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A PUBLICATION OF THE FIVE TOWNS & QUEENS COMMUNITY MARCH 19 – MARCH 25, 2015 | DISTRIBUTED WEEKLY IN THE FIVE TOWNS, QUEENS & BROOKLYN

– See pages 5, 11, 62, 63 & 109

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THE REBIRTH OF A NATION

Senator Dean Skelos Speaks at Agudah’s Annual Breakfast in the Five Towns

BIBI WINS BIG

Dirshu Shabbos, a Shabbos of Olam Habah

Enjoying a Night in Italy at Gan Chamesh’s Supperette 67

PAGE 72

A Community of Giving A Peek into some of our Neighborhood’s Gemachs – See pages 48-51

HANC Boys’ Chorus Wins A Capella Competition

– See pages 3 & 41

– See page 63

PAGE 86

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Sensitivity by Deb Hirschhorn, PhD

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opened their gemachs, their homes, and give so much of their time and effort daily, they all answered as if with one voice: we saw a need and we wanted to help. I have been to some of the gemachs in the neighborhood before simchas. What they offered were beautiful fare in a clean, respectable manner. The tablecloths from one gemach made sheva brachos into a sophisticated affair. Gowns from another transformed my nieces into princesses for an evening. When these wonderful individuals open up their homes and hearts for these gemachs, they aren’t just helping people; they are giving them the opportunity to feel beautiful, sophisticated or even just menschlech at a time of simcha or sorrow or need. May we always be a community of giving and of helping, and may we continue to look out for each other. Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

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if Netanyahu would come out with a clear victory. But he did. Israelis resoundingly committed themselves to the politician who declared that he wouldn’t be given into the Palestinians. They wanted someone who cared about the Jewish State. Most disheartening about this election to me was the fact that the Arab parties gained so many seats, while Orthodox parties lost seats this year. A few people echoed that disappointment when they emailed me their thoughts after the election. If only we were united like the Arabs—look what they gained and what we lost. A big lesson indeed—and not just during the elections. Our feature story this week about gemachs in the Five Towns and Far Rockaway highlights the unity of our community. While reading the article I couldn’t help but marvel at the individuals who were inspired and then motivated to do for their neighbors. When asked why they

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A Community of Giving: A Peek into some of our Neighborhood’s Gemachs 86

Dear Readers, During election season it’s not just that Israel is a different country, for many of us living in America, it’s as if they’re living on another planet. It’s hard for us to wrap our heads around a parliamentary system. You mean they go to the polls, the results are counted, and then they have to start forming a coalition? When we talk of politics—the negotiations, the behind-the-scenes talks, the whispered rumors, the centralizing of power—there’s no brighter stage to witness it than in the Jewish State. Immediately after the polls were closed last night Netanyahu started reaching out to other parties to start forming a coalition, promising positions in exchange for joining forces. Those who weren’t invited to join will surely miss out; and those who decline an invitation to join may just feel the country’s leader’s disfavor. This election was a tight race— at least according to the polls. Up until the last minute it wasn’t clear

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Letters to the Editor Dear Editor, I am not really someone who follows Israeli politics but this year’s elections seemed especially contentious. I was saddened to hear that there may be a larger representation of Arabs in the Knesset because of large Arab turnout. Because of our inability to connect with each other and come to some sort of agreement, we are allowing our enemies to pull ahead. Our infighting has made our opponents stronger. Whatever the results of the election, I have learned my lesson: fighting is not worth it in the end. It only shows our enemies how weak we are and gives them the opportunities to hurt us where and when we are most vulnerable. The opposite is true as well. When we are connected with each other and protect each other no

matter how different our views are, we will always win over those who try to hurt us. What an amazing lesson as we enter the yom tov of Pesach. Sincerely, Dov Ber K. Dear Editor, Spring is in the air and the days are much longer. Many times our children long to play outside in the sun after long days in school. Riding bikes and playing ball are healthy, fun activities. But parents, no matter how old your children are please make sure they are being supervised outside. It takes only a minute for a ball to end up in the street and a child to run and catch it. It takes only a minute for someone walking by to harm your child. I am not trying to alarm you; I just want to

Views expressed on the Letters to the Editor page do not necessarily reflect the views of The Jewish Home. Please send all correspondence to editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com.

make sure that every one of our children are safe. It’s a good idea to talk to your children and present different scenarios to them to help them in any possible dangerous situation. They should also be taught that there is safety in numbers and should try to play outside with a friend who can watch over them or run to call for help if chas v’shalom that’s necessary. I hope that we will all have a wonderful, safe, happy time in the long spring and summer days ahead. Chana Stern Dear Editor, Abie Rotenberg once composed a song called the “Pesach Blues.” He sang about a woman cleaning out sockets with toothpicks and looking down the drain with a flashlight for chometz. She was breaking out in a “cold, cold sweat” and “tired and aching” because of all the Pesach cleaning. Sometimes I think about that song when Pesach rolls around. I know my wife works very hard cleaning the house and I try to help her as much as I could since I don’t want her working too hard. But I try to explain to her that washing the

walls and cleaning the windows are not Pesach cleaning. If only she would do what needs to be done to clean for Pesach she will be much more relaxed— and so will the kids and I. Please keep in mind that yom tov is supposed to be about simcha and family and not about stress. If there is anything that can be done to lighten the burden of bringing in Pesach it should be done—whether it’s a few extra days of a cleaning lady or a few nights of takeout suppers. And we should all keep in mind that organizing the drawers and arranging the cabinets are not things that need to be done before Pesach. Spring cleaning can be done after the seder. Wishing us all a zissen Pesach, A husband with a wonderful, hardworking wife Dear Editor, If all the Shomer Shabbos folks in the Knesset got together like the Arabs just for a unified vote they would have over 30 seats. They should then outsource foreign affairs and the defense of the country to El Sissi and Putin. Joe Bobker Los Angeles/Lawrence

Readers Poll How closely do you follow Israeli politics? 43% Very closely 37% Only around election time 20% I’m not really into Israeli politics

The Week In News

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Paris Supermarket Reopens after Attack

Iran’s Reaction to U.S. Letter

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called the letter he received from Republican lawmakers proof of the “disintegration” in Washington. The letter that was sent warned that any nuclear deal that is reached could always be torn up by the next president after Obama leaves office. The Ayatollah called the letter a sign of “the collapse of political ethics and the U.S. system’s internal disintegration,” according to the official Iranian news agency. Khamenei said states typically remain loyal to their commitments even if governments change, “but American senators officially announced the commitment will be null and void after this government leaves office. Isn’t this the ultimate degree of the collapse of political ethics and the U.S. system’s internal disintegration?” he asked rhetorically. Khamenei has generally supported the talks, but he frequently expresses doubt over the true intentions of the U.S. and other Western nations. Recently, the Supreme Leader said a “Zionist clown” had delivered a speech in Washington, a reference to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress earlier this month in which he argued against the emerging agreement. The U.S. and five world powers are negotiating with Iran to try and reach a framework agreement this month and a final accord in July which would curb Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Western nations have long suspected that Iran is covertly

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It’s been two months since the tragic terrorist attack at a Paris kosher supermarket that left four men dead and the Jewish community worldwide traumatized. On Sunday, Hyper Cacher, the supermarket where the incident occurred, reopened its doors for business. Supermarket officials and France’s interior minister said that it is important to reopen the store despite the sad memories it holds in order to “show that life is stronger than barbarity.” The January 9 attack by Amedy Coulibaly, who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and also killed a policewoman in a separate attack, had been coordinated with two other gunmen who killed 12 people at the Charlie Hebdo’s headquarters two days earlier. “There we are—we are open again,” the new manager, Laurent Mimoun, told local media. He bravely wore his black kippa as he welcomed customers to the refurbished supermarket that showed no sign of the deadly attack. The shop has employed an entirely new staff since those present at the time of the attack are still recovering and are officially on sick leave. “We are thinking about all the victims—this has been the drive behind reopening the shop,” Mimoun said. “It is important to pay respect to the memory of those who fell under the fire of barbarity,” Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve announced at the opening, which took place under heavy police surveillance. “This food store reopens bravely to show that life is stronger than everything,” he said, adding that French authorities would “do everything so that all French people can live freely.” France has both the largest Jewish and Muslim populations in Europe. The attack prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to invite French

MARCH 19, 2015

Jews to emigrate. In response, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls vowed to the Jewish community that he would ensure their safety as an integral part of France. The Hyper Cacher group said in a statement released by local media that the reopening was a sign of the resilience of France’s Jewish community. “With [this] we reaffirm that life will always be stronger than barbarity. We are more determined than ever to allow our clients to eat kosher,” the statement said.

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The Week In News pursuing a nuclear weapons capability program. Iran insists its program is entirely devoted to civilian applications.

ISIS: We are Only Getting Stronger

An ISIS spokesperson has released a recording claiming the brutally violent terror group was not deterred by reports that its forces were forced out of the Iraqi city of Tikrit. “The Islamic State will remain, and it is only getting stronger and achieving more victories,” said Abu Mohammad al-Adnani in the recording. He claimed that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi accepted the oath of allegiance from his Boko Haram counterpart and called on Muslims to immigrate to the area.

The ISIS spokesperson directed several threats towards Jews and Christians saying they faced two options: “Convert to Islam or pay the ultimate price when your armies are expelled from Muhammad’s peninsula, from Jerusalem, and all Muslim lands.” He warned that if Jews and Christians choose a third way – and insist on their current path – they will soon regret their choice and be unable to stop the surge to the caliphate. “The Jews and the Crusaders are scared and weak,” al-Adnani decalred. “The weak and the cowardly cannot achieve victory,” he stressed, emphasizing they were cowards for not declaring their war is against Islam and the Sunnis. He also belittled the West’s effort to kill senior ISIS commanders and fighters, saying death does not concern them and only fuels the fires of jihad. Even as the U.S.-led coalition executes strike after strike in Syrian territories of ISIS, the terror group’s spokesperson continued to claim they had the upperhand. Al-Adnani said his group won the moment the Pentagon, the coalition, and Europe celebrated when they reclaimed control of small towns like

Kobani. “We won the day Europe and U.S. dreamt of reclaiming Tal Hamis, Mosul, Sinjar, Tikrit, Qaim, Derna, Tell Abyad, and more,” said the ISIS spokesperson. “On the other hand, we – with Allah’s help – want Paris, before Rome and Islamic Iberia and after we blow up the White House, Big Ben, and the Eiffel Tower before Paris, and Rome,” he warned. Adding to the list of achievements, al-Adnani threatened that ISIS had massive goals. “We want Kabul, Karachi, Riyadh, Tehran, Baghdad, Damascus, Jerusalem, and Cairo, Sana’a, Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Amman. The Muslims will return to power to be the vanguard and lead in every place,” he insisted.

Muslim Brotherhood Leader Sentenced to Death

tenced to death were the Brotherhood’s former spokesman Mahmud Ghazlan, former provincial governors and other senior members of the outlawed group. Badie has already been sentenced to four life terms in separate trials and was condemned to death for incitement to violence but that sentence was overturned and he is now facing a retrial. Defense lawyer Ahmad Helmi branded the verdicts as “farcical” in a telephone interview with AFP. He said the verdicts were handed down even though the defense had not finished its closing arguments concerning five of the defendants. A court in the northern city of Mansura also sentenced to death eight Brotherhood members accused of setting up a “terror cell” and murdering opponents of the Islamist organization. Since the overthrow of Morsi, the authorities have launched a brutal crackdown against his supporters, including leaders from his Muslim Brotherhood, leaving hundreds dead and thousands jailed after often speedy mass trials. Morsi himself is facing several trials on charges that are punishable by death.

France’s Anti-Anorexia Laws On Monday, Egyptian courts condemned Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie and 21 other members of the banned movement to death in two separate cases over incitement to violence. State news agency MENA said that Badie, 71, and 13 top Brotherhood members were found guilty of “plotting attacks aimed at sowing chaos” in Egypt in 2013. They were accused of setting up an “operations room” to prepare attacks against the state in the weeks after the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. The court had referred its verdict to Al-Azhar, the country’s top Sunni Muslim authority, for an advisory opinion in accordance with Egyptian law before ratifying the death sentences. In November 2013 the Brotherhood was declared a “terrorist organization” as part of a brutal crackdown by the authorities against its supporters that left hundreds dead. Thousands have also been jailed, often in speedy mass trials that have sparked an international outcry over the fairness of such proceedings, with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressing his alarm. Among Badie’s co-defendants sen-

According to the French Health Minister, the government of France is likely to back a bill banning excessively thin fashion models. Heavy fines will be imposed upon any modeling agency or fashion house that hires them and agents may even face jail time. Style-conscious France, with its fashion and luxury industries worth tens of billions of euros, would join Italy, Spain and Israel which all adopted laws against too-thin models in fashion shows or in advertising campaigns in early 2013. “It’s important for fashion models to say that they need to eat well and take care of their health, especially for young women who look to the models as an aesthetic ideal,” Health Minister Marisol Touraine said. With major health legislation coming up for debate in parliament, Touraine said the Socialist government was likely to back two amendments relating to models’ weight. The law would enforce regular weight checks and fines of up to $79,000 for any breaches, with up to six months in jail for staff involved. Models would have to present a medContinued on page 14

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The Week In News ical certificate showing a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 18, about 121 lb. for a height of 5.7 feet, before being hired for a job and for a few weeks afterwards. The bill’s amendments also propose penalties for anything made public that could be seen as encouraging extreme thinness, notably pro-anorexia web-

sites that glorify unhealthy lifestyles. In 2007, Isabelle Caro, an anorexic 28-year-old former French fashion model, died after participating in a photographic campaign to raise awareness about the illness. Sadly, between 30,000 and 40,000 people in France suffer from anorexia, most of them teenagers.

Mom Takes Children to Join ISIS According to prosecutors, a Chechen woman living in the Netherlands has taken her two young children against their father’s will to join the Islamic

State group in Syria. This is believed to be the first such case, prosecutors said. The unnamed 32-year-old refugee flew with her children, a boy aged eight and a girl aged seven, from Charleroi in Belgium to Athens in November, possibly using false passports after their Dutch father warned police of their imminent departure. “She is most likely in Syria now. We are probing a kidnapping case,” public prosecution spokeswoman Elsbeth Kleibeuker said, adding that an international detention request had been issued for them. The Chechen woman and her children, who are Dutch nationals, were photographed as she withdrew cash from a cash machine in Istanbul in mid-December.

On December 28 she posted a picture on Facebook, believed to have been taken in the Turkish-Syrian border town of Tell Abiad, which is controlled by the Islamic State group. In early January, she phoned her mother in southern Dutch city of Maastricht and told her that she was in the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa, after which nothing further has been heard. “The mother has taken the children against the wishes of her ex-husband, who has custody,” said public prosecution service spokesman Bart den Hartigh. “Unfortunately there’s very little we can do [if they are] in Syria,” he added. At least 160 people have travelled from the Netherlands to join jihadist fighters in Syria and Iraq, Dutch Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk said late last year. Nine of these were from Limburg province, including six from Maastricht. Their number included a young Dutch girl called “Aicha,” who was dramatically rescued by her mother from Syria last year after the teen travelled there to marry a jihadist fighter.

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The Week In News Former Iranian President’s Son Charged with Corruption The second to eldest son of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has been sentenced to 15 years

in prison over security and corruption charges, authorities said on Sunday. Judicial spokesman Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi did not reveal the exact charges. Ejehi also said Rafsanjani had been sentenced to an unspecified cash fine and banned from public service. “The verdict is not final. The defendant and his lawyer have 20 days to appeal the sentence,” the spokesman

added. The trial began last August in Iran’s Revolutionary Court, which hears cases mostly involving security offense. His trial was closed and outsiders were not allowed to sit in on it. This isn’t Rafsanjani’s first run-in with the law. He was briefly imprisoned in 2012 before standing trial on charges of fomenting unrest in the af-

termath of Iran’s disputed 2009 presidential election that former hard-liner President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won. Since the former president backed Ahmadinejad’s reformist challenger, his family has come under tremendous pressure and faced charges in court accusing them of various crimes, all of which they have denied.

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Former President Rafsanjani is known as a centrist politician who has promoted pragmatism and moderation in Iran but is detested by hardliners who are worried that he may seek to influence the upcoming election. His public support was one major reason why the relatively moderate President Hassan Rouhani won Iran’s 2013 presidential election.

Is China Rethinking its One Child Policy?

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Back in the late 1970s, the ruling Communist Party of China attempted to limit population growth by imposing strict rules; couples living in the city were restricted to only have one child. The government was brutal in enforcing their highly controversial policy, but officials say it has been a major contributing factor in China’s rising prosperity. However, more recently, it has led to demographic issues, including a rapidly aging population and a shrinking labor force. Additionally, the policy created a severe gender imbalance due to a traditional preference for sons. Nearly 116 boys were born for every 100 girls in China in 2014, while the gender ratio in the total population

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The Week In News – broadcasted by state broadcaster CCTV and reported on by the official news agency, Xinhua.

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As violence rages on in Iraq, ISIS fighters are getting creative to try to escape before they get captured. On Monday, the Iraqi army arrested twenty male Islamic State members dressed as women in the northern city of Baquba, according to spokesman Ghalib al-Jubouri. The group wore robes and veils, and some wore makeup and dresses. Many men shaved their facial hair while some chose not to but still wore a full face of makeup. The men were attempting to flee the fighting in Tikrit, which Iraq’s military only managed to take back from Islamic State six days ago. Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled al-Obedi said a positive outcome in the battle to recapture the key city of Tikrit could be a turning point in the war. ISIS is defending the area with roadside bombs and suicide attacks but a 20,000 Iraqi soldiers and

a cartoon showing Putin abducted from the Kremlin by aliens.

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ISIS Fighters Pose as Women

militiamen continue to make gains, the report added. There were several pictures on social media showing the strangely glammed-up ISIS fugitives. Some photos show senior Iraqi officers accompanying the escapees. The group is now in police custody and it is unclear what their fate will be.

Swirling Rumors of Putin’s Death Russian President Vladimir Putin was the object of mockery and savage joking online this week. Sparked by days of absence from public view, the internet was afire with rumors that the Russian leader was either dead or severely injured. All this was despite official insistence it was business as usual in the Kremlin. State television footage of Putin working at his residence failed to quell the tide of fantastical theories circulating online that the 62-year-old Kremlin leader had died, been deposed, or traveled to Switzerland to watch his friend give birth. Ukrainian children produced

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was 105 men to 100 women. In late 2013 a relaxation in the regulations was proposed. Couples were allowed to have two offspring if at least one parent was an only child. However, this amendment failed to see a marked increase in babies being born. Only 470,000 babies were born after the change—only 10% of families that were eligible for a second child under the new rules. Recently, Premier Li Keqiang told reporters that Beijing would assess the reform along with “China’s economic and social development situation” before any other adjustments were made to the regulation. “Both the pros and cons will be weighed,” he said, adding that “improvements, adjustments” would be made in accordance with legal procedures. However, in the past officials have stated that family planning is a “fundamental national strategy” that cannot be “shaken.’” Experts disagree, proposing a further loosening of the laws. This highly debated topic was brought up at Li’s once-a-year meeting with journalists at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People – where questions are generally submitted in advance

In a country where the president dominates state media, demonstrations are tightly controlled and Kremlin opponents risk arrest, fines, prosecution or possible death, the internet has become the most effective outlet for dissent. The hashtag #putinumer (Putin died) began trending on Twitter, and a website, putinumer.com, offered readers advice on how to gauge whether the rumors were true. “Look out the window,” it advised. “Are people rejoicing, dancing, letting off fireworks? No? That means he hasn’t died yet.” Putin is normally ever-present in state media, but his silence in the past

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The Week In News week fed rumors of a threat to his grip on power. While hard facts are scarce, there has been speculation of a split between rival Kremlin camps since the killing of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov near Red Square on February 27. While Putin is a target of satire, he remains by far Russia’s most popular politician and has enjoyed a surge in patriotic support since annexing Crimea from Ukraine last year. The head of a pro-Kremlin pollster recently said that his approval rating had hit an all-time high of 88 percent. Rumors of Putin’s death or deteriorating health did not amuse the Kremlin last week. When asked to confirm that the president was in good health, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “Yes. We’ve already said this a hundred times. This isn’t funny anymore.”

Bangladesh Factory Collapse Kills 5 A cement factory collapsed in Bangladesh this week, killing at least five

people and trapping over a hundred more. Soldiers and sailors in the port town of Mongla helped emergency services search through the rubble and pulled out more than 40 survivors, officials told reporters. “Most of the people inside the building were the construction workers including the people who recovered alive ... The recovery efforts are going on very carefully to avoid further risk,” Khulna district police chief Nizamul Haque Mollah said.

Bangladesh has a poor record for building safety. A complex of shops and small factories collapsed in 2013 killing more than 1,130 people, most of them garment workers. The collapse of Rana Plaza, built on swampy

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ground outside the capital, Dhaka, ranked among the world’s worst industrial accidents. The disastrous accident prompted a global outcry for improved safety in the world’s second-largest exporter of readymade garments.

Kenya Mall Terrorist Killed by Drone A senior member of the al-Shabab extremist group who helped plan the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi where 67 people were killed is believed to have been killed by a U.S. drone strike in Somalia on Thursday, officials said. Both Kenyan and U.S. officials, who insisted on anonymity, said Adan Garar and two others are suspected to have been killed after their car was targeted near the town of Bardhere. The senior Kenyan official claims that Garar is also suspected of planning failed attacks on Kenya’s coast and in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, last year. The attack was foiled by anti-terror police. They intercepted a car packed with explosives in March 2014. According to police, al-Shabab militants had planned simultaneous attacks on the international airport in Mombasa, the ferry crossing, and a supermarket. The car loaded with explosives was intended to be detonated on a ferry. Al-Shabab, an Islamic extremist group, vowed to inflict violent attacks on Kenya and Uganda because the two countries have contributed troops to the African Union force supporting the government in Somalia.

The conditions in Gaza have only worsened since the summer ground operation dubbed “Operation Defensive Edge” during which Hamas clashed with Israeli forces. But the PA, whose members have also been targeted by bombs and bullets, has adamantly denied Hamas’s accusations on its official news agency, WAFA. “Hamas lies,” Fatah spokesman Usama al-Qawasmi said. “Everyone knows it imposes its will by force.” The PA, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, has in effect been exiled from Gaza since its own confrontation with Hamas in 2007 and has been fending off and cracking down on popular support for the Islamist organization in the West Bank where Abbas still officially rules. Last spring, Hamas and Fatah signed a reconciliation deal, part of an initiative to form a unity government, but the two adversaries have bickered over loyalties and the deal has been ridden with bad faith.

Bibi is Well Paid— Some Say Too Well It has been a rough year for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s image in Israel. With a series of scandals and some very negative reports on his administration, he has been on the receiving end of many jokes over his exorbitant expenses, and his attempts to suppress them feature in almost every comedic segment on television.

Israel Hamas and PA Continue to Clash Hamas’s Interior Ministry is blaming the Palestinian Authority for a series of violent incidents that have rocked the area. Hamas representative Iyad al-Bozum said those responsible for the attacks are “members of the former security establishment in Gaza” who he said are “exploiting the difficult conditions—especially since the last war—to spread chaos and confusion with explosions, car burnings and shooting.”

Adding fuel to the fire, a recent CNN survey of the salaries of world leaders showed that Netanyahu has unseated Russian President Vladimir Putin from his eighth-place spot on the list. The Israeli prime minister earns $141,000 annually – $5,000 more than the leader of the largest nation in the world, who recently took a 10 percent pay cut after his country fell into a deep recession. (Who knows how much Putin makes under the table.) At the top of the CNN list, not surprisingly, is Barack Obama, who raked in $400,000 last year not including

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MARCH 19, 2015

The Week In News a tax-free expense account valued at $50,000. That impressive salary, however, was once only half the sum that the leader of the free world receives until George W. Bush entered the Oval Office in 2001. In a distant second is Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper, with $260,000 in compensation for running the second largest country on Earth by size. The leader of Europe’s economic powerhouse, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, came in third with an impressive salary of $234,000. South African President Jacob Zuma ($223,500) and UK Prime Minister David Cameron ($214,800) round out the top 5 on the list of the most highly paid leaders of major economies.

Palestinian Lovers of Violence Glorify Murderers Every year in the month of March those who live in Palestinian Authority-controlled territory praise and honor

one of the most gruesome Palestinian massacres of Israelis and Americans in modern history. On March 9, 1978, a squad of 13 Palestinian terrorists, led by Dalal Mughrabi, landed in several small boats on Israel’s shore. They were members of Fatah, the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). At that time, Yasser Arafat was chairman of the PLO and Fatah, and Mahmoud Abbas was his second in command. Today, Abbas leads the PLO, Fatah, and the PA. On the beach where the terrorists landed, Gail Rubin, a popular Jewish-American nature photographer and niece of American Senator Abraham Ribicoff, was taking photos of rare birds. One of the terrorists, Hussain Fayadh, later told Lebanese reporters what happened: “Sister Dalal al-Mughrabi had a conversation with the American journalist. Before killing her, Dalal asked, ‘How did you enter Palestine?’ [Rubin] answered: ‘They gave me a visa.’ Dalal said, ‘Did you get your visa from me, or from Israel? I have the right to this land. Why didn’t you come to me?’ Then Dalal opened fire on her.”

Mughrabi, Fayadh, and their comrades then walked to the nearby Coastal Road and hijacked an Israeli bus. They murdered 36 passengers; twelve of them were children. Eventually Mughrabi was killed by Israeli troops. Fayadh survived and was sentenced to life in jail, but then was released in a prisoner exchange. Palestinians spent last week glorifying Mughrabi as a heroine, calling the massacre “a huge self-sacrificing operation in Herzliya, Tel Aviv—80 Israelis killed and over 100 wounded.” Fatah also announced a public event celebrating the mass murder, to be held across from Martyr Dalal Mughrabi Square in Ramallah.

EU’s foreign policy chief, who is pushing for a revamp of the Quartet and for Europe to take a more robust stance on Israel’s conduct. If Blair does step aside or take an informal position it would end the controversial arrangement that has made him a fixture of Middle East diplomacy while conducting private business with some regional governments that he also deals with through the Quartet. No final decisions have yet been taken by the Quartet but a clarification on Blair’s role is expected to come soon. Although Kerry is a supporter of Blair’s continued involvement, some other senior figures in Washington have said they want Blair to step aside over concerns with his multiple charitable, diplomatic and commercial interests. Some senior diplomats have said that Blair was being eased out of the position. “It is long overdue,” said one diplomat briefed on the discussions. “He has been ineffective in this job. He has no credibility in this part of the world.”

Experts: Arafat Never Poisoned

Blair to Leave 8 Year Post

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is preparing to step back from his eight year role as envoy for the Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators. Blair has recognized that a frontline role is no longer tenable, according to several people familiar with the situation. His move comes amid deep unease in parts of Washington and Brussels over his poor relations with senior Palestinian Authority figures and some of his business interests. According to recent reports, Blair is embarking on delicate negotiations to recast his Middle East role but is determined to remain part of the peace process. He met Secretary of State John Kerry last week in Egypt to discuss a possible role change. He reportedly also spoke to Federica Mogherini, the

French experts have established that the 2004 death of iconic Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was not the result of poisoning. A prosecutor of the western Paris suburb of Nanterre said the experts found there was no foul play in Arafat’s death, which sparked immediate and enduring conspiracy rumors. The findings echo those of Russian experts, but a Swiss team has said that the poisoning theory is “more consistent” with their own test results. A center in the Swiss city of Lausanne had tested biological samples taken from Arafat’s personal belongings given to his widow after his death, and found “abnormal levels of polonium” — an extremely radioactive toxin — but stopped short of saying that he had been poisoned by polonium. The French experts “maintain that the polonium 210 and lead 210 found in Arafat’s grave and in the samples are of an environmental nature,” Nanterre Continued on page 26

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‫ היומי בהלכה‬‫ של ד‬‫ העולמי למחזור הראשו‬‫דרשו סיו‬

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MARCH 19, 2015

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ERETZ YISRAEL:

TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015 YAD ELIYAHU STADIUM

NORTH AMERICA:

STAMFORD HOTEL SHABBOS CONVENTION PARSHAS VAYAKHEL-PEKUDEI MARCH 13-15, 2015

ENGLAND:

HORWOOD HOUSE SHABBOS CONVENTION PARSHAS VAYIKRA, MARCH 20-22, 2015

FRANCE:

LES DOCKS DE PARIS SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2015

ERETZ YISRAEL:

TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015 BINYANEI HAUMAH

SOUTH AMERICA:

OHR CHAYA HOTEL WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2015

SOUTH AFRICA:

SCARLET RIBBON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2015

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‫ העולמי‬‫דרשו סיו‬ ‫ היומי בהלכה‬‫ של ד‬‫למחזור הראשו‬

‫ הלכה‬‫תהא שנת עיו‬

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When visited by Rav Dovid Hofstedter, Chacham Raful asked him, “B’meh zachita? How were you zoche to establish such Harbotzas HaTorah? Dirshu has seen tremendous Siyata D’Shmaya! The enemies of Torah think that they can succeed, but against this type of activities they don’t stand a chance.”

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Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva Torah V’Chaim, Yerushalayim “There is something special about learning Daf HaYomi B’Halacha, because one can always come home after learning, with practical halachos that he can apply. When learning halacha l’maaseh, like Daf HaYomi B’Halacha, one comes home with tremendous practical to’eles – that he can apply in his day-to-day life!”

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HAGAON HARAV GAMLIEL RABINOWITZ, SHLITA

Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshivas Shaar Hashamayim “In our times in which few people know Halacha properly...the study of Halacha is a learning that safeguards the very existence of the Torah in the Jewish people. The activities of the Dirshu organization for the study of Halacha is as the Gemara says, ‘Great are the deeds of Chiya, in whose merit the Torah was not forgotten from Israel.’ The work that Dirshu does for the study of Halacha is activism for the most important matters of the Jewish people.”

ALEXANDER REBBE, SHLITA

MODZITZER REBBE, SHLITA “A special Berachah of itself is Dirshu’s Limud of the course of Halacha...since through studying Halacha...a person becomes complete...In the merit of this great matter there will be blessing...to all those who study it and ...those who live in the Holy Land which now needs great mercies.”

Chazal say, “One who learns halacha every day is “assured” a place in Olam Habaah.” “The Mishnah states, ‘Every Jew has a ‘share’ in the World to Come.’ Why,” asked the Rebbe, “is one who learns halacha every day “assured” a place, while every Jew has a ‘share’? The Chida in the name of the Rama M’Pano, says, “Whereas a ‘share’ is akin to one who visits occasionally, ‘assured’ means one is a ben bayis in Olam Habah, he is not merely a visitor, that is where he lives. This is the meaning of “One who learns halacha every day is “assured” a place in Olam Habaah.”. When someone learns halacha every day without missing a day, with a sense of responsibility, he is a "ben olam haba" because that is where he lives. That is the power of being part of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha!”

Thousands worldwide are joined together and have benefitted from Daf HaYomi B’Halacha’s daily limud of Mishnah Berurah and Mussar from Sifrei Chofetz Chaim. Gedolei Yisrael have endorsed and encouraged Dirshu’s Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program’s unique retention and accountability methods, as a way to master Halacha.

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The Week In News prosecutor Catherine Denis said. Arafat died at the age of 75 on November 11, 2004 at the Percy de Clamart hospital near Paris. He had been admitted there at the end of October that year after developing stomach pains while at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where he had lived since December 2001 surrounded by the Israeli army.

Arafat’s widow, Suha, lodged a complaint at a court in Nanterre in 2012, claiming that her husband was assassinated, sparking an inquiry. That same year, Arafat’s tomb in Ramallah was opened for a few hours to allow three teams of French, Swiss and Russian investigators to collect around 60 samples from his grave.

National Most Affordable Cities in the U.S.

ty high nowadays. But there must be some places in the United States that are more affordable. Is the sky always blue there, the grass always green, and the American dream within reach?

The cost of living, especially in Orthodox communities, seems to be pret-

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Recently, Forbes did their civil duty and organized a list of America’s Most Affordable Cities. To determine which cities fit the bill they narrowed their study down to cities and their surrounding suburbs, as defined by the Office of Budget and Management, with populations of 600,000 or more. Several categories were assessed including housing affordability, the cost of food, utilities, gas, transportation, medical expenses, and other daily expenses in each area. So where can people live the most within their means? The findings show that life in the South and Midwest is significantly cheaper. The majority of the cities on the most affordable list are located in those areas; only a single Western city—Colorado Springs, Colorado (No. 11)—and one in the Northeast—Buffalo, N.Y. (No. 3)—made the list. Not one city on the West Coast made it to the list. Time to start moving towards the middle of the country. Here’s a list of the top ten most affordable cities in the nation. 1. Birmingham, Alabama 2. Knoxville, Tennessee 3. Buffalo, New York 4. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 5. Cincinnati, Ohio 6. Memphis, Tennessee 7. St. Louis, Missouri 8. Dayton, Ohio 9. Indianapolis, Indiana 10. Columbus, Ohio (tie) & Detroit, Michigan (tie)

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MARCH 19, 2015

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The Week In News

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Boston Wins Snow Crown

We can all agree it’s been a pretty miserable winter (we’re not talking to you Californians or Floridians! You can just read on and silently gloat), but Boston residents have the most to complain about and the most to look forward to as the spring approaches. This year Boston suffered the snowiest winter season since 1872. According to the National Weather Service in Taunton, Massachusetts, the official measurement of 108.6 inches at Logan International Airport as of Sunday night surpassed a season record of 107.9 inches set in 1995-96. In February alone, 64.9 inches of snow fell, setting a monthly record. Previously, the worst month was January 2005 when 43.3 inches fell. These numbers are still pending since forecasters have warned that snow can technically still come. March 1993 had 38.9 inches, and March 1916 had 33.

Major IRS Scam Sweeps the Nation

OR HAGANUZ

ELIMA N O

A D D E D

S U L F I T E S

If you get a call from an “IRS agent,” don’t pick up. A federal investigator informed the public last week that 366,000 people have been the victims of fraud. People

posing as fake IRS agents have been harassing Americans with phone calls demanding payments and threatening jail. This is being regarded as possibly the biggest scam of its kind in the history of the agency. Timothy Camus, a Treasury deputy inspector general for tax administration, said that thousands of people have fallen prey to this scam since 2013. Collectively they were conned out of $15.5 million. A single victim claims to have lost over $500,000 in this fraud that reached almost every state. “The criminals do not discriminate. They are calling people everywhere, of all income levels and backgrounds,” Camus told the Senate Finance Committee at a hearing. “The callers often warned the victims that if they hung up, local police would come to their homes to arrest them.” Investigators suspect that there is more than one group of offenders, possible some overseas. Oddly enough, Camus himself received a call from one of the scammers at his home on a Saturday. He said he had a stern message for the caller: “Your day will come.” Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., said he got a similar call, but realized it wasn’t a real IRS agent. “It was a very convincing phone call,” he related. To date, two people in Florida have been arrested for involvement in the scam. Supposedly they were linked to call centers in India contacting U.S. taxpayers and pretending to be IRS agents. “These criminal acts are perpetrated by thieves hiding behind telephone lines and computers, preying on honest taxpayers and robbing the Treasury of tens of billions of dollars every year,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. “Taxpayers must be more aware of the risks and better protected from attack and these criminals must be found and brought to justice.” The IRS is warning Americans to be aware and hyper-vigilant about any kind of communication regarding their taxes. It is common for tax scams to increase during tax filing season. As millions of Americans prepare their taxes for the April 15 deadline, the IRS is seeing countless cases of identity theft and refund fraud. Recently the IRS has increased their efforts to detect large numbers of tax refunds going to the same address or bank account. As of October 2014, using computer filters, the agency identified more than 517,000 suspicious returns and blocked $3.1 billion in fraudulent returns.

Inaugural Dinner

Motzaei Shabbos, March 21, 2015 ”   9:15pm

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MARCH 19, 2015

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MARCH 19, 2015

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The Week In News

Bill Badger was a hero even before he helped save people’s lives during the January 8, 2011 shooting in a grocery store parking lot that killed six people and injured 13, including former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords. Badger, 78, an Army vet, passed away last week after suffering from pneumonia. His is survived by his wife, Sallie Badger. “Bill was a hero to many, many people long before he became a hero on January 8. He was very influential in many, many young lives in many

Despite the tremendous access to information nowadays, American millennials are actually the least skilled demographic group in the world. Millennials are also known as Generation Y or the New Generation and refer to individuals who became adults around the turn of the 21st century. Although the average toddler can play a game on an iPhone or turn on a computer, that does not necessarily transfer to useful skills as adults. Technology is created to be extremely easy to use and it requires very little cognitive ability or responsibility.

Top 5 scores in literacy: 1. Japan 2. Finland 3. Netherlands 4. Australia 5. Sweden The United States placed #17 out of 23. Top 5 scores in numeracy: 1. Japan 2. Finland 3. Flanders (Belgium) 4. Netherlands 5. Sweden

The United States placed #21 out of 23. Top 5 scores in PS-TRE: 1. Japan 2. Finland 3. Australia 4. Sweden 5. Norway The United States placed #18 out of 20. Strangely enough, American millennials are regarded as the most educated generation according to another recent study. “We really thought [U.S.] millennials would do better than the general adult population, either compared to older coworkers in the U.S. or to the same age group in other countries,” Madeline Goodman, an ETS researcher who worked on the study, told Fortune. “But they didn’t. In fact, their scores were abysmal.” The study concludes that a more expensive and expansive education “may not hold all the answers.” So what is the answer? We probably shouldn’t wait for an American millennial to figure it out.

MARCH 19, 2015

American Millennials Lack Skills

Fortune reports that Generation Y Americans (those born after 1980) are not truly skilled. Our peers in other technology-rich countries have higher literacy, numeracy and problem-solving rates. Researchers at the Princeton-based Educational Testing Service (ETS), who conducted the recent study, administered a test called the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies to measure the job skills of adults in 23 countries.

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Hero Vet Who Saved Congresswoman Passes Away

ways,” Sallie Badger said. While attending a constituent event for Giffords, Badger was shot in the head. Giffords was the target of gunman Jared Loughner, but Badger interceded and succeeded in tackling Loughner. Other people present helped hold down the gunman and disarmed him while they waited for the police. Loughner is serving seven consecutive life terms in prison. Badger was not permanently injured from the bullet that grazed the back of his head, but he showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to his wife. Since the attack, the couple embarked on a three-year journey across the country to rally for stricter gun laws. “We wanted desperately to have background checks on every gun that was sold,” Sallie Badger said. “And Bill just made that his mission.” Rep. Giffords, who lives in Tucson, said she was saddened by Badger’s death. “Bill was not only a great man and a proud Army veteran, he was a hero,” she said in a statement. “I believe that Bill helped save lives that morning. And I will always be grateful to him for his selfless, brave actions.”

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So what should people be wary of when they get that call? First of all, the fake IRS agent will always demand payment via a prepaid debit card or a wire transfer. They tend to avoid using bank cards because they are connected to bank accounts and the money can be transferred. The real IRS never demands payments by debit card, credit card, or wire transfer. This scam is exclusively by phone. The fake agents call taxpayers claiming they owe taxes and if the individual refuses they are threatened to be arrested, deported, or lose a business or driver’s license. Generally the IRS contacts people first by mail. Also, be aware that these fake agents may know the last four digits of your social security number, making their claims and threats slightly more believable. “Our message is simple,” Camus said. “If someone calls unexpectedly claiming to be from the IRS with aggressive threats if you do not pay immediately, it is a scam artist calling. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by telephone. If you do owe money to the IRS, chances are you have already received some form of a notice or correspondence from the IRS in your mailbox.”

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MARCH 19, 2015

The Week In News 7 Killed in Military Helicopter Crash in Florida

Last Tuesday a deep fog came over Florida, causing a military helicopter to crash. Seven elite Marines and four soldiers were onboard for a training mission when the aircraft went down over a body of water. The exercise involved “insertion and extraction missions,” using small boats and helicopters to move in and out of a target site. Shortly after, divers discovered the wreckage just 25 feet underwater but the recovery of bodies and the flight recorder was delayed due to more bad weather on Thursday. The mission changed from rescue to recovery after divers inspected the shattered core of the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, said Col. Monte Cannon, vice-commander of the 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base. The Guardsmen were supporting Marines who were part of a team of special operations forces who had been rappelling down ropes into water off the coast of the Florida Panhandle. The Marines then were to reach Santa Rosa Island by swimming or in small rubber boats. They had done the drill hours earlier in daylight, but by Tuesday night dense fog had rolled in. They and the crew of a second Black Hawk made a decision to abort the nighttime training. One helicopter landed safely. The other hit the waters of the Santa Rosa Sound at a high rate of speed and sank in 25 feet of water, killing all who had been aboard. “It was certainly a high-impact crash,” said Eglin Fire Chief Mark Giuliano, and “very, very, very dense fog” was complicating the response. There was almost no visibility at the spot where the wreckage was found, forcing search crews to move slowly to avoid colliding with each other. The surf was also too rough to pull the wreckage to the surface. One of the Marines killed was Kerry Kemp, whose wife, Jenna, was

notified overnight that her husband’s remains had been found. Kemp was a “proud Marine, a loving husband and most wonderful father,” with a child about to turn 1, said his sister-in-law, Lora Waraksa of Port Washington, Wisconsin. Another victim was Marcus Bawol, 27, from Warren, Michigan, north of Detroit. His sister, Brandy Peek, said military officials told the family they had identified his remains. Bawol “loved everything about the military,” Peek said. The four National Guard soldiers from Hammond, Louisiana each did two tours in Iraq, and joined in humanitarian missions after Gulf Coast hurricanes and the BP oil spill, their commanders said. All the Marines were “seasoned combat veterans” who did tours in Iraq before joining the 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion in Afghanistan, where they were training local military and police, said Capt. Barry Morris, spokesman for the Marine Corps Special Operations Command at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The White House has promised a thorough investigation into the cause, which is being led by the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center out of Fort Rucker, Alabama.

Two Police Officers Shot in Ferguson

Police arrested Jeffrey Williams, 20, after receiving information from the public. He is charged with two counts of first-degree assault, one count of firing a weapon from a vehicle, and three counts of armed criminal action, according to St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch. He also related that Williams already had a warrant out because he had violated his probation “for receiving stolen property.” McCulloch said the suspect “claims he had a bit of a dispute with some other people there” and wasn’t aiming at the officers. “We’re not sure we completely buy that part of it,” McCulloch said, also mentioning that there may have been other people in the car with Williams when the shots were fired. A 41-year-old St. Louis County officer was shot in the right shoulder, the bullet exiting through his back. A 32-year-old officer from Webster Groves was wearing a riot helmet with the face shield up. He was shot in the right cheek, just below the eye, and the bullet lodged behind his ear. The officers were quickly released from the hospital on Thursday. “What happened last night was a pure ambush,” Attorney General Eric Holder said on Thursday. “This was not someone trying to bring healing to Ferguson.”

Durst Arrested 15 Years Later

Trooper Melissa Matey confirmed that an arrest warrant was issued for Durst and he was booked in the Orleans Parish Jail under two new charges: convicted felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a weapon with a controlled dangerous substance, which was a small amount of marijuana. The 71-year-old appeared before a judge in New Orleans for the extradition hearing, where his lawyers agreed to have him sent back to California. “Let me just say that we came here to waive jurisdiction and to go back to California and to get it on,” Durst’s lawyer Dick DeGuerin said in front of the courthouse after the hearing was over. “Bob Durst didn’t kill Susan Berman—he’s ready to end all the rumor and speculation and have a trial but we’re frustrated because the local authorities are considering filing charges on him here and holding him here,” DeGuerin said. Durst, the son of a wealthy New York real estate family, was the subject of a television series detailing the disappearance of his wife Kathleen, the murder of his friend Susan Berman, and the death of his neighbor Morris Black. Durst was acquitted in 2003 of Black’s murder, but was never charged in connection to Kathleen’s disappearance or Berman’s death. Berman was scheduled to meet with investigators looking into Kathleen’s 1982 disappearance when she was found shot in the back of the head in her Los Angeles home, investigators said. Durst was arrested just before the now famous finale of the television series about himself where he was heard on a recording saying that he “killed them all.”

That’s Odd The Intrepid Travelers $300,000 bond is being held for the man responsible for shooting two Ferguson police officers late last Thursday night. Two officers were wounded by gunfire after a late-night demonstration that unfolded after Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson resigned in the wake of the scathing federal Justice Department report. According to most accounts, the shots were believed to come from a handgun across the street from the police department, a national focal point since the fatal August 9 shooting of Michael Brown.

Real estate heir Robert Durst was charged with first-degree murder this week, the Los Angeles County DA said. The charge, which carries the death penalty, is for the murder of his friend, Susan Berman, in Los Angeles in the year 2000. Prosecutors have been working closely with the Los Angeles Police Department for the past two years investigating the cold case murder. Durst was arrested at a Marriott hotel in New Orleans. Louisiana State

Thought heading upstate for the summer is a great road trip? That’s nothing compared to what Jon and Jennifer Riehl are doing—they have visited all the counties in the lower 48 states, rolling into county number 3,108 last week. What’s even cooler? They did the roadtripping in their forest green 1999 Dodge Intrepid—with 540,000 miles on the odometer. I guess you can say their life is one long road trip and their car is their baby. Jon, 31, bought the beloved auto in 2002 for $9,000 when he was a senior in high school. At the time, the

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The Week In News car had 70,000 miles on it—which is nothing compared to what it has now. “My dad didn’t even think it would get me through college,” Jon said. “Clearly he was wrong.”

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The intrepid couple has visited every county in the lower 48 states but they have not left out the two youngest states: Alaska and Hawaii. They have taken a large dent out of the Alaska and are planning on shipping the Intrepid to Hawaii to complete their adventure of visiting all 3,142 countries in the U.S. They have a few more to go, along with lots more counties they’ve visited in Canada. Clearly this trip seems never-ending to some, but not to Jon. “I’m into collecting things, and I’m kind of stubborn,” he says. “So when I get into something, I need to finish it.” Good

for you, Jon. I’m glad you didn’t include me on your mission. Jon has always been an “explorer.” From the age of three he had a map in his hand, helping his parents navigate during family trips; Jennifer Riehl, 32, was the same way, so when the couple met in 2005, their collective desire to travel occurred organically. They still use old-fashioned maps (hey, I thought my father was the only person in the U.S. to still use them!) and since many of the roads they travel are off-road, using a GPS may prove to be dangerous. So what do you get when you explore America? The Riehls have met massive bears, have had bison block the roads, have seen horrific car accidents and have encountered a swarm of ten tornadoes. A blizzard in Manitoba, Canada, meant they couldn’t drive above 2 mph, and the road out of Stewart, Alaska, left them stuck for eight hours due to an avalanche. Throughout all that driving—they typically drive around 50,000 miles a year—they have only experienced mechanical problems that delayed their trip overnight five times. They typically drive 16 hours a day. Visiting a county doesn’t just mean driving through.

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They make sure to document their journey with photos—and much-needed time to stretch their legs. It’s been quite the adventure, but for the Riehls, the architecture along the way and meeting friendly people from different backgrounds has been the most valuable part: “We’ve both gained a huge amount from this,” Jon says. “We’ve learned that people are typically very nice and always willing to help you out. We ran out gas once in the middle of Tennessee and someone drove us miles to the nearest gas station.” That’s the beauty of America. Hopefully, the never-tiring traveling couple will complete their mission. And we hope they have their beloved Intrepid along as they check off county number 3,142.

fine. In 2002, a top executive at the Finnish telecommunications giant, Nokia, was slapped with a $128,000 ticket for speeding on his Harley Davidson motorcycle, BBC reported.

The Sleep of the Rich

A Taxing Fine

Think New York City has stiff fines for speeding? Make sure not to make Finland your next vacation destination. Last week, Finnish authorities looked up a millionaire’s 2013 tax return before issuing him a roughly $57,000 traffic citation for speeding. Because Reima Kuisla is a millionaire—he earned 6.5 million euros in 2013—he was forced to hand over 54,000 euros for traveling a mere 14 miles over the speed limit. This could happen to you—if you speed in Finland and if you’re a millionaire. Fines are meted based on a person’s income, ensuring that penalties are felt equally by people of all classes. Mr. Kuisla, though, still felt the sting. “Ten years ago I wouldn’t have believed that I would seriously consider moving abroad,” he wrote on his Facebook page. “Finland is impossible to live in for certain kinds of people who have high incomes and wealth.” Not many who read his post felt too sympathetic towards him. “If you follow the rules you won’t have to pay fines,” one practical commenter wrote. Kuisla should be happy with his

Who wants to sleep like a billionaire? A few fortunate Berkshire Hathaway investors will get to sleep in the same bedroom as Warren Buffett slept when he was a boy. Of course, he wasn’t a billionaire at the time, but hey, you never know. The home-sharing service Airbnb is offering a free three-night stay at the Omaha home around this year’s annual investor meeting on May 2 as a way to promote its services. Shareholders who want to stay at the three-bedroom house must submit short essays and prove they own Berkshire stock. When people come to the annual meeting, every hotel room in the region is booked. Buffett’s childhood home is about 15 minutes away from the arena—a short drive for the experience. Because of the demand for hotel rooms around that time, Airbnb is signing up people willing to rent all or part of their homes to help provide rooms for the more than 40,000 people expected to attend this year’s meeting. This year is sure to draw a large crowd since it’s the 50th anniversary of when Buffett took over Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett has said he hopes Airbnb can help shareholders who don’t want to pay for the expensive three-night minimum stays that some Omaha hotels require during the meeting. The investor is known for his frugality. He has been living in his current home in Omaha, Nebraska, that he bought in 1958 for $31,500. Buffett’s family started living in his childhood home at 2501 N. 53rd Street Continued on page 38

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The Week In News in central Omaha in 1936. Buffett lived there with his parents and two sisters for several years before his father was first elected to Congress in 1942. While living there Buffett started his future in business. He sold bottles of Coke to neighbors for a nickel after buying a six-pack for 25 cents. He also bought his first stock in 1942 while living there. Buffett’s mother continued to live

in the home until about 1966. Buffett’s room was on the west side of the home, and Airbnb said it has twin beds in it today.

A Treasure of a Tip Sunday may have started out as a regular day for Claire Hudson but it

ended with words of inspiration and a lift for the waitress. Claire was working a double shift at local burger joint, Mac’s Grub Shak, when a couple came in, leaving a $36 tip on a bill that was less than $30. Claire didn’t notice who they were, but they left her a bittersweet note explaining why 36 was a significant number for them.

“Today is my brother’s b-day,” it said, written behind the credit card receipt. “He would have been 36 today. Every year I go eat his favorite meal “hot dogs” and tip the waitress his age. Happy B-day Wes.” “I was in tears when I read it,” Claire admitted. “I had to go in the back of the restaurant and compose myself before I went out to my other tables.” Eventually Claire posted the note on Reddit, hoping to find the couple. The restaurant owner where Claire works wants to name a hot dog after Wes. “I have a friend, he was my best friend, he died about three years ago,” Claire related. “This experience has definitely given me the idea to do the same thing on his birthday every year. It was deeply moving.”

More than a Bargain

$1 for a painting is a great bargain. It’s an even bigger bargain if you haggle the price down to 50 cents—and the painting may be worth thousands! Jesse Ronnebaum made this fortuitous purchase when he bought a worn painting of seven men playing pool at a yard sale. He bought it because he loves old things but now he’s hoping the painting will bring in enough to get him out of debt and let him save up for his two children when it sells at auction in Chicago in May. “It would be nice not to have to live check to check,” said Ronnebaum,

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The Week In News who lives in Batesville, about 65 miles southeast of Indianapolis, and cleans floor for a living at a Honda plant. Ronnebaum bought the painting eight years ago. He’s moved around a lot since then but kept the old painting. Just last week, the light hit the painting in a certain way and the words “Palette and Chisel Club 1910” were visible in

the corner. He did some research and learned the Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago, which still exists, has been associated with some well-known artists. He contacted several art dealers in Indianapolis and by the next day he had offers for the painting ranging from $500 to $1,500. “That’s when I realized this might

be worth something,” he said. He agreed to work with Indianapolis art dealer Curt Churchman to have the painting restored and sell it at auction. Churchman said the painting is unusual in that it was done by seven artists. He said the best-known of the group is Victor Higgins, and some of the others are known. Churchman said

it’s difficult to say how much the painting will bring. “I think $10,000 is realistic. I think a good day at auction it could maybe bring $25,000,” he added. Ronnebaum said he will miss the painting, but will look for a replacement. “Watch to see if I pass up a yard sale now,” he said.

Notes of Inspiration

Some say that middle school is tough on children who may feel insecure, but eighth graders in Massachusetts felt pretty good recently when they entered their school. An anonymous do-gooder posted Post-Its on all 149 eighth grade lockers with the words “you are beautiful.” “It probably made everyone’s day,” one student said. Another one added, “Everybody started talking about it.” The notes began to multiply and then migrate to different lockers. Eric Anderson was pleasantly surprised to see his locker covered with the inspirational message — a nice pick-me-up after his family’s home recently burned down. “It’s still good that people care,” he said. Despite the good feelings, no one has come forward to claim that they wrote the pick-me-ups. And that’s OK, principal Dave Fabrizio said. “It doesn’t matter where that message came from,” he said. “If each child looked at it in a different way and said, ‘Boy somebody cares about me’ or ‘I’m going to have a better day because of it’ … the message is all you need.” 

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Around The Community

“Bravo,” “Encore,” “Two thumbs up,” the packed crowd cheered after each act of the Shalhevet performance of Annie. Directed by Ms. Ariana Wolfson, the Shalhevet students performed an outstanding rendition of the hit movie and Broadway play. The enthusiastic audience sang along to the popular hits such as “The Sun will Come Out Tomorrow” and “It’s a Hard Knock Life.” Starring Sarit Perl as Annie, Rivka Raizel Goldschein as Daddy Warbucks, Aviva Chait as Ms. Hannigan, Rikki Vatch as Grace Farrell, and Zahava Fertig as Drake, the cast kept the crowd amazed and enthralled with their wonderful performance. The orphans, featuring Michal Beer, Hadassah Fertig, Gabrielle Koegel, Shoshi Koppel, Becky Marks, and Nechama Schneide,r were captivating and entertaining. Devora Chait and Dina Farkas, who played Lily St. Regis and Rooster, were hilarious and charming with their lifelike portrayal of the villainous duo. Special guest performer, Principal Mrs. Esther Eisenman, took the stage as Ickes, along with Dina Seidenberg as FDR, Dasi Schneider as Perkins, and Chelli Katz as Morgenthau. The ensemble of dancers, choreographed by Mrs. Maggie Dror, were marvelous and riveting. The costumes were stunning and the props enhanced the show. Special thanks to Maor Noy and Esti Freud, the unbelievable backstage crew, who ran the show perfectly. Their hard work definitely paid off! The show was a smashing hit and we eagerly await Shalhevet’s next performance.

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MARCH 19, 2015

Shalhevet’s Annie Production

to be checked, and to properly dispose of sheimos, and to donate food and clothing to those in need at Young Israel of Woodmere on Sunday, March 22. Sheimos: 9am-1pm; Tefillin/Mezuzos: first come, first serve. Drop off begins at



As we clear our houses of chometz pre-Pesach, it is an especially opportune time to check our observance of other mitzvos as well. The entire community is invited to bring in mezuzos, tefillin, and garments

THE JEWISH HOME

Mezuzos/Tefillin Checking, Sha’atnez & Sheimos, Food & Clothing Drive

Around The Community Agudath Israel of America held their 5th annual breakfast in the Five Towns at the home of Mr. & Mrs. Yechezkel Hartman in Lawrence. The breakfast honored State Senator Dean Skelos, a great advocate for the Jewish community.

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MARCH 19, 2015

PHOTO CREDIT: IVAN H NORMAN

Senator Skelos speaking

Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz, Rabbi Binyamin Kaminetsky, Senator Skelos, and Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zweibel

Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zweibel, Rabbi Yitzchok Frankel, rabbi of the Agudah of the Five Towns, and Martin Oliner, mayor of Lawrence

Senator Skelos with the hosts, Mr. & Mrs. Hartman

State Senator Dean Skelos being greeted by Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zweibel, Executive Vice President of Agudath Israel of America

R’ Ralbag, R’ Dovid Frischman, and Daniel Waldman

On Motzei Shabbos, Ashreinu held its annual final week of the season melava malka. The Ashreinu Motzei Shabbos shiur is a weekly shiur in hashkafa given by R’ Shimon Saslow and R’ Dovid Frischman held at the Agudah of Long Island throughout the winter-long Motzei Shabbosim. For the final week, the boys are treated to a Chinese buffet (normally they get pizza) and a local rav imparts divrei chizuk. This year the guest speaker was R’ Ralbag of Woodmere (who also happens to be the father of one of the boys who attends the shiur). The night ended with a raffle for a free spot on this year’s Ashreinu chol hamoed Pesach Lancaster trip for boys grades 7- 9; Ari Zutler was the winner of the prize.

TJH wishes

Dr. David and Orly Simai a special mazal tov on the birth of their son, Avraham Aron. May they have much nachas and simchos from all their children.

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Around The Community

JCCRP’s Executive Director Travels to Albany to Appeal for Continued Support of Neighborhood Preservation Programs The JCCRP’s Executive Director, Nathan Krasnovksy, traveled to Albany last week on a lobbying mission with local elected officials. The JCCRP, along with other Neighborhood Preservation Programs, were appealing for continued

Nathan Krasnovsky with Senator Joseph Addabbo outside the NY Senate Chamber

support for their housing programs. For 38 years, the Neighborhood Preservation Coalition, NPC, has provided services that are life-changing and community empowering and are currently on the forefront responding to the state’s current affordable housing crisis. Nathan Krasnovsky stated upon returning from his trip, “Our housing intervention programs are a lifeline for local residents facing eviction and without the continued support of our local elected officials the funding for these programs would be

drastically cut. Spending a few days in Albany with our elected officials gave me a new-founded respect for the tremendous sacrifice on their behalf. The constant travel, long hours and time spent away from their families is extremely taxing, yet, they continue to serve their constituents and represent our needs on the state level and I thank them for all of their efforts.” The NPC is providing the vital services that will aid New York State’s recovery and will ensure the well-being of our low-income residents. They provide homeownership counseling, tenant and homeowner assistance and create new affordable housing opportunities that strengthen communities and boost the economy. New York State ranks as one of the least affordable states in terms of housing costs. Neighborhood Preservation Companies have a history of producing local jobs and helping local economies. After 38 years the Neighborhood Preservation Program has proven to be a good investment—they save money and improve the quality of life of New Yorkers and communities. Last year, NPCs leveraged more than $43 for every state dollar appropriated. NRP programs stimulate the rehabilitation and new construction of homes, main streets, local healthcare facilities and local businesses producing jobs, providing sales growth to local lumber yards, hardware stores, local eat-

Nathan Krasnovsky with Assemblywoman Michelle Titus and Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder on the Assembly floor

eries, and returning sales and property tax revenue where it is generated. The JCCRP is a housing Preservation Company that under the New York State Division of Housing and Community

Nathan Krasnovsky with Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky on the Assembly floor

Renewals’ Neighborhood Preservation Program performs housing and community renewal activities in the eastern por-

tion of the Rockaway Peninsula. The JCCRP organizes home buyer counseling workshops, renders tenant counseling, landlord/tenant mediation, and community rehabilitation and renewal initiatives for those in need. The JCCRP continues to service the community thanks to the ongoing support of UJA-Federation of New York. The JCCRP is a proud beneficiary agency of UJA Federation of NY. The JCCRP provides a range of services for any clients who need assistance in social services or resource directing within the community. Please contact the JCCRP for further information; they are located at 1525 Central Avenue (entrance on Foam Place), Far Rockaway, NY, 11691; call the JCCRP at (718) 327-7755; or visit them on the web at www.jccrp.org.

MARCH 19, 2015

Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, Assemblyman Kaminsky and Allen Fagin, Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union

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Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky and Rabbi Moshe Weinberger, rav of Aish Kodesh

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(Left to right) Village of Cedarhurst Trustee Ari Brown; State Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky; Guests of Honor, Mr. & Mrs. Avi and Leah Feinberg; Town of Hempstead Councilman Bruce Blakeman; Community Leadership Award recipient, Avi Fertig; Aish Kodesh President, Dr. Efraim Nudman; Rabbi & Rebbetzin Moshe and Myrna Weinberger.

Local government officials joined Rabbi and Mrs. Moshe and Myrna Weinberger, Guests of Honor Avi and Leah Feinberg, and Community Leadership Award recipient Avi Fertig to celebrate the 22nd Annual Aish Kodesh Melave Malka on past Motzei Shabbos at the White Shul.

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MARCH 19, 2015

Around The Community IDF Soldiers Visit HAFTR At HAFTR, Israel is very much a part of our curriculum. Throughout the year, we learn, teach, speak, think, and breathe Eretz Yisrael. This week, in Lashon, students in fourth and fifth grades learned about the Tzahal. They learned about the different divisions within the Israeli army and the importance of what they do. They gained in-

sight into the daily life of a soldier and compared it to a Jewish American growing up in the Five Towns. Morot Tali and Einav mesmerized students with their personal experiences in the army. Some students shared artifacts of family members who served in the army. Emanuel Avidan brought the Tanach his father was given upon entering the army. Dan-

iel Berkovich wore his father’s beret. At the end of the week, three soldiers, affiliated with Friends of the Israeli Defense Force (FIDF), visited with students. Sohar, Sapir, and Efrat, our chayalim and chayelet, gained the respect of our students as they described their dedication and sacrifice to our Homeland. Holding the berets of the chayalim was a highlight. Students took turns asking questions in Hebrew. The program culminated with the tefilla l’chayalei Yisrael, a perek of Tehillim, and then the singing of the Hatikvah. Our guests were impressed with the derech eretz and warm welcome that they received from our students and faculty.

Fifth grade student Corey Listman commented about the program. He said, “It was special that the soldiers

came all the way from Eretz Yisrael, our Holy Land, where they protect our brothers and sisters. It put a face to a soldier. It made it real.” May Hashem protect our new friends, Sohar, Sapir, and Efrat, all the chayalim, and all of Am Yisrael.

47 THE JEWISH HOME

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51 THE JEWISH HOME

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Around The Community Five Towns Marriage Initiative Keeping our Loved Ones Close as We Clean for Pesach

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MARCH 19, 2015

When we clean for Pesach we spend a lot of time focusing on our closets and cabinets, de-cluttering and getting rid of unwanted food items, cleaning out dirt and crumbs, and giving our house

a full-blown spring cleaning in the process of our spiritual cleaning. What are we cleaning for? We will spend eight days of Pesach guarding every morsel of food that enters our mouth and for

this reason we need every shelf, nook and cranny to be spic-and-span. This emphasis on what goes into our mouth is not just on Pesach. Really we emphasize this all year long,

as well. We take it for granted when the kashrus agencies do so much of the legwork for us, but what we eat matters in the spiritual realm for the whole year. There are many whohave additional stringencies for cleaning for Pesach and so too, many have stringencies with kashrus. It’s interesting how these two areas of standards for Pesach cleaning and kashrus interconnect, and there is a lesson we can take away from the emphasis on stringencies in both these areas. While stringencies can be important when they are done to bring us closer to Hashem, we need to be careful that we don’t push away our spouse in the process. We have to be very careful in sorting out what is truly a stringency and what is true halacha, and specifically when we begin to impose our own more stringent views on our spouse. In addition to being careful to speak to our rav as spiritual advisor with regard to all of our customs, it becomes truly essential in those areas where we may have a certain tendency toward being more strict when the means to accomplish our own stricter standards falls to our spouse as opposed to us. When the emphasis is kept on bringing one closer to Hashem it becomes a basic that alienating anyone else does not fit well into that picture. Hashem wants to see us acting peacefully with those around us, especially our spouse, so we need to see to it that our stringencies that we accept upon ourselves enable us to keep the peace with those around us while elevating us spiritually at the same time. Only by keeping in mind all the elements of what Hashem expects from us, central among them loving-kindness, can we truly hope to accomplish our goals of being a true servant of Hashem. Five Towns Marriage Initiative provides educational programs, workshops and referrals to top marriage therapists. FTMI will help offset counseling costs when necessary and also runs an anonymous shalom bayis hotline for the entire community Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 9:3011p.m. For the hotline or more information, call 516-430-5280 or email dsgarry@msn.com.

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MARCH 19, 2015

Around The Community The Simcha of Purim for Both Young and Old Prior to Purim several groups of Shevach students went to local nursing homes to deliver mishloach manos and infuse the residents with the spirit of Purim. Fortunately for all, they were not prevented by snow, as were some of

those who were planning to go on Purim itself. On Wednesday, Taanis Esther, six Shevach girls spent an enjoyable afternoon at the Boulevard Alp. Avigayil Landau and Batsheva Twersky described their rewarding experience.

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gious, and we enjoyed their company as much they appreciated ours. We loved making them smile, and brightening their day. Our visit took them out of their daily routines, giving them a pleasant experience and a treat. They all got a kick out of our costumes, playing along and asking us jokingly what we were. “Talking with the individual residents left us inspired. They all had something to share with us, whether it was a story from their past or a cute riddle to make us laugh. Their stories opened up our eyes to the Yad Hashem in our daily lives just as they were used to noticing that Guiding Hand. No matter where the residents came from, the same joy radiated on their faces when we wished them a happy Purim. We were so captivated by their company that before we knew it, we had been there almost two hours. It was hard for us to leave, and take a pause from the newly built relationships. We promised to return again soon. As we left, we all agreed that this new opportunity to make people happy should become a routine. We went in thinking this would be nothing more than a new chessed job, but we left with so much more than we gave.” On Purim day, although the Shevach students who had planned on visiting nursing homes were stranded at home, thanks to their teacher, Mrs. Yali Rosenberg, and Shevach alumna Mrs. Batzion (Massi) Brody, many senior residents were not disappointed. The Franklin Nursing Home was visited by the Rosenberg family, as the little children brought many smiles to everyone’s faces. In Kew Gardens, The Atria and The Homestead were both treated to a visit by the Brody family, whose baby brought Purim cheer to all the residents. As Mrs. Brody stated, “I started coming here on Purim when I was a Shevach student, and I will not give it up! This is the true spirit of Purim that I hope to impart to my children.”

Is sensitivity a good thing? See what Dr. Deb has to say on page 104

Around The Community

55 THE JEWISH HOME 

Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky greeting representatives of Ohel Children’s and Family Services on the floor of the NYS Assembly. Left to right: Amy Bierig, Chief Administrative Officer of Ohel; Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky; and David Mandel, Chief Executive Officer of Ohel

MARCH 19, 2015 Last Tuesday, HAFTR’s Early Childhood Center celebrated Rosh Chodesh Adar and Purim with the Magic of Eric Wilzig. All of the children were mesmerized by this gifted magician (and HAFTR alum) who transformed the MPR into a magical showplace. His tricks were AMAZING...even the Morot could not figure out how he performed his fantastic feats. It was hard to tell who was more spell-bound – the children or the adults. Many thanks to the Gang family for sponsoring this event.

R’ Nosson Zupnik, R’ Yekusiel Feigenbaum, and R’ Nissan Kaplan when Rabbi Kaplan visited Mesivta Shaarei

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SKA Science Olympiad Team Triumphs The Science Olympiad Team of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls made an incredible effort at the Jewish Education Project/ Lander College for Men Science Olympiad held on Sunday, March 8 and won 4th place out of 11 schools! The Olympiad provides opportunities for high school students in yeshivot and day schools to compete in events that tests knowledge and skills associated with science, engineering and technology. In addition to the trophy won by the SKA Team as a whole, SKA students

Adina Singer and Devora Lebowitz won 1st place in chemistry lab, Yiela Saperstein and Rebecca Gordon won 2nd place in Scrambles, and Dina Najjar and Aliyana Teitelbaum won 4th place in anatomy and physiology. Mazel tov to the SKA Team, which also included Dina Ackerman, Dalia Adler, Adina Goldberg, Sarah Haskell, Ariella Himelstein, Avital Kohananoo, Gila Lieberman and Esther Stern, and their remarkable coaches, Mrs. Paula Berger and Mrs. Dorit Tannenbaum.

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Around The Community Aaron Jared “AJ” Bennett celebrated his Bar Mitzvah this past Sunday at Temple Israel with his family, friends, and classmates. Gary Wallin Orchestra provided the music together with the Schnitzel Boys entertaining the crowd with their magic, games, and dancing. AJ is a seventh grader at Yeshiva South Shore, and leined parshas Vayakhel-Pekudai this past Shabbos Mevorchim at Congregation Tifereth Zvi in Cedarhurst.

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PHOTO CREDIT: IRA THOMAS CREATIONS

NCSY JUMP Winners

Left to Right: Tamar Yastrab, Meira Nussbaum, Ava Korman, Tamar Beer and mentor Malky Blisko

The Shalhevet NCSY JUMP team were JUMPING for joy as they tied for first place with fellow Five Towns school SKA in the NCSY JUMP Boardroom competition. NCSY JUMP is a national leadership program that creates challenges for high school students nationwide to complete in order to become more confident, more self-sufficient, and develop the strength and courage to become leaders. The challenges consisted of poverty awareness, the dangers of texting and driving, Israel advocacy, and a fundraiser. The Shalhevet team, consisting of Miriam Blonder, Tamar Beer, Leah Feder, Hadassah Fertig, Tova Gordon, Ava Korman, Aviva Marmer, Ayelet Nussbaum, Meira Nussbaum, Shana Schapira, Adi Weinberg, Tamar Yastrab and Mentor Malky Blisko, created and executed unique and positive programs that proved to be successful. The team worked together to pull off a wonderful Zumba night raising $9,000 to benefit FD NOW and collected over 400 pairs

of shoes that were donated to Batya, an organization that empowers teenage girls. The team members gathered pledges from friends, family, teachers, and celebrities to not text and drive, and created a video at Dave ‘n’ Busters racing arcade games to prove the perils of texting and driving. The girls also interviewed Lone Soldiers and brought in Or Carmeli, sister of Sgt. Sean Carmeli who was killed over the summer in Operation Tzuk Aitan, to speak at Shalhevet. The team was ecstatic when they heard they made it to Boardroom, and were thrilled to meet the other finalists, who also left positive impacts in their respective communities. The Shalhevet team thanks the wonderful panel of judges, Rabbi Steven Weil, Mr. Larry Gordon, Mr. Phil Rosen, Rabbi Allen Fagin, Mrs. Allison Josephs, and Mr. Raanan Agus, as well as Mrs. Carol Rhine for coordinating and arranging the JUMP competition and providing brilliant and innovative activities.

The Beauty of Art We are so proud of everything that the students at HANC’s Samuel & Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary School have learned with art teacher Mrs. Cara Hanna! Students have been busy learning about a variety of artists and techniques and have been trying their own hands at duplicating the artists’ artistic styles. Sixth graders learned about Mesopotamian art and made Lamassu sculptures. Students in younger grades learned about portraiture and drew self portraits and also learned about perspective and how to draw landscapes. Students also made wacky animal collages, hand painted paper collages and pottery using coil techniques. The students’ fabulous artwork was showcased at the HANC 609 Art Expo. During the expo, students’ work adorned the hallways and the Minyan Room was turned into a Sculpture Garden. The artwork and sculptures were truly impressive and we give a big “thank you” to Mrs. Hanna for all of the creativity and enthusiasm she brings to the classroom and for all her hard work with the students.

SHALOM BAYIS HOTLINE

All calls completely anonymous-9:30pm-11pm S/T/TH Basic Problem solving/Referrals to local therapists

Call: 516 430 5280

Around The Community

PHOTO CREDITS: SASSOON PHOTOGRAPHY

THE JEWISH HOME

CHAZAQ’s Big Event

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MARCH 19, 2015

Senator Schumer with R’ Meirov

By Shira Diamond CHAZAQ’s Big Event III and their star-studded lineup took center stage this past Sunday night at a packed Colden Auditorium in Queens College. Rabbi Paysach Krohn, Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein and Charlie Harary were the incredible speakers for the night. One can’t forget the mind-boggling performance or world-renowned illusionist Marc Salem who stunned the crowd. And last but most certainly not least was Avraham Fried, the Jewish music legend. With every CHAZAQ event, they amaze the crowd, and this momentous event was no exception. Everyone who attended was treated to a wonderful night of entertainment, while helping this vital community organization, CHAZAQ. Yaniv Meirov, operations manager of the organization, began the night by talking about all the amazing programs that CHAZAQ runs. He introduces his brother, Ilan Meirov, founder and director of CHAZAQ, to recite a chapter of Tehillim for the sick of Klal Yisroel. There was a star-studded audience filled with local politicians such as Councilman Rory Lancman, Michael Simanowitz, representatives of Grace Meng and others. Senator Chuck Schumer was also there and addressed the crowd, highlighting the need to make sure Iran does not produce nuclear weapons. He stated that his name comes from the word shomer because his family was appointed to watch the ghetto walls, and he takes his job as being a shomer seriously. He also thanked CHAZAQ for all the great work they do on behalf of the community. Rabbi Paysach Krohn was the first speaker to be called up. As usual, he kept the crowd riveted with his real life stories. He talked about how the Haggadah says that the chochom spoke of “our G-d” and not “my G-d.” He was referring to the fact that it doesn’t matter what your background is, you can be Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Chassidish, Litvish, but we are all Hashem’s children. The same holds true tonight, he said, when all different

Rabbi Wallerstein addresses the audience

Marc Salem wows the crowd

kinds of Jews gather together to support CHAZAQ regardless of their background and affiliations. He told a story about an IDF fighter jet pilot turned Kollel learner, who was practicing a dangerous mission when he got vertigo and instead of going up was heading down, straight into the ground. His fellow pilots and the gauges on his jet told him he was going in the wrong direction, and he needed to change course, regardless of the fact that he thought he was going in the right direction. Sometimes the yetzer hara is like that too, making us think we are going in the right direction but really we are going in the wrong one. We need organizations like CHAZAQ to show us we are going down instead of up. He spoke of the importance of planting one tiny seed of Yiddishkeit, and how a Rebbetzin from Manchester who has a very difficult life said, “Any fool can count the seeds in one apple, but only Hashem, the highest power, can count the apples in one seed.” Only Hashem knows how far a tiny spark of Yiddishkeit will take a person. Charlie Harary was next to address the crowd, and in his usual casual and humorous style kept the audience riveted. Charlie spoke about slavery, and how when we sit at the Pesach seder we say that we were slaves but we don’t really understand what that means. He said a slave is when a person has no control over themselves. They are subject to the wills and whims of someone who doesn’t like them at all. The Jews were slaves in Egypt, but when Moshe Rabbeinu told them he was going to take them out, only 20 percent of the Jews were willing to leave. Why? Didn’t they want to leave their slavery and be free? Charlie explained the reason with a story about Adam and Chava in Gan Eden. When Hashem placed them in Gan Edan he told them not to eat from the Eitz Hadas. Adam did eat from it though, and when Hashem confronted Adam about it, he blamed Chava. That’s why they were kicked out of Gan Eden. Because Hashem would have accepted teshuva, but not

a denial of the issue and an unwillingness to work through it. That was the same with Bnei Yisrael in Mitzrayim. They were willing to go to Eretz Yisrael and leave their slavery behind, but were not willing to work thought the difficulties of getting there for forty years in the desert. Charlie explained that the greatest threat in a person’s life is sayin,g “I can’t.” Rabbi Yitzy Oelbaum, son of Rabbi Noach Isaac Oelbaum, was next, speaking about the incredible lineup and show that CHAZAQ always has in store. He spoke glowingly about all three speakers and then introduced Rabbi Zecharya Wallerstein to address the crowd. Rabbi Wallerstein started with a question for the crowd. What’s the deal with chometz? He asked. Why are we so paranoid on Pesach about eating any tiny bit of chometz? Before he answered his question he told some stories that were humorous, interesting and imparted a valuable lesson. He spoke about seeing two men in a wine store, and how they wanted to spend a hundred dollars on a bottle of wine for Pesach. Rabbi Wallerstein went over to them and asked why they were spending so much on wine. They answered that it’s a mitzvah. But he asked, did they know the words of redemption used to represent the four cups? Were they missing the point? He also told a story about a king who spent ten thousand dollars on a gift, a small bird for his queen. It was a tiny, little bird but it sang beautifully. One of the king’s advisors saw the king buy this bird, and asked the queen if she likes the gift. She said it was amazing, and he decided even though it was a lot of money for him, he would buy one for his wife too as a special gift. He went and bought it, and brought it home for his wife, who was surprised at the gift and the price of it. They put it in a pot with carrots and onions and cooked it up. They sat down when it was ready and each got half of the tiny bird. They were so excited; it must be delicious, since it cost so much. They put a piece in their mouth and spit it out, it

Avraham Fried entertaining the crowd

was disgusting! The advisor was so mad, he went to the store where he bought the bird and told the storeowner that the bird was disgusting and he wants his money back. The storeowner was aghast, “What? You ate the bird? You’re not supposed to eat it; it’s supposed to be a pet that sings to you!” The advisor missed the point completely. On Pesach we eat matza and not bread. Chometz is the “sour in the dough.” The difference between chometz and matza is that matza never rested, it was worked until it was baked. Bread however, needs to rest in order to rise. The lesson of Pesach is that we need to work and not rest, work to become better and deserve to be the free men we are today. After these amazing speakers, the show was still not over. Marc Salem wowed the crowd with his incredible illusions and mind reading skills. Everyone had their mouths open at the amazing tricks he did, leaving those in the audience asking their neighbors, “How did he do that?” The crowd could not understand how Salem was able to perform his feats, such as reading the numbers off a random dollar bill while blindfolded. Next, Jewish music fans were treated to a concert of a lifetime with singer Avraham Fried. Yosis Orchestra played the upbeat music while the crowd rose to its feet and danced in the aisles. All this was a testimony to the fun and camaraderie at CHAZAQ events, but also to the vibrancy of Jewish life that CHAZAQ brings to those who attend its programs. The night was a complete success, and those leaving left with a bag of goodies given at the door and a feeling that CHAZAQ had created a night of entertainment they will never forget. CHAZAQ does so much for the Queens community every step of the way and for all walks of Jewish life. You can help CHAZAQ build a stronger future; go to CHAZAQ.org to learn more.

Around The Community Margaret Tietz Center Appreciates Henry Conston’s Dedication

THE JEWISH HOME

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MARCH 19, 2015

We are fortunate at Margaret Tietz Center to have a very active Board of Directors. Henry Conston, Esq., one of the founders of Margaret Tietz, began his commitment to the Tietz Center when discussions about opening a nursing facility in Jamaica Hills, Queens, was just a dream. His wise counsel and foresight helped in the establishment of the Margaret Tietz Center in 1971. Mr. Conston has contributed his constant care, commitment, and devotion to the Tietz Center for more than four

decades. On March 12, at his retirement dinner, Mr. Conston was presented proclamations by Councilman Rory Lancman and Assemblyman David Weprin and a citation from Congresswoman Grace Meng which was read on her behalf. He was then given a special award from Margaret Tietz which read: Henry Conston, Founder • Visionary • Humanitarian, for more than four decades of devoted care to Margaret Tietz Center. Those who attended included Mr.

Michael Fassler, President and CEO of CenterLight Healthcare, as well as many board members, senior executive staff members and Margaret Tietz executive staff who expressed to Mr. Conston their appreciation for all of his valued time and efforts on behalf of Margaret Tietz and the residents we serve.

DRS Students Travel Far and Wide to Make an Impact

This month, several DRS students traveled outside of New York for some very important causes. A delegation of three students, joined by DRS General Studies Principal, Dr. Gerald Kirshnebaum, traveled to Washington D.C. to the AIPAC Policy Conference. The students heard from Prime Minister Netanyahu, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Powers, and President Obama’s national security advisor, Susan Rice. They were educated on the importance and significance of

the American-Israeli relationship and were inspired to advocate for Israel in the future. On the final day, they lobbied their respective representatives in Congress, insuring that they always vote in favor of Israel. The students came back from AIPAC with a greater amount of education, understanding and passion for Israel. This week, 11 DRS students, joined by ninth grade rebbe, Rabbi Etan Tannenbaum, traveled to Eretz Yisroel to take part in Shalva’s Jersualem Mara-

thon. Team SHALVA is comprised of dedicated individuals who have accepted the challenge of training for the Je-

rusalem Marathon/ Half Marathon/10K/ 5K Run for the immediate benefit of SHALVA’s children with special needs.

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This new English Sefer, KITZUR HALACHOS: PESACH, delves into the complex halachos of Pesach – based on the Mishnah Berurah. Authored by Rav Zev Hofstedter, Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshivas Acheinu L’Tzeirim, hundreds of common and practical halachos are made clear.

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Halachos P4sAC7

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Kitzur

Around The Community

Because You Deserve A Perfect Smile

HANC High School Boys’ Chorus Wins Competition

PHOTO CREDIT MINNIE PHOTOGRAPHY

THE JEWISH HOME

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MARCH 19, 2015

Rabbi Aharon Friedler and the chorus members: Max Baer, Eran Vaknin, David Aziz, Dylan Homapour, Jacob Mermelstein, Adam Livi, Matthew Maslin, and Daniel Dilimani

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The Hebrew Academy of Nassau County Boy’s Chorus took top honors and the trophy in this year’s V’Ata Banim Shiru a Capella competition. The annual competition, under the guidance of Gaby Novick, benefits the Koby Mandel Foundation. This year’s competition was held at the Rambam Mesivta on Wednesday, March 11. Competing teams included HANC, MTA, Rambam and TABC with Frisch having to bow out at the last moment. While all the other teams displayed beautiful, harmonious arrangements doing covers of popular Jewish songs, HANC’s group stood out with their original compositions and well-structured vocal arrangements. HANC’s first song “Layehudim,” composed by Avraham Friedler, was a slow ballad with words from Megilat Esther. The judges remarked that there was beautiful group sound, smart arrangements and a blending of tones that was smooth. Eran Vaknin enhanced the song

with a soulful solo. During the second set HANC performed “Kol Yisrael,” another original composition by Avraham Friedler. This cheerful, fast-paced song brought an immediate response as the audience clapped along. Soloist Dylan Homapour brought the song to a resounding crescendo with his melodious voice while Max Baer filled in with a beat box. Judges reactions included that the chorus was really grooving with energy. The bass line on all songs was handled perfectly by Adam Livi and Matthew Maslin. Rounding out the melodies were David Aziz, Daniel Dilamani and Jacob Mermelstein. Chorus leader, Rabbi Aharon Friedler, felt that all the schools had remarkable performances , but in the end the judges saw that HANC’s testament to hard work and dedication made their overall awesome performance a notch above the rest.

THE JEWISH HOME

“

OUR WHOLE



FAMILY WAS VERY HAPPY WITH THE WAY MARGARET TIETZ TREATED MY FATHER.

MARCH 19, 2015

The care was great and the therapy was outstanding. With excellent food and a beautiful shul, Margaret Tietz takes care of you, they make you feel comfortable.

”

– Rabbi Schneure Zalman Baumgarten

At Margaret Tietz Nursing and Rehabilitation Center you're surrounded by the reassuring faces of friends. An integral part of the Jewish community for more than four decades, Margaret Tietz is proud to deliver unparalleled Subacute Rehabilitation, as well as Long-Term, Medically Complex and Hospice Care in a newly renovated, comfortable and completely Kosher setting. s

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164-11 Chapin Parkway, Jamaica Hills, NY 11432 • www.tietzjewish.com • 718-298-7829 Centrally located near the Queens communities of Kew Gardens Hills, Hillcrest & Jamaica Estates. Only 20 minutes from Crown Heights, Manhattan & the Five Towns.

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(Pictured here with his father)

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MARCH 19, 2015

Weekly

Get Ready for Pesach! International Spice

Get Ready for Pesach! Goodman’s Onion Soup Mix

Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Paprika - 1 lb

2.75 oz

399 ...................................................... $

Gefen Nice Tea

32 oz

.................................................

Carrots, Beets, Potatoes 14 oz/15 oz

Olive Oil or Vegetable - 5 oz

All Flavors 4.15 oz

299

25 oz

Hollywood Safflower Oil

5/$

Yum Yum Crackers

Regular or Diet - All Flavors 64 oz

Tonnelli Marinara & Pasta Sauces

Unger’s or Lieber’s Canned Vegetables

Glick’s Cooking Spray

Dagim Solid White Tuna In Water 6 oz

2/$

.................................................

Lieber’s Potato Chips Except Kettle .75 oz

4/$

2/$

.....................................................

.................................................

All Varieties 2 Liter

25 oz

All Varieties - 3.5 oz

10 oz/12 oz

2/$

.................................................

12 oz

All Flavors - 10 oz

Original or Vanilla 32 oz

Mishpacha or Glick’s Ketchup 24 oz

99¢

149

......................................................

Manischewitz Extra Moist Cake Mixes

Assorted - 11.5 oz $ 99 ......................................................

Streit’s Matzo Meal, Cake Meal, Matzo Farfel Regular, Whole Wheat, Spelt - 16 oz

......................................................

Mishpacha or Glick’s Potato Starch

2/$

Ha’olam String Cheese 18 oz $ 99 ...................................................... Norman’s Greek Crystal Farms Yogurt Egg Whites Except Light or 32 oz Creamy - 6 oz $ 99 12/$ ...................................................... Mehadrin Friendship Cottage Chocolate Leben Cheese 12 Pack 16 oz $ 99 $ 99

Lieber’s or Glick’s Dish Soap

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Schmerling Chocolate Bars

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Oberlander Mini Chip or Rainbow Cookies

599

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349

.................................................

Whole, Diced, Crushed, Sauce - 28 oz/29 oz

22.6 oz Bonus Size

10 oz/12 oz

1 Day

Lieber’s Tomatoes

.................................................

Pactiv Plastic Cups

99¢

All Varieties - 8 oz

7 oz - 100 Count

24 oz $ 49

Tonnelli Salad Dressing

Tropicana Orange Juice 89 oz $ 99

.................................................

2/$

Dr. Brown’s Soda

99¢

Ha’olam or Mother’s Margarine 16 oz

399

.......................................

Miller’s Sliced Mozzarella or Muenster 6 oz

199

Beit Hashita 7-9 Pickles

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3/$

2/$

.................................................

9 Inch - 100 Count

72 Count

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Dannon Yogurt 6 oz

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Gold’s Horseradish

2/$

White or Red 8oz

.......................................

Sabra Vegetarian Liver 8 oz

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J&J Cream Cheese 8 oz Cup

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499

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399

.......................................

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399

Meal Mart Kid Klein’s Ice Cream Shapes Dixie Cups 2 lb Dairy, Parve, Rainbow - 12 Pack $ 99 $ 99 ......................................................... Golden Flow Broccoli or Dagim Flounder Cauliflower Florets Fillets 2 lb 14 oz $ 99 $ 99 ......................................................... Kineret Coffee A&B Gefilte Fish Whitener Original Only 16 oz 20 oz $ 99 2/$

International Chopped Liver 13 oz

.......................................

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Regular or Sweet Potato 19 oz

299

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499

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599

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2/$

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399

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699

Call us: (516) 569-2662 • Fax: (516) 569-8376 • 137 Spruce Street, Cedarhurst, NY 11516 STORE HOURS: SUNDAY 7 AM-9 PM

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Specials

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Silver Tip $ 99 7 lb. Roast

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549 lb.

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MARCH 19, 2015

Square Cut French $ 99 Shoulder 7 lb. London $849 lb. Roast Broil ...................

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Tiferes Hand Shmura Matzoh 1 lb

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...................................................... Mishpacha Vegetable Oil 48 oz

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$ 99 Golden Delicious Apples

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..........................

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Pink Grapefruit 8/$2

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..........................

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79¢ lb.

10/$2 Grape Tomatoes

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Red or Green Grapes

..........................

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2/$4

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99¢ ea.

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..........................

Baby Carrots

89¢ ea.

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399lb.

5 $ 99 7 lb. $ 99 4 lb. $

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...................................................... Of Tov Chicken Unger’s Gefilte Nuggets Fish 32 oz

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............................

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1095

............................

1195

all our cabbage is greenhouse grown! Tarter Dip Tex Mex

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Potato Knicks Potato Soup

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Cabbage with Noodles Yerushalmi Kugel

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Honey Mustard Dip Assorted Mandel Bread

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............................

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Sweet California Roll $ 95

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..........................

Baked Ziti

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99¢ ea.

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...................................................... Ha’olam American Schtark Shredded Cheese Cheese

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MARCH 19, 2015

Around The Community Leading the Kiruv Movement in Brooklyn The Brooklyn Jewish Xperience (BJX) Chizuk and Kiruv Centers are spreading Torah and Judaism throughout Brooklyn. “The past two weeks have, Boruch Hashem, been extremely hectic, but nothing out of the ordinary for BJX,” said Rabbi Moshe Fingerer, Director of

BJX. BJX ran a wide range of programs for once-frum adults (ages 20-34) at their Avenue K center and simultaneously ran a number of programs for unaffiliated college students and young professionals at their new Kings Highway center. The programs and classes included the

Hebrew Reading Crash Course, the BJX Leadership Course, various shiurim and lectures and their first Motzai Shabbos Kumzitz for the frum community led by Hudi Kawolsky, a BJX madrich. Rav Yitzchok Fingerer, Rav and Rosh Kollel of BJX, introduced the Kumzitz

with words of inspiration. He quoted the Alshich and Arizal about how reaching out to others with love completes the imperfections in the world and makes Hashem’s name whole. “As a result of our various classes and programs we are Boruch Hashem witnessing growth in the Torah observance of many students and there is nothing more rewarding than that,” explained a BJX faculty member. This week a young lady who has been attending classes and Shabbos programs at BJX, finally received her Jewish name. “I never had a Jewish name,” she explained. “I am very grateful to Rabbi Fingerer for all he has done for me and for the Brooklyn community. Before coming to BJX, Torah study was never part of my agenda,” she said. It was a massive kiddush Hashem to see all the people that came to the krias ha’shem ceremony on a frigid morning. Councilman Chaim Deutsch, a BJX mentor who helped inspire the young lady, also attended the ceremony. Each week BJX has a Shabbaton for college students and young professionals. “The strategic planning that goes into BJX’s weekly Shabbaton which includes lodging and meal placement certianly takes a lot of work,” attests a Flatbush host. “We run the Shabbatons each week because we know the kind of powerful impact that a Shabbos has,” said Rav Yitzchok Fingerer. “With incredible mentors like Dr. Faygie Zakheim and others, the students have role models that genuinely care about them.” “Wherever I visit, whether I am in Buffalo, Los Angeles, or Miami, I am constantly meeting people who are fans of BJX,” shared Rabbi Moshe Fingerer. “When I met Rabbi Ephraim Eliyahu Shapiro of North Miami Beach, who is very familiar with BJX, he bentched our avodah saying, ‘You should continue to change the face of klal Yisroel’”. One BJX mispallel said, “There is no place in Brooklyn more positive and upbeat than BJX. I feel as if my tefillos soar straight to Shomayim…Joy, positivity and love of Yiddishkeit are always in the air,” he concluded. Another baal habyais who davens at BJX said, “I feel that in the last two years since BJX opened on Avenue K, Flatbush has been changed forever.” The BJX office can be reached at 646-397-1544 or online at www.BrooklynKiruv.com.

! s e yl

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67 THE JEWISH HOME

Gan Chamesh Supperette Celebrates a Night in Italy

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MARCH 19, 2015

Gan Chamesh, Chabad’s Ear- to highlight the Reggio Emilia teaching ly Childhood Center, held its annual methodology that has greatly inspired Supperette last week honoring three the Gan Chamesh program. The innooutstanding women for their work and vative teaching philosophy stems from support on behalf of Gan Chamesh: a town in Italy by the same name. The Morah Ina Schlessel as Educator of evening provided a perfect opportunity the Year, Sarah Rosenberg as Mother to explain to parents, friends and supof the Year, and Hadassah Lieberman porters, the basis behind the Reggio as Grandmother of the Year. Morah Ina Emilia approach. Guests were able to Schlessel began working at Gan Cha- get a glimpse of how the approach has mesh as a rotating substitute teacher. influenced learning in the classrooms. That role eventually led to an assistant As guests dined on Italian fare teacher position and from there, she catered by Upper Crust, they learned took on the head teacher role. Cur- that the Reggio Emilia philosophy rently, Morah Ina teaches in the Pur- rests on the premise that children are ple Room and is an integral part of the endowed with “100 languages” with Gan Chamesh staff. Sarah Rosenberg which to express themselves. This is an involved and loyal Gan Chamesh method encourages exploration and parent. Her daughters, Chaya, Rena, discovery in an environment that gives and Michal, are all graduates of Gan children the power to guide their curChamesh, and her son, Shmuel, is a current student in the Blue Room. Hadassah Lieberman is an involved grandmother who, despite juggling a busy public schedule, always makes time for her grandchildren. She regularly attends school events and is a very present Savta in the life of her grandchildren, Morah Ina Schlessel, Educator of the Year, with Chani Wolowik, Suzanne Wallin, and Akiva (a Green Susy Adler Room student) and riculum and create meaningful learning Binyamin (a Red Room student). The theme of the evening, “A stemming from the children’s interests. Night in Italy,” was specifically chosen Children learn by listening, touching,

Hadassah Lieberman, Grandmother of the Year, with Susy Adler, Chani Wolowik, and Suzanne Wallin

and observing. The physical environThe evening was a huge success ment that surrounds them serves an as it recognized and honored three deimportant function in their educa- serving women while paying tribute to tion as well. Nature and the use of an educational approach that has taken natural materials play an essential Gan Chamesh to new heights. role. Documentation of children’s thoughts, ideas and learning proFor more information about Gan cesses is a crucial component of Chamesh, Chabad’s Early Childhood the Reggio Emilia approach. Center, please contact Susy Adler or Guests at the Supperette had Suzanne Wallin, the program directors, the opportunity to hear about and at 516-295-2479. view documentation compiled by each class that detailed a project, experience or idea that was inspired solely by the children. A video presentation underscored the school’s emphasis on discovery, exploration and sensory experiences. In recognition of the children’s excitement at building with abstract materials, Sarah Rosenberg, Mother of the Year, and daughters the dining tables were adorned with hollow blocks that have become a huge component of free-play at Gan Chamesh, encouraging innovation, engineering and creativity. Miniature potted planters, bearing grass and individual pictures of each student, surrounded the blocks. Before the evening ended, there was a fun raffle drawing with prizes donated by supporters of Gan Chamesh. Thank you to Mr. & Mrs. Uri Cohen and family, Ms. Rachel Renov of Rachel Renov Photography, Mr. Benjy Assouline of Central Electronics, and Mr. Jeffrey Mark of J. Mark Interiors for their generous sponsorships.

Sketching the Soul of Our People and Our Land

See page 76

Gan Chamesh Staff

Around The Community Gedolim Address First Daf HaYomi B’Halacha Siyum

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MARCH 19, 2015

By Chaim Gold “A unique koach of Dirshu is that it not only gives a person Olam Habaah, it also gives a person phenomenal Olam Hazeh!” These were the powerful words of HaGaon HaRav Yechiel Michel Steinmetz, shlita, Skverer Dayan of Boro Park, who encapsulated the feelings of the more than 1,000 participants at the Dirshu Convention celebrating the siyum on the machzor rishon of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha. Indeed, the faces of the many men and women there – men, lomdei Dirshu who spend hours and hours of every day learning and being tested on Shas, Mishnah Berurah, Shulchan Aruch b’iyun; and women, nishei lomdei Dirshu who seemingly “give up” their husbands’ assistance on so many fronts – shone with a true, deeply rooted simchas chaim, an authentic joy that symbolizes the absolute best of Olam Hazeh! That simcha, a simcha that permeated every corner of the convention was rooted in the ol Torah, the yoke of Torah that both the men and the women have assumed. The truth of Chazal’s words, that there is no free man like one who is immersed in Torah, were on display throughout the Shabbos.

A Shabbos of Kulo Ruchniyus The siyum on motzaei Shabbos of the first machzor of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha was the culmination of a Shabbos that was, as Rav Steinmenz put it, “kulo ruchniyus.”In Rav Steinmetz’s words, “Where else can you have a convention where after a moving oneg Shabbos, followed by going to sleep at 1:00 a.m., at 5:00 a.m. the next morning one hears a resounding kol Torah in the beis medrash? Where do you have a convention where after the seudah on Shabbos afternoon, the ‘taanug’ of sleeping on Shabbos is replaced by the even greater pleasure of learning and chazering another blatt Gemara and another seif in Shulchan Aruch?!” The Highlight: Siyum on Motzaei Shabbos, a New Hadran! The siyum, held in the main ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Hotel of Stamford, Connecticut, was a memorable event. In addition to the more than 1,000 lomdei Dirshu who were there for Shabbos, hundreds more joined on motzaei Shabbos to celebrate the siyum. HaGaon HaRav Zev Smith, shlita, a Daf HaYomi B’Halacha maggid shiur, chaired the event. Rav Yechiel Michel Steinmetz was honored with making the

siyum on the six chalakim of the Mishnah Berurah. A thrill of excitement rippled through the crowd as Rav Steinmetz said a new, heretofore never heard hadran, “Hadran alach Shulchan Aruch, Aruch Chaim and Mishnah Berurah.” Then, he continued, “In the zechus of the poskim and the mechaber of the Mishnah Berurah, Rav Yisrael Meir ben Rav Aryeh Zev yaamod li l’zaari, ul’zerah zari – the Torah should never depart from us or our offspring!” HaGaon HaRav Aharon Feldman, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Ner Yisrael Baltimore, was honored with saying the special Kaddish recited upon the completion of a masechta. As soon as he finished, the entire assemblage broke out into an ecstatic rikkud. The simcha was so palpable! HaGaon HaRav Reuven Feinstein, shlita: Importance of Practical Halacha Following the dancing, HaGaon HaRav Reuven Feinstein, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshiva of Staten Island, was asked to start the second machzor of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha. Rav Reuven poignantly said that he is undertaking to begin the machzor and if Hashem grants him Siyata Dishmaya, he hopes to complete it together with all lomdei Dirshu. Rav Reuven spoke about the importance of internalizing one’s learning in a way that the learning becomes part of him and the halachos that he learns permeate his actions every minute of every day. Rav Dovid Hofstedter: A New Daf Yomi in Klal Yisrael A major address of the evening was given by the Nasi of Dirshu, Rav Dovid Hofstedter, shlita. Rav Dovid began by citing Rav Elchonon Wasserman, “We are living in the era of ikvesa d’Mashicha, the ‘footsteps of Mashiach,’ i.e. the

very end of our long exile. The great Torah sages of this generation and the one before, have all taught us that this is the time of birur, ‘clarification.’ This is the time when the absolute truth will be revealed, down to its finest details, and all masks of falsehood will be torn away.”With profound emotion, Rav Dovid then exclaimed, “Every generation has its own challenge. The challenge of our generation is unbridled materialism and superficiality. We live in the most invasive society in the history of mankind. No corner of the world is protected, nothing is safe, the ruach hatumah is everywhere. It encompasses every facet of our existence. “Perhaps the great test of our days, is ensuring that our p’nimiyus is in step with our outer Jewish appearance. We are being judged to determine whether it is only the clothes we wear and the language we speak that mark us as Jews, or whether we are retaining our Jewishness within our hearts as well. “Our challenge is to maintain our clarity; to understand what it means to be true Yidden in this era of superficiality and materialism. “We are here in a concentrated effort to serve Hashem. If, however, we don’t know what Hashem wants from us how can we say that we want to fulfill His ratzon?! Only when we will learn the halachos of everyday living every single day, can we know what Hashem wants of us! “We talk about achdus, but how can we claim we want it if we don’t take the time to learn Chofetz Chaim, Shemiras Halashon and the other mussar seforim that teach us the laws of interpersonal conduct?” With great feeling, Rav Dovid proposed the charge of the evening, “Morai v’rabbosai, let us all come together to create a new Iron Dome! A shield of chizuk and shemirah to fulfill the ratzon Hashem, an Iron Dome that will protect

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69 THE JEWISH HOME 

MARCH 19, 2015

us from the invasion of the surrounding culture! “We must come together k’ish echad b’lev echad and create a new Daf Yomi in Klal Yisrael, a Daf Yomi B’Halacha!” HaGaon HaRav Malkiel Kotler, shlita: Halacha is Walking with Hashem Another major address was delivered by HaGaon HaRav Malkiel Kotler, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha of Lakewood, who came special on motzaei Shabbos to participate in Dirshu’s simchas haTorah. In his heartfelt remarks, Rav Malkiel said, “The Gemara tells us that everyone who learns daily halacha is assured a place in Olam Habaah, as the pasuk states, ‘Halichos olam...’” The Rosh Yeshiva expounded, “When a person learns halacha daily, his every halicha, his every step throughout the day, is done in accordance with the Torah. This is what assures him Olam Habaah.” The Rosh Yeshiva added, “The ben Torah who truly strives to understand the halacha can find in the Mishnah Berurah the depth and reasons behind each halacha as found in the Rishonim in the Gemara.” The Rosh Yeshiva went on to express his deep admiration for Rav Dovid Hofstedter “for instituting the Daf Yomi B’Halacha program and all other Dirshu programs.”A Piece of Olam Habah The sight from all balconies overlooking the lobby of the Crowne Plaza Hotel was a sight that was a fitting commencement to a magnificent Shabbos. Hundreds of twinkling lights surrounded by hundreds of nishei lomdei Dirshu representing Yidden from all walks of life and reflecting the achdus of Dirshu, all welcoming the Shabbos with heartfelt tefillos. Before Mincha, HaGaon HaRav Reuven Feinstein, shlita, gave a comprehensive address on chinuch, bringing many practical lessons from the halachos of Pesach. After a heartwarming Kabbalas Shabbos led by the well-known baal

menagen, Reb Isaac Honig, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Sorotzkin, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Telshe and Mesivta of Lakewood, gave a riveting address. He began with the Gemara that Hashem promised that Torah would not be forgotten from among Klal Yisrael. “Dirshu,” he exclaimed, “has been instrumental in fulfilling that Divine promise in our times.” Rav Sorotzkin then spoke about how Dirshu wives have an equal part in their husband’s Torah accomplishments by giving up time and forgoing the help that they often need so that their husbands can dedicate themselves to learning. Similarly, another speaker on Shabbos mentioned that the role of the women is even greater than that of the men because the men are filled with the spiritual delight of learning and knowing Torah while the women don’t feel that joy as easily in their supporting role. After the Friday night seudah a fascinating sheilos and teshuvos session with the Skverer Dayan, Rav Yechiel Mechel Steinmetz, was held. His instant recall and ability to answer questions from the entire gamut of halacha left every attendee awestruck. For example, “If one makes a siyum on Mishnah Berurah can that siyum be made by a bechor to exempt him from fasting on erev Pesach and/or to eat fleishigs during the Nine Days?” The answer was a resounding yes. A beautiful oneg Shabbos with zemiros and divrei Torah given by HaGaon Harav Shea Fuhrer, shlita, Rosh Kollel Bobov Toronto, was thoroughly enjoyed and extended to the wee hours of the morning. Following Shacharis, an in-depth shiur was given by HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Miller, shlita, Rosh Kollel Avreichim of Toronto and Av Bais Din Bais Horaah of Lakewood. It was remarkable – hundreds of talmidei chachomim crowding around to edge as close as possible and absorb the chiddushim. Even more remarkable was the sight of the other gedolei Yisrael sitting right in front of Rav Miller, fully focused on every word. And the simchas haTorah radiating from Rav Miller as

the chiddushim unfolded was truly a spiritual delight! Inspiring Shalosh Seudos An extremely uplifting part of Shabbos was shalosh seudos as reflected by the messages of the gedolim who spoke. HaGaon HaRav Aharon Feldman, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Ner Yisrael of Baltimore, cited the well-known Gemara that Mashiach will not come on Sunday. The Gemara explains the reason is that Eliyahu Hanavi has to precede Mashiach and he cannot come on Shabbos. “Why?” questioned Rav Aharon, “He cannot come on Shabbos because of an issur of techumim. Techumim is an issur d’rabbanan. That means Mashiach and the geulah can be delayed in order to not transgress an issur d’rabbanan! This shows the profound importance of having comprehensive knowledge of every halacha so that one should not transgress any halacha even an issur d’rabbanan. Not knowing halacha,” concluded Rav Feldman, “is a churban!” HaGaon HaRav Yeruchem Olshin, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva Beth Medrash Govoha of Lakewood, related the Gemara that HaGaon HaRav Meir Shapiro cited when he instituted the Daf HaYomi. “A person nearly drowned. When asked how he was saved, he told people that he grabbed onto a daf shel sefinah, a plank from a boat. At that time [between the two World Wars], Rav Shapiro explained that Yidden were drowning in so many tzaros, they had to save themselves by grabbing onto the daf of Torah, the daf Yomi. Today too,” thundered Rav Yeruchem, “klal Yisrael is being buffeted by many tzaros. We see that we can’t rely on anybody, not even our ostensible friends. We need the hatzalah of a Daf! And the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha is a gevaldige koach harabbim that has the power to immeasurably help Klal Yisrael!” Rav Olshin could not contain the depth of his emotion in describing the absolute achdus that he had seen permeating the halls where the convention was being held. “Dirshu has clearly shown us that the ultimate me’ached is the Torah

hakedosha!” HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Choueka, shlita, Rav of Congregation Ohel Simha in Deal, New Jersey, said that every Jew has the ability to transform the impossible into something very possible! People constantly ask, “How is it possible to finish Shas, to complete Shulchan Aruch and be tested?” The answer is that if one puts his full focus, if he is meyached his lev to achieve the will of Hashem, anything is possible!The final speaker at shalosh seudos was HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Zalman Gips, shlita, Rav of Kehal Birchas Avraham, Rosh Yeshivas Yeshiva Nehardaah, and Daf HaYomi B’Halacha Maggid Shiur. Rav Gips cited the Gemara in Shabbos that states that Rav Zeira had to tell his talmidim to go and eat seudas Shabbos. Where today do we find that someone has to be told to eat seudas Shabbos?! Nobody needs to be told! The answer is that with lomdei Dirshu it happens all the time! They want to just finish… another Daf, another seif, another Mishnah Berurah…” Kedushas Habayis, Kedushas HaTorah and Dirshu On Shabbos, one of the lomdei Dirshu related the following story. His friend’s son became engaged and it was time to purchase a ring. When the chosson’s father was discussing it with his son, the chosson insisted that he wanted to pay for the ring himself. “From where do you have money?” the father asked astounded. “Tatty,” the chosson explained, “I have been taking Dirshu tests for several years now. Every time I earned a stipend I put the money aside. I would like to use that money to buy the ring because I want my new bayis to be built upon the foundation of the kedushas haTorah that I have worked so hard to attain.” Indeed, that was the underlying foundation one felt throughout the Dirshu Shabbos. The kedushas habayis and shalom bayis of hundreds upon hundreds of families has been immeasurably impacted and often transformed by their connection with Dirshu.

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MARCH 19, 2015

At this week’s Learn & Live Program, R’ Eitan Rubin of the Great Neck Eruv showed the boys lots of thing about what goes into making an eruv. Some of the boys got a chance to make a “lechie,” drilling in the screws on top of the wooden slats. Other boys wrapped wires around some contraptions. It was very exciting to see and hear what goes into making sure that we can carry on Shabbos.

SKA’S Team Shalva Runs in the Jerusalem Marathon

Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky was happy to welcome Jeffrey Leb, UJA Director for Government & External Relations, Josh Wanderer, and HAFTR High School seniors Jonathan Gliboff and Elliot Fuchs to Albany as part of UJA’s Lobby Day.

(L-R): Jeffrey Leb, Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky, Josh Wanderer, Jonathan Gliboff and Elliot Fuchs

Twelve students and two faculty members from the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls joined the Jerusalem Marathon this past weekend running for Shalva: The Association for Mentally and Physically Challenged Children in Israel. As you can see from the delighted faces of the participants, the experience was amazing! Accompanied by Mrs. Tamar Bindiger and Mrs. Leah Falik, SKA students Chani Aryeh, Eli Czegledi, Esther Dusi, Nechama Herskovitz, Sari Herskowitz, Emily Klein, Kayla Leifer, Yael Magder, Gabi Nachman, Rachel Packer, Eliana Wienerkur and Talya Zuller

raised $2,700 each for Shalva. They spent Thursday, March 12, at the Shalva facilities and were so impressed at what the organization accomplishes. After the marathon on Friday, Shalva hosted a party and gave out medals for all their runners. The students spent Shabbat with Shalva and heard from inspirational speakers, including a woman who had been paralyzed but taught herself how to walk again. All the SKAers marveled at the amount of chesed being done by Shalva and other organizations in Israel. The trip was a wonderful combination of chesed and fun!

Applications are Now being Accepted for a CAHAL 9th Grade Girls High School Class for September 2015 For information, please contact: Naomi Nadata at 516-295-3666

71 THE JEWISH HOME

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The 20 Knesset th

The REBIRTH of a NATION BY MATT SOLOMON the floor last night as Likud and Zionist Union were running neck-and-neck in Israel’s elections and wondering what the final outcome would be, I started feeling anxious, which I rarely do. I vaguely recognized the feeling. Though familiar, at first I couldn’t place it. Then I retrieved it—the moments before the blessed births of our children—and I recalled the concern was similar to having a baby. (Yes, ladies, I realize it is much harder on the mother but we men are with you in spirit and concern.) The night wore on and the anticipation and anxiety built, and I confess—I became confused and started imagining things. I had three visions, each of a doctor in a white gown emerging and telling me three different outcomes which in and of itself is scary when children come in two varieties. The first doctor was lovely and kind, radiating comfort. She wished me, “Mazal Tov!” and said, “You have a new Bibi!” Relief. But the night wore on and the polling was tight. I had my second vision. The doctor, now a man, came to me abruptly with no soothing aura and a blurry name tag pinned to his smock. He said directly, “You have twins. A little baby ‘Bujie’ [Herzog’s nickname] and he has a very ‘white,’ jumpy little sister (Livni) who’s shy about being seen just now.” My anxiety erupted into outright disquiet. Later in the evening it became clear Likud would prevail and I thought my last terror, being tormented by the Herzog/Livni twins, would be forever purged from memory. Near final results came in and Likud held a 6 seat lead over the incongruously named Zionist Unity camp of Herzog and Livni. What also became clear was that presumptive partners of Likud, the Jewish Home (Bayit HaYehudi) and Yisrael Beitenu, fared poorly; the United Arab parties and the center of Kulanu and Yesh Atid did surprisingly well. Rumors were beginning to spread that the President of Israel, Ruby Rivilin, in what is his primary official duty of tasking a major party leader with cobbling together a government, would request the unthinkable, the unmentionable…and then I was again overtaken by a fevered vision, darker even than the Scylla and Charybdis dream of the terrible twinning of Herzog/Livni. My hallucination came hard. In it lightning splintered the sky and thunder crackled. A doctor came forward. He was neither kindly nor brusque like the previous two; his was the form of a mad scientist. This time I could make out a name tag, it read: Dr. Stein,

Pacing

Frank N. He turned to me with wild eyes and wished me luck on my new “Unity.” Oh, the horrors of this hybrid hydra! A three-headed monster with the Bibi head being unrelentingly attacked by the duo of Herzog and Livni heads. In short order, Livni, hostage to her nature, would inevitably turn and betray Herzog as well, trying to kill off her last two political partners so she alone would remain and could finally rule. I awoke in a sweat knowing historically only Hercules could slay the hydra.

Desperate

for an alternative, the sole salvation I could come up with was common sense, and President Rivlin seems to be a reasonable man. He must recognize that unity governments are doomed to fail and must not task Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is the leader of the Likud, which garnered the highest seat count in the election, with forming a National Unity government. Bayit HaYehudi leader, Naftali Bennett, has already pledged his seats and support to Netanyahu, but what of Likud’s other natural allies? For the sake of a nation facing existential challenges, they should dispense with petty-politics as usual and support Netanyahu and Likud without resorting to extortion.

Patching together a government in so fractious an environment is no simple task. Even when accomplished it has no guarantee of a long and happy coexistence. That is what befell Netanyahu’s last coalition. Theoretically, governments in Israel are to last four years, the same quadrennial cycle as in the US. But it never comes to pass. As opposed to the US where the election is for an individual—president, senator, congressman—and not for a particular party, Israel requires a 61 seat majority in the 120 member Knesset to rule. Never in the 67 year history of the country has this occurred and a coalition is the only way to accumulate the necessary seats to form a government. Netanyahu’s last governing coalition, the 19th Israeli Knesset which lasted barely 1 ½ years, included two parties which serve as excellent examples of the strange bedfellows politics make: Yesh Atid headed by Yair Lapid and Tzipi Livni’s Hatnuah party. They were given two key ministerial posts, Finance and Justice respectively, in exchange for their joining Netanyahu’s coalition. The honeymoon did not last long, not making it out of shana rishona. Lapid and Livni started publicly sniping at Netanyahu, blaming problems in the economy and the failing US sponsored Israel-Palestinian peace talks on him. Livni went so far as to engage in outright insubordination holding unauthorized Continued on page 74

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P R O S P E C T PA R K

meetings with Palestinian negotiators. Lapid, a former leading TV news figure in Israel, went to familiar turf and used the media as his pulpit. Governing became absolutely untenable, and Netanyahu, who was riding very high popularity ratings in domestic polls, was forced to dissolve his own government, calling for new elections in the shortest possible period of three months. Effectively, he held his own “Night of the Long Knives,” a term based on an actual event 1,500 years ago but now used only metaphorically with no actual bloodshed but plenty of political slaughter. He purged the government of Lapid and Livni and forced several troublesome Likud parliamentarians down the seating list, effectively neutralizing them. Labor, the party leading the opposition, was moribund. Shelley Yachimovich, its former leader, though principled, could not gain interest or traction with Israel’s voters and led Labor to death’s door. Netanyahu having eliminated rivals, riding high in the polls, and facing a vanquished opponent in Labor was fully confident that Likud and the Right-bloc would emerge stronger, dominant. If the elections were held the very day he felled his government, the results would have borne out his optimism but by having to wait the mandated three months he learned the hard way that a lot can happen during a full trimester, to follow-up with my dreams/nightmares above.

Since

calling for elections much has changed. Labor, now referred to as Zionist Unity, has arisen from the dead under current leader Isaac “Bujie” Herzog, a scion of a “Royal Family” in Israel—his grandfather was the first Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of the State of Israel and his father was the nation’s sixth President. Lacking in charisma and scruples, Herzog has rapaciously attacked Bibi since taking the helm of Labor, criticizing the prime minister during the prosecution of last summer’s Operation Protective Edge, and more recently condemning Bibi’s handling of Washington, “the Speech” and Iran. Herzog has been running a virtual “shadow government” meeting with US and foreign officials when they would not meet with Bibi. Herzog has parlayed this into a stronger political standing for Labor within Israel. His tragic mistake in this election, though, was taking on Tzipi Livni as his second-in-command, offering her a rotational agreement as prime minister in the event that their newly formed Zionist Union would win the election. He miscalculated in taking Livni, who is a national punchline to jokes about politicians. Few politicians are more reviled in Israel. Livni was ubiquitous during the early days of the campaign but when polls showed she was bad baggage for Herzog, she disappeared and was found featured on milk carton cartoons based on the Missing Kids ads in the States. It seems both Bibi and Herzog each made tragic miscalculations which each remedied during the campaign. With Election Day approaching, both leaders picked up the pace; Livni was nowhere to be found, in her own witness protection program. The polls said the race was close but consistently had Herzog several seats ahead of Netanyahu. Polls in Israel are notoriously poor in predicting the outcome, especially when they favor Labor and other Left-wing parties partially because the polls are generally run by organizations favoring the Left. They are not only covering the news but trying to make it by influencing outcome. That being said, by all accounts the Zionist Union was in the lead. And Netanyahu came out

swinging. He started to preach long-held Likud values: Israel’s security; no deal with the Palestinians; national pride; Jewish values. He pitched himself as the leader of the Jewish State while Herzog, despite the comically inaccurate name of his party the Zionist Union, was sensed to be ideologically “post-Zionist,” making promises of appearing before the Palestinian Authority and reaching accord with Europe and Obama. The nation, recognizing Obama’s antipathy was not merely focused on Netanyahu but on the State of Israel as well, feared Herzog would go through with his promises and support started to shift.

Netanyahu

then tackled in a way that irritated many on the Right but may well have proved to be the winning gambit: He poached seats from natural political allies The Jewish Home and Yachad, a joint religious/ Zionist amalgam. The goal was to give Netanyahu an impressive mandate of seats, the most support possible even if it came at the expense of allies. The two parties suffered significantly, with The Jewish Home losing 4 seats from the previous government and Yachad not clearing the electoral threshold of 3.25% of votes cast (this may change when IDF ballots and other special situation ballots are counted). Netanyahu was no doubt aware of the strategy and its effects. After declaring victory, the first call Bibi made towards forming a government was to the head of The Jewish Home Party, Naftali Bennett, inviting him to help form the government. Bennett discounted the adverse effect the victory had on his party and enthusiastically has come out in support of Netanyahu and forming a Right-wing coalition. Other parties and leaders as of yet have not been so vocal. Likud’s former parliamentary partner, Yisrael Beitenu, went through its traditional pre-election scandal. Previously, it withstood the “conveniently” timed investigations; this time it withered under the scrutiny garnering only 5 seats, a fraction of its recent results. Liberman has not committed to Netanyahu and is playing hard to get. He should not overplay his hand. At best he can hope for a ministry but at 5 seats it will presumably be of lesser prestige than his previous position as Foreign Minister, though he is rumored to be demanding the Defense portfolio. Moshe Kahlon, head and founder of this election’s new sweetheart Kulanu, is poised to be the kingmaker in any deal. His party received 10 seats, a better than predicted showing. Previously he was a star in Likud and has already been promised the Finance Ministry in the event he joins Likud’s coalition. His new party’s platform champions socio-economic issues, making Netanyahu’s offer to him presumably a winning one. Yesh Atid, a centrist party in many ways ideologically close to Kulanu, stands little chance of being invited into or accepting an invitation to the coalition

due to the acrimonious past between party head Lapid and PM Netanyahu. Additionally, towards the end of the campaign, they were in open battle with Kulanu, fighting over the same segment of the electorate. Politics, however, is based on expediency, and wounds heal quickly when it suits both sides. The range of religious parties—Shas, United Torah Judaism, and Yachad, if it crosses the threshold to enter the Knesset (though it presently appears doubtful)—will presumably align with Likud, restoring a traditional alliance between the two groups that was suspended in the last Knesset as Bibi chose to keep Hareidi parties out of his coalition—primarily due to Lapid and Livni—and in the opposition. Netanyahu has already reached out to leaders of Kulanu, the religious parties, and as previously mentioned, Bennett and Liberman. If they all join and form a Right-Religious coalition he would have 68 seats, and if miraculously, Yachad qualifies bringing with them 4 more, the coalition potentially has 72, a very strong and hopefully stable number of mandates.

few interesting points about this election: There was a sharp rise in voter participation; a record number of women are Members of Knesset; due to the great success of the Joint Arab List there will be

SOURCE: VOX.COM/JOE POSNER

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MARCH 19, 2015

more Arabs in the 20th Knesset; there will be fewer Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jews serving in this new government; and 41 Knesset members were elected for the first time. It will be several weeks at the earliest, well over a month on the outside before the 20th Knesset is sworn in to govern Israel. My great wish is the next time I write an article on Israel’s elections it will be in four years’ time after a successful and stable government has led our remarkable and young State of Israel, the Jewish Homeland built on our ancient land, to greater achievements, safety, security and prosperity for all. It would be just what the “doctor” ordered. 

Matt Solomon is a writer, analyst, and commentator living in Alon Shvut, Israel, with his wife and two children. He can be contacted at meirmatt@Hotmail.com.

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SUNDAY, APRIL 26TH, 2015 CONGREGATION OHR TORAH 410 HUNGRY HARBOR ROAD, NORTH WOODMERE, NY 11581

RECEPTION: 6:30

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DINNER: 7:30

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Establishment of The Molly Klapper & Rose Meth Scholarship Fund

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Art Soul

IN JERUSALEM

The

expression of creativity and dedication to G-d can be seen as an elusive combination. Artists are considered amongst the free-thinkers of the world and creative arts a form of personal expression, while observance requires a certain level of conformity. Yet art and observance have been beautifully intertwined throughout Jewish history. With biblical figures such as King David, whose poetry became our Tehillim, and Betzalel, the chief artisan charged with building the vessels of the Mishkan, we see the possibility to integrate these traits. Yiddy Lebovits is an artist living and working in Jerusalem. He is also the son of the Nikolsburg Rabbi of Monsey, New York. Yiddy moved from Monsey to Jerusalem with his family in 2013 to fulfill his dream

of settling in Israel. As he explored the splendor of the Holy Land, he was taken by its beauty in all shapes and forms. From the sights and sounds of the Machane Yehuda Shuk to the convergence of the country’s diverse inhabitants, Yiddy began preserving these sensory experiences through his art. Even with his devout background and rabbinic lineage, art was a strong part of his upbringing. His father, the Rebbe, would often draw for Yiddy and his siblings. His maternal grandfather was an artist and a rabbi. Yiddy remembers his first set of art supplies, purchased by his mother at the legendary Canal Street shop, Pearl Paint, when he was eight years old. She constantly encouraged him, even sending some of his work off to renowned art and auction house Sotheby’s, where they took the time to respond with a letter of encouragement. Yiddy had no formal art training but read books to expand his skills. He was

Drawing soldiers alongside rabbis, he celebrates the “melting pot” of Israel.

BY TAMMY MARK

always creating art and experimenting with different mediums. “Whatever would leave a mark on a paper, I tried,” he recalls. He now works with a wide range of mediums including charcoal, pastels and digital. His online collection features his famous street scenes but also includes still life and portraits. Yiddy studied graphic design and web design for close to 20 years ago and worked in that emerging field for many years. He then became a tutor, teaching English and Jewish studies, and giving art lessons to as many as 150 students. He instilled basic art skills so his students would be able to produce art on their own, encouraging them to infuse their artwork with their individual flavor. His art lessons ultimately flowed into life lessons, teaching children about having perspective and the ability to see the “big picture” without getting too distracted by details.

While

always a part of his life, Yiddy’s own artwork was not yet a source of income for him. Upon reaching Israel, he felt the ar-

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tistic spirit to be stronger in the Holy Land. Lebovits believes, “Freedom of thought comes out in Israel.” That spirit, coupled with his passion for the Holy Land, evolved his lifelong interest into something more. Yiddy had dreamt of moving to Israel for 12 years. While some family members admired his passion, others thought it was a far-fetched fantasy. He spoke about fulfilling the mitzvah of settling Eretz Yisrael to his children and incorporated it with each weekly Torah reading. When the time finally came for the dream to materialize, his immediate family was ready and excited. Even his father knew he couldn’t hold him back and has visited twice so far. Yiddy is extremely passionate in his love for Israel and feels profoundly privileged to finally live there. He encourages everyone to visit Israel and has even persuaded many of his friends who had never thought of making the trip. On a recent visit to New York, he exhibited his artwork at an event called “Painting a Jewish future in the Holy Land” sponsored by Merom Yerushalyim, a residential complex in the heart of Je-

rusalem. Yiddy’s cousin, CEO Yossi Waldman, had seen his artwork a while back and asked him to join their event to showcase his Jerusalem street scenes. While he enjoys his street scenes of Jerusalem the most, Yiddy’s art portrays many facets of Jewish life such as the shtetls of pre-war Europe and scenery of the Catskills bungalow colonies. Drawing soldiers alongside rabbis, he celebrates the “melting pot” of Israel. “The brotherhood really exists. There is an underlying way we relate to each other, even with all the politics.” Yiddy has always been interested in history. He felt a deep connection to the culture of the Lower Manhattan – the stories, the shops and the people – and Jewish and American history in general. At this juncture in his life he looks fondly at those past eras of Jewish history, but in Israel he now feels he is living in the future. “We have to invest in the future and be a part of it,” he says.

Now

that Yiddy and his wife and children are fulfilling this vision, he also continues

to pass down his artistic legacy. His six children are all budding artists; his 14-year-old daughter showing abundant interest. The family is supportive of each other’s individual talents; Yiddy’s brother Yoeli is a popular Jewish comedian, a badchan. Their father, the Rebbe, enjoys and encourages his talents as well, as he believes that making somebody smile is one of the most important acts a person can do. Yiddy shared a story of a photographer he met from Tsfat. He was a baal teshuva who stopped taking photos when he started learning Torah, believing it took away from his learning. After he learned about the importance of sharing the Torah one learns, he realized that G-d’s gifts are meant to be shared, and reincorporated his photography into his Torah life. One of the lessons Lebovits always imparted to his art students was to appreciate and thank G-d for whatever quality or talent they may possess. He wanted them to understand that it’s okay to take a compliment. His advice today is the same, “When G-d gives a talent it’s not meant to be hidden.” 

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MARCH 19, 2015

Torah Thought

Rabbi Berel Wein

Parshas Vayikra

he word vayikra that begins this week’s Torah reading and is the name of the third book of the Chumash is distinguished by having a miniature alef at the end of the word. I have written about this ex-

the sound waves of the world. In such an environment it is difficult, if not almost well-nigh impossible, to hear the whispered voice of Sinai, which is broadcast daily to the human race. One of the basic tenets of Juda-

The small voice that Elijah heard still echoes in our ears thousands of years later. ceptional script/font previously. I concentrated then mainly on the traditional explanation that this small letter was inserted in the Torah to highlight the abject humility of our teacher Moshe, with this character trait of humility being the basis for his extraordinary relationship with the Creator. The focus of the explanation regarding this miniature letter was placed on Moshe. However, if I may, I would suggest another type of interpretation in which the focus is not on Moshe, the recipient of G-d’s words, but rather is on G-d Himself, so to speak. In the famous vision of the prophet Elijah as recorded for us in the book of Kings, the L-rd illustrates to the prophet and through him to all of Israel and mankind that G-d is not to be found in thunder and earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes and the other majestic and awe-inspiring vagaries of natural sound. Rather He is to be found in the still small voice that constantly emanates from Heaven. God calls out to us in that modulated whispered tone of voice. He calls out to us with a small alef, reduced in size and volume. The loud voice cannot maintain itself for all times, whereas the small voice that Elijah heard still echoes in our ears thousands of years later. If one wants to hear G-d’s voice, so to speak, speaking to one’s self, then one has to strain to hear the whispered utterances, the nuances of tone, the drama of almost silence itself. The rabbis of the Talmud emphasized this message and cautioned us: “The words of the wise are heard and appreciated when they are said with calm and softness.” In our world of constant sound, the cacophony of shouting and disagreements dominate

ism is to somehow attempt to imitate the traits, so to speak, of our Creator. Therefore, if G-d speaks to us in a soft and calm voice and manner, then that should be the voice and manner that we should constantly employ when communicating with others. King Solomon in Proverbs taught us that shouting is the weapon of fools. The greatness of Moshe is emphasized in his ability to hear the G-dly voice speaking to him, while others, outside the holy precincts of the Mishkan/Tabernacle were unable to do so. In an expansive way, one can say that those who cannot hear the still small voice of G-d, so to speak, are really deaf to the spiritual demands that the Torah places upon us – they are outside the precincts of the holy structure of Judaism. My revered teachers in my student years emphasized to us that high volume while praying does not always equal proper intent and concentration. G-d hears the silence of our hearts. We should all attempt to hear the softness of His communication in His relationship to us. Shabbat shalom.

Are cellphones good for your health? See what Dr. Simai has to say on page 105

The Shmuz

Parshas HaChodesh

The Balance of Din and Rachamim

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R’ Ben Tzion Shafier

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Great Affront to the Mitzrim After months of witnessing Hashem’s mastery over nature, the Jewish people were commanded to commit the ultimate affront to the Mitzrim: to take their very god, tie it to the bedpost, and prepare it to be slaughtered on the 14th of Nissan. They were then to take the blood of the korban and smear it on their doorposts as a sign to protect them. Additionally, they were told that since all firstborn Mitzrim were to be killed, no Jew should leave his house that night. Rashi explains that even though blood on the doorpost was a sign that that house belonged to a Jew, if a Jew were to walk in the street, he would be in danger. “Once permission is given to the destroyer to destroy, he doesn’t distinguish between innocent and guilty.” Where is the Justice? It seems that Rashi is saying that had a Jew remained in his house that evening, he would not have been killed, and had he left his house, he might die – not because he was guilty of any sin, not because he deserved to die, but because once the destroyer is given permission to kill, anyone in his path is in danger. This Rashi is quite difficult to understand. If someone is innocent, then how is it possible that he would die? The basis of our entire belief system is that there is no power in this world other than Hashem. We accept that all decisions are directly guided and carried out by Him alone. So how is it possible that someone undeserving of death would have been killed just for going outside that evening? Where is the justice? Immutable Laws of Nature The answer to this question is based on the way that Chazal understand the system of Creation. Hashem formed this world with definite and distinct laws: heat tends to rise, gases tend to expand, and heavy objects tend to fall. These laws are the bedrock foundation for all of physicality. Just as Hashem creat-

ed laws for the physical world, so too, He created laws for the spiritual world. These are specific and exact, and carry throughout Creation. Before Hashem created the world,

question on Rashi. When Hashem was taking retribution on the firstborns of Mitzrayim, justice was being served, and so there was a global shift in the middah in operation. Din went into ef-

A person who might be innocent under the normal mercy system would now be found guilty and might warrant death. He thought (if it could be) to create it with the middas ha’din – strict justice. However, the world couldn’t exist if it operated according to this system, so Hashem created the world using the middas ha’rachamim – the system of mercy. The operating principle then became compassion. The way that actions were weighed and people were judged was now with a different scale and measuring rod. However, since Hashem acts with complete honesty, justice cannot be ignored. It is mitigated and guided by kindness, but it still demands its due. The Mesilos Yesharim explains that pure middas ha’din would demand instant punishment for a sin. After all, in this world, you are a creation, a visitor in the King’s land, created by and supported by Him. The King gave you laws for your good, and if you have the audacity to violate the express command of the King, even a slight transgression should be immediately punishable by death. The middah of mercy allows for a different way of judging an act: a sinner is given time to repent, the punishment isn’t as severe, and there is a system of teshuvah – of somehow undoing the sin itself. However, din cannot be ignored, and there are times and situations where it comes into full force. For reasons that we humans will likely never understand, Hashem runs this world in cycles and time settings. There are times of greater leniency and times that demand more scrutiny in judgment. We are advised to daven on Yom Kippur with extra fervor because it is a time of greater rachamim. The same amount of regret and teshuvah on our part will accomplish more. The middah of rachamim is in greater force. This seems to be the answer to the

fect. As such, it was a very dangerous time. Now man – any man – would be judged with the system of din, and very few individuals would be able to pass as innocent. Therefore, the Klal Yisroel were warned, “Do not go out from your home.” The destructive angel was given permission to act in a manner different than under normal circumstances. A person who might be innocent under the normal mercy system would now be found guilty and might warrant death. Because of that, the Jews were advised to avoid the situation. This concept has great applications to our lives. In many situations, we are tempted to ask questions on Hashem. “It’s not fair! Why should that person suffer? Why do bad things happen to good people?” Yet when we focus on what man is capable of accomplishing, we understand that there are very few individuals who truly live up to their potential. If the middah of din was exacted, there would be few who would escape unscathed. So, there are no issues of “it’s 

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not fair.” The only question is why in one case it seems that din is in operation more than in another. And because there are so many factors that affect the balance, we humans may never know the answer to these global questions. However, the question of Hashem’s “cruelty” never applies. Using the Middah of Mercy Even more, these concepts affect our relationship to Hashem. When we understand what strict din is, we understand that our very existence is dependent upon mercy. We can then tap into one of the most powerful forces in Creation. Even a slight change in the amount of mercy Hashem uses in judging me can have a fantastic difference in the outcome. The question I have to ask is: how do I awaken the middah of mercy? One of the keys is to utilize the power of tefillah, to ask Hashem for help – not based on my merit or anything that I have done, but out of sheer mercy. Another method is to act toward other people with mercy. Chazal tell us that the way that a person is judged mirrors the way he judges others. Since he established the criteria, that itself is justice, and in Heaven that is the scale they use. Understanding these ideas greatly impacts the way that we approach others and the way we approach life itself. Get the new Shmuz APP! Access hundreds of audio, videos, and articles from the Shmuz. Simply go to the App store, or Google Play, and search for “TheShmuz” or go to www. theShmuz.com.

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“And you shall take a bundle of hyssops and dip it in the blood in the basin, and you shall touch it to the lintel and the two door posts, and you shall not go out, no man from the entrance of his home that night, until the morning.” — Shemos 12:22

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You Gotta be

Riddle!

Kidding!

Mr. Peterman was a very rich man who liked to see how smart the local kids were. One day he came into town with a little safe and announced that there was $1,000 in the safe for anyone who could get it open. He showed the crowd 5 different colored keys and the person who figured out which key was the correct one for the safe got to keep the money. Using the clues, do you think you could figure it out? Red: This key is somewhere to the left of the key to the door. Blue: This key is not at one of the ends. Green: This key is three spaces away from the key to the door (2 between). Yellow: This key is next to the key to the door. Orange: This key is in the middle. Answer on next page

Yankel finally achieved his lifelong goal—he had the winning lotto number, 49. Upon hearing the news, his friend David said, “Yankel! How did you happen to pick the winning numbers?” “I saw it in a dream. Six sevens appeared and danced before my eyes. Six times seven is 49, and that’s all there was to it,” said Yankel “But six times seven is 42 not 49,” responded David. Yankel looked at him and said, “Huh? Alright, so you be the mathematician!”

SIGNS THAT YOU HAVE BECOME AN ISRAELI  As soon as a traffic light turns green you shout, “Yalla”… even if you are the first person at the light.  A line is something that you follow in books only.  After every meal, you keep a toothpick in your mouth for 5 hours.  “Please,” “thank you,” and “excuse me” are extinct dinosaurs.  Your second sentence upon meeting someone is “How much did it cost?”

 When angry, you are fluent in Arabic curse words.  You regard traffic signals and stop signs as suggestions.  You arrive 30 minutes late for a meeting but are the first person there.  You start a blog or website about Israel and Dead Sea products.  You prefer Turkish coffee (AKA “mud”) over Starbucks.  When referring to America, you say “the States.”

 You wear slacks and a buttoned, tucked out shirt to weddings.  You wear flip-flops to your own wedding.  You use the “rega” hand sign (thumb meets fingers in upwards motion) at least three a day.

 You think it is normal to buy milk in bags.  It takes you .00000000000000001 seconds to split a sunflower seed.  You don’t think sliced bread is that great anyway.

 You even eat your hotdogs with chummus.

 When you spit the sunflower seed shell out, it has a better spiral than Peyton Manning’s footballs.

 You use the word “Nu” at least 10 times when listening to a friend’s story.

 You think that nobody is qualified to be prime minister, except for you…even though you are a taxi driver.

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3. Who is the person doing a headstand in this famous photograph? a. The founder of Israel’s Olympic aqua team, Yaakov Davidi b. Ilan Zoldan, who is said to have brought yoga to Israel from Russia c. Gil Mochai, who at age 81 held a world record for longest headstand. d. Prime Minister David Ben Gurion 4. Which Israeli prime minister grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin? a. Benjamin Netanyahu b. Golda Meir c. Ehud Olmert d. Ehud Barak 5. Who was Israel’s second prime minister? a. David Ben Gurion b. Yigal Allon c. Moshe Sharett d. Levi Eshkol 6. How many of Israel’s 12 prime ministers served nonconsecutive terms in office? a. 2 b. 4 c. 5 d. 8

Answer: 1. B- In 1946 the British placed a $50,000 reward on Begin’s head. He escaped the British dragnet by disguising himself Rabbi Israel Sassover and was known as “the Sassover Rav.” In his later years Begin recollected that it was hard for him to keep his disguise when he would walk into shul and people would come up to him and say, “Nu, Rav Sassover, did you hear what the Irgun did today?” 2. A 3. D- This photo of Ben Gurion standing on his head was taken on a Herzliya beach in 1957, while the then-prime minister was relaxing. Ben Gurion liked to stand on his head. He was an avid yogi and travelled to India to study meditation. This picture is of him at 71, in 1957, at the Herzeliya beach (where I am heading to lunch in a bit). 4. B- Golda Meir grew up in Milwaukee and made an aliyah when she was 23 years old. 5. C 6. C 7. A Wisdom Key: 5-7 correct: Aizeh keff atah! You win a bag of sunflower seeds. 3-4 correct: Not bad. You win sunflower seed shells! 0-2 correct: You really don’t know much about Israeli politics… so you have no future as an Israeli Comm Let the ission taxi driver. er

G OT FU N N Y?

Send

your s t

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uff

to fivetow centerfold@ nsjewis hhome. com

MARCH 19, 2015

2. Who was the first Israeli prime minister to be born in Israel? a. Yigal Allon b. Ehud Olmert c. Ehud Barak d. Yitzchak Rabin

7. The Israeli elections of 1984 was a political draw, so prime ministership was split between the leaders of the Avoda and the Likud parties serving two years each in what was called “the rotation.” Who were they? a. Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Shamir b. Shimon Peres and Menachem Begin c. Yitzhak Rabin and Yitzhak Shamir d. Yitzhak Rabin and Menachem Begin

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1. In 1946 when Menachem Begin was in hiding as the head of the underground group, the Irgun, what did he disguise himself as? a. A taxi driver b. A rabbi c. A homeless man d. A mute

THE JEWISH HOME

Israeli Prime Minister Trivia

ANSWER TO RIDDLE: The order (from left to right) is Green, Red, Orange, Blue, and Yellow. The blue key is the key to the door.

The Observant Jew

Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

Light and Sweet

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MARCH 19, 2015

offee. For centuries, it’s been a drink at the center of life. It wakes us up, keeps us up, warms us up, and offers opportunities to discuss different ideas and thoughts with our friends using this beverage as a central grounding point. European coffeehouses were centers for thought, philosophy and discussion. According to Merriam-Webster, from a cultural standpoint, coffeehouses largely serve as centers of social interaction: the coffeehouse provides social members with a place to congregate, talk, write, read, entertain one another, or pass the time, whether individually or in small groups of two or three people. A coffeehouse can serve as an informal club for its regular members. There have even been studies that prove that when you hold a warm cup in your hand, you feel more positively inclined towards the person sitting across from you (though they say it’s the

warmth, not the turbo-charged caffeine concoction in the drink). What got me thinking this time, though, was the different ways people like their coffee. I remember an old German rebbi I had who said (in Yiddish it

Coffee begins as a bean, a fruit on a tree, which must be picked. You can eat them, and in fact before people figured out how to brew coffee, people ate the beans for an energy boost before going out to hunt or similar activities. The

Life isn’t necessarily sweet or light on its own but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it. sounds much better), “Coffee should be black as night, bitter as gall, and hot as gehenom.” Others, myself included, like milk and sweetener in their coffee, or as it’s colloquially known, “Light and sweet.” Now if we use coffee as a metaphor for life—and not merely as life support as most people do—we can look at it in an interesting light.

beans are bitter, though, and can cause things like heartburn. Enter water, and behold, brewed coffee! At some point, mankind learned to add water to these beans and create a drink which was much easier on the teeth and stomach. It lessened the intensity but retained the energy boost. By finding a way to make the bean more palatable, we created a drink which enables people to pontificate for hours about the finer points of Renaissance paintings or monster truck rallies. But guess what? The coffee is still bitter. So what can we do? While some people enjoy the plain black coffee, though I assume it’s an acquired taste, others opt for other add-ins to make it tastier. Milk or cream lighten the color and consistency, giving us a light brown beverage that doesn’t feel as sharp on the tongue. Sugar or other sweeteners mask or even transform the bitter taste. Suddenly, we’ve got a soothing, comforting drink that tastes good in the mouth and feels good going down. We’ve even got other ways of spicing it up by adding flavorings such as chicory, vanilla, or hazelnut to modify the taste and enhance the coffee-drinking experience. While some people like to try different flavors, most people get into a routine of how they like their coffee. It may be black, with no sweetener or milk. They like the pure, unadulterated strength of that coffee experience. Others choose to add either milk or sugar, which takes off just enough of the edge for them. Then there’s the group that add both and when they order coffee, if they’re not getting a “trendy-mochanilla-nonfat-javachino” they order it “light

and sweet.” Life isn’t necessarily sweet or light on its own. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it. The fact that we exist is exhilarating, but if you find it hard to stomach it plain, you can work on modifying it to be more pleasant. By finding joy in the things we have and can do, we lighten the experience. By doing things that make us feel good, like being nice to others and smiling a lot, we sweeten the pot. The Torah gives us 613 different addins, and we can often focus on the ones that work the best for us. Not everyone will be ready to visit sick people, and their blend might have more tzedaka or more teaching. Torah is the water that makes the beans turn into a beverage, and we should drink it in.

So, the next time you have your morning cup of joe or you’re savoring an espresso over a conversation with a friend, remember that coffee (and sometimes life) doesn’t start out all that great, but there’s a lot we can do to turn the bitterness into something light and sweet. Did you like this article? There’s plenty more where that came from! Pick up The Observant Jew, a compilation of some of the best articles from the first ten years of this column, at your local bookstore or order it online and bring the inspiration home. Jonathan Gewirtz is an inspirational writer and speaker whose work has appeared in publications around the world. He also operates JewishSpeechWriter.com, where you can order a custom-made speech for your next special occasion. Sign up for the Migdal Ohr, his weekly PDF Dvar Torah in English. E-mail info@ JewishSpeechWriter.com and put Subscribe in the subject. © 2014 by Jonathan Gewirtz. All rights reserved.

Sovah Catering Pesach 2015 Flyer_Layout 1 1/19/2015 8:24 AM Page 1

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FROM THE HIDDEN TO THE REVEALED

MARCH 19, 2015

Connecting the Dots from Purim to Pesach

RABBI ARYEH GINZBERG

Rav of Chofetz Chaim Torah Center; Articles appear in Torah journals, local and national Jewish newspapers and magazines

Sunday, March 22nd, 2015 the 2nd of Nissan at 10 A.M. at The White Shul - Beis Medrash 728 Empire Avenue, Far Rockaway THIS LECTURE IS BEING SPONSORED BY:

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A Community of Giving A Peek into some of our Neighborhood’s Gemachs BY TAMAR COHEN

emach” comes from the words gemilus chasadim and originally referred only to an interest-free monetary loan between Jews, which itself is a positive commandment. Not surprisingly, the concept has grown to encompass not just money, but also clothing, books, coats, bentchers, gowns, and countless other free or discounted products and services. The tristate area has the largest concentration of gemachs in North America and quite possibly the world. In Far Rockaway and the Five Towns, gemachs range from the usual necessities, such as chairs and baby equipment, to some more unique communal needs, such as a kallah sneakers gemach. The sheer number of local gemachs in our neighborhood is a testament to the generosity of the residents living here. Remarkably, our gemachs have become more of a cooperative community-sharing program rather than solely a way to provide for those enduring financial hardship. Even the wealthiest among us happily clothe their daughters with gowns

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The hospital gown gemach is l’iluy nishmas Miriam bas yblc”t Shneur Zalman. You can reach Mrs. Shonek at (845) 425-8687 to make an appointment.

Every time someone borrows something, Rabbi Friedler records it in a book, so he can keep track of the tools. The first entry is from 2004. The most commonly borrowed tool is the snake that unclogs toilets. On Sukkos, he has a lot of requests for leaf trimmers, wrenches, screwdrivers, electric drills, and shop-vacs. “I also have a lot of interesting, odd tools that I have to explain to people how to use,” he says. Rabbi Friedler gets at least one call

Need to fix something? The tool gemach should have the proper tool for you

MARCH 19, 2015

“It’s heartwarming to see people paying it forward in our community.”

Fresh Flower Gemach A few years ago, someone asked Risa Sonnenblick to help set up for a vort on a budget. When she went to see what was already there, she felt the simcha would look so much nicer with flowers. The day before, Mrs. Sonnenblick had been to an elegant kiddush for her friend’s baby girl. She contacted her friend to ask if she could use the flower arrangements from the kiddush for the vort. “My friend was so happy to give them away, so we brought them to the vort, and it looked beautiful.” After the vort, Mrs. Sonnenblick brought the flowers to a nursing home where her aunt was living at the time. She received thank you notes from both the family making the vort and the nursing home. “Many people spend a lot of money on flower arrangements for their simchas and because the flowers are fresh, they can be used for simchas the next day and the following day. It’s a winwin for everyone,” she explains. Mrs. Sonnenblick makes the shidduch between baalei simcha who have flowers to give and baalei simcha who need flowers, whether for convenience, last-minute timing, or budgetary reasons. It’s always better, explains Mrs. Sonnenblick, when the baalei simcha who can donate flowers call her ahead of time – before the simchah – to let her know they will have flowers available on a certain date. “When I get calls after a simchah is already over, I can’t always find someone who needs them, and it’s a shame to let them go to waste.” There are, of course, usually more people looking for flowers than offering. Baalei simcha who need flowers call about aufrufs, vorts, and sheva brachos, though weddings and bar mitzvahs are the most common. She regularly gets calls from Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan, but has also gotten calls from as far as Florida and Chicago from parents making weddings for their children in New York. Mrs. Sonnenblick says the best part of her gemach is making people happy when it actually works out for them. She also gets to see the generous side of people. In one touching case in point,

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Tools Gemach Rabbi Yehudah Meyerfeld of Monsey and Rabbi Aron Friedler of Far Rockaway are both rebbeim at HANC. Rabbi Meyerfeld’s father, Henry, has a plumbing supply store in Vineland, NJ. Many years ago, Rabbi Meyerfeld needed a particular tool that no one he knew had. His father, who was coming for Shabbos anyway, brought him the tool from his store and told him to just “keep it and start a gemach.” Little did he know how far his words would go. Rabbi Meyerfeld began a gemach in Monsey. Soon after, he asked his colleague, Rabbi Friedler, to do the same in Far Rockaway. “I resisted at first, but Rabbi Meyerfeld really wanted to spread this chesed.” Fast forward eleven years, and Rabbi Friedler’s garage is now packed with all the tools you might need for basic household repairs. Its goal is to assist people who need an immediate household repair or who don’t have the space or money for tools.

every week to borrow something, while yomim tovim are probably the busiest times of the year. The next time you can’t find your screwdriver, don’t hesitate to call Rabbi Friedler at (917) 496-2247.

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Mrs. Gertner started sewing pretty, tzinius hospital gowns so that her daughter, Miriam, a young mother in her twenties battling a fatal illness, would feel more dignified during her hospital stays. When her daughter passed away, Chana wanted to continue making gowns in her daughter’s memory. The demand was so overwhelming that she couldn’t keep up on her own, so she found a manufacturer to continue A beautiful simcha with a tablecloth from the tablecloth gemach producing the gowns. The article in Hamodia Preemie Clothing Gemach asked for those interested in starting a Ronit Rosenfeld’s daughter was gemach in their neighborhood to conborn weeks early and weighed only tact Chana directly, and Mrs. Shonek 3 pounds, 12 ounces. At the time, it has had the Far Rockaway community wasn’t easy to find preemie clothes for covered ever since. her tiny baby. She took whatever she “The gowns are lent out to any could get. Baruch Hashem, her baby women who will be needing a hospital thrived in the NICU and outgrew the stay, and baruch Hashem, it’s usually clothes relatively quickly. Mrs. Rosen- used for labor and delivery,” explains feld took her baby home, along with a Mrs. Shonek, “and I often have repeat small wardrobe of girly preemie clothes, customers!” realizing that other parents of preemies Women are able to pick up a few could make good use of her baby’s bare- hospital gowns as close as possible ly-worn wardrobe. The preemie cloth- to the time they will need them. The ing gemach was born. Since then, Mrs. Rosenfeld has been able to assist many families whose newest arrivals have come weeks or even months early. With clothing taken care of, families can focus on other priorities and concerns that come with having a gemach requests a $30 deposit, which preemie. Because of her own experi- is returned upon the timely receipt of ence, Mrs. Rosenfeld has also been able cleaned hospital gowns. to lend an empathetic ear and help ner“Doctors are almost always posivous parents with what to expect in the tive when they see the gowns. They weeks and months ahead. are so receptive to the idea,” says Mrs. “Some people come to borrow cloth- Shonek. ing and have this look of fear in their In fact, the hospital gowns made face. They are so nervous and scared such an impression on one OBGYN that about having a preemie. I talk to them she tried to get them made for the labor about my experience and how I’ve been and delivery patients in her hospital. through months with the NICU. I love When Mrs. Shonek delivered her to see them when they come to return own baby at Cornell, the whole staff the clothing – it’s as if they’ve come out was impressed with the concept. on the other side. It’s really nice to see,” They felt that the gowns were Ronit shared. even more user-friendly for docThe preemie clothing gemach lends tors than standard hospital gowns clothing as needed and asks that you because they have snaps that line clean and return the clothing when it is the entire sleeve so that the pano longer needed. Clothing donations tient’s entire arm is accessible. are gladly accepted. You can make an The gowns tie in the back and appointment to pick up or drop off by come in assorted colors, patterns, calling Mrs. Rosenfeld at (516) 239- and designs. 3289. The only resistance to the gowns Mrs. Shonek has ever Hospital Gowns Gemach heard of was in a particular surAbout ten years ago, Yocheved gical procedure in which sanitaShonek found herself inspired by a tion rules were strict. But the Hamodia article about a hospital gown patient was able to use the gowns gemach started by a woman from Mon- for post-op recovery without any sey by the name of Mrs. Chana Gertner. problems.

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MARCH 19, 2015

110 88

 GEMACHS IN THE FIVE TOWNS AND FAR ROCKAWAY Baby Carriers

(516) 984-3340

Baby Equipment

(718) 327-0113; (347) 788-0724

Baby Formula (for emergency needs)

(718) 337-2268

Baby Preemie Clothes

(516) 239-3289

Baby/Toddler Clothing

(516) 851-5824

Bed Rest (Trays, Mini Fridge, etc)

(718) 868-0488

Benchers

(516) 394-0603; (646) 306-6688

Bikes

(718) 327-0427

Boys’ Wedding Outfits

(718) 327-0764

Bridal Hairdresser

(516) 528-9084

Bris Items

(646) 515-5845; (516) 239-0585; (516) 295-3772

Centerpiece Rental

(718) 471-3157

Chairs/Tables

(718) 868-2167; (718) 327-4110

Clothing, Children

(516) 295-3772; (516) 712-7735

Clothing (New Hyde Park)

(917) 703-4694

Clothing, Women

(718) 471-6061

Coats

(516) 374-0741

Fresh Flowers

(516) 239-6066.

Gowns, Children

(718) 337-1343

Gowns, Kallah

(718) 868-3997; (516) 732-949,

Gowns, Women’s

(516) 792-6153 (Woodmere); (516) 239-7222 (Lawrence)

Hospital Gowns

(845) 425-8687

Luggage (Zichron Malka)

(516) 303-4450

Pidyon Haben Tray/Coins

(718) 337-2228

Purim Costumes

(718) 327-0764, (718) 868-0806; (718) 316-0162; (718) 327-0427

Shiva Items

(718) 868-0291

Simcha Tableware/Serving Pieces

(917) 584-1781

Sneakers for Kallahs

(718) 868-0022

Tablecloths/Props

(516) 554-9266; (516) 868-4303; (516) 313-6136

TAG School Uniforms

(718) 327-0312

Teen / Sisters of the Bride Gowns

(917) 578-4027

Tools

(917) 496-2247

Toys

(516) 569-3338

Wedding Shtick

(718) 868-0022

Wigs

(347) 408-8354

This list is not a complete list of the gemachs in our neighborhood. If you have or know about any other active gemachs that are unlisted, please send the information to FR5Tgemachs@gmail.com.

one baalas simchah actually took it upon herself to arrange and pay for her own flower arrangements to be wrapped up and delivered to the person who needed them. She went out of her way to take care of every detail of the delivery. Mrs. SonnenServing pieces to enhance your simcha blick started the gemach in memory of Naava Wassner “It’s also really rewarding to see the Katlowitz, Naava bas Yosef Menachem generosity of people who realize they Mendel, and also has in mind her father, are getting so much from the gemach, so Menachem Mendel ben Mordechai Yaa- they donate extra in order to help cover kov. the costs of making someone else’s simMrs. Sonnenblick can be reached at chah. It’s heartwarming to see people (516) 239-6066. paying it forward in our community.” Sometimes, on a busy night at the Tablecloth Gemach Cedarhurst-based gemach people end Five years ago, Evy Guttman had a up helping each other party plan. For few sets of tablecloths which she often a gemach that helps with simchas, it’s lent to the TAG Women’s League for nice to see camaraderie amongst the events. customers. “When I began construction on my Mrs. Guttman makes sure to note house, I figured I’d build a small closet that if the suggested donation is too in my basement and open up a proper steep for someone, there are no questablecloth gemach. We outgrew that tions asked. “Everyone who is involved closet almost immediately,” Mrs. Gutt- in simcha gemachs knows that a simcha man said. is not a simcha if it’s a stressor.” Now there are 3,000 tablecloths If anyone wants to purchase a parhanging on double racks in Evy Gutt- ticular color or shade of tablecloth that man’s basement, organized in sets of 12 they can’t get at the gemach, they can to 40. The suggested donation is five order through Mrs. Guttman and donate dollars per tablecloth, which covers the it back after their simcha to make their cleaning costs of the commercial laun- purchase tax deductible. dry company that picks up and delivThe tablecloth gemach asks people ers from Mrs. Guttman’s home weekly. to return tablecloths in provided laundry Any additional donations go to the Da- bags the night or the morning after their vis Memorial Fund earmarked for baa- simcha. You can book an appointment lei simcha who need assistance. with Mrs. Guttman at (516) 554-9266. Mrs. Guttman aims to make simchas easier and nicer for people withSimcha Serving Dishes Gemach out breaking the bank and to encourage Chanie Finestone felt that our comthose who can to donate extra in order munity could benefit from a gemach to help cover the burdensome costs of that would provide tableware for people other’s simchas. who want to make a simcha in their own Busy is an understatement at Mrs. home without using a caterer. Guttman’s gemach – she relies on a Just weeks into her new gemach, crew of high school volunteers who Mrs. Finestone is busier than ever. She come weekly to schlep, carry, fold, and lends out cake trays, vases, silverware, organize. A current TAG high school three-tier stands, and other elegant student fields all calls and arranges all tableware weekly for a huge variety of of Mrs. Guttman’s appointments. events and simchas. “Without them, it wouldn’t be huMrs. Finestone accepts donations manly possible,” she says. that go to anyei Eretz Yisroel. Her Mrs. Guttman’s elegant tablecloths gemach is l’zecher nishmas Zev ben have brought customers from Brooklyn, Avram, her grandfather, Mr. Zev WolfQueens, and even as far as Monsey. The son, who brought new meaning to the most popular simchas she helps with are word giving. “He epitomized chesed in bar and bas mitzvahs, sheva brachos, our generation,” she explains. l’chaims, vorts, and shalom zachors. The serving pieces are mostly The best part of running the gemach, pareve and a few are milchig. The reflects Mrs. Guttman, is that she gets to gemach is located in Lawrence. Apbe part of people’s simchas on a weekly pointments with Chanie can be made by basis. calling (917) 584-1781. 

89 THE JEWISH HOME 

MARCH 19, 2015

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Parenting Pearls

Instilling Deretz Eretz

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Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW

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focus on the mitzvah of kibbud av v’em, and that’s why there is such a dearth of respect. The rav smiled and replied that although we can always do more, that’s

Rabbi Staum Responds: There are many factors that may play a role in why children aren’t respectful, and it’s obviously impossible to address them all in this limited forum. But I would like to present one aspect to think about: A good rule of thumb is that if we want to be more effective, instead of increasing our words, we should decrease our words! It’s definitely not easy to do, and it feels counter-intuitive. But if we do so, we have a better chance of being heard. We should express to our children the behaviors we expect from them emphatically and succinctly. Although it is important as parents to discuss with our children the impor-

not the real solution. The fact is that most schools do have such programs in place, but there is a limit to how much such programs can accomplish. The better focus would be on how parents act toward their own parents, if they are zocheh to still have them. Young children hear how their parents talk about their own parents when talking to their friends. They also hear how they talk to their parents on the phone or in person. Those conversations make an impression on them. A father heard his young daughter speaking in a demeaning manner about her mother. When the father chastised his daughter for speaking that way, she innocently replied, “But that’s the way Mommy talks to Bubby!” My friend, Rabbi Naftali Eisgrau, often relates that he once asked a former neighbor how he came to have such wonderful children. The neighbor thought a moment and then replied that whenever he and his wife noticed any sort of deficiency in one of their children, they would work on themselves in that area before addressing that issue in their child. Another factor to consider is what the shalom bayis is like in the home – how the spouses treat and speak to each other in front of their children and how they speak about each other to their children. The more parents respect each other, the more their children will respect them. It’s always better for one parent to demand the respect of the other parent: “You are not allowed to speak that way to Mommy!” “If Abba said no, why are you asking me?” Dr. Shimon Russel noted that when his children were young, they would of-

tance and expectations of kibbud av v’em and the parameters of the mitzvah according to halacha, long-winded and repeated lectures will hardly be effective. In fact, this is a mistake that most of us as parents/teachers make. We lecture incessantly to our children about the behaviors we expect from them. The problem is that as soon as we begin ‘lecture mode’ our child has generally tuned out. Recently, I overheard a conversation where someone complained to his rav that our schools don’t place sufficient

ten ask him who he loves more – them or Mommy? He always immediately replied “Mommy.” He explained that far from making them feel uncomfortable,

Long-winded and repeated lectures will hardly be effective it made them feel more secure. Children thrive in a home where they feel secure, and the greatest security parents can grant them is when there is shalom bayis in the home. It’s also worth remembering that things are not always as they seem, especially in regards to what goes on behind closed doors. No one can ever know the

struggles parents have with their children that no one sees. No doubt you already expend great effort trying to inculcate your values and training your children to have good middos and derech eretz. Those efforts will undoubtedly take root and sprout in the future iy”H, though it may be hard to see it now. Still, we can always improve and become even better parents than we already are. Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW, is the rabbi of Kehillat New Hempstead. He is also fifth grade rebbe and guidance counselor in ASHAR in Monsey and Principal of Mesivta Ohr Naftoli of New Windsor, NY. Rabbi Staum offers parenting classes based on the acclaimed Love & Logic Program. He can be reached at stamtorah@gmail.com. His website is www. stamtorah.info.

MARCH 19, 2015

My husband and I work hard to make our home a positive place for each of our children. Yet at times I feel that our children lack basic derech eretz. All of our lectures to them about the mitzvah of kibbud av v’em don’t seem to be getting us anywhere. I look at some of my neighbors’ children and cannot help but feel envious of the respect they show their parents. I know I shouldn’t be comparing but I can’t help feeling that way. Any suggestions?

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MARCH 19, 2015

Forgotten Heroes

Avi Heiligman

Our Fighting Presidents Part I

George Washmainly against Knife. These came from being the ington held the the Indians and roughest person to become president title of commandat the end of and the only one to have killed a man in er-in-chief well the war he re- a duel (Charles Dickenson in 1806 over before he was tired from the a horse race). Andrew Jackson took part elected president military. Wash- in three wars and several battles with in 1789. His milington returned the Indians. His service started when itary service beonly when the he became a courier during the Revogan with the miAmerican Rev- lutionary War and was captured with litia of Virginia olution broke his brother by the British. His brother during the French out in 1775 and died and Andrew almost succumbed to anyone with smallpox when his mother arranged for and Indian War Before he became a politician, prior battle ex- his release. His actions during the War (1754-1758) and Andrew Jackson was a storied war hero perience was of 1812 and the Indian Wars would need by chance he was badly needed. a separate article to do him justice but appointed as an officer. Fighting alongside the British, he The rest, they say, is history. Washing- it should be noted that while he was a distinguished himself on the battlefield ton became commander of the Conti- fierce commander, he got the job done. while riding high in the saddle with bul- nental Army and even though he was It was during the Battle of New Orlelets flying all around. Washington was a rich plantation owner, he suffered ans in 1815 that he became a household promoted as the commander-in-chief of through a bitter winter with his troops name when he routed the British in the all the forces raised in the British col- at Valley Forge. When the war was won, final engagement of the war. Jackson onies. The battles that he fought were Washington was unanimously voted in became a major general and commandas president. Even when he was pres- ed large areas of the U.S. before becomident, he became the only command- ing president in 1829. While president er-in-chief to lead troops into battle he beat off a would-be assassin with a when troops squashed a rebellion in cane (this was before the Secret Service 1794. came into existence). The third and fourth presidents, There were eight presidents between Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln were both colonels in the Revolutionary including three former generals, WilWar but didn’t see any action. The fifth liam Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor leader of our nation, James Monroe, is and Franklin Pierce. It was Major Gena different story. He dropped out of col- eral Taylor that earned the nickname lege (he never earned a degree) to join Old Rough and Ready and became a the Continental Army and took part in hero during the Mexican-American War a raid of a British arsenal before join- (1846-1848). For most of his 40 years ing Washington crossing the Delaware in the army he fought against Native River in December 1776. That was the Americans. As a commander he told his start of the Battle of Trenton. Monroe settlers to stay off Indian lands so as not and Washington’s cousin were both se- to provoke them but that did not prevent verely wounded when they tried to stop several wars between the two parties. Hessians, soldiers for hire from Germa- Taylor had much success against the SM ny, from shooting artillery guns at the Indians especially during the Second advancing Americans. A SM young doctor prevented him from bleeding to death and it took three SM months to recover from the wound. Monroe is depicted in a number of painting commemorating the crossing and battle that saved the army. No one does what we do! The next president to Oakhurst Brooklyn Woodmere have a significant mil732.663.0222 718.998.8898 516.569.6400 itary career had several nicknames including weightnomoredietcenter.com Zachary Taylor, on the white horse, at the Battle of Buena Vista Old Hickory and Sharp

ne of the duties of the president is as the commander-in-chief of all the armed forces. Thirty two of the forty four presidents had prior service records in the military. Starting with George Washington, who served as General of the Armies, to George W. Bush, who did not leave the U.S. while serving with Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War, presidents have used their experience to properly fulfill their duties as the commander-in-chief. Some presidents were more than just in uniform. It helps a presidential bid if the candidate has a military career that makes him a hero in the eyes of the American public. Presidents such as Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy have incredible stories that made them leaders that America would later rely upon to lead the country.

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right general to lead the main army in the east. Another future president was making a name for himself in the west and in 1863 was called to lead the Army of the Potomac in the battle that would change the course of the war. Ulysses Simpson Grant had won a brilliant campaign in the west during the siege of Vicksburg. Before the Civil War he served during the Mexican-American War and Confederate General Robert E Lee surrendering to singlehandedly held off the Union General Ulysses S Grant at the Appomattox court house enemy from a steeple. Years later, when he took over command in next president, Grover Cleveland, paid the east, the Confederates were mov- someone to take his place during the ing north to try and cut off Washington Civil War but the two after him, BenD.C. The Union, under his command, jamin Harrison and William McKinley held off this furthest invasion into the (who served in the same regiment that north. Grant accepted the Confederate Rutherford Hayes commanded), were surrender at Appomattox Courthouse generals in the Union Army. from General Lee to finally end the war In the next article we’ll take a look in 1865. As with many presidents that at the wild stories of 20th century presiwere war heroes, he was quickly elected dents and their exploits during wars that to the White House just three years after made them famous. the war’s end. The 19th president, Rutherford B. Hayes; the 20th, James Garfield; and Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The 21st, Chester Arthur; were all generals Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments making the run of generals-turned-pres- and suggestions.for future columns and can idents a record at five in a row. The be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.

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George Washington at Valley Forge

tried to attack Taylor’s 6,000 men at Buena Vista with 20,000 soldiers. But Taylor was a shrewd commander and decisively defeated the Mexicans. The popularity that he gained from the war won him the presidency in 1849. Abraham Lincoln had a brief stint in the Illinois State Militia and fought in the Black Hawk War (yet another American-Native American war). He didn’t see any action but helped with burying the militia’s dead. During the Civil War (1861-1865) he for the most part let his generals do the fighting and did not meddle. There was one exception and that came when he was dealing with General George McClellan, the commander of the Army of the Potomac. McClellan was a great strategist but was a coward when it came to battle. He did not like to see his soldiers die so Lincoln had to pressure him to attack. Things came to a head when the president visited McClellan in his home and the general refused to see him, even calling him a monkey. The general was soon replaced. Lincoln had a difficult time in finding the

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Seminole War in 1837 and because of the victory he was promoted to general. The American government was worried about a Mexican invasion since the Texas Revolution in 1836. In 1844, the U.S. annexed Texas, and it became a state a year later. An invasion was expected at any time. After negotiations broke down in 1846, the Mexican American War began Taylor had been given command of an army. He defeated the Mexican garrison at Monterrey that was thought to be impregnable. Attacks by the larger Mexican Army failed and Taylor quickly became a household name. Mexican General Santa Anna had been a thorn in the side of the Americans since the Alamo attack and now

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Rabbi Mordechai Kruger

Give It All You’ve Got!

have said it before in this column, and it cannot be emphasized enough: the most important step in a job hunt is to carefully define the job you are looking for. You should be looking for the job that you most want to do, maximizing your skills, talents, and experience to provide the most value for your employer. This simple formula is really anything but simple. Read it again, carefully, and you will see that it actually has three separate components: 1. Define the job, 2. Identify the tools you have to do it, and 3. Explain how it provides value for the employer. Each of these requires the job hunter to do some serious thinking, very often some research, and possibly some work with a professional coach/counselor. So the next few columns will talk about this process. The job you most want to do… Some years back there was quite a movement that promoted this as the key to career success. “Do what you love and the money will follow” and similar self-fulfillment blather became the worker’s mantra. This idea isn’t completely wrong and in response to a world of organization men in grey flannel suits, affirming the value of individuals and their unique contributions was a major step in the right direction. Unfortunately, though, a lot of people can tell me about the job they want—but not much about the “to do” part. Here’s what I mean. A client recently came to me for help with a job search. So I started with my standard opener, “Please describe

for me the job you want to look for.” The answer went something like this: “I want flexible hours, low stress, no sales, and a steady income.” I hope you’ve noticed that that is a pretty poor

to 90 minutes a week and handle twice the volume.” Now, that’s a job description. One that will offer great value to an employer and great satisfaction to the employee.

“If I don’t up my game and clarify how I’m going to contribute I won’t keep my job.” job description. Because, and please forgive me for bringing bad news, a job is not about what it will do for you. A job is what you will do to contribute to the success of the employer. So a job description needs to begin, not with “I want,” and not even with “I am… (as in ‘I am an accountant.’)”, but with “I will do…” A different client recently described the job she wanted to find like this: “I’ve done a lot of different things but I had the greatest impact on the organization, and I was the most satisfied with my work when I took over an assignment that had taken the previous worker 20 hours per week. By organizing and automating the task, I was able to reduce the time

You might be wondering how that qualifies as a job description. After all, I don’t think any employer has ever advertised for a “speeder-upper organizer.” And that’s exactly why this is such a great job description. Because this candidate can approach almost any organization or business and say, “What I do really well is help information move around an office a lot faster than before so that things get done in a lot less time and a lot of money is saved.” What do you call that job? Does it matter? Are there zillions of businesses that are suffering from clogged information arteries and would they love to have someone who can get things moving? I bet there are. So rather than quibble over whether the business needs a new office manager or secretary, the best approach is to get straight to the point, saying, “This is the problem I can solve for you. If you have this problem, I’m your solution.”

lot of people have a different idea about this. They tell me, “The best job for me is the one I can get, and the only goal that matters is bringing home a paycheck.” From their point of view, it’s normal to ask a small child, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, but when he grows up he’s supposed to know better and do whatever work comes along. Why do I insist that this “problem solving” and “satisfaction” thing is so important?

Besides, doesn’t everyone have the same goal at work? (Hint: $$) A recent conversation with a client provided the answer to this question. This fellow has been with the same company for nearly 30 years. He has been a middle level manager most of that time, and very satisfied with the general situation. He didn’t “move up” in the company very much, and he didn’t really want to. For him, having maximum time for his family and for Torah learning has always been a priority, and the tradeoff of not being promoted was well worth it. Until now. He said to me, “I’ve got to rethink my relationship to my job. Showing up and doing good work from 9 to 5:30 won’t cut it anymore. The company has changed, the expectations have changed. If I don’t up my game and clarify how I’m going to contribute I won’t keep my job.” If this is true for someone who has a long term hold on a job, how much more so is it going to apply to a new employee? Where does the “satisfaction” part come in? If someone does great work, who cares if he derives satisfaction from it? As long as the job is done, why should anything else matter? But listen again to what my client said about “up my game” and “contribute.” Those are not one-time changes. Those requirements mean there must be something unique and valuable about what gets done today—and what gets done tomorrow must be even more so. There is simply no point at which complacency is anything other than a career’s self-destruction. And only a sense of satisfaction and pride will supply the motivation to work at that level. This “getting clear” on your value, your goals—what makes you unique? It’s not feel-good, self-centered fluff, though it will make you feel better and in general make you happier and nicer to have around. In today’s tough, demanding world of work, “doing your job” includes more than we ever imagined. It means everything that makes you truly unique. Rabbi Mordechai Kruger is the Director of Pathways to Parnassa, an organization dedicated to educating our community in all aspects of career choice and job search. He can be reached at myparnassa@gmail.com.

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invites all alumni and bochurim on bein ha’zemanim to our

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Notable Quotes

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Compiled by Nate Davis

“Say What?”

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KFC has teamed up with scientists in the U.K. to create edible coffee cups made with cookies and wrapped in sugar. It’s perfect if you’ve ever wanted to wake up and give up at the same time. – Jimmy Fallon

My dad didn’t even think it would get me through college. Clearly he was wrong. - Jon Riehl talking about his 1999 Dodge Intrepid—with 540,000 miles on it—which he and his wife have driven in each of the 3,108 counties in the lower 48 states It was wonderful, it was exhilarating. - Great grandmother Georgina Harwood of South Africa after skydiving on her 100th birthday

The Obama economy is a disaster, Obamacare is a train wreck and the ObamaClinton foreign policy of leading from behind — the whole world is on fire. - Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) at a weekend town hall meeting in New Hampshire The world is on fire? - A 3 year old girl in the audience, upon hearing Sen. Cruz’s statement The world is on fire, yes. Your world is on fire. - Sen. Cruz responding to the child

I don’t have one. They’re kind of expensive to use ... It’s not like drip coffee is tough to make… I feel bad sometimes that I ever did it. - John Sylvan, who created Keurig K-Cups, in an interview with the Atlantic about the negative environmental impact of K-Cups

There are reports that Russia is actually working with North Korea to encourage “collaboration and cooperation” between the two countries. Yeah, they believe that with Russia’s economic power and North Korea’s technology, they can be a real threat to 1987. – Jimmy Fallon

– Jimmy Kimmel

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My 12-year-old son seems to be strongly affected by my decision to participate in Mars One. If I do get accepted to go to Mars, I’ll never stop being his daddy. I’ll just be the daddy who works and lives on another planet! - Peter Degen-Portnoy of Massachusetts who is a contestant for a one way ticket to Mars to begin inhabiting the planet in 2024

- One of the many cynical Twitter responses to a new Hamas Twitter handle, #AskHamas

There’s a new study that says giving your child too much praise can harm them later. They become more narcissistic... If you’re too hard on your kids, they grow up with no self-confidence, but if you praise them too much, they grow up to be narcissists. What do these little monsters want from us?

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If you, Hillary Rodham Clinton, are willing to cite your mother’s funeral to get sympathy for ill-advisedly deleting 30,000 emails, it just makes us want to sigh: O.K., just take it. If you want it that bad, go ahead and be president and leave us in peace. (Or war, if you have your hawkish way.) You’re still idling on the runway, but we’re already jet-lagged. – Maureen Dowd, New York Times

What UN school in Gaza should I send my daughter to, if I don’t want her to trip over your stored weapons?

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During our stay at a hotel, our son Dylan went to the swimming pool. A short time later he came running back to the room, upset. A man at the pool had started hurling insults at him. And suddenly I had an awful realization of what might have caused the man’s outrage: Dylan was wearing a Star of David. After calming him down, I went to the pool and asked the attendants to point out the man who had yelled at him. We talked. It was not a pleasant discussion. Afterward, I sat down with my son and said: “Dylan, you just had your first taste of anti-Semitism.” - Actor Michael Douglas in an LA Times op-ed about a recent trip with his family to Europe

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It will either be a very short fight, or I will be knocked unconscious. - Mitt Romney talking about his upcoming charity boxing match against former heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield for charity

During his weekly address to the nation, President Obama discussed higher education and said, “The most important skill you can sell is your knowledge.” Or as English majors working at Starbucks put it, “No it’s not.” – Jimmy Fallon Governor Walker got some heat for staying silent when Rudy Giuliani said I don’t love America — which I also think is a problem. Think about it, Scott — if I did not love America, I wouldn’t have moved here from Kenya. - President Obama at the Gridiron Dinner I would bet all of my savings right now that the Russians, the Chinese, the French and the Israelis have a copy of every single email that went through that server. - Former U.S. State Department official Paul Janiczek discussing Hillary Clinton’s missing emails

CBS has extended Judge Judy’s contract through the year 2020. It’s good to hear she’ll have a job because when you’re unemployed, the only thing to do is watch “Judge Judy.” - Jimmy Fallon I’ve always said whatever comes out of these talks, we will want the same. So if Iran has the ability to enrich uranium to whatever level, it’s not just Saudi Arabia that’s going to ask for that, the whole world will be an open door to go that route without any inhibition, and that’s my main objection to this P5+1 [negotiation] process. - Saudi Arabia’s Prince Turki alFaisal, who previously served as Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief and as ambassador to the U.S., in an interview with the BBC

President Obama’s trying to work out a nuclear deal with Iran, and the Republicans are steamed. They got together and sent Iran a letter about the nuclear deal… The ayatollah in Iran says he believes that he got the letter, but he thinks he accidentally threw it out with his Crate & Barrel catalog. – David Letterman

[Hillary Clinton] might be the most likely nominee in a contested primary in a generation, perhaps ever. But the past year has some top Dems wondering why. Why was her book so vague and underwhelming? Why was her initial break with President Obama so clumsy? Why was her book tour so poorly executed? Why did she say she had been poor, when the world sees her as rich? Why did she accept quarter-million-dollar speeches to companies her base loathes? Why did she keep giving them, after they were exposed and criticized? Why does her foundation seem so riddled with staff spats? Why did she hide work emails on a personal server? Why does it seem like the plot of Clinton movies never changes? - Mike Allen, Politico

There’s always another shoe to drop with Hillary… I’ll tell you this: [Joe Biden] ain’t got no e-mail problems. He ain’t got no foundation problems. What you see with Joe is what you get. There’s nothing hidden there. – Top Joe Biden supporter Dick Harpootlian speaking with the Washington Post

I want to see Israel survive and not be overtaken by the madmen of this world. President Obama does not love Israel. His whole agenda is to control Israel. And this way he can be friends with all of Israel’s enemies…America has not been the same since his presidency. - Actor John Voight

If we thought it was stupid to invest in public Internet websites that had no chance of succeeding back then, it’s worse today. - Mark Cuban warning of a tech bubble

Would you be here asking me a question if I didn’t jump out of an airplane today? I think that answers it. - Will T. Scott who is running in the Republican primaries in Kentucky when asked by a reporter why he chose to show up at a press conference by skydiving out of a plane

While I was on Wall Street, I realized that the things I was most passionate about were the things that my parents were most passionate about, which was pretty frustrating. I’d worked really hard to find what I cared about, and ultimately through that hard work and introspection, I realized that I cared most about the things my parents, and particularly my mom, cared most about. - Chelsea Clinton at a recent women’s conference From what I’ve researched and what I’ve experienced, I don’t think it’s worth the risk. - Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland, 24, explaining why he is retiring from football after his stellar rookie season

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Risk and Trepidation about Parties

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do not have to work for anything and have never felt a true sense of achievement. Everything they could possibly want can be found at their fingertips. Even relationships among today’s teens require minimal effort. A few texts back and forth, posts on Facebook with life’s updates, and pictures sent rapidly through SnapChat sum up many of their

A few texts back and forth, posts on Facebook, and pictures sent rapidly through SnapChat sum up many of their deepest relationships. deepest relationships. Face-to-face discussions are a rarity. And unfortunately, this reality is not just true in regards to adolescents. In a recent discussion with a young girl, whose parents are divorcing, she disclosed to me that she misses her father in the evenings because he always helped her with her homework. I asked this girl if her mother could help instead. She emphatically shook her head and responded that she does not like when her mother helps her because her mother texts the entire time.

A subject that is often discussed with the adolescents who attend the Madraigos Girls Lounge is the prevalence of anxiety and depression among today’s youth. This past week I posed a question to the girls at the Lounge, asking them why so many teenagers enjoy drinking alcohol. One girl responded that for the short while that the alcohol takes effect, she can escape from her life and her feelings of depression. This response led to a deeper discussion among the girls of why depression is more rampant today than in previous generations. What emerged from the discussion was recognition from the girls that in today’s modern world of technology, most teenagers

cultivate a relationship with them? And even more importantly, do we cultivate a relationship between them and Hashem? The girls who come to the Madraigos Lounge have told me that they plan their week around coming to the Lounge. They love coming and try their best not to miss it. These girls told me that they cannot keep Shabbos because they are

odern teenagers do not know how to be happy. They do not understand how to find meaning in life, how to feel accomplished, or how to have a relationship. Yet, they truly want to be happy and fulfilled. And so, they would rather have the artificial happiness that comes with an alcohol bottle than trying to find it in rituals and commandments that have no meaning to them. But to understand why Judaism has become so meaningless, do we have to look any further than ourselves? Do we love Judaism? And if we do, do our children know that? Yes, we raise them and explain to them this is assur and this is mutar but do we turn the mitzvos into a relationship with Hashem? Or do they remain lists of permitted and forbidden items? Do we

too bored without their cellphones for 25 hours. What is it about an evening at the Lounge that is so enticing to these girls? Is it the free supper? The weekly activities? The pool tables? Or is it that all judgment stops at the door and for two hours they spend time having deep and meaningful face-to-face interactions and discussions? As one girl told me recently, “This is the only place where I have any real friends.” Another girl spends most of her week sitting in her room on her cellphone. But she comes to the Lounge every week because it is the only place she does not feel depressed. All relationships are difficult. Relationships with teenagers can be even more difficult. But if we do not stick it out with them, emphatically loving them even through heartache and disappointment, how will

they know that Hashem is sticking it out with them too? They need to know that no matter what, Hashem deeply loves them. How can they find fulfillment and meaning in a life of Torah without a love for Hashem? We have so much to compete with in this world. We have to take a step back and help bring meaning and happiness into our children’s lives or they will grab onto whatever does. Our Father in Heaven gave us all the tools we need to find complete happiness and fulfillment. Within the framework of Torah is the formula for successful parent/child relationships. Hashem set up the mesorah of Torah to be handed down from father to son since this relationship is at the core of everything. After all, isn’t Hashem first and foremost our Father? It is time for us to find the true simcha and joy of being a Jew. Mindi Werblowsky Saketkhou, LMSW, is the Girls Lounge Coordinator at Madraigos. For more information about Lounge programming for girls, please contact Mindi Werblowsky at 516-371-3250 or mwerblowski@madraigos.org. To learn more about Madraigos’ programs and services, please visit www.madraigos.org. Madraigos, a 501c-3 not-for-profit organization, offers a wide array of innovative services and programs geared towards helping teens and young adults overcome life’s everyday challenges one step at a time Our goal is to provide all of our members with the necessary tools and skills to empower them to live a healthy lifestyle and become the leaders of tomorrow.

MARCH 19, 2015

lthough parties are a time of fun and celebration, many parents approach these occasions with some feeling of trepidation, anxious as to where their adolescents will congregate. I would like to put aside the question of whether or not adolescents should be allowed to drink and focus on why they so desperately want to drink. A rabbi of mine once advised me that the most important thing I can do as a parent will be to raise my children with an absolute love of being Jewish. When I was dating, he counseled me to marry a man full of simcha about being Jewish to ensure that the feeling would be passed down to my children. In today’s world of technology and easily accessible temptations and enticements, if our children do not love being Jewish, the lure of the world will invariably win. Now, as a married woman with a child of my own, I am beginning to truly appreciate the wisdom of his words. As a social worker, I have observed that a majority of teenagers find their simcha in alcohol or drugs rather than in the religious rituals with which they were raised.

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Mindi Werblowsky Saketkhou, LMSW

Dr. Deb

Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

Sensitivity

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s sensitivity good or not? I was walking on the street and a nanny was walking with two very small girls. The littler one, maybe two-ish, fell down. There she was on the sidewalk, crying. The nanny stopped and leaned on the empty stroller, patiently waiting wordlessly while the tiny little girl just laid there belly down on the sidewalk, crying. Finally the little one got up and the nanny said, just a bit sternly, “Don’t cry!” The nanny turned to the older child, maybe four, saying, “She needs to watch where she is going. She was running.” My heart was rapidly sinking. I restrained myself from butting in. I wondered if the parents hired this nanny because she represents their values and their parenting or whether they were unaware of how a scenario like this one would go. Then, because I have this dan le chaf zchus (giving the benefit of the doubt, roughly translated) problem, I attempted to see the nanny’s perspective, although it was far from my own. After all, this little girl will not be a whiner as she gets older (if this mode of treatment continues). That’s a good thing. She will not let little grievances overwhelm her; she will most likely do what she just did: pick herself up and get going. On the other hand, it may not go down that way. What, to outward appearances, looks like a hardy child may actually be a hurt child. The child may learn not to trust people with her feelings. When she gets married, she may not share her worries and fears with her husband. That doesn’t mean she won’t have them. Just because you don’t express them doesn’t mean they aren’t actively taking up space in your mind. This child could come to believe that the world abandons her and she could be sad. After all, her caretaker, the one person who should attend to her emotional as well as physical needs, doesn’t “get” it. Why would anyone else get it? So she could end up getting a diagnosis of Depression as she enters the teen years. Those who know her may say, “She was always that way. It must be something in her personality.” But I saw the episode on the sidewalk and it clearly has more to do with how she was treated than who she is. As I continued on my way, dan le chaf zchus lost out to irritation and I said to myself, “Lady, what would be so terrible with a little kindness, a little compassion? Just a little, you know, not enough

to make a big deal of the thing, but to let the child know that you care and you understood she just got taken by surprise?” There was no point in saying anything. I’ve learned that people’s hardened attitudes don’t change readily, even in therapy. And this woman was not my client. There could be a flip side to this story. It’s the one where the parent goes overboard to comfort a disturbed child. “Here, do you want some candy? A cookie? How about we go to Amazing Savings for a toy?” These are not real comfort in the first place. They are distractions. Distractions are a good thing. I recommend them highly. If you are upset because you were late or because your boss was cross with you or for whatever reason, breathing deeply, listening to soothing music, thinking over a shiur are all wonderful distractions. The difference between these and the ones the parent is offering is that the first set are indulgences and the second set are uplifting. Candies and spending on new toys are unhealthy distractions. They teach a child to indulge himself when things go wrong. Better to suggest a toy or a book that the child already has and usually enjoys. Providing indulgences teaches that we cannot find a way out of a mess on our own with what resources we already have at our disposal. Children given these could be prone later on in life to overeating or other addictions, self-pity and depression. They will not be resourceful. The other problem with the indulgence mode is that it totally ignores the child’s legitimate feelings. If a child is quite shocked at finding herself face down on the sidewalk, isn’t she allowed to express it? Shouldn’t that feeling be validated? Then again, how much focus on bad feelings is the right amount? Over-doing it will give her the mistaken idea that the world has come to an end: that she does not have the inner resources to get past it. It seems to me a middle ground would be to say, “Oops! You fell down. OK, you can get up.” Offering a hand wouldn’t be so terrible. It is more a gesture of care than a message that the child needs it. I was thinking about this when talking to therapist colleagues not long ago at a course I was taking. One of them was a psychoanalyst who was describing a 25year relationship with several of his clients. Since I returned to New York sever-

al years ago, I’ve encountered this phenomenon a number of times and it disturbs me. Psychoanalysis is a gentle conversation between client and therapist which focuses on feelings. But by focusing extensively on how a person feels, it tacitly encourages them to focus on their bad feelings: hurt, betrayal, discouragement, self-hate. After all, if you feel good, you don’t need to continue therapy. And if you stop therapy, you do not get that kind of laser focus on yourself anymore. There is no one else in the world who can give that to you. The analyst legitimately responded to my expression of concern with: Well, if I don’t help the person through these terrible feelings, it doesn’t make them go away. He was correct. As we said with the child who falls in the street, pretending nothing happened is false and uncaring. But let’s play devil’s advocate for a moment: Isn’t it possible that therapists are unwittingly helping clients focus on their pain a bit too much in such prolonged relationships? Aren’t therapists fostering too much sensitivity this way? Might this in the end produce more pain for the clients? There was a fascinating study reported in The Herald on November 5, 2002 entitled, “Sympathetic Spouse can Actually Intensify the Pain, Study Reveals.” Researchers worked with 20 couples of which one person in each couple had chronic back pain. The other person would sit by the side of the person in pain while electric shocks were applied to the pain areas. Meanwhile, responses were recorded using electrodes connected at brain areas that handle emotions (the anterior cingulate cortex). Now here is the fascinating part: spouses “who clucked most lovingly over their spouses’ discomfort” caused the most pain, the monitors showed. In fact, the difference in pain levels while spouses were present and when they were absent was three-fold. Those spouses who changed the subject or engaged in other distracting activities did not increase their spouse’s pain. So maybe the nanny I saw on the street was right? If she was not, then is there a middle ground? It turns out that there is. And I will give you some guidelines for finding it: You will not harm a child by validat-

ing their legitimate feelings. If a two-year old misses mommy, that’s normal; that’s legitimate. If that same two-year old wants cookies and candy, that, too is normal but it doesn’t mean you should give them to her. Validating feelings means a short, “I know you want the cookie,” or “I understand you miss your mommy.” Teenagers and older children should not be expected to stuff their feelings. Telling boys to “man up” or telling girls to “grow up” is counterproductive: It’s invalidating. Acknowledgement of feelings should be compassionate, sincere, and brief for the ordinary pitfalls of life. Prolonged crying and grieving are not generally healthy. Therefore, healthy distraction is useful after a brief while of child complaints. Real grief, on the other hand, should be respected in a child in the same way as in an adult. Death, divorce, and sickness usually will produce real grief and require more time to handle. Sensitivity is a normal – and good – thing. It means that sensitive person will be compassionate with you when something in your life goes wrong. An overly sensitive person, magnifying every hurt, however, does not do a great job of coping with the adversities of life. We raise sensitive children by acknowledging their experience as they see it with love and compassion. Dr. Deb Hirschhorn, a Marriage & Family Therapist and best-selling author of The Healing Is Mutual: Marriage Empowerment Tools to Rebuild Trust and Respect—Together, is proud to announce that readers of The Jewish Home will receive a $50 discount on every visit to her Woodmere office. Attend the Food For Thought lectures at Traditions Restaurant in Lawrence on Tuesdays at 12:30 PM. (There is a lovely optional lunch menu for $12 cash.) Any questions, call 646-54-DRDEB or check out her website at http://drdeb.com. All stories in Dr. Deb’s articles are fabricated.

105 David Elazar Simai, MD

Text Less – Live More

The True Hazard As some of you may have heard through the media, today’s orthopedic surgeons are inundated with a new challenges. They encounter cases of tendon damage in the hands and cysts that develop due to the overuse of text messaging. The young patients afflicted with these issues can often have lifelong fine motor deficits in their hands. But in my opinion, there is a bigger danger that hides behind the scene. This problem is one that no surgeon can fix. The damage created by this hazard can change lives forever. As a primary care physician, I am privileged to create a special bond with my patients. On occasion, I bitterly remark to my office staff that some of the messages I receive should often be directed to a close relative. But then I smile and remind my office staff that the same message is a clear sign of our successful careers in medicine. The sheer fact that

Who is in Control? Here is another example. In the midst of me answering a mother’s question, she picked up the phone and had a brief conversation. At the end of the visit, I had the audacity to ask why this mom felt compelled to answer her cellphone. She answered that since her child had food allergies she feels that every call should be answered for it may be a teacher, relative or a friend trying to urgently alert her to the aid of her allergic child in case of an

emergency. At first, I was remorseful. I sympathized with the mother and offered my heartfelt wishes that her children should stay happy and healthy. But later, thinking about this specific case, I learned a great lesson. What this episode signaled to me was that because of the advent of the cellphone, this mom was now bound to this object. How could she ever enter a store with no reception? How could she enjoy a plane ride without access to a phone? What did she do on Shabbos when her child was away from home? I was not sure if I could be a good father or a physician if on occasion I would learn in a yeshiva or dance at a wedding hall where there is no good reception. Then the answer hit me – what would happen if that child had a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), G-d forbid? The nurse at the school should administer an Epi-Pen and call an ambulance. I’m sure that a competent nurse would not call the mom to come and administer the shot or it may be too late! So why was this mother nervous? One Friday night I related this story to my father-in-law on the way back from shul. He opened my eyes to a fascinating thought. People in our generation want to feel in control. Now, more than ever, we feel that because we live in a sophisticated, high-tech society, we can handle almost everything that comes our way. The cellphone in some scenarios allows us to continue living with this elusive and grandiose thought. We feel that by having constant access we can solve problems, accomplish more than we could ever do and be “all that we can be.” When we do not have these gadgets – we are almost useless. However, instead of gaining control, I think we are losing control. We are losing control of our impulses. Whether it’s a teenager acting on their teenage impulses or a young parent acting on their impulses, we are losing control of our lives. We let a small gadget pull us away, even for a minute, from our mates, our parents, our kids and our physicians. We and our kids cannot enjoy and form those warm memories of birthday parties, bar mitzvahs or even precious wedding moments. We are losing our

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My Take on Technology My 11th grade rebbi, Rabbi Yosef Singer, once mentioned in class that the technological advancements in those days (early 1990’s) had become a social distraction and a waste rather than moving us to a more efficient society. With the advent of the internet, the all-popular chatrooms and the multitude of online games and gambling, the destructive powers of today’s technology are clearer than ever. The length of time saved via the use of the internet pales in comparison to time lost via the internet. Today, nearly two decades later, we face an even greater challenge. Today’s threat comes from an object that is small, mobile and relatively inexpensive. It became a “life necessity”; very few people amongst us lack a personal cellphone. How did these small gadgets become so powerful? And why are they so dangerous?

a patient would feel so comfortable with us shows that we accomplished our task. Being that most patients feel at ease with their primary care doctors, they tend to show their natural behavior at our office. On a daily basis I enter an examination room, start obtaining medical history and a text message or a phone call arrives for the parent. To me, this is the most important test of the parental character. If a parent answers the phone call while I am speaking with them, they clearly fail that test. Yes, I understand that there are exceptions. I am not here to judge anyone, and on occasion, I overhear a clearly urgent call. But honestly, 90% of these phone calls are brief, and they either start or end with the parent stating, “I can’t talk to you right now – I’m at the doctor’s office with my child.” On one occasion, I opened my office late at night to suture a 2-year-old’s chin. His father was holding his arms as I was injecting him with lidocaine. When the father’s cellphone rang, he picked up the phone and told his friend, “Chaim, I can’t speak to you right now. My son is getting stitches.” Shocked as I was, I smiled at the father and asked him, “Isn’t this why we have voicemails?” Time after time, parents show their kids that they cannot stay focused. If it happens at my office, it clearly happens at home during dinnertime, at the supermarket, in the car and dare I say in the shul? Time after time parents are prevented from bonding with their kids, from sharing good advice, from knowing what the kids did in school, and showing their kids how to pray. Roughly 50% of parents will miss these passing opportunities every day. Kids by nature learn from our actions. They are extremely receptive to their parents’ actions. So if your child approaches you before high school and asks for a text-enabled cell phone, you stand a better chance of saying no if your child does not see you “texting away.”

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Dear Readers, This week I would like to discuss the subject of texting and the use of cellphones. I have had a strong desire to write about this topic for a long time but because this is a medical column, I felt that my readers should get “their money’s worth” of health-related tips. Now, after months of handing over a lot of my medical expertise to you, I want to write about a topic that will demonstrate what has clearly become a medical problem.

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Health & Fitness

bond with our teenage kids and putting them at unnecessary risk. Medical studies show that by using these gadgets we put our infants at risk of speech delay and well-documented emotional instability. My Message At my office, I do not enter an exam room with my cellphone. When parents ask me how I do so, I calmly explain that in order to stay focused on their child, I cannot afford to be interrupted by my family and friends. But when I arrive home, my first act is to put the phone away (don’t worry – I have configured it so that it will only ring when I get paged from my office). I often remind my kids how much I dislike this gadget. By doing this, I hope that I am delivering the right message to my kids. The message is that my house is like my exam room – most importantly, my message is that in life I am not in control of everything that occurs. I merely try to do my best, and that is the simple and humble message I send to Hashem. Wishing you a healthy and enjoyable spring, David Elazar Simai Dr. David Simai is a Board Certified Pediatrician from the Five Towns. He is a full time attending in his own private practice since 2007 in Cedarhurst, New York. In addition, he is an Attending Physician at LIJ-Cohen Children’s Hospital, North-Shore Manhasset University Hospital and South Nassau Communities Hospital. He can be contacted for consultation at 516 374-2228 or via email at davidsimai@yahoo.com. NOTE: name, gender, geographical area and other identifying information were deliberately altered in this article in order to protect the patient’s privacy. This article is not intended to help diagnose or treat any specific disease. Always consult your personal physician before diagnosing or treating yourself or your child for any of the above mentioned illnesses.

My Turn

Daniel Feldman

Watch Your Ears

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he teakettle shrieked for fifteen minutes. “Aren’t you going to turn it off?” my friend asked. “Why? My mom put it up and she just forgot about it. At some point, she’ll pass by the kitchen and see the steam coming out or she’ll smell something burning and she’ll turn it off. So what if the kettle gets a bit burnt?” Whenever the phone rang, the several hallway lightbulbs would flash on and off. I would answer it. “Hello, I’m calling from A.T. & T. Is your father home? We need to speak to him about his past due bill.” I’d say, “You can speak to him all you want, but I guarantee that he won’t hear a word you say.” The operator thought I was being rude. I explained that my father really couldn’t hear her, or anyone else, for that matter. She still thought I was rude. So I told her to just mail us another bill and my father would take care of it. Then I wished her a pleasant day and hung up.

t school, one teacher saw that I was upset. I explained to her that my parents never listen to me. She couldn’t figure it out. How insensitive could my mom and dad be, not to listen to their son’s problems and woes? I explained, “No, my parents are deaf. They can never listen to me.” The teacher still didn’t get it. Each year, it was the same painful process. The school district reduced my son’s speech and hearing services to less frequently than the previous year. “Why does your son need it at all? He wears a cochlear implant. He’s not deaf!” My son complained one day that he could not hear his

It’s even more challenging trying to explain what the deaf have been and still are saying to the hearing. morning Hebrew teacher. His teacher never called on him to answer a question. I met with the teacher during a parent-teachers conference. I asked him to slow down a bit. At the end of class, summarize what was taught and verify that he knows exactly what assignments are due and when, I explained. He said that he had a large class to manage and he couldn’t devote extra time for my son. I answered, “You are a rabbi. I think that you are familiar with the verse in the Torah, ‘Do not insult the deaf.’ This school is not that huge that you cannot afford a few extra minutes to devote to him. By leaving my son out, you are committing a huge sin.”

have been a “middle ear” for numerous years and in numerous ways. I have been the “ears” and advocates for my parents, and, now for my son. I thought that it was challenging enough explaining what the hearing world was saying to the deaf. But, it’s even more challenging trying to explain what the deaf have been and still are saying to the hearing. The deaf act differently – strangely – to many. Many of them hear with their eyes and speak with their hands. Technology, such as cochle-

ar implants, video phones and Skype, has significantly made communicating easier. But, it doesn’t change who they are. They are still deaf. As a child, I was deprived of many “normal” activities that many of my friends had. Often, when they could enjoy themselves playing ball on Sunday, I had to assist my father selling his merchandise at a street fair. I was his “middle ear” between him and the buyers. I didn’t have too many friends. But, that didn’t matter, because the few who were my friends were very special friends. In their youth they learned that deaf people are not so weird after all. Perhaps, they understood that they have a “challenge” that they manage to deal with in their own way. They watched how my parents and I communicated with each other, and they were able to talk to my parents. My parents were not scary people or people to avoid. I taught my friends to speak more slowly, face them, and not to mumble. Not so complicated, right?

hese stories are not meant to amuse or entertain you. Rather, I hope to educate people regarding the complexities of deafness. Your inner ear contains hundreds of hair follicles that are responsible for translating and transmitting sound from outside your ear. These follicles can be easily damaged from prolonged exposure to loud noise. If you live in the Five Towns, you are already exposed to loud noises from overhead planes, train horns and other city noises. Unfortunately, you don’t have much control of these. However, if you wear earphones or “buds” and are playing loud music directly into your ears, or you listen to loud band music at concerts or simchas, you are slowly losing your hearing. Once the follicles have been damaged, the damage is not reversible. I hope that my experience demonstrates that there is nothing “cool” about being deaf. Deafness doesn’t affect just the deaf person. It affects the entire family. If you think that loud music in your ears is the greatest, most exciting thing to do today, you will discover fairly quickly that it is not. You will quickly arrive at a point where understanding normal conversation from your family members and friends will be more strenuous that you could have imagined. So, the next time you stream music from your smartphone, keep the volume down. If the music at the simcha you are attending is too loud, wear earplugs, or better, leave the room and listen from the hallway. Yes, you will probably miss the dancing that way, but your ears, yourself, and more importantly, your family will be grateful in the long run. Take care of your ears and you will sound great for many years. 

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In The Kitchen

Naomi Nachman

A Twist on the Po’ Boy Sandwich

hile doing research on some fish recipes I came across interesting information about a po’ boy

sandwich. As I love sandwiches, I continued my research on this particular sandwich. It’s a classic Louisiana sandwich with fried shrimp, shredded lettuce, and toma-

to with a remoulade sauce. Since shrimp isn’t kosher, I used imitation shrimp and found this sandwich to be delicious. I even experimented using Ossie’s pre-made fried flounder from Gourmet Glatt – and it was truly scrumptious! There are countless stories as to the origin of the term “po’ boy.” A popular local theory claims that po’ boy refers to a type of sandwich that was coined in a New Orleans restaurant owned by Benny and Clovis Martin, who were former streetcar conductors. In 1929, during a fourmonth strike against the streetcar company, the Martin brothers served their former colleagues free sandwiches. The Martins’ restaurant workers jokingly referred to the strikers as “poor boys,” and soon the sandwiches them-

Ingredients 1 pkg imitation kosher shrimp ¾ cup fine cornmeal ¾ cup flour 1 TBS Cajun seasoning 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs, beaten Peanut oil for frying ½ head iceberg lettuce, shredded 2-3 tomatoes, sliced about 1/4 inch thick 4 small French sandwich rolls Remoulade ¼ cup mustard 1 ¼ cups mayonnaise 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish 1 teaspoon pickle juice or vinegar 1 teaspoon hot sauce 1 large garlic clove, minced and smashed 1 TBS sweet paprika 1-2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning Preparation If you are making your own remoulade, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and set aside for 30 minutes or so; the sauce gets better as it sits. Pour enough peanut oil in a large frying pan to come up about ¼ inch, and set the pan over medium-high heat until a small amount of flour sizzles immediately when you drop some in. Mix the cornmeal, flour, Cajun seasoning and salt in a large bowl. Working with a few at a time, dredge the imitation shrimp in the egg, then in the cornmeal-flour mixture. Shake off any excess and fry until golden on both sides, about 2 minutes total. Set the fried imitation shrimp aside on paper towels to drain. To assemble the sandwich: slice the sandwich loaves almost all the way through and smear remoulade on both the top and bottom. Lay down a layer of shredded lettuce on the bottom of the sandwich, then arrange the fried imitation shrimp on top. Lay 3-4 slices of tomato on the fried imitation shrimp and press the top of the bread down on the bottom, compressing the sandwich a little. Serve immediately with hot sauce.

selves took on the name. In Louisiana dialect, this is naturally shortened to po’ boy. Chef’s note: If you cannot use peanut oil (due to allergy issues), you can use canola oil instead. Additionally, if you don’t want to make remoulade, smear the top of the bread with mayonnaise and the bottom with mustard.

Naomi Nachman, the owner of The Aussie Gourmet, caters weekly and Shabbat/ Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities, with a specialty in Pesach catering. Naomi is a contributing editor to this paper and also produces and hosts her own weekly radio show on the Nachum Segal Network stream called “A Table for Two with Naomi Nachman.” Naomi gives cooking presentations for organizations and private groups throughout the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area. In addition, Naomi has been a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, magazines as well as other media covering topics related to cuisine preparation and personal chefs. To obtain additional recipes, join The Aussie Gourmet on Facebook or visit Naomi’s blog. Naomi can be reached through her website,www.theaussiegourmet.com or at (516) 295-9669.

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Restaurant Review

Nachum Soroka

PHOTO COURTESY OF GREAT KOSHER RESTAURANTS

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Brasserie HaLevi

Paris, it’s not uncommon to encounter restaurants which are named after their owners. Chez Victor offers classic French fare in the 12th arrondissement; Chez Hanna serves up some of the best falafel in the Marais. This might be because the French take such great pride in their food that they name their eateries after themselves, or it may just be because said Victor and Hanna are not very skilled at coming up with catchier appellations for their businesses. It’s no question, however, why Chef David Levine named his Central Avenue classic-French restaurant Brasserie HaLevi: Levine is so passionate about his establishment he brought it into his tribe. Indeed, the exclusively French technique-trained Levine and his partner, Culinary Institute of America graduate Jean George, have put their hearts and souls into creating what they intend to become a destination kosher restaurant located far away from the high-end eateries of Manhattan. Levine and George are always onsite during restaurant operating hours and are so obsessed with the space’s cleanliness, they dismantle the kitchen every Thursday night in a weekly cleaning-fest. Ingredients are all specially sourced, all items—from candied ginger garnish in the blackberry ginger martini to cured meats—are made on premises (with one exception), and the sauces are the product of a painstakingly prepared two-day veal bone mother glace, giving them an unparalleled texture while allowing the diner to pass on the margarine. Brasserie’s menu changes seasonally, but certain popular items have been allowed permanent residence. A delightful pistachio-crusted lamb chop appetizer arrives atop variegated aioli and next to a bed of decent curry couscous. Lamb lollipops, delicately spicy, inwardly tender and outwardly crisp, elicited a resounding and approbatory cheer from a neighboring table upon their arrival to mine and come skewered beneath points of smoky and heady lamb bacon that will answer any question one has ever had about the world’s obsession

with the smoked meat. The popular Thanksgiving eggroll (turkey, mashed potatoes, chestnut stuffing) debuted in the holiday’s honor, but has yet to be summoned back to the reserves. Soups, with their rich and silky texture, won’t disappoint. Classic French styles rule the entrée menu. If you’re lucky enough to visit on a night when the outstanding short ribs are available, seize the ale-braised moment. Perfectly prepared steaks are not a challenge to the French kitchen and have some patrons coming back regularly from out of state with their families in tow. Prime rib is cut in pound-thick slabs from a carefully prepared, oversized standing rib. Potato crusted sea bass is popular with the light eating crowd, and potato can be readily substituted for other toppings, such as sweet potato or cucumber. Even a dry sounding French cut chicken breast has been made moist and popular by Chef Jean’s French expertise along with a citrus cayenne demi-glace. Desserts options are few and rewarding. A tropical fruit crepe comes sweet and overstuffed with rich cream. Failsafe French mousse and Napoleon round out the menu. The bar offers a number of original cocktails hand-picked by Chef David and a full selection of martinis. The wine list is as long as the dinner menu and the beer selection will not leave most (normal) people wanting. The beautiful, Chanel-inspired space opened a year ago and seems to have found its stride in time for alfresco dining and a new spring menu. Which leaves only one reason for you to be unhappy: less parking on Central Avenue.

Nachum Soroka lives in New York with his wife, Avigayil, and two children. Whether it’s a fine wine, a foreign beer, a sizzling steak or cashmere socks, Nachum enjoys all the fine things in life. He can be reached through TJH at editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com.

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Ask the Attorney

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Stephen H. Weiner, Esq.

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Remarriage and the Spousal Elective Share

Early Intervention Services For children birth - 3 years with special needs

Services Provided

What is the spousal elective share? In New York, by law a spouse may not be disinherited and is entitled to a “spousal elective share” of an estate, unless there is a valid waiver of that right. How big is the spousal elective share? When there is a will, it is the greater of $50,000 or the capital value of decedent’s net estate if it is less than $50,000, or one-third of the decedent’s net estate.

Evaluations

Feeding Therapy

Special Education

Nutrition Counseling

Service Coordination

Family Support/Counseling

Speech/Language Therapy

Physical & Occupational Therapy

ABA Program – Center & Home Services

Routines Based Interventions & Collaborative Coaching

ING

SERV

FAR AY AW OCK

TO REFER YOUR CHILD TO THE EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM CALL 311. This Early Intervention Program (EIP) is a public program for children under the age of three who are either suspected of having or at risk for developmental delays or disabilities. EIP is funded by NYS and NYC. All EIP services are provided at no cost to parents. Health insurance may be used for approved services. A child’s eligibility for the program can be determined only by state-approved evaluators under contract, and all services must be authorized by the NYC Early Intervention Program.

For more information about CHALLENGE: T. 718.851.3300 W. challenge-ei.com

When does the spousal elective share become an issue? When there is a remarriage and a desire to leave most of the estate to the children from a prior marriage, the spousal elective share should be addressed in planning during the lifetime. Are transfers of property during lifetime included in the decedent’s net estate? Certain lifetime transactions specified by the statute are included in the net estate. One example is gifts made within one year of death. The value of those gifts is included in the net estate. In an estate with multiple assets and transactions during lifetime, determination of the net estate can become complicated. How does a joint bank account with both spouses’ name on it affect the spousal share? As a joint owner, the surviving spouse gets to keep the joint bank account. However, fifty percent of that account is considered as an interest that passed directly from the decedent to the surviving spouse. It is subtracted from the spouse’s net elective share. How can the spousal elective share be waived?

A written waiver of the spousal elective share signed and acknowledged by the spouse can waive the right. The waiver can be signed and acknowledged before the marriage in a prenuptial agreement, during the marriage, or after the marriage. When the waiver is obtained, the rest of the estate documents should be prepared, including a will or a trust. If a waiver is obtained through unfair means, is there a way to challenge its validity? If the surviving spouse challenges the waiver, the court will scrutinize the waiver to ensure it was not obtained through undue and unfair advantage exercised by one spouse over the other. One of the factors that the court will consider is whether each spouse had a separate attorney. Once I have a waiver and estate planning documents, is there anything else I need to do for my children from the prior marriage? It is a wise to ensure that the children have access to an original of the waiver of the spousal elective share, whether in a prenuptial agreement or a postnuptial agreement, in case the surviving spouse from the remarriage changes his or her mind about it and desires a larger share of the estate. No column is a substitute for competent legal advice. Please consult with the attorney of your choice concerning specific legal questions you may have. The author expresses gratitude to the contributors to this column and does not endorse anyone. The comments of the contributors are solely their own.

Stephen H. Weiner has practiced law for twenty-nine years. His office is at 750 Third Avenue, Ninth Floor, New York, NY 10017. He can be contacted at weiner@ sweinerlaw.com or 212-566-4669.

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Life Coach

Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

Studies Show…

he latest study has shown that drinking 5-8 cups of coffee a day is great for you. Wow. It’s probably true, though, since it would have someone flyinnnggg through their day getting tons done. No sickness could catch up with them moving at that pace. Though it is possible they might move so fast they

sarily proven safe yet. Well it’s a little late to bring that up. How would anyone reach anyone? After all, they’ve ripped out every single pay phone everywhere. And no one under the age of thirty even owns a home phone or is willing to answer one anyway. Soon we’re going to be back to communicating with smoke signals!

Don’t they have anything better to do with their time?

would catch something themselves. They also say caffeine is good because it’s loaded with antioxidants. These days I’m happy if it’s loaded with any anti- as long as it’s not anti-Semitism. Best of all, they say it greatly prevents something. But what it is I can’t seem to remember. Oh yeah...I remember—it’s Alzheimer’s! Every week they publish another study reversing some former information. If you stop reading for one week you may lose track of where you are up to. You might be overeating tuna, under-drinking red wine, overdoing exercise, under-doing exercise… It’s really hard to figure out what to do! They say tea is terrific for taking out carpet stains but then again it stains your teeth. And since you spend much more time drinking tea than spilling it, you may want to reconsider that habit. Studies show walking is really good for you. They say it’s heart healthy! That’s true as long as you’re not walking out on someone you care about. Then the aggravation could be so overwhelming you could be heart-unhealthy. They say cell phones are not neces-

Studies show there are more accidents on the road than on a plane. Well, not if you were sitting near the kid I flew next to last trip. Whose doing these studies anyway? Don’t they have anything better to do with their time? Oh, I know they’re drinking so much caffeine they have nothing but time on their hands. After all, they can’t be sleeping much. Somehow we keep coming out with new stats and bottom lines but we keep finding new problems to study. I propose we try studying this: moderation, caution, and prayer, laced with smiles and laughter whenever possible. And then let’s see how that measures up to all the other studies! I would love to hear your opinion on all this—how about meeting for a cup of coffee? I’ve got plenty cups left in my allotment!

Rivki Rosenwald is a certified lationship counselor, and reer and life coach. She can contacted at 917-705-2004 rivki@rosenwalds.com

recabe or

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Crossing the Finn-ish Line income and wealth.” Not surprisingly, he’s not getting a whole lot of sympathy. He isn’t even the first Finn to wind up on the exhaust end of a big speeding fine. In 2002, a Nokia executive named Annsi Vanjoki was fined

taxes. But if we did, it would just be another good reason to have a plan to pay less. So make sure you have your plan. And watch your speed— we wouldn’t want you wasting your tax savings on a ticket!

They checked his taxes, saw that he had made about $7.15 million the previous year, and fined him the equivalent of $60,000!

$103,600 for riding his Harley-Davidson a lousy 47 mph through a Helsinki suburb. He appealed the fine, arguing that his income had dropped, and successfully reduced it to “just” $5,245. Such a bargain! Here in the United States, of course, we don’t have to worry about traffic cops snooping through our

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.

MARCH 19, 2015

story, doesn’t tell us what kind of car Kuisla was driving. But we can probably assume it comes fully equipped with the latest heads-up navigation display, active suspension, and special charcoal scrubbers to filter out the smell of poverty.) Kuisla’s supercharged fine works out to the same as $415 for someone making $50,000 per year. Painful, but not fatal. Still, that’s not stopping him from being a crybaby. “Ten years ago I wouldn’t have believed that I would seriously consider moving abroad,” he whined on his Facebook page. “Finland is impossible to live in for certain kinds of people who have high

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ou know that sinking feeling. You’re driving down the road, minding your own business, when you see a cop’s “cherries and berries” flashing in your mirror. Then you look down at your speedometer and realize he’s gunning for you. Sure, it’s a bummer. But it’s not that big a deal. The cop checks your license, registration, and proof of insurance. He runs your name through the computer to make sure there aren’t any outstanding warrants. Then he sends you on your way, a few bucks lighter and a few miles per hour slower. Well, they do things a little differently in Finland. What else would you expect from a country where reindeer sausage is a delicacy and wife-carrying is a thing? (No kidding — whoever crosses the Finnish line first wins his wife’s weight in beer!) In Finland, when the police pull you over, they check your license, your registration, and your tax return. They want that ticket to hurt, even if you’re loaded — so the more you make, the more you pay. Lots of Americans would be surprised to learn that Finland even has rich people. It’s socialist Scandinavia, right? But neighboring Sweden is actually home to more billionaires per capita than we are, and Scandinavian entrepreneurs are responsible for cash cows like Skype, Spotify, and even Angry Birds. So those fines can get pretty heavy. Reima Kuisla is a Finnish investor, hotelier, and racehorse owner. One day he was driving to the airport, and the polissi clocked him doing 64 mph in a 50-mph zone. They checked his taxes, saw that he had made about $7.15 million the previous year, and fined him the equivalent of $60,000! (The BBC, which originally broke the

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TJH Classifieds Alternative Solutions Geriatric Care Management staff will assist you with: * Obtaining Medicaid and Pooled Income Trust * In-home Assessments, Individual and Family Counseling * Securing reliable home care assistance * Case and Care Management services Dr. S. Sasson, DSW, LCSW (718) 544- 0870 or (646) 284-6242

I’ll drive you anywhere anytime Call Robert at 917-922-8426

Morah Adina’s CAMP ZEES-KAYITZ for 3-4 year olds *A FEW SPOTS LEFT* Centrally located in Far Rockaway Call (718) 471-5283 Keep Grandma’s spirits up with my weekly visits 1-1/2 hr sessions. We play games, craft & chat. To schedule, call Slavie 718-510-4213. Email slavie@outlook.com

Experience Math Teacher Available to Tutor All subjects, algebra, geometry, Math A, Math B, Trigonometry, Calculus etc. Guaranteed improvement, first hour free. Shomer Shabbat. Call Yossi at 516-581-3930

HAIR & MAKE UP BY BRACHA BRAVER Weddings, Sheitels, Make Up, Waves, Up-dos, Braids, Color, Highlight, Cut, Wash & Set Best prices guaranteed Years of experienced, references available 516-943-0133 or 646-915-2527 The Children’s Clothing Gemach in Cedarhurst Is fully stocked for boys/girls in sizes newborn-teen To make an appointment please call/text 516-712-7735

SERVICES

Psychotherapist

“Kosher” Yoga & Licensed Massage Therapy The Peaceful Presence Studio 436 Central Avenue, Cedarhurst Separate men/ women Private sessions/ Women’s Tai Chi www.peacefulpresence.com 516-371-3715

Keep Calm and Get Organized! Organizer. home. closet. playroom. kitchen. garage. Call today to get started - Special Low Rates Call Miriam 347-684-0338

Hair Course Learn how to wash and style hair and wigs Hair and wig cutting, wedding styling Private lessons or in a group Call Chaya 718-715-9009

Depression, anxiety, marriage, low self-esteem, Adults/Children Professional/Confidential Kenneth J. Levin, LCSW Insurance Accepted (516) 546-9170

Photos 4 your Simcha Professional Photography and Video We love what we do and it shows in our work! Competitively priced! Check out our website & specials. www.photos4yoursimcha.com or call Yaakov 718-868-1800 Yiddish Home Study Program: The new book Yiddish in 10 Lessons along with 2 CD’s has just been released to easily learn to read, write and speak the Yiddish language. Call Chaim at 516 924 7694 or www.conversationalyiddish,com You can also sign up to receive a Free Weekly Taste of Yiddish

Struggling with Shalom Bayis? The Shalom Bayis Hotline 732-523-1112 Caring rabbanim answering your questions for free. So far very positive results BS’D! Can you use the help of a professional and knowledgeable chef at your home this Pesach? Waiters also available Take off the stress and call Eli at 646-270-0559

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE FAR ROCKAWAY 2 Family house in heart of Far Rockaway Please call 646 523 4458

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Carol Braunstein

(516) 2 9 5 - 3 0 0 0 950 Broadway

Woodmere, NY 11598 www.pugatch.com

www.pugatch.com

BARRY PUGATCH

Commercial Properties For SALE/LEASE

Call or Text

(516) 592-2206

cbraunstein@pugatch.com

OFFICES FOR LEASE

2,600

+/- SF 4,000 +/- SF Can Be Divided  Great Location

Lovely 3BR, 2.5BA Split On O/S Ppty, Lovely 4BR Exp-Ranch On O/S Property, Eik, Den, Low Taxes, SD#15…$645K Eik, LR, FDR, Den, SD#14...$489K

MEDICAL CO-OP FOR SALE

1,000 +/- SF 1st Floor Suite  24hr Doorman Bldg In Heart Of Lawrence

If You Are Interested In Buying, Selling Or Leasing Call The Local Commercial EXPERTS 516-295-3000

Outstanding CH Colonial, 3BR, 2.5BA, Eik, FDR, Fin Bsmt, SD#14...$649K

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CALL ME FOR A FREE M A R K E T A N A LY S I S F O R YOUR HOME!!!

LO OKI NG T O B U Y OR SE LL? C ALL M E T O DAY! !!

MARCH 19, 2015

Buying or Refinancing a Home? Pre-Approval letters that brokers trust! Put as little as 3% down. Borrow up to 90% with no MI! We can beat any written offer! Specializing in very difficult scenarios Call Daniel at Landmark Funding Group. NMLS#367291 at 718-663-7202 All loans arranged through 3rd party lenders.

SERVICES

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SERVICES

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TJH Classifieds REAL ESTATE FOR SALE COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE BORO PARK FOR SALE 54th St. (Bet. 11th & 12th Ave.,) 2 family, attached, 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, built-in closets, Kosher Kitchen & Passover Kitchen, Mint Condition. Asking 1.6 Mil. Serious buyers only. Email: Goingrealty@Gmail.com FAR ROCKAWAY MINTON ST. NOW SHOWING Completely renovated corner property 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, model kitchen, living room, dining room, backyard Call Yochi 212-470-3856 WinZone Realty FAR ROCKAWAY B13th ST. /Plainview 2 Bedrooms, full bathroom, Kitchen, Dining room /living room, Porch, Call Yochi 212-470-3856 WinZone Realty HEWLETT Lovely 4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Bath Cape, Eik, FDR, Den W/Fplc, 1st Floor Master BR Suite, Nice Backyard W/Side Patio, SD#14…$390K - Call Carol Braunstein - (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com WOODMERE 2 Family House In Prime Location, 5BR, 3 Full Baths, Den, Hardwood Floors Throughout, New Roof & More, Near All, SD#14…$625K - Call Carol Braunstein - (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

WOODMERE Office/Retail Space For Rent Ground Flr: 2500 +/- sq’ available plus partial basement $2,950. and Second Flr: 1700 +/- sq’ available for $1,950. Hi traffic location front street and rear parking lot parking, front & rear entrance Village Plaza Realty * Sonja 516-840-5124

PLAINVIEW

CEDARHURST 3,000 +/- SF Free Standing Building, Ideal For Retail/Professional Offices, Located In Municipal Parking Lot, Near LIRR Station, Close To All, For Lease…Call For More Details - (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com 4 Houses. Brnd New Construction. 4 rs. 5BR, 3 full bths + 2 half bths. EIK, LR/DR, den area oﬀ kit. Lndry on 2nd r. Full bsmnt w/ half bath. 4th oor has prvte brs and bth. Prvte drvwy. Call Chaya Moller for a showing. 516-506-3347

LAWRENCE 1,023 +/- SF Professional/Medical Co-Op Suite On 1st Floor Of 24HR Doorman Building, Close To JFK & LIRR, For Sale Call For More Details - (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

HEWLETT: FOR LEASE 1,250 +/- SF Retail Store At The Hewlett LIRR Station, Corner Property, Former Beauty Salon. Call For More Details (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

$625K

56 MURIEL

BELLE HARBOR Build your dream house facing the ocean in Belle Harbor on very desirable block. Places of worship close by. Call Kathy (917) 306-1610

FAR ROCKAWAY

#1 Far Rockaway and 5 Towns Rental Specialists

420 Central Ave., Cedarhurst NY 11516

Milky Forst nc. Properties IAvrohom "Avi" Sobel

Avrohom “Avi” Sobel Office: 516.239.0306 Cell:

347.524.6530

Office: 516.239.0306 Cell: 347.524.6530

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Short sales, bank-owned, foreclosures, auction properties, land. Single-family or multi-family. Inventory is always changing. CASH ONLY. Call Melissa @ 347-757-0224.

OFFICES

M ILKY FORST PROPERTIES INC.

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

INVESTMENT PROPERTIES FOR SALE

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Available For Rent (from April 1) 2 bedroom apartment in Far Rockaway (near Bnos Bais Yakov) Ideal for new-wed, young couple, or 2-3 roommate girls Call 516-225-4558

Licensed 420 Central Ave., Cedarhurst, NY 11516

LAWRENCE

Stunning renovation completed. Gorgeous cntr hall. 5 lrg bds. Mstr suite w/ sitting rm. Gourmet Kosher Kitchen with Great Room. LR w/ Frplc, huge custom DR. 4 full bths & full bsmnt. Call Sherri for further details . 516-297-7995

APARTMENT RENTALS

REAL ESTATE FOR RENT

LAWRENCE Beautiful Sprawling 3BR, 3BA Exp -Ranch Set On 1/2 Acre In Lawrence Estate Area, LR, Granite Eik, FDR, Stone Fplc, Lg Den, Lux MBR Suite, SD#15, Much More…$1.249M Call Carol Braunstein - (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

FAR ROCKAWAY Young, legal, 2 family semi-detached, 3 over 4 bedrooms. 5 full baths. 1st oor is a duplex with a huge eat in kitchen w/radiant heat. Large master bedroom with bath..W/D hookup in both apts. Call Sherri 516-297-7995 $699K

Real Estate Salesperson

Email: asobel18@gmail.com milkyforstproperties.com

TJH Classifieds

HELP WANTED Fast-paced office in the 5 Towns is seeking an entry-level employee to handle administrative and clerical tasks. Must be proficient in Microsoft Office, email, etc Please email resume to admin@getpeyd.com for more information. Salon in Cedarhurst is looking For a friendly, experience hair dresser, part time. Please send resume to: saraeidel@aol.com

General Studies JH math and middle school teachers for Sept. ‘15. M-Th afternoons. 5 Towns area boys’ school. Email candidateteacher@gmail.com

Due to simchos, Torah Academy for Girls, Far Rockaway seeking qualified, experienced elementary & jr high moras. Fax resume to 718-868-4612 attn: Rabbi Weitman

CATAPULT LEARNING Teachers for Title I in Boro Park and Williamsburg Chassidic boys schools *College/Yeshiva Degree Required *Strong desire to help children learn *Excellent organizational skills *Small group instruction *Competitive salary Email resume: nyteachers@catapultlearning.com Fax# (718) 381-3493

Looking for donation of car or minivan in good running condition. Tax exempt receipt available for full market value. Please call 347-342-8196 YNM/5towns Sheital Gemach is in desperate need of wig donations . Anyone who has wigs/ falls they no longer need- There are many women who you can make very happy . Tizku l’mitzvos! Please contact 347-408-8354 for details . BAYSWATER JEWISH LIBRARY IS NOW OPEN A wide selection of both the latest and classic novels, Biographies, Short stories, Holocaust, self-help, cookbooks, And more! OPEN MONDAYS FROM 6:30-7:30 PM AND FRIDAYS FROM 2:00-3:00 PM $25 yearly membership (718) 327-0604 DJ YOSSY MUSIC and LIGHTING for any event, the crowd will love it. Djyossy.com 845 774 5949

TJH Classifieds Post your Real Estate, Help Wanted, Services and Misc. Ads here.

Weekly Classified Ads Up to 5 lines and/or 25 words

1 Week......... $20 $10 2 Weeks....... $35 $17.50 4 Weeks....... $60 $30

EMAIL ADS TO: classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com Include valid credit card info.

Can You Sell?

Looking to make some extra cash? On-The-Marc is hiring motivated part time sales people. Six to 8 hours a week with unlimited income potential. Must have/own car. For more information Call Marc at 917-612-2300

Deadline: Mondays 5:00pm Publishes on Thursdays

MARCH 19, 2015

Cedarhurst Apartment Share Available for Frum Female 2 bedroom apartment in lovely area, 2nd floor of house Shomer Shabbat, kosher & pet friendly $800 monthly + security Please call: (917) 330-5470

Administrative Assistant. FT, Mon-Fri 9-5, (Flexible winter schedule). Friendly, fashionable, tech-savvy, detail-oriented. Supply & stock requests; emails, inventory; shipments; records; samples, sourcing fabrics; Emailworkresumes79@gmail.com.

MISC.

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For Rent by Owner In a one family home. Nice 1 bedroom basement apartment located in Far Rockaway (Bayswater) Kosher kitchen, flat screen TV and wifi, utilities included fully furnished $950 a month plus two weeks security. Good for single Available now. Call (718) 337-0724. Ask for Sara

HELP WANTED

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