and creativity.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

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Around the Community

The 13 Colonies at YOSS

Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky, Rosh Yeshiva of Darchei Torah’s Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid, at the home of Rav Dovid Cohen, Rosh Yeshivas Chevron.

M

r. Richter’s fifth graders at YOSS are extremely excited about Social Studies. The class just completed a unit on the development of the colonies and uncovered what life was like in the 13 English Colonies. Centers focusing on a variety of activities are allowing the boys to analyze and differentiate the economies of each set of colonies. They are exploring the harsh terrain and lively fishing industries of the New England Colo-

nies, the fruitfulness of the “breadbasket” or Middle Colonies, and the excellent growing seasons of the Southern Colonies. At the same time, the boys are enjoying learning about all the different careers of the colonists such as blacksmiths, coopers, dressmakers, farmers, merchants, and surveyors.

It is truly amazing to look back in time to see how interesting life in the colonies truly was and how life has developed through the years.

Karate Kids at IVDU LI

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he students of IVDU LI have been privileged to host a weekly karate class with Master Eli Chaikin of Pakua Long Island for the past year and a half.

Master Eli has been teaching the students not only how to punch and kick, but about the need for self-discipline, in order to achieve greater goals both in karate and in their day-to-day lives.

Master Eli has been coming

weekly to IVDU LI to train the students, but this week, the students were fortunate to join Master Eli at his studio at Pakua LI in Hewlett.

The students enjoyed this trip, giving them the full karate experience.

Master Eli was able to challenge the class to use new equipment to hone their skills.

The students look forward to returning to the studio and expanding their karate skills.

On Monday, Mr. Sheeko came to visit HALB. When he was 11 years old, Mr. Sheeko marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. He shared his experiences with our 4th through 8th grade students. It was a truly insightful, educational, and inspiring day for HALB.

Did you know?

The tires of a Boeing KC-135 jet tanker’s landing gear is made of enough material to make 100 automobile tires

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Senior Gedolim to Grace Two Massive Siyumim at the Mifal HaPayis Stadium in Yerushalayim Celebrating the Completion of the Second Machzor of Dirshu Daf HaYomi B’Halacha

By Chaim Gold

F

or two nights next month, one of the storied, massive stadiums in Eretz Yisrael will undergo a remarkable transformation, a transformation that screams two words: “Kiddush Hashem.” Instead of a basketball game or secular concert, the arena will become a massive bais medrash graced by senior Gedolei Yisrael celebrating a new cadre of tens of thousands of new “Mishnah Berurah Yidden,” Yidden who have completed the entire Daf HaYomi B’Halacha cycle of all six chalakim of Mishnah Berurah.

As we are in the final weeks before completing the second machzor of Dirshu’s Daf HaYomi B’Halacha daily Mishnah Berurah learning program, all eyes are focusing on the Mifal HaPayis Arena Stadium in Yerushalayim.

Yidden the world over and especially lomdei Dirshu in Eretz Yisrael are greatly anticipating the two events to be held on Thursday, 9 Adar I/February 10 and again, two nights later on Motzoei Shabbos, 11 Adar I/February 12 at the same venue.

Why is Dirshu making two gala siyumim? To accommodate the massive crowds! There is simply no indoor venue large enough to accommodate the tens of thousands who seek to attend the Siyum and celebrate the ultimate simchas haTorah of the distinguished lomdei Dirshu, together with so many fellow Yidden.

On the same two nights there will be simultaneous special events for Neshei Dirshu, the heroic Dirshu wives who will gather at the Keter Harimon Hall in Bnei Brak on Thursday and at the Binyanei Haumah Convention Center on motzoei Shabbos for two unique women’s programs that will feature selected livestreams from the Mifal HaPayis Arena.

Dirshu is Not Just a Program – It’s a Way of Life!

Why the major events? Dirshu isn’t just a program, it’s a way of life, an approach to life that makes limud haTorah paramount with verifiable yedias haTorah and yedias halacha the ultimate goal.

The senior Gedolei Yisrael from literally across the spectrum have recognize Dirshu’s contribution to the ful-

ed, enriched, and enhanced their lives.

Throughout the evenings, the women will also get to participate in choice moments of the men’s siyum through a live-feed providing inspirational highlights such as the actual siyum or the entrance of the senior Gedolim.

Shabbos in…Vilna!

Meanwhile, this Shabbos, Dirshu is slated to embark on its first in the series of World Siyumim, the European L-R: HaRav Chaim Kanievsky and HaRav Gershon Edelstein at a previous Siyum in Vilna, culminating in a gala Dirshu World Siyum in Yad Eliyahu Melava Malka Siyum.

The Vilna Shabbos was slated to lom Cohen, shlita, and HaGaon HaRav filment of the Divine promise of ki lo sishochach m’pi zaro – that Torah will Shimon Baadani, shlita, will also grace be preceded on Thursday by a deeply never be forgotten from Klal Yisrael. the gathering as well as the Gedolei moving tefillah gathering at the kever That is why they have always attend en- Ho’admorim from Eretz Yisrael such as of the Chofetz Chaim in Radin where couraged and addressed major Dirshu the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, shlita, the Sanzer the Gedolei Yisrael and the entire assiyumim which are synonymous with Rebbe, shlita, and numerous others. semblage pour out in tefillah on behalf phenomenal kavod haTorah and kavod of Klal Yisrael, begging Hashem that in Dirshu is a Family Affair for lomdei Torah. the Chofetz Chaim’s merit, more and In all truth, Dirshu is not just the more Yidden should incorporate daily Who can forget the previous World Siyum marking the completion of the domain of the lomed Dirshu. Being part halacha into their lives. first machzor of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha of Dirshu has an impact on the entire The trip to Radin was by no means which was graced by the venerated se- family! The neshei Dirshu, the won- the only highlight. The historic Shabnior Rosh Yeshiva of that time, HaGaon derful wives of those who participate bos was to feature hundreds of Yidden HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman who, in Dirshu’s program, are an absolutely led by the rabbanim of Europe. Includdespite his 100 years of age, not only integral component in its success. It ed was also a prominent delegation came but expended the tremendous ef- is they who hold down the home fort of rabbanim and lomdei Dirshu from when their husbands are out learning, America. fort to address the siyum?!

At that siyum of the machzor ris- chazering, and preparing for his bechihon of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha, there nah. It is they who happily send and enMazal Tov Klal Yisrael!

Whether it is Europe or the multiple, was a hush as Rav Shteinman, in his courage their husbands to go and learn soft voice, cited the Gemara that “a Daf HaYomi B’Halacha or other Dirshu stadium-sized siyumim to be held in gathering of tzaddikim is good for them programs every day. It is also they who Eretz Yisrael, one thing is constant and and good for the world. A gathering of reap the benefits of the unique atmo- consistent: lomdei Dirshu will derive Reshaim is bad for them and bad for the sphere of a Dirshu home, a home where tremendous chizuk from Gedolei Yisraworld.” Rav Shteinman said forcefully, Torah learning, Torah living, and most el such as the Rosh Yeshiva of Chevron, “It is good to make gatherings like this! importantly ahavas haTorah, reveling HaGaon HaRav Dovid Cohen, shlita, They strengthen us all, especially in in the Torah is part and parcel of the the Rosh Yeshiva of Slabodka, HaGaon [difficult times] like this. In this zechus very fabric of the home.

HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, shlita, the may all of us merit kol tuv!”

It is for this reason that Dirshu’s Vizhinitzer Rebbe, shlita, the Belzer Indeed, gatherings such as the one hanhalah led by its Nasi, Rav Dovid Rebbe, shlita, the Sanzer Rebbe, shlita, that will take place in just two weeks Hofstedter, shlita, has created a re- HaGaon HaRav Shimon Baadani, shliserve to strengthen Klal Yisrael by the markable, live, simultaneous wom- ta, HaGaon HaRav Boruch Mordechai very virtue of the fact that those pres- en’s program to coincide with the two Ezrachi, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Ateres ent merit to see the senior gedolim of World Siyumim at the Mifal HaPayis Yisrael, HaGaon HaRav Shimon Galei, Arena stadium. Dirshu wives will gath- shlita, Hagaon HaRav Leizer Yehuda our time.

It is hoped that be’ezras Hashem, er at both the Keter Harimon Hall and Finkel, shlita, HaGaon HaRav Binyhealth permitting, the luminaries of at the large Binyanei Haumah Con- omin Finkel, shlita, and so many others today’s generation such as the Sar ha- vention Center for two heartwarming, who have attended previous siyumim Torah, Maran, HaGaon HaRav Chaim chizuk-infused siyumim that will fea- and who, b’ezras Hashem, in good Kanievsky, shlita, and the Zekan ro- ture unique programing for women. health will be able to attend the upcomshei yeshivos of our generation Maran In addition to inspirational speakers, a ing siyum, to celebrate the fact that YidHaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein, most beautiful, tasteful musical perfor- den from across the world have brought shlita, will attend, as well as HaGaon mance will be held. Another highlight Hashem into their lives by learning daiHaRav Berel Povarsky, shlita, Rosh will be the testimonials of Dirshu wives ly halacha.

Yeshivas Ponovezh. The venerated Sep- sharing with their fellow Dirshu sisters Mazal tov, lomdei Dirshu! Mazal tov hardic Gaonim, HaGaon HaRav Sha- how being part of Dirshu has impact- Klal Yisrael!

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

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TJH

Centerfold You Gotta Be Kidding Me!

Words of Wisdom Once, flying on Air Force One, JFK was asked by a reporter what would happen if the aircraft crashed.

Kennedy smiled. “I am sure of one thing,” he said, “your name would be in the paper the next day, but in very small print.”

Jimbo and Bubba rent a boat and go fishing in a lake. They are amazed at the number of fish that they catch that day, so Jimbo says to Bubba, “We’ll have to come back here tomorrow!”

Bubba asks, “But how will we remember where this spot is?”

Jimbo says, “Simple.”

He takes a can of spray paint, paints an X on the bottom of the boat, and says, “We’ll just look for this X tomorrow.”

Bubba says, “You fool! How do you know we’ll get the same boat?”

Riddle Me This?

John wanted to get into a members-only club so he hid and watched the guard at the door of the clubhouse. The guard said a number to each member as they approached, and the member would respond with a number of their own. If the member responded with the correct number, they were let in. If they responded incorrectly, they were thrown out.

One member came up to the door, the guard said twelve, and the member responded with six and was let in. Another member came to the door, the guard said six and the member responded with three and was let in.

Believing he had heard enough, John went up to the guard. The guard said ten, and John said five, but was not let in. What should John have said?

Answer: He should have said three – the number of letters in the word “ten” that the guard said.

1.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Inventions Trivia 1. Mechanical engineer Whitcomb Judson developed this idea just in time for the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 but was overshadowed by the Ferris wheel. Nowadays, it’s on everything from pencil cases to coats, pants, boots, backpacks and a plethora of other items. What was it? a. Patch kits b. Buttons c. Plastic fasteners d. The zipper

b. 1786 c. 1895 d. 1928 3. Where was Coke invented? a. Kentucky b. England c. Georgia d. New York

5. Who invented the concept of two pages facing each other which are filled with great fun facts, information, humor, and anything else that interests this particular brilliant inventor (which is not much else)? a. TJH Centerfold Commissioner b. TJH Centerfold Commissioner

2. When was sliced bread introduced? a. 1257

4. What was the TV remote called when it was first invented in the 1950s? a. Lazy bones b. Detached activation device c. The Ultrasonic d. Cellular remote

6. Who invented the telephone? a. Thomas Edison b. Adley Trenton Todem (a.k.a “AT&T”) c. Alexander Graham Bell d. Elisha Gray

Answer Key: 1. D- Judson’s original concept of the “clasp-locker” was a hook-andeye device intended to replace shoelaces and buttons on boots. Nowadays, if you look at your zipper, you’ll usually see the initials YKK. It stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushibibaisha, the world’s largest zipper manufacturer.

2. D- Otto Frederick Rohwedder of Davenport, Iowa, invented the first loaf-at-a-time bread-slicing machine.

A prototype he built in 1912 was destroyed in a fire, and it was not until 1928 that Rohwedder had a fully working machine ready. The first commercial use of the machine was by the Chillicothe Baking Company of Chillicothe, Missouri, which produced their first slices on July 7, 1928.

3. C 4. A- The first TV remote control, called “Lazy Bones,” was developed in 1950 by Zenith Electronics. The Lazy Bones used a cable that ran from the

TV set to the viewer. By pushing buttons on the remote control, viewers rotated the tuner clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on whether they wanted to change the channel to a higher or lower number.

5. A and B- The best invention ever – me!

6. C- In the 1870s, Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell both independently designed devices that could transmit speech electrically (the telephone). Both men rushed their respective designs to the patent office within hours of each other; Alexander Graham Bell patented his telephone first. Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell entered into a famous legal battle over the invention of the telephone, which Bell won. By the way, Bell disliked telephones so much that he refused to have one in his office.

When Bell passed away in 1922, every telephone served by the Bell System in the USA and Canada was silent for one minute.

Invention Key: 5-6 correct: You really know a lot of useless information.

3-4 correct: Not bad. I am sure you are really proud that you knew where Coke was invented.

0-2 correct: A famous entrepreneur who owned a car company once sued a journalist for publishing an article in which he accused the carmaker of being dumb. At the trial, the attorney for the defendant quizzed the entrepreneur on several random topics in order to show that, in fact, the entrepreneur was dumb.

The entrepreneur responded that not knowing about random facts didn’t make him dumb because if he really needed that information he could just buy a $2 encyclopedia; it’s the guy that actually spends his time memorizing the useless information as opposed to spending his time building car companies that is dumb.

So, as long as you own a car company, don’t feel bad.

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3

Torah Thought

Parshas Yisro

By Rabbi Berel Wein

A

literal reading of the parsha tells us that Yisro, who was the high priest of Midian and the father-in-law of Moshe, saw of the events of the Exodus from Egypt and, according to Rashi based on Midrash, saw the battle the Jewish people fought against Amalek.

The Torah implies, and Rashi states openly, that upon hearing of these events, Yisro was propelled to

leave his home and to come into the desert to accompany the Jewish people, at least initially, on their travels through the Sinai Desert. The Torah does not tell us how he heard about these events, but, apparently, they were of such earth-shattering proportions, that the news spread rapidly throughout the Middle East.

From the verses in the song of Moshe and the Jewish people at the

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splitting of the waters of Yam Suf it is obvious that Yisro was not alone in hearing about these wonderous events. The verse says that all the nations of the area were also astounded to hear of these miracles and to realize that a new nation had been born from the slavery of Egypt. Yet, the reaction of the people in those countries, and especially that of Amalek, certainly differed greatly from the response of Yisro to the very same news.

The nations of the world chose either to oppose the news by attacking the Jewish people, or, mostly, to simply ignore it as not being worthy of their concern.

law of Moshe, he also had a personal vested interest in visiting his family, but, nevertheless, it must be recorded to his credit, that he uprooted himself to join the Jewish people in their travels through the desert.

One of the great tests in life is how one responds to news that is momentous and unexpected, that makes it necessary to change one’s habits and life direction. Jews often piously – and I do not doubt their sincerity when they say it – put off momentous decisions until the Messiah arrives.

But the little I know of human nature teaches me that even when the Messiah arrives, there will be many who will not be willing to change their life

One of the great tests in life is how one responds to news that is momentous and unexpected.

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People are so confirmed in their inertia that even when there is an event that obviously is historic and earth-shattering, but which would, at the same time, cause a reassessment of their own lives, attitudes, and policies, they will, in the main, either deny the news, besmirch the miracle, or ignore the matter completely.

It is to the credit of Yisro that he chose to act positively upon hearing of the events that occurred to the Jewish people in their exodus from Egypt. Of course, being the father-in-

pattern, sell everything to join the Jewish people in the land of Israel, with all the accompanying hardships that inevitably will be involved.

People hear many things – many times very important things – but this knowledge does not necessarily imply that they are willing to act upon them in a positive and productive manner. Yisro is eternally privileged to have a portion of the Torah in his name because he heard and, shortly thereafter, he acted.

Shabbat shalom.

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From the Fire Parshas Yisro

Learning to Fly

By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

W

e know that the hakdama, the introduction to a sefer, is the neshama, the soul, of the sefer. Therefore, the pesukim that introduce Kabbalas HaTorah, the Jewish people’s acceptance of the Torah, are the essence of what it means to receive the Torah.

They teach us what we need to know to personally receive the Torah.

The hakdama, introduction, to Kabbalas HaTorah, our acceptance of the Torah, are the pesukim (Shemos 19:5-6), “And you shall be a treasured nation to me from all of the nations...and you shall be to me a kingdom of kohanim, a holy nation.”

But the neshama of the neshama, the soul of the soul, of our acceptance of the Torah is (Shemos 19:4) “And I will lift you up on eagle’s wings and bring you to me.” We know how Rashi says that this means that just as an eagle carries its babies on its back to protect them from arrows, Hashem protected us from the Egyptians’ arrows with the Cloud of Glory, but there is also a deeper message as well.

There is a seeming contradiction between the Navi Yeshaya’s description of the angels in our Haftara and Yechezkel’s description. In Yeshaya 6:2, it says, “The Seraphim stand above him with six wings for each one, he covered his face with two, he covered his feet with two, and he flew with two.” In Yechezekl 1:6, however, it says about the angels, “And each one had four wings.” How do we reconcile the four-winged angel of Yechezkel with the six-winged angel of Yeshaya?

The Gemara in Chagiga 13b answers this apparent contradiction

by saying that “these [the six-winged angels of Yeshaya] were at the time when the Beis Hamikdash stood, and these [the four-winged angels of Yechezkel] were at the time when the Bais Hamikdash no longer stood, because the wings of the Chayos had been diminished.” The angels had lost their wings. The Gemara continues by discussing which of the three sets of wings were lost. The Mekubalim accept the opinion that it was the wings that allowed the angels to fly which were lost. It was this set of wings that they used to say shira, their song, to Hashem.

In seforim hakedoshim, we find that this teaches us not only about the status of the angels since the Churban, the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash. It also teaches us that since that time, we have also, for the most part, lost the ability to fly, to soar above physicality and elevate ourselves above the world.

There have been certain tzaddikim, however, who have managed to get their wings back and soar. Rav Uri of Strelisk was known as the “Seraph,” the fiery angel. Rav Mendel of Kotzsk

was also known as the “Seraph,” the fiery angel. In fact, there is a story that when Rav Mendel of Kotzsk’s son-in-law, the Avnei Nezer, lost his wife (the Kotzker’s daughter), the chevra kadisha brought him a sample text for her matzeivah, headstone, which read “daughter of the Seraph.” The Avnei Nezer told them to make one change. He said that the matzeivah should say “daughter of the flying Seraph.” As the Gemara in Sanhedrin 93a says, “Tzaddikim are greater than the ministering angels.” Human beings, therefore, can fly even higher than angels, if they guard their wings.

The Mishna in Avos (5:18) commands us, “Be as brazen as a leopard, as light as an eagle, run like a deer, and be strong like a lion to do the will of your Father in heaven.”

Why does it say to be as light as an eagle? There are many other birds, like the sparrow, which are lighter than an eagle. It must mean that despite the heaviness of the eagle, it is considered lighter because it has the strongest wings. The Mechilta D’Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai explains,

“Just as the eagle goes from below to above in a very short time, so, too, the Jewish people go from below to above in a very short time.”

Hashem says, “I will lift you up” from the lowest point at the forty-ninth level of impurity to the point of receiving the Torah on Har Sinai in just a few weeks. This is the introduction to our acceptance of the Torah. Hashem is telling each one of us: “You are a Jew! You can fly!

Despite all of the heaviness of the world, you have powerful wings, and you can fly above everything. There is no website in the world that can tie you down.” “You chose us from all of the nations, you loved us, you wanted us, and you lifted us up from among the nations.”

The Alshich makes the following point: The eagle flies much higher than all other birds. But who told it that it could or should fly higher than everything else? It must be, therefore, that it possesses the innate knowledge and confidence that it cannot rest until it is flies higher than every other bird. You, too, must learn from the eagle and must not be satisfied until you rise up above everything around you.

The Ramchal explains that because a person comes from dust and earth, there is a natural heaviness to a person. He feels weighed down and doesn’t want to trouble himself or do any hard work. So Hashem calls out to us, “Be as light as an eagle!

Even though it is heavy, it has strong wings, and it shakes off the dust and rises straight up to the heavens. You have wings and you must use them.”

Rav Chaim Vital wrote in Shaarei Kedusha that the rectification for the

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

element called “earth” is to be (Avos 4:1) happy with one’s life. When a Jew rejoices in the mitzvos, these are the wings that will lift him out of the heaviness and allow him to fly.

My children once had a storybook about an eagle’s nest high on a mountaintop. Something happened, and the eagle’s egg rolled down to the bottom of the mountain to a chicken coop. One of the chickens sat on the egg until it hatched.

The little eagle was different from the other chickens and didn’t quite fit in. He tried to peck at the ground and do what the other chickens were doing, but he just could not become like them. He was having a difficult time getting along with his adopted parents and siblings, until one day, when he met an eagle family. Essentially, they asked him what he was doing hanging around with chickens pecking at the ground. “You’re an eagle! Why aren’t you flying to the highest heights?” Ultimately, he discovered that he could fly and left

with his fellow eagles.

We are Jews. We must realize that we are not chickens. We do not need to peck around in the dust.

Every adult should read Rav Kalonymous Kalmish Shapira’s introduction to Chovas Hatalmidim before

an elevated person out of me?

Not only that, how can it be that while I am still young, I will become Hashem’s special, beloved child like they’re telling me? My parents and grandparents were not like that and I’m just a plain,

Despite all of the heaviness of the world, you have powerful wings, and you can fly above everything.

becoming a parent. And every boy should read the first perek of Chovas Hatalmidim to learn what it means to be a Jew. There, the Rebbe writes, We know that you’re still not quite sure about everything we’re saying here. We know that you’re still asking yourself, “How is it possible to make such

ordinary child.” But this way of thinking is also mistaken, and we can’t leave you with it, either...

If you feel discouraged because your parents and grandparents were simple people, then elevate your viewpoint and look farther back. Who were your forefathers? The holy ones, the

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Nevi’im, Tanna’im, Amora’im, the Geonim and [many other] tzaddikim. The Gemara (Pesachim 66a) says, “If the Jews are not prophets, they are the children of prophets.” The Gemara is not talking about the distant past. It is teaching us that even now, today, in your heart and in the hearts of all Jewish children, there lies a spark that came from the Nevi’im. All you have to do is search for it and discover it in yourself. are a Jew and you have wings.

Don’t be a chicken pecking around on the ground. Set your sights high and become great. Iy”H, we should be zocheh to return to Eretz Yisroel on eagles’ wings, b’viyas go’el tzedek.

Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, is the founding Morah d’Asrah of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, NY, and serves as leader of the new mechina Emek HaMelech.

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Self-Mastery Academy

The Journey to Your Ultimate Self

By Rabbi Shmuel Reichman

I

will never forget what happened that night. After going to hundreds of lectures, and giving quite a few myself, I thought I’d seen it all. But I had never seen anything quite like this. To give you a little background, there are protocols for the introductory process of a speech.

At major events, like the one taking place that night, there are always two microphones. The first is for the person who gets up to introduce the main speaker. After finishing his introduction, he walks off with his microphone, and the second microphone is waiting on stage for the main speaker.

But not that night. That night there was only one microphone. After the introductory speaker concluded his opening remarks, the main speaker walked onto the stage and headed towards the podium. But as you already guessed, the introductory speaker was still holding onto the only microphone. At this point, the main speaker was expecting him to simply hand over the microphone so that he could begin his speech. But that’s not what happened. Instead, the introductory speaker just kept hold of the microphone. He then took a deep breath and said something I will never forget.

A Journey into the Unknown When Hashem commands Avraham to leave his home and embark on a journey, Avraham is told, “Lech lecha me’artzecha, Go for yourself, from your land….” This directive is quite strange. Avraham is told where to leave from, but he is not told his destination. What kind of journey lacks a destination? Generally, the

destination, not the starting point, is most important. For example, imagine being invited to a wedding, but instead of being told where the wedding will take place, you are told only where to leave from. Good luck getting to that wedding!

The fact that Avraham is not told his destination is not merely a practical issue; it is a fundamental challenge to the idea of a meaningful venture. In order to accomplish anything great, we must first identify a clear target and then determine the path required to get there. One does not accidentally achieve spiritual greatness; it requires extreme focus and dedication. A great journey must begin with a clear goal and destination. As we say every Friday evening in Lecha Dodi: “Sof ma’aseh be’machshavah techilah,” the physical result originates first within the mind. Only when we first determine a clear destination can we achieve

the extraordinary. If so, why wasn’t Avraham given a clear destination for his journey?

Lech Lecha: No Simple Journey The answer to this question lies within the words “lech lecha.” While this phrase is often translated as “go for yourself,” it can also be translated as “go to yourself.” Avraham was commanded to embark on a journey toward “himself,” toward his true and ultimate self. In a genuine journey to the self, we don’t know the destination; we don’t know where it will take us. All we know is where we’re leaving from, where we are right now. Only once we arrive can we retroactively see where the journey was taking us all along. Of course, we have goals and proposed directions, but anyone who has achieved anything of substance knows that the vision they once had is nothing like the actual journey they took.

The goals create the process, but the actual journey transcends the limited goals that initially motivated the journey.

The inability to fully understand the destination of one’s own growth can be compared to a child’s inability to grasp a complex scientific or spiritual concept. Imagine explaining to a young child the relationship between quantum mechanics and general relativity, or the unique connection between the physical and spiritual world, or the different approaches to a complex Gemara sugya (topic in Talmud). The concepts would be completely beyond the child’s comprehension, as his limited intellect cannot grasp such sophisticated and abstract ideas. The same is true for each of us: imagine meeting a younger version of yourself and explaining all the things you will eventually accomplish, all the ideas you will learn, and all the experiences you will have. Your younger self would simply be unable to grasp the full meaning of this conversation. Now, imagine instead that your older self does the same to your present self.

The same would happen. You would not even begin to understand all that you will eventually become. You can have lofty goals and a clear direction, but that simply creates the journey.

What will actually happen is a mystery. Therefore, to genuinely venture on the path toward your true self requires a leap of faith into the unknown, ready to embrace whatever future Hashem has in store for you.

This is why Hashem didn’t give Avraham a clear destination. In a journey to the self, all that we know is the starting point; the destination remains to be discovered. We

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The

Journey to your Ultimate Self Expand your spiritual and intellectual horizons with this accessible and inspiring gateway into deeper Jewish wisdom.

R ABBI SHMUEL REICHMAN

is an author, educator, and speaker who has lectured internationally on topics of Torah thought, Jewish medical ethics, psychology, and leadership.

He received semichah from Yeshiva University’s RIETS and is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago.

Haskamos and praise from Rabbi Asher Weiss, Rabbi Michael Rosensweig, Rabbi Zev Leff, and Rabbi Akiva Tatz.

To Order or Learn More, Go to ShmuelReichman.com Mosaica Press books are available for purchase online or at your local Jewish bookshop.

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One does not accidentally achieve spiritual greatness; it requires extreme focus and dedication.

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tion remains unknown, the journey towards it is the essence of our lech lecha mission. My hope is that this sefer, The Journey to Your Ultimate Self, will serve as a guide and tool as you embark on your personal lech lecha journey towards your ultimate self. Make your life a meaningful

Rabbi Shmuel Reichman is an author, educator, speaker, and coach who has lectured internationally on topics of Torah, psychology, and leadership. He is the founder and CEO of Self-Mastery Academy, the transformative online self-development course that is based on the principles of high-performance psychology and Torah.

After obtaining his Bachelor’s degree from Yeshiva University, he received semicha from RIETS, a Master’s degree in Jewish Education from Azrieli, and a Master’s degree in Jewish Thought from Revel. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago and has also spent a year studying at Harvard as an Ivy Plus Exchange Scholar.

To find more inspirational content from Rabbi Reichman, to contact him, or to learn more about Self-Mastery Academy, visit his website: ShmuelReichman. com.

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Delving into the Daf

Bidding on Buildings and Baby Boys

By Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

R

av Shmuel Eliezer HaLevi Eidels, more commonly known as the Maharsha, was Rosh HaYeshiva in Austroha. At one point due to the great influx of talmidim to his Yeshiva, the community decided to erect a larger building. A plot of land was purchased, and construction was ready to begin. A gala cornerstone-laying ceremony was held with all the townspeople in attendance. As the city’s gabbai was about to auction off the mitzvah of the cornerstone laying, someone whispered to him, “I want to purchase that mitzvah at all costs, but please don’t reveal my identity. Please bid for me.” The bidding commenced, and the winning bid was 500 rubles. Everyone wondered about the identity of the generous donor, but the gabbai would not divulge the secret.

When it was time to actually lay the cornerstone, the gabbai surreptitiously approached the winning bidder and asked him about his intentions. The man said, “Please honor the Mahrasha with the laying of the cornerstone.” The townspeople left disappointed that they never found out the identity of the anonymous benefactor.

After the ceremony, the Maharsha called the gabbai and made the following request: “Please ask the donor if he would be agreeable for you to divulge his identity to me alone.” When the donor heard that the Maharsha himself wants to know his identity, he immediately consented as long as it remained a secret to everyone else.

The Maharsha summoned the donor into his study. The donor did

not appear to be a man of means. He explained to the Maharsha that, in fact, he was not a wealthy man, and that the 500 rubles he had paid for the cornerstone laying constituted nearly his entire net worth. He had prayed incessantly to be blessed with children and was not yet answered.

He thought that perhaps in the merit of donating so much tzedakah secretly, Hashem would bless him with children.

on a Gemara in Moed Katan 9a. The Gemara says that when the first Beis Hamikdosh was completed, the Jewish nation rejoiced for seven days. One of those seven days was Yom Kippur.

Yet based on the counsel of the sages, they even ate and drank on Yom Kippur. However, they were nevertheless nervous that they would be punished for this infraction until a Heavenly voice proclaimed, “You will all merit the World to Come!” Further, the Ge-

If someone who took part in the Chanukas Beis HaMikdash merited a son, then someone who had such an integral role in the inauguration of a beis medrash will likewise merit a son.

The Maharsha was touched by the donor’s words and blessed him that he would have a son who would study in the new yeshiva. Within a year, the donor’s wife gave birth to a boy. When the child reached bar mitzvah age, his father brought him to the Maharsha’s yeshiva. The gabbai, however, rejected him on the grounds that he was too young for yeshiva gedola. The father introduced himself and his son to the Maharsha. The Maharsha immediately accepted the boy into his yeshiva.

HaRav Moshe Dov HaLevi Soloveichik commented that, in fact, the Mahrsha based his blessing for a son

mara notes that all who participated in the festivities merited to have a baby boy that year. HaRav Soloveichik explained that the Maharsha reasoned that if someone who took part in the Chanukas Beis HaMikdash merited a son, then someone who had such an integral role in the inauguration of a beis medrash will likewise merit a son.

One could ask that perhaps all those who celebrated in the time of the completion of the Beis Hamikdash rejoiced solely for the sake of heaven and therefore merited sons, whereas this individual gave the charity with

the ulterior motive that he merit a son. The Maharsha notes that the Heavenly voice proclaimed, “All of you will merit the World to Come.”

The Maharsha explains that the term “all of you” comes to include even those who ate and drank on that particular Yom Kippur not for the sake of heaven but rather for their own gastronomic pleasure. Even they will merit the World to Come. It is clear from the Maharsha’s comments that not everyone who rejoiced back then did so solely for the sake of heaven and yet they still merited having a baby boy that year.

My father and Rebbe, shlita, pointed out that there is a medrash that expresses a somewhat related idea. The medrash Tanchuma in Parshas Emor says, “Rebbe Tanchuma expounded the verse (Iyov 43:3), ‘Who came to meet Me? I will pay [his reward]. Everything under the heavens is Mine.’”

This refers to a bachelor who lives in the country and pays the wages of the teachers of Torah and Mishnayos.

Hashem says, “I will pay the reward for his exertion to grant him a son.”

According to the Maharzu, the reward for paying the wages of rebbeim is not only that he’ll have a son but that he’ll find a wife as well. This is evident because the individual in the medrash was a bachelor!

Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow is a rebbe at Yeshiva Ateres Shimon in Far Rockaway. In addition, Rabbi Sebrow leads a daf yomi chaburah at Eitz Chayim of Dogwood Park in West Hempstead, NY. He can be contacted at ASebrow@gmail.com.

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

I N

M E M O R Y

My Mentor

Dr. Allen Goldstein, z”l The Embodiment of a Synthesis of Torah and Science

By Rabbi Baruch Fogel

I

terms of Jewish life. However, in another remarkable instance of hashgacha, Yeshivas MTJ opened the Yeshiva of Staten Island in approximately 1965, and Dr. Goldstein, in full uniform, found a place to continue his learning.

After his army stint, he was torn about which field of medicine to enter, as well as his desire to continue his Torah learning. He would often tell me the stories about how he went to almost every Gadol to ask them for advice. Rabbi Ruderman, zt”l, even offered him a position as a maggid shiur in Ner Yisroel on the spot. The Lubavitcher Rebbe, zt”l, told him “that people think chessed has to be dramatic, like cardiac surgery; in truth, helping a Jew who has an itch in his ear is equivalent to saving his life.” This led him (after months of davening as well, he told me) to the field of otolaryngology to become an ENT. In this capacity, his clinical and diagnostic skills, his dexterity, and his willingness to help people at any time of the day made him the go-to doctor for thousands of people.

was once asked in an interview what my favorite dvar Torah is. Without a moment’s hesitation, I retold a dvar Torah of the Rogotchover’s explanation of Yaakov Avinu’s burial in Parshas Vayechi that I had been taught many years ago in shul on a wintery Friday night in Kew Gardens Hills. That dvar Torah is special to me not only because of its brilliance but because the man who taught it to me holds a special place in my heart, as well as in the hearts of the thousands of people he helped and influenced.

T

his past Sunday, the 14th of Shevat, was the yahrtzeit of Dr. Allen Goldstein, z”l. Dr. Goldstein touched the lives of all of his patients, from famous rabbis and rebbetzins to the thousands who flocked to his office at all times of day and night. (His waiting room was a legendary place where English, Hebrew, and Yiddish were spoken, and many seforim were learned into all hours of the night.) As one of the patients who benefitted from his dedicated care, I was also the recipient of his affection and mentorship, which had a tremendous impact on the person I am today.

Dr. Goldstein was a child of the Holocaust. Born in Romania in 1937, his father, a Vizhnizter chassid, was taken to forced labor, while he and his mother and brother fled. Thankfully, they all somehow survived and reunited after the war.

He and his family lived in a DP camp in Frankfurt until they were able to immigrate to America in 1949. At the age 12, he already spoke a number of languages, but unfortunately none of them were English, and when he arrived in Cleveland, he was placed in the first grade. Thanks to his tremendous abilities, though, he was able to enter the seventh grade with the rest of the boys his age.

After the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, he continued on to the Telshe Yeshiva, where he advanced until he entered Rabbi Gifter’s shiur. Because of his love of learning and his success in the Yeshiva, he had no plans at all to attend college. However, his high school principal asked him to take a state exam

that determined who received scholarships from the State of Ohio. Through a clear display of hashgacha pratis, he found himself with a full scholarship to Yeshiva University.

At Yeshiva University, he was placed in Rabbi Soloveitchik’s shiur, in the iconic front row. In his words, it was a “transformational educational experience of a lifetime.” Dr. Goldstein was a true talmid of his rebbe his entire life, in addition to being his rebbe’s physician. After Rabbi Soloveitchik’s wife died, Dr. Goldstein checked on his rebbe/patient every week.1 After YU, he went to Einstein Medical school, where he planned on entering the cutting-edge field of cardiology, as this was the era of major advancements in the field. However, the Vietnam War broke out, and because he had semicha (from Rabbi Yitzchak Nissim, Sefardic Chief Rabbi), he personally petitioned the Pentagon and was given the ability to choose an army base at which to practice medicine. He went to Staten Island, which in those years before the bridge, had nothing to speak of in

D

r. Goldstein was my ENT, and he always made himself available to treat me at any hour of the day or night. And while there are numerous stories about how he even saved people’s lives (including how his dedication and medical insight saved the life of my grandmother), the purpose of writing about Dr. Goldstein is not to retell those great stories of him as a physician.

Nor will I write the stories of him as the talmid chochom that he was (although he was widely known for his brilliant Shabbos afternoon shiur at Rabbi Wiesel’s shul). I want to focus on Dr. Goldstein as my mentor.

The reason that the dvar Torah that I heard from him meant so much to me was because every Friday night, beginning when I was a young boy and well into adulthood, he took the opportunity to teach me “something.” Whether it was learning a dvar Torah, hearing the life story of the Aruch Hashulchan, or getting him a sefer so he could tell me about the author or its content, for years I would sit next to him

17 The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

and gain something. And not only did he teach me something every week, his weekly mini-fahrher, though scary at times, always inspired me to learn and know more.

Whenever Dr. Goldstein told me a dvar Torah, he was educating me, demanding something from me, and demonstrating to me how a Jew is supposed to relate to the Chumash and to Torah. He didn’t just “say over” divrei Torah. He challenged me to grow and to think and to make the Torah part of who I am.

Though I was blessed with many great rebbeim in my years in yeshivos, it was Dr. Goldstein who inspired me and pushed me to incorporate Torah into everything that I do.

And I knew that he was rooting for me. He was at my side, literally. Before my bar mitzvah, he had diagnosed me with nodules on my vocal cords, and at my bar mitzvah, I spoke Friday night and strained my voice. The next morning, I started leining, but my voice was so strained that I lost my voice around Chamishi. The next thing I knew Dr. Goldstein was standing next to me with a few lollipops to help me finish the parsha as best as I could.

Though I didn’t follow in his footsteps as a physician, I constantly feel the need to imitate the ways in which he learned. Nowadays, I, too, need to take off my glasses to read from a sefer, and the picture I

have of Dr. Goldstein, with his glasses precariously resting on one ear, and swaying under his face, is the one that I secretly want to recreate.

When I went to Eretz Yisroel to learn, I had the opportunity to connect with him on his numerous visits there. I have fond memories of spending Yom

He challenged me to grow and to think and to make the Torah part of who I am.

Kippur together in Vizhnitz in Bnei Brak, eating meals together on yom tov, and walking back together from the Kotel. I was barely twenty years old, yet he allowed me to walk and talk together with him and his good friend, Rabbi Hershel Schachter.2 Today, I serve as campus rabbi at Touro’s medical school, and I think of him and what he represented constantly. To me, and hopefully to future physicians, he embodied the elusive concept of “synthe-

sis.” He effortlessly combined being a talmid chochom, a respected physician, and a trusted advisor and confidant to everyone he came in contact with.

He was a giant of a man who truly cared for everyone.

May his memory serve as an inspiration for all who knew him and for all those people whose lives he touched and improved. Yehi zichro baruch.

One year, Rabbi Soloveitchik developed pneumonia and had to be hospitalized right before yom tov. Dr. Goldstein told his rebbe that he planned on staying with him in the hospital over yom tov. In response, Rabbi Soloveitchik said, “I will never speak to you again. Yom tov is time to be with your family!” In hindsight, Dr. Goldstein had nothing to worry about as Rabbi Soloveitchik had a stream of visitors from YU, leading the staff to comment that they were taking care of “the most important rabbi in New York.”

1

I believe that they were the only two entering students who were allowed to go straight into Rabbi Soloveitchik’s shiur upon entering YU.

2

Rabbi Baruch Fogel is the Rabbinic Coordinator in the Department of College Affairs at Touro College and University System and is the campus rabbi at a number of campuses.

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

World

39

Builders

Student and Teacher Save a Life Together

By Raphael Poch

Y

ossi Cohen is a United Hatzalah volunteer EMT who lives in Kfar Saba and works in the field of finance and mortgage advice.

One Sunday afternoon at around 1:30 p.m., Yossi was at his daughter’s school to pick her up after the school day ended when he suddenly received a notification alerting him to an emergency occurring nearby. In the post office in Kfar Saba, an 80-yearold man who had been breathing heavily suddenly collapsed.

Yossi’s daughter, who is used to her father rushing out to emergencies, assured him that she will be OK waiting at school and encouraged him to go and help.

“It touches me that my daughter is willing to put herself aside and allow me to save another person’s life,” said Yossi, “It shows how mature she is at such a young age.”

Yossi told the school’s guard that he will return shortly, and the guard

readily agreed to watch over Yossi’s daughter.

Yossi arrived at the post office after about a minute and a half and found a man performing CPR on

two shocks from his defibrillator in between rounds of performing CPR to counteract its life-threatening effects.

The mobile intensive care am-

It was a long and hard resuscitation of around 40 minutes, but the team succeeded in reviving the elderly man.

the 80-year-old lying unconscious on the ground. Yossi grabbed the medical kit from his ambucycle and connected his defibrillator. Yossi examined the man and took his vitals.

The man was experiencing ventricular fibrillation so Yossi administered

bulance arrived soon after and the paramedics, together with Yossi’s help, continued the resuscitation until the man’s pulse and breathing returned. It was a long and hard resuscitation of around 40 minutes, but the team succeeded in reviving

the elderly man.

After the man was safely transported into the ambulance and was on his way to the hospital, the individual who performed CPR on the elderly man up until Yossi arrived introduced himself. Yossi recognized him as one of his students from a “Safe Family” CPR course that he had taught.

The man told Yossi, “It is all thanks to you that I know how to perform CPR, and I was able to help save the man’s life. I took the course as a precaution, but I didn’t think the skills I learned would ever come to any use.”

Yossi shared, “It was such an emotional experience for me to see one of my former students in action and to have him thank me for being able to use what I taught. I am so happy that we saved a life together.”

Yossi and his student have kept in touch since the incident and even met again a few days later.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

There’s No Compromising with the Kedusha of the Kotel

Why You Need to Sign the “One Kotel” Petition Now

BY SUSAN SCHWAMM

A

sk any child to draw for you a picture of Eretz Yisroel, and undoubtedly, you’ll find a sketch of the Kotel in your hands a few minutes later. Layers upon layers of stone, crevices overflowing with scraps of paper filled with prayers, and soaked with tears, the Kotel is the heart of the Holy Land. Although every part of our homeland is precious and cherished – from the rolling hills of the Golan, to the shores of Tiveria, to the thirsty desert of the Negev, and to the verdant forests of Tsfas –

the Kotel, the last remnant standing of the surrounding walls of the Beis Hamikdash, is the place where we feel the most at peace.

And that is why the Reform and Conservative movements have set their sights on the Kotel.

“It’s only the beginning,” Leah Zagelbaum, Director of Operations for Am Echad, says.

A Bit of History Let’s back up a few years – or maybe many years – and talk about the

history of the Kotel in recent times.

One hundred years ago, Israel – then known as Palestine – was under Ottoman rule. During that time, the area of the Kotel was under the authority of the Muslim Waqf, and Jews were forced to pay a tax for the privilege of praying in a small alley along the Wall that stretched a mere 28 meters. Jewish philanthropists like Sir Moses Montefiore and Baron Edmond Rothschild attempted to buy parts of the Western Wall, but their efforts were rebuffed. Entreaties to

allow Jews to erect benches for those who wished to pray at the Kotel were refused by Muslim authorities.

In 1929, amidst unfounded rumors that Jews wished to take over the Western Wall, rampaging Arabs slaughtered scores of Jews in the tragic Hevron Massacre. British reaction to the murders (Palestine was then under British rule, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire) was tepid – an investigation into the pogrom called them “1929 disturbances.” The British government concluded after

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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Rabbi Shlomo Goren blowing the shofar at the Kotel after it was liberated from Jordanian hands 

 Clearing the Kotel plaza in 1967  The small area set aside for Jews for prayer under Ottoman rule, 1911

the murders that it would be best to leave the issues of the Western Wall as “status quo.” As such, Jews were not able to blow shofarot at the Kotel or bring any chairs or mechitzahs to the Wall.

In 1948, after the establishment of the Jewish State, the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem was evacuated. The Kotel fell into Jordanian hands.

Less than twenty years later, in 1967, scenes of soldiers staring up in wonder at the glistening stones of the Kotel made headlines around the world. IDF chief rabbi Rabbi Shlomo Goren accompanied the Paratroop Brigade on June 7 when they liberated the Wall. He blew a shofar, symbolically heralding the news that the Kotel was now in Jewish hands. During the few weeks in June after the Kotel was liberated, more than two million Jews pressed in to the small plaza to visit and kiss the Kotel’s ancient stones.

The Israeli government worked quickly to expand the Kotel area and even uncovered the prayer area down about 2.4 meters to reveal more rows of stones. But the government, although not Orthodox, instinctively knew that the Kotel was more than just a tourist attraction. When Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Nissim demanded that the Kotel be under the purview of the Chief Rabbinate, Rabbi Yehuda Meir Getz, former colonel in the IDF and Tunisian-born, was appointed as the rabbi of the Kotel.

Shar ansky’s Compr omise It’s been 55 years since Jews have

been able to daven freely at the Kotel.

But the fight for the Kotel is far from over.

In June 2021, in an op-ed in The Jerusalem Post, Israel’s new Minister of Diaspora Affairs Nachman Shai wrote, “I am committed to putting the Western Wall compromise back on the government’s table as a symbol of our commitment to world Jewry.

This is a crucial acknowledgment of our respect and appreciation for the full spectrum of the Jewish experience.”

He added, “I am committed to working with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and our broad coalition to bring this issue back to the decision-making table with a realistic acknowledgment of the fragile newness of our current government.”

It is this new coalition that is bent on changing the dynamics of prayer at the Kotel. It is a coalition without hareidi representation and a coalition more malleable to the whisperings of the Reform and Conservative movements.

Since the 1980s, groups of women from the Women of the Wall movement have encroached on the women’s section of the Kotel with talleism and tefillin, carrying Torahs and disrupting the prayers there. In 2003, Israel’s Supreme Court instructed the Israeli government to prepare the site of Robinson’s Arch for egalitarian prayer. The site was inaugurated in August 2004. But at the time, the Women of the Wall and the Reform movements rejected Robinson’s Arch as a place of prayer. Women of

the Wall wanted a separate women’s prayer site – not an “egalitarian” site – and so they continued to loudly take their talleism and tefillin to the women’s section of the Kotel each month; the Reform movement asserted that Robinson’s Arch was an archaeological site and not a site for prayer. The Masorti (Conservative) Movement took advantage of what the government offered and has been holding prayer services there since.

In 2013, when Anat Hoffman, chair of Women of the Wall, began to get into publicized fights with Jerusalem police at the Kotel, the government knew that something had to be done. Natan Sharansky, who was then chair of the Jewish Agency, was tasked with finding a solution. His “One Kotel for One Jewish People” plan called for a dedicated egalitarian prayer space at the Robinson’s Arch area of the Wall and equal access to all three prayer areas – the men’s section, the women’s section, and the egalitarian section.

The Sharansky plan – known as the Kotel Compromise – was adopted by the Knesset in 2016.

One proviso of the plan ensured that there be three separate but equal entrances to the three different parts of the Kotel. It also expanded the area at Robinson’s Arch for egalitarian prayer services.

More concerning, under the plan, the oversight and management of the new section would be removed from the rabbi of the Kotel and the chief rabbinate and handed over to a “Public Council,” a committee com-

prised of representatives of the Jewish Agency, the Reform and Masorti movements, Women of the Wall, and liberal organizations.

Additionally, “local customs of the site (minhag hamakom) will be based on the principles of religious pluralism and gender equality. Prayer in this site will be egalitarian and unsegregated, women and men together, without a partition.” In other words, the egalitarian site would be set up k’neged halacha.

When the haredi parties in the Knesset heard about these provisions in the plan, they threatened to leave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition. In response, Netanyahu formed a committee to revisit the plan. And in June 2017, the Kotel Compromise was officially frozen.

“Their First Encr oachment” But now, there’s a new coalition in power, a coalition without haredim and cobbled together with many tenuous players. Bennett, determined to hold onto power and intent on keeping his coalition partners happy, is now reviving the Kotel Compromise.

The Reform and Conservative movements know that this is their chance to revive the plan. But for them, it’s not just about the Kotel. As Leah Zagelbaum notes, “This is their first encroachment.”

The Reform and Conservative movements are coming after the Kotel because the Kotel is a symbol of Orthodox Judaism. It’s the place where no one can ignore the supremacy of halacha and Torah. But once they get

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 Reform female and male rabbis holding a prayer service at Robinson’s Arch in 2016  Members of Women of the Wall at the Kotel in 2016

a hold onto the Kotel and stamp their “values” onto the holy site, there is no stopping them.

Leah points out that the Reform and Conservative movements have already gone after kashrus in the Holy Land. They are working at dismantling frum conversions in Israel and the autonomy of dayanim.

“It’s the whole fabric of Jewish life in Israel that they are targeting,” Leah says.

She adds that reviving the Kotel Compromise would grant these movements a legitimacy in the eyes of Knesset members and the powers that be in the Holy Land.

Nachman Shai alluded to this in his op-ed a few months ago.

“Certainly, formalizing an egalitarian section of the Western Wall will not solve all of the deep challenges facing the Jewish people, or fully repair the strained relationship between us,” Shai wrote in June. “Nor does it respond to pressing needs concerning Jewish identity and education. For that matter, it will also not erase antisemitism, the Iran nuclear threat, or the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Yet, it is one basic intervention of many that Israel must take to give progressive streams what they have repeatedly requested and rightfully deserve,” he asserted.

When Reform and Conservative members come to Israeli politicians and tell them that they represent American Jewry, some of those politicians may actually believe that all American Jews drive to shul on

Yom Kippur or watch their Shabbat prayers on livestream. And Israeli politicians know that Diaspora Jewry should have an important say in what goes on in their homeland. But who is to say that there are Jews in the Diaspora who yearn for a state with conversions, kashrus, and batei din that are run according to halacha? Who will speak up for Torah-true values?

Enter Am Echad Rabbi Moshe Sherer, zt”l, knew that Orthodox Jews in the Diaspora needed to be able to speak up for the

taken on varying issues, all with the same goal of defending Torah-true ideals. Now, the issue of the Kotel has taken on an added urgency with the Bennett government in place.

“Today, the Kotel Compromise is a symbol of the inroads that the Reform and Conservative movement want to make,” Leah notes. “We need to speak up and show Knesset members that Diaspora Jews care about the Kotel and are concerned about what is going on there.”

Leah adds that the Reform and Conservative movements have the

“Today, the Kotel Compr omise is a symbol of the inr oads that the Reform and Conservative movement want to make.”

Holy Land. Thirty years ago, Rabbi Sherer created Am Echad, an organization that unites Jews from the Diaspora and Israel to preserve our 3,000-year-old heritage. The organization was founded to defend religious freedom, the Jewish character of Israel, and anti-Semitism. Rabbi Sherer, with his far-reaching vision, saw that the Reform and Conservative movements were setting their sights on the Holy Land as their new frontier. And he knew that Orthodox Jews needed to speak up for Torah-true values in Israel.

Over the years, Am Echad has

ear of the Bennett government. She notes that Nachman Shai met with the leaders of the Reform and Conservative movements while deciding to tackle the Kotel Compromise. It was the haredi groups that he didn’t reach out to.

“We, Am Echad, reached out to him and started these dialogues with the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs a few months ago. We convened a conference, on Zoom, with representatives of Am Echad from all around the world – Shanghai and Beijing and Australia and Berlin and Canada and the U.S. All these representatives

shared their sentiments with Nachman Shai – that the Kosel is not negotiable.”

What You Can Do But there’s more to be done – and each one of us needs to do our part.

We need to show Israeli politicians that Orthodox American Jewry is vibrant and vocal. The Kotel is important to us – and we cannot compromise on what we hold most dear.

Over the past few weeks, Am Echad has been circulating a petition in which Orthodox Jews in the Diaspora can reach out to Prime Minister Bennett and urge him to reconsider taking on the Kotel Compromise.

With only a few weeks to go before Am Echad heads to Eretz Yisroel armed with the thousands of names of Orthodox Jews who care for the sanctity of the Kotel, we need to make sure that all of Diaspora’s Orthodox Jews have made their voice heard.

Signing the petition is easy – it takes less than a minute.

Am Echad’s goal is to come armed with 150,000 signatures to prove to the Bennett government that Orthodox Jews in the Diaspora are a strong, vocal group. If you care about the sanctity of the Kotel, make sure that one of those signatures is yours.

Sign the petition at: https://one kotel.org/one kotel/TJHFive Towns

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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JANUARY 20, The Jewish Jewish Home Home OCTOBER 29, 2022 2015 || The

Teen Talk

By Rabbi Zvi Soroka

Dear Teen Talk,

I’m a good kid who has a lot of friends and love to play ball. Camp is a place where I thrive. Yeshiva just isn’t. I just don’t connect with learn-

Teen Talk , column in

a new

TJH, is geared to wards the teens in o ur commu nity.

Answered by a rotati ng roster of teachers, rebbeim, clinicians , an d peers (!), te ens will b e hearing answers to many que stions the had perco y lating in th eir minds wished th an d ey had th e answers for.

ing Gemara. I fail my rebbe’s tests week after week and feel like a big loser. Why should I even bother learning Gemara? I’m simply not good at it.

Is there anything I can do to motivate myself and get the enjoyment that I’m told I’m supposed to have from learning? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

B

Dear Bachur,

It’s pretty impressive that you’re aware of what’s bothering you and that you are able to identify your dilemma.

You are not alone. In fact, scores of bachurim struggle with the same challenge. Don’t be surprised to learn that even some Gedolim had a similar predicament and pulled through with great success. Rabbi Akiva himself struggled greatly before he became the leader of his dor and the main transmitter of our Torah for generations. I keep a stone riddled with holes on my desk to remind me that whenever students struggle in learning, if they persist, they will catapult to the top.

Learning Gemara is the secret to thinking and behaving like a true ben Torah. It will shape your worldview for life. Working diligently in understanding Gemara will also be the greatest protection against the yetzer hara and will enable you to build a strong foundation for growth in Yiddishkeit.

Here are a few vital pointers to con-

sider and review: • Tefillah is your greatest weapon for success. Try to have extra kavana by birchas haTorah, ahava raba, and ata chonen in Shemonai Esrei. Recite the special yehi ratzon before opening up your Gemara. Great Gedolim were

stand it clearly. Review it and chazer it over and over again. There are so many helpful seforim and available shiurim that will guide you step-by-step. After reviewing it countless times, you will become a master and taste true enjoyment from your clarity and learning.

You are not alone. In fact, scores of bachurim struggle with the same challenge. observed crying by these tefillos and achieved amazing results.

• Get a rebbe, one with whom you will connect and will understand your way of thinking. He has already taught many talmidim who encountered similar issues and will not think of you any less that you are struggling. On the contrary, he will have great admiration for you!

• Try the Vaharev-NA/ Kinyan Meschta-style limud. Have someone teach you the Gemara until you really under-

Real hasmada doesn’t even kick in until you have chazered the Gemara at least four times.

• There are 2,711 blatt in Shas.

Some have interesting stories, others are more halacha-based, and we follow those halachos even today. Others are more complex. Don’t give up on learning Gemara; rather try to find Gemaras that “speak to you” and learn those. One day you will connect with the others as well. And even if you feel you won’t, there are still another 1,000 you can learn!

The Jewish Jewish Home Home || OCTOBER JANUARY 20, The 29, 2022 2015

• Don’t let tests bog you down. The true test is if you are really applying yourself and being the best you can be.

• Learn a small masechta. Consider mastering a conquerable area of halacha such as mayim achronim, kiddush levana or tzitzis. Try becoming an expert at learning Chumash and Rashi. You will see great breakthroughs in your learning that can be applied to Gemara as well, and it will encourage your success.

• Try being a mechadesh. Ask questions and write down your ha’aros.

Speak over your ideas with others. Enter them in a notebook. It will become your most prized possession. It might

Are you a teen with a question?

If you have a question or problem you’d like our columnists to address, email your question or insight to editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com, subject line: Teen Talk.

be hard to believe, but you might even publish a sefer one day!

• Be honest with yourself about what might be obstructing your path to success and ask yourself the following questions: Are you sleeping enough at night? Are the devices in your proximity properly filtered? Are you taking advantage of long weekends and learning on long Friday nights and Sundays? A

kettle of water won’t boil if it’s being constantly lifted off the flame.

Consistency is a key factor.

• Most importantly, DON’T GIVE UP! You will make it! There is endless s’char in the struggle itself. Encourage yourself and persist. You can do it! yagata umatzasa, tamin.

Looking forward to being invited to your upcoming siyum!

Rabbi Zvi Soroka is a rebbe in Yeshiva Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway, NY. He is active in yeshiva referrals and placement. He can be contacted through TJH.

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Dating Dialogue

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

Dear Navidaters,

Thanks for all that you do on behalf of singles. While I do feel for this week’s letter writer, “Gavi,” I especially appreciated the response as I myself have been on the receiving end of getting suggested to the same boy several times by different people only to have him repeatedly say that “it’s not shayach.”

My question, however, is more about how shidduchim are being redt in the first place. Over the last few years, I’ve found that shadchanim and other well-meaning individuals will reach out about a shidduch before even reaching out to the boy. They want to know if the girl is “interested,” and then many times, it’s radio silence after that.

I thought one of the purposes of having the boy say yes first is so that the girl doesn’t feel rejected, but it seems that with this way of doing things, girls get that sense no matter what. Why is this happening, and is there anything a girl can say/do to help prevent it?

-Tanya*

Disclaimer: This column is not intended to diagnose or otherwise conclude resolutions to any questions. Our intention is not to offer any definitive conclusions to any particular question, rather offer areas of exploration for the author and reader. Due to the nature of the column receiving only a short snapshot of an issue, without the benefit of an actual discussion, the panel’s role is to offer a range of possibilities. We hope to open up meaningful dialogue and individual exploration.

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The Panel The Shadchan Michelle Mond hanks so much for reaching out with this question. It is very frustrating to be on the end of a shidduch you know about but have no clue what came out of it.

Just to help you understand the shadchan’s perspective, I will relay my experience. There have been many times where I have worked tremendously hard to introduce a guy to a particular young woman. It can take so much time and effort to effectively encourage it, whether it be because the guy is in another state or has a specific hesitancy, but then eventually he gives the go-ahead for the shidduch. Then, as quick as a snap, after presenting the young woman with the idea, she says no. Then, after all of that, the shadchan goes back to the guy with the immediate rejection.

Because of this trend, it has become acceptable to sometimes run an idea by a young woman first to see if it is even somewhat in the ballpark. This helps prevent the circumstance of getting an immediate rejection. If a young woman tends to be particular with whom she looks into, i.e., gives a rejection often very quickly, a shadchan will usually reach out to her with the idea first.

There are a few reasons why a shadchan might ask you about an idea and then not follow up.

1) He might actually have started dating someone else first, which means he is unavailable. (Not meant to be, clearly!)

2) Things got super-busy, and the shadchan forgot to follow up. I always recommend following up with the shadchan in a socially appropriate way.

3) It could be the shadchan suggested the idea to the young man and he rejected it. In that case, thank Hashem for preventing you from wasting your precious time dating someone who was not meant to be for you!

I would also like to recommend that you tell the shadchan in your initial discussion that you personally would not

T

like to know about an idea unless the young man says yes. We cannot assume people can read minds, even if they are a shadchan. Communication is key!

The Single Tzipora Grodko

H

i Tanya, I have so much to say but will try to consolidate my thoughts briefly and succinctly.

It takes an incredible amount of sensitivity for anyone to successfully assist someone experiencing any form of adversity or challenge. That being said, unfortunately many well-intended people/shadchanim are so distracted and desensitized from the matchmaking world that they forget (or are completely naïve) to the impact they have in either building someone’s self-esteem or destroying it.

In every aspect of life, everyone who comes your way is an opportunity to make a difference through your expression of kindness, or the latter, choosing to be indifferent or ignorant.

A shadchan may argue that it takes too much time and that they are more transactional with their work. Excuses.

If it’s difficult, that’s a reflection of how badly it’s needed.

So Tanya, what’s my response to you? Maintain your self-dignity. Express your feelings to those who are trying to help. Set your boundaries and terms. I believe that through every silence, we perpetuate the same negative behavior happening to someone else.

Be your own hero and make a difference for the rest of us.

The Zaidy Dr. Jeffrey Galler

T

here is really no mystery here. In our current shidduch system, it’s clearly a man’s world.

Shadchanim know that they have a far better chance of getting a guy to say “yes” if the girl has already said “yes.”

Single men know that they clearly have the upperhand and will more readily agree to a date if it’s a certainty, rather than face rejection if the girl might reply “no” to their “yes.”

This is very deflating and degrading to our single women.

A recent article in Mishpacha Magazine complained about “single women feeling demeaned… but feeling helpless to do anything about it. Something has to change….”

Boca Raton Synagogue Rabbi Efrem Goldberg posted on the OU website: “There is little disagreement that the modern shidduch system is flawed and in some ways broken...While the

We cannot assume people can read minds, even if they are a shadchan.

process of shidduch dating is often filled with disappointment, loneliness, and frustration for both genders, the demographics make it especially difficult and sometimes acutely painful for young women in particular.”

In the summer 2018 issue of Jewish Action, Channah Cohen, who serves as an OU-JLIC Torah educator at Queens

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College, reported that many of her female students were highly stressed and demoralized while seeking life partners via our shidduch system.

She questioned: “In what reality should we expect this shidduch system model to work? I spend the majority of my professional life in hour-long meetings with students, getting to know them. It takes at least two meetings, if not three or more, for me to really get to know a student. Isn’t it unrealistic to expect

a shadchan to understand a person in a single half-hour-long awkward meeting? And from this meeting the shadchan is supposed to understand a young woman well enough to select... one of the 200 men she’s met, who matches the girl’s description of what she’s looking for, and who, in turn, is looking for her? How can this possibly work? It was at that point that it occurred to me that, in all probability, it doesn’t.”

A dedicated educator

Pulling It All Together

and researcher, Ms. Cohen decided to survey hundreds of married Orthodox couples and ask how they had met their spouses. She was absolutely shocked to discover that only 12.8% of the couples met through a shadchan! The overwhelming majority of happily married couples met through other means.

Why, then, she demanded to know, is our major hishtadlut in seeking marriage partners focused on meeting with shadchanim? She acknowledged that this system does work well for some but urged our community to consider alternatives to an archaic system that does not work well for so many of our singles.

She suggested being

Change begins with one person.

creative, by, for example, having two couples co-host a co-ed Shabbos meal with their collective single friends.

Previous Navidater columns suggested meeting at synagogues, at singles’ weekends, or at events sponsored by reputable organizations like YUConnects.

May I further suggest that readers please write Letters to the editor of The Jewish Home (Editor@FiveTownsJewishHome.com) with their own suggestions.

The Navidaters Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

D

ear Tanya, Thank you for writing into our panel! Without a moment’s hesitation I feel comfortable saying that parts of the current shidduch system not only discount the feelings of the human beings participating in it but cause selfdoubt, anxiety, worry, sadness, and depression for countless individuals.

You ask two excellent questions at the end of your email: Why is this happening and is there anything a girl can say/do to help prevent it? I don’t have the answer to the why. It’s layered and simply unbeknownst to me, and I wish that people did not have to suffer through dating within the shidduch system. The lack of control, the waiting, not hearing back…can be painstakingly difficult.

Let’s move on to what you can say/ do to help prevent it. Firstly, writing into our panel is a wonderful way to draw attention to such an important social issue within Orthodoxy. And

I’m so glad you did! So many people read this column.

I encourage readers to write in with ideas of how to address and fix the broken parts of the shidduch system. Perhaps we can compile a list of ideas or create a platform as to how to begin to address this systemic problem, which we will then print in the paper. Change begins with one person.

When you are working with shadchanim, please be respectfully straightforward with your needs and wants. I have worked with many young women who are scared to say what they want, what they do not like, or how they feel to a shadchan. They don’t want to bother her or come across as “annoying” or “needy.” If a shadchan makes you feel that way it is either an oversight, a reflection of how busy she or he is, or her or his own insensitivities.

There is nothing annoying or needy about reaching out or following up.

I do agree with Dr. Galler and the people he quoted with regard to the system being unfair specifically to women, that a shadchan can’t possibly know you well after a half hour meeting and that sometimes the shidduch system doesn’t work, and that it is OK to take matters into your own hands.

It’s about getting creative, networking, asking married friends to host a singles Shabbos meal, attending singles events, etc. Sometimes I have worked with people who tend to box themselves into the way they insist on meeting their basherts. I don’t go to singles events. There are no normal guys out there. I don’t like YUConnects. It’s not for me. I don’t do Shabbatons. I only work with shadchanim. I know that it is so draining to continue to put yourself out there. Or maybe putting yourself out there is outside your comfort zone. But participating in the process and not giving away all of your “power” to a broken system can be a great

way to regain a sense of mastery and decrease anxiety and boost your spirits about dating.

I’m sitting at my computer screen, staring at what I have written, and to be honest, my response doesn’t satisfy me. We can state the problem over and over again in this paper or that.

What we need are the powers that be to OK the changes that the people need.

There are so many men and women for whom this system works, and there are so many for whom it does not. We need things to change. If you are reading this column, and you feel you may be someone with the authority and influence to bring about healthy change for the men and women affected by this broken system, would you consider helping/speaking out?

Tanya, I hope you find your bashert very soon. Many people do meet through this system, with all its flaws. Keep your options open and get creative. And let’s see the responses we get from our readership!

Sincerely, Jennifer

Jennifer Mann, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist and certified trauma healing life coach, as well as a dating and relationship coach working with individuals, couples, and families in private practice at 123 Maple Avenue in Cedarhurst, NY. She also teaches a psychology course at Touro College. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 718-908-0512. Visit www.thenavidaters.com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email JenniferMannLCSW@gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

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Dr. Deb

Avoidance

By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

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here are many ways to avoid yourself, or at least avoid the parts of you that you are most unfamiliar with and you don’t want to know.

Of course, one way to avoid yourself is through addictions. It wouldn’t be accurate to say that people are “chemically” addicted to a substance and that’s why they “can’t” break the habit. The reality is that those who refuse to leave the office – called “workaholics” – and those who gamble are in the exact same addicted boat as those who drink or drug.

The chemistry that takes place in their brains occurs because of the addicted behaviors. That is, people first engage in their escape and avoidance behaviors and then the chemistry kicks in. So whether the behavior itself causes a chemical change in the brain or whether just the excitement combined with the escape and avoidance of what people don’t want to think about causes the chemical change, it hardly matters.

But escape/avoidance/excitement doesn’t even have to be through what we call an addiction. There are so many other behaviors that bring on that same cascade of chemicals including rage, cutting, bingeing – even being a salesman.

When someone cuts themselves, for example, the body supplies a rush of endorphins. This is a normal, protective mechanism of the body to wounds. Endorphins are our brain’s own opioids which signal pleasure and coping with stress or, in the case of wounds, temporary pain relief.

When we exercise, we also get a flood of endorphins to counteract the aches to our muscles. This is what entices many people to exercise in spite of its drawbacks. Eating also does that.

After eating, we have a general feeling of pleasure and satiety which we need so as to know when to stop. However, when depressed and miserable, binge

eaters will consume more. What happened?

We all start out with the same mechanisms. I get a little tired and draggy around 3p.m. and 4p.m., and researchers concur. We all find that a little bit of carbohydrate does absolute wonders for us at that hour. Researchers reported in Psychology Today that this period of the day “seems to be a universal carbohydrate-craving time.”

For most of us, we feel satiated and comfortable due to the release of serotonin which also is a general mood stabilizer. Along with the serotonin

pushing someone who already feels low towards over-eating or binge eating.

I’m drawing a picture here of how the addiction cycle is applicable to any behavior associated with an attempt by our bodies to simply feel better when we don’t. We pathologize it, but really, it is not a sickness or a disorder, whether we’re talking about overeating, over-working, or any other “solution” our bodies and minds come up with to avoid pain, doubt, worry, shame, guilt, self-blame, hopelessness, and helplessness.

It is a pattern of running as fast as possible away from any inner reflection at all.

release goes an insulin release. But the insulin crashes in order to stabilize our system. If a person is already depressed, this becomes a terrible problem as it also means that the decrease in serotonin means there will be a feeling of emptiness…which leads to more consumption.

Not only that, the reward feeling of dopamine will go down as well, again

Sure, there’s a chemical substrate, but there is a need to be clear on which came first – the bad feelings or the “solution” we find to comfort and distract from them.

If you take this concept to its logical conclusion, any behavior meant to avoid those unwanted feelings can also be thrown into the pot of “addictions and other ways to avoid pain.”

So I’ve got to share something that I have seen way, way too often: It is a pattern of running as fast as possible away from any inner reflection at all.

How many marriages could cut out endless years of misery if people would recognize that in an attempt to feel better, like the addict and like the binge eater or the cutter, they are only making themselves more wretched by running away from who they really are.

Just today, a crying wife got her husband on a call with me and he said, “Dr. Deb, I watched your video and the inner child, trauma stuff turns me off.”

Just to be sure I understood, he added, “and it is not applicable to me!”

Then he read me a text he wrote his wife and started crying.

Yeah. Not applicable.

No trauma there. No, sir.

The clear pain they both were in told me that they needed to heal. Yet, he was rushing in the opposite direction. I give this man credit, though. He loved his wife enough to go ahead and commit to do the work in spite of what must be a feeling of terror that he has of looking inside.

Let’s go back to the brain function to understand what’s happening here.

I am sure that the stress hormone cortisol is released at just the thought of examining the hurt parts of himself. The release of cortisol leads to the “fight or flight” response which includes the release of adrenaline to prepare us to run. Fast. The other way.

So it makes total sense to me that automatic responses of the body would compel people to mentally “run” when the option of deep reflection is presented. This would be especially true for people who were given the message as children that they were “wrong” or “bad” or, G-d forbid, a “mistake.” Because, at some level, people with a history like that believe those messages – however untrue they are. So, of course, they don’t want to go there.

The saddest part of the whole thing

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

is that in working with me, they would be given more than a half-dozen powerful tools to “know” in their gut that the original messages were what was wrong and that there is nothing wrong with them.

As I write this, there was a part of me that wanted to present those tools for you right here. Then this other part of me argued that the skeptics present would mock them or dispute their effectiveness – even though I stand by them with a guarantee.

So I came up with a solution: I will go ahead and present the seven tools on condition that if you’re going to dismiss them anyway, then stop reading now.

So here are the healing tools for the braver souls amongst my readers: • Mindfulness Meditation.

Research shows that meditation creates linkages between parts of the brain that need it, such as the cerebral cortex and the amygdala (the fire alarm), so as to calm down our automatic distress reactions. It also

creates a profound sense of clarity and connection to oneself, over time.

• Affirmations. Yes, there is science behind the act of saying positive, affirmative messages to oneself daily.

The trick is that we do not normally believe them, so saying them should not work. And they often don’t for that very reason. The way out of it that I created is to craft affirmations that a person can believe.

• Distress Tolerance. The creator of an approach called Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Marsha Linehan, found that sometimes the only way to “get through” challenging moments is to increase our ability to handle them.

Distress Tolerance is a kind of exposure therapy, helping people tolerate little, annoying things better (but of course, never working to tolerate abuse).

• Juxtaposition. This therapy was created by Bruce Ecker, and it is absolutely brilliant. It is based on the fact that when we recover a memory with emotional intensity, the DNA in

those neurons is softened and is subject to change within a 6-hour window. Therefore, if we juxtapose on the memory a fact, mood, or experience that contradicts the original one, then the original DNA will be reconstituted as a memory with a different feeling. We use this to “correct” bad feelings that we no longer need.

• Leading Your Inner Children. Our brains with their 85-100 billion neurons have many connections. Old memories exist in so many of them, and while we may not remember specific incidents, they still leave an emotional impact. It is because of them that we are triggered, or we have fears, preferences, and moods. When we discover these memories and moods and why we have them and learn how to take Self (soul) leadership over them, we can literally choose whether we want bad feelings to rule us.

• Five-Step Apology. This one I totally took from the Rambam. For a fabulous current-day depiction of how to apply it, I’d suggest you find the

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video that Rabbi David Fohrman did about four or five years ago on teshuva in his Aleph Beta series.

• The Antidote to Resentment.

Over and over, the person in the marriage who has been hurt now finally gets what they want from their partner – sensitivity, empathy, kindness, respect, understanding – and they think, “So now that I put up with decades of pain, I should just pretend everything’s fine? No way.” But then there is another part of them that is sick of feeling angry, bitter, and resentful. I have resolved that dilemma, too.

Well, I’ve spilled the beans. These are the absolute best of the best of tools to heal. They work. Deeply. All a person needs is the courage to embark on this journey.

Dr. Deb Hirschhorn is a Marriage and Family Therapist. If you want help with your marriage, begin by signing up to watch her Masterclass at https://drdeb. com/myw-masterclass.

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home

— COMMUNICATED CONTENT —

The Gezeiros on Klal Yisroel are coming thick and fast. Hashem is showing us that we need to repent as soon as possible. By continuing in our evil ways, we are inviting the Mashchis into our bodies to wreak his havoc. We have to choose. Do we want an Accelerated Redemption, or the one that comes, Rachmana Litzlan, on schedule? If we refuse to do Teshuva, the Navi has taught that at the End of Days, survivors will be extremely few: ‫ — ולקחתי אתכם א’ מעיר וב’ ממשפחה‬And I will take you 1 from a city and 2 from a family.

For now, our salvation will have to be in the natural way. Here’s what’s happening and what we have to do: Shocking vaccine mandates are being written into law in many states across America. In Colorado, Oregon and Washington, D. C., it is legal to vaccinate a minor without parental knowledge or consent. Astonishingly, it is then illegal to divulge the minor’s vaccination to parents. Connecticut has eliminated the religious exemption for schools, colleges and daycare. In Arizona, Colorado, Georgia and Virginia, statewide vaccination information tracking is mandated. President Biden is forcing vaccines on health care workers at federally regulated health care facilities. A slew of new laws are being proposed to restrict the right of the unvaccinated to get an education, hold a job, receive health insurance and medical care, enter a hospital or nursing home, and function in society. In New York, mandates are being proposed for schoolchildren as young as age 5, although the risk of complications from the vaccine is far greater than the risk of complications from Covid for this age group. The cure must not be worse than the disease. So where does it end? Come join us in the “Defeat the Mandates DC” march in Washington, D. C. on Sunday, January 23rd at 11:30 AM. We will march from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. Buses will leave around 6:30 AM from: Williamsburg Flatbush Crown Hghts Boro Park

Monsey Monroe

Lakewood Queens Staten Island Manhattan

Teaneck Elizabeth

Great Neck Lawrence

Call (833) HIKON-US to make a reservation. Besides attending the rally, here are other ways you can help: 1) Contact your elected officials. In NYS, these are: Governor Hochul, Health Committee Chair Richard Gottfried, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, Speaker of the Assembly Carl Heastie, your Senator, Congressman, State Senator and Assemblyman. Tell them why you are against mandates.

To reach them, call 311 or visit websites senate.gov, house.gov, nysenate.gov, nyassembly.gov .

2) Contact us to offer your assistance. We are creating a task force of volunteers to contact individuals in our communities to help get the word out about the rally and other ways in which these wicked laws may be defeated. Helping to get other people on the buses is a rare and special zechus.

3) Make a tax-deductible contribution to help cover campaign costs. Checks may be sent to Hikon Trust, P. O. Box 301068, Brooklyn, NY 11230. Credit cards: call (833) HIKON-US. Zelle to 347 764 8313.

4) Prepare signs with meaningful, catchy phrases for the rally. Prepare shofars and other noisemakers.

5) Post this message in your neighborhood and on your WhatsApp status. Send to your email contacts.

6) Learn more about vaccines at Kol HaChaim (Yiddish) - (718) 223 5535.

Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A:

Why should Orthodox Jews attend the rally?

Mandating experimental injections for kids is unethical and the Torah requires that Jews not remain silent.

Isn’t it dangerous to attend a rally in Washington, D. C.?

If you are alert at the rally and quickly distance yourself from bad actors, you will not be implicated.

How can I convince others to attend a rally if I’m an awkward speaker?

If you are an awkward speaker, you can become a great leader of the people as Moshe Rabbeinu did.

Won’t these wicked bills probably fail to pass?

Many of them probably will fail, but we’re reaching out to you to help make sure that they ALL fail.

How can I have time/money/energy to help defeat these bills if I’m working/going to school?

Much of your effort working towards building your future will become pointless if some of these bills pass.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Health & F tness

Arm Yourself with ImmuneBoosting Foods

By Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

W

ith Omicron r ipping through our communities, new variants of COVID-19 emerging rapidly, and nasty viruses spreading like wildfire, it is imperative that we keep our immune system in tip-top shape during this germ-infested winter. There is more we can do than masking, vaxxing, and handwashing. Choosing healthy foods, getting moderate exercise daily, and getting adequate sleep are pillars to optimizing your body’s defense against viruses. Some doctors recommend taking a daily multivitamin to provide adequate levels of essentials vitamins to keep your immune system working at its best.

As a dietitian, I advise loading up on immune-boosting foods. Research has shown that foods with vitamin C and omega-3 fatty acids help support immune health.

Eating foods that are high in vitamin C can help your immune system.

For this reason, you may remember your mother encouraging you to drink a glass of orange juice or eat an orange daily since oranges are rich in

vitamin C. The problem is that many vitamin C-rich fruits are not in season during the winter. Citrus fruits have the highest levels of vitamin C. This time of year, the best picks in the produce aisle of citrus fruits are clementine, grapefruit, and oranges.

Enjoy one to two servings of a citrus fruit every day to help keep your immune system performing well.

Other fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C include peppers, guavas, green leafy vegetables, kiwi, berries, tomatoes, peas, and papaya. Produce such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, butter lettuce, kale, kiwi, and papaya are in season during the fall and winter months. Eating a diet high in these fruits and vegetables will provide adequate levels of vitamin C in order to support body tissue growth, healthy blood vessels, strong bones and teeth, and combat viruses such as Omicron, Deltacron, the common cold, the flu, and any other nasty virus that seems to be raging through our communities. If one is unable to get adequate levels of vitamin C from their diet, they should ask their pri-

mary care physician about taking a regular vitamin C supplement during the winter months.

Omega-3 fatty acids are healthy fats proven to play a part in helping the immune system and decreasing inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory agents that help protect the blood vessels and arteries, thus promoting heart health. Salmon and tuna are two common fish high in omega-3 fats.

Enjoy these seafood choices twice a week to optimize your body’s ability to fight off illness. Salmon can be eaten raw as sushi, cooked, grilled, baked, poached, boiled, in a salad, and even made into salmon patties!

Salmon can be prepared in many ways which makes it such a fun food as well as nutritious.

Tuna is another extremely versatile, easy, delicious omega-3 rich food. You can enjoy a tuna salad, tuna sandwich, tuna melt, tuna noodle casserole, tuna steak, tuna patty, and other way you see fit. These two fish have many other health benefits along with their immune-boosting

properties and therefore are a great staple in your diet. However, tuna does contain rather high levels of mercury and should therefore be limited to 2-3 times a week by pregnant and nursing women.

There are plenty of other vitamins that support immune health such as vitamin D, vitamin E, selenium, and zinc. It is important to eat a well-balanced diet to make sure that you get all of the vitamins that you need to keep your immune system up to par.

If you do not get adequate vitamins from your diet, speak to your doctor about a possible multivitamin.

Stay healthy and stay safe!

Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN, is a Master’s level Registered Dietitian and Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist.

She graduated CUNY Brooklyn College receiving a Bachelor’s in Science and Master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Sciences. She is currently a private nutritionist. She can be reached at CindyWeinberger1@gmail.com or at 917-623-6237.

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Parenting Pearls

Keeping Them Close

By Sara Rayvych, MSEd

I

take out the baby carrier and in an intentionally too-high pitch sing the “baby wearing” song; already she’s smiling and I haven’t even picked her up yet. The song won’t make the greatest hits list and the carrier is full of drool, but she’s so happy there. As human beings and social creatures, we’re dependent on physical contact.

Babies thrive on being held and physically close to their caregiver. Toddlers love big, squishy hugs and roly-poly games. It’s a natural and inherent need.

As adults, we don’t feel the same need to squishy-hug each other, baruch Hashem. But, we can’t forget that kids still need a physical connection with us. For many youngsters,

break the barriers of their limited understanding.

Baby Carriers

physical contact is their main way of connecting. While, of course, infants need verbal stimulation, they respond most to being physically held. Babies

are often fully content to allow their adult to schmooze with another person as long as the baby is securely in someone’s arms.

There are many ways to provide this need to our children, and the need changes as they grow. Providing the full range of emotional love is part of our job. Wet, drooly kisses are our reimbursement.

The Younger Set In some way, the younger they are, the stronger the need. Babies thrive on being physically close to us. In arms, on laps or worn in a carrier, any way you keep them close to you will make them happy. There are many methods to calm a screaming infant but holding and rocking has always been one of the most effective. This isn’t to say that there’s never a time for a swing or something similar, as even the most loving of parents need a break. As much as these extras can help, they still won’t take the place of loving arms. Holding my little one had often been the only thing to stop them from screaming during “witching hour,” that pre-bedtime period when they were having a marathon of crankiness.

Young children have limited verbal ability, and physical affection is a language they understand. When they’re overwhelmed or overstimulated, a gentle or pressured hug may be just what they need. Children often find touch calming and a way to

I am personally very biased towards baby carriers but they’re just one of many ways to keep your little one close while allowing you to do other things. I’ve used them for all of my children, and it’s been a sanity saver when a child is sick or just needs extra holding when I’m busy. My baby gets the best naps in the carrier, and it frees me to be there for the other children. It also keeps her safe from rambunctious and well-meaning toddler-aged siblings.

Safe baby wearing is a topic all its own, but you can find appropriate guidelines to help you pick the right carrier for you and your baby. Not all carriers are safe or healthy for babies – even if they are marketed as such.

Also, some carriers can exacerbate back issues in the wearer. There are many search terms you can use but “babywearing safety” and “babywearing safety checklist” brought up many good sites on my search engine. As always, use discretion when choosing which sites to trust.

As They Get Older Children naturally have less of a need for physical affection as they age. Teenagers, in particular, are known for refusing most parental touch. Physical contact need not be something formal or grand. Hugs and kisses are standard and wonderful for children of all ages but may be rejected after a certain point. A quick pat on the shoulders or some other less “emotional” method may work better with the more affection-avoidant crowd. Anything from high fives and fist bumps to pats on the back are all ways we can connect to our kids without making them feel as “threatened.”

Watch your child’s reaction to see what they are and aren’t comfortable with so you can use that as your gauge for next time. One child may enjoy

having their hair ruffled, while another hates having their hair touched. We should respect their preferences.

Respect Boundaries Some children don’t like being touched, and even kids who enjoy hugging don’t always want it. Respect your children’s boundaries and give them the physical distance they may need. As adults, we often need a little space and a child asking for the same deserves it, too.

As kids get older, they easily become embarrassed by so many things when their friends are watching, but especially when it comes to being hugged, kissed, or just about anything by a parent, grandparent or older relative. Embarrassing a child isn’t going to win you brownie points. We all went through that “embarrassed by everything” phase and our kids can, too.

Sometimes it happens that a relative or long-time family friend wants to hold or hug a child, and the little one isn’t interested. I know the temp-

tation is to insist the child comply out of respect for the adult. Sometimes it’s the parents themselves that request a hug, and the child shies away.

While I know opinions vary on this, I’ve personally taken the approach of respecting the child’s feelings and not insisting on physical contact that a

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reasoning in an age-appropriate way.

One of the obvious exceptions to this rule is when a child needs medical care. It’s happened more than once that a child needed medical treatment or testing that the child refused. While beyond the scope of this particular article, there are many

When they’re overwhelmed or overstimulated, a gentle or pressured hug may be just what they need.

child doesn’t want. The reason I have personally taken this approach is to encourage my child to recognize that their body is theirs and they have the right to decide whether or not they want someone touching them – even if that contact is benign. I have even, at times, made a point of explaining my

S H a lO m Ta S k FO r C e

You Are NoT ALoNe Confidential 888.883.2323 Call. Text. Whatsapp Hotline Call our Confidential Hotline to discuss any issues about relationships or domestic abuse. We provide a listening ear to all.

Our referrals help our callers gain access to helpful resources, including legal assistance, counseling, and safe shelters. For more information and to speak with a trained advocate, please visit www.shalomtaskforce.org.

No oNe Deserves To Be ABuseD

ways to encourage a hesitant child and soothe their fears in a medical situation. That being said, if those don’t work, then the child’s medical needs generally take priority. This is one of the many reasons I’ve appreciated the extra professional expertise of pediatric-specialized medical professionals.

They’ve worked with so many kids that they usually have a protocol in place for helping a scared child. And when all else fails, they may even have staff trained in safely holding a child down when necessary, as horrible as that may sound.

If a child frequently refuses contact or reacts negatively to normal physical stimuli then this is a good conversation to have with your child’s pediatrician, mental health, or other trusted medical provider.

Children naturally need to be close to their trusted caregiver, and physical contact is one of the many ways.

Being near us gives them feelings of comfort and love and the knowledge that we’re right nearby for whatever they need.

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

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BUILDING BLOCKS OF ETERNITY Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s new capital project will encompass a Mesivta Beis Medrash and its first-ever Residence Hall.

BEIS MEDRASH + CLASSROOM BUILDING Will serve 500 talmidim in grades 8-11 34,200 Total square feet 4 Stories 5200 sq. feet Beis Hamedrash for Mesivta 12 Classrooms

RESIDENCE HALL Will serve 271 talmidim in Mesivta & Yeshiva Gedolah 43,000 Total square feet 4 Stories 68 Dormitory Rooms 271 Beds 4 Student Lounges

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The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

T H E S E V I S I O N A R I E S H AV E A L R E A DY S T E P P E D F O R WA R D. W I L L YO U J O I N T H E M ?

MR. & MRS. BERISH & HANNAH FUCHS

THE BIVETSKY FAMILY SHAAR HATORAH

MR. & MRS. YUSSIE & SUSAN OSTREICHER

RESIDENCE HALL AND TORAH CENTER

‫ה ליב ע”ה‬-‫לע”נ שלום ראובן בן ארי‬

MESIVTA BEIS MEDRASH BUILDING

MESIVTA BEIS MEDRASH

ANONYMOUS

MR. & MRS. BENZION & MIRIAM HEITNER

MR. & MRS. DOVID & LEAH BRECHER

MR. & MRS. MATIS & YAEL NAYMAN

MR. & MRS. MOTTY & HADASA MENDELSOHN

Dedication Wall Mesivta Beis Medrash Building

Lobby, Mesivta Beis Medrash Building

‫לע”נ נחמן יהודה בן יעקב דוד ע”ה‬ ‫ואשתו לאה בת יהודה אשר ע”ה‬ ‫ולע”נ יעקב ליב בן שלמה ע”ה‬

Dedication of Rosh Kollel’s Office

MR. & MRS. MOTTY & HADASSA JACOBOWITZ Promenade Vestibule

Beis Medrash Vestibule Entrance

MR. & MRS. URI & ESTHER KAUFMAN

‫לע”נ זעליג בן מרדכי ע”ה‬ ‫לע”נ משה אלעזר בן נטע שלום ע”ה‬ ‫לע”נ דוד בן משה ע”ה‬ ‫הר‘ משה נתן בן יחזקאל ע”ה‬ ‫וישראל בן אברהם ע”ה‬ ‫לע”נ‬

‫לע”נ ישראל הלוי לעווין ע”ה‬ ‫ואלישבע בתיה קפלן ע”ה‬

The children, bochurim, and all 45 neshamos of the Miron tragedy, Lag Baomer 5781

MR. & MRS. CHAIM & BRACHA SCHULHOF MR. & MRS. NISSAN & SARAH GITTY PROFESORSKE

‫לע”נ ר‘ ישראל‬ ‫בן ר‘ בנימין הכהן ע”ה‬

MR. & MRS. CHAIM SHOLOM & RIVKY LEIBOWITZ Associate Dean’s Office

DEDICATION OF CAMP ORAYSA CAMPUS

MR. & MRS. URI & DEVORAH DREIFUS

MR. & MRS. SHMULI & MIRIAM MENDEL Sha’ar of New Beis Medrash

Ner Tamid

DEDICATED ANONYMOUSLY

In Memory of Mrs. Marta Schron ‫ע” ה‬

GYMNASIUM WING

Residence Hall Cornerstone

THE BLOOM FAMILY

MESIVTA OTZAR HASEFORIM

THE SCHRON FAMILY

MEMORIAL EXHIBIT TO THE YESHIVOS OF PREWAR EUROPE

ANONYMOUS

Entranceway to Mesivta Beis Medrash Building

Camp Oraysa Sports Complex

MR. & MRS. BENJAMIN & JUDY LANDA

MR. & MRS. YITZCHOK & SHOSHANA GANGER

Basketball Court in Elementary School Gym

Dedicated by Mr. & Mrs. Yaakov & Rivky Jacobovitch

DR. & MRS. YOSSI & ZIVIA SCHWARTZ

Cornerstone, Mesivta Beis Medrash Building

MR. & MRS. NACHUM & HENNY FUTERSAK

MR. & MRS. MENASH & MIMI ORATZ

‫לע”נ חוה בת דב ע”ה‬

ANONYMOUS

MR. & MRS. ALON & CHANIE GOLDBERGER

MR. & MRS. NASSAN & DEVORAH TREITEL Preschool Cornerstone

MR. & MRS. NACHMAN & ESTHER GOODMAN

Sha’ar of New Beis Medrash

MR. & MRS. SHIA & ELANA OSTREICHER Beis Medrash Building Vestibule

Mr. & Mrs. Samuel & Beverly Goldberger Mr. & Mrs. Tzali & Chana Shira Gutman Mr. & Mrs. Ari & Aliza Haas Mr. & Mrs. Berel & Sherry Daskal Mr. & Mrs. Shlomo & Kayla Horowitz Mr. & Mrs. Binyomin & Leah Einhorn Mr. & Mrs. Menachem & Elisheva Jacobowitz Mr. & Mrs. Naftoli & Chani Einhorn Mr. & Mrs. Mordechai & Shana Jacobs Mr. & Mrs. Michael & Mimi Fragin Mr. & Mrs. Jeff & Tamar Landy Mr. & Mrs. Evan & Chaya Sara Genack Mr. & Mrs. Yosef & Vivi Moskowitz Rabbi & Rebbetzen Chaim Aryeh Zev & Avigail Ginzberg Mr. & Mrs. Yitzy & Rivky Orbach

Entrance of Beis Medrash Building

Plumbing Training Center Dedicated

‫לע”נ אברהם שלמה בן יחיאל מיכל הכהן ז”ל‬ ‫לע”נ הר‘ אברהם בן הר‘ חיים מנחם בן ציון זצ”ל‬ ALL BORO CONSTRUCTION

Mr. & Mrs. Simcha & Shani Applegrad

Mr. & Mrs. Ephram & Ilana Ostreicher

Mr. & Mrs. Barry & Paula Bokow

Mr. & Mrs. Mutty & Bracha Ribowsky Mr. & Mrs. David & Sima Rosenfeld Mr. & Mrs. Dovid & Chani Roll Dr. & Mrs. Zvi & Dina Schreiber Mr. & Mrs. Andrew & Stephani Serotta Mr. & Mrs. Morris & Devora Smith Mr. & Mrs. Yehuda & Mindy Zachter

Get in on the ground floor of this monumental project.

To choose from a wide selection of sponsorships at all levels, please contact: Rabbi Zev Bald 718.868.2300 ext. 232 zbald@darchei.org Rabbi Baruch Rothman 718.868.2300 ext. 406 brothman@darchei.org

darchei.org

‫לע”נ מוהר”ר יחיאל מיכל‬ ‫בן ישראל יהודה ע”ה‬

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jewish women of wisdom

Carpool Mania Midlife Memories

By Miriam Hendeles

E

very so often, I have one of those classic nightmares, similar to the one where one is taking a test after forgetting to study for an exam – except my version is the carpool version. In my dream, I’ve totally forgotten to arrange carpool, left town for a simcha, and my poor kids and their friends were left stranded in the courtyard of the school. I wake up sweating. Thank G-d, it’s not real.

Carpools were a key part of our child-raising years, our days entangled with carpool minutiae. When we weren’t driving carpools (which was hardly ever what with the various kids’ schedules), we were covering for someone else. And if we weren’t doing that, we were talking about it, planning it, making complicated charts for the moms to follow (who could remember who drove when, coming or going, and the morning, afternoon, and night seder carpool?). Not to mention the agonizing over who gets morning or afternoon, depending on the various moms’ work and life schedules.

Those days, I’d scribble to-do lists on napkins, backs of envelopes, or sticky post-it notes. I loved my little journal; I relished crossing off completed items one by one. The act of writing my lists gave me a feeling of control, even if most of the list was “eat breakfast, drive carpool, eat lunch, call doctor, drive carpool, arrange carpool…” I mean, who could get anything done in those days without noticing the clock ticking and getting closer to the time of an upcoming carpool? Time went very fast when there was always a carpool lurking around the corner.

Carpools. We loved to hate them, but inside we felt guilty for complaining; we knew we were blessed to have children to drive home. Even if those children sometimes (OK, often) fought or argued or kvetched in said carpools. That’s why a friend and I devised the “Quiet Game.” Whoever kept quiet for the entire ride home

from school got a candy. It worked like a charm.

We’d know Carpool Craze would mess up our plans, but we filled books with to-do tasks. I’d write those long lists in my fancy journals and binders.

call out my child’s name.

If my friends or I had to miss a carpool, it was a huge headache to get someone to switch with you. And to miss too many times, we were branded uncooperative carpoolers – not a

I mean, who could get anything done in those days without noticing the clock ticking and getting closer to the time of an upcoming carpool?

I’d categorize them and color-code them. I’d have short-term and longterm lists, and over a period of time, I actually accomplished many goals.

But carpool trumped everything.

Carpool was this huge force that you didn’t tamper with.

My most vivid memory of child-raising was sitting on those long carpool lines, edging my car forward and listening to the megaphoned staff

good omen for future shidduchim with disgruntled carpool organizers.

Carpools took up blocks of my day, precluding my accomplishing other activities from taking place in a reasonable amount of time. An item could sit on that list for weeks and be carried over to the next day and next and next…with various added exclamation points to remind oneself to get it done already.

Doctor appointments, extra errands, phone calls were squeezed in between the driving to and from school. The carpools were somewhat of a do-or-die. The bane of our existence. I’d plan my day around carpool duties and if that meant pushing off other things in life, then so be it. Life could wait. Carpools could not. So much was riding on those carpools.

We wouldn’t dare mess with them.

Our future reputation as a carpooler, our friendships, our children’s trust in us to pick them up on time… so much was at stake. The concerns were real.

These days, I have no such worries about the non-negotiable carpool taking up the bulk of my day. But, while I don’t have that concern, I think of how the carpool days prepared us for the realization that time marches on.

We can plan and plan to do myriad tasks, but at the end of the day (literally), there’s really not much that’s so important. At any given stage in our life, we set our priorities. Yesterday, our priorities were carpools. Today, there are other things. Things that take up the bulk of our day. Things that tell us, no, no, no…don’t plan so much. What’s the point of planning?

You’ll have to stop and go do the metaphorical carpool, and that’s so much more important.

The act of going day after day to pick up my precious children and bring them home safely for a warm supper at home was a very important task. It grounded us. It strengthened us. They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and I’d have to say I’m one pretty strong lady, having driven hundreds of carpools from when my oldest started school till when my youngest finished driving.

So, I ask you: Anyone need a grandmother to do their carpool out there? I’m available (not!).

Join the conversation and email list of JWOW! by writing to hello @jewishwomenofwisdom.org.

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

In The K

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tchen

Vietnamese Rolls

By Naomi Nachman

This is a delicious way to use up some

leftovers that you have after Shabbat.

I typically use my leftover chicken from

the chicken soup to make these delicious gluten-free rice paper rolls. You can

really put any food that you find in the

fridge in the rolls � ranging from leftover vegetables to your leftover roast.

Just make sure everything is sliced thinly and don’t overload the roll when preparing.

You want to make sure that the roll closes easily.

Ingredients

Prepare the Rice Paper Wrappers:

◦ 10 rice paper wrappers

1.

◦ Large Romaine lettuce leaves, torn into half

2. Dip 1 rice paper wrapper into warm water for 5-10 seconds, until it becomes pliable.

◦ ¼ cup of fresh cilantro, finely chopped (optional) ◦ 1 cup shredded purple cabbage ◦ 2 mangoes, peeled and sliced into long, thin strips ◦ 2 avocados, peeled and cut into long, thin strips ◦ 2 to 3 radishes, thinly sliced ◦ Handful peanuts, roughly chopped ◦ 2 cups shredded cooked chicken ◦ Sweet chili sauce, for serving

Pour warm water into a large bowl or 9-inch square or round baking pan.

3. Quickly remove from water, pat or shake wrapper slightly dry, and place flat onto a work surface, such as a large plastic or ceramic cutting board.

Filling and rolling:

1. Place prepared rice wrapper on the work surface. Place halved lettuce leaf on the bottom one-third of rice paper; sprinkle with cilantro.

2. Add some shredded cabbage, mango, avocado and radish on top of the lettuce leaf. Place chicken onto vegetables and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Do not overstuff the roll.

3. Roll wrapper tightly by gently pulling up the bottom and rolling it over the filling, tucking in the sides as you go, similar to rolling a blintz. The wrapper should be very tightly rolled.

4. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling ingredients. Slice in half on the bias when ready to serve.

5. Serve with sweet chili sauce.

Naomi Nachman, the owner of The Aussie Gourmet, caters weekly and Shabbat/ Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities, with a specialty in Pesach catering. Naomi is a contributing editor to this paper and also produces and hosts her own weekly radio show on the Nachum Segal Network stream called “A Table for Two with Naomi Nachman.” Naomi gives cooking presentations for organizations and private groups throughout the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area. In addition, Naomi has been a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, magazines as well as other media covering topics related to cuisine preparation and personal chefs. To obtain additional recipes, join The Aussie Gourmet on Facebook or visit Naomi’s blog. Naomi can be reached through her website, www.theaussiegourmet.com or at (516) 295-9669.

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

Do you want to be on the side of Dr. King or George Wallace? Do you want to be on the side of John Lewis or Bull Connor? Do you want to be on the side of Abraham Lincoln or Jefferson Davis?

- President Joe Biden, during a speech in Atlanta, chastising Democrat senators who oppose getting rid of the filibuster, a position that he maintained for all of his years in the U.S. Senate

In the midst of all these crises, inflation, high gas prices, a border crisis – go down the list that families are facing – Joe Biden’s top priority is getting rid of picture ID and mandating same-day voter registration in every state in America, which opens the door, by everybody’s account, to massive voter fraud. Why would he want to do that? Why is that his top priority? His top priority should be helping families who are struggling because of the failures of the Biden presidency.

- Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA)

The Biden administration’s effort to get rid of the 60-vote threshold of the United States Senate is not about a Senate that that doesn’t work. It is about a woke agenda that doesn’t settle. Getting rid of the 60-vote threshold in the Senate, in my judgment, would be like giving whiskey and car keys to a teenage boy.

– Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) on Fox News

The Biden administration has mismanaged COVID. It has mismanaged inflation. It has mismanaged the border. And it has mismanaged foreign policy. All in one year. If aliens landed tomorrow and said, “Take me to your leader,” it would be embarrassing.

- Ibid.

Hillary’s calling tens of millions of Americans deplorables was divisive & disgusting. But Biden has gone further, calling those who disagree with his actions & policies domestic enemies, traitors, and racists.

Biden promised to unite us, but he is doing all he can do [to] divide us.

- Former Hawaii Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

I was told by somebody in the White House who said activists are angry. He had to do this. That was the argument. If he didn’t do this, they weren’t going to have people to lick envelopes in Senate races and House races.

- Chuck Todd, “Meet the Press,” talking about Pres. Biden’s speech on the filibuster and federalizing voting

Instead of listening and trying to govern with the people, he is trying to govern over the people, and, you know, that, I’m sorry, I’m a student of history, too. I saw the rise of Hitler.

- Florida’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried, 44, comparing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to Hitler, ym”sh

Do I think that we are going to get to the extent of Hitler’s power? Of course not, but the rise of his power and what he did to scapegoat certain parts and certainly the Jewish community in Germany and how he utilized going after the media, going after and scapegoating people and blaming people and putting fear and taking over the military. That’s what this governor is doing.

– Ibid.

With this hysterical comparison, Fried not only smears millions of Floridians as Nazis, but also trivializes Hitler’s crimes against humanity.

- Gov DeSantis’ Press Secretary Christina Pushaw

The way to avoid delays caused by security arrangements is, of course, to leave home earlier.

- Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court judge Amit Yariv denying Bibi Netanyahu’s request that in his defamation suit against Ehud Olmert (for calling Netanyahu and his family mentally ill) court should start at 10 a.m., rather than at 9 a.m., to account for delays due to security

The 29, 2022 2015 The Jewish Jewish Home Home || OCTOBER JANUARY 20,

27 27 97

Well, guys, big news from Washington today as President Biden finally delivered a major update on his administration’s Covid response. Yeah, just like most phone updates, Biden kept hitting “ignore” until he had no choice.”

— Jimmy Fallon

That’s right, we’re all getting masks. Last year, we got 1,200 bucks; this year, cloth and a rubber band.

— Jimmy Fallon

The White House says N95 masks are the most protective, which is too bad, because I assumed the bedazzled ones I bought on Etsy were 100 percent Covid proof.

— Jimmy Fallon

Yeah, the N95 masks should be helpful.

Unfortunately, out of habit, whenever somebody says, “N95,” Biden calls out, “Bingo.”

— Jimmy Fallon

They have sent the signal. They have been clear about it. They don’t care about minorities. They don’t care about Blacks.

They don’t care about people in their own districts who they’re going to deny their voting rights and undermine their voting rights.

- Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) complaining that Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.VA) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) are holding up the Democrats’ agenda

Democrats whine too much… Just quit being a whiny party and get out there and fight and tell people what you did and tell people the exact truth.

- Democratic strategist James Carville on “Meet the Press”

We do believe that, from engaging with the subject, he was singularly focused on one issue and it was not specifically related to the Jewish community.

- From a statement by the FBI after a radical Muslim took four people hostage in a Texas Reform Temple

Former President Trump has reportedly been complaining to confidants about Florida governor Ron DeSantis and said he has a, quote, “dull personality.” I’m sorry, that’s suddenly a concern of yours? Your vice president was like if a rice cake went to Bible school.

— Seth Meyers

I feel like Trump is slipping. A few years ago, he would have had, like, 10 nicknames for this guy by now. He’s, like, “Ron Dull-Santis.”

— Jimmy Fallon

I think this is actually a nice change, ‘cause usually when two Florida guys get into a fight, they’re drunk and shirtless.

— Jimmy Fallon

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

I don’t think you can be the biggest jerk in the league and punish your team and your organization and your fan base the way he did and be the most valuable player.

- Hub Arkush, who is one of the 50 media members who votes for the NFL MVP award, saying on a radio show that he would never vote for Aaron Rodgers because of his saga with being unvaccinated

He’s a bum. I think he’s an absolute bum.

You don’t know me. I don’t know who he is. Nobody knew who he was probably until yesterday’s comments. In my opinion, [the NFL] should exclude future votes [from Arkush]. His problem isn’t with me being a bad guy or the biggest jerk in the league....

His problem is I’m not vaccinated.

– Aaron Rodgers, in response

If he wants to come up with an extra letter and put it on the award just for this season and call it the Most Valuable Vaccinated Player award then he should do that. But he’s a bum.

I’m not an economist, but I’ve been doing this a long time. But here’s the way to look at it. If car prices are too high right now, there are two solutions: You increase the supply of cars by making more of them, or you reduce demand for cars by making Americans poorer. That’s the choice.

– President Joe Biden

– Ibid.

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99 5

Political Crossfire

As the U.S. and Russia Debate Ukraine, It’s Hard to See the Wiggle Room

By David Ignatius

T

he first round of diplomatic negotiations over Ukraine played out pretty much as expected: The Russian representative made an extravagant demand for “ironclad, waterproof, bulletproof, legally binding guarantees” that Ukraine would never join NATO. His U.S. counterpart rejected this and some other proposals as “simply nonstarters.”

It was hard to see much wiggle room there, even in a world where negotiators often start very far apart.

But Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman agreed to keep talking. And, as Sherman said, “it’s very hard for diplomats to do the work we do if you have no hope.”

The Biden administration didn’t blink in this opening round in Geneva.

In the aftermath of the meeting, U.S. officials prepared for the possibility that Russia could break off the talks and invade Ukraine as far west as Kyiv, or launch cyberattacks and other provocations to destabilize the Ukrainian government.

U.S. intelligence officials think President Vladimir Putin hasn’t yet decided which option he prefers. To prepare for the worst case of an all-out invasion, U.S. and allied intelligence officials are visiting Kyiv to plan a well-armed insurgency that could severely harass the attackers. If Russia climbed the ladder of escalation and tried to punish the United States with cyberattacks, the Biden administration is ready to respond in kind.

Why is Putin considering such risks in Ukraine? Administration officials think the Russian leader fears that the window is closing on his ability to affect

the political future there. Kyiv is moving inexorably away from Russia and toward the West; it’s drawing closer to NATO, to the point that it’s almost a de facto member, even though actual membership is distant, if ever.

This crisis is likely still in its early stages, administration officials believe.

And before Putin takes the irrevocable step of launching a war in Europe, White House officials are framing a diplomatic approach that could provide the Russian leader with a version of what he says he wants – a new security architecture in Europe – without compromising any important NATO principles. That’s the ideal outcome of such a crisis: an agreement that makes all sides safer and more secure.

Ryabkov’s own words suggest that perhaps there’s a pathway forward. Before the meeting with Sherman, he was asked by the newspaper Izvestia about Russian demands for “security guarantees.” Ryabkov’s answer was telling in its seeming willingness to compromise – in contrast with the strident public comments last Monday. “Diplomacy involves seeking solutions based on a

balance of interests,” he said. “We do not intend to contest every single objection – otherwise it would be a preemptory demand on our part rather than a proposal to negotiate.”

Biden administration officials have explored a package of proposals that might address Putin’s insistence that he’s threatened by NATO, without undermining the alliance. Take the draft treaty on “security guarantees” that Russia announced in December. The United States rejects some provisions, such as a formal ban on Ukraine’s NATO membership. But U.S. officials see other Russian draft treaty language – invoking the Helsinki Final Act, the 1997 Founding Act between Russia and NATO, and limits on short- and intermediate-range missiles – as building blocks for an agreement that the United States and its allies would welcome.

The Biden administration would probably support, for example, joint limits on military exercises and on some forward-deployed offensive weapons systems. Putin has expressed concerns about missiles that would give Russia only a few minutes warn-

ing before a decapitating attack on Moscow; this demand could probably also be addressed. The same with Putin’s complaints about flights near Russia’s borders by nuclear-capable B-52 and B-1 bombers. That sort of nuclear saber-rattling serves no one in 2022.

If Putin wants security assurances such as these, he’s probably pushing on an open door. Explains William B. Taylor Jr., a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine: “A return to the transparency, confidence building and risk reduction that would come with an agreement on military exercises would make both sides, NATO and Russia, more secure.

If these negotiations proceed, it will have been worth it.”

But Putin may well desire something more, which is to rewrite history. In her book “Putin’s World: Russia Against the West and With the Rest,” Angela Stent writes that the Russian leader wants the West “to treat Russia as if it were the Soviet Union” and to “renegotiate the end of the Cold War.” Those atavistic dreams are impossible.

Countries that have been nursing a grudge, as Putin’s Russia does, are often tempted to strike at what they think is the core of the problem. Israel did that when it invaded Lebanon in 1982. The United States did the same in its 2003 invasion of Iraq. Both are widely recognized as costly strategic mistakes. Now, Russia is considering a similar roll of the dice.

Russia’s desire to feel secure within its borders isn’t unreasonable. Every country wants that. But if Putin thinks he can achieve this goal by invading Ukraine, he’s almost certain to fail. (c) 2021, Washington Post Writers Group

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Political Crossfire

Biden is Failing Politically, and Not Just Because of Republican Obstruction

By David Ignatius

P

resident Joe Biden hit a political wall this week in his push for voting-rights legislation, just as he did last year in trying to pass his Build Back Better spending package. It’s time for Biden to ask himself why he’s in this morass.

It sticks in my craw to quote Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who has often been a wrecker in our national politics. But he had it right when he said Wednesday that Biden was elected with a mandate to “bridge a divided country, lower the temperature, dial down the perpetual air of crisis in our politics.”

Biden is failing in that mission.

Republican obstructionism is a big reason, but it’s not the only explanation. Biden has been losing his way politically. As he chases support from progressives in his own party, he has failed to craft versions of his social-spending package and voting-rights legislation that he could pass with fragile majorities. He’s been spinning his wheels.

A prime (but rarely discussed) example of Biden’s loss of momentum is the failure to enact legislation to improve American competitiveness in chipmaking and other technologies.

This bill, known as the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (or USICA), passed the Senate back in June with a big majority, 68 to 32. Passage illustrated the strong bipartisan consensus that America must respond to China’s technology challenge.

But USICA stalled in the House.

Democrats there were miffed at what they saw as Senate attempts to dictate science policy. Some progressives didn’t want chipmaking to get

in the way of battles for child-care credits and other Build Back Better programs. And House Republicans wanted to sabotage any potential success for Biden.

So, the bill languished. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced a House-Senate conference in November, but it never happened because the House hadn’t passed a bill. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Ill., a leading Democrat on tech issues, told me the House should have gone to conference and approved the chipmaking portion of the bill, at least. But that didn’t occur, even though Biden’s national-security team takes the China threat as seriously as Republicans do.

Moderate Democrats are baffled.

“It’s nuts that the House has been sitting on this good, important bill for months,” Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., one of its authors, told me in an email. A similar concern came from Thomas E. Donilon, President Barack Obama’s national security adviser.

“It’s inexcusable that Congress hasn’t

moved forward on this,” he told me.

Pelosi’s aides say she wants to get a House version of the bill moving again soon. And one Senate staffer hoped a House bill could pass in a few weeks – clearing the way for a real conference to resolve differences.

“We are working hard on trying to get USICA done in the House,” a White House official told me Thursday. But the official said it’s not clear if House Republicans will help. “To be blunt, it takes two to tango.”

The larger question for Biden is whether there’s any space left for bipartisanship and conciliation. Political divisions have worsened over the past year, and Republicans, led

by McConnell, have rebuffed nearly all of his overtures. He had bigger ambitions, on social and political revitalization. But with such fragile Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, Biden will struggle now to pass meaningful legislation. USICA would be a good test. So would a scaled-back version of Build Back

Better that could win support from Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va. Sen. Christopher A. Coons, D-Del., thinks there’s more room left for bipartisanship than many observers believe. His staff gave me a list of bills that Coons and other Democrats have co-sponsored with Republicans to, among other things, provide better background checks for gun purchasers, expand civics education, spend more on conservation and expand criminal justice reform. These are small items, compared to the larger impasse. But they’re a start.

Biden’s frustration is understandable, to put it mildly. The White House proposed an initiative to fight cancer, for example, surely a bipartisan concern. But the administration says it can’t get a single congressional Republican to back legislation. Some in the GOP attack it as the “Fauci Fund,” because it’s partly based at the National Institutes of Health, where Anthony Fauci, Biden’s chief medical adviser, is a leader. That’s sick.

The Biden administration has been a good steward. As White House officials argue, they have lowered unemployment, vaccinated 200 million people, and cut child poverty. Biden hasn’t delivered on uniting the country, but he has succeeded on many other things.

But successful presidencies carry a sense of political momentum, going from success to success. Sadly, President Biden has lost much of that forward drive. It’s time for a restart, with less shouting and more of Biden’s trademark common sense. (c) 2021, Washington Post Writers Group

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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101 5

Political Crossfire

A Flailing Biden Sold His “Whole Soul” in Political Desperation

By Marc A. Thiessen

D

uring his venomous speech in Atlanta on Tuesday, President Joe Biden attacked his fellow Americans who oppose blowing up the Senate filibuster to pass his partisan election law by comparing them to racists and traitors, accusing them of standing with George Wallace, Bull Connor, and Jefferson Davis. Not only that, he explicitly called them “enemies” of America, thundering, “I will defend the right to vote, our democracy against all enemies – foreign and, yes, domestic.”

But here’s the thing: Biden wasn’t just talking about Republicans. The Democrats’ federal election takeover has zero chance of passing not because of GOP opposition, but because, thankfully, it does not have enough support among Democrats to get rid of the filibuster to pass it.

It isn’t Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who is killing the bill. He doesn’t have enough votes. It’s Senators Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., who will deliver the death blow.

Does this make them racists, traitors, and “enemies” of our democracy? According to Biden, apparently it does. But for Biden, here is the bigger question: Does insulting Manchin and Sinema make them any more likely to support his election bill or bring them any closer to a deal to salvage some elements of his Build Back Better agenda?

Of course not. So why would Biden say these things? These weren’t off-the-cuff remarks. They were part of a prepared address. I used to run a White House speechwriting shop.

Before words get into a presidential speech for delivery, first they have to go through the “staffing process” –

a review by members of the White House senior staff and relevant Cabinet secretaries.

That means only two things are possible regarding Biden’s speech: Either every senior official in the administration signed off on it, which means those words represent what the Democratic establishment believes and considers acceptable. Or someone objected – perhaps pointing out that it would be inappropriate for the president of the United States to compare his opponents to a racist police chief who used police dogs and fire hoses against Black civil rights protesters – and those objections were overruled.

This was a violation of every principle on which Biden campaigned for the presidency. During his victory speech following his 2020 election, Biden declared that it was “time to put away the harsh rhetoric” and “stop treating our opponents as our enemy.” In his inaugural address, he promised to “end this uncivil war”

and put “my whole soul” into “bringing America together.” Calling Americans who disagree with his partisan election bill bigots and enemies is a strange way of doing so.

Biden’s speech was a pitiful outburst by a flailing president. His approval rating in the new Quinnipiac poll has plummeted to 33% – down from 49% in the same poll seven months ago. Americans see that he promised unity and normality and is delivering the opposite. They also believe that he’s focused on the wrong things. A new Politico-Morning Consult poll asked voters what should be “the top priority” for Congress: reforming the electoral college; expanding voting access in federal elections; or expanding oversight of states’ changes to voting practices.

“None of the above” beat all three.

Americans are struggling with real problems: Inflation is at a 40year high, and we have a massive labor shortage, with more than 10 million unfilled jobs. There aren’t

sufficient coronavirus tests and therapeutics. Schools are closing again.

Drug overdose deaths reached a record high. But instead of focusing on fixing these problems, Biden has focused on political theater – spending a full week pushing an election law that has no chance of passing, and doing so with offensive and hyperbolic rhetoric.

Why would Biden spend so much political capital on a lost cause? The reason is simple: Because the GOP made significant gains with nonWhite voters in 2020 – particularly among African American men and younger Black voters. Barack Obama won 95% of Black male voters in 2008. In 2020, according to Edison Research, Biden’s support among Black men dropped to just 80%, while Trump won 18%. And pre-election polls found that 21% of Black voters ages 18 to 44 supported Trump.

Since Democrats need to win supermajorities of Black voters to prevail, even modest GOP inroads present a potentially mortal threat.

If Republicans nominate a candidate who does not repel moderate suburban voters the way Trump did, while building on these gains with nonWhite voters, it could tip the scales in the next election.

So, Biden is hyping a fake threat of “Jim Crow 2.0” and using racial dog whistles in an attempt to drive these voters away from the GOP. This would be a cynical ploy by any president. But coming from one who promised to put his “whole soul” into uniting the country, it is shameful and pathetic. (c) 2021, Washington Post Writers Group

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Forgotten Her es

Bagpipes, a Limp, and a Ghost Unusual Heroes Who Fought in World War II

By Avi Heiligman

Mad Jack Churchill with his famous bagpipe

M

ilitaries like to have all of their enlisted personnel and officers trained in a particular way as that would help them perform better when facing the enemy. However, there are some people who just don’t fit the bill of a typical soldier, yet they manage to be excellent on the battlefield or behind the lines. Some of these people become spies or join special units, while others make a name for themselves while under fire. During World War II, many of these characters helped the Allies defeat the Axis powers Even though John Malcolm Thorpe Fleming Churchill wasn’t related to Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the Germans thought he was and treated him roughly. Known as Mad Jack, he was a lieutenant colonel in the British Army during World War II and had a large personality along with his broadsword, longbow, and bagpipes that he brought into battle.

Churchill was born in British Ceylon (today Sri Lanka) and graduated from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, in 1926. After a stint in Burma, he left the army to become a newspaper editor in Kenya. Using his bagpipe skills, Churchill made small film appearances and competed in bagpipe and archery competitions.

As with many former soldiers, Churchill rejoined the army after Britain entered the war when Germany invaded Poland. He was sent

Virginia Hall, the Limping Lady

to France as a part of the British Expeditionary Force with the Manchester Regiment. A story circulated around the ranks that Mad Jack killed a German with a longbow, but he refuted this claim by stating that all his longbows had been crushed.

He used two machine guns to hold off the enemy and, despite being shot in the shoulder, managed to get the rest of his company to safety. After fighting at Dunkirk, Churchill went back in England and volunteered for the Commandos. On a raid on Vagsoy, Norway, in December 1941, he led his men into battle while playing the bagpipes and throwing a grenade at the enemy. A year-and-a-half later in Italy, Mad Jack was the commanding officer of No. 2 Commando and led his men during two landings with a longbow, arrows, broadsword, and bagpipes. Along with a corporal, he managed to capture 42 enemy soldiers including a mortar section.

He was with the Commandos in 1944 in Yugoslavia to support the Partisans and was knocked out by a grenade and captured by the Germans.

The Nazis thought he was related to the prime minister and sent him to a concentration camp. Along with other prisoners, Churchill dug a tunnel and escaped – only to be recaptured by the Nazis. In April 1945, the POWs were released, and he walked 93 miles to Allied lines in Italy. He was then sent to Burma, but the fighting had

Matthew Urban, receiving a Medal of Honor in 1979 from President Jimmy Carter

ended. Churchill later quipped, “If it wasn’t for those Yanks, we could have kept the war going another 10 years!”

After the war, he was posted to British Mandate in what was then called Palestine, and just before Israeli Independence assisted in rescuing a Hadassah medical convoy that was attacked by the Arabs. Churchill coordinated the rescue of 700 Jewish doctors, patients, and other personnel at the hospital.

Mad Jack Churchill was a legendary soldier who received several awards and commendations for bravery in battle even though his methods may have not been the norm.

One of the OSS’s (the U.S. spy agency during the war) most valuable agents in France was a woman with one leg named Virginia Hall. She was born in Baltimore, knew four languages, and had traveled the world.

Her left leg had to be amputated after a hunting accident in Turkey but that didn’t stop her from joining the British secret agency the SOE – Special Operations Executive. They sent her to France to coordinate an underground network to fight the Nazi occupiers. The Nazis soon put the “Limping Lady” on the Most Wanted list, but she escaped through Spain, where she was put in prison. The American consul stationed in the officially neutral country (Spain did not fight in the war but had sympathized

with Germany) was able to secure her release after six weeks behind bars.

In 1944, Hall formally joined the OSS and was sent back into France to reorganize her resistance network.

The work that Virginia Hall did while under the noses of the Nazis who relentlessly searched for her is incredible. One of the important aspects of a spy is to blend in with the locals and act like he or she belongs there. Hall disguised herself as a milkmaid and dyed her hair grey.

Many agents that parachuted into France were guided in by Hall, and she helped supply airdrops for the resistance. Numerous reports on enemy troop movements and dispositions were relayed to London by her radio.

She also trained three battalions of resistance fighters. In the weeks before and after D-Day, June 6, 1944, resistance fighters trained by Hall destroyed four bridges, and severed rail and communication lines, along with killing 150 German soldiers and capturing over 500 of them.

After the war, Hall was presented with the Distinguished Service Cross for her bravery behind enemy lines.

Buffalo native Matthew Urban was one of the most decorated soldiers during World War II. He was a lieutenant with 2nd Battalion, 60 Infantry Regiment, 9th Division and served in several campaigns starting with the North Africa invasion (Op-

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

eration Torch) in November 1942. Urban was ordered to remain on his ship and not enter the battle, but when he heard of his unit’s predicament on the beach, he found a way to join his men.

Defying orders and under threat of court martial, Urban rowed himself to shore in a rubber raft and, upon reaching the beach, took the place of a wounded officer.

During the battle in Tunisia, Urban inspired his men in unusual ways throughout the battle. On a patrol, his unit was falling back when he ran into a German and killed him with a knife.

Urban then took the Nazi’s pistol and started firing at the enemy. Urban also showed unparalleled leadership during the Sicily Campaign by leading his unit that spearheaded an Allied column that caught the Germans offguard.

The 9th Infantry Division was sent to England to refit and prepare for the invasion of France that took place in June 1944. After landing on Utah Beach, Urban’s company made their

way through the hedgerows and came across German Panzers. He picked up a Bazooka anti-tank rifle from a fallen GI and proceeded to knock out the tanks and cleared the way for rest of

his men who had suffered many casualties in the hedgerow fighting. As he reached the 2nd Battalion in the middle of intense enemy fire, he organized the men to keep on moving

Known as Mad Jack, he was a lieutenant colonel in the British Army during World War II and had a large personality along with his broadsword, longbow, and bagpipes that he brought into battle.

the company. Later in the day, he was wounded but refused evacuation and directed his unit while on a stretcher. The next day, he was wounded, sent back to England to recuperate, and instead of being sent back to the U.S. after he healed, made his way back to France so he could be with

so they wouldn’t be sitting ducks. He noticed a burning American Sherman tank and rescued the driver before it exploded. As the unit advanced, Urban destroyed many machine guns and captured many more Germans in hand-to-hand fighting that included the use of his bayonet. The fighting

33 103

continued from France into Belgium, where he was shot in the neck and was sent to a field hospital.

Urban managed to rejoin the 2nd Battalion again but was refused a field assignment based on his injuries.

Matt Urban was nicknamed “The Ghost” for returning to action so many times after being wounded. In 1980, he was awarded the Medal of Honor in addition to the many other medals and citations that he had received, including two Silver Stars and 7 Purple Hearts.

Many soldiers and spies during World War II fought the enemy with bravery. Even though their stories didn’t always make headlines, their heroism deserves to be remembered.

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.

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Alternative Solutions Geriatric Care Management staff will assist you with: * Obtaining Medicaid and Pooled Income Trust * In-home Assessments, Individual and Family Counseling * Securing reliable home care assistance * Case and Care Management services Dr. S. Sasson, DSW, LCSW (718) 544- 0870 or (646) 284-6242 SHALOM HANDYMAN Plumbing, heating, boiler, installation, sewer, locks, dryer vent cleaning and more…

CALL 917-217-3676

HANDYMAN AVAILABLE For big or small jobs, Sheetrock, carpentry, painting, electrical, plumbing, install & repair appliances Call Ephraim at 347-593-4691 MOONBOUNCE FOR RENT $100/day.

Holds up to 500lbs.

Perfect fun for ages 3-8 Call or text 516-220-0616 to reserve your date GERBER MOVING FULL SERVICE MOVING Packing Moving Supplies Local Long Distance Licensed Insured 1000’S Of Happy Customers Call Shalom 347-276-7422

HAIR COURSE: Learn how to wash & style hair & wigs. Hair and wig cutting, wedding styling Private lessons or in a group Call Chaya 718-715-9009

HOUSES FOR SALE WOODMERE PRIME LOCATION! 5 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths, LR, DR, EIK, pool, stucco siding Patino, Fenced yard. 2 car Garage, big driveway, must see!

Call now All Going Realty at 516-206-2005 Hurry won't last!

WOODMERE

Expanded Cape w. 4 bdrms, 2 baths, on quiet ABC block, renovated kitchen and baths.

Chana (516) 449-9692 $840K

CEDARHURST

8 bdrm colonial on oversized lot on quiet cul-de-sac- needs TLC. Ayelet (516)993-9561 $1,099M

HOUSES FOR SALE Don’t Get Stuck With a Two Story House Ya Know, It’s One Story Before You Buy It But a Second Story After You Own It! Call Dov Herman For An Accurate Unbiased Home Inspection Infrared - Termite Inspection Full Report All Included NYC 718-INSPECT Long Island 516-INSPECT www.nyinspect.com

CEDARHURST 100' x 100' corner property for sale!! Large living rm, FDR, Kosher kit + den. En suite mstr bdrm plus 3 additional bdrs, fin bsmt, 2 1/2 bths, central air, sprinkler system, fully alarmed. Front porch, rear deck, Pvt drv + 2 story 2 car gar.

Generator. Excellent cond!

Brisman RE/Raizy 718-677-0988 or 917-975-8550

CEDARHURST

WOODMERE

New to Market! 12 year old colonial on quiet street in Woodmere Park. 6 bedrooms, 3.6 baths. $2.150M

FAR ROCKAWAY

Renovated 6 bdrm, 4 bth duplex w nice yard & private driveway. Call Malka 516-967-1967 $1,150M

New construction colonial home coming soon POR Call Avigail 516-316-3452

LAWRENCE

Bright and spacious 2 bedroom apartment on 1st floor. Bryna (516)322-4831$2,200/m

CEDARHURST

4 bedroom, 4.5 bath brick colonial on 1-ofa-kind 200 foot deep lot in Cedarhurst. $1.999M

CEDARHURST

1 bedroom apartment in the heart of Cedarhurst. Bryna (516)322-4831 $1,895/m

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

105

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

HOUSES FOR SALE

HOUSES FOR SALE

HOUSES FOR SALE

HOUSES FOR SALE

CAN’T AFFORD YOUR PROPERTY TAXES? MORTGAGE? Must sell for any reason?

Call for FREE Consultation.

Call now 212-470-3856 Cash buyers available!

LAWRENCE: 8 bedrooms, set back circular drive, pristine grounds. 2 story grand entrance, extremely large dining room. Expansive chefs kitchen, rotunda breakfast room has floor to ceiling windows.

3 sinks 3 ovens 2 dishwashers, lime stone floors and granite countertops.

First floor with 10 foot ceilings with additional 3 guest bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, den, billiard room and laundry room. Floors with radiant heat. Second floor with master suite with 2, walk in closets and master bath, additional 4 bedrooms with walk-in closets and bathrooms in each.

An added amenity of a home gym/office on that floor.

P.O.R. Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

ATLANTIC BEACH Spacious 4BR, 2.55 Bath Contemporary on cul-de-sac on one of the largest properties in the Atlantic Beach Estates. vaulted ceilings with skylights in both the oversized kitchen and family room. featuring 2 beautiful views of both the bay and the ocean.

Finished basement , incredible backyard featuring a large inground pool, 2 decks, hot tub and wet bar. Free membership! to a private beach club w/resident cabana and docking rights.

Don't miss out on this one!

P.O.R. Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

Moller Realty Group 516-506-3447 New to Market! Far Rockaway!

Single Family Home, Renovated, 4 BR, 3BA, Finished attic, Finished basement with BR/BA, Maintained Boilers, A/C System, Roof, Open layout, Asking $799k Chaya Moller 516-506-3347

HEWLETT FABULOUS 4 Bedroom 2.5 Bath Colonial with Vaulted Cathedral Ceiling, Large Formal Living Room & Formal Dining Room, Spacious Eat-InKitchen with Wood Cabinets, Stainless Steel Appliances and Granite Counter-tops. Family Room with Vaulted Ceiling and Fireplace, Large Primary Bedroom with Home Office and Ensuite Bath and 2 Walk-in Closets, 3 additional Large Bedrooms with 2 closets each and Full Bath, Large Backyard with Heated Pool and Deck. Close To All!!! $929k Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

WOODMERE: Beautiful, brick, colonial boasting 5 bdr 3.5 Bth in pristine condition.

Excellent location, near all!

Move right in!

RCUSA 516-512-9626

LAWRENCE New to the market. Move Right In!!! 1st Floor apartment, elevator and doorman building, underground parking, inground pool. 2 Full bathrooms, CAC, terrace facing courtyard, laundry room, storage. Close to railroad, shopping & houses of worship.$399k Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

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HOUSES FOR SALE

HOUSES FOR SALE

COMMERCIAL RE

APT FOR RENT

HEWLETT This home in SD#14, was expanded and completely renovated in 2008, with all the bathrooms redone in 2016.

It consists of 4 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, finished basement with separate rooms. Upgraded CAC, hardwood floors, hi-hats all around, ceiling fans in all the bedrooms, security system, in-ground sprinklers, new washer/ dryer, many closets, PV solar electric panels, and smart home features. Master bedroom with ensuite bathroom with radiant heat.

Close to schools, shopping, and transportation.$849k OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY DECEMBER 19 11:30-1:30PM 1589 HEWLETT AVENUE Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

WOODMERE Beautiful & Spacious 2 Bedroom Apartment Across From The Golf Course. Elevator Building, Updated Kitchen, Gas Cooking, Granite Countertops, Washer/ Dryer In Unit, High Ceilings, Great Closet Space, Storage In Basement, Close To RR, Shopping & Houses Of Worship..$349K call for more details Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

SF MEDICAL OFFICE SPACE Available, Reception Area, Waiting Room, Kitchenette, 2 Consult, 4 Exam Rooms, 2 Bathrooms, 30 Car On-Site Parking, For Lease …Call Ian 516-295-3000 www.pugatch.com

WOODMERE: JUST LISTED Stunning 2 Bedroom 2 bathroom apartment in Woodmere on a culde-sac with water views. Totally renovated, use of yard, CAC, Radiant Heat, Recessed Lighting, Kitchen with Quartz Countertops, Dishwasher, Warming Draw, Washer/DryerMove Right In. $3,500 monthly Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

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COMMERCIAL RE LOWEST PRICES IN TOWN! 500-7000 Square feet gorgeous office space with WATERVIEW in Inwood! Lots of options.

Tons of parking. Will divide and customize space for your needs!

Call 516-567-0100 OFFICE FOR RENT LAWRENCE AVE & BAYVIEW Renovated. HVAC. Internet.

12’ ceiling. Parking. Minyan.

Kitchen. LIRR. First month: $999 CALL, TEXT, WhatsApp 516-206-1100 info@mbequitygroup.com.

PRAYING FOR LOWER RATES? * Some of these time may vary for leining days, hodu/ brachos, and Rosh Chodesh. We have always shown the earliest time.

Weekday Shacharis Minyan Times 5:45 6:00 6:00 6:00 6:00 6:05 6:05 6:10 6:10 6:15 6:15 6:20 6:20 6:25 6:25 6:30 6:30 6:30 6:30 6:30 6:35 6:50 7:00 7:00 7:00 7:00 7:00 7:00 7:00 7:00 7:00

Young Israel of Woodmere The White shul Young Israel of Woodmere Yeshiva Sh’or Yoshuv Congregation Shaaray Tefila Bais Medrash of Cedarhurst Congregation Shaaray Tefilah Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid Congregation Aish Kodesh Young Israel of Far Rockaway Irving Place Minyan (IPM) Anshei Chesed Kehilas Yagdil Torah Chabad of Five Towns Beth Sholom The White shul Young Israel of Woodmere Young Israel of L-C Chofetz Chaim Torah Center Yeshiva Ateres Shimon Agudath Israel of LI Agudath Israel of LI The White shul Bais Medrash of Cedarhurst Congregation Aish Kodesh Yeshiva Sh’or Yoshuv Young Israel of Hewlett The Red Shul Young Israel of Woodmere Beit Ephraim Yitzchok Young Israel of L-C

7:00 7:00 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:30 7:45 7:45 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:15 8:30 8:30 8:30 8:30 8:45 9:00 9:00 9:00 9:00 9:15 9:30

Congregation Shaaray Tefila Agudath Israel of the FT The White shul Irving Place Minyan Beth Sholom Agudath Israel of LI Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid Young Israel of Woodmere Chabad of Five Towns Yeshiva Ateres Shimon Congregation Shaaray Tefila Yeshiva Sh’or Yoshuv The White shul Agudath Israel of LI Yeshiva Aish Kodesh Young Israel of Woodmere Beit Ephraim Yitzchok Bais Medrash of Cedarhurst Young Israel of L-C Beth Sholom The White shul The Red Shul Yeshiva Ateres Shimon Young Israel of Woodmere Bais Ment The White shul Bais Medrash of Cedarhurst Young Israel of L-C Young Israel of Woodmere The Red Shul The White shul

Jordan Goldschmidt VP of Mortgage Lending, Guaranteed Rate (516) 998-6201 | (212) 318-9432 Jordan.Goldschmidt@rate.com

NMLS 2012660 Licensed by The Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act. nlmsconsumeraccess.org 1400 Old Country Rd Suite 206N, Westbury, NY 11590, (212) 318-9432, Guaranteed Rate, Inc. NMLS 2611 3940 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago, IL 60613 (866) 934-7283 • rate.com Equal Housing Lender www.rate.com/privacy

YOU’VE BEEN ANSWERED...

INVESTORS WELCOME GREAT DEAL IN WOODMERE, amazing location, double lot, low taxes ,SD 14 Asking $599, won’t last 25 CONKLIN AVE, WOODMERE Call Alexandra at Realty Connect 1-516-784-0856

APT FOR RENT EAST ROCKAWAY: Retail Stores on Busy Corner, 1000SF& Up Available, Great High Visibility Location, For Lease…

Call for More Details Broker (516) 792-6698 FAR ROCKAWAY: House For Rent. On Beach 12th.

3 1/2 bedrooms.Just renovated, Central HVAC,LR/Dr, Finished basement..Call Raphael 917-822-1726 $3800/m

CEDARHURST: 1 and 2 bedroom apartments, totally renovated NO FEE private entrance , central air conditioning, hardwood floors, washer/dryer, garage parking,dishwasher, recessed lighting, private playground, close to railroad, park, shopping and houses of worship.

Call for more details Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

Reach Your Target Market

Classifieds

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

HOUSE FOR RENT

HELP WANTED

HEWLETT: For Rent: Totally renovated 2 Bedroom, 1 Full Bath Apt with washer/dryer, kitchen with quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances.

Recessed lighting, hardwood floors, storage in basement. Close to RR, shopping, and houses of worship. Mark Lipner Associate Broker Berkshire Hathaway Laffey International 516-298-8457 mlipner@bhhslaffey.com

Job Opportunity Are you looking to make a difference in the life of someone special? This job may be for you!

Seeking: a female worker for a high functioning 6 year old female in Far Rockaway, twice a week from 2:30-5:00pm . Hours are flexible. Great pay!

Please call: 718-854-2747 Ext 1110.

Refer to job ID 6666

HELP WANTED Job Opportunity Are you looking to make a difference in the life of someone special? This job may be for you!

Seeking: a female worker for a high functioning 9 year old male in Cedarhurst area Shabbos and Sunday hours after 12:30pm Hours are flexible. Great pay!

Please call: 718-854-2747 Ext 1110.

Refer to job ID 11111 Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, Woodmere NY seeks Limudei Kodesh and General Studies substitute teachers for grades 1-8.

Send resumes to hweiselberg@halb.org

Job Opportunity Are you looking to make a difference in the life of someone special? This job may be for you!

Seeking: a female worker for a high functioning 29 year old female in Sheepshead Bay (Ocean parkway and Avenue S) Monday-Thursday 6-9pm,Friday and Sunday afternoon Hours are flexible. Great pay! Please call: 718-854-2747 Ext 1108. Refer to job ID 1239

107

New luxury offices custom built 4,500sf in prime 5 Call Towns location!

Raizie (917) 903-1778 Call Donny (347) 992-6343

Put the power of Miller Realty Commercial to work for you today.

516.374.4100 www.ftmr.com COMMERCIAL • LEASING • SALES

108

JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

ASSISTANT TEACHERS CAHAL is seeking PM Assistant Teachers for young classes in 5-Towns and Far Rockaway.

E-mail resume to Shira@cahal.org or call 516-295-3666.

GREAT JOB OPPORTUNITY! Special Care for families and children services is seeking energetic, exciting, and creative females to work at home and in the community:

Gesher (located in Cedarhurst) is looking for a part-time Rebbe beginning in January for First Grade boys. · Approximately a half-hour a day, Monday through Friday · Small group lessons · The goal of the Rebbe is to provide faster paced exposure to higher level kriah and chumash skills · Curriculum support provided · One-on-one private pay tutoring opportunities may also be available Please email your resume to jobs@gesher-ecc.org or contact (516) 730-7377 to set up an interview.

BUSINESS MANAGER P/T (mostly) Remote Legacy 613, a dynamic Jewish outreach organization based in the NYC metro area, seeks a Business Manager.

The successful candidate will be responsible to oversee the budget.

We are looking for a dynamic selfstarter with excellent people and organizational skills.

Experience in not-for-profit Jewish organizations is a plus.

Excellent part-time opportunity with competitive hourly compensation.

Candidate will work with the director in developing budget and fundraising initiatives and generating reports to present to our Board of Directors.

Send resumes to info@legacy613.org

Job Opportunity Are you looking to make a difference in the life of someone special? This job may be for you!

Seeking: a male worker for a moderate functioning 20 year old male in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, Saturday 2-7pm, and/or Sunday 1-6pm . Hours are flexible.

Great pay!

Please call: 718-854-2747 Ext 1108.

Refer to job ID 1240 Job Opportunity Are you looking to make a difference in the life of someone special? This job may be for you!

Seeking: a female worker for a high functioning 24 year old female in Flatbush (Midwood area),Mon-Thurs 7-9pm. Hours are flexible. Great pay!

Please call: 718-854-2747 Ext 1108.

Refer to job ID 1242

Female staff in Woodmere Need staff to work with a 12-yearold girl with an intellectual and developmental disability, during the week afterschool hours, Sunday and shabbos during the day Woodmere: 12-year-old girl with an intellectual and developmental disability, weekdays after school, Sunday, and Shabbos day Queens: Sunday afternoons and/or weekday evenings for a high-functioning adult male 718-252-3365 ext:102 or renay@ specialcarefor.com Queens: Male Sunday afternoons and/or weekday evenings for man with disability Flushing 718-252-3365 ext:102 or renay@ specialcarefor.com Pessy Lefkowitz: 718-252-3365 Ext 113, Pessyl@specialcarefor.com

TJH Classifieds Post your Real Estate, Help Wanted, Services, Miscellaneous Ads here.

Weekly Classifed Ads Up to 5 lines and/or 25 words 1 week ................$20 2 weeks .............. $35 4 weeks .............. $60 Email ads to: classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com Include valid credit card info and zip code

Deadline Monday 5:00pm

DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT A multi-tasker needed for general office work. The ideal candidate is someone who is detail-oriented, responsible, and can take ownership. Looking for someone who is eager to learn, and expand his/her skill set while possessing the ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Experience with Excel required.

Five Towns location. In-office position only, not remote.

Please send resume to 5tpart.timecareer@gmail.com SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS CAHAL is seeking a secular studies MATERNITY SUBSTITUTE for February for a small boys 6th grade class and a PERMANENT AFTERNOON SUBSTITUTE. Email resume to shira@cahal.org or call 516-295-3666.

ASSISTANT REBBEIM and TEACHERS CAHAL, the community Special Ed program in Five Towns and Far Rockaway yeshivas has immediate openings available for: AM ASSISTANT REBBES for a 4th-5th grade class and a 6th grade class PM ASSISTANT TEACHERS for a 2nd-3rd grade class and a 6th grade class We have small classes and flexible hours.

Email resume to shira@cahal.org or call 516-295-3666.

Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island has an immediate opening for a warm and caring full-time Kindergarten assistant.

Friendly environment and competitive salary.

Please email resume to preschool@ykli.org

SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS CAHAL is seeking afternoon maternity leave substitute secular studies teacher for a small 6th grade boys class and PM secular studies permanent substitute.

E-mail resume to Shira@cahal.org or call 516-295-3666.

TAG JH looking for Math Teacher starting end of January email: tackerman@tagschools.org SPEECH THERAPIST CAHAL is seeking a Speech/ Language Therapist for Special Ed classes in 5-Towns /Far Rock yeshivas. E-mail resume to Shira@ cahal.org or call 516-295-3666.

Special Care seeks patient Male or female com/hab worker 5:30-7:30 P.M. for 7-year-old boy with autism in Bayswater, Full/ partial coverage okay.

718-252-3365ext:102 / renay@specialcarefor.com General administrative support needed for busy Five Towns office.

Part-Time, in-office position.

Flexible hours.

Looking for someone who is detail-oriented, dependable, and dedicated. Proficiency in Excel/ Word a must.

Please send inquiry/resume to flexiblestaffpositions21 @gmail.com

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

CERTIFIED MALE CAREGIVER FOR OVER 25 YEARS Expert full time care. Experienced with many conditions. Upscale references available. Will travel.

Call Ralph (212) 658-0542.

(561) 351-7944 (cell)

5 TOWNS BOYS YESHIVA SEEKING ELEM GEN ED TEACHERS Excellent working environment and pay. Only lic/exp need apply.

Email resume to yeshivalooking@gmail.com

TAILOR WANTED KGH dry-cleaners is seeking a tailor for p/t or f/t work.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday preferred, other days available.

Call or text 917-435-9753

Looking to hire a female with a lively and outgoing personality that is experienced with children and musical. P/T or F/T. Great Pay. Call 929-322-4202

Nursing Home Management Company in Brooklyn Looking to fill the following positions: Administrative Assistant MS office suite proficiency required Administrative Assistant experience required WE ARE LOOKING FOR AN EXPERIENCED FULL TIME BOOKKEEPER Excellent growth potential Frum environment Excellent salary & benefits Email resume to: resumetfs1@gmail.com Please put position title and FTJH in subject line SHULAMITH EARLY CHILDHOOD is looking to hire a full time teacher assistant for the current school year.

Please email resume to earlychildhood@shulamith.org NEW YESHIVA IN QUEENS SEEKING SECRETARY Must be detail-oriented, have great organizational skills, able to multi-task.

Experience in school programs a plus.

Send resume to: office@yeshivatbneitorah.org or call/text: 347-351-4573 TAG JH looking for Math Teacher starting end of January email: tackerman@tagschools.org

Special Care seeks patient Male or female com/hab worker 5:30-7:30 P.M. for 7-year-old boy with autism in Bayswater, full or partial coverage.

718-252-3365ext:102 or renay@specialcarefor.com MDS REGIONAL NURSE: 5 Towns area Nursing Home management office seeking a Regional/Corporate level MDS Nurse to work in our office.

Must be an RN. Regional experience preferred. 2-3 years MDS experience with good computer skills required.

Position is Full Time but Part Time can be considered.

Great Shomer Shabbos environment with some remote options as well.

Email: officejob2019@gmail.com

MISC Gemach Zichron Yehuda In memory of R’ Yehuda Aryeh Leib ben R’ Yisroel Dov We have a library of books on the subjects of loss, aveilus, grief, & kaddish. We have sets of ArtScroll Mishnayos to assist with finishing Shisha Sidrei Mishna for Shloshim or yahrtzeit.

Locations in Brooklyn, Far Rockaway, & Lakewood.

Email: zichronyehuda@yahoo.com

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109

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Your

Money

Virtue is Its Own Reward

By Allan Rolnick, CPA

I

n 1996, two ambitious doctors named Raymond and Mortimer Sackler rolled out an extended-release painkiller called OxyContin. The drug was a hit, delivering a warm glow of relief for millions of Americans. And their company, Purdue Pharmaceutical, made the Sacklers billionaires. The family used part of that fortune to make millions in tax-deductible gifts to dozens of elite educational and cultural institutions across the world: Harvard and Yale, the Met and the Guggenheim, the Globe Theater, and the Louvre.

Today, of course, the Sackler name is ruined, and the gifts are dismissed as reputation laundering. It turns out when the company pinkie-swore OxyContin wasn’t addictive, they were — what’s the word I’m looking for here?

— lying. OxyContin inflamed an opioid crisis that has cost 500,000 lives so far. You’d be a billionaire, too, if you sold something as habit-forming as Marlboros, convinced thousands of doctors to prescribe it, and then got insurance companies to pay for it.

You might even sleep at night while doing it — if you had no soul.

Today, most of those places with “Sackler” plaques on their walls are

scrambling to take them down. And it shouldn’t surprise you that there’s a tax angle lurking underneath the whole debate.

Last month, the author Malcolm Gladwell wrote a column outlining a modest proposal for donors who take fat tax deductions to plaster their name all over schools and museums.

If your goal is bragging rights, by all means, chisel your name on the wall and enjoy knowing generations of students will walk by wondering who you are. But give up the tax break. Or, if the deduction really is the goal, give up the naming rights so a more egotistical donor can chisel their name on the wall.

It turns out when the company pinkie-swore OxyContin wasn’t addictive, they were — what’s the word I’m looking for here? — lying.

He notes that philanthropy offers two distinct benefits: an earthly benefit to be honored by others and a heavenly benefit to please G-d.

But then he points out that those two benefits are mutually contradictory. If you seek the earthly benefit, G-d frowns on you. You can’t have both! Gladwell’s solution? Make donors choose one benefit or the other.

If Gladwell’s double-dipping rule became law, it wouldn’t be the first time the tax code has asked donors to make that sort of choice. Under current law, if your gift entitles you to any sort of tangible benefit, the portion of your gift that covers the benefit is nondeductible. If you pay $50 for a ticket to a banquet with a $20 meal, for example, your deduction is

just $30. There’s even a special rule for donations tied to college sports season tickets. Up until 2018, you could deduct 80% of those gifts — but now you can’t deduct anything at all.

These issues raise broader questions about the role of tax breaks for charitable giving, especially to bigger institutions that already have plenty of money. Harvard’s endowment has grown to $53.2 billion. That’s more than the entire gross domestic product of 122 countries. Do taxpayers really need to subsidize gifts to a university that’s richer than Bolivia?

You may not have as much to give as the Sacklers. (Boo.) But you aren’t giving to ease a guilty conscience.

(Yay!) And charitable gifts are some of the most powerful tools in the tax planner’s little black bag. So call us before you give, and let us help you do well for yourself while you secure your legacy!

Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 years in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com.

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 20, 2022 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

111 43 15

Life C ach

Something Not to Fight About

By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., LMFT, CLC, SDS

T

here are some fights that actually have no opponents.

Sounds hard to imagine?

How are we fighting if there’s no opponent?

Well, here’s one – like fighting sleep. Oh, sure, there’s a resisting force there, but it isn’t someone you have to make up with.

Getting into a fight might not happen that often, yet sometimes you’re in it before you know what hit you. You kind of know how it happens – you state what you to be “a fact” and someone else has the nerve to think it’s only your opinion!

This often is the beginning of going down a rickety road. There are times you just don’t know where this will take you, and it may hurt a relationship that has other strengths.

And then maybe there are the times with spouses or kids or siblings when you’re not on the same page, and these altercations take you to the exact same place every time.

And you just haven’t learned to navigate it better.

Do you take these chances? Do you keep going down these same painful roads?

Can we try to reduce the oppo-

nent status?

Is it possible, just possible, that according to someone else there may be a different set of facts? OK, let’s not call it facts, can we say a different way of seeing things?

That may reduce the opponent status a bit. And bring us into a different realm.

For instance, to start with, can

them, based on their background, thoughts, experience, needs, etc.

How about this: maybe there are two rights? Right for me and right for you?

And look, who becomes your opponent with this thought? You. Yourself. Since, you now have to fight with yourself to see the possibility that the person you’re dis-

Can we call it perhaps “sparring partners”?

we call it perhaps “sparring partners”? That way we are staying in the ring together.

Maybe we can even work toward holding back a bit and being open to seeing that – wait for it –our way isn’t necessarily wrong!

Bet you didn’t think I was going there and supporting you. Well, I was! But the idea is that your way may be right for you and not for

agreeing with may also have some case to make.

It certainly slows down the argument or the intensity between you and the other person. In fact, you have to slow things down to really listen to their ideas so you can see where they are coming from. And then even take the time to process it.

Wow, you are now in the fightingit-out with yourself territory. That’s

a much better place to be because in this case you can always call a truce or take a break. And certainly, you’re guaranteed cooperation.

Well, of course! You’re in control of both sides.

I’m not saying you’ll ultimately agree with your original opponent, but you may show up calmer and more open-minded to talk things out. And maybe you’ll seem more like two people figuring it out or collaborating rather than two excited people with boxing gloves on.

So let’s try to be people who fight things like sleep and not each other. And maybe, just maybe, that will give you a better night’s sleep, too!

Rivki Rosenwald is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist working with both couples and individuals and is a certified relationship counselor. Rivki is a co-founder and creator of an effective Parent Management of Adolescent Years Program. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or at rivkirosenwald@ gmail.com.

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JANUARY 20, 2022 | The Jewish Home

much

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VERY D E S T C U D O R NEW P Free

Parking Over 150 Spaces!

Prices Good Sunday, January 23rd through Friday, January 28th, 2022

Post Honey Comb, Oreo Os or Golden Crisp

Assorted

1

2/$

2

$ 99

Avenue A Tomato Sauce

79¢

2

$ 69 5 LB

1.23 oz

Original Only - 12 Pack

13

$

This Bite Granola Bars

$ 49

$ 99 4.8 oz

Avenue A White Rice

Best Select Soup & Salad Croutons

1

$ 39 2 LB

Assorted

89¢

3

3/$

1

2

6/$ .5 oz

$ 49 5 oz

Avenue A Flour Instant AllSR Purpose or Unbleached Oatmeal

Avenue A Flour All Purpose or Unbleached Stacy’s Pita $ 99 Chips

1 1

1 $199

$All Varie�es 99 5 LB $ 99 7.9 oz/15.1 oz

4

$ 39 14.6 oz

3 oz

Herr’s Potato Chips

Baker’s Joy Baking Spray

2

3

Gefen Ramen Noodles

6 Pack

99

Bowl & Basket Springipsum Water Lorem 24 Pack

3

$ 69 8 oz

Nestle Rich Milk Hot Cocoa

Tradi�on Cup-a-Soup 8 oz

Stella D’oro Swiss Fudge Cookies

Bowl & Basket Bread Flour

Osem Bissli

11 oz/12.5 oz/14.7 oz

2/

More for Less

TM

5 LB

7.33 oz

Extra Large Eggs

SR Steam in Bag Vegetables

Norman’s Pixie Yogurts

2/$

3/$

Of Tov Chicken Nuggets

$ 99

$

Dozen

Assorted

3

4

Brooklyn’s Best Pizza

9

$ 99

Family Pack

11

$

1

$ 99 LB

7

$ 99LB

99 LB

5

2

$ 39 LB Ripe Bananas

Grape Tomatoes

69¢

3

2/$

1

$ 49LB

Chicken Legs

8

$ 99 LB Tenta Sour Worms

6

$ 99 64 oz

5.3 oz

$ 49 LB

Yellow or Orange Bell Peppers

Red Bell Peppers

Assorted

Corned Beef Kolichel

Rib Steak

12

Viennese Crunch

5

4/$

Baby Flounder

1599

$

LB

32 oz

Pride of the Farm Ice Cream

Assorted

1

99 LB

1099

Norman’s Greek Yogurts

$ 99 8 oz

French Roast

Assorted

2

Devash Whipped Cream Cheese

8 Slice

$

6 Pack/24 oz

12 oz

Baked Zi�

Container

8

$ 99 EA

LB

1 BBQ Chicken + 1 Container Potato Kugel

1999

$

EA

Keilim Mikveh on Premises | Pre-Shabbos Buffet Every Thursday & Friday!

Savings Plaza | 11 Lawrence Lane, Lawrence, NY | (516) 371-6200 | info@kolsavemarket.com | /kolsavemarket Hours: Sunday-Tuesday: 7am-8pm | Wednesday: 7am-10pm | Thursday: 7am-11pm | Friday: 7am-2 hours before Shabbos We reserve the right to limit quan��es. No rain checks. Not responsible for typographical errors.