Five Towns Jewish Home - 11-11-21

November 11, 2021

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NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | The Jewish Home

‫בס"ד‬

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Avraham Mayer Executive Director

Call or email for an application

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The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

‫בית יעקב ﬠטרת מרים‬

‫בס"ד‬

With much gratitude to the Ribbono Shel Olam, Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam

High School

for the

Under the warm and caring leadership of

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NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Dear Readers,

T

oday, when I popped a muffin into the microwave for a quick breakfast snack, I pressed the wrong button. But it wasn’t until a few minutes later that I realized that I had made that mistake – and by then it was a few minutes too late.

Hearing the microwave continuing to whir after what seemed like a while, I turned around and noticed white wisps escaping out the sides of the appliance.

I rushed over to turn it off, but the damage had been done. No more breakfast muffin and a lot of acrid smoke wafting throughout the house.

Luckily, we were blessed with beautiful weather this week, and I didn’t mind opening the windows to air out the house. But I know that everything happens for a reason – even if you accidentally push the wrong buttons on the microwave. What messages, I thought, can be learned from a scorched chocolate chip muffin?

I thought about how in life there are times when we push the wrong buttons.

Maybe we said the wrong thing at the wrong time; maybe we spoke too soon.

Or maybe we raised our voices a little too loud in a period of frustration. Feelings were hurt, emotions flared, and re-

lationships were scorched.

Sometimes, we don’t even realize that we pressed those wrong buttons until a few minutes later. And then, you can see how that mistake hurt that other person. Perhaps we didn’t realize that the topic that we mentioned was hurtful or that the comment we made stung.

So, what can we do? And what should we do when we see the smoke billowing from what we thought was an innocent exchange?

Well, the best thing to do, of course, is to open the windows, to air out the relationship, to assure the other person that our hurtful words were said inadvertently, without malicious intent. We need to throw out those scorched words – throw them far away – so the acrid smell won’t continue to permeate the air. And we need to be more careful the next time around so that we don’t accidentally push the wrong buttons.

Because, you know, chocolate chip muffins taste way better when they’re warmed in the microwave for just the right amount of time.

Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

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NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll

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Community Happenings NEWS

80

Global

12

National

26

That’s Odd

38

ISRAEL Israel News

18

My Israel Home

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JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Wein on the Parsha

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We Can by Rav Moshe Weinberger

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Dead Ends of the Road to Greatness by Rabbi Shmuel Reichman

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Delving into the Daf by Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

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PEOPLE Frum Bobsledder Hopes to Make History by Steve Lipman

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Medals of Honor During the Civil War by Avi Heiligman HEALTH & FITNESS The Parallels between Torah and IFS by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn

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World Diabetes Day by Cindy Weinberger, MS RD CDN

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FOOD & LEISURE The Aussie Gourmet: Crunchy Chicken Dinner

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LIFESTYLES Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW 92 Parenting Pearls

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Dear Editor, A kallah received a beautiful diamond ring from her chosson. It fit her perfectly. She muttered an emotionless “thank you” and went on to speak about other things.

The head of a household had been unemployed for many months.

He finally landed an interview for a well-paying job. When addressing the interviewer, he mumbled a few barely audible words and fell silent.

Do you agree that the kallah is an extremely ungrateful and selfish person?

Do you think it’s likely that the job seeker described above will land a job?

Perhaps then we should reconsider our relationship with Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Hashem constantly showers us with the most priceless gifts. The ability to see, to walk, to digest our food, to send the proper nutrition to all parts of our body, to eliminate the toxic waste from our system – the list is endless.

Would it not behoove us to express our appreciation for all these chassadim in a manner that conveys the magnitude of our indebtedness to Hakadosh Baruch Hu? And if we realize how dependent we are on Hakadosh Baruch Hu in every facet and phase of our lives – how much we need His siyata Dishmaya to succeed in everything we undertake – wouldn’t we be more expressive and emotional when speaking to Him? We say brachos day in and day out, but when is the last time we truly THANKED Hashem for something?

And even if we did intend to express

our thanks, is a mumbled bracha or Amen hurriedly spoken the proper channel to accomplish this?

Let us value each opportunity to say a bracha or answer Amen in a loud clear voice as an expression of our dependence on Hakadosh Baruch Hu and an appreciation of His goodness.

This will then be a key to unlock the shaarei Shamayim so that Hashem, Who is a tov u’mativ, will continue to inundate us with more and more of the bountiful brachos!

Rebbetzin Sara Ginsburg Dear Editor, Over 70 years ago, on Mckibben Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn, there was a shul named Congregation Chaim Hagar. The actual official name was Congregation Chebra Rabano Chaim Hagar Anshe Sfar a/k/a Congregation Rabeinu Chaim Hagar, with offices at 181 Barlow Drive South in Brooklyn.

This organization bought a huge plot of burial plots for its members from the Lebanon Cemetery Association of Queens, namely Mount Lebanon Cemetery in Queens.

My parents are buried in two of those plots. Several plots surrounding their plots remain vacant because no one knows what happened to the Congregation Chaim Hagar. The owners of the cemetery can’t sell any of those plots because they do not own them.

The lawyer who wrote the deeds to the plots has no contact information for the Congregation. I checked the records for Congregation Chaim Hagar in all five boroughs, but there is no reContinued on page 10

JWOW! 104

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Your Money It Takes One Person by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

HUMOR Centerfold 72 POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes

108

Youngkin’s Win in Virginia by Marc A. Thiessen

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No One Wants a War with Taiwan by David Ignatius

114

MBS’s Campaign Against a Former Saudi Spymaster

by David Ignatius

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CLASSIFIEDS

What do you prefer to eat at the end of a Shabbos meal:

25 % 48 % 13 % 14 %

Fruit Cookies/cake Ices/ice cream Apple crumble

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Continued from page 8

cord at all of them anywhere.

I am writing because I would like to purchase two plots next to my parents, however, this is impossible because the plots belong to Congregation Chaim Hagar, an organization that disappeared years ago and cannot be found.

If anyone has any knowledge who is now in charge of this congregation or who can help me with this dilemma, please email Miriam Lock at miriamjlock@gmail.com.

Miriam Lock Dear Editor, Thank you for publishing the ad about the initiative encouraging earlier marriage.

In earlier times, due to poverty, many were forced to delay marriage. Nowadays, in the Medinah Shel Chessed that allows us to enjoy financial security, the argument for delaying marriage becomes less potent. Some states even provide tuition vouchers, allowing for younger couples to support themselves on a smaller salary.

I remember, before going to law school, I decided to delay my marriage until after finishing my studies, in the hope that it would allow me to focus more on my studies. To my surprise, the married frum students got better grades, and better jobs, than the single students.

Aron Roster

look forward to reading about the wide variety of Jewish life in the Five Towns and beyond. I truly respect your willingness to bring to light all different practices and think it strengthens us all to be tolerant and supportive of one another.

I did take exception to the advertisement on page 36 in last week’s edition, of Project Klal Yisrael who is offering to pay $10,000 to parents of bochurim who marry before they turn 20, in order to make their learning more focused and meaningful. Although they cite Gedolim who espouse this practice, I do not know that in today’s day and age, with the divorce rate and domestic abuse so widespread, yes, in our own communities, that we should incentivize parents financially to marry off their sons (most assuredly to young girls) when they very likely are too immature to make such a commitment and understand the challenges of marriage.

I found it very disturbing and quite frankly appalling. I am certain this is not the position of the newspaper, and yet, I wish this publication would turn away such advertising.

Sincerely, Mindy R.

Dear Editor, Once upon a time, a candidate who ran for president made “unity” his central campaign platform. The idea of unity was to combat what he labeled as his opponent’s divisiveness.

He became president. He even spoke about unity in his inaugural address.

Dear Editor, Throughout his presidency in the On page 36 of the November 4th name of unity, he has allowed illegal edition, there is an ad for the Torah immigrants into the country in reB’Tahara Incentive Initiative. It purcord numbers, canceled American gas ports to quote Rav Moshe as saying it pipelines, while approving foreign gas is “halachically clear” that bochurim pipelines. In addition, he has overseen “must” get married before twenty. the worst inflation crisis in 30 years, Rav Moshe is responding to a specific stranded hundreds of Americans in question where an under twenty-year- the new Taliban-run Afghanistan, and old found a shidduch and wants to is trying to force a vaccine on every marry but his older brother is embarhuman in existence all for “team unirassed because the older brother is not ty.” Despite breaking many campaign yet married. The young woman’s fapromises, the one he has kept is “unither wants them to marry quickly and ty.” The country has united, with one wants the wedding to occur before the caveat – against Joe Biden. young man turns twenty. In response Last week, throughout many states to that question, Rav Moshe says it is and cities in the U.S., local elections clear the young man should get marwere held. The obvious big ones were ried before twenty and does not have Virginia and New Jersey. Virginia to take into account the older brother’s went red on a state-wide level for the embarrassment. He does not seem to first time in 11 years. New Jersey alsuggest that getting married before most was won by a Republican, despite twenty is the appropriate path for all polling before the election showing the young men.

Democrat governor up by 11 points.

Mitch Schindler Perhaps the biggest upset was a truck driver who spent under $3,000, who Dear Editor, unseated the 2nd most powerful DemI typically enjoy your magazine and ocrat in New Jersey. In purple Nassau

County, New York, Republicans are on the verge of having a supermajority on the legislature for the first time in two decades. Similarly, Republicans flipped the District Attorney’s office, County Comptroller office, and the County Executive’s office. Joe Biden united Americans against his agenda, which has led to crisis after crisis in the United States.

Most of the time, a year after a new president takes over, his party takes a hit, but there are hits and there are real hits. Joe Biden rebuilt the Virginia GOP, helped defeat incumbents in blue New York and New Jersey. Despite the backlash, Joe Biden continues with his radical, globalist agenda promoting American Last policies, like giving $500,000 to illegal immigrants or overruling American liberties with his vaccine mandate. Joe Biden’s message of unity is sprouting. The only thing is it’s against him.

Sincerely, Donny Simcha Guttman Dear Editor, I’m going to address a sensitive topic because sometimes in order to stop a behavior, a very bright light needs to be directed toward it.

All or a vast majority of the single moms I work with have experienced a terrible trauma. They have lived with someone who made them feel small, worthless, and useless on a daily basis.

Because of various reasons, including the existing stigma attached to divorce, gaslighting and very low self-esteem, by the time the women leave the marriage, they are a shadow of who they once were.

Now these women, who possibly have never worked outside the home or worked in a part-time, more hobby-like job, find themselves needing a full-time job in order to support their children and pay their legal bills and their and their children’s therapy bills.

Employers, sensing their desperation, offer low pay, poor benefits, and minimal flexibility. The women, thinking that’s all they’re worth, take the job and bow their heads and pray they don’t get fired from their below-minimum wage jobs.

I recently worked with a single mom who was in a job like this for 19 years! Yes, her employer was “frum.”

Harvard studies have shown that when men are assertive, they’re called powerful, manly, strong, and when women exhibit the same behaviors, they’re referred to by unmentionable names or angry, unladylike or woah – I wasn’t expecting that! The bias is undeniable.

Single moms are forced, by virtue

of handling each and every aspect of their careers, their childcare issues and maintaining a household and a physical house/home, to take 1 of 2 courses: toughen up or fall to pieces.

Unfortunately, the vast majority open and enter door number 2. Their trauma is still apparent and holding them back 20-30 years after the divorce. And, their children often pay a terrible and many times irreversible price.

The small minority toughen up.

They call school principals, they take teachers to task, they engage home repair contractors, they do medical research and help physicians by make informed medical decisions for their children, and they hold employers accountable.

Embrace the strong single moms.

They/we have come a long way. They climb mountains by themselves daily.

They remove what others may deem insurmountable obstacles by themselves hourly. And their children grow up knowing that they fought every battle for them, with them and for ourselves with them in mind.

Esther Miller Esther@JCCRP.org Project Director Success Space for Women Dear Editor, Today is the anniversary of Kristallnacht, which was a major turning point for many European Jews.

My great-grandparents owned a large kosher butcher store in Berlin, and they lived above the store with other family members. There was a large sign on the store with the name Sussman. On Kristallnacht, the Nazis destroyed the store as well as the apartments upstairs. There were two Sifrei Torah in their home that were scribed by a relative. They were defaced and thrown out the window with their other belongings. The remnants of these Sifrei Torahs are buried in a marked grave in The Adass Yisroel cemetery in Berlin.

Of course, there are thousands of accounts of the horrors that took place in Germany, Austria, and Poland that night. There were burnings and destruction of Jewish homes, businesses and shuls as well as beatings, incarcerations, and murder of Jews. Peril for European Jews was greatly increased from that time forward.

Where are the neighborhood events to remind the current Jewish community about this important date? Maybe I missed something, but I have not found any.

Leba Stern Sonneberg

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | The Jewish Home

The Week In News

China: Stock Up on Supplies

China’s Commerce Ministry on November 1 posted a notice recommending that citizens begin stocking up on rice, noodles, cooking oil, vegetables, and other necessities, Chinese media reported.

While the government did what it could to allay fears of a looming tiff, rumors continued to spread regarding a possible escalation with Taiwan.

China has been sending warplanes to Taiwan as the U.S. begins to sell the island nation arms. At the

same time, neither Chinese citizens nor analysts believe war is on the horizon. Stores, meanwhile, have begun requesting that customers purchase a reasonable amount of goods, so as not to lead to shortages.

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Chinese newspaper The Global Times, said, “I do not believe that the country wants to send a signal to the public at this time through a notice from the Commerce Ministry that people need to ‘hurry up and prepare for war.’”

According to the government-owned The Economic Daily, the advice was intended to prepare citizens for another potential COVID-19 lockdown.

Jade Traders in Trouble in Myanmar Myanmar’s jade trade is the world’s largest, but since February, jade traders have had it tough: the Myanmar military is working to control democracy protests, and the country’s economy is in crisis.

The traders are forced to navi-

gate to avoid junta troops and rebel attacks, as fighting around Hpakant, the largest jade mine in the world, cuts supplies of one of the country’s most important exports.

says Myo Min Zaw, a jade trader.

“A stone worth 10 lakh ($550) only sells for around 5 lakh nowadays,” he said.

Floods Stymie Business on Indian Coast From there, most stones pass through the city of Mandalay, where unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic closed the main jade market, only to reopen it later.

One jade trader, who spent months trying to sell his wares on the city’s roadsides, said, “Business is not good at all. Sometimes, people panic when soldiers come patrolling, and they run.... If one person runs, others start running. Then soldiers fire warning shots to control the situation.”

But according to the watchdog Global Witness, it’s “nearly impossible” to buy Myanmar jade without providing some money to the military and its allies.

Meanwhile, prices are dropping,

Chennai, India, came to a standstill on Sunday after heavy rainfall battered the southern Indian coast, causing flooding and triggering warnings and evacuations.

Chennai is the largest city in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

It is often called “India’s Detroit” due to its large vehicle manufacturing industry.

India’s meteorological department warned on Sunday that the rainfall which began Saturday night was expected to continue for sever-

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NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | The Jewish Home

al more days throughout different areas of Tamil Nadu, the southern Andhra Pradesh state, and the union territory of Puducherry. The statement also urged fishermen not to venture out to sea.

The meteorological department also issued a moderate to high threat of flash floods in certain areas of southern India.

Tamil Nadu’s chief minister M.K. Stalin told reporters that Chennai and 11 other districts received over 7.8 inches of rainfall.

Weather blogger Pradeep John wrote on his Facebook page that the rains in Chennai were the heaviest since 2015.

At the same time, the Greater Chennai Corporation tweeted that it had opened relief centers and medical camps across the city and was distributing food to flood victims.

Iraqi PM Survives Assassination Attempt Iraqi’s Prime Minister Mustafa alKadhimi survived an assassination attempt in Baghdad’s Green Zone

over the weekend.

The attack used an explosive-laden drone and targeted al-Kadhimi’s residence, officials said on Sunday.

Iraqi state media described the attack, which occurred early Sunday morning, as an attempt to assassinate al-Kadhimi.

In a televised message, alKadhimi said his residence “came under a cowardly attack, but thanks to G-d, me and all those who work with me are safe.” He also called for calm and restraint.

According to Iraq’s Interior Ministry, the attack involved three drones, two of which were shot down by Iraqi security forces. The third drone succeeded in attacking the residence.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Iraqi officials in Baghdad say that it is suspected to be the work of pro-Iranian Shiite militias.

A source close to the Iraqi PM, who was not authorized to speak publicly, shared, “The nature of the attack, the drone used, and the timing indicates that the same pro-Iranian militias used to carry out attacks on the U.S. Embassy and Erbil International Airport are behind this act.”

The attempt was condemned by the United Nations, United States, Iran, and other countries, who called it out as an act of terror.

U.S. President Joe Biden said he had instructed the “national security team to offer all appropriate assistance to Iraq’s security forces as they investigate this attack and identify those responsible.”

He added, “I am relieved the prime minister was not injured and commend the leadership he has shown in calling for calm, restraint, and dialogue to protect the institutions of the state and strengthen the democracy Iraqis so richly deserve.

The perpetrators of this terrorist attack on the Iraqi state must be held accountable. I condemn in the strongest terms those using violence to undermine Iraq’s democratic process.”

Meanwhile, leaders of some Iraqi pro-Iranian militias claimed the attack may have been staged to distract from other issues.

Chile’s Desert Suffering from Fashion Pollution

Chile’s Atacama, the driest desert in the world, is suffering from “fashion pollution.” The desert now sports a mountain of discarded clothing, including sweaters, ski boots, and other items.

Fast fashion and rampant consumerism support child labor and low wages, but they also create enormous amounts of unsold clothing, as well as clothing discarded once the next fashion sets in. The clothing, often made in China or Bangladesh, passes through the U.S., Europe, or Asia, before arriving in Chile. From there, it is resold in Latin America.

Each year, around 59,000 tons of clothing arrive at the Iquique port in Alto Hospicio’s free zone in northern Chile. Some of the items are smug-

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The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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gled to other Latin American countries, and some are sold to clothing merchants from the capital Santiago.

At least 39,000 tons end up in dumps in the desert.

Alex Carreno, a former employee in the port’s import area, noted, “This clothing arrives from all over the world.” He added, “What is not sold to Santiago nor sent to other countries stays in the free zone,” since no one is willing to pay the tariffs to remove it.

According to a 2019 United Nations report, global clothing production doubled between 2000 and 2014. The clothing industry is now “responsible for 20 percent of total water waste on a global level.” Clothing and footwear manufacturing also creates 8% of global greenhouse gases, the report said, adding that “every second, an amount of textiles equivalent to a garbage truck is buried or burnt.”

Clothing that is synthetic or treated with chemicals can take two centuries to biodegrade and is as toxic as plastic or tires, according to the UN. These chemicals leach into the air and underground water channels.

Meanwhile, some of the region’s poorest people dig through the mountains of clothing to find items to use or sell in their neighborhoods.

Others are trying to make a difference: Rosario Hevia, who opened a store to recycle children’s clothes before founding Ecocitex, a company that creates yarn from pieces of discarded textiles and clothing, told AFP, “For many years, we consumed, and no one seemed to care that more and more textile waste was being generated. But now, people are starting to question themselves.”

70 Mobsters Sentenced in Italy

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Italy on Saturday convicted 70 mobsters and others in the largest mafia trial in over 30 years.

The trial in Lamezia Terme saw Judge Claudio Paris hand out sentences to 91 defendants. Another 355

have yet to be judged; proceedings are expected to last at least two years.

‘Ndrangheta, of which the mafiosos who were sentenced were members, is the country’s richest and most powerful mafia group and operates in the country’s Calabria region, controlling the majority of the cocaine flowing into Europe.

Anti-mafia prosecutor Nicola Gratteri, whose efforts have forced him to live with police escort for over three decades, told Italy’s AdnKronos news agency that the sentencing had gone “very well” and that “out of 91 defendants, there were 70 presumed innocent who were convicted.”

Those who were acquitted had played minor roles, he added, noting that about a third of the group received 10 or more years in prison, and six of the more dangerous members received the maximum 20-year sentence prosecutors had requested.

Charges in the case include attempted murder, money laundering, usury, drug dealing, association with mafia, extortion, and illegal weapons possession. Hundreds of lawyers are involved, along with over 900 prosecution witnesses and 58 state witnesses.

Sierra Leone Explosion Kills 115

A fuel tank exploding on Friday in Sierra Leone left more than 100 people dead and over seven dozen injured.

The explosion, which took place in the country’s capital of Freetown, occurred when a truck collided with a fuel tanker. The blast left 115 people dead and over 100 injured.

National Disaster Agency head Brima Bureh Sesay said sadly, “We’ve got so many casualties, burnt corpses. It’s a terrible, terrible accident.”

Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio expressed his “sympathies” for the families and tweeted, “My Government will do everything to support affected families.”

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr said she was “deeply saddened to hear” about the blast and said that the City Council’s Disaster Response Team would meet on Saturday with the National Disaster Management Agency to conduct a needs assessment.

The port city of Freetown, which is home to just over a million people, has faced several serious disasters in recent years.

In March, more than 80 people were injured after a major fire in one of the city’s slums left more than 5,000 people displaced. In 2017, over 1,000 people were killed after heavy rains led to a mudslide that swept through the city, leaving around 3,000 people homeless.

Chinese Carcinogenic Coats Serbian Town Residents in the Serbian town of Radinac have been breathing in thick red dust for years. The dust that emanates from the Chinese-owned Smedrevo steel mill has

been coating the town. Cancer rates in the area have quadrupled in under a decade. Now, residents are demanding that the plant be shut down or cleaned for pollutants.

According to data from the Smederevo public health body, which a watchdog called Tvrdjava obtained through a freedom of information request, the municipality of around 100,000 people reported 6,866 cancer cases in 2019, up from 1,738 in 2011.

The plant has said that it has invested 300 million euros in technology and pollution reduction since China’s biggest steelmaker, Hesteel, bought it from the Serbian state for 46 million euros ($53 million) five years ago.

“We are all citizens of Smederevo.... Would we be working despite pollution, against ourselves and our

children?” the plant’s manager for environmental protection, Ljubica Drake, asked in a statement.

Drake says that the soaring cancer rates can be a result of NATO’s bombing of Serbia in 1999 during a war in Kosovo.

Nikola Krstic, the head of Tvrdjava, an environmental group whose name means The Fort, noted that an analysis of the red dust in September showed high concentration of heavy metals.

“The air in the town is far below European standards for 120 days per year,” he said. “Red dust is greasy, it sticks to lungs, makes breathing difficult.”

China has invested billions of euros in Serbia, which is a candidate to join the EU but has an uneasy relationship with the West more than two decades after the wars that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia, and has pursued close ties with Beijing.

Authorities in Serbia say that they are willing to pressure China to comply with pollution standards.

For now, residents of Radinac are waiting with bated breath for their town to be cleaned up so they can breathe freely again.

Thomas Nides New U.S. Amb. to Israel

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Thomas Nides as U.S. President Joe Biden’s ambassador to Israel.

Nides is a former deputy assistant secretary of state and a longtime Democrat.

He was confirmed in a voice vote on the Senate floor, after the Republicans lifted their objections to the nomination. It was not immediately clear what had caused the Republicans to remove their objections.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | The Jewish Home

The United States has not had an ambassador to Israel since Amb. David Friedman resigned the position in January following Biden’s entry into office. Biden tapped Nides in June, but the confirmation process had been drawn out due to disagreements between the two U.S. parties.

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Gilad Erdan was among the first to congratulate Nides, tweeting, “Amb. Nides, I wish you much success in your role and a fruitful tenure at the U.S. Embassy in Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem. I’m sure that you will further strengthen the special bond between Israel and the U.S.”

Libyan Warlord Wants Israel’s Approval Saddam Haftar, son of Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar, arrived last Monday at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport.

Saddam is reportedly eyeing the Libyan presidency and stopped over in Israel on his way from Dubai back to Libya, according to Haaretz. He is reported to have held secret meet-

ings with Israeli officials in which he offered to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries in exchange for Israel’s support in the December 23 elections.

It is not known which officials the younger Haftar met with, but he had been in contact with the Mossad’s “Tevel” department and carried a message from his father requesting Israel’s “military and diplomatic assistance” in exchange for a promise of normalizing relations.

Israel has no official ties with Libya and has not been taking a stance on the country’s civil war in 2011.

Saddam’s father, General Khalifa Haftar, is backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Russia, while the Tripoli-based militias rivaling him are aided by Qatar, Italy, and Turkey.

IDF Blacklists “Palestinian” Rights Groups

The IDF on Sunday blacklisted five Palestinian Authority “rights groups” in Judea and Samaria, following a decision by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz (Blue and White) last month, defying international criticism.

The sixth group declared last month by Gantz to be a terrorist organization was banned by the IDF last year.

The designations offer the IDF the power to, among other moves, close the organizations’ offices and arrest their members.

According to Israel, the six newly-blacklisted organizations serve as fronts for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror

group. The groups have repeatedly denied the charges.

The six groups that have been blacklisted are Al-Haq, Addameer, Defense for Children International-Palestine, the Bisan Center for Research and Development, the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, and the Union of Agricultural Work Committees. The first five were declared by the IDF’s Central Command on Sunday to be “unauthorized organizations,” while the Union of Agricultural Work Committees had been outlawed last January.

In a statement, the IDF said Central Command Commander Major General Yehuda Fuchs had decided to ban the groups “after he was presented with copious, varied and reliable information that indicates that these organizations represented a wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terror group.”

A 2022 Budget – One Day After a 2021 Budget Israel’s Knesset on Friday morning passed the 2022 budget, scoring

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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ehT boss's edis

Shmuly’s father manages our day-to-day. But he hasn’t really been here in days.

A

s CFO, Chaim is my right arm. He oversees accounting, plans and projects, and has never led our

company astray. I’m indebted to him for the years that he’s carried our company through both good and bad times. But his son’s diagnosis changed everything. Now, he stumbles in at different times for weeks, offering silence and strained smiles. His beard turned white overnight, and his work suffers–one of his subordinates quietly pointed out potentially disastrous errors in his projections. We used to schmooze during shul. But after witnessing his tear-streaked shemonah esreis, I don’t know what to say anymore. So I stay quiet.

It’s my sacrifice–supporting a broken family. I know he would do the same for me.

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The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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uch of this advice can be applied to most scenarios when we have a neighbor, friend or someone in our community going through this type of situation.

When you happen to see the parents don’t ask, “ How’s he doing?” Better to say something such as, “You’re in our thoughts and prayers.” This way the parent doesn’t feel forced to give you a medical recap.

If you want to help, make a specific suggestion, such as, “I’d like to take care of the kids’ carpool” or “We’ve got supper covered for the next two weeks” But do not push. Respect their privacy and boundaries and consider approaching another day, with another offer to help.

Be a good listener and allow the parents (or children) to share whatever they’re comfortable with, but avoid a number of don’ts: TIP #1 Don’t offer a pep talk or a motivational speech.

TIP #2 Don’t begin with “you think you’ve got problems?!?” or “Yikes, that stinks” or “Gam zu letovah—it’s all for the best.”

TIP #3 Don’t say things like “don’t worry, everything will be fine” or “you worry too much.”

TIP #4 Don’t tell them about the importance of perspective or offer a sure-fire procedure or segulah.

Sometimes there is nothing more to do than to daven and to do mitzvos in the z’chus for a speedy refuah. But whatever you choose to do, it’s always good to remind ourselves of our own blessings and for all that we are grateful for.

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Israel’s Biggest Gun Bust

Scores of guns were pulled from illegal owners on Monday night into Tuesday morning, as part of what the Israel Police described as the biggest sweep of contraband arms in the country’s history. At least 78

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Five people have been arrested in Africa on suspicion that they were planning on carrying out attacks against Israeli tourists or businesspeople on behalf of Iran, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported on Sunday.

The five suspects were arrested in Senegal, Ghana, and Tanzania and were reportedly recruited by Iran’s Quds Force. They were arrested by local intelligence working off information obtained from “Western” spies.

The five were provided with special training and unspecified materials in Lebanon prior to being sent back to Africa to find Jewish and Israeli targets, while claiming to be

Y

Israel had not had a budget in over three years. The 2022 state budget included plans for 573 billion shekel ($183 billion) and passed 59-56.

“Tonight, we got Israel back on track,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett tweeted Friday morning, following the passage of the 2022 budget.

The new budget includes a tax on disposables, a reform to the kosher certification system, a plan to gradually raise both minimum wage and the retirement age for women, and a reform for the agricultural sector, as well as other legislation.

Mossad Foils Iranian Plot

of the biggest illegal arms dealers in the country were arrested.

The arrests followed a year-long operation in which a former criminal turned undercover agent penetrated the illegal arms trade in the Arab community.

In Monday’s raids, 1,600 officers, including Border Police forces, arrested 64 suspects in 25 Arab communities, in the north and central regions of the country. Among those detained were a father and his three sons in the northern town of Kabul, who were arrested for running “a family business that traded in illegal weapons.”

The undercover operative, a former criminal who switched sides, spent his time as a member of an organized crime group that provides weapons for “the big bosses” in the criminal underworld. Nicknamed “Ocean” after a popular movie, he had spent time in prison before working for authorities. During the sting, starting in August 2020, he purchased 53 weapons in 48 deals, including two explosive devices that could be set off using a cellphone. He had spent more than NIS 4 million ($1,289,000) in buying the weapons.

Most of the weapons in this week’s bust came from the West

religious students.

All five were arrested before they could take any action. Among the top targets were Israeli tourists on a Tanzania safari.

The Mossad has been credited with foiling the plot, but its role was not specified.

Neither Israel nor the African governments immediately confirmed the report. Channel 12 said Iran denied all of the allegations, claiming them to be “baseless.”

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a win for the current “unity” government.

The 2021 budget had passed early on Thursday, eliminating the chance of a fifth round of elections. It included a spending plan for 609 billion NIS ($194 billion).

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The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Bank and were smuggled into the country from Lebanon and Jordan.

The rest were stolen from Israeli army bases.

Police said the number of weapons traders arrested and the volume of weapons seized were the biggest in the country’s history.

According to a 2020 Knesset report, some 400,000 illegal weapons are circulating in Israel, the vast majority in Arab communities.

Raids on Israeli Supermarket Chain

The offices of Israeli supermarket chain Shufersal and food producer Strauss Group were raided by the country’s competition watchdog

this week.

In a regulatory filing in Tel Aviv, Shufersal said its corporate offices were searched, computers and documents were taken, and the company’s chief executive was questioned.

Strauss, a maker of snacks, fresh food and coffee, also said materials were taken and that senior and other company officials were questioned.

The competition authority said it had opened an investigation and is looking at a number of suppliers and chain stores on suspicion of breaches of competition law.

The raids came after suspicions of price fixing rose following senior officials from both companies warning of rising prices in interviews they gave to the media.

In a statement, Shufersal said, “The company acts in accordance with the law and will cooperate fully with law enforcement authorities.”

Last week, Israeli media reported that Shufersal, the country’s biggest supermarket chain, was offering a website with discount prices for the charedi sector, prompting protests from the secular population. The website has since been shut down.

Feds Called in to Deal with Town’s Smell

The mayor of Carson, California, has called for federal intervention to help eliminate a foul order which has plagued his city for a month.

Last week, Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes declared an official local emergency due to the stench, calling on U.S. President Joe Biden to provide access to additional resources.

The nonprofit Coalition For A Safe Environment has called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to investigate what might be behind the smell, which is coming from a local waterway with rotting vegetation.

On Monday, officials suggested dredging the channel, but the process “could take months to complete,” CBS Los Angeles reported. In the meantime, the Los Angeles Public Works and Public Health departments and the South Coast Air Quality Management District have been in charge of addressing the odor.

Maintenance crews have attempted to neutralize the smell by spraying biodegradable deodorizer into the channel and using a nano-bubbler system to increase dissolved oxygen, but to no avail.

According to CBS, some of the residents say the stench gives them headaches and makes them nauseous and dizzy. One resident said that the smell is so bad that they wear a face mask while in their own home.

According to the Los Angeles County Public Works, the rotten egg smell is coming from hydrogen sulfide inside the Dominguez Channel.

Meanwhile, the Coalition For A Safe Environment questioned the source of the smell after the conclusion of its own investigation.

The group’s executive director, Jesse N. Marquez, said, “It is true Hydrogen Sulfide was found in the Dominguez Channel, but it is near

impossible for Hydrogen Sulfide to have been created there and in the large quantities still being released every day. It would take tons and tons of decaying organic matter in one location in a confined area, over a period of time, with little to no oxygen to create Hydrogen Sulfide.”

Marquez called on federal officials to inspect refineries and abandoned wells, as well as check for corrosion and leaks of toxic chemicals.

In the meantime, Davis-Holmes has distributed hundreds of air purifiers and removed thousands of residents to hotels in nearby cities.

The Los Angeles Fire Department has confirmed that the smell is neither lethal nor deadly. The city’s County Department of Public Health recommends that residents keep doors and windows closed and avoid prolonged outdoor activities.

Firings After Sub Hits Sea Mountain

The U.S. Navy has fired the top three leaders of a submarine which hit an uncharted sea mountain last month.

The USS Connecticut struck the sea mountain in the Pacific Ocean on October 2.

According to a Navy statement, the commander of the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet relieved the attack submarine’s commanding officer, Cmdr.

Cameron Aljilani; the executive officer, Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Cashin; and the top enlisted sailor, Master Chief Sonar Technician Cory Rodgers, of their duties, “due to loss of confidence.”

A U.S. official said that the submarine did not exercise appropriate caution and that it was traveling faster than it should have in an area of the South China Sea which was not well-charted.

According to the statement, “Sound judgement, prudent decision-making, and adherence to required procedures in navigation planning, watch team execution, and risk management could have prevented the incident.”

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for criminal prosecution, the agency announced on Thursday.

Both flight attendant unions and the FAA have reported a spike in violence on airplanes since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although the FAA does not have criminal authority, it can issue fines.

Over the course of 2021, the agency has fined passengers a total of over $1 million.

According to FAA data, there have been over 5,000 reports of unruly passengers, with over 3,500 of them related to mask-wearing. Of those, the FAA has investigated just 950 so far.

In August, the FAA and FBI teamed up in an attempt to streamline the criminal reference process.

Over the past week, two men, Ryan Cajimat and Bryan Hsu, have been formally charged with crimes on airplanes.

Ciattarelli Won’t Concede in NJ

The three who were removed from their positions will be replaced by a new team while the submarine remains in Guam. It will then travel to Bremerton, Washington, for repairs.

The Connecticut is one of three Seawolf-class submarines in the U.S. Navy fleet, each costing about $3 billion to build. The 9,300-ton, 353-foot sub, was commissioned in 1998 and is crewed by 140 sailors.

Like all modern U.S. Navy attack submarines, the Connecticut is powered by a nuclear reactor, which en-

ables it to be fast but quiet, with none of the noise produced by a combustion engine. Nuclear power enables such subs to stay at sea and underwater as long as provisions for the crew hold out.

The nuclear reactor was not damaged in the incident in October.

A Navy fact sheet says the Connecticut is capable of going faster than 28 mph (46.3 kph) under water. That’s faster than the average container or cargo ship on the surface of the sea and almost as fast as the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

As it is larger than even the newest Virginia-class attack subs, the Connecticut can carry more weaponry than other U.S. attack submarines – including up to 50 torpedoes as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The Not-SoFriendly Skies The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has referred 37 of the most unruly airline passengers to

New Jersey Democrats are calling on Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli to concede last week’s gubernatorial election. According to them, Ciattarelli’s silence is “an assault on the integrity of our elections.”

The New Jersey race was called for incumbent Governor Phil Murphy (D). Ciattarelli has kept silent since Thursday, when he claimed Murphy’s declaration of victory was “premature” and that he was waiting for clarity.

In his Thursday evening video statement, Ciattarelli responded to estimates that Murphy had won by saying, “No one should be declaring victory or conceding the election until every legal vote is counted.”

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In a statement, Murphy’s campaign manager Mollie Binotto asserted, “The race is over. Assemblyman Ciattarelli is mathematically eliminated, and he must accept the results and concede the race. His continuing failure to do so is an assault on the integrity of our elections.”

In her Monday memo, she added, “The vote-by-mail ballots overwhelmingly favor Governor Murphy (and will continue to do so). And there are not enough provisional ballots to erase Governor Murphy’s lead.”

As of Monday morning, Murphy led Ciattarelli by approximately 2.6 percentage points. However, additional ballots remain to be counted after Tuesday, since those postmarked

by November 2 may be counted if they arrive before 8:00p.m. on Monday. In addition, voters whose mail ballots were rejected due to errors have until November 13 to correct their ballots.

But on Monday morning, Murphy had a lead of over 65,000 votes. His campaign said that the estimated number of special ballots remaining to be counted was about 2,800 and that the number of provisional ballots was estimated at less than 58,000.

$24M for Auto Whistleblower

In a first-ever reward to a whistleblower in the industry, the U.S. auto safety regulator announced this week that it is handing out more than $24 million to a former Hyundai employee who provided key information about safety lapses at the South Korean carmaker.

The award to ex-Hyundai Motor engineer Kim Gwang-ho is the biggest ever in a whistleblower case in the auto sector globally.

Kim reported to NHTSA in 2016 that Hyundai was failing to address a design flaw linked to its Theta II engines, which were prone to seizing up and even catching fire.

“This award is the maximum percentage allowed by law,” NHTSA

said in a statement announcing the award.

“Whistleblowers play a crucial role in bringing information to NHTSA about serious safety problems that are hidden from the agency,” added Steven Cliff, NHTSA’s Deputy Administrator.

NHTSA found that Hyundai and its Kia subsidiary had delayed recalling affected vehicles and that the automaker had provided inaccurate information about the problems.

“I am pleased that I have been justly compensated for the risks I took to protect owners of these defective cars, and grateful that the U.S.’s legal system had a program in place to make this possible,” Kim said in a statement on Tuesday.

“I hope my reporting leads to real safety improvements, both at Hyundai and throughout the industry.”

The payout to Kim is the first under the U.S. Motor Vehicle Safety Whistleblower Act, passed by Congress in 2015 to create a whistleblower reward program in the Department of Transportation for industry insiders who provide information to safety regulators about defects in vehicles.

U.S. Seizes $6M in Ransom Payments

U.S. law enforcement officials seized an estimated $6 million in ransom payments as federal prosecutors charged a suspect from Ukraine for a July ransomware attack, according to an announcement by the Justice Department early this week.

Yaroslav Vasinskyi, a Ukrainian national arrested last month in Poland last month, is accused of deploying ransomware known as REvil which has been used in hacks costing U.S. firms millions of dollars.

Vasinskyi, 22, is being held in Poland pending U.S. extradition proceedings. He is suspected of conducting a ransomware attack on the Florida-based Kaseya software firm over the Fourth of July weekend. Ac-

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NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Stampede at Astroworld Festival

cording to an indictment unsealed on Monday, that attack infected up to 1,500 businesses around the world.

In addition, Vasinskyi and another alleged REvil operative, Russian national Yevgeniy Polyanin, are being charged, among other things, with conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Authorities have seized at least $6 million in funds allegedly linked to ransom payments received by

Polyanin, U.S. officials said, adding that this had been done as part of the investigation.

Speaking at a press conference, Attorney General Merrick Garland vowed that the U.S. and its allies would do “everything in our power” to take back the money that ransomware operatives “have stolen from the American people.”

He added that Polyanin has allegedly conducted approximately 3,000 ransomware attacks, including some on law enforcement agen-

cies and municipalities in Texas.

On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Vasinskyi and Polyanin. Meanwhile, the State Department has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of the leadership of the REvil ransomware gang, as well as up to $5 million for information leading to an arrest or conviction of anyone conspiring or attempting to participate in REvil ransomware attacks.

Police in Houston, Texas, had a “brief and respectful” meeting with rapper Travis Scott before he took stage at the Astroworld Festival on Friday night. But the singer refused to listen to them about potential dangers in the crowded gathering.

Sadly, people lost their lives in the melee just a short time later.

The sold-out festival saw 50,000 attendees crowd the area. During Scott’s performance, a crowd surge developed, with fans pushing towards the front, crushing others as they pressed forward. Eight people were killed in the crush.

Those who were killed have been identified as John Hilgert, 14; Brianna Rodriguez, 16; Jacob Jurinek, 20; Axel Acosta, 21; Franco Patino, 21; Madison Dubiski, 23; Rodolfo Peña, 23; and Danish Baig, 27.

Police Chief Troy Finner said on Monday, “I met with Travis Scott and his head of security for a few moments last Friday prior to the main event. I expressed my concerns regarding public safety and that in my 31 years of law enforcement experience I have never seen a time with more challenges facing citizens.”

Finner added, “I asked Travis Scott and his team to work with HPD for all events over the weekend and to be mindful of his team’s social media messaging on any unscheduled events.”

Meanwhile, a civil lawsuit has been filed against Scott, along with Live Nation entertainment and the Scoremore promoter. Authorities are investigating whether criminal charges will be filed, but Mayor Sylvester Turner warned that any investigation “will take probably weeks, if not longer” and “will be looked at from many different angles.”

Six people were still hospitalized as of Monday morning, including five in intensive care.

Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña

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The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | The Jewish Home

noted, “The crowd, for whatever reason, began to push and surge towards the front of the stage, which caused the people in the front to be compressed. They were unable to escape that situation.”

At the 2019 Astroworld Festival, three people were trampled and injured in a crowd surge. However, the mayor added, the 2021 festival had substantially more security personnel in attendance.

Scott’s representative said on Monday that the rapper will cover funeral costs for those who died in the crush, emphasizing, “In addition, Travis has partnered with BetterHelp to supply free one-on-one online therapy, and is working closely with NAMI, MHA National, and MHA of Greater Houston (Mental Health America) to direct all those in need to proper mental health services.”

Astroworld Festival’s organizers canceled Saturday’s performance.

In a statement, Astroworld said, “Our hearts are with the Astroworld Festival family tonight – especially those we lost and their loved ones.

We are focused on supporting local officials however we can.”

De Blasio Security Detail Probe

Good-government advocates and elected officials are demanding expanded probes into New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s NYPD security detail.

A retired NYPD detective had said that the head of de Blasio’s protective unit Howard Redmond’s right-hand man took frequent flier miles and other awards accrued through official travel.

In response, de Blasio insisted that the reports were “inaccurate.”

His spokeswoman Danielle Filson said, “All of the dates and trips referenced in the last story never

happened as claimed. These allegations come from a series of lawsuits brought by disgruntled former members of the detail, and the vast majority have been dismissed by the courts as being without merit.”

The case has not been dismissed, though, and is still pending in a Manhattan court.

Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens) demanded that Scott Stringer, the city’s top fiscal watchdog, and the Council, the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, and the Conflicts of Interest Board launch investigations, hold hearings, or both. He emphasized that the issue is “important…for the City of New York” and has implications reaching beyond de Blasio himself.

DOI Commissioner Margaret Garnett said de Blasio treated the NYPD detail as a “concierge service” and concluded as well that Redmond destroyed evidence over the course of the agency’s probe and referred his conduct to Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. for possible criminal prosecution.

Betsy Gotbaum, who heads the Citizens Union good-government group, said, “I don’t understand why he doesn’t just say, whatever I owe,

I will pay back: the personal things, the campaign trips. I know that’s what we did.”

John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany, another good-government group, “DOI has gone as far as they can go. The anti-corruption unit of the Manhattan DA’s office needs to launch an investigation and put people under oath.

There’s so much smoke here that there needs to be an independent third party with subpoena power — that’s either the feds or the Manhattan DA.”

DC Prisons Found Unsatisfactory

An “unannounced inspection” of two prisons operated by the District of Columbia revealed that one of the

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | The Jewish Home

facilities has “evidence of systemic failures” and “large amounts of standing human sewage,” according to Fox News.

That facility also had the water “shut off for days.”

The surprise inspection was conducted during the week of October 18 by the U.S. Marshal for the District of Colombia. It focused on two DC detention centers, including the Central Treatment Facility and the Central Detention Facility, according to a press release which noted that “minimum standards of confinement” were not met at the facility.

Following the inspection, the U.S. Marshals Service said 400 inmates at the Central Detention Facility would be moved to the U.S. Penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The inmates are under custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

In a November 3 letter to DC Department of Corrections Director Quincy L. Booth, Lamont Ruffin, the acting United States Marshal for the District of Columbia, noted that food and water seemed to be withheld as punishment, and that “the water in many of the cells within South 1 and North 1 had been shut off for days, inhibiting detainees from drinking

water, washing hands, or flushing toilets.” The food given to the inmates was “cold and congealed” and “evidence of drug use was pervasive.”

It noted that the DC Department of Corrections staff at the Central Detention Facility seemed “unaware or uninterested” in any of the issues.

Facility staff were also observed failing to follow COVID-19 policies and “antagonizing detainees,” the letter added.

The investigation results have been forwarded to the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.

DC Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Christopher Geldart said the findings are “deeply concerning,” adding, “The charge and mission of the DC Department of Corrections (DOC) is to provide a safe, orderly, and humane environment for the men and women under our supervised detention.”

Geldart added, “We take seriously the responsibility of caring for justice-involved DC residents and believe they should remain in DC. DOC leadership is evaluating moving inmates within the facility so that issues raised can be addressed efficiently and expeditiously.”

NYC Marathon Moments

Runners from Kenya crossed the finish line first in New York City’s Marathon on Sunday. Albert Korir won the men’s race; Peres Jepchirchir took the women’s competition.

Korir, who came in second in the 2019 race, finished in 2 hours, 8 minutes and 22 seconds. Jepchirchir came in at 2 hours, 22 minutes and 39 seconds.

It was 28-year-old Jepchirchir’s first time running the New York City Marathon, and she was not expecting to win after taking gold in the Olympics marathon in August.

“I thank my G-d for the energy he has given me,” she said.

“I’m going to say this course is not bad, but it’s not easy,” especially the finish.

She is the first runner to win both Olympic gold and the New York City Marathon.

Viola Cheptoo, also from Kenya, was just seconds behind Jepchirchir.

Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh took third in the women’s race, finishing in 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 52 seconds.

Molly Seidel finished as the top American woman, taking fourth in 2 hours, 24 minutes, and 42 seconds.

Seidel won bronze in the women’s marathon at the Tokyo Olympics.

The victory was Korir’s fifth in a marathon, after Vienna City in 2017, Cape Town in 2018, Houston in 2019, and Ottawa the same year.

Mohamed El Aaraby of Morocco came in second in the men’s race, finishing in 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 6 seconds. He was followed by Eyob Faniel of Italy, who came in at 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 52 seconds.

Elkanah Kibet finished as the top American, taking fourth with a time of 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 15 seconds.

About 30,000 people were registered to take part in Sunday’s event, the 50th New York Marathon, which travels through the city’s five boroughs: Staten Island, Brooklyn,

Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan.

The race starts on Staten Island and ends in Central Park.

This is the first marathon to take place in New York City in two years, as the marathon was canceled last year due to the pandemic.

Camel Conference

The streets of Madrid, Spain, became circus-like over the weekend after a flock of camels and a llama escaped from the circus and wandered around the city.

On its Instagram page, the Gran Circo Quiros circus said that it had “suffered an animal sabotage” on Friday night but confirmed that “the animals are well.”

Bactrian camels are originally native to central and Eastern Asia and are usually more accustomed to desert terrain than the streets of Madrid, although they are able to survive in a variety of extreme conditions. Most of these camels are now domesticated.

Police were able to round up the rowdy crowd in the wee hours of the morning and returned the group to the circus. Spain’s national police confirmed the news on Twitter, sharing images of the animals walking along the streets and signed off with the hashtag #WeLoveAnimals.

Well, we love camels – as long as they’re not in spitting distance from us.

Doug the Spud Doug may be the world’s biggest potato head.

Recently, Colin and Donna CraigBrown were weeding their garden in New Zealand when Colin’s hoe struck something huge just beneath the soil’s surface. As he knelt down to dig it up, Colin tasted the huge object. Turns out, the giant specimen

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NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | The Jewish Home

was a potato that weighs more than 17 pounds.

“We couldn’t believe it,” Donna said. “It was just huge.”

They named the tuber Doug, because it was “dug up.”

Truly, Doug does not look like a potato. It is flat and not round. But it may be the largest potato on record.

After weighing it, the couple realized that Doug weighed in at a remarkable 7.9 kilograms (17.4 pounds).

That’s equal to a couple of sacks of regular potatoes, or one small dog.

In the weeks since their unusual find on August 30, the couple’s potato has become something of a celebrity around their small farm near

Hamilton. Colin even built a small cart to tow Doug around.

“We put a hat on him. We put him on Facebook, taking him for a walk, giving him some sunshine,” Doug said. “It’s all a bit of fun. It’s amazing what entertains people.”

A more official weigh-in at a local farming store put Doug at 7.8 kg. The current Guinness World Records entry for the heaviest potato is a 2011 monster from Britain that weighed in at just under 5 kg.

“It’s a mystery to me,” Colin said.

“It’s one of nature’s little pleasant surprises.”

For now, Doug is residing in the couple’s freezer. It had been developing mold and drying out. Still, Colin may pull Doug out for one last hurrah. An amateur brewer, Colin said he’s keen to turn Doug into a nice drop of potato vodka.

We’re diggin’ it.

It’s a Bird…It’s a Bat? A bat is now the newest winner of the New Zealand Bird of the Year award.

The Forest & Bird conservation

charity said the pekapeka-tou-roa, or long-tailed bat, was included in the list of finalists to raise awareness and support for the species and that the bat was chosen from the list of finalists by online voters.

This is the first non-bird to ever have entered the competition.

“Kiwis clearly love their native bat,” Bird of the Year spokeswoman Laura Keown said in a statement. “A vote for bats is also a vote for predator control, habitat restoration, and climate action to protect our bats and their feathered neighbors!”

Long-tailed bats are listed as “nationally critical” by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.

Forest & Bird said 56,733 votes were cast this year, the most in the competition’s history. The longtailed bat received 7,031 votes, giving it a steady lead against the second-place finisher and last year’s winner, the kakapo, which received 4,072 votes.

Sounds like this flying mammal won this competition off the bat.

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He just couldn’t help himself.

Kendrick Archibald was arrested again last week in Chicago for stealing $5,400 worth of cigarettes. That may be bad enough, but Archibald was already out on bail – for stealing $1,400 worth of cigarettes.

Seems he just can’t kick the habit.

In a video of Archibald’s first arrest, he was shown with an accomplice behind the counter of a Walgreens sweeping packs of cigarettes into black trash bags. He was soon out on bail and then proceeded to steal more cigarettes from another Walgreens.

Archibald has very sticky fingers. Less than two months ago, Archibald was arrested in the theft of a charity fundraising jar from the restaurant counter of a sandwich shop. The store’s employees had been raising money to donate to a sick co-worker.

He is known to police in the Chicago area. Archibald has previous felony convictions for forgery in 2019 and 2005, theft in 2018, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon in 2017, and retail theft in 2012.

What would Archibald and his friend be doing with all those cigarettes besides for burning up their lungs? Well, it’s highly likely that they will selling them, which is referred to as “buttlegging,” a combination of “bootlegging,” which refers to the illegal sale of goods, and cigarette butts.

It’s time for law enforcement to stick Archibald with a real conviction and get him off the streets.

NY Goat Yoga

Looking for a way to add some pizzazz to your yoga routine? Consider Goat Yoga. It’s just like regular yoga but includes little, friendly goats jumping on you as you “downward dog” and nipping at your yoga gear.

This week, NY Goat Yoga announced that it will be kicking off its 2021/2022 College Tour. Instead of patrons traveling upstate to their farm, the team at NY Goat Yoga is heading to college campuses to help ease students’ anxieties and stresses.

According to NY Goat Yoga, nearly 90% of college students report experiencing above-average stress levels. It is important for colleges to provide ample opportunities for students to decompress, relax and relieve anxiety, NY Goat Yoga says.

What better way than to do yoga with playful goats running around?

“What results is goats on yogis’ backs and smiles on everyone’s faces,” the group says.

Sharon Boustani, an owner of NY Goat Yoga, adds, “It’s goat magic!”

Sounds like the GOAT.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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Around the

Community SKA Honor Society Welcomes New Members

M

azel tov to the 63 new members of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls Re’ut Chapter of the National Honor Society! Membership to the National Honor Society is based on scholarship, leadership abilities, character, and service to the school and community.

The 53 juniors and 10 seniors were welcomed to the induction ceremony on Wednesday evening, November 3, by the SKA principals, Mrs. Elisheva

Kaminetsky and Mrs. Bluma Drebin.

The keynote address was delivered by Mrs. Rachel Geisler, Senior Staff Engineer at Google, who spoke about the balance of working for Google as a woman, mother and, Orthodox Jew. A wonderful role model for the new Honor Society members, Mrs. Geisler focused on the rapid pace at which society has changed.

Using Torah sources, she emphasized the importance of resilience. “The only constant in life is change,” she

said. Noting that Jews have always concentrated on rebuilding after tragedy, she stressed the significance of always showing up and being resilient.

After Mrs. Geisler’s inspiring talk, the evening’s co-chairs, Mrs. Shira Greenberger and Mrs. Arielle Parkoff, introduced the inductees, who presented poems, songs and graphics on the evening’s theme, “Finding Meaning in the Journey,” to administration, faculty members and

parents who physically attended the event and to other family members who viewed the proceedings online.

The new inductees were then awarded their certificates welcoming them to the Re’ut Chapter. Thanks go to faculty members Mrs. Greenberger and Mrs. Parkoff for guiding the SKA students through the induction process and organizing this impressive ceremony.

Welcome to the new SKA Honor Society members!

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

YSZ Holds Special Challah Bake

T

he middle school girls at Yeshiva Sha’arei Zion enjoyed a special Challah Bake program last week. Rebbetzin Tzivia Khiyayev addressed the girls on the topic of the beauty of Shabbat and the bracha that

challah brings to our lives and the lives of our families. There was a buzz in the air as the girls mixed, kneaded, and shaped their challah; the bond between teacher and student could be tangibly felt in the room. After Reb-

betzin Khiyayev did the hafrasha, the girls had a chance to put in their own bakashot to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. It was an emotional and uplifting moment as each girl stood immersed in her own personal prayers and utilized

the special et ratzon.

“The tefillot were my favorite part,” said 7th grade student, Lianna Hanna Boruchov. “As we all said the Yehi Ratzon together, I felt a deep connection to Hashem.”

that demonstrated what HANC High School is about.”

“It was amazing! HANC took the open house to another level, thinking out of the box! Wow! We were totally entertained as the cast provided a glimpse of life at HANC, and the warmth of the HANC family.”

Thank you to those students who starred in the show, the student pro-

ducers, and all who helped to create an amazing and memorable open house.

We look forward to greeting prospective students and their parents at our upcoming events. To apply to HANC High School, please visit hanc.org or contact Director of Admissions, Mrs. Miriam Steiner, at msteiner@hanc.org.

HANC Live! at Open House

O

n Sunday, November 7, eighth grade prospective students and their parents had the opportunity to experience HANC Live! the fantastic and innovative drive-in open house for HANC High School.

In order to accommodate the over 500 people, two showings were held.

Guests were greeted by the principals and various key members of the HANC faculty as well as HANC reps, current students who were on hand to greet guests, cheer on their classmates’ appearances, and enjoy the show.

As each family arrived, they received a pie of Sauly’s Pizza, along with important HANC information, a playbill, and movie snacks.

Viewers settled in to experience HANC through a dramatic presentation that followed the format of the ever-popular Tonight Show. In addition to the classic opening monologue delivered by HANC’s principal, Rabbi Eli Slomnicki, the show included interviews with both student and staff celebrities, HANC classes, and comedy sketches often involving fun-

school themed games. The program was enhanced by the in-house band, HANC’s very own, BluSoul.

Rotten Tomatoes has the show at 97% praising HANC for its creative and out-of-the- box depiction of the dynamism of the HANC High school education and student experience.

Admiration and appreciation for creating an “open house experience”

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

CAHAL 5th Grade Hascholas Gemara

R

abbi Dov Langer’s 5th Grade CAHAL class at Yeshiva Darchei Torah celebrated their next step in the journey of Torah Shel Ba’al Peh, the learning of Gemara, on October 31. How exciting and inspiring it was to hear from the beloved Rosh Hayeshiva Rabbi Yaakov Bender and Menahel Rabbi Dovid

Morgenstern. Other noteworthy speakers included choshuve grandfathers in the grade such as Rabbi Respler, the Rosh Yeshiva of Long

Beach. Students, fathers, grandfathers, and rebbeim ate brunch and learned together.The class is excited and ready to begin learning Gemara.

May the families continue to enjoy nachas from their children and grandchildren.

Front Row Seats with DRS Greenhouse

Rabbi Libman’s and Rabbi Steinberg’s classes at HALB enjoyed an in-school planetarium experience to help children understand the astronomy behind the Mishnayot they were learning in Mesechet Rosh Hashana

A

fter almost a year and a half without sports, and with much anticipation, DRS athletes and fans were excited to come back to the “Greenhouse,” DRS’s hometown gym, to cheer on the DRS Wildcats! Last week, the DRS JV and Varsity Hockey teams took on the North Shore Stars in our hockey home opener, where both teams shut out their opponents.

Due to the fact that the league’s rule calls for not allowing outside fans to games, the “DRS Live” team

has really stepped up their production this year to allow fans at home to watch the games. This student-led department in the yeshiva has worked hard to create a high-level online production, which captures each game played in the DRS gym.

The broadcast now features three camera angles, color and play-byplay commentary, commercials, improved audio, and replays. Fans watching at home get a “front-row” seat to the action in the Greenhouse.

The yeladim in Morah Shani’s Nursery Aleph class at HANC ECC learned about Parshat VaYeitzei this week. They matched up popsicle sticks to make Yaakov’s ladder.

Did you know?

There were no squirrels in Central Park or other major parks in New York, Boston, or Washington, DC, before the 19th century.

They were brought in to liven up the parks for urban dwellers.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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A Heartfelt Message

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n Tuesday, November 2, the third grade talmidos of TAG were privileged to hear from Rabbi Eliezer Feuer, Rav of the Young Israel of Bayswater, who came to celebrate with them their haschaloa Shemonei Esrei in their tefillos.

Rabbi Feuer spoke about the power of Shemonei Esrei. He used a moshul from the Nesivos Shalom regarding a prince, who, after many years, wished to reunite with his father, the king. Despite many challenges and attempts which failed, he achieved his goal only when he cried

about his yearning for a relationship with the king. The Rav beautifully expressed how the heartfelt tefillos of these young talmidos will be their opportunity to connect to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. The girls ate cupcakes and designed their own “heart” bookmarks

Advisory at HAFTR

Flag Football

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hat a season for the 5 Towns Flag Football League presented by FM Home Loans! Under the leadership of Rabbi Eli Brazil and Larry Gross, the league just completed its 11th season.

Congratulations to the champions in each division. The season and playoffs were beyond amazing as many of the games were decided in the final seconds or overtime.

The league, which is open to 1st8th grade boys in the Five Towns and surrounding areas, had 5 divisions with over 30 teams. Free ice cream

for their siddurim.

Anyone who saw the faces of these talmidos understood how they absorbed and internalized this vital message. It was truly a case of “devorim ha’yotzhim min halev, nichnasim el halev.”

and amazing giveaways are also a trademark of this great league. The ability to play competitive flag football in a structured and safe environment makes this league such a great success. Boys play with middot and respect for every player. Plans are underway for next season, which will hopefully begin in March.

We would like to thank the league sponsors: FM Home Loans, Gourmet Glatt, S. Adelsberg & Co. Certified Public Accountants, Maidenbaum Property Tax Reduction Group, and Holy Schnitzel.

he Advisory program is in full swing at HAFTR Middle School. As part of this program, small groups of students are paired with a faculty adviser. Students meet with their adviser throughout the school year, enjoying conversation and hands-on activities.

Dr. Yali Werzberger, the program’s director, explained, “School connectedness, where all students feel that they have a connection with other peers and adults in the building, is associated with numerous positive outcomes for students and schools, and we are excited about the positive ripple effects this program has on school culture and student academic, social, and emotional development.”

Students have already participat-

ed in a number of activities this year.

In addition to building cohesion among members, the activities are based on principles of Positive Psychology. This week, seventh grade students wrote a letter to their future selves, where they identified the hopes, goals, and dreams they have for themselves this year. A discussion about how to set, visualize, and accomplish goals also took place in advisory groups. These letters were then put away to be reviewed at the end of the school year.

As the year progresses, advisory sessions will continue to focus on developing relationships and student growth, with activities that are engaging and empowering. We thank Dr. Werzberger for developing this enriching program!

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

WWW.EITANKATZ.COM | 718.770.7973 | INFO@EITANKATZ.COM

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YCQ Early Childhood Program Open House a Huge Success

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rospective parents and students attended the Yeshiva of Central Queens (YCQ) Early Childhood Program Open House on Sunday, November 7. Rabbi Mark Landman, YCQ principal, and Mrs. Sharon Korn, YCQ Early Childhood program director, welcomed the future YCQ families.

Parents heard glowing testimonials from Eva Kandinov and Max Olsen, YCQ Grade 8 students, Mrs. Julia Faska, current YCQ PTO Co-President, and Mrs. Valerie Olsen, YCQ Parent and former YCQ PTO Co-President.

Mrs. Korn outlined the YCQ Early Childhood Program curriculum with a comprehensive video presentation, offering a glimpse into the typical day of a YCQ

early childhood student.

Mrs. Korn reported, “It was exciting to meet so many new families and to share all of the wonderful happenings at YCQ. The children were enthusiastic and engaged, and we can’t wait to welcome our new students.”

While touring simulated classes, prospective parents visited a Grade 8 science classroom and attended a 3-minute class reviewing the miracle of the Asher Yetzer prayer. The cafeteria, art room, gymnasium, library, computer room, grade 1 classrooms with Morah Leah Greenwald and Mrs. Allison Blass, and STEAM Lab with Mrs. Jen Jaffe were all presented and approved by guest families.

While some parents toured YCQ, other parents participated in YCQ Early

Childhood Program curriculum activities with their child. In addition to a music lesson and gym session, families worked with Morah Michelle on a lesson in picture matching on her smartboard. Morah Janet created a Parsha Puppet Show.

Morah Adina worked with shapes, and Morah Rivky constructed beautiful collages.

Rabbi Landsman, principal of YCQ, said, “It was such a pleasure to welcome new families to our wonderful school and show them the energy and ruach that has made our yeshiva so incredible for so many years.”

Students and faculty enthusiastic about Jewish education and spiritual inspiration form the foundation of Yeshiva of Central Queens, and on Sunday, families had

the opportunity to experience YCQ in person.

For more information about the YCQ Early Childhood Program, please con-

tact Mrs. Sharon Korn, Director of the Early Childhood Program, skorn@ycq. us., 718-793-8500, ext. 313, as soon as possible.

Packed Open House at Netzach HaTorah

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n Sunday, October 31, Netzach HaTorah in Woodmere hosted its annual open house to a packed auditorium. The event included both parents and talmidim and afforded the opportunity to learn up close all about the Mesivta.

Following presentations by the Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Yitzchok Yurman, and the principal, Rabbi Yirmiyahu Lebowitz, the crowd got to see inside the Mesivta with an in-depth video presentation taking them through the front doors of the building and into the classroom and facilities.

Following the video, the boys split into groups meeting with different rabbeim, students, and faculty, while the parents participated in a panel discussion featuring current parents and rebbeim. The open house was once again a wonderful way for prospective parents and talmidim to see firsthand how the Mesivta is “learning Torah and living Torah.”

For those that missed the open house or would like more information, please visit Netzachhatorah. com/openhouse.=

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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True Community Helpers

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AFTR first graders began their social studies curriculum with a unit on community helpers. After meeting the members of our school community, students were introduced to members of the larger community. Parent volunteers, including EMTs, doctors, and nurses, met with students and discussed their roles in the community. Students visited The S.H.O.P., the Gural JCC’s food pantry, and brought canned food items to donate to the store. They learned how this store provides a vital service for our community, and by working together, we can keep our community safe and healthy.

As an introduction to the unit on map skills, students took a walk on Central Avenue. They noted the addresses, types of stores, and how important stores are to our community. Students created maps of the blocks they visited and are looking forward to learning more about being a cartographer when a visitor from the New York Historical Society comes to school.

One Israel Fund Announces New President of its Board of Trustees

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ne Israel Fund, the premier organization in the United States providing humanitarian support and essential needs for the residents of Judea and Samaria, is delighted to announce the appointment of Jacqueline L. Herman of Englewood, NJ, as its new president of the board of trustees.

Mrs. Herman has been a dedicated member of the organization’s board of trustees for many years and has worked tirelessly to raise funds for a variety of the organization’s important projects providing for the safety, security, and well-being of the residents of Judea and Samaria.

Mrs. Herman’s tenure as the president of the board of trustees, which started earlier this month, coincides with the organization’s for-

mer president’s appointment as Trustee at Large. Jonathan L. Sherman, the organization’s former president of its board of trustees, presided over the organization’s growth over the last several years and raised much needed resources for its community, security, medical, educational, and recreational programming.

Under Mr. Sherman’s leadership, the organization also began construction of the Binyamin Medical Center, a primary urgent care and general medical center serving the medical needs of the 128,000 residents of the Binyamin region, the largest regional council in Israel.

One Israel Fund Executive Vice President Scott M. Feltman said, “One Israel Fund is appreciative to Jonathan for his leadership over these last several years

and for the tireless devotion he invested in our organization’s continued development. I am grateful that Jonathan will be remaining as a valued member of the trustees so we will all benefit from his leadership for many years to come.”

Feltman went on to say, “Jacqui has been an outstanding member of our board of trustees constantly seeking out opportunities to help enhance our organization’s programming and fundraising infrastructure.

She has been a pleasure to work with all these years as a trustee; and we are truly honored to officially have her serving as our new president. Everyone is very excited to work with her in building this organization to even higher heights.”

“I am extremely excited about this new chapter in my

service to One Israel Fund, an organization I feel incredibly proud to have been a part of for so many years,” explained Mrs. Herman.

She continued, “The organization’s mission is one my family and I consider to be of vital importance, and I look forward to working with Scott, his staff, and our wonderful board of trustees and board of directors to continue providing for the essential needs of the residents of Judea and Samaria.”

Since its inception in 1994, One Israel Fund has remained committed to the safety and wellbeing of the nearly 500,000 residents of Judea and Samaria – our Biblical Heartland. As the premier organization supporting these regions, One Israel Fund works tireless-

ly to facilitate, on average, over 200 unique projects annually, filling gaps in medical, educational, recreational, preventative security and all other forms of communal and social welfare. By working in tandem with community and regional leadership as well as government officials, One Israel Fund enables Jewish life to flourish in all areas of our Biblical Heartland.

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The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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HAFTR Alumni Association wishes mazal tov to HAFTR parents Alissa (HAFTR Early Childhood Morah) and Yoni, and to Noah Nierenberg (HAFTR High School Class of 2019) on completing his IDF training in the tank combat/sniper unit

On Election Day, children at HANC ECC voted on what kind of cookie the class would prefer for snack – Oreos or chocolate chip cookies. The results were delicious!

Rabbi Eisikovic’s seventh grade class of Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island had an enjoyable Melave Malka at their rebbi’s house this week. The Melave Malka was a fun event and was used to spearhead the class’s new davening initiative.

Parshas Toldos at YOSS ECC

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arshas Toldos is one of my favorite parshios, as it is filled with so many lessons for our children to learn from. The children of Yeshiva of South Shore ECC learned the story of Yaakov and Eisav and, of course, how twin brothers can be alike and can be different.

They worked together to cook lentil

soup, cutting, chopping, measuring, and mixing. The delicious smell of soup drifted through the hallways and the pre-1A boys wrote instructions, “Do not touch – hot soup.” The boys also worked on their pre-math skills as they compared, contrasted, and learned about opposites and pairs.

Parshas Vayishlach came to life for Rav Aaron Wahl’s fifth grade talmidim at Yeshiva Darchei Torah with the help of a bow and arrow and a patch of goat skin

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Around the Community

Central Open House

Lev Chana Preschool students at HALB participated in their very own Election Day

Shulamith Torah Bowl

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hat a great start for the year for the Shulamith Torah Bowl team! The girls earned a total of 29 points out of 60, winning against several other local schools. Even more impressive than their win, however, is that the girls showed extensive mastery over the first 11 perakim of Sefer Devarim.

They answered questions posed by Rabbi Wolofsky, the head of the Torah Bowl for the Jewish Day schools

in the tri-state area, on a Zoom conference call by buzzing in through a special app. The questions were asked on the pshat, the simple understanding of the text, as well as the explanations of Rashi. Their breadth of knowledge is outstanding, and we are looking forward and preparing diligently for the next meet that we will cover Parshios Re’eh and Shoftim next month, G-d willing.

Classroom Champions at HANC

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t was an amazing Rosh Chodesh Kislev morning at HANC-Plainview! After a beautiful morning davening, the program director Mrs. Liz Danizger, along with Mrs. Lynda Last and Mrs. Francie Goldberg, officially kicked off the school’s partnership with Classroom Champions with all students in first through the sixth grade. Each grade had representatives running through the sports fields, passing a torch from grade to grade. Mrs. Last then introduced the highlights of Classroom Champions, a social-emotional learning curriculum for students connecting them to volunteer Olympians, Para-Olympi-

ans, student-athletes and professional athletes who will be sharing real life stories, lessons, and challenges surrounding perseverance, goal setting, leadership and more. Mrs. Francie Goldberg then challenged every class to a See-Run-Build teamwork competition, and Mrs. Danziger then announced the winning team in different categories.

The program officially ended with Rosh Chodesh treats sponsored by Morah Meryl and Aaron Chaitovsky, and a small musical celebration led

by Mr. Yoel Hecht, which put everyone in the Kislev spirit to get ready for Chanukah!

he Central Open House on Sunday, November 7 was a smashing success! The crowd streamed into the building to the greetings of excited student ambassadors and faculty.

The day began with breakfast and a chance to mingle with other prospective families, as well as teachers and administration. The main program began with a beautiful dvar Torah from our Mashgiach Ruchani, Rabbi Joshua Goller, who then introduced his chevruta, senior Aliza Beer of White Plains, NY. Aliza spoke about the “homeyness” of Central and how welcome she felt from the minute she stepped in the building as a freshman. She listed many of the amazing opportunities for learning and chessed provided to her by Central, saying, “Recently, I even had the chance to go with Ms. Rutner to Yeshiva University to meet the national security adviser of Bahrain and the Saudi Arabian head of the World Muslim League. The opportunities for me beyond the classroom at Central and the YU community have been endless.”

Head of School Ms. Bracha Rutner illustrated what a typical day at Central looks like, taking the audience through the school building, feeling the buzz and hearing the laughter and learning taking place in every classroom, with every program, and every extracurricular activity. Following speeches from Lois Rifkin, a sophomore from Great Neck, and Central alum and Associate Principal Ms. Leah Moskovich, prospective students and their parents split up for special program-

ming.

Parents were treated to presentations by various departments and teachers, such as Mrs. Ruth Fried, head of the science department, and Rabbi Elie Weissman, Judaic Studies Coordinator. They were informed about academics, student life, the ruchnius in the building, the meaning of Torah U’Madda, the guidance and support at Central, and heard from a panel of current parents. Parents then had a tour of the building and culminated with a yummy lunch at the curriculum fair.

Meanwhile, students went on a tour of the building, led by our amazing student ambassadors, where they stopped into six different classes.

After meeting some of our amazing teachers, students entered the Central Playhouse for a special student life performance! Through a fun game of Family Feud, prospective students learned about all that we offer in Central, and their morning concluded with a stop in our student life tent, where they met with club heads, ate a delicious lunch, and filled up their jars at Central’s Candy Bar. Leah Moskovich noted after Sunday, “The best part of the day was meeting so many excited new families, greeting and welcoming back current Central families, and watching our students shine as they spoke about their high school experience.

The energy in the building was awesome.”

We look forward to starting our visit days this week! Apply today at yuhsg.org/apply.

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Parsha Comes Alive at BYAM

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ach week, our incredible Preschool Director, Morah Deenie Schuss, makes the parsha come alive for the girls at

Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam. Excitement rises as the girls come off the bus, wondering what parsha surprise is in store. Will they be met

with a Taivah? A bus to take them to Eretz Canaan? Will it be Sarah’s tent or Yitzchak and Rivka’s chuppah?

This past week it was a giant pot of

red “soup”!

We can’t wait to see what next week brings!

ly and presented with the handy, adorable lunch bag designed specifically for TAG talmidos (and mothers as well). After words of divrei bracha from TAG’s dean, Rabbi Meyer Weitman, all eyes were riveted on Rabbi Shapiro as he delivered an inspiring and thought-provoking presentation on how to “Build A Happy Home.”

In his usual warm and witty style, he outlined three steps to help make our houses true Jewish homes. He reminded the audience never to lose sight of their goal in being mechanech their children and to recognize

what is important and what is not.

His many stories beautifully depicted his vital points. He emphasized that our children are always watching how we behave and that we must always act like true role models.

After the official program ended, many of the mothers stayed to continue enjoying the food while socializing and getting to know each other.

It indeed was a memorable evening and a great way for the Women’s League to kick off what promises to be a successful new school year.

Neither Rain Nor Shine…

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hile this may be the motto of the Post Office, it could definitely apply to the 200 dedicated mothers of TAG who braved torrential rains and came to be inspired at the Women’s League’s Membership Tea held on Tuesday, October 26. Equally amazing was the fact that our featured guest speaker, Rabbi Ephraim Eliyahu Shapiro, also managed to fly in from Florida.

He was totally awed and amazed at the unbelievable turnout, and we, at TAG, came to believe it was all gishmei bracha straight from Hashem.

The beautiful home of the gracious hostess, Mrs. Shari Taub, proved to be the perfect backdrop for the beautifully arranged table of desserts and salads prepared by Women’s League’s own volunteers.

The dynamic team of chairladies, Racheli Blumenkrantz, Edna Ershowsky, Mindy Glaser, Suri Feuchtwanger, Chayale Gorlin, Nataly Magendzo, Naomi Newman, and Tziporah Sax, outdid themselves and proved again what teamwork can accomplish.

The mothers were greeted warm-

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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Rabbi Shmuel Bloom discussed the dinim of the mitzvah of Shemittah and shared firsthand accounts of miracles the farmers experience in Eretz Yisrael with talmidim at Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island

Bringing Parsha to Life

MTA Brings Ruach and Energy to Queens

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AFTR Lower School Kindergarten students were in “Charan” last week where they prepared and cooked lentil soup in honor of Parshat Toldot. Vol-

unteer students reenacted Yaakov giving soup to Eisav in exchange for his birthright. The soup was delicious and the experience was memorable.

Bikur Cholim Lil’ Leaders Program

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ur Lil’ Leaders program is focused on investing in our future leaders to teach them the importance of giving back and to educate them in being kind to others and giving back to the community. We have an array of events and activities that children can participate in so that they can feel good inside and do something empowering to inspire them to keep giving back.

Join us at our next event happening on November 14th from 2 to 3:30 PM at 7 Manor Lane in Lawrence. Bring a new gift, come wrap it, send a card, and decorate a doughnut! We ask that each participant bring one gift to wrap.

For more information about Bikur Cholims Lil Leaders program, please message us at events@bikurcholimfr5t.org.

We can’t wait!

TA talmidim had a blast bonding with their rebbeim and friends at the yeshiva’s Queens Shabbaton. Held on October 29-30, the Shabbaton featured lively minyanim and zemiros, inspiring divrei Torah, a Friday night seudah, an inspirational program with Maggid Shiur Rabbi Rafi Pearl and Dean of Student Life Rabbi Dan-

ny Konigsberg, a tisch with guest speaker Rabbi Shmuel Marcus, and Shalosh Seudos with Rabbi Konigsberg and guest speaker Rabbi Shmuel Lemann. MTA enjoys bringing the yeshiva’s signature ruach, achdus, and energy to its communities and enabling talmidim to experience all of the different communities that make up the MTA family.

Pomology at HANC

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xperiential learning both in and out of the classroom allows students to keep engaged in their academic experience while bringing direct meaning to the lesson at hand. HANC High School consistently provides its students with a well-rounded educational experience, keeping topics alive and focused. As the high school is studying

the perek of Masechet Sukkah that deals with the four species, Rabbi Daniel Mezei’s shiur was excited to participate in a hands-on lesson in pomology.

The students dissected etrogim in an effort to identify the signs of a kosher etrog versus those of a grafted species. The leftovers were sent home for jelly production!

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A Special Visit

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almidim of Yeshiva Ateres Eitz Chaim visited and heard words of chizuk from HaRav Yechiel Michel Stern, shlita. HaRav Yechiel Michel Stern is the rav of the Tirot HaCarmel community in Eretz Yisrael. He is also a posek in Ezras Torah where he resides and is the mechaber of many sefarim. He is known to be a poel yeshuos and is sought after for his insights and advice.

Thank you to our esteemed board member Mr. Avi Englard for arranging this visit.

Election Day at Shulamith ECC

The New Green Deal

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he Early Childhood Division of TAG held elections last week on Election Day. However, it was not about any political views, but rather about the important topic of selecting their favorite vegetables. The talmidos cast their ballots, received “I Voted” stickers, and helped tally up the votes. The winner by a large margin was cucumbers.

Rosh Chodesh Mesiba at Yeshiva Ateres Eitz Chaim

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n amazing Rosh Chodesh Kislev Mesiba was held at the Yeshiva this past Thursday evening. The talmidim enjoyed divrei Torah, delicious food from Mechy’s

Deli, and were treated to a very special musical performance by their own talmidim! On Friday, the Rosh Chodesh festivities continued with a lavish breakfast and geshmake oneg.

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he pre-1A classes at Shulamith Early Childhood Center had an exciting time learning how to do their civic duty and vote on Election Day last week. This provided a wonderful opportunity to strengthen their skills in so many important curriculum areas.

The first thing the girls needed to learn was the concept of voting and that the majority rules. They voted for favorite books and activities first by hand, then by name, and finally by using a paper ballot. This required them to count, to compare, and to read the written choices. When Election Day finally arrived, the girls were primed to vote “for real.”

They designed a voting booth and a scanner from cardboard cartons and even made signage (in phonetic spelling) to remind everyone not to peek. The girls took full charge of running the election, from manning a registration table where each child signed her name, to explaining

how to fill out the ballot and how to insert it into the scanner. When the polling station closed, the excitement reached a fevered pitch as the ballots were counted using math cubes. The winner served a one-day term at our snack table!

Concurrently, the girls learned about polls. They were very excited to walk around with clipboards asking their friends’ opinions about important matters like favorite colors. Taking polls was a wonderful exercise in literacy and math. They wrote down the choices, read their friends’ names, and recorded their choices in the appropriate columns.

At the end, they tallied up the results and determined which number was greater.

At Shulamith ECC we are grateful to be living in a country that gives us the freedom to practice our beliefs, and we are happy to teach our students how to be productive citizens who have a say in their government.

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Bais Yaakov of the Five Towns Open House

Some of the speakers at the open house of Bais Yaakov of the Five Towns this week

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he enthusiasm and excitement were palpable at our introductory open house on Sunday, November 7th, 2021. It was with great siyata dishmaya, that we introduced Bais Yaakov Five Towns to a large and eager audience.

Amidst beautiful decor, snacks and drinks, the concept of an innovative new Bais Yaakov school opening in September ‘22 was introduced. The program began with

a message from R’ Moshe Plutchok where he praised both the idea of BY5T and the talents and chinch capabilities of the hanhala.

Mrs. Bracha Wrona, menaheles, spoke about the philosophy and hashkafa of the school, which will include a warm welcoming environment that will focus on the whole child and inspire each student to learn, cultivate her inner strengths, and grow into a proud Bais Yaakov girl.

Mrs. Temima Feldman, educational consultant, introduced the innovative and up-to-date programs that the curriculum will be built on.

Miss Racheli Gross introduced the female educational advisory board that will assist the hanhala in professional and educational decisions regarding many areas of chinuch.

A moving video depicted the vision of BY5T. A question and answer ses-

sion followed, which clearly expressed the passion and enthusiasm of the Five Towns community and beyond.

The overwhelming response of applications, interest, and a request for further information and meetings was heartwarming. Please go to our website hwww.by5t.org to download an application and be informed of future meetings being planned. It was a pleasure greeting such a wonderful crowd.

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Around the Community PHOTOS BY MHB

Rav Elya Brudny, Rosh Yeshiva at the Mirrer Yeshiva in Brooklyn and a member of the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah, discussing a sugya with the eleventh grade talmidim of Rav Shloime Eisen at Mesivta Chaim Shlomo on Tuesday. Looking on is Rav Zevi Trenk, menahel. Rav Brudny visits Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s Mesivta on a weekly basis to visit shiurim and enhance the Rischa D’Oraysa.

The “Heart” of the Matter

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n honor of Rosh Chodesh Kislev, TAG Elementary Limudei Kodesh division launched their innovative program “BILVAVI,” which will be the focus for the entire school year. Joining the Elementary School will be the Ganger Early Childhood Division.

Our goal is that each talmidah

should be empowered and inspired to guide and channel her positive as well as negative emotions to serve Hashem with her whole heart.

The Rosh Chodesh Assembly focused on our ability to think before we react on instinct and give expression to the voice in our heart that tells us to give Hashem nachas by

The activity that helped to get the program off to a great start

doing the right thing.

The girls were treated to pink doughnuts, a powerful video, and an interactive game to really take these lessons “to heart.” They learned the meaningful song that portrays the goals of this amazing initiative.

We look forward to a year of “Bilvavi” ruach and inspiration!

Each week, the talmidos are taught the lesson of the week and have an activity that follows that lesson. Here is a sampling of some of the many responses we received about how they connected with the “real me,” which last week asked them to tell us about a time you chose to control your emotions.

Tehilla W. Kitah beis: Tehila really wanted her regular seat at the Shabbos table, but a guest came and sat there. She was very strong and reined in her emotions and gave the guest the seat without saying anything. Wow! Submitted by her mother Racheli L. Kitah beis: Racheli didn’t want to watch her baby brother on Shabbos morning so her parents could sleep, but she did it anyway without a fuss! Submitted by her mother Batsheva F. Kitah daled: “When my friend and I were playing ball in the grass, my little sister came and started bothering us. Instead of

Learning the words to the new theme song

getting upset, I let her play and even taught her how to catch better.”

Mali W.- Kitah daled: “I was having a hard day and I was so hungry, which makes everything even harder, but I waited as patiently as I could for supper to be ready and I even told my mother how good everything was.”

Ilana M - Kitah daled: “My brother went ice skating without me and I got very upset, but then my mom brought me to a very fun place and I realized that even though I didn’t go ice skating, Hashem always gives me what I need.”

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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MAY Open House

I

t was standing room only at the Mesivta Ateres Yaakov Open House this past Sunday, as the Yeshiva hosted close to 150 prospective students, along with their parents, all eager to learn about what Ateres Yaakov has to offer. Held in the yeshiva’s beautiful facilities, and with the Rabbeim, faculty and Hanhalah present to answer questions, the day’s program was an opportunity to educate parents and students about the Yeshiva’s unique mission, objectives, and resources.

It was a busy, exciting, and educational experience that included informative panels, video displays, passionate presentations, engaging dialogue, Torah brain teasers, sports challenges, raffles, a gala luncheon, prizes, custom Swell bottle, an elaborate Student Fair, slushies, competitions and more.

Upon arrival, attendees were warmly greeted by the MAY Hanhalah, its talented and dedicated faculty and scores of student and parent volunteers. Guests were ushered into the elaborate Student Fair, held in the Yeshiva’s expansive Shaulson Gymnasium where a multitude of booths, manned by current Ateres Yaakov talmidim, described the school’s myriad extracurricular programs and activities.

Following the Student Fair, the Rosh HaYeshiva, Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe, addressed the enormous crowd in the Mesivta’s Bais Medrash. He explained that “the goal in our Mesivta extends

far beyond the high school years” and that “the ultimate purpose is to build better husbands, fathers, and ovdei Hashem. Therefore, literally everything that occurs within the yeshiva is aimed at facilitating that goal.” Rabbi Yaffe concluded his remarks by clearly explaining each phrase of the Mesivta’s slogan “Rabbeim for Life. Education for Life. Torah for Life.” Rabbi Yaffe’s address was followed by an emotionally charged, informative video presentation that immersed the guests virtually into the Mesivta experience.

Following the video presentation, the students then enjoyed a science presentation with 9th grade science teacher Mr. Pinchas Fiber, a stimulating brain-teasing shiur delivered by 9th grade Rebbe Rabbi Tsvi Greenfield, and a Q & A About MAY. The afternoon concluded with a delicious Chinese buffet and a grand raffle!

Parents attended panel discussions focusing on Limudei Kodesh, General Studies, MAY Parents, and MAY Alumni. Prospective parents asked current parents and panelists a variety of questions and received enthusiastic responses. These included: Are the Rabbeim really involved in the lives of the talmidim even after graduation? Alumni talked about their many experiences receiving weekly calls in Israel from multiple members of the faculty, about daily conversations and weekly chaburos or Shabbos meals with rabbeim,

about rabbeim helping them with challenges after marriage, about rabbeim making their shidduchim, and more.

Mr. Mark Gold, President of MAY, noted, “Our talmidim are often shocked to find that their yeshiva peers in Eretz Yisroel do not have the kinds of close relationships with, and ready access to, their Mesivta rabbeim, that they take for granted.”

How does MAY challenge their Honors level students?

Rabbi Sam Rudansky, General Studies Principal who moderated the General Studies Panel, noted that “MAY has adapted its curricula to challenge our students. In ELA, for example, we assign frequent essays and other writing assignments to build advanced writing and communication skills and to provide constructive criticism to facilitate revision.”

How does MAY compare to the other Yeshivos in our community? A member of the Hanhalah responded that “there are many excellent local options. Each school has its own emphasis and areas in which it excels. MAY is

uniquely outstanding in that it excels in Limudei Kodesh, Limudei Chol, and in Extracurricular activities. With its expansive, state-of the-art campus, there is always something exciting going on but doesn’t impede the personal attention and long-lasting relationships that help students of all capabilities succeed.”

One parent noted that “It’s clear that the Rabbeim I spoke with are very sincere and have a very strong emotional connection with their talmidim and truly care about their success.”

The MAY talmidim really made the event a success. Visitors challenged Ateres Yaakov talmidim in Ping-Pong, football and basketball while being cheered on by friends.

Attendees picked up the Mesivta’s Chesed Directory, listing the ample opportunity for different chassadim available to its talmidim. Athletics and Competitions were represent-

ed by various members of the Mesivta’s football, basketball, softball and Torah bowl teams who were happy to display the school’s jerseys and many championship trophies! The ample Torah L’shma opportunities were represented by regulars of the Pre-Shacharis Cocoa Club, Post-Shacharis Mishnayos Shiur, 12th grade Advanced Bikiyus and Night Sedarim, Shakla v’Tarya Ba’al Peh Club, Bein Hazmanim Learning Program and voluntary Monday and Tuesday Night Sedarim. The Mesivta’s Extracurricular Activies, Clubs, and Ruach & Recharging booths were represented by the MAY student’s showcasing the myriad opportunities and activities the Mesivta provides for its talmidim.

Applications for the 20212022 z’man are now being accepted. For more information contact the Mesivta at (516) 374-6465 or visit their website at www.ateresyaakov.com.

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Around the Community

Chai Lifeline Retreats Give Families Opportunity to Recharge and Reconnect

C

hai Lifeline ends off the year with a series of weekend retreats for families impacted by pediatric illness and volunteers of Chai Lifeline. Hosted on Chai Lifeline’s beautiful Camp Simcha campus in Glen Spey, NY, the retreats help recharge participants for the year ahead.

“Connection is vital during illness, no person or family should go through sickness alone,” said Chai Lifeline Director of Volunteer Services Faige Yudkofsky. “Our retreats allow parents and kids to connect with people just like them to form a vibrant community of support.”

On October 23, Achim B’Yachad, the Chassidic division of Chai Lifeline, hosted a retreat for girls. Children impacted by pediatric illness were offered a fun weekend full of ac-

tivities such as arts and crafts, singing, dancing, and special gifts. The weekend allowed parents to unwind at home while giving kids a fun-filled experience and a chance to connect with peers of similar backgrounds.

“I saw a huge difference over the weekend retreat.… My kids blossomed overnight,” said Chani, a mother of seven. “I was emotional just watching them act like kids again, and I am so thankful they got this experience.”

On November 6, Chai Lifeline hosted a retreat for families living with a cancer diagnosis. Cancer is an isolating experience that COVID-19 has only exacerbated. This retreat provided a chance for families to meet other families just like them and form a community as they support one another through the difficult

journey. Over the weekend, parents had a chance to join support groups led by mental health professionals while kids enjoy special activities.

On the weekend of December 11, Chai Lifeline will host its volunteer drivers for a weekend of appreciation. Volunteer drivers transport sick

children and their parents to and from medical appointments. This lets the parent be fully present with their child during a deeply difficult time. Drivers commit their time at all hours of the day and night in order to help these families. As a gesture of appreciation, drivers will enjoy a relaxing weekend of spiritual connection, delicious food, and uplifting speeches from parents and families helped by Chai Lifeline.

The last winter Chai Lifeline retreat will take place on December 18 for families with children living with disabilities or chronic illness.

Chai Lifeline is an international children’s health support network providing social, emotional, and financial assistance to children with life-threatening or lifelong illnesses and their families. To learn more, visit www.chailifeline.org.

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Around the Community

Rabbi Uri Orlian spoke at the new night seder program run by Rabbi Wahl for middle age school boys at Bais Tefila of Inwood

Chessed is Fun at YIJE

SHS Senior Shabbaton

By: Elisheva Jaffa

T

he Young Israel of Jamaica Estates has been organizing a monthly Family Mitzvah Morning for the more than seven years now. Originally conceived of by Rabbi Emeritus and Rebbetzin Shlomo and Karen Hochberg, and now continued under the leadership of current Mara D’Atra Rabbi Dov Lerner and his wife Miriam, families, including kids, parents and grandparents, come together each month for a fun activity or project to support an organization or chessed program in need. The monthly program is coordinated by volunteer Yael Schreiber and YIJE’s Youth Director Jacob Herskowitz.

This year, the program kicked off during Aseret Yemei Tshuva when the kids worked with their parents to create 40 special sukkah gift packages and decorations which were then delivered to Ohel Family Children’s home. The packages were sponsored

by Moreen and Zach Lockerman.

The chessed continued in October when families came together to decorate 50 baseballs to be sent to Amer-

ican troops on their military bases around the world. For Billy Cook’s bar mitzvah project, he decided to collect and decorate baseballs with personal messages to troops to put a smile on their faces! Years after his bar mitzvah, he still organizes collections, and the kids and the families in Jamaica Estates decided to help with this chessed.

Each month, Rabbi Lerner reviews the importance of chessed and taking time out to help those in need.

YIJE is well-known for their many youth programs and events, but during the Family Mitzvah Morning the fun is directed outward as kids and their families return each month to help another group in need!

On November 21st, the Mitzvah Morning team will be back in action as coordinator Yael Schreiber has arranged for the group to create centerpieces for the Queens Commonpoint Thanksgiving packages.

For more information about Young Israel of Jamaica Estates and upcoming programs for kids and adults, visit yije.org.

F

ollowing our amazing Open House this week at SHS, the seniors had the pleasure of riding the wave of school pride straight into Shabbos at their grade Shabbaton.

The program began Friday night with beautiful davening in our auditorium. We then got to hear an inspiring dvar Torah from SHS’s very own history teacher, Mr.Lazar, followed by a delicious meal with the seniors, the faculty, and their families. We had the pleasure of hearing words of wisdom from Rabbi Munk who spoke to us about the words of zemirot, and that when we say “tzeischem,” we say goodbye to the angels of weekdays and welcome the Shabbos angels to be with us throughout Shabbos.

We continued our beautiful meal with lots of zemirot, laughter, and smiles. The night ended with a very fun oneg that took place in our Student Center, where the seniors were greeted with board games and fun activities to enjoy with the children of faculty members.

On Shabbos day, we all joined together for tefillah at the Young Israel

of Woodmere, followed by teachers hosting students in their homes for Shabbos lunch. Meals were hosted

by Mrs. Gaerman, Rebbetzin Wolf, Mrs. Herskowitz, Mrs. Klein and Principal Munk. All of the students greatly enjoyed spending time with their teachers and their families. One senior commented, “It was amazing to see our teachers welcome us into their homes with open arms.”

After lunch, many of the students gathered at Mrs. Gaerman’s house to spend Shabbos afternoon relaxing together. As Shabbos was coming to an end, Seudah Shlishit was hosted at the home of fellow senior Meira Goldstein in Woodmere. During Seudah Shlishit, we were all privileged to hear from our very own Rebbetzin Katzenstein, who spoke about going through life with happiness of doing mitzvot and the happiness of recognizing what you have and how to utilize that in everyday life. We sang zemirot and reminisced about how the last four years at Shulamith High School have been such a life changing experience and that we can’t wait to see what the future holds for each and every one of us.

4.5” x 11.25”

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The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

Around the Community

Out of This World at YOSS

‫בס״ד‬

NOVEMBER 2021

Stop, Think and See

H

ashem may have the whole world in His hands, but 2nd grade boys at YOSS have the whole solar system in their hands.

They know the names of the planets and their composition – rock or gas.

The boys studied important facts about each planet and their distance from the sun. Individually, boys created a standing solar system craft

to exhibit each planet and its corresponding facts.

The class was very well prepared for their visit to the Cradle of Aviation Museum, as they recognized so much of what they have been learning about. The History of Flight was entertaining and a great segue into approaching the planets. The boys said it was a blast!

Wacky Science in IVDU LI

When I heard about Tehillim Kollel, I decided to sign up. I thought it was a nice idea, and though I wasn’t going through any particular challenge, it sounded like something I wanted to be part of. They told me I could give in two names. I thought of a close friend who was going through a very difficult time financially. It seemed his business would soon need to file bankruptcy, leaving him with a huge debt. I also shared my niece’s name. She was of age, yet nothing seemed to be moving in the shidduch line.

I paid for a one-month membership, and after hanging up with the representative, didn’t give it much thought. Time moves on, and the month was over. I didn’t remember to renew.

At one point, I realized that both of the people I had put on the Tehillim list had seen a yeshuah. My niece had gotten engaged soon after, and my friend had unbelievable siyatta d’Shmaya with an unexpected offer that saved his business.

Could it be that the minyan of Tehillim effected these yeshuos? I thought to myself. More interestingly, I noted, I hadn’t even paid it much heed. How could I have neglected to notice? These tefillos put some wheels in motion, and I didn’t even stop to watch them roll!

I called the Tehillim Kollel office right away and asked for a steady membership.

Indeed, it is never too late to notice…

T

he students in Morah Frumit Fruchtzweig’s class have been enjoying the Wacky Science projects that they have been doing each week during STEM time. In addition to the many skills that they are working on, the students get to work on key executive functioning skills like looking at the whole picture and

breaking things down into smaller parts. They are required to help plan for the activity, including making lists of the items they need, retrieving them from the correct location, and setting up the activity. It is always exciting for them to actively participate in the science activities, watching things explode, and come to life!

WEEKLY COLUMN OF RECENT EPISODES

BY TEHILLIM KOLLEL Sign up for our annual mermbership:

718.705.7174 Info@TehillimKollel.org www.TehillimKollel.org

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Senior Poskim and Rabbanim of Lakewood Encourage Daily Halacha Learning

By Chaim Gold

“I

felt like I was in the lishkas hagazis of Lakewood,” said one Daf HaYomi B’Halacha maggid shiur, after attending a unique, unprecedented gathering of leading senior poskim and rabbanim in Lakewood this past motzoei Shabbos, Parshas Chayei Sarah.

What was the nature of the gathering at the home of senior Beis Medrash Govoha Posek, HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Meir Katz, shlita? Why was it was so significant that it was attended by the most august senior poskim of Lakewood such as HaGaon HaRav Yaakov Ephraim Forchheimer, shlita, senior posek of Beis Medrash Govoha and rav of Khal She’eiris Adas Yisroel, HaGaon HaRav Osher Chaim Leiberman, shlita, senior posek of Beis Medrash Govoha and rav of Khal Zichron Shneur, HaGaon HaRav Avrohom Spitzer, shlita, the Skverer Dayan of Lakewood, as well as numerous other prominent rabbanim and poskim including Rav Moshe Chaim Kahan, Rav of Khal Yoel Meir and a posek of Beis Medrash Govoha, Rav Moshe Zev Feldman, a posek of Beis Medrash Govoha, Rav Simcha Bunim Londinsky, Rav of Khal Ohr Gedalya and a senior Rosh Chaburah at Beis Medrash Govoha, Rav Chaim Weg, Rosh Kollel L’Dayanus, Bais HaVaad?

The answer? They came to give chizuk to the ideal that every Yid, whether kollel yungerman, baal habayis, or bachur, must incorporate the learning of daily halacha into one’s schedule.

These senior poskim came to give chizuk to the daily leaning of halacha through Dirshu’s Daf HaYomi B’Halacha Daily Mishnah Berurah program and to hail the program in advance of its upcoming historic siyum on the second machzor of Mishnah Berurah.

Dirshu’s Nasi, Rav Dovid Hofstedter, also attended and addressed the event.

Rav Moshe Chaim Kahan, the chairman of the evening, opened the event by thanking Rav Katz for opening his home to host the distinguished guests and noting how the presence of poskim and rabbanim of such stature is a testament to the importance that they attach to daily limud halacha for all Yidden.

“A Loyal Citizen Must Know the Law!” Rav Spitzer, one of Lakewood’s most prominent poskim, cited the words of the Peleh Yoetz, who writes, “It is an obligation to learn the Orach Chaim order of Shulchan Aruch every day just as it is an obligation to put on tefillin every day!” Rav Spitzer explained that every move a Yid makes from the moment he opens his eyes in the morning until he closes them at night is dictated by halacha. It is impossible to observe halacha if one does not learn it regularly. Rav Spitzer then illustrated his point with a fascinating story about a driver who had a clean record but was nevertheless pulled over because he had snow on the roof of his car. When he came to fight the ticket in court he said, “Your honor, I am a loyal citizen. I am very careful to comply with the law. I have a clean driving record, but what can I do? I was not aware of this law. Please forgive me.”

The judge said, “You say you are a loyal citizen. How could a loyal citizen not be aware of the law? A loyal citizen must know the law!”

“We Yidden,” the Dayan exclaimed, “must realize that we are obligated to know and observe halacha. ‘I didn’t know’ is not an excuse. Baruch Hashem, Dirshu led by Rav Dovid Hofstedter, has made a revolution in this inyan. They have facilitated the knowledge and learning of halacha by tens of thousands through their testing system. Ashrei Dirshu! Ashrei chelkam and ashreichem maggidei shiur who stand at the front lines of the revolution! It is such a zechus!”

rohom anochi, I am a servant of Avrohom!” Eliezer didn’t exist on his own, his whole existence was the fact that he was Avrohom’s servant. Chazal tell us that he was the main conduit of Avrohom’s Torah. He was doleh u’mashkeh, he drew out and gave to drink Avrohom’s Torah to the world. The Torah says that he therefore merited ascending to Gan Eden alive. That is the power of someone who gives over Hashem’s Torah to others.

“Eliezer was so effective in giving over emunah that Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky points out that even reshaim such as Lavan and Besuel were forced to admit that ‘M’Hashem yatzah hadavar.’ That is the great zechus and Toras chessed that of the maggidei shiur of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha – the greatest zechus of Torah and the greatest zechus of chessed.”

A Combination of Torah and Chessed The arrival of Lakewood’s senior posek, Rav Yaakov Forchheimer, was greeted with tremendous yiras hakavod. Rav Forchheimer, in his clear, methodical way, imparted a strong message of chizuk regarding the importance of learning daily halacha.

Rav Forchheimer focused on the tremendous zechus and chessed in which the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha maggidei shiur are involved as they imbue so many Yidden with knowledge of daily halacha. He said, “Eliezer’s first words to Lavan and Besuel were, “Eved Av-

Performing Every Action Al Pi Halacha Brings Bracha Rav Dovid Hofstedter began by thanking all the distinguished rabbanim for coming and giving chizuk to Dirshu. He then expressed his hakaras hatov to the rabbanim and maggidei shiur for their vital role in helping Dirshu succeed in its mission of bringing awareness of halacha to the daily lives of Yidden world over.

Rav Dovid gave over an intricate dvar Torah where he masterfully showed how we can learn from Avrohom Avinu and the avos the ideal that a person must live with the Shechina

L-R: HaRav Avrohom Spitzer, HaRav Shmuel Meir Katz, and Rav Dovid Hofstedter

HaRav Yaakov Ephraim Forchheimer offering divrei chizuk

during every second of his life. “Every act and thought must be weighed and judged on whether it is appropriate for the Shechina. ‘Hashem has nothing else in his word other than the four amos of halacha.’ Thus, the Shechina rests on the lomdei and Shomrei Halacha, and therefore we must judge every act and thought.

“Every Yid must, judge his every action – even the most mundane – according to the din, to halacha.”

Rav Dovid then reminisced, “When we were planning the Kinyan Halacha program, we visited Rav Elyashiv. His response to the concept was ‘Avada!

Hein hein gufei Torah – halacha is gufei Torah!’

“Baruch Hashem, Klal Yisrael is blessed with so much limud haTorah, learning is thriving in yeshivos, kollelim, by baalei battim. Nevertheless, we must remember the gufei Torah, the learning of halacha. We must realize that everything in our lives is dictated by din. We are obligated to know these dinim, not challilah at the expense of regular learning of Gemara and iyun, but in addition! Learning these dinim brings us great bracha from Hashem.”

“On Behalf of Klal Yisroel, I Would Like to Thank You!” Rav Shmuel Meir Katz, the host of the evening, ended the evening by offering tips on how best to learn and remember halacha, and how every person, before paskening should think thoroughly about what he is about to say and not just pasken off the cuff. He explained that every Rav has to also know how to say, “I don’t know.” There are difficult shailos that come up that for which you won’t know the answer.

There is nothing wrong with saying, “I don’t know, or I need to look it up.”

Rav Katz concluded by praising Dirshu for the revolution that they have made in the Torah world. Upon taking leave of Rav Hofstedter, Rav Shmuel Meir Katz said something that encapsulated so much, “Rav Dovid, on behalf of Klal Yisroel, I would like to thank you!”

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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TJH

*

Centerfold

Off-the-Beaten-Track Facts 

Trains in Japan are so punctual that if they are even 5 minutes late, the passengers get a formal apology, and most times they will even get a “delay certificate.” Delays that are over an hour will also appear on the news.



In 1865, after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, a funeral train carried his body through 180 cities on its way to Lincoln’s burial plot in Illinois. This funeral train made front-page news and was later used as inspiration in establishing train travel around the world.



In 1830, an industrialist designed a steam engine called the “Tom Thumb” which was capable of going 18 mph. As a publicity stunt, it had a race with a horse-drawn train.

The Tom Thumb quickly strode ahead but later on broke a belt. This allowed the horse-drawn train to finish the race first.



Between 2001 and 2010, the New York City MTA, instead of disposing of old trains, saved $30 million by turning 2,580 subway cars into artificial reefs which were placed off the coasts of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and South Carolina.



When Japan suffered a 8.9 magnitude earthquake on March 11, 2011, a special earthquake-detecting device on the country’s eastern rail detected the earthquake 12-15 seconds before it hit and sent an automatic stop signal to the Japan’s high-speed bullet train’s electric power transmission system, triggering the emergency brake on 33 trains, saving thousands of lives.



Amtrak provides the ability for rail/ train car owners to have their privately-owned rail/train cars attached to its trains between specified locations so passengers can see North America in an extraordinary way.

Riddle Me This?

1. When is the time of a clock like the whistle of a train?

2. A train leaves from New York City heading towards Los Angeles at 100 mph. Three hours later,

a train leaves Los Angeles heading towards NYC at 200 MPH. Assume there’s exactly 2,000 miles between LA and NYC. When they meet, which train is closer to New York City?

Answers to riddles: 1. When it’s two to two.

2. They’re both the same distance from NYC when they meet.

TheJewish JewishHome Home| NOVEMBER | OCTOBER 29, The 11, 2015 2021

Train Trivia 1. The first underground train was built in which city? a. London b. New York c. Paris d. Rome

station every day, on average? a. 250,000 b. 400,000 c. 1.2 million d. 3.5 million 5. How much does each NYC subway car cost? a. $75,000 b. $500,000 c. $2 million d. $4 million

2. Japan’s L0 Series Maglev is the fastest train in the world.

What is its top recorded speed? a. 179 MPH b. 268 MPH c. 374 MPH d. 490 MPH 3. The U.S. has the most miles of train tracks in the world.

How many miles of track are there in the U.S.? a. 40,500 b. 160,141 c. 300,100 d. 1.2 million 4. Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, Japan, is the busiest train station in the world.

How many people pass through that

6. What is the average length of freight trains in the U.S.? a. 400 feet b. 1,500 feet c. 1.25 miles d. 3 miles 7. The Trans-Australian Railway crosses the Nullarbor Plain without deviating even slightly from its straight course. How miles of absolute straight course are there on this crossing? a. 31 miles b. 92 miles c. 297 miles d. 1,400 miles

Answers: 1-A 2-C 3-B 4-D 5-C 6-C 7-C Wisdom Key: 6-7 correct: When you sleeptalk, you probably say: “Next train to Babylon on track 19, change at Jamaica for Wantagh, Seaford, Massapequa and Massapequa Park…”

3-5 correct: There’s a reason you are still handling the hole puncher and are not in the conductor’s chair. (By the way, do you totally not care that the little part that you just punched out flew onto my person? I know it’s a tiny piece of paper, but maybe I’m not interested in having that piece of paper flying out of my scarf when I enter the meeting that I am going to, Mr. Not-Conductor!)

0-2 correct: Touch the third rail or something?

You Gotta Be Kidding Me! Jimbo and Bobby are out drinking one night. As they stumble home, they are walking on the railroad tracks uphill.

“This is the longest stairway I have ever been on,” says Jimbo.

Bobby replies, “It’s not the stairs that bother me. It’s the low banister.”

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Torah Thought

Parshas Vayeitzei

By Rabbi Berel Wein

I

n a few weeks, we will read in the Torah that the brothers of Joseph referred to him almost derisively as being the master of dreams. Yet we see in this week’s reading that it is our father Jacob who is really the master of dreams.

Two of Yaakov’s major dreams are recorded for us, and it is obvious

from the story of his life that Yaakov is constantly guided and influenced by the dreams that he dreamt when he left the home of his parents and journeyed to an alien society.

Dreams are one of the most provocative and mysterious events that occur to human beings. They come to us on almost a daily or

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nightly basis. Early psychiatry held that dreams would be key to understanding human personality and reflect the emotional and mental stresses that exist in human life. The correct interpretation of dreams, according to this theory, help solve mental health disorders or, at the very least, help to diagnose them, so that perhaps they might be treated.

The Talmud teaches us that those dreams have the quality of being a minor type of prophecy. There is an

him of His protection and survival.

Dreams often become reality to the dreamer. And when they do, a great new force of self-confidence is given to the dreamer. There are dreams that we immediately forget upon awakening in the morning, and there are some dreams that remain with us, but they also usually are of limited influence, and after a length of time, they also disappear.

It is only a great dream, perhaps even one that has frightening aspects to it, that remains embedded

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Dreams often become reality to the dreamer.

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entire chapter in the Talmud devoted to explanations and interpretations of dreams. The Torah itself teaches us that prophecy itself, except for the prophecy of Moshe, was always communicated through the medium of the subconscious and dreams.

Appreciating all of this will help us understand the story of Jacob and his survival in the house of Lavan.

What is the secret of the strengths that Yaakov exhibits in being able to resist the culture of Aram and the influence of the house of Lavan? Jacob never forgets the dream of the ladder stretching from earth to heaven, of the angels, and of the message of G-d Himself reassuring

in our memory and consciousness.

And it is this type of the dream that influences our behavior and drives us forward in our lives. This dream encompasses our ambitions, our energy, our creativity, and our direction in life. It becomes the source of our hopes, and the source of our disappointments, as well as our achievements and our shortcomings.

Our father Jacob is really the great dreamer of the family, who keeps the tradition of the Jewish people. He never seeks to escape his dream, but rather, devotes his entire life and being toward its realization and actualization.

Shabbat shalom.

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From the Fire Parshas Vayeitzei

We Can

By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

T

he pasuk (Bereishis 29:2) says that when Yaakov arrived in Charan, “And he saw and behold there was a well in the field and there were three flocks of sheep waiting by it because the flocks drank from that well and there was a great rock on the mouth of the well.”

In his conversation with the shepherds, Yaakov asked them why they were not drawing water to allow their sheep to drink from the well. They responded: (Id. at 8) “And they said, ‘We can’t [move the stone] until all of the flocks gather and they roll the stone from the mouth of the well.’”

Yaakov’s response to this explanation was (Id. at 10): “Yaakov approached and rolled the stone from off of the mouth of the well and gave water to the sheep of Lavan, the brother of his mother.”

Imagine how the shepherds must have laughed when they saw this yeshiva bachur, this (Bereishis 25:27) “Ish tam yosheiv ohelim, pure man [studying] in tents” walking up to

move this boulder which a whole group of strong, healthy shepherds could not move. The Medrash (Bereishis Raba 70:8), however, says that for Yaakov, moving the stone was so easy that it was as if the boulder was the size of “the tiny hole of a small strainer.” To the shepherds, the rock was a giant boulder, but to Yaakov it was like a little pebble. Can it be that this was some sort of macho contest to see who is stronger and that Yaakov won the contest? This Medrash cries out to be interpreted on a deeper level.

Chazal offer many opinions regarding the nature of the well covered by the boulder. Some suggest that it refers to Yerushalayim. Others say it refers to Har Sinai. But we find a deeper interpretation in the seforim hakedoshim which explains that the well represents each person.

Everyone possesses a wellspring of abilities, strengths, talents, and gifts which demand expression in the person’s life. We all know talented,

intelligent people who fail to succeed in life because there is some boulder preventing them from expressing their inner gifts, their true personality. With all of their physical strength, the shepherds were convinced that they could not move the rock. Their attitude is defined with two words “lo nuchal, we can’t do it.” It’s impossible.

Someone who believes that he is incapable of something will indeed find that he cannot accomplish it. Yaakov, however, believed in the human ability to remove the boulders that imprison one’s inner strengths. That is why he was successful.

Rav Kook taught in the fourth of the Shmona Kavotzim that “a person must always gauge himself and know that he must actualize his own personal truth and straightness, the truth and straightness that he feels in his innermost spirit. He will then be guaranteed to walk on the path of faith.” Hashem planted infinite gifts and talents within each one of us. Our job is to remove the blockages that

restrain the expression of that inner greatness.

Everyone has a dream that he wants to accomplish something big in life. But his “I can’t do it” sits like an unmovable boulder preventing him from realizing that dream. Yaakov teaches us to recognize that the obstacles preventing our self-actualization are actually like little pebbles, the size of the hole in a strainer. The attitude of “I can’t” turns even a tiny rock into a giant boulder.

This attitude of “we can’t do it” does not only apply to individuals.

The same thing can apply to an entire community. A feeling of hopelessness, that change is too difficult, can set in and prevent people from believing that they can make a change.

Although no one faced greater obstacles than Yaakov Avinu, his whole essence was “I can.” This “simple man [studying] in tents” was forced to become a shepherd and work for fourteen years to marry Rochel. When he was forced to face his brother (Bere-

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ishis 32:25), “He was left alone and wrestled with a man until the break of dawn.” That was the ministering angel of Eisav, the representative of the “other side.” Everything was a struggle for Yaakov. And when he thought that he could have some reprieve from his troubles, he lost Yosef and endured twenty-two years of grief without any Divine inspiration or prophecy.

In his epic struggle with the heavenly force powering his brother Eisav, he could have easily given up and conceded, “I just can’t.” But instead, it was the ministering angel of Eisav that said, I “cannot beat him.” The whole essence of the “other side” is that it says, “I can’t.” It tries to convince us that we can’t, but if we believe in ourselves and say, “I can,” then it gives up. Indeed, the angel of the “other side” renames Yaakov “Yisroel,” saying, (Id. at 29) “Because you have struggled with angels and with men and you were victorious.” You said, “I can.”

This is man’s choice. Will he adopt the attitude of the shepherds who lived with fear, seeing any obstacle as a giant boulder preventing them from unleashing their potential? Or will he be like Yaakov Avinu, who saw his obstacles as little pebbles that could not stop him from attaining his goals.

to help him. Struggling to find a way to move it, he tried to employ every type of contraption to even make the rock budge but he was not successful. When the week was over, the king checked in on his son, who had made no progress. Rebuking the boy for not thinking clearly, the king pro-

Yaakov, however, believed in the human ability to remove the boulders that imprison one’s inner strengths.

Rebbe Nachman told of a king who wished to test his son. He had a large boulder placed in the castle courtyard and instructed his son to remove the boulder from the courtyard within one week. He told him that he could not use any servants

ceeded to take a hammer and chisel and reduced the boulder to a pile of small pebbles, which he then easily removed from the courtyard.

We can achieve greatness as a shul if we believe that we can and refuse to listen to those voices inside and out-

side that claim “it can’t be done.” But we must understand that it can’t be done all at once. Just like the king’s son realized in Rebbe Nachman’s analogy, the “boulder” preventing us from achieving great things can be removed if we work steadily over time to reduce it to pebbles.

May we merit, both individually and as a kehila, to remove the “great stone on the mouth of the well” that prevents us from expressing our true potential by recognizing that the blockage exists primarily in our imagination. May we soon see the darkness lifted off the foundation stone of creation and the appearance of the third and final Beis Hamikdash with the arrival of Moshiach.

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Self-Mastery Academy

Dead Ends on the Road to Greatness

By Rabbi Shmuel Reichman

I

n our previous article, we continued discussing our underlying question of why don’t people become great. We explained why many never even begin the journey, either because of fear, lack of self-confidence, or a desire to be accepted by others. However, even among those who overcome these obstacles and begin their journey towards greatness, many never reach their destination for the following reasons:

We Began Our Journey, But Never Reached Our Full Potential Some of us do overcome the obstacles that prevent us from starting the journey towards greatness, and we embark on an awe-inspiring journey of personal growth self-development, heading towards our greatness. We begin making progress, heading towards our dreams and becoming the person we know we’re destined to be. But somewhere along the way, many of us fall short and fail to reach our full potential.

We might be a leader or a relatively successful and important person, but before we have even touched the surface of what we’re capable of, we become satisfied with the progress we’ve already made and spend the rest of our lives in the comfort of our past achievements. Instead of pushing further, we shift our car into neutral and spend the rest of our lives on cruise.

Why do we do this? Why do we cut ourselves short, especially once we’ve already made so much progress on our journey to greatness?

There are two main reasons why people often get stuck in this mode.

The first is the “good enough” problem. This is when a person is driven less by a desire to achieve their greatness and more by a need to be seen as great in other people’s eyes. All they want is that when people look at them, they say, “Wow, look at them.

Look at all that they’ve achieved.

What an amazing person.” Essentially, such a person doesn’t want to achieve greatness. They want to achieve enough so that other people think they are great. For such a person, their underlying motivation is public perception, social acceptance, and honor (kavod). Actually achieving what they are capable of doesn’t matter and is therefore unnecessary.

Who they actually are and what they believe holds little importance, either. The only thing that matters is what people think of them.

However, this sets up a growth model that is dependent on other people, despite the fact that true

growth is internal. In essence, such a person will always compare themselves to others. Why? Because there’s no need to actually become great. The only important thing is that they are better than those around them, the greatest in the room. If when looking around, they can say, “I’m better than all of these people,” then they feel that they are great. There’s no need to push themselves or achieve their true potential; everything is relative to their surroundings.

Why would someone live like this? It’s simple: they believe that if other people love them and if other people think that they’re great, then they’ll also love themselves, they’ll also think that they’re great. They’ve mixed the order up. They’re under the illusion that we mirror other people’s perception of us, but while other people’s view of us can affect us, the only way to gain self-worth and an

empowering self-image is to build it from within. Instead of becoming a mirror, trying to reflect everything outside ourselves, we need to become projectors: We need to build something majestic and beautiful within ourselves and then express that out into the world.

When Michael Jordan was being interviewed one time, he asked the interviewers, “How do you think I became who I became? Who do you think I competed against? If I competed against others, I’d never have become who I am; I’d have settled once I was the best. But I competed against myself! The person I knew I was meant to become! I wanted to become better than I was and become the best me. Everyone else made the mistake of competing against ‘me,’ and not against themselves, so they all fell short, and felt like they weren’t great.”

On the flip side, this idea not only ensures that we reach our ultimate greatness, but it also eliminates any potential for jealousy. If each of us is completely unique, it makes no sense to compare ourselves to anyone else. As Einstein famously said, “If you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it’s foolish.” We cannot compare ourselves to someone else because we are all completely different. If we genuinely understood this, we would never be jealous. Once we realize that everything in our life is exactly what we need to fulfill our unique potential, we’ll stop looking around at what other people have and start utilizing what we have. To take it a step further, we can actually begin to be happy for other people’s

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success, as we will realize that we aren’t competing with each other.

We’re all on the same team; we’re all part of the cosmic symphony of life. Our ear would never be jealous of our hand, since they’re both part of the same body; so too, if we realized that we’re all part of the same “body,” we would never be jealous of anyone else.

We Made Tremendous Progress, But Gave Up When It Got Tough Only a select few have made it to this point. They’ve overcome their fears, the temptation to be normal, and even the compelling voice inside that tells them to look around and stop striving because they’re already better than everyone else around them. At this point, we’re talking about someone who is genuinely striving for greatness and has made incredible progress on their journey towards their ultimate self.

But sometimes, even the greatest among us give up. As we previously discussed, the journey of growth always includes a stage where we lose momentum, where we lose our initial inspiration and find ourselves hitting a brick wall. The first stage of growth is filled with exponential progress; we go from zero to sixty in no time at all and it’s exciting to witness so much improvement in such a small period of time. But once we begin to plateau and our growth becomes more gradual, it’s much harder to see the progress and growth. We may be putting in the same exact amount of effort, but we are not seeing the same results that we’ve become accustomed to. This leads us to feel tired and frustrated, and we start losing sight of why we started in the first place. And when we lose sight of our inner “why,” the underlying reason and purpose that drove us to begin this journey towards greatness, we are no longer able to find meaning in the pain or purpose in the journey.

We stop enjoying the process, we stop wanting to show up each day.

And when we lose our inner drive, it’s only a matter of time before we feel ready to throw in the towel and call it quits.

But we can’t let this happen! We

were ready to go all in, we were ready to devote ourselves towards our mission, towards our dream, towards the ultimate life imaginable. We just weren’t ready for this brick wall; we weren’t ready for the journey to require so much of ourselves. We convince ourselves that “this wasn’t what I signed up for!” It’s here that true greatness is born, because only those who make it past this point can ever achieve something extraordinary.

Picture a magnificent human sculpture. Initially, there’s only a large slab of stone and the vision of the artist. The early stages of creating this masterpiece are relatively easy and enjoyable: the artist begins

obstacles and lost their inspiration, they were able to find a way to peer deep within themselves and muster up the strength and courage to keep pushing forward, despite every temptation to give up. They never gave up, they never lost sight of their vision, and their spent our life focused and driven, heading passionately towards their true greatness.

And great they became. These individuals achieved the extraordinary and contributed their incredible talents and skills to the world around them. But somewhere along the line, they stopped. At some point, they became satisfied with their past accomplishments and stopped pushing forward. They decided that they’re

It’s here that true greatness is born, because only those who make it past this point can ever achieve something extraordinary.

cutting away large slabs of stone.

The progress is clear, and with every slab that hits the floor the artist sees how much closer he is to reaching his destination. But then comes the next stage, where the artist needs to precisely carve out all the features of the human face. Each minute detail can take hours, perhaps even days.

It’s very easy to consider all of this time devoted to such minor details a waste of time. It’s nearly impossible to tell the difference from one hour to the next. It’s easy to throw in the towel and quit. But it’s this precision that creates something extraordinary. Learning how to see the small improvements helps us continue growing past the initial stages of the journey.

We Achieved Something Great, But Not Our Ultimate Greatness This last category is for those who overcame their fears and strove for greatness, and even when they hit

“great enough”; they’ve learned enough, accomplished enough, and contributed enough. Great enough became enough.

Why? Why would they stop? Why wouldn’t they keep pushing to see what else they are capable of? Why would anyone want to spend the rest of their life stagnant, crystalized in their current state of greatness?

Perhaps it’s because such a person is already in the public eye and is playing on a grander scale. The initial process was a private, contained journey. The failures were seen, but only by those in his or her private circle. But now, to continue striving for greatness would mean walking into the unknown again, as a public figure, with the spotlight shining directly on their every move. Can someone continue striving – while genuinely risking failure – in such a situation? It’s possible, but so much more difficult. As a result, those who have already achieved a relatively high level of success will continue

“doing what they know best,” never reengaging the dreams, ambitions, and passions of their youth. They not only enjoy being great at what they do, they have little desire to go back to stage one of the growth process, to fail in the public eye, or to go through another difficult journey towards an even higher level of greatness.

But while many of us might never experience, or even understand, such a challenge, one thing is certain: while this person achieved something great, they did not achieve greatness. Because, as human beings, we are never done, we are never finished; there is always more for us to learn, create, and become. We are created b’tzelem Elokim, and as such, we have infinite potential.

We all traverse through the journey of life, trying to fulfill our own personal purpose. Every step of our journey is of ultimate importance.

But more important still is the necessity to be a journeyer, to continuously grow through life. We are here to achieve greatness and living without a higher “why” is not truly living. We are the unique creation of Hashem that has been placed in the world with the mission of becoming great. We need to find our unique mission, embrace the struggle, and head towards our unique greatness while enjoying every step of the process.

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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Delving into the Daf

Takana Considerations

By Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

R

ebbe Yochanon Ben Zakkai led the Jewish nation through the tumultuous years immediately following the destruction of the Second Beis Hamikdash. His guidance preserved Torah-true Judaism. He made a number of decrees that became necessary after the Churban.

A Mishna in Rosh Hashana (30a) recounts two of these decrees. In the times of the Beis Hamikdash, everyone fulfilled the mitzva of the Arba Minim for only one day. The exception was those that visited the Beis Hamikdash. In the Beis Hamikdash, the Arba Minim were taken for seven days. After the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, everyone without exception would have fulfilled the mitzvah for only one day. Rebbe Yochanon Ben Zakai saw fit to enact a reminder of the happier times and instituted that henceforth everyone should take the lulav and esrog for seven days (except for Shabbos).

Rebbe Shlomo Zalman, zt”l, therefore said that it is important for all to remember why we take the lulav for the entire Sukkos. It is to recall the way things were in the Beis Hamikdash. Indeed, he used to remind his own family of this on Sukkos. If one doesn’t recall the reason, he hasn’t fulfilled the zecher l’Beis Hamikdash properly.

The second enactment listed in the Mishna deals with a totally different topic. In the times of the Beis Hamikdash, one was not allowed to eat from the new crop of grain until the korban Omer was offered on the second day of Pesach. Sadly, we can no longer offer the korban Omer. Instead, the new grain becomes automatically permitted the morning of the 16th of Nissan, the second day of

Pesach. Rebbe Yochanon Ben Zakai enacted that we shouldn’t eat from the new crop of grain until the night after the 16th day of Nissan. He reasoned as follows: What will happen when the Beis Hamikdash is rebuilt? People will have become used to eating the new crop of grain on the morning of the 16th. Some will continue that practice. However, with the Beis Hamikdash standing, they actually can’t eat from the new crop of grain until the korban Omer was brought (generally by midday). However, on account of habit or error, they will eat from the new crop in the morning. To prevent any accidental aveiros, Rebbe Yochanon Ben Zakai instituted that after the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, no one should eat from the new crop of grain until the night after the 16th. This way, whether the Beis Hamikdash is standing or not, he may certainly eat grain by then. (The Turei Even notes that the aforementioned explanation is accepted by many opinions, Tanaim and Amoraim, although it is not readily apparent from the Gemara in Rosh Hashana’s conclusion.)

Tosfos in Sukkah (41) wonders why the Mishna listed these two disparate takanos together. Rebbe Yochanon Ben Zakai made many rabbinic innovations. Why list these two together? They seemingly have nothing to do with each other.

Tosfos answers that both takanos were made at the same time, hence they are listed together. Still, why exactly were they made at the same time?

In the year 5699, Rebbe Moshe Betzalel, HY”D (the brother of the Imrei Emes), was on vacation with the Brisker Rav in Switzerland. They were talking in learning, and the afore-

mentioned question came up. Rebbe Moshe Betzalel offered an answer.

The Jews after the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash were understandably downcast. When Rebbe Yochanon Ben Zakai made a takana to remember the good times, it caused them even greater sadness. They reasoned, why make a remembrance to the Beis Hamikdash if we will be rebuilding it soon? They concluded that it must be there is no hope of a quick return. Whereupon, Rebbe Yochanon Ben Zakai made a decree that we must wait until the night of the 16th of Nissan to eat from the new crop of grain.

Why? Maybe by the following Pesach the Beis Hamikdash will already have been built and people will make a mistake. When the Jews realized that Rebbe Yochanon Ben Zakkai was enacting takanos for the possibility that the Beis Hamikdash will be rebuilt this year, it gave them hope. Even though the situation looked glum, they knew that next year they may be offering korbanos in the rebuilt Beis Hamikdash. The Brisker Rav was very much moved by the answer.

The Chasam Sofer offered his own answer. He notes that the Gemara credits Rebbe Yochanon Ben Zakai with the takana to remember the Beis Hamikdash. He was the one who came up with the idea of taking the lulav for seven days outside the Beis Hamikdash. It seems that after the destruction of the First Beis Hamikdash, no such takana was made.

It was a brand-new idea, only enacted after the destruction of the Second

Beis Hamikdash. The Chasam Sofer says that perhaps that may be part of the reason why the Second Beis Hamikdash didn’t last longer. There is some measure of complaint that the populace didn’t properly memorialize the First Beis Hamikdash during the “brief” exile. It is through remembering the Beis Hamikdash that we merit a permanent replacement.

The Chasam Sofer reasons that the two takanos are connected. If Klal Yisrael properly memorializes the Beis HaMikdash by, among other things, taking the lulav for seven days, they will indeed merit the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash. Therefore, Rebbe Yochanon Ben Zakai after enacting the first takana needed to enact the second takana. Now that Klal Yisrael will memorialize the Beis Hamikdash, the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash becomes a real possibility.

Indeed, according to the Chasam Sofer, Rebbe Shlomo Zalman’s point resonates even stronger. We should recall while taking the lulav that this is the way that it used to be in the Beis Hamikdash. Therefore, in that zechus, we will merit the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash speedily in our days.

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.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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My Israel Home

Analyzing Israel’s New Housing Plans

By Gedaliah Borvick

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his past week, ministers Avigdor Liberman (Finance), Ze’ev Elkin (Construction and Housing), and Ayelet Shaked (Interior) presented the government’s plan designed to limit soaring real estate prices.

Parts of the plan had already been shared. Last week, the government passed a law expediting Pinuy Binuy projects – where old buildings are torn down and larger buildings are built in their place – by reducing the percentage of apartment owners required to approve the project from 80% to 66%. This revision is expected to help shorten the period of time to complete these urban renewal projects by minimally two years.

In addition, the Mechir Matara – or Target Price Plan in English – was recently restored (it was briefly implemented in 2014) in which thousands of apartments annually will be sold to eligible first-time buyers at up to a 20% discount below market rates.

This week, the government introduced more measures, and the most relevant component for our foreign clients is that they will raise the purchase tax for investors, restoring the pre-COVID-19 rate which starts at 8% (it was lowered last year to 5% to counter the economic effects of the pandemic). The term “investors” includes Israelis buying a second home as well as overseas purchasers.

The goal of the tax increase is to reduce investor demand, which the government hopes will cool market pricing and make homes more affordable for young couples. The flip side of this tax increase is that by re-

stricting investors, less apartments will be used as rentals, which is problematic as rental demand greatly outstrips supply. By decreasing

The government also presented a plan to accelerate new construction projects by expediting the process of obtaining building permits. The

These initiatives were met with failure because they did not tackle the underlying and most pressing issue: increasing supply in our housing-starved country.

real estate investments, the supply of rental units will decrease, causing rents to increase – which harms the same target population, young couples, that the government is seeking to assist.

4-year goal is to sell state-owned land to construct 300,000 new housing units. Although these plans to increase the number of new housing units entering the market sound promising, we have witnessed sim-

ilar ambitious goals over the past decade which, for various reasons, have never been actualized.

Over the years, the Israeli government has taken numerous steps to reduce demand by imposing new mortgage restrictions and by increasing acquisition taxes for overseas buyers and Israelis who own multiple homes. These initiatives were met with failure because they did not tackle the underlying and most pressing issue: increasing supply in our housing-starved country.

Unless the “supply side” programs are quickly and aggressively implemented to address the scarcity of available housing, merely raising the acquisition tax on purchases will not cause prices to decline.

The best long-term approach to stabilizing prices is for the government to make more land available for development, and design and apply plans to streamline the planning and approval process in order to quickly develop new housing units. With the country’s population expected to double over the next fifty years, we pray that our government officials will be imbued with wisdom and foresight to create and implement smart long-term housing programs that address the needs of Israel’s residents.

Gedaliah Borvick is the founder of My Israel Home (www.myisraelhome.com), a real estate agency focused on helping people from abroad buy and sell homes in Israel. To sign up for his monthly market updates, contact him at gborvick@gmail.com.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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Holy Mission For Israeli Athlete Frum Bobsledder Hopes to Make History at Upcoming Winter Olympics

By Steve Lipman



ovember is an important month for A.J. Edelman.

That’s when Edelman, a day school graduate from Boston who made aliyah five years ago and competed for Israel in the skeleton event during the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, begins a round of international qualification races for the 2022 Games in his new sport, bobsledding.

And that’s when he gets to continue his annual, symbolic Chanukah candle-lighting tradition, which he began in 2016 in the German Alps near Adolf Hitler’s wartime winter resort, Berchtesgaden.

If Edelman, the pilot on his four-man bobsled team, qualifies for next year’s Olympics in Beijing, it will mark Israel’s first appearance in that sliding event. And, if the qualifications go the way that he envisions, his team will make history in another way – the three pushers, who get the fiberglass sled off to a fast start then jump into the cramped vehicle’s trip down a nearly mile-long icy, brain-rattling, banked, twisting track at speeds approaching 80 mph, will be all Sabras; bobsled competitors for countries like Israel, whose tropical climates do not feature snowfall, typically come from more-temperate areas that include cold temperatures part of the year.

One of Edelman’s anticipated teammates will be an Israeli Druze.

Ward Fawarsy, Edelman says, will be, as far as he knows, the first Arab athlete to compete for Israel in a Winter Olympics. Another pusher, who served in the Israeli Army, is, like Edelman, shomer Shabbat – making them the first pair of Olympic competitors who will represent Israel at a Winter Olympics.

The eclectic nature of Edelman’s bobsled team reflects his mission to show a more positive, more inclusive image of Israel than the Jewish state often receives abroad.

“It’s the role of an Israeli athlete…. I’m on a holy mission,” he says.

“I’m an agent of the state, an ambassador…a walking billboard for Israel. The responsibility is heavy.”

As a “30 and single” Modern Orthodox Jew (he always wears a

kippa, a blue or grey knitted one) in an Olympic sport, albeit a minor one to most sports fans, Edelman is a one-man stereotype breaker – showing people by his presence, and his limited success so far, a side of Jews, and of Israel, which they rarely see.

People who meet him, or hear his frequent public speeches, automatically make the connection with Jamacia’s storied bobsled team, whose unexpected, first appearance at the 1988 Winter Games at Calgary caught the fancy of fans – and non-sports-fans -- and became the subject of a popular 1993 movie. How do you say “Cool Runnings” in Hebrew? (Answer: Ritsot Magnivot.)

The Jamaicans finished off the podium in 1988 – and in subsequent years that they qualified for the Games.

Likewise, a medal is not a realistic goal for Edelman’s team in the Beijing Games, which begin on February 4, but may be a real possibility if he continues to compete, and qualify for, the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, he says from his temporary base on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Though he lives, when in Israel, in Netanya, he travels internationally during most of the year to train and compete at the dozen or so bobsled/skeleton/luge tracks in North America, Europe and Asia – a few weeks or months in one venue, then more in another. In his “nomadic” life, he and his teammates live in rented houses or RVs. He spent several recent months in the Greater New York area preparing for the 2022 Games, by sprinting and weightlifting, and by fund-raising for his team’s six-figure “shoestring” budget. His quixotic quest receives no financial support from Israel’s Olympic committee.

Much of the team’s money, Edelman (bobteamisrael.com, Fb.com/bobteamisrael, GoFundMe.com/israelbobsled, adam.edelman@olympian. org) says, comes from “my pocket.”

Edelman has brought a religious dimension to his athletic career.

He began his candle-lighting tradition in 2015, outside of Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest resort, lighting his menorah while wearing the skintight, aerodynamic bobsled uniform that he designed. It features a Star of

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021 the Jewish Home | OctOber 29, 2015

David and the word “Israel” visible from any angle. He calls his visible holiday act a sign of Jewish survival, in a venue where the architect of the Final Solution had vacationed.

“It’s those kinds of little things that remind you who you represent,” he says.

Edelman will be in the U.S. this year for Chanukah, which starts on November 28. He will light the candles near his training site and send “a shaliach” (a messenger) to light the candles for him at Berchtesgaden.

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srael has sent athletes to the Winter Games since 1994; Israeli athletes, who have won 13 medals in the Summer Games, have won none in the Winter Olympics.

Understandably, winter sports have a small following in Mediterranean Israel, and athletes in them have little opportunity to train in frigid climes unless, like Edelman, they spend much of their time overseas.

Yaniv Ashkenazi, who heads the winter sports program at Israel’s Wingate Institute, says the country may send up to a dozen competitors, Israel’s largest-ever delegation at the Winter Games, to Beijing, including athletes in skiing, ice-dancing, and short track speed skating.

Other athletes looking to compete for Israel at Beijing include: Skeleton slider Georgie Cohen, a British-Israeli citizen, whose late grandfather, captain of India’s water polo team in 1936, was barred from taking place in that year’s Summer Olympics in Berlin out of deference to the Nazis’ anti-Jewish policies.

Dave Nicholls, a bobsled pilot from Park City, Utah, a paraplegic since a 2002 skiing accident, who has participated in athletic competition for disabled and able-bodied athletes. He remains in the pilot’s seat at the start, allowed under bobsled regulations.

Jared Firestone, a law school graduate from Florida who has competed for Israel two years in the skeleton event. He won a bronze medal at the IBSF (International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation) North American Cup in Park City this year.

The bobsled qualification period, with races on this continent and overseas, ends in February. Edelman says the odds are “probably greater than 90 percent” that his sled will qualify for the Beijing games.

David Greaves, volunteer president of the Bobsleigh Skeleton Israel Olympic Federation (his fulltime job is executive director of the Jewish National Fund of Canada), says “it is pretty likely” that Edelman will qualify for the Beijing Games – “a real good shot.”

Edelman, Greaves says, “has brought honor to our program.”

“I know I can make it,” Edelman says. “We need some resources,” some financial help, he adds. For a sport that gets little publicity in this country, outside of an Olympic year, money is as tight as the space inside a bobsled. To cut down on expenses, Edelman says, sometimes he lives in his car and avoids using hot water.

To recruit a four-man bobsled team, Edelman had to think outside the sled; Israel is not a natural source of world-class bobsledders. Athletes from such other sports as track-and-field and rugby traditionally find it easy to transition their strength and speed to bobsledding. So Edelman looked for, and approached, successful Israeli rugby players.

He calls his visible holiday act a sign of Jewish survival, in a venue where the architect of the Final Solution had vacationed.

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A few Druze athletes, including Amir Fawarsy, and two members of his family who subsequently dropped out for financial reasons, were interested. And Edelman was interested in the symbolism of a multi-ethnic team representing the Jewish state.

Druze, ethnically Arab, are part of a religion that is an off-shoot of Islam. About 140,000 live in Israel, mostly in the northern part of the country.

Fawarsy, like Edelman, is strong and fast and rugged – used to being battered and bruised During races, Edelman wears gloves that read “Am Yisrael Chai” (the Jewish people live). A graduate of Boston’s Maimonides School, he takes off from the sport on Shabbat, eats lots of kosher yogurt and herring on the road, and recites a Psalm before each race.

He almost gave up the sport a few years ago after a competition in South Korea – until he noticed that someone who had recognized him stuck a yellow Post-It note on one of his suitcases at the airport. The note read: “I saw your game. Your challenge has impressed the people of the world. I want to see you in the 2022 Beijing Olympics.” It was written by a young Korean woman, he says, and motivated him to keep competing.

His unique athletic career has brought invitations to address Jewish organizations like schools and shuls around the country. At a sturdy 5’10”, 183 pounds, average height and weight for an adult Jewish man, he can pass for a familiar teacher or rabbi – which makes his singularity even more intriguing, even more inspirational to young Jews seeking

their (sometimes counter-intuitive) place in the Jewish world.

What kind of questions do people ask him at his speeches? From older listeners, usually about politics – whether he encounters anti-Semitism in the bobsled world (“It’s ever-present,” particularly in negative comments about rich Jews). From young people, mostly about his personal life as an Olympic bobsledder – whether he ever gets scared (no, not of injury, but of the possible failure born of lack of confidence).

He’s suffered no crippling or debilitating injuries - which is a risk that bobsledders take.

“Thank G-d I’m in good health,” Edelman says, despite the bumps and bruises and “a lot of broken bones” that are part of a bobsledder’s life.

Edelman -- who spent a gap year at an Israeli yeshiva, earned an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from MIT, before going to work for Oracle as a product manager, then taking a two-year break from his MBA studies at Yale to concentrate on bobsled – says he wants an eventual career that will combine his sports and business background; he may coach or mentor other Israeli sliding athletes.

He says he is unlikely to go to the 2026 Games.

That’s long-term.

What about short-term? What will he do after February, if he fails to qualify for the Beijing Games?

Edelman pauses for a second. He has not considered that possibility – unless he runs out of money.

“I’m going,” he says, “to the Olympics.”

Edelman is a one-man stereotype breaker showing people by his presence, and his limited success so far, a side of Jews, and of Israel, which they rarely see.

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The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Dating Dialogue

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

Dear Navidaters, I have a question that is similar to the question that you published in the September 2 issue regarding the boy who has a bad relationship with his sisters.

Our daughter was suggested to a guy who came from a family with a messy divorce. From what we’ve been told, the father of this boy is completely out of his life. According to the sources we’ve spoken to, he does not speak to, see, or have anything to do with his father. However, everybody who lives in the area the father lives has only the nicest things to say about him. They say he wouldn’t hurt a fly and the word on the block is that his ex-wife (this boy’s mother) manipulated the son to which he obliged and cut his father off.

This concerned us deeply as parents. Many questions

crossed our minds such as: Can someone like this actually know how to be in a healthy relationship with a spouse?

With in-laws? Or should we expect that such a boy, when the going gets rough, will simply get going rather than invest time and effort in important relationships? We had written to this column back in September, but the question was never printed/answered.

In the meantime, our daughter had agreed to forgo the relationship given our concerns, but one of her friends recently suggested the boy to her and they managed to meet “accidentally” at a vort. She is now smitten with him and won’t go out with anyone else until she has the opportunity to date him properly.

I am prepared to let her go out with him; my wife adamantly refuses. It is causing serious issues with our relationship with our daughter and a lot of strife between me and my wife. It may be the worst disagreement we have ever had in our marriage. She is so adamant that she won’t even discuss it with our rav. She agreed to me asking you for your opinions.

Sincerely, A concerned parent

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

The 11, 2021 TheJewish JewishHome Home| NOVEMBER | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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The Panel The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S. aakov, there are several sets of problems in your family situation right now. The potential shidduch suggestion is the obvious problem.

But your daughter’s relationship with you and your relationship with your wife needs deep work right now.

Your daughter is “smitten” and going behind your back. How can you communicate now and going forward if relationships are so frayed? She also made an ultimatum. Is that the only way she responds when frustrated? Is she chafing against parental control of shidduchim or is more going on?

Is her perception of dating and relationships one of love at first sight or is her interest piqued by what she has heard and seen?

You cannot let your relationship with your wife become jeopardized.

She is also digging her heels in and refusing to talk to your rabbi.

You have misgivings about this young man. They are valid.

The atmosphere in the house must be very, very tense and fraught with scary ramifications for each of you.

You need a very skilled family therapist ASAP. You may not even ask the others to participate at the early stages since they take strong stands that seem non-negotiable. An experienced therapist will help you tease out the personal issues here and assist you step by step in easing communication and lowering the tension. You may want to go twice a week yourself at first.

Then you will start the tricky part to address the immediate issue of dating this young man. Negotiation means everyone gets some of what they want but it’s not the same as compromise. It’s not convincing the other person to accept your position.

Negotiating means hearing the other person and expressing understanding of what s/he wants or feels. Then

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some what-if’s are put out; scenarios of possible acceptable options are discussed.

Talk to the therapist and see if you can get to a point where the three of you can negotiate. It will be worth the effort short-term and long-term.

Negotiation is a skill, and your family members don’t seem capable of doing so right now. Professional help is critical.

The Shadchan Michelle Mond

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hile I am sure the other columnists will delve into the important micro-issues of your conundrum, I wish to explore the macro issue. The main issue at this moment in time is your relationship with your wife. Yes, the shidduch you describe is messy.

However, nothing is set in stone yet; the couple has merely just met. When there is a sense of tension and negative energy in the home, your daughter is ten times more likely to act in a way that will get your attention. As an escape from reality, or maybe even to “shtuch” you, she might even continue with this boy when she does not even really want to. This is all on a very subconscious level and is not meant to be malicious, merely human psychology. Want proof? See the urban dictionary: #Teenagers.

Work on this issue with your wife as the primary concern. You know your wife better than anyone. How does she usually feel heard and understood? Only you know this. Perhaps she is digging her heels in the ground because she does not have another pair of shoes. What I mean by this is, if she feels that her opinion is being heard, it can be akin to another pair of shoes to slip into. Most of the time heavy disagreements like this are attributed to not wanting to give in. If she feels that she is heard, and does not feel forced towards an-

other direction, your wife might likely become easier to deal with.

Perhaps start the conversation with her the following way: “Shaindy, I was thinking about it, and you’re absolutely right. This shidduch idea is a mess. I want to be unified with you, and I respect your opinion. The question now becomes: how can we handle it now that she has already met him in a way that does not push her more and more away from us?”

Because as we all know, with young adults, the more we push one way, the more they push back. Present the idea that perhaps if your daughter feels her parents’ mutual love without resistance, she, on her own, will come to the decision that this boy is not for her. Remember, it is not what you say, it’s how you say it (and if the words come with chocolate, or a date night out, that is always a bonus :-) Please do keep us posted! Hatzlacha!

The Single Tehilla Schwartz

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hank you for writing in. This sounds like a tough decision to make between yourself, your wife, and your daughter – so many different feelings and thoughts between the three of you. Ultimately, what each of you want is for your daughter to marry the right boy and to be happy with her decision. Echoing what you said, you want to ensure that this boy knows how to handle difficulties that may arise in a marriage and has the understanding on how to navigate a whole new relationship in a healthy manner.

With that being said, you want to set your daughter up for success and make sure that she knows exactly what she’s getting herself into before entering any sort of relationship with this young man. There are a few

Perhaps she is digging her heels in the ground because she does not have another pair of shoes. thoughts that jump out at me right away from reading your letter.

The fact that this young man in question has no relationship with his father and his mother manipulated him just doesn’t sit well with me.

Has he gotten any help or has gone to therapy over the years to help him sort out his childhood? One should not be ashamed to go to therapy or be ashamed say they have gone; on the contrary, it shows strength to show up for yourself and to learn how to be the best version of yourself. The term “self-made” is a complimentary one as it demonstrates strength and fortitude to acknowledge that the background that someone may have come from was not ideal and they turned that experience into a learning experience. If this young man has not gotten any help and has not been in a stable home, how does he know what a healthy marriage looks like?

You can argue that point and say that going away for Shabbos, going out for meals, to friends, etc., can help with shaping that experience and that may be true, but understand that they are only seeing a limited perspective of that household.

Before entering into this relationship, it is important to ask questions to references that will get you the answers that you are looking for. Does this boy have a rebbi that he is close with and has a current relationship with? That should be a number one contact person for you to check into.

Who are his friends and who does

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he surround himself with? Is he an emotionally healthy and supportive person? If he has married siblings, I would reach out to the mechutanim to get their perspective. You mention in your letter that your daughter and this young man “accidentally” met at a vort and she is now smitten with him. Can I ask how long this conversation lasted for? What is she smitten by? It’s important to take into account that a charming personality can lead a person on and they can be very convincing.

A rav that both you and your wife feel comfortable with should be consulted to discuss this suggestion and to see if it’s something that should be pursued. You mention in your letter that your wife doesn’t want to discuss this matter with your rav, so if she still does not feel comfortable, I would ask her if she doesn’t mind you going on your own to ask.

It’s also possible that none of these concerns are real issues and that the boy is great guy and your daughter has legitimate reasons why she

was so taken by him. Just know that your concerns are valid, and they should be taken seriously, and you should do whatever you need to do to make sure you are 1,000% comfortable with this idea.

Hatzlacha with this, and may we only share in simchos!

The Zaidy Dr. Jeffrey Galler

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our letter demonstrates how a perfectly normal life can be disrupted with very real, and very serious, challenges. I hope that sharing your dilemma and thoughts with others (like us) might help clarify the issues.

Here are some random thoughts: Would it be fair to observe that most families would probably consider politely declining if a daughter (or son) would be offered a date with

Pulling It All Together The Navidaters Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

I

’m sorry that this situation is causing strife in your marriage. Though it is clear you and your wife do not see eye-to-eye right now, one thing is certain: you both want what is best for your daughter.

I do hope that shalom bayis will be restored to your home and your lives very shortly.

I don’t believe there is a “right” answer here because ultimately none of us have a crystal ball and cannot predict the young man’s behavior or capacity for healthy, mature relationships, and the same can be said about

anyone, whether from a married or divorced family. For starters, I think you and your wife may benefit from speaking with a marital counselor to help you navigate this difficult terrain.

Couples do not need to have “bad marriages” to seek support during times of conflict. As a matter of fact, I have worked with some of the healthiest couples during times of stressful decision making and situational conflict. Now that that suggestion is out

The most important thing is not what this boy went through, but who he is now as a result.

someone from a family with marital problems, allegations of criminality, financial impropriety, mental illness, genetic disease, or abuse?

Would it be fair to observe that this blameless young man is the hapless victim of circumstances beyond his control and might be a hidden pearl?

Would it make a difference if your daughter were 21 years old, just starting to date, and inundated with countless suitable suggestions; or, if your daughter were 30 years old, hasn’t had a date in two years, and has no other prospects on the horizon?

Could your daughter’s being “smitten” with the young man be attributable to her feeling a bit rebellious against the system?

Could your daughter’s being “smitten” with the young man be attributable to her feeling that he is an injured puppy in need of mothering?

I do not have any definitive answers to any of the above. However, consider what might happen if your daughter respectfully listens to her parents, declines this suggested date, and marries someone

else. What will happen, years later, when in the normal course of events, her happy marriage periodically has minor problems?

Do we really want her to go through life wondering if she “could’ve, should’ve, would’ve” dated and married the other boy?

I don’t see any real choice here.

You have to let her go on a date with this young man. Perhaps they won’t like each other, anyway. Or perhaps the boy is a wonderful, hidden pearl.

And perhaps because he will want to avoid the trauma of the marital discord that he personally witnessed, he will excel at diligently making himself an exceptional husband and father.

of the way, let’s get down to business.

You r d aug hter has her heart set on this guy, and she is digging in her heels, refusing to date anyone else until she can date this man from a divorced home. What seems to be of utmost concern is the word on the street being that the mother has coerced her son to alienate his father.

The father seems to be a mensch with a wonderful reputation. This is a very delicate situation, and one that you will most likely never feel solid about. We often hear about parents who have engaged in parental alienation, and it is an awful thing to do a child. As a matter of fact, coercing a child to cut off a tie to a healthy parent is considered abuse. On the flip side,

when a parent is deeply unhealthy and is a source of emotional stress for the child, the only choice is for the child to take space from that parent. I don’t believe there is a way for you to know the full picture right now because of the myriad of factors and possibilities that are unknown to you right now.

The truth is that none of this matters for your intents and purposes.

Your question speaks to some important broader topics in the world of dating. Do we judge someone based on the actions of their parents or do we give the individual a chance to prove himself? It is my hope that we give the individual a chance to prove him/herself. The most important thing is not what this boy went through, but who he is now as a result. Has he worked through it?

What has he learned? What does he

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want to avoid in life and what does he want to create? Is he angry? Does he harbor resentment? Does he know how to deeply connect? Perhaps his life circumstances have made him a more sensitive, empathetic, and caring human being… Who is he?

Something to keep in mind (and I have seen this many times over both professionally and personally) is that many couples stay together until the kids are married off because they want to avoid this very situation during shidduchim. And unless these couples are award winning actors, the kids feel the strife and tension in the home, or they see a zombie couple, the living dead with no emotion or

interaction. Are these children better off than children of divorce? I don’t know. Do these children have greater potential for a healthy marriage of their own? I’m not really sure.

Ultimately, if you trust your daughter to make a good decision for herself, she will know what to look for when she is dating. She will be aware of the red flags signaling this man cannot be in a healthy relationship, should there be any. When parents cannot trust that a child can make good decisions for him/herself, we have to wonder if this child is ready to date and get married. This isn’t specific to your daughter, but I believe it is a truth for all people and something

that is concerning about getting married at a very young age. We may not like this truth, but it doesn’t make it untrue.

No one can tell you and your wife what to do. There is a lot to weigh and measure here with no guaranteed answer. We make decisions using the facts in front of us using a cost-risk-benefit analysis. What is at risk here and what are the benefits to be gained? If you do allow your daughter to date this man, prepare her with the tools she will need to see if he will make an excellent life partner. Sometimes people who have been through the most hardship and struggle make for the most loving, present,

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and giving partners.

As scary and horrifying as it is, we cannot control our children. We prepare them to navigate life and give them the necessary tools. The rest is up to the child and Hashem. Some parents do take control and possess authority over who a child can date and say “no” all the time. And the children do seem to go along with it (or are privately suffering and enraged at their parents). It is my personal belief that people should be judged based on their personal character, not the decisions of their parents.

All the best, 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.

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Dr. Deb

The Parallels Between Torah and IFS

By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

B

ack in my Ph.D. program, I remember having to fight my way into adding in the “G-d factor” when my professors were teaching the writings of anthropologist Gregory Bateson and others of the Relativist ilk.

The Relativists were the predecessors, unfortunately, of the socialist teachings that we now suffer from on university campuses. The theme started out as follows: We can only know our own reality. We can’t have the audacity to tell another person what their reality is.

This, I agreed with wholeheartedly. It is the foundation of a far more respectful outlook on people and why they do the things they do than other clinical models which presume to tell others what is “wrong” with them, knowing already the answers before asking the questions.

If we don’t know another person’s reality, then before slapping a label on them, we need to get very, very clear on their view of the stresses they were under, and perhaps have been under

for all their lives.

But the relativist theory went further.

It said that since we can never know what reality is, all we can do is admit defeat, operate within our own reality, ask questions to learn about that of others, and poke along in a meaningless, dark world.

Okay, I’m exaggerating.

I’ve been unduly influenced by the events of our current time and start to see with horror where what I learned and loved in graduate school has come back to roost in a bad way.

But I am digressing.

It was at that point in my education that I started the argument with my professors. “If there is always a meta-level,” I said, “then the top level, is G-d. And we are fortunate to understand how to interpret and utilize His perspective through the Teachings that He has left us.”

I was extremely lucky because they accepted all that and “allowed” me my beliefs. I don’t think students today in the secular university envi-

ronment get that respect.

In any case, there was always a struggle trying to meld my (very strong) religious beliefs with what I was being taught at school. In college, I had the same problem with Freud.

(I went to Queens College.) Freud was a far cry from believing in G-d; quite the opposite was true. And people would ask me how I manage to reconcile this.

I remember once having guests for Shabbos lunch down in Florida. The husband, a psychiatrist, laughed at this topic and said, “Well, I have to wear two hats.”

“I don’t wear two sheitels, though,” I replied. (At that time, I only owned one. But that’s another story.) What you see is what you get. I’m the same person with my children, in shul, and in the therapy room.

But what could I do? I was stuck, if you will, with tools and methods that worked to some degree with people, and I simply had to use them.

Then imagine my amazement when I got into IFS (Internal Family

Systems) and slowly uncovered one parallel after another between a Torah perspective and the way that IFS sees the world. I would love to share some of that with you.

IFS says that we have a Self and then there are parts of us that carry burdens which we often call “coping mechanisms.” These coping mechanisms are not our real Self nor are they the real personality of our parts, either. Rather, as children, we learned to cope as best we could, and we still react to stressful or painful situations almost automatically using them.

Sometimes they act in a way we would call bad – like getting angry, shutting down, going numb, etc. – but they are only children, acting like children. (The reasoning here is that because their responses are so rapid, they must be separate bundles of neurons, not connected to our cerebral cortex, the thinking center of the brain; therefore, they had no opportunity to grow up and mature by integrating into the neural network.)

So here is the first set of paral-

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lels. For the IFS “Self,” we have the neshama. The parts, as a cluster together, seem to me like the “yetzer hara.” Bear in mind that the yetzer hara is not some separate entity that opposes Hashem. Rather, the Satan, who is often thought of as the yetzer hara, is a servant of G-d, just acting on His orders.

So, too, we are tempted by what IFS calls “parts” to take actions that are immature and not in our best interests.

The question then becomes, why is that? Why did we get created with such parts and, more importantly, what do we do about it?

I certainly can’t answer the first question. Perhaps to test us; perhaps to bring us to a higher madreiga; perhaps to give us the strength that comes from overcoming a challenge.

But in Devarim 10:16, Hashem says, “U’maltem es orlas levovchem” – that we must clear the milah, covering from around our hearts.

Now, this is exciting because Dr.

Richard C. Schwartz, the founder of IFS, says the exact same thing: We are not damaged goods. There is nothing wrong with us. As he says in his 2021 book, No Bad Parts, Parts “can become quite extreme and do a lot of damage in a person’s life, but

of how they were forced into the role they’re in and how they’re stuck in that role, terrified that if they don’t do it something dreadful will happen.

And that they’re frozen in the past, during the traumatic times when they had to take on the role…

What you see is what you get. I’m the same person with my children, in shul, and in the therapy room.

there aren’t any that are inherently bad. Even the ones that make bulimics binge or anorexics starve or make people want to kill themselves or murder people, even those parts when approached from this mindful place – this respectful, open, curious place – will reveal the secret history

“The Self cannot be damaged, the Self doesn’t have to develop, and the Self possesses its own wisdom about how to heal internal as well as external relationships…. The Self is just beneath the surface of our protective parts, such that when they open space for it, it comes forward

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spontaneously.”

The Torah is saying there is an undamaged “lev” (heart) which is where our true Self (neshama) resides but it has a milah (covering) that we must remove. We are capable of doing this and when we do, our neshama will shine forth; we won’t need to be taught how to be beautiful; we just are. The only reason we don’t always act so wise is the covering over our hearts that we must remove.

When I learned chassidus, I discovered that the Tanya even has a name for that covering – klipos, peels.

And Schwartz is saying the exact same thing.

It’s reassuring to find that when you engage in therapy, it’s aligned with Torah.

Dr. Deb Hirschhorn is a Marriage and Family Therapist. If you want help with your marriage, begin by signing up to watch her Masterclass at https://drdeb. com/myw-masterclass.

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Health & F tness

World Diabetes Day

By Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

N

ovember 14 is World Diabetes Day. National health days are generally instituted to increase public awareness of a health issue. Unfortunately, many of us are all too familiar with diabetes. I’m sure every person knows at least one person who has been clinically diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. It is estimated that 24 million Americans currently have diabetes.

Type II Diabetes is a growing epidemic worldwide. Diabetes is a disease in which a person has chronic high blood sugar (more than 200mg/ dL fasting blood glucose). This is due to the body’s lack of insulin production or because the cells are not responding to the insulin that is being produced.

Thus, the glucose receptors inside the cells do not take up the glucose from the blood, resulting in high blood glucose levels, hyperglycemia. Long-term hyperglycemia increases one’s risk of developing coronary heart disease and microvascular complications such as neuropathy, kidney and eye disease.

Unfortunately, diabetes usually goes hand-in-hand with other medical conditions, such as obesity, hypertension, and heart disease. Fortunately, diabetes is preventable and treatable.

Prevention is key, especially if you are at-risk for diabetes; risk factors include being overweight, if you have obesity or if you have a family history of the disease. Diabetes prevention is as simple as eating healthy, being more

physically active, and losing a few extra pounds. Simple lifestyle changes now can help prevent long-term complications down the road such as kidney, nerve and heart damage.

The best way to prevent diabetes is to increase your physical activity. Exercise is not only effective for weight loss but also lowers your blood sugar and increases your insulin sensitivity. As one gains weight, triglycerides get stored in the fat cells. This causes the fat cells to become insulin resistant. When one loses weight, the fat

up and down steps, dancing, swimming, playing sports…basically anything that gets you moving and your heart rate going.

Along with exercise comes eating right. All around healthy eating is vital for preventing diabetes. Be sure to include lots of fruits and vegetables in your diet and choose whole grains, low fat dairy products, monounsaturated fats, and lean meats. Research has shown that a high-fat diet is directly linked to an increased risk of developing diabetes. Try to cut out as much fat

Simple lifestyle changes now can help prevent long-term complications down the road.

cells shrink, reducing the insulin resistance, thus increasing insulin sensitivity. As you can see, losing weight does not only decrease your chance of developing diabetes, but in addition to the direct benefits of weight loss, losing weight increases insulin sensitivity, thus helping manage diabetes.

Try to include at least 20-30 minutes a day, 3-4 times a week of physical activity into your schedule. If the gym doesn’t work for you, exercise can include brisk walking, biking, walking

as possible, especially trans and saturated fat. That means limit the fast food, processed food, deep fried food, margarine, and red meats.

Research suggests that the greater the amount of fiber consumption, the less likely one is to develop Type 2 diabetes. Therefore, a highly recommended dietary approach for preventing diabetes is to eat a high fiber diet. The recommended amount of fiber is 25g/ day and 38g/day, for men and women respectively. According to the Third

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the average fiber intake in the United States is 17g/day. The national intake is evidently lower than the recommended intake. Fiber has been shown to help manage diabetes by decreasing your blood sugar. Fiber slows down the digestion process, thus decreasing the spike of glucose in your bloodstream.

The slow digestion of fiber also causes one to feel fuller for longer, thus aiding in the weight loss process and indirectly increasing insulin sensitivity. Fiber is beneficial in many ways; be sure to add high fiber foods to your diet such as fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

This year, on World Diabetes Day, pick one area discussed above in which you will try your best to improve in. Hopefully the public awareness and this advice will help decrease your chances of developing diabetes and/or help manage your current diabetes as well as combating the national diabetes epidemic.

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.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

Early Action is Key! Ask Your Doctor About Monoclonal Antibody Treatment

Monoclonal antibody treatment is for people who have COVID-19 or were recently exposed to someone who has had COVID-19. Monoclonal Antibody Treatment: • Helps your body fight COVID-19 while your immune system begins to make its own antibodies • Reduces your risk of becoming sick from COVID-19 and avoid hospitalization • Is recommended for anyone age 12 and older who is at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness, such as older adults and people with other health conditions • Is NOT a substitute for vaccination

To find a site offering monoclonal antibody treatment, visit nyc.gov/health/map.

To find a vaccination site, visit nyc.gov/vaccinefinder or call 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692).

MUSICIAN IN STREETS OF JERUSALEM YA E L I V O G E L . C O M | 5 1 3 C E N T R A L A V E C E D A R H U R S T

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Parenting Pearls

Your Child & Their Body

By Sara Rayvych, MSEd

L

ast night, I had the pleasure of speaking to my sister. Being thousands of miles away and seven hours ahead means these conversations don’t happen as often as I’d like. Being both a nurse and professionally trained in other areas, she has a unique insight into the Jewish community’s needs in ways that others rarely do.

It became clear during our conversation that many children are not being raised with an accurate awareness of their own body’s anatomy.

They, in turn, are at-risk of becoming young married men and women unaware of their own bodies, as she is seeing in her professional experience. Young children and even teens are unable to properly communicate pain, injury, or any other matter if they don’t correctly know their bodies. While my sister may live far from us, her community’s needs may be very close to ours.

As parents, many of us are naturally squeamish about discussing certain topics with our children. The truth is that our bodies were given to us by Hashem to house our neshamos. We are commanded to protect our bodies. Each part of our body is there for a reason; Hashem doesn’t do anything without cause, and we shouldn’t be afraid of any part of the body. It’s important for us to rise above our own discomfort and make basic anatomy something we and our children are knowledgeable about.

This discussion is not to be confused with other important conversations that take place as children mature and age.

It might be tempting to rely on the school to teach this topic, but it’s better for a parent to take these reins themselves. I haven’t quizzed schools, but they are not all teaching this topic to sufficiently prepare your child for practical day-to-day life and bodily awareness. Learning about mitosis and meiosis isn’t enough to get them

through life. Even if the schools do teach everything, it’s still something to be reinforced at home.

The Holiness of Our Bodies Our bodies are gifts from Hashem and should not be seen as dirty or “gross.”. While there are halachos and that which is and isn’t appropriate, our basic anatomy is reality and shouldn’t be neglected. By being hesitant about discussing with our children their personal biology we are not reinforcing in our children that they are holy – we are doing the opposite. If we don’t talk about something their inevitable conclusion can be that there is something wrong with them, chas v’shalom.

We also know that as frum Jews tzinius plays a big role in our lives.

Maintaining tzinius is part of how we as Klal Yisroel maintain our kedusha. Teaching children about their bodies need not conflict with these holy teachings. Educating children to respect their bodies should only enhance their appreciation of the importance of tzinius.

This article cannot cover the important role of tzinius. I’m also not a rav and therefore do not provide piskei halacha. What I would like to touch upon is the idea that teaching anatomy should improve our appreci-

ation of tzinius and not the opposite.

When we avoid discussing private areas, it can lead children to, chas v’shalom, think that some parts of our body are dirty or disgusting. That’s not only untrue but also emotionally unhealthy for children.

Children are able to understand that while every part of our body is holy and from Hashem, some parts are meant to be covered. We don’t need to make children feel bad about their bodies to encourage them to cover up properly. We cover ourselves out of dignity. We dress appropriately because we are royalty. We clothe ourselves because it’s halacha. We don’t do so because our bodies are offensive.

Stick to the Facts Keep it simple. Use factual information when you speak to your child. You don’t need to be creative or think deeply; you just need to stick to the facts. It doesn’t even need to be a formal discussion. When your little one asks a question about his or her body, just give basic information that is medically accurate. Kids ask enough questions that you’re bound to get plenty of teaching moments.

Keep it simpler for younger kids and add more advanced information as they get older.

After speaking to my sister, I know that many adults have misconceptions they’re not even aware of about even their own bodies. Take a few minutes to educate yourself and make sure you know the most accurate information to pass on to your children. It’s doing a disservice to your children to give them the wrong information, as well-meaning as it might be intended.

When you need to reference body parts, please use real names and not cutesy or made-up ones. I’ve heard the most bizarre and odd nicknames assigned to body parts. It’s best to teach your child using correct terms.

What looks cute for a little kid to say is immature for an older child. It can also be considered disrespectful to use some of the terms I’ve heard well-intentioned parents use.

Not only does appropriate language encourage respect and normalcy for our bodies but it also helps healthcare providers accurately ascertain any issues as they arise.

If their doctor can’t figure out what they’re saying hurts or was injured, you risk an inaccurate diagnosis.

Additionally, if, chas v’shalom, there is a concern of potential abuse, the words children use can make a major difference.

Resources There are many resources available to parents. Your child’s pediatrician specializes in children and their bodies. He or she is not only knowledgeable but also experienced in explaining those little bodies. I personally have asked my children’s pediatricians about puberty and other topics as they’ve come up. My questions were welcomed, and I clearly wasn’t the first to inquire. Doctors also can suggest resources that the average person wouldn’t be aware of.

We live in a time of more information than ever before. There are plenty of options such as medical

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handing them to your youngster. I’ve personally found even some biology textbooks have had unnecessary and problematic content. There are books

written for the frum child but even these, too, should be checked first.

Ongoing Discussions This doesn’t need to become a major discussion. In fact, it’s probably easier on everyone if this is a series of briefer ongoing talks. As we speak to our children, we can simply introduce the terms, when it comes up, and use those terms correctly.

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Explain as you go and create the opportunity to bring up whatever isn’t being asked.

Young kids see all body parts the

You want to be someone your child is comfortable asking their questions to as they develop.

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websites, diagrams, and books. I will advise against random googling both because the information may not be accurate but also because you may get websites you didn’t intend to view.

Use only medically or educationally reputable sites. Some children may benefit from being shown the diagrams or information themselves while others may not and will prefer hearing it exclusively from their adult.

There are books adults may find helpful to become informed. There are also books designed to be given to children so they can read by themselves. These books can be very helpful and may make it easier on parents who are having trouble with the discussion. A well-written book may benefit both children that are hesitant to ask and not just their nervous parents. Your child may choose to read it alone or along with you.

Please check any books, diagrams, or websites first to ensure they are up to your family’s standards before

same so not only is it a great time to start but it’s the easiest time to begin the conversation at that age. Even if your child is past the younger years, you certainly should still educate them through ongoing conversations.

You want to be someone your child is comfortable asking their questions to as they develop. The more your child can come to you, the more they will remain accurately informed and

know they have someone they can trust.

When you speak to them, it’s a good time to reinforce that bodies are private and that we don’t touch others nor do they touch us. Personal safety of all types should also be part of our child’s education. Personal hygiene and body care, too, should be included during health discussions.

Children can, and should, be raised to see their bodies as normal and as a tool to serve Hashem. They have a heart, shoulders, and a head.

Everything they have is there for a reason and is necessary. Let’s properly educate our children and raise them to be accurately informed about their own bodies as we bring them from childhood to adulthood.

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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23 Marcheshvan 5782 / October 29, 2021 A Sabbatical/Shemittah Year of "Rest for the Earth" (Leviticus 25:6) PUBLIC LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL

BY ISRAELI ORTHODOX RABBIS in advance of the World Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland To the Honorable Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Naftali Bennett: This letter is written to you entirely independent of party politics, ethnicity, religious identity, or even national identity. It relates to all of humanity, and as such we have united to write about it: The Torah analysis of sustainability is no longer one concerned only with the (halachic) question of bal tachshit (“wanton waste”; Deuteronomy.

20:19); with protecting God’s world; with the precept of “pay attention not to ruin (My world, for if you do so, there is no one after you who will repair it”; Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13); and the (other) Torah sources cited in numerous discussions about the connection between the Torah, faith, and protecting the world.

Today, this subject relates to global pikuach nefesh (preservation of life) in the fullest sense of those words. We are talking about a dramatic impact upon human life in its broadest possible senses – hunger, drought, the human and security aspects of migration – with enormous implications for the quality of life and its very existence. We are no longer discussing a subject relating to the future; it is present and already here. Its signs are recognizable to all via the various parameters by which it can be discerned. This is all already visible in the world with the extinction of many species, offering a window to the possible reality towards which we are advancing, and (may) cross.

It is reasonable to assume that there are external influences at play here – scientific bias, political interests, international companies, and the like. Moreover, it is also reasonable to assume that some of the proposed solutions (will) cause damage greater than present reality. But nonetheless even if only some of the assessments relating to global warming are accurate, then we are obliged to act - and it is superfluous to mention the Torah’s attitude regarding the obligation of pikuach nefesh and saving lives. When the vast majority of the world’s scientists working in this area issue extraordinarily severe warnings about what is happening – this obligates us to address this reality.

We ask that you represent the complete partnership of the State of Israel in the global effort (on this issue). Although our country is small and our impact minimal, our partnership (in this global effort) is likely to be very significant. Certainly you will do this with open eyes, taking care (to avoid possible) manipulation – but simultaneously also with willingness and dedication to this critical issue, upon which the world’s future depends. The eyes of many in the world are lifted towards us, the source of the major (world) religions, “For from Zion shall go forth Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3) CC: President of the State of Israel, Mr. Isaac Herzog Speaker of the Knesset, MK Mickey Levy Chair of the Coalition, MK Idit Silman Minister of Environmental Protection, Ms. Tamar Zandberg Minister of Energy, Ms. Korinne Elharar Minister of Education, MK Yifat Shasha-Bitton Rabbinic Signatories: Yaakov Ariel Shlomo Aviner Yehuda Altshuler Chananel Etrog Kobi Bornstein Yoel Bin Nun Dov Berkovitz

Avraham Mordechai Gottleib Avi Gisser Yehiel Wasserman Ronen Lubitz Michael Melchior Meir Nehorai Rafi Feuerstein

David Stav Yossi Fruman David Rosen Naftali Rothenberg Yosef Tzvi Rimon Sharon Shalom Yuval Cherlow

Translated and published by Meisharim: Illuminating Torah Priorities for Orthodox Communities To share your thoughts or learn more, email us at info@meisharim.org

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jewish women of wisdom

Of Covid, Closets, and Chanukah

By Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz

L

ike everyone else my age, I cleaned closets during the early months of last year’s lockdown.

We all nested, upped our sourdough skills, and tackled niggling household organizing chores. Some of us took online classes. It felt good to have something to show for the time we were confined.

Among the things that had accumulated in the 15 closets in my home, I found things I wasn’t ready to put into the trash or giveaway pile. Some were the usual culprits – mishloach monos containers. I found three cheeseboards.

Easy solution to the Chanukah menu, I thought. Cheeseboard arrangements can include fresh and dried fruit, whole wheat crackers, and something savory. The idea seemed healthier than the other choice for this kind of hostess item – a charcuterie board. I’d use them as centerpieces on my milichig table.

I had plenty of time to plan a menu around the woody tones of the board.

Easy, too, and not expensive! I ordered a roll of brown kraft paper for tablecloths and got cheap burlap runners for the tables. Twine wrapped around some everyday glassware. I could repeat the theme. There were some scarlet leaves around that added pop, and so I popped them into vases.

Table became tablescape. Hey, I

could compete with the Between Carpools crowd, even if I was a grandma!

I ordered woody paper plates on Amazon and found some napkins to match in my stash.

The creativity went up a notch with more closet finds. I found many shallow wooden trays from Oh Nuts! and similar snack purveyors that I’d saved for some homemade arrangements.

(Yes, I have the brown tissue paper and plastic containers to go on top).

Wouldn’t they be useful for our har-

more; they had unique foam balls with glitter in the right colors.

The next stage of planning included the second-oldest girls from two families. It was time to give them a chance to lead and be in charge. We spoke by phone. Then they came over (one from Staten Island), and we laid out materials and discussed process. Pairing older ones with younger ones made sense.

We have a boy who likes projects, and one who doesn’t. We had a kindergartener last year, too.

Hey, I could compete with the Between Carpools crowd, even if I was a grandma! vest-themed sukkah which has scarlet and orange-hued décor?

A lot of thinking and purchasing of craft supplies ensued. I bought rolls of washi tape in patterns and prints that worked with the palette. And then I bought some more. We needed Hebrew stencils and scrapbook paper. I checked my crafts closets for more to give the various grandchildren ages 5-15 ample materials and found yarn, markers, and beads. There had to be enough pairs of kid scissors. A trip to the local Dollar Tree met my needs and

It was decided that each pair would make something for Bobby’s sukkah but also make their own signs to take home. A sample was made. Instructions were written out on huge Post-its.

The multiple names of the chag and appropriate pesukim were written out so they would get the spelling right. The mess would be contained and on a different floor and the activity held after the meal. This year the entertainment was a science experiment by a third grader and magic tricks by a second grader.

The food worked out OK. Chestnut soup (tasteless! Don’t try it!), an easy baked side of salmon, and the pizza store completed the menu. The cheeseboard, especially the crackers, not the gourmet cheeses, attracted a finicky kid or two but no adults. There was a salad or two around, I think. No one went hungry.

There were no adult games this time for when the kids were busy for an hour and a half downstairs. No one had prepared one. Everyone sat around the dining room table and chatted.

“It was the best family Chanukah party!” exclaimed one adult.

“Why?” I pressed the one who expressed this evaluation.

“We didn’t have to do anything or bring anything!”

So how can I match this gathering a year later? Am I doing it all again? Do I have the time to plan and purchase all the supplies this year sans aveilus and the pandemic to keep me at home every evening? Will I be partied out during Chanukah week as is usually the case?

I don’t have the answers yet. But I will give you the answer to the question: shall I give you a cheeseboard?

No! Because I know that if you give this woman a cheeseboard….

Join the conversation and email list of JWOW! by writing to hello @jewishwomenofwisdom.org.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

In The K

tchen

Crunchy Chicken and Green Bean Sheet Pan Dinner

By Naomi Nachman

I love the idea of a sheet-pan dinner. It is easy

to make, bake, and serve all on one pan. I love how quick it is to prepare, and it comes with a built-in

side dish, too. You can use any kind of vegetable in this dish as long as it is cut thinly for faster cooking. I have tried it with frozen broccoli and fresh zucchini as well.

Ingredients ◦ 8 pieces chicken pargiyot ◦ 1 cup flour ◦ 1 teaspoon salt Sauce ◦ ½ cup teriyaki sauce

Preparation

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375°F.

◦ ¼ cup honey

2. Mix flour and salt in a bowl and dredge chicken on both sides.

◦ 1 teaspoon kosher salt

3. Place the chicken on the baking sheet and repeat till chicken is done.

◦ 1 tablespoon garlic chili paste, optional ◦ 2 tablespoons olive oil

4. Place 2 packages of green beans on top of chicken.

◦ 2 packages of frozen green beans

5. In a small bowl, mix sauce ingredients and pour over beans and chicken, making sure they’re well coated.

◦ Crunchy fried onions for garnish

6. Bake for 45 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with crunchy fried onions.

Naomi Nachman, the owner of The Aussie Gourmet, caters weekly and Shabbat/ Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities, with a specialty in Pesach catering. Naomi is a contributing editor to this paper and also produces and hosts her own weekly radio show on the Nachum Segal Network stream called “A Table for Two with Naomi Nachman.” Naomi gives cooking presentations for organizations and private groups throughout the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area. In addition, Naomi has been a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, magazines as well as other media covering topics related to cuisine preparation and personal chefs. To obtain additional recipes, join The Aussie Gourmet on Facebook or visit Naomi’s blog. Naomi can be reached through her website, www.theaussiegourmet.com or at (516) 295-9669.

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

Being happy and smiling a lot, red wine, and keeping fit with yoga.

- Eileen Ash, a former international cricket player from Norwich, U.K., at her 110th birthday celebration last week, talking about her secret to longevity

President Biden announced yesterday that more than 70 countries would join the U.S. in a pledge to reduce global methane emissions by 30 percent by the end of the decade. Yeah, but not Russia or China, right? That’s like saying: “Hey, great news — I got the whole neighborhood to agree to stop murdering, except for Hacksaw Dave and Larry the Strangler. Sleep tight, everybody!”

— Seth Meyers

I joked with people and I said, “I’m going to shock the world, I’m going to beat this man.” I was saying it, but really kind of joking.

Because what chance did a person like me really stand against this man? He’s literally the second-most powerful person in the state of New Jersey.

- Republican Edward Durr, a commercial truck driver who spent a total of $153 on his campaign, talking to NJ.com after defeating Democrat Stephan Sweeney who was the longest-tenured Senate president in New Jersey history

I’m just a simple man. Literally just like the song.

- Ibid.

Listen, I’m a mother of four. I delivered one of my children in the front seat of my truck. Because as a mom of four, we got things to do. Ain’t nobody got time for two and a half months of maternity leave. We have a world to save here.

- Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), on Fox News, mocking Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg for taking paternity leave during a supply chain crisis

It’s not true… That’s not gonna happen - President Biden on Wednesday when asked about a report that his administration is preparing to give thousands of illegal immigrants $450,000 each to settle a claim brought on their behalf by the ACLU

If it saves taxpayer dollars and puts the disastrous history of the previous administration’s use of zero tolerance and family separation behind us, the president is perfectly comfortable with the Department of Justice settling with the individuals and families who are currently in litigation with the U.S. government.

- White House Deputy Press Secretary Jean-Pierre the very next day, disclosing that the report is, in fact, true and Pres.

Biden does support it

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

109 27

Why is the price of agricultural products – when I go to the store, why is it higher?

What, like for example, if I had, if we were all going out and having lunch together and I said let’s ask whoever’s at the next table no matter how, whatever restaurant we’re in, have them explain the supply chain to us. You think they’d understand what we’re talking about. They’re smart people.

The supply chain. But why’s everything backed up? Well, it’s backed up because the people’s supplies or materials that end up being on our kitchen table or in our, in, in, in our, our fam, our, our life. Guess what?

They close those plants because they have COVID. - Pres. Biden at the White House “explaining” the supply chain issues

Colin immediately went down on one knee and sang the entire “Mamma Mia” to a very amused foreign minister from Sweden and to a gobsmacked U.S. delegation — who’d never seen anything like it.

- Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, reminiscing this week about Colin Powell, who seemed to be a man of hidden talents

I’m destroying all of the narratives about race. Look at me, I am a heartbeat away from the governorship in case anything happens to the governor. And how are you going to tell me then I’m a victim? And I didn’t do anything special to get here except stay in school and study. I took advantage of the opportunities that are available here in America. I wasn’t born here. This is not my culture, not my country.

But it allowed me – America allowed me – to come and do for myself and for my family.

– Newly elected Virginia Lt. Gov.-Elect Winsome Sears, an African American Republican taking on the race narrative by the left that Republicans are racists, in a Fox News interview

What went wrong is just stupid wokeness. Don’t just look at Virginia and New Jersey. Look at Long Island, look at Buffalo, look at Minneapolis, even look at Seattle, Washington. I mean, this “defund the police” lunacy, this take Abraham Lincoln’s name off of schools…some of these people need to go to a “woke” detox center or something.

- Long-time Democratic strategist James Carville explaining why Democrats lost around the country on Election Day

I think that the results show the limits of trying to run a fully 100 percent super-moderated campaign that does not excite, speak to, or energize a progressive base, and frankly we weren’t even really invited to contribute on that race.

- Democrat Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez giving her explanation as to why Democrats lost in Virginia

I was just a bit nervous. I worried that I could have a fire at home that would burn it up, that the ticket’s expiration date might come up, and even had just a bit of doubt that it was really real.

- An unidentified retired utility worker from Wicomico County after winning $2 million on a scratch-off, making it the second time that he won $2 million on a scratch-off, according to a press release by the Maryland Lotto

Vax -The Oxford Dictionary’s 2021 “Word of the Year”

MORE QUOTES

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NOVEMBER 11, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

I realize I’m in the crosshairs of the woke mob right now, so before my final nail gets put in my cancel-culture casket, I think I’d like to set the record straight on some of the blatant lies that are out there about myself right now…. I believe strongly in bodily autonomy and the ability to make choices for your body, not to have to acquiesce to some woke culture or crazed group of individuals who say you have to do something. Health is not a one-size-fits-all for everybody.

- Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rogers on The Pat McAfee Show, after he was outed for not being vaccinated

It only took me 40 years.

- King Harald of Norway, age 84, talking about getting a cellphone during the pandemic

I owe an apology to Jack Ciattarelli’s campaign and to Phil Murphy’s campaign for that matter because inaccurate public polling can have an impact on fundraising and voter mobilization efforts. But most of all, I owe an apology to the voters of New Jersey for information that was at the very least misleading.

- Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, apologizing for his poll showing that New Jersey Gov. Murphey had an 11-point lead over his Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli, after Murphey defeated Ciattarelli by less than 1-point

I got the COVID-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it’ll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy!

- Tweet by Sesame Street’s Big Bird

Government propaganda…for your 5 year old!

- Tweet in response by Sen. Ted Cruz

The kids love going shopping in it.

- Merlin Batchelor, of England, speaking about his new car – an armored personnel carrier, which looks just like a tank

We at the Inglewood Unified School District (IUSD) are saddened beyond words by the events that transpired at the football game Friday between Inglewood and Morningside high schools.

– From a statement by the Inglewood Unified School District after Inglewood defeated Morningside High School 106-0 in their football game

Many years ago, I took a trip to Israel, and I met this very wise, pious, religious man. He taught me many lessons not about religion but about life, about morality, about honor.

- Howard Schultz, Starbucks’ chairman emeritus, while trying to deter employees from unionizing before relating a story about how people shared blankets in concentration camps

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The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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Political Crossfire

Youngkin’s Win in Virginia Started with Biden’s Debacle in Afghanistan

By Marc A. Thiessen

W

ho says foreign policy doesn’t matter at the polls?

When we look back at the issues that powered Glenn Youngkin’s upset victory in the Virginia governor’s race, education will be front and center.

But the turning point was Afghanistan.

Let’s be clear: Virginia voters did not cast their ballots on Afghanistan. Exit polls show the top issues on their minds were the economy, education, taxes, and the coronavirus pandemic. Foreign policy did not make the list – which is not surprising in a governor’s race.

But nearly half of Virginia voters reported that one reason for their vote was to send a message for or against President Joe Biden, and 28% said they were casting their ballot to express opposition to the president.

The intensity of Virginians’ disapproval of Biden is stunning: 54% said they disapprove of Biden’s performance in office, with 46% saying they “strongly” disapprove (only 8% “somewhat” disapprove). In an election decided by just two points, that disapproval proved decisive.

The collapse in Biden’s approval began with his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. On Aug. 14 – the day before Kabul fell – Biden enjoyed a solid 50% national approval in the RealClearPolitics average. A few days earlier, a Hill-HarrisX Poll found Biden’s approval at 55%, with strong majorities supporting him on the issues: 55% approved of his handling of the economy; 54% approved

of the job he was doing fighting terrorism; and 58% said he would doing a good job running the government.

But after his Afghanistan debacle, the floor fell out from under the president. On Election Day, his approval in the RealClearPolitics average was underwater, at 43% to 51%. A pre-election Quinnipiac poll showed majorities disapproved of his performance not just on foreign policy but also on every single issue tested: the economy, taxes, immigration, his job as commander-in-chief, even his handling of the pandemic, which had been his strong suit.

Worst of all, an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll a week before Election Day found that just 37% of Americans believe Biden is competent and effective, while 50% say he is not. And only 37% believe he is able to handle a crisis while 47% say he cannot. Handling crises is pretty much a president’s job description.

Approval ratings rise and fall, but once voters decide you are in-

competent, it’s extremely difficult to reverse that impression. And Biden’s perception of incompetence began in Afghanistan. His shameful decision to leave hundreds of American citizens and thousands of Afghan allies behind; his catastrophic choice to put the security of U.S. troops in the hands of the Taliban which led to the deaths of 13 U.S. service members; and his insistence that it was all an “extraordinary success” has done lasting, perhaps irreversible damage to Americans’ impression of him.

And that impression has only been confirmed by the serial displays of incompetence that followed: The images of thousands of illegal migrants camped under a bridge in Del Rio, Tex., which brought his self-inflicted crisis along the southern border into focus; his begging OPEC – a foreign oil cartel – to produce more oil because gas prices had risen $1.25 on his watch; his inability to address the supply chain crisis; and his failure to pass his bipartisan infrastruc-

ture bill or reach agreement with fellow Democrats on his signature social spending bill – even though his party controls the White House and both houses in Congress. A Fox News Voter analysis found that 76% of Virginia voters said the negotiations in Washington over his governing agenda were an important factor in their vote – and Youngkin won those voters by 54% to 46% margin.

And on the issue that drove Youngkin’s victory – education – voters saw the Biden administration’s incompetence on display as well. First, they watched Biden’s education secretary, Miguel Cardona, echo Terry McAuliffe’s gaffe and refuse to acknowledge that parents are the “primary stakeholders” in their children’s education. Exit polls showed Virginia voters disagreed by a margin of 84% to 13%. And then they watched as Biden’s Justice Department – in an incredible display of political incompetence and federal overreach – tried to weaponize the FBI to intimidate parents exercising their constitutional right to express concerns about their children’s education at school board meetings.

Glenn Youngkin is the governor-elect of Virginia because of Joe Biden’s incompetence. The 2022 midterms will likely be a referendum on the president’s ineptitude, as well.

And the moment Americans decided that Biden was incompetent was when they watched his calamitous, shameful withdrawal from Afghanistan. (c) 2021, Washington Post Writers Group

The Jewish Home | NOVEMBER 11, 2021

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Political Crossfire

No One Wants a War Over Taiwan.

But That Won’t Last Forever

By David Ignatius

I

n dealing with Taiwan, ambiguity has always been the diplomat’s friend. It has allowed Washington and Beijing to say they both favor “one China” in principle – and for Taipei to pursue its own democratic path and self-defense strategy without a formal declaration of independence.

For the moment, Beijing and Washington still pledge allegiance to the pleasant fiction of the 1972 Shanghai Communique that the United States can recognize a unitary China even as it supports an increasingly independent-minded Taiwan. Neither seems ready yet to break that foundation stone of their relationship. But as positions harden on Taiwan, a collision with reality is ahead.

President Biden doesn’t do ambiguity well, so he just blurted out last month what everyone (including China) assumes about Taiwan. When asked by CNN’s Anderson Cooper whether he would defend the island if it were attacked by China, Biden answered: “Yes, we have a commitment.” That sounded like a change in Washington’s formal policy of “strategic ambiguity,” and global media scrambled to report breaking news.

White House officials quickly cautioned reporters that it was a verbal slip rather than a deliberate escalation. White House press secretary Jen Psaki affirmed the next day, “There is no change in our policy.” The Chinese, after momentary indigestion, decided to accept that Biden had just made a gaffe. That’s the blessing and curse in being perceived as an old duffer; people don’t take Biden’s words all that seriously.

Each side agreed, in effect, to

leave the ambiguity unresolved. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman cautioned Washington to “be prudent with its words and actions on the Taiwan question…lest it should seriously damage China-U.S. relations.” Taiwan’s foreign ministry spokesman, meanwhile, thanked Biden for “reconfirmation of the consistent U.S. commitment to Taiwan.”

The problem with Taiwan is that the real world keeps intervening in this tacit agreement to suspend disbelief. Take the question of America’s military presence in Taiwan. The Chinese have known that the United States sends troops to train the Taiwanese military. But as long as the United States and Taiwan didn’t tout that fact, the Chinese could save face.

The fig leaf is gone. A U.S. Army video surfaced last year showing Special Operations forces training in Taiwan. Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that two dozen Special Operations forces and a number

of Marines were training the Taiwanese military. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen then made it official in an interview with CNN last month: “We have a wide range of cooperation with the U.S. aimed at increasing our defense capability.”

Has the United States crossed a Chinese “red line” with this military presence? You might have thought so. Last year, an annual Pentagon report on China listed “foreign forces stationed on Taiwan,” as one of seven issues on which China had said it might use military force against the island. But Newsweek noted that in this year’s version of the report, released Wednesday, the “foreign forces” pretext was dropped.

Military planners can’t afford ambiguity. So China’s war plans for Taiwan assumes that the U.S. military will become involved, according to a leading China analyst who requested anonymity. He said China’s goal is to seize Taiwan in five days, before the

United States is able to land forces.

America won’t deter such an attack with the aircraft carriers we once sailed boldly into the Taiwan Strait.

Today, those behemoths are prey to Chinese precision-guided missiles.

Instead, the counterweights against China are three largely invisible factors: America’s alliances with powerful Pacific neighbors such as Japan and Australia; its unmatched dominance of undersea warfare; and its ability to help Taiwan fight an asymmetric war that would be very costly for China.

The rhetoric on both sides of the strait is uncompromising. President Xi Jinping vowed last month to pursue reunification by peaceful means – but that came after China sent waves of planes near Taiwan. President Tsai defiantly replied a day later: “We will continue to bolster our national defense…to ensure that nobody can force Taiwan to take the path China has laid out for us.”

For now, this is a war that nobody wants. It would puncture Beijing’s economy and derail Xi’s march toward what he calls his “China dream.”

For Taiwan, the wreckage would be worse; Tsai frankly says that she wants no more than “maintaining the status quo.” The United States doesn’t want a war that past Pentagon war games have predicted it would lose.

The Taiwan straddle continues, because for now it serves everyone’s interest. But the ambiguity won’t last forever. When Xi says he is determined to achieve reunification, you have to assume he means it. (c) 2021, Washington Post Writers Group

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Political Crossfire

MBS’s Campaign Against a Former Saudi Spymaster Hits a Roadblock

By David Ignatius

F

or six years now, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has feuded with one of the kingdom’s former top intelligence officials – in a series of suits and countersuits in U.S. courts that has also ensnared senior U.S. intelligence officials and diplomats refereeing the dispute.

The powerful crown prince, known as MBS, has accused the former spymaster, Saad Aljabri, of billions in fraud; in turn, Aljabri has asserted that MBS orchestrated the kidnapping of his children and tried to capture or assassinate him.

Now, MBS is facing a series of legal and diplomatic setbacks that could derail his case against Aljabri while leaving him open to the counterclaim.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton ruled that Aljabri “cannot fairly defend” himself against the fraud charge without disclosing “privileged information” about U.S.-Saudi intelligence activities in which he was involved.

The case is so sensitive that the Justice Department moved in August to invoke the “state secrets” privilege to block any disclosure that might reveal intelligence sources and methods.

With Aljabri’s defense thus foreclosed, Gorton ordered MBS’s lawyers to file a memo by Nov. 9 “to show cause why this case should not be dismissed.” His ruling could also lead to dismissal of a similar case brought by the Saudis in Ontario, Canada.

Aljabri has been an MBS target in part because he served as chief counterterrorism adviser to Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, MBS’s rival, whom he deposed as crown prince in 2017 and who is now confined in Saudi Arabia.

MBS has been pursuing Aljabri since he fired him in 2015, including a 2017 request to arrest Aljabri that was rejected by Interpol; a 2017 travel ban and subsequent imprisonment of two of his children; the 2017 arrest and torture of his son-in-law.

A second legal setback involves MBS’s efforts to have the U.S. government support his claim of sovereign immunity from Aljabri’s suit alleging this campaign of harassment and the kidnap-or-kill plot.

Aljabri’s suit, filed last year in federal court in Washington D.C., alleged that operatives sent by MBS traveled to Canada in October 2018 to capture or kill him. The alleged Canada incident occurred just two weeks after a Saudi hit team murdered Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, in an operation the CIA says was authorized

by MBS. The Saudi Embassy last year requested that MBS receive sovereign immunity from this lawsuit and one brought in October 2020 by Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi’s fiancée. The Saudis argued in a memorandum to the State Department that the crown

prince should have “status-based immunity,” because he “exercises many of the powers of a head of government,” even though his father, King Salman, is the actual Saudi monarch. The immunity request, reviewed by The Post, argues that MBS also deserves “conduct-based immunity,” because whatever actions he may have taken involved “exercise of the governmental powers of Saudi Arabia.”

The Saudi Embassy argued that even allegations that MBS “directed an attempted extrajudicial killing do not overcome the Crown Prince’s immunity,” which “protects the Crown Prince regardless of the seriousness of the allegations made.” The Saudi filing “denies in the strongest terms any attempt to kill Aljabri” or involvement by MBS. The Saudis initially made this immunity request to the Trump administration in October 2020, and it was still pending when President Biden took office in January. Neither administration granted the request.

MBS’s lawyers made similar immunity claims last December to U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, in a motion to dismiss Aljabri’s lawsuit,

and cited the request for immunity made to the State Department. The judge hasn’t acted, leaving MBS potentially vulnerable to a demand that he answer questions under oath in the Aljabri lawsuit.

A final setback for MBS is diplomatic, not legal: Biden’s refusal thus far to meet or speak with him. Other senior U.S. officials have met the crown prince, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan last month, and U.S. officials say they want to maintain friendly relations with the Saudi government, if possible. But the snub from Biden clearly annoys MBS, who had enjoyed strong support from Donald Trump.

MBS’s options are dwindling as the cases continue. One path out might be a settlement, in which Aljabri offers a financial payment and dismissal of his Washington lawsuit, in exchange for freedom for his two children and his son-in-law, who now are in effect hostages. Such a settlement would also relieve the intelligence community’s worry about disclosure of sensitive information. Such a settlement approach would arguably offer all parties a “win,” but MBS so far hasn’t appeared interested.

The paradox of this feud is that it comes at a time when MBS seems to be succeeding in some of his efforts to modernize Saudi society. The latest example was a concert in Riyadh last month by the pop singer Pitbull, before a sea of Saudi young people. But in MBS’s battle against his political enemies, it seems, it’s still the Dark Ages. (c) 2021, Washington Post Writers Group

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Forgotten Her es

Medals of Honor During the Civil War

By Avi Heiligman

Frederick Fuger

M

ilitaries and governments throughout history have always looked for ways to honor those have who have distinguished themselves on the battlefields.

For the United States, it took until the Civil War for Congress to pass a resolution to create the Medal of Honor.

Since then, over 3,500 of these medals have been awarded, with 1,522 being presented to honorees for actions during the Civil War. However, since it was the only decoration handed out during the war, the criteria for recipients weren’t as stringent as it is today.

Eight-hundred-sixty-four soldiers of the 27 th Maine Regiment received the Medal of Honor if they accepted a proposal to reenlist by the secretary of war. These medals were later rescinded, but there were many others who rightfully deserved their medals. Here are some of the relatively unknown honorees of the Medal of Honor from the Civil War who were able to hold onto those precious awards.

The first recipient of the Medal of Honor was Jacob Parrott of Fairfield County, Ohio. The private was with Company K, 33rd Ohio Infantry Regiment when he volunteered with 21 other soldiers to take part in a daring raid behind Confederate lines. On

Arthur MacArthur

April 12, 1862, led by civilian scout James Andrews, the men took control of a passenger train called the General. Their mission was to inflict as much damage as possible on the rail line from Atlanta to Chattanooga. For the next 87 miles, the Union troops were chased by the Confederates until the General ran out of fuel.

The raiders scattered but were eventually captured and brought to trial.

Douglas MacArthur, who also received a Medal of Honor for his heroism

received the medal but Andrews did not because he was a civilian.

Many of the soldiers that fought on both sides of the war were foreign-born and joined the army only after hostilities began. Frederick Fuger was born in Germany and joined the 4th U.S. Artillery Regiment five years before the Civil War broke out. He was assigned to Battery A and saw action against the Native Americans. As his

He then planted the colors on top of the ridge while encouraging his men to continue the fight by screaming, “On Wisconsin!”

Andrews and seven others were executed. Eight soldiers managed to escape, and the remaining six were later exchanged for Confederate prisoners.

Parrott was part of the exchange and was given the Medal of Honor by the secretary of war. After the ceremony, he met President Lincoln with the five others who received the medal as well.

Most of the other raiders eventually

enlistment was about to end, the Confederates fired upon Fort Sumter, and Fuger reenlisted as a first sergeant.

During the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863, Fuger’s battery was at a point called The Angle. The Confederates, under General George Pickett, were making a frontal assault on the Union center. The battery’s commander, Lieutenant Alonzo

Cushing, was killed, and after the second-in-command was wounded, Fuger took command. The battery took the brunt of the Confederate attack, and five of its guns were disabled.

Fuger kept the last gun in action, firing upon the rapidly approaching enemy. Confederate soldiers managed to reach the Union lines and fierce hand-to-hand fighting broke out. Finally, Fuger, his men, and other Union soldiers managed to repel the attack, and the battery was ordered to withdraw from the fight.

Fuger was promoted to 2nd lieutenant and was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery on the battlefield.

The Battle of Gettysburg was the three-day battle that took place in Pennsylvania in General Lee’s push into northern territory. Called the turning point of the war, the battle was the bloodiest to take place on American soil. Many heroes emerged from the fierce fighting, including Corporal Chester Furman. He had transferred to the Signal Corps from the 6th Pennsylvania Reserves and was at a place called Devil’s Den on the second day of the battle. The terrain was full of boulders and rocky hills that made it easy to conceal snipers. Furman was one of six Union volunteers. They charged up

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A depiction of the hand-to-hand combat during the Battle of Gettysburg

the hill, clearing out a squad of Confederate sharpshooters that had been sniping at Union lines. For his heroism in charging at a dangerous concealed enemy Furman was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Saving the flag, or colors, of one’s own army or capturing the enemy’s flag was considered a great feat during the Civil War. Many were recognized for accomplishing this feat and were given the Medal of Honor for their ac-

tions. One of these recipients went on to have an illustrious military career, and his son became a very famous World War II general. Arthur MacArthur Jr. was an 18-year-old first lieutenant with the 24th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee. On November 25, 1863, he saw the flag bearer go down, and he grabbed the flag. He then planted the colors on top of the ridge while

encouraging his men to continue the fight by screaming, “On Wisconsin!”

He received the medal for these heroic actions. His son, Douglas MacArthur, would go on to be the General of the Army during World War II. Their Medals of Honor were the first to be awarded to both father and son. (The other father and son duo to receive the medals were President Theodore Roosevelt and his son General Theodore Roosevelt Jr.)

These are just a few early recipients of the Medal of Honor. Many others were cited for bravery in battle. In future articles we will discuss more of these forgotten heroes.

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.

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Your

Money

Safety in Numbers

By Allan Rolnick, CPA

D

emocrats in Congress are working on an impressive list of spending priorities they hope to pass as soon as this week. There’s an infrastructure bill with $1 trillion for roads, bridges, climate resilience, and broadband access. There’s a budget reconciliation package with another $1.75 trillion for fighting climate change, child care and universal pre-kindergarten, and extending the expanded child tax credit. And those numbers don’t include proposals they dropped for free community college, paid medical and family leave, and expanding Medicare to cover dental and vision care.

The problem, of course, is that while scientists at the USDA have come up with all sorts of genetically-modified plants to resist pests and diseases, they still haven’t perfected trees that grow money. That leaves Congress with two choices to pay for the spending: raising taxes or charging it to the national credit card. Neither of those are attractive choices, especially for a country that was born out of a tax protest.

Louis XIV’s finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert once declared that “the art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest possible amount of feathers with the smallest possible amount

of hissing.” Today’s politicians try to minimize the hissing by confining new taxes to the smallest possible number of people. President Biden has said any tax increases would be limited to those making $400,000 per year or more, meaning about 1% or so of earners.

tunately, at least for the United Federation of Billionaires, Wyden’s proposal is only slightly more likely to pass than those money-growing trees we mentioned two paragraphs ago.

Now, 700 billionaires may sound like a pretty exclusive club. But if we reach back into history, we can find a

The problem, of course, is that while scientists at the USDA have come up with all sorts of genetically-modified plants to resist pests and diseases, they still haven’t perfected trees that grow money

But even squeezing the top 1% a little bit harder appears politically difficult. So Senate Finance Committee Chair, Ron Wyden, has proposed a tax on unrealized capital gains that would hit a mere 700 people with $1 billion in assets or $100 million in annual income. It raises all sorts of questions, like “what do we count as ‘income,’ anyway?” and “what do we do when Elon Musk’s stock goes down?” For-

tax that applied to just one American.

Back in 1935, mired in the depths of the Great Depression, President Roosevelt said, “It may be necessary to throw to the wolves the 46 men who are reported to have incomes in excess of $1 million a year.” He raised the top rate to 79% on income over $5 million (roughly $100 million in today’s dollars). Standard Oil heir, John D. Rockefeller, was the only one

of those 46 who actually paid tax at that rate.

Think about that for just a second.

Right now, Elon Musk is the richest man on earth, with a fortune that just ticked over $311 billion. (That’s assuming Russian kleptocrat-in-chief Vladimir Putin hasn’t stolen more.)

That’s enough to afford the usual billionaire toys like a $100 million worth of houses and a $65 million Gulfstream. He paid millions just to launch his car into space. But no matter how rich he gets, he’ll probably never have his own bespoke tax bracket. And if he does, he’ll just move to Mars to avoid it.

A tax on 700 billionaires may not sound like something you need to worry about. But the pressure to raise revenue is real, and any new taxes will hit your wallet, directly or indirectly. That’s why we pay such close attention to news out of Washington, so we can help you make the most of your planning opportunities.

You won’t even have to move to Mars — we promise!

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.

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Life C ach

It Takes One Person

By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., LMFT, CLC, SDS

W

hat about those shidduchim?

My grandfather used to say that a boy and a girl is a “glacha shidduch.”

Even if you have no idea what glacha means, you can kind of hear the simplicity of the statement. I’m not sure myself what it means, but I think he was saying: take a boy and a girl, put them together, and that’s the formula for a marriage.

Wow! How far we’ve come from his simple way of helping people get together. I’m not saying he was such a terrific shadchan, but he was certainly a man with an uncomplicated plan!

Today, people go through five volumes of background information just to get one idea worth pursuing – that’s one person. Then, once they narrow it down to a choice, the process first begins. They search through personal and family information to get the feel of whether the idea makes sense. Then they really get to work! They make about 25 phone calls. This, of course, is not at all definitive! Some people make lots more phone calls. Because, now they have finally identified the one

person who REALLY knows the girl or guy. Once that conversation happens, then they can move forward with comfort.

But, wait, then the hunt starts over for a whole series of other “the one person!” The one person who can get him to say yes. The one person who can get her to say yes. The

people to spend an hour or two together, where’s the hope for getting them on board for a lifetime?

People who do ultimately get married usually realize there’s more to “the one person” they chose than they realized. New information is ascertained in both directions. The person is deeper, more sensitive,

If it takes this much to get two people to spend an hour or two together, where’s the hope for getting them on board for a lifetime?

one person who can make sure both families say yes.

And then, once the date actually happens, there needs to be the one person who can get them to say yes again. And that’s just to go out for a drink or a bite to eat.

If it takes this much to get two

more layered, perhaps more complex than they recognized while they were dating.

These fine points don’t show up in the resume. Research misses nuances. Some qualities only clearly emerge through the day-to-day interactions between these two specific

individuals. Of course, sometimes, the individuals themselves didn’t even realize what they had within before they got married.

Sure, you can try to discuss all possible scenarios on your dates – and that does help. But who brings a crying, irrational 6-month-old on a date to see how things will really play out?!

When it is real is when it gets real.

And, therefore, often, this is where the real relationship begins… with a boy and a girl – now a couple – figuring out how to make their – uniquely their own – union work.

They are left with the challenge of finding within themselves “the one person” that they need to be to make this relationship work!

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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Lieber’s Chocolate Chips

SR Cranberry Sauce

Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios; Reese’s Puffs, Trix; Golden Grahams

1

2

Assorted

3/$

Lieber’s Graham Pie Shells

$ 99 46 oz/48 oz

Bowl & Basket Rice Mixes

12 oz

3

$ 99 1 Liter

.42 oz

Original or Natural

1

Original White/Tri-Color

Lieber’s Pomace Olive Oil

Mo�’s Applesauce

$ 39 4 oz

Wholesome Pantry Quinoa

2/$

1

4/$

1

SR Instant Oatmeal Packets

5

Lieber’s Chanukah Gelt

Except Blue & White 44 Pack

44 Pack

6

Prices Good Sunday, November 14th through Friday, November 19th, 2021

Malchus 1.5 Hour Chanukah Oil Lights

2/$

More for Less

TM

Breaded Fish S�cks

6

$ 99LB

99¢

LB

Cheese Blintzes

6 Pack

1199

$

EA

LB

Crispy Chicken Nuggets

1199

$

LB

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.