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A PUBLICATION OF THE FIVE TOWNS & QUEENS COMMUNITY MARCH 12 – MARCH 18, 2015 | DISTRIBUTED WEEKLY IN THE FIVE TOWNS, QUEENS & BROOKLYN

– See pages 5, 21, 70, 71 & 119

Around the COMMUNITY

Achiezer’s Third Annual Gala: We are All Achiezer

THEJEWISHHOME TJH PRESENTS

Yo u r P u r i m m u b l A o t o h P 120+ Photos

76

Madraigos Strikes Success at 5th Annual Gourmet Glatt Bowl-A-Thon

SEE PAGES 82 & 129

63

GOING NUCLEAR

Connecting Through Song at CAHAL’s Annual Concert

Netanyahu Attacks Obama’s Naiveté when it Comes to Iran

60

PAGE 94

– See pages 44-47

Rabbi Lau Speaks about Yishuv Ha’Eretz at Merom Yerushalayim’s Community Event 70

– See pages 3 & 37

– See page 38 –

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NLEauW nched!

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KOSHER FOR PASSOVER

BRAND-NEW LINE OF TOP QUALITY PRODUCTS With Supreme Taste!...

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‫ פרונט‬front

A Jewel

in the Greenest Setting Merom Yerushalayim would like to thank the residents of both The Five Towns and Far Rockaway for their participation in what was a very special event.

31.01.15

Construction in full swing!

www.meromyerushalayim.com sales@sun-chen.co.il | USA: +1-718-732-3609

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‫המועצה לשימור‬

‫צמרת העיר‬

5

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6

From the Editor

Letters to the Editor

8

Community Readers’ Poll

8

Community Happenings

30

TJH Purim Photo Album

82 & 129

10

National

19

Odd-but-True Stories

27

Going Nuclear: Netanyahu Attacks Obama’s Naiveté when it Comes to Iran by Nachum Soroka 94 Israel Israel News

17

Over the Edge by Rafi Sackville

90

On Leadership by Matt Solomon

87

People The Bravery of Max Guedj by Avi Heiligman 121 Parsha Rabbi Wein on the Parsha The Shmuz

99 100

Jewish Thought Bonding in Close Quarters by Rabbi Naphtali Hoff 101 Fully En-Gauged by Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz 102 Parenting

every year. I barely catch my breath from Purim and then Pesach appears just around the corner. Yes, we have a few weeks (OK, maybe just three), but before we know it, our counters that were covered with candy will be covered in silver foil and there will only be macaroons to eat. It’s time to start writing those lists and start stocking up on Lysol and steel wool. What to clean, what to cook, what to buy, what clothes are needed…the lists go on and on.

Despite the frenzy, I am looking forward to cleaning. Yes, I know that cleaning for Pesach does not mean we have to clean the ceiling fans and the electric sockets, but it sure is a good time for me to do it.

Did you see the mess that’s under my kids’ beds? Never mind, in a few days that’ll all be gone and their room will be the cleanest it’s ever been—until the kids come home, that is.

Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

Weekly Weather

FRIDAY

March 13

SHABBOS March 14

SUNDAY

March 15

MONDAY

TUESDAY

March 16

March 17

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY March 18

March 19

Parenting Pearls by Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW 114 Health & Fitness To Juice or Not to Juice by Aliza Beer, MS RD 110 Dealing with a Loose Stomach by David Elazar Simai, MD 122 A Way to Think of Ourselves by Deb Hirschhorn, PhD

123

Food & Leisure

RAIN

PARTLY CLOUDY

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47º

MOSTLY CLOUDY

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Lifestyles

publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com 104

Your Money

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PUBLISHER

Yosef Feinerman MANAGING EDITOR

This Week’s Challenge by Rivki Rosenwald, Esq., CLC 125

ads@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Humor Centerfold

88

The Night before Purim by Rocky Zweig

111

Uncle Moishy Fun Page

124

Political Crossfire Notable Quotes

112

Classifieds

126

Shoshana Soroka eretzhachaim.org

FRIDAY, MARCH 13 Parshas Vayakhel-Pikudei Candle Lighting: 6:41 Shabbos Ends: 7:41 Rabbeinu Tam: 8:13

28º

41º

30º

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The Aussie Gourmet: Fresh Fish for Pesach 118

Ask the Attorney

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CLASSIFIEDS@FIVETOWNS JEWISHHOME.COM TEXT 443-929-4003 The Jewish Home is an independent weekly magazine. Opinions expressed by writers are not neces­ sarily the opinions of the publisher or editor.

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MARCH 12, 2015

Global

It was not just my family whose Purim was filled with festivities.

We received so many photos from our readers sharing their amazingly creative costumes and fun times with us. I was so impressed. There are so many families that dress up together—from oldest to youngest and mom and dad too—in a common theme. Some of these costumes were handmade, and I marveled at how clever and creative some people can be. Clearly Purim is a day when all of us can join in the fun.

On Shushan Purim we were back to reality, and as I was sitting in the waiting room in the dentist’s office, someone told me she was already stressed shopping for her kids’ clothes for Pesach. I took a double take. Did I just hear the word Pesach? We were barely finished with Purim—my counters were still covered with Laffy Taffys and gumballs. Is Pesach going to be here so soon?

I think I have the same thoughts

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News

Dear Readers, On Taanis Esther, as we were discussing the impending storm, my seven-year-old son couldn’t contain his excitement, “It’s going to be the best Purim ever—a snowstorm and Purim, all on the same day!” It’s funny, I was feeling bad for the kids. With the freezing temperatures, they’d have to wear coats covering up their costumes and the snow would make it hard for us to get to all their friends. But it’s all in the attitude. On Purim day, with the snow falling, they put on their coats and ran to our neighbors to deliver mishloach manos. They insisted on wearing their shoes—“Whoever heard of a kallah wearing boots?”— and their toes were frozen after a few stops in and out of the car. But they didn’t complain. They could have gone on delivering mishloach manos the whole day if not for the really bad driving conditions. Purim is Purim and like the postal service, no weather can deter children and adults from enjoying the day.

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Contents

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Letters to the Editor Dear Editor, This winter has been very tough. We have had very cold air, a lot of ice, and significant amounts of snow in some places. Schools closed this winter a lot of times due to the ice and snow. People hope this winter stops, but we can’t predict the future. Meteorologists predict things, and then it keeps changing. Meteorologists predicted a few weeks ago we were going to have a blizzard with up to 30 inches of snow, but the Five Towns only had 13 inches.

Now that the temperatures are warming up and we have switched the clocks, this means that spring is on its way. By the way, spring starts on March 20th at 6:45 pm. There is still a little bit of snow in the forecast, but it will eventually stop. I hope that all of this snow stops and the flowers start blooming.

Sincerely, Sammy Tisser, 6th Grade Dear Editor, I happen to be one of those “fortunate” underweight women and I am concerned from that article about one day the skinny ones becoming overweight due to accumulated fat over the years. I am afraid this might promote over-exercising and a very strict diet

which may lead to an eating disorder. I remember I was afraid of becoming fat myself and started to not eat much and over-exercise. While I understand there are many challenges in life due to being overweight, those who are underweight may not have it so easy either. I may get remarks such as “are you anorexic,” “do you eat?” “is there no food in America?”

“You’re weak, let someone else handle it” and the like. For the last one I do admit I may get fatigued very easily but I prefer not being seen as a weakling. Also I do not like the “us vs. them” mentality.

I would like it if there was a more neutral article about this topic for next time.

Thank you, The “Fortunate” One Dear Editor, I’m confused about the MoveNY plan for tolling bridges. New York State Assemblymember David Weprin opposes tolls for the four free East River bridges. He believes it “will impose an undue financial burden on our working and middle class commuters who must rely on those roadways.” David’s brother, New York City Councilmember Mark Weprin, said, “Most of the people are probably rich people who can probably afford to drive into the city.” Was

Mark referring to brother, David, who in addition to his base pay of $79,500 also earns several hundred thousand more moonlighting at a second job as one of the “rich people”? Both David and Mark represent many of the same constituents.

Who is right?

The only way to clear this issue up is for The Jewish Home to host a debate between David and Mark Weprin. I’ll be happy to volunteer as moderator.

Sincerely, Larry Penner Dear Editor, You may have heard or read that Mayor Bill de Blasio has made it official adding two Muslim holidays to the NYC public school calendar starting in the school year of fall 2015.

I have no problem with this. Jews fought hard for many years to get Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur added to the public school calendar in the early ‘60s.

Now that there is a sizable Muslim student and teacher population in New York, I think it is fair game to accommodate them.

But, I think that Jews should see this as a sign for more permissibly. If de Blasio is this open-minded to accommodating religious holidays, we should ask that

public schools be closed for both the first and last two days of Succot. (Schools are already closed during Pesach in most years as it coincides with Easter break.)

Keep in mind that the reason that de Blasio added the Muslim holidays is that students should not have to choose between celebrating their holidays and attending school. De Blasio stated that by adding these two holidays, students can now celebrate the holidays with their families.

Mr. de Blasio is correct, and I commend him for that decision. However, it is then time to extend this same thinking to every Jewish holiday where currently Jews already must choose between holiday celebration and missing school.

That includes the four days of Succot.

Often, what occurs in NYC public school calendars becomes a sample for CUNY, SUNY and other public schools and colleges throughout the U.S. If enough Jews make an issue of this now, perhaps, de Blasio will include these holidays while he is still mayor and is hungry enough for the Jewish votes to re-elect himself. Remember, that Bloomberg, himself Jewish, was not as open-minded to additional school holidays.

Daniel Feldman

PURIM PHOTO ALBUM! Starts on Page 82

Readers Poll It snowed on Purim this year. Do you think we’ll be getting another snowstorm before spring finally comes?

11% Yes 89% No

tens of millions of dollars for our children, our yeshivos and our community in the NYS Budget. He is one of the most powerful people in Albany, and his leadership role has been enhanced even further this year.

Let’s strengthen his ability to stand up for our community!

OUR INTERESTS ARE SERVED WHEN OUR VOICES ARE HEARD.

Mr. and Mrs. Yechezkel Hartman

invite you to join them at

Agudath Israel of America’s 5th Annual Community Breakfast Reception for

Senator Dean Skelos Sunday, March 15/ 24 Adar

at their home 74 Lawrence Ave, Lawrence, NY beginning at 9:30 AM

Yochanan Bodner, Breakfast Chairman

TOP LEGISLATIVE PRIORITES FOR 2015

Education Tax Credit

• Mandated Services and CAP

OPEN TO MEN & WOMEN No solicitation of funds

• Security For Our Shuls & Yeshivos

TIMELY ISSUE, URGENT CONCERN

State Control Over Majority Private School Districts: East Ramapo Today, Lawrence Tomorrow?

AGUDATH ISRAEL ADVOCACY RECENTLY HELPED ACCOMPLISH THE FOLLOWING: R State funding for yeshiva transportation expenses, $12 million per year

R Mandated service payments to yeshivos, $31.3 million for the school year of 2013-2014

R TAP funding for Rabbinical colleges, $18 -$20 million per year R Infertility funding,$ 1.9 million in 2015

R Reformed Special Education procedure saving money,

R Amending the Palliative Care Act to enhance patients’ rights

R Comprehensive Attendance Policy (CAP) reimbursement, $19.3 million for the school year of 2013-2014 heartache and frustration for 100’s of parents

(totaling more than $100 million since 2002)

R School safety equipment, $4.5 million for 2014

COMMITTEE: YOCHANAN BODNER • ELISHA BRECHER • AVROMIE DAVID • SIMCHA DAVID • YOILY EDELSTEIN • ALON GOLDBERGER • DOVID GOLDFARB MOTI HELLMAN • ERNIE ISAACSON • YOSEF NUSSBAUM • YAAKOV PANETH • NECHEMIA SALZMAN • URI SCHLACHTER • ERIC STERN

AGUDATH ISRAEL OF AMERICA / 42 BROADWAY / NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10004 / 212.797.9000

MARCH 12, 2015

Senator Dean Skelos, Senate Majority Leader, is our steadfast friend who has annually negotiated



This man is one of the great champions of the Jewish Community today.

9 THE JEWISH HOME

S !

I Y H T DA N U S

AGUDATH ISRAEL OF AMERICA 5TH ANNUAL COMMUNITY BREAKFAST

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The Week In News

Global Childhood Obesity in Puerto Rico In Puerto Rico, obese children are considered abused. And their parents are

considered child abusers.

Senator Gilbert Rodriguez Valle, one of Puerto Rico’s youngest and most popular politicians, recently introduced a bill which seeks to create a “healthy child programme.” If the bill becomes law, obese children would be identified in schools, and their families would be “educated” about the health risks and consequences of remaining overweight.

If social workers believe there is no progress after six months, they would have the authority to open a child neglect case and impose a fine of $500; if after a year they believe things remain the same, another fine of $800 could be levied.

Rates of childhood obesity in the U.S. territory run between 24% to 30%.

That’s high, considering that childhood

obesity in the U.S. runs on average 17%.

Some see it as a cultural issue—children considered “skinny” in Puerto Rico are fattened up by their parents. But of those who understand the risks of obesity some say that the government has no right to encroach on this territory.

“The good thing is that he [Valle] is identifying the problem and trying to do something about it; the wrong thing is how he’s doing it,” Dr. Ricardo Fontanet, president of the Puerto Rico chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told the Guardian at his practice in San Juan.

“First, he’s saying that if you have an obese child in the house, it’s synonymous with child abuse, and that’s completely wrong. You have to lose weight, sure, but to have the state coming to your home, looking at how you do things and charging you with child abuse is dangerous,” he pointed out.

“Second, they’re not involving pediatricians, nutritionists, dieticians, the people who prepare the lunches in schools, in any of this. Teachers aren’t trained to identify obese children; they don’t have the time, the facilities or the knowledge. They’re asking people with no knowledge of dealing with obesity to identify these patients.”

Other experts say the bill takes a “simplistic view” of the factors that cause a person to be overweight.

“Obesity is a disease, not a choice made by parents or their children,” Dr. Nikhil Dhurandhar, president of the Maryland-based Obesity Society, related. “Many known and unknown biological factors, in addition to personal nutrition and physical activity decisions, may interfere with weight loss, reinforcing the fact that we can’t treat obesity solely by placing the blame on parents or individuals.”

Dhurandhar said lawmakers in Puerto Rico should ask themselves if they would impose fines against parents whose children had diabetes, asthma or cancer.

Both doctors say an incentive-led program would provide better motivation for children to lose weight than punishments for their parents – starting with improvements in diet and nutritional health.

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ONE W RLD OF MANY YESHIVAS MIR YERUSHALAYIM

‫כ''ד אדר תשע''ה‬ SUNDAY EVENING • MARCH 15, 2015 NEW YORK BROOKLYN MARRIOTT

ANNUAL DINNER RALPH HERZKA Campaign Chairman SHLOMO YEHUDA RECHNITZ A. JOSEPH STERN Legacy Chairmen NOCHUM ABER Dinner Chairman Mr.

YUSSIE OSTREICHER HARAV NOSSON TZVI FINKEL MEMORIAL AWARD

AVROHOM DAVID DOV FISHOFF GREG FRAGIN ADAM MIRZOEFF DOVID SCHARF YITZCHOK WAGNER Alumni Chairmen

Rabbi

SHMUEL SUTTON

MENAHEL METIVTA ATERET TORAH

RABBINICAL ALUMNUS AWARD

ZEVI BRODT MOSHE CALLER EZRA DAVID DOVID GANGER REFOEL WEISS Campaign Co-Chairmen Mr. & Mrs.

ELI SCHRON

GUESTS OF HONOR

Mr. & Mrs.

ARYEH WEISS

KESSER SHEM TOV AWARD

THIS SUNDAY EVENING

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URI ROSENWASSER DOVI SAFIER Journal Chairmen

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a former police officer from Chechnya, with the murder of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov.

Reward Increased for Missing American

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Putin Awards Medal to Suspect in Agent’s Death

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The Week In News

MARCH 12, 2015

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{boys essentials} This week, the United States increased the reward to $5 million to help locate a missing American who disappeared in Iran eight years. The original reward to locate Robert Levinson was $1 million.

The U.S. also appealed to Tehran to help locate Levinson. “We ask the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to work cooperatively with us on the investigation into Robert Levinson’s disappearance so we can ensure his safe return,” Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement on March 8, eight years since Levinson’s disappearance and the day before his 67th birthday.

Levinson, a former FBI agent, disappeared from Kish Island, Iran, on March 9, 2007 while on a business trip as a private investigator. Friends of Levinson said that around that time he had been investigating the counterfeiting of cigarettes, though mainly in Latin America.

The FBI has been investigating Levinson’s disappearance. In 2012, it offered a rare $1 million reward for any information that could lead to his safe return. The FBI increased the award by $4 million on Monday.

“He has spent more than 2,900 days separated from those who love him, and is one of the longest held U.S. citizens in history. Year after year, the family has endured the pain of his absence. It is time for him to come home,” Kerry said.

In November 2010, a video surfaced in which Levinson asked for help in winning his freedom but did not say who was holding him or where he was. “Please help me get home,” the gaunt-looking Levinson said on the tape, citing his 33 years of service in the FBI. The Iranian government has repeatedly said it knows nothing about Levinson’s disappearance or whereabouts.

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On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded a medal of honor to Andrei Lugovoi, the chief suspect in the murder of former Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko, for “services to the fatherland.”

The Kremlin released an honors list including Lugovoi, a lawmaker in a nationalist party who is wanted by Britain over the poisoning of Litvinenko in 2006. Litvinenko was an ex-agent in Russia’s FSB intelligence agency who became a vocal critic of the Kremlin and ultimately died after drinking tea laced with deadly polonium-210 at a meeting with two Russians in a London hotel.

Britain has named Lugovoi as one of two suspects it wants to question over Litvinenko’s murder, along with Dmitri Kovtun. Both are said to be former FSB agents, something Lugovoi vehemently denies.

In a letter dictated from his deathbed, Litvinenko accused Putin of having ordered his murder. But Moscow is vocal in its denial in any role in Litvinenko’s death and has repeatedly refused to hand over Lugovoi for questioning.

This week, the Kremlin announced that Lugovoi was being decorated for “his great contribution to the development of the Russian parliamentary system and his active role in lawmaking.”

He is an MP in Russia’s lower house of parliament for the nationalist and pro-Kremlin Liberal Democratic and is deputy chairman of the lower house’s security and anti-corruption committee.

He has also worked as a bodyguard for top politicians and businessmen.

The Kremlin also decorated Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov with an order of merit for “his active public service and many years of conscientious work.”

The medal is the latest in a number of Kremlin decorations for the controversial strongman.

Kadyrov’s decoration comes a day after Russia charged two men, including

Suri Bender & Pnina Rosenberg

The Week In News Boko Haram Joins ISIS

in North Africa, the Islamic State’s projection of creating an Islamic Caliphate is gaining headway,” said Rita Katz, director of SITE Intelligence Group.

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U.S. Rep Attacked in South Korea

Nigeria’s militant Islamist group Boko Haram has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. The symbolic move highlights increased coordination between jihadi movements across North Africa and the Middle East and prompted an appeal from Nigeria’s government for greater international help in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency. The terror group has killed thousands and kidnapped hundreds during its six-year campaign to carve out an Islamist state in northern Nigeria.

In recent months Boko Haram has increased cross-border raids into Cameroon, Chad and Niger. “We announce our allegiance to the Caliph ... and will hear and obey in times of difficulty and prosperity, in hardship and ease,” read an English language translation of the audio broadcast in Arabic that was purported to be from the Nigerian militant group. “We call upon Muslims everywhere to pledge allegiance to the Caliph,” it read. The pledge of allegiance was attributed to Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau.

Nigerian government spokesman Mike Omeri said this “is confirming what we always thought. It’s sad, it’s bad.” “It’s why we were appealing to the international community ... Hopefully the world will wake up to the disaster unfolding here,” he told reporters. Last week, four bomb blasts killed at least 50 people in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri in the worst attacks there since Boko Haram militants tried to seize the town in two major assaults earlier this year.

Analysts said Boko Haram’s move came as no surprise. This month, Boko Haram released a video showing the terrorist group beheading two men, its first online posting using advanced graphics and editing techniques similar to footage from Islamic State. “Boko Haram is now being elevated from a local jihadi group to an important arm of the Islamic State. With Boko Haram’s wide network

Mark Lippert, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, is in stable condition after a man screaming demands for a unified North and South Korea slashed him on the face and wrist with a knife last week. Although pictures of the bloody ambassador have been plastered all over international media, the injuries he sustained were not life-threatening. The U.S. State Department condemned the attack, which took place at a performing arts center in downtown Seoul as the ambassador was preparing for a lecture about prospects for peace on the divided Korean Peninsula.

The attack will shock many outsiders because the United States is South Korea’s closest ally, its military protector and a big trading partner and cultural influence. But the cries of the suspect, 55-year-old Kim Ki-Jong, during the attack — “South and North Korea should be reunified” — touch on a deep political divide in South Korea over the still-fresh legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which is still technically ongoing because it ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. Some South Koreans blame the presence of 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in the South as a deterrent to the North for the continuing split of the Korean Peninsula along the world’s most heavily armed border — a view North Korea’s propaganda machine regularly pushes in state media.

A direct attack on a senior U.S. official is unusual, but it represents a thread in South Korean society of sometimes extreme protests on both sides of the political divide. In Seoul, regular small- to medium-sized demonstrations are often staged by activists seen as professional protesters. The protests are often either by anti-U.S. liberals who support closer reconciliation with the North or pro-government conservative groups

who support the U.S. and loathe Pyongyang.

Violence sometimes breaks out at the protests. Scuffles with police and the burning of effigies of North Korean and Japanese leaders are common.

In 2008, hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest U.S. beef imports after a mad cow scare in America. Both sides of the divide also protest regularly against arch rival Japan, which colonized Korea in the early 20th century, over territorial and history disputes.

Kim Ki-Jong, the suspect in the attack last week, appears to be wellknown in Seoul for his willingness to use violence to air his grievances. A police official said the suspect threw a piece of concrete at the Japanese ambassador in Seoul in 2010. South Korean media reported that Kim Ki-Jong was later sentenced to a three-year suspended prison term over the attack. In the 2010 attack, Kim missed the ambassador with the concrete and hit his secretary instead.

Japan Commemorates WWII Bombing

Seven decades ago, 105,400 people were killed in a single night in Japan when U.S. B-29 bombers attacked Tokyo in what is regarded as the deadliest conventional bombing attack ever.

Tuesday, March 10 was the anniversary of the tragic evening. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bowed in a somber ceremony held in a downtown temple that was built to commemorate deaths from a 1923 earthquake, but is also used as a memorial for the victims of World War II bombings.

“With the lessons of the atrocities of war etched deeply in our hearts, we must humbly face the past and do our utmost to contribute to world peace,” said Abe, surrounded by white floral wreaths and chrysanthemums, as a group of dignitaries, survivors and other residents looked on.

This attack killed more people than the August 9 atomic bombing of Nagasaki. The death toll was on par with the August 6 atomic attack on Hiroshima.

As survivors of the ordeal die, those remaining are determined to tell their story. Haruyo Nihei, just eight years old when the bombs fell, was among many survivors who had kept silent for decades. A half-century passed before she even shared her experiences with her own son.

“Our parents would just say, ‘That’s a different era,’” Nihei, now 78, said.

“They wouldn’t talk about it. And I figured my own family wouldn’t understand.”

Earlier war raids targeted aircraft factories and military facilities, but the Tokyo firebombing was directed mostly at civilians. Tokyo’s downtown area, known as “shitamachi,” was hit, where people lived in traditional wood and paper homes at densities sometimes exceeding 100,000 people per square mile.

“There were plenty of small factories, but this area was chosen specifically because it was easy to burn,” says historian Masahiko Yamabe, who was born just months after the war’s end.

Firefighter Isamu Kase was on duty at a train parts factory. He jumped onto a pump truck when the attack began, knowing the job was impossible. “It was a hellish frenzy, absolutely horrible. People were just jumping into the canals to escape the inferno,” Kase, 89, remembered. He said he survived because he didn’t jump in the water, but his burns were so severe he was in and out of hospital for 15 years.

Masaharu Ohtake, then 13, fled his family’s noodle shop with a friend.

Turned back by firefighters, they headed toward Tokyo Bay and again were ordered back. The boys crouched in a factory yard, waiting as flames consumed their neighborhood. “We saw a fire truck heaped with a mountain of bones.

It was hard to understand how so many bodies could be piled up like that,” said Ohtake.

After about two hours and 40 minutes, the B-29s left.

From January 1944-August 1945, the U.S. dropped 157,000 tons of bombs on Japanese cities, according to the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey. It estimated that 333,000 people were killed, including the 80,000 killed in the August 6 Hiroshima atomic-bomb attack and 40,000 at Nagasaki three days later. Fifteen million of the 72 million Japanese were left homeless.

“The United States went too far with the firebombing, but I don’t quite understand why the Japanese government and

The Week In News

The main recipient of the developing Middle Eastern market was the United States, with $8.4 billion of arms shipments sent to the region last year, up from $6 billion in 2013.

“This is definitely unprecedented,” said Ben Moores, the report’s author. “You’re seeing political fractures across the region, and at the same time you’ve got oil, which allows countries to arm themselves, protect themselves and impose their will as to how they think the region should develop.”

Saudi Arabia is building its arse-

Another Blow to Mexico’s Gangs The government of Mexico is cracking down, big time.

Last week, Mexican authorities arrested drug cartel leader Omar Trevino of the notorious Zeta gang. The suspect,

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Saudi Arabia is the biggest arms importer in the world. India was the second-biggest defense importer in 2014, followed by China, the UAE, Taiwan, Australia, South Korea, Indonesia, Turkey, and Pakistan.

Last year, Saudi spending increased by 54% to $6.5 billion, while India imported $5.8 billion, according to data released on Sunday by IHS, a leading analyst of the global arms trade. Imports are expected to grow 52% to $9.8 billion this year, accounting for $1 of every $7 spent globally, IHS estimated, based on scheduled imports for 2015.

considering such a temporary marriage of convenience.”

Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, all based in the U.S., were the three biggest arms exporters among companies last year, according to the IHS Global Defense Trade Report.

Internationally, trade in military hardware increased for the sixth consecutive year, moving worldwide imports to $64.4 billion from $56 billion.

As far as exporters, the U.S. remained the biggest arms exporter, with shipments rising 19 percent to $23.7 billion. Russia ranked second at $10 billion, up 9 percent from 2013. France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Israel, China, Spain and Canada rounded out the top 10.

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World’s Biggest Weapons Importers & Exporters

nal amid concern about a geopolitical shift in the Middle East as the United States seeks allegiance in fighting the Islamic State group, said David Cortright, director of policy studies at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.

In the same token, negotiators are closing in on a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear ambitions and lift sanctions against the country, which would create new opportunities for economic development and threaten Saudi Arabia’s longstanding ties with the United States. Experts think that increasing artillery business with the U.S. may be a tactic by the Saudi government to remind the U.S. of its importance as an ally.

“It may be a way of tempering that rapprochement with Iran,” Cortright said. “You can think of it as … deepening ties in a time of uncertainty, as a possibly greater role with Iran looms on the horizon. From an objective security perspective, Saudi Arabia should be cooperating with Iran to deter and push back ISIS in Iraq, the old ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ approach,” Cortright said. “But Saudi Arabia has deep ideological and geopolitical differences with Iran that prevent it from

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the rest of the Japanese don’t talk about this very much,” Masaharu Ohtake, a survivor who was 13 at the time of the attack, said. “We are not just statistics.

I don’t think we’ll still be around for the 80th anniversary. So the 70th anniversary is pretty much the last chance for us to speak up.”

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The Week In News known as “Z-42,” was detained without a single shot being fired by federal police and soldiers in San Pedro Garza Garcia, an upper-class suburb of the northern industrial city of Monterrey. This is the second major arrest for the Mexican government in one week.

President Enriquq Pena Nieto is being praised for the crackdown.

After Trevino’s brother, Miguel Angel Trevino, also known as Z-40, was captured by Marines in Tamaulipas in July 2013, Omar took over as the leader of the Zeta gang. He was regarded as “one of the most dangerous and bloodthirsty criminals in Mexico,” said Tomas Zeron, the investigations chief at the attorney general’s office. However, Omar Trevino failed to impose control over the group, said National Security

Commissioner Monte Alejandro Rubido.

“Due to his extremely violent profile, he didn’t get the recognition that his brother had within the organization. He faced opposition from local operators who sought to break away, a situation that led to more clashes within the criminal group,” Rubido said.

In 2010, Omar Trevino told an informant that he had killed more than 1,000 people while Miguel had killed 2,000, according to an affidavit filed in a U.S. court for a case involving another Trevino brother in Texas. Omar is accused of drug trafficking, organized crimes, and kidnapping; he had a combined bounty of $7 million on his head. The U.S. State Department offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest.

Mexico offered $2 million. Investigators were able to track movements of the cartel’s finance chief, who visited several homes in the Monterrey suburbs, and from there found Trevino.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration chief Michele Leonhart congratulated Mexico, saying the arrest “strikes at the heart of the leadership structure of the Zetas.”

Suspects Identified in 1982 Paris Attack

It’s been 32 years since a group of Palestinians burst into the Jo Goldenberg deli in Paris’ old Jewish quarter on August 9, throwing grenades and shooting with machine guns. Tragically, six people were killed in the attack including two Americans. 21 people were injured.

French authorities have finally identified three suspects in the 1982 attack and are seeking to make the official arrests. Paris’ prosecutor’s office spokeswoman Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre said on Wednesday that international arrest warrants have been issued for the three suspects — now in their late 50s and early 60s — who were believed to be members of the Abu Nidal group.

The anti-terrorism judge who opened the investigation at the time of the attack said he was “happy, relieved” by the developments. Jean-Louis Bruguiere, who is now retired, told RTL radio that while the extradition of one suspect from Norway “won’t pose many problems,” it will be “far more complex” trying to bring the other two to France from Jordan and the Palestinian territories.

Authorities are hoping that these arrests will act as a warning to future terrorists. Alain Jakubowicz, head of anti-racism group LICRA, said that this “is a very strong message to terrorists and killers: Wherever you are, we will find you, we will arrest you and we will judge you.”

Tokyo: World’s Safest City Safety is a major concern for most people when choosing where to settle down. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has selected 50 thriving cities from across the globe and analyzed

which are the safest. To gather data the EIU investigated and ranked the locations based on four criteria: health security, digital security, personal safety and infrastructure safety.

The least safe cities were unsurprisingly Jakarta, Indonesia (50) and Tehran, Iran (49). Remarkably, the world’s safest city, Tokyo, is also the world’s most populated city with 38 million residents. For those living in America, only New York made the top ten safest cities in the world list. To feel truly safe, it seems you may want to leave the United States behind.

So where do residents around the world feel the safest? Consider these ten cities.

1. Tokyo 2. Singapore 3. Osaka 4. Stockholm 5. Amsterdam 6. Sydney 7. Zurich 8. Toronto 9. Melbourne 10. New York

Putin Critic Killed: Suspects Arrested The international community and the Russian population have voiced concerns over the killing of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov near the Kremlin on February 28. Now two suspects have been detained by Russia’s federal security service for the murder.

Alexander Bortnikov, head of the federal security service, said the two suspects were from Russia’s North Caucasus region, but gave no other details.

He said they were “suspected of carrying out this crime,” but it was not clear if either of the suspects was believed to have fired the shots that killed Nemtsov as he and a companion walked over a bridge near the Kremlin. No charges were immediately announced.

The Week In News

What do you do if you’re a terrorist organization bent on the destruction of Israel and face the most celebrated and complex missile defense system ever invented? Make more rockets. That’s Hamas’ answer, anyway. According to new reports, Hamas has been redoubling its efforts to produce short-range rockets to fire at Israel.

Faced with the high success rate of Israel’s Iron Dome defense system against mid-range rockets, Hamas in the Gaza Strip has been striving to produce shorter-range projectiles, which proved deadlier during its summer 2014 war with Israel. Hamas has been producing and testing – by firing them out to sea —

Rice Mocked with Applause Delegates at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference last week let U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice know how they feel about her during a speech she gave. The conference participants chose to applaud Ms. Rice—at all the wrong moments. Rice, who came out swinging against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week by calling his visit “damaging” to bilateral ties, made her case before the decidedly

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New Strategy for Hamas

Her hour-long speech often fell into the sentence construction of “I know…, but…,” which attendees used to mock her by applauding during the first part of the sentence, but before the point she was really trying to make. For instance, “I know that some of you will be urging Congress to insist that Iran forgo its domestic uranium enrichment entirely,” drew a hearty round of applause.

However, when she continued, “But, as desirable as that would be, it is neither realistic nor achievable,” she was met with critics. “I know some would argue

that we should just impose sanctions and walk away, but let’s remember,” said Rice, before being interrupted by applause. “My friends,” she went on, “let’s remember that sanctions, unfortunately, have never stopped Iran from advancing its program.” Silence.

Attendees were asked before Rice’s speech to be respectful. A slide bearing a picture of Casper the Friendly Ghost and the message, “Don’t Boo! Be Friendly,” was shown before the national security adviser began speaking, which may have prevented more overt jabs.

Rice’s speech also garnered genuine applause. Rice told the 16,000 delegates that “a bad deal is worse than no deal” on Iran, which drew an enthusiastic standing ovation from the slightly critical audience. “If that is the choice there will be no deal,” she added.

Rice also provided previously unconfirmed information regarding the United States’ negotiating red lines on Iran. Rice said President Barack Obama was committed to “ensuring that Iran does not get a nuclear weapon” and repeated the administration’s frequent statements that the U.S. was “keeping all options on the table to prevent Iran [from] developing a nuclear weapon.”

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Last week, in a rare public appearance, the head of Hamas’s military wing said that although his group was not actively seeking another round of violence with Israel, it continues to stockpile rockets in anticipation of a future war. Marwan Issa, a top commander for Hamas’ Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, made the comments during a conference organized by a Hamas-linked think tank, his first public appearance in over three years.

This past summer, Hamas and other terror groups fired over 4,500 rockets and projectiles at Israel and staged several deadly attacks against IDF soldiers through cross-border tunnels. Seventy-three Israelis died during the operation; 66 of them were IDF soldiers.

pro-Israel and pro-Netanyahu lobby in Washington.

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Nemtsov’s killing shocked Russia’s already beleaguered and marginalized opposition supporters. Suspicion in the opposition is high that the killing was ordered by the Kremlin in retaliation for Nemtsov’s adamant criticism of President Vladimir Putin. The 55-year-old was working on a report about Russian military involvement in the eastern Ukraine conflict.

Russia’s top investigative body has said it is investigating several possible motives, including that he was killed in an attempt to smear Putin’s image.

It also said it was looking into possible connections to Islamic extremism and Nemtsov’s personal life. Many believe that Nemtsov’s death in a tightly secured area near the Kremlin wouldn’t have been possible without official involvement, and could be an attempt to scare other government foes.

In some previous killings of Kremlin critics, especially the murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya in 2006, there has been wide criticism that those who ordered the killing have not been identified or brought to justice.

rockets with a range of up to 30 kilometers, attempting to evade the Iron Dome defense system.

According to official IDF figures, Iron Dome intercepted roughly 90 percent of the projectiles it targeted during the war, including rockets fired at Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv region. Hamas and Islamic Jihad refuse to specify the number of rockets they currently possess, but they were severely depleted by the Israeli assault, which included fierce ground combat. Israeli ground invasion was also aimed at destroying the hundreds of tunnels Gaza’s Islamist groups had built, both for smuggling supplies and for attacks on soldiers inside Israel.

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The Week In News Bibi’s Bump in Final the Stretch

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got a slight boost in popularity after his U.S. speech slamming an emerging nuclear deal with Iran. But the sitting leader is still running neck and neck with his leading rival in the upcoming March 17 election. A survey published this week indicated Netanyahu’s Likud party would gain two seats to 23 compared with what he had a week ago.

That would still leave him in a tie with Isaac Herzog’s Zionist Union. survey conducted on each In a candidate’s individual popularity, Ne-

tanyahu was favored by 44 percent for the job of prime minister, up two percentage points from a week ago.

Herzog’s number declined by two percentage points to 35 percent. In Israel’s parliamentary election system, the public chooses parties rather than individual candidates, and the head of the party with the most political allies is the one who usually wins a presidential mandate to form a government.

Israeli critics said that Netanyahu, seeking a fourth term in office, risked damaging Israel’s strategic alliance with Washington by speaking in the U.S. Congress for the sake of wooing voters before the closely contested election. Netanyahu came under strong criticism from the Obama administration for his speech, which Washington said had injected destructive partisanship into U.S.-Israeli ties.

Republicans, who control Congress, had invited Netanyahu to speak without consulting President Barack Obama or other leading Democrats.

As many as 60 of the 232 Democratic members of Congress boycotted the address.

Shushan Purim Terror Attack

ment vowing not to allow terrorism to thwart Purim celebrations throughout the capital. “We will not allow terrorism to disrupt the routine of our lives and we will continue to fight it without compromise,” he said. “Our answer to terrorism is to continue our routine, and Purim events in the capital will continue as planned.”

Treasure Found in Cave

An Arab-Israeli terrorist from southeast Jerusalem injured four border policewomen and a male pedestrian when he rammed into them with his car on Purim morning. The would-be murderer then got out of his car with a meat cleaver and started swinging, at which point he was shot twice in the chest. The attack was carried out by an unidentified resident of Jerusalem’s Ras el-Amud neighborhood at a major junction outside of the police station, according to police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.

Within minutes emergency first responders arrived at the scene, treated the wounded, and transferred them to Hadassah University Medical Center in Ein Kerem and Shaare Zedek Medical Center. The terrorist was rushed to Hadassah Medical Center while police cordoned off the area.

“Police units immediately arrived at the scene to ensure no more attacks took place and that there was no other threat to the public,” Rosenfeld said.

“We heightened security in Jerusalem immediately after the attack, taking into consideration a large number of events for Purim were taking place at the same time.”

Following the attack, Hamas’s spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri posted a statement on his Facebook page applauding the terrorist, but did not claim responsibility. “The Hamas movement blesses this historic act and considers it a natural response to the occupation’s crimes,” wrote Zuhri.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement condemning the attack and commending the rapid security response. “We are determined to keep on fighting against terrorism and to use all the force necessary for this purpose,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, who tackled a terrorist near City Hall last month, promptly issued a state-

For thousands of years people have been occupying the Holy Land and enjoying her bounty. Recently, Israeli tourists discovered a rare treasure filled with 2,300-year-old coins along with silver and copper objects within a cave in northern Israel. “Thanks to the work of honest citizens, we will be able to better understand the history of Israel,” said Amir Ganor, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

About two weeks ago, members of the Israel Caving Club – Reuven Zachai, his son Chen and friend Lior Hiloni – went out on a preparation trip in a large stalactite cave in northern Israel before the rest of the club members joined.

Chen, 21, noticed a shiny object in the cave.

The three men found two ancient silver coins minted during the reign of Alexander the Great, who conquered the land of Israel during the Hellenistic period (late fourth century BC). Alongside the coins, the men found several types of silver jewelry including rings, bracelets and earrings which seem to have been hidden in a piece of cloth in the cave 2,300 years ago.

The Israel Antiquities Authority, who prohibited the publication of the location of the cave in fear of looting, assessed that there is the possibility that the objects were buried in the cave after the death of Alexander the Great when the country was at war with his successors. IAA researchers said the finding was “one of the most important discoveries in the north in the last years” and said that the cave held proof that there were humans who settled in the cave for extended periods of time.

The Week In News

Korean War POW Remains Laid to Rest

There is blood in the water surrounding Hillary Clinton’s emails during her reign as secretary of state. Most of the focus of the lawmakers and pundits from both sides of the aisle who have been weighing in on the controversy has been the use of a personal email account she used for official business.

Rep. Trey Gowdy, chairman for

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Details of Possible Ceasefire Revealed It has been reported that Hamas recently sent a series of messages to Israel indicating interest in a long-term ceasefire lasting for several years in exchange for an end to the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip. Senior Hamas officials met with Western diplomats about the cease-

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U.S. teams were later allowed to excavate sites in North Korea between 1990 and 2005 and used DNA to identify the remains.

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The Palestinian Authority security forces have launched a major arrest operation against Hamas operatives in the West Bank. At least 30 suspected members of the organization, which competes with the Fatah organization led

by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, have been taken into custody. According to Hamas sources, the arrests were heavily concentrated in the Hebron, Tulkarem and Ramallah districts. Hamas has identified those arrested as former Israeli security prisoners, academics and university students.

In a separate incident, PA security arrested three Hamas activists in Ramallah suspected of vandalizing a memorial to Jordanian pilot Muaz Kasasbeh, who was burned to death by the Islamic State terror group in January. The memorial was spray-painted with expressions of support for Islamic State.

The PA has threatened to stop security cooperation with Israel in recent months over Israel’s withholding of tax revenues collected for the PA from Palestinians. The Israeli move is in response to the PA’s appeals to the international community, including the International Criminal Court, to seek action against Israeli leaders. But PA officials have suggested any cessation of security cooperation, which has helped keep violence down in the territory, would only take place after Israel’s election on March 17.

Korea have finally been laid to rest 65 years after he disappeared near the Chosin Reservoir and was captured by the Chinese. The body of Army Cpl. Floyd J.R. Jackson was identified using DNA from relatives. He was buried this week next to his mother in a graveside service.

While his body was never found, the events leading up to his capture are well-known. Jackson was reported kidnapped when his team was deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea and it was attacked by overwhelming numbers of Chinese forces. On November 29, 1950, remnants of his task force began a fighting withdrawal to more defensible positions near Hagaru-ri, south of the reservoir. On December 12, 1950, Jackson was reported missing in action.

A returning service member told U.S. officials that Jackson was captured by the Chinese on December 12, 1950, and died February 13, 1951 while in an enemy prisoner of war camp. His remains were not among those returned

by Communist forces during Operation Glory in 1954. His niece, Joann Mueller, said the Army came to her home to give the family his medals, including a Purple Heart and Prisoner of War Medal.

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PA Arrests 30 Hamas Members

fire, and also reached a number of understandings about the character of the ceasefire.

During the talks, Hamas officials emphasized that they were willing to agree on a ceasefire of at least five years, during which time all military activities “above and below ground” from both parties would end. At the same time, the blockade on Gaza would be removed, including restrictions on exports, and Israel would allow the construction of a seaport and an airport.

Hamas discussed separately with outgoing United Nations peace process representative Robert Serry a possible ceasefire under the auspices of a Palestinian unity government. He said he hadn’t heard back from either Hamas or Israel, which he had also approached with his proposal. In conversations with other diplomats, Hamas presented different terms for a ceasefire with Israel.

One of the draft agreements reportedly included some of the following clauses: 1) All forms of military conflict between Israel and the Palestinians will cease; 2) Israel will commit to removing the blockade on Gaza, including: opening all crossings around Gaza, permitting unfettered import and export from Gaza, allowing the construction of a sea and airport; 3) The deal will last between three and five years starting from the moment the agreement is signed, but the two sides will finalize the exact length of the ceasefire.

It is not yet clear whether or not the proposed ceasefire has been sanctioned

by Hamas. Many within the terror organization have denied its legitimacy, while others say it is, in fact, a true offer composed by the Hamas top brass.

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The Week In News the House Select Committee on Benghazi, said there are “gaps of months and months” in the 55,000 pages of emails Clinton turned over to the committee. Referring to the Benghazi attack, Gowdy said, “We have no emails from that day…We have no emails from that trip.” The South Carolina Republican said Clinton has no choice but to turn over those messages. “It’s not up to Secretary Clinton to decide what is a public record and what is not,” he said, adding, “I don’t want everything. I just want everything related to Libya and Benghazi.”

Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein said that Clinton, a possible 2016 presidential candidate and would-be front-runner for the Democratic nomination, needs to come forward and explain the situation publicly. “I think she needs to step up and come out and state exactly what the situation is,” Feinstein said. “From this point on, the silence is going to hurt her.”

President Barack Obama said he learned of Clinton’s use of a private email account as his secretary of state at “the same time everyone else did — through news reports,” but refused to criticize her. “Let me just say, Hillary

Clinton is and has been an outstanding public servant; she was a great secretary of state for me,” Obama said in an interview. “The policy of my administration is to encourage transparency. That’s why my emails — the BlackBerry I carry around — all those records are available and archived, and I’m glad that Hillary has instructed that those emails that had to do with official business be disclosed.”

Last week, Clinton’s camp defended her use of a personal email account.

“Like secretaries of state before her, she used her own email account when engaging with any department officials,” Nick Merrell, Clinton’s spokesman, said in a statement. “For government business, she emailed them on their department accounts, with every expectation they would be retained. When the department asked former secretaries last year for help ensuring their emails were in fact retained, we immediately said yes.”

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer came out in support of Clinton. He dismissed the controversy, calling it “a slight hiccup” and “a small bump in the road.” “She complied with the law,” Schumer said. “She’s turning over more

documents than any secretary of state before her.”

Utah: Best State for Business

4. Mississippi 5. Alabama 6. Hawaii 7. New Mexico 8. Oklahoma 9. Rhode Island 10. Tennessee

University Students Ban American Flag

Some say that opportunities come once in a lifetime but 24/7 Wall St. says that opportunities, specifically business opportunities, actually come according to which state you live in.

To determine America’s best states for business, 24/7 Wall St. classified about 50 measures that contribute to the business climate and overall health of an area and then reviewed them across the nation.

There were eight broad categories that independently measured various risks and benefits of doing business in each state. Overall economic health and rate of employment were both considered. The growth of economic output in seven of the 10 best states for business was greater than the national GDP growth rate of 1.8%. Similarly, the job market was strong in all the 10 of the best states for doing business. On the other hand, four of the 10 worst states for business had unemployment rates higher than the national rate. Other factors weighed included natural resources, cost of living, cost of doing business, taxes, average salaries, and education level.

So where are the best states for businesses to make a buck? The best states for business in the nation are: 1. Utah 2. Massachusetts 3. Wyoming 4. South Dakota 5. Delaware 6. Texas 7. Colorado 8. Virginia 9. North Dakota 10. Minnesota But businesses should steer clear of these states. The worst states for businesses in the nation are: 1. Louisiana 2. West Virginia 3. Kentucky

The student government at University of California, Irvine, is causing a nationwide stir.

In an unpatriotic move, the council has voted to ban the display of any flag from its lobby, including the American flag. The new regulation was approved narrowly 6-4 vote by the legislative council of the campus’ Associated Students. According to the Orange County Register, the ban dictates that all flags be removed from common lobby areas of student government offices.

The resolution authored by student Matthew Guevara of the university’s social ecology school lists 25 reasons for the ban, saying that the American flag has been flown in times of “colonialism and imperialism” and could symbolize American “exceptionalism and superiority.” The resolution says “freedom of speech, in a space that aims to be as inclusive as possible, can be interpreted as hate speech.”

Prior to the ban, the American flag was displayed on a wall in the student government suite. Several weeks ago, a student removed the flag and left it on the desk of Reza Zomorrodian, the Associated Students’ president, with an anonymous note stating that the flag shouldn’t be displayed in the lobby. Zomorrodian did not support this ban. She feels the flag is “an iconic and symbolic representation of our values in the U.S.” State Sen. Janet Nguyen, R-Santa Ana, said she and other legislators are considering introducing a state constitutional amendment to prohibit “state-funded universities and college campuses from banning the United States flag.”

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The Week In News Billionaires Love Professional Sports Those who say that money can’t buy you happiness are correct, but it can surely buy you a lot of other stuff—like mansions, expensive cars, yachts, and

sports teams of course. In fact, nearly half, 49% to be precise, of all major professional sports teams in America are owned by local billionaires.

So what came first—the chicken or the egg? Well, obviously no pauper or average American is able to buy a sports team, but in some cases the sports team took their owner from a simple mil-

lionaire to billionaire status or at least helped them climb the ranks.

While the NFL has the most valuable teams it doesn’t necessarily have the richest owners or the most billionaire owners. In fact, the NBA takes that crown; billionaires own 20 of the league’s 30 franchises. 17 of the NFL’s 32 teams are owned by individuals and

the NHL has 13 of 20, while baseball comes in at 10 of 30 teams. There are 122 major professional sports teams in the U.S., and 60 of them are owned by the richest of the rich.

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Although the soaring value of teams continues to encourage buyers to purchase one as an investment, the eligible buyers list is quite short. Some billionaires own multiple teams simply because they have the resources. Back to the chicken and the egg – which came first? Just think of sports teams as the gift that keeps giving. To highlight that, focus on private equity billionaire Joshua Harris. Harris purchased the Philadelphia 76ers with several partners in 2011 for $287 million. During recent seasons, his team has struggled—it has the second-worst record in the NBA today—but his investment definitely did not. Now, just four short years later, the 76ers are worth a whopping $700 million.

Below is a list compiled by Forbes listing the eight richest billionaires who own sports teams: 1. Steve Ballmer Los Angeles Clippers (NBA) Net worth: $21.5 billion 2. Paul Allen Portland Trail Blazers (NBA) Net worth: $17.5 billion 3. Paul Allen Seattle Seahawks (NFL) Net worth: $17.5 billion 4. Philip Anschutz Los Angeles Kings (NHL) Net worth: $11.80 billion 5. Philip Anschutz Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) Net worth: $11.8 billion 6. Hasso Plattner San Jose Sharks (NHL) Net worth: $9.1 billion 7. Mikhail Prokhorov Brooklyn Nets (NBA) Net worth: $9.9 billion 8. John Malone Atlanta Braves (MLB) Net worth: $8.3 billion

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NoN ir oN • W ri Nkle fre e • C lassi C fi t • sl im fit

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The Week In News Conviction in Subway Bombing Plot

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“Guilty” was the word heard by Abid Naseer, a Pakistani man accused on Wednesday of attempting to bomb the New York subway. The jury convicted Naseer in federal court in Brooklyn after deliberating for a day.

Naseer, 28, was arrested in 2009 in Great Britain on charges he was part of a terror cell plotting to blow up a shopping mall in Manchester, England. After insufficient evidence failed to surface, the charges were dropped but American prosecutors eventually named him as a prime suspect in another scheme to attack NYC’s subway. At that point, in 2013, he was arrested again and extradited to the U.S. Naseer pled not guilty to the charges.

Throughout the trial, Naseer acted as his own lawyer, often referring to himself in the third person. He attempted to portray himself as a moderate Muslim who was incorrectly accused. He was assisted by defense attorney James Neuman but largely spoke for himself and demonstrated a calm demeanor in court that never wavered, even when the guilty verdict was read.

“Abid is innocent,” Naseer said in closing arguments on Monday. “He is not a terrorist. He is not an al-Qaeda operative.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zainab Ahmed told jurors the arrest of Naseer and other members of his cell averted mass murder. The government alleged Naseer had received bomb-making instructions in Pakistan in 2008.

“If the defendant hadn’t been stopped, hundreds of innocent men, women and children wouldn’t be alive today,” Ahmed said.

Five British Mi5 secret agents testified during the trial in disguise. In addition, documents from the 2009 Navy SEAL raid against Osama bin Laden’s compound were used as trial evidence.

There was also an email exchange from 2009 between Naseer and a person described by prosecutors as an al-Qaeda handler who was directing plots to at-

tack civilians in Manchester, New York City and Copenhagen. Naseer insisted the emails consisted only of harmless banter about looking for a potential bride after going to England to take computer science classes.

Naseer “wanted to settle down,” he said in his closing argument. “Is there anything wrong with that?”

However, the prosecutor accused Naseer of lying on the witness stand by claiming the women he wrote about courting were real. U.S. Attorney Ahmed said the women’s names were actually codes for homemade bomb ingredients: Nadia stood for ammonium nitrate and Huma for hydrogen peroxide.

One prosecution witness, Najibullah Zazi, pleaded guilty in the subway plot as part of a cooperation agreement. Zazi testified that after receiving explosives training in Pakistan, he received instructions from the same al-Qaeda contact as Naseer and was told to use “marriage” and “wedding” as code words for attacks.

Bloody Sunday Remembered

Hundreds marched from lower Manhattan to Brooklyn by way of the Brooklyn Bridge in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. “We think it’s important that people not forget Bloody Sunday,” said David Dinkins, 87, who from 1990 to 1993 served as New York’s first African-American mayor. “To the day 50 years ago officers beat demonstrators marching for voting rights.”

In Brooklyn Borough Hall after the march, demonstrators eagerly watched Barack President Obama’s televised address to those gathered in Selma. They applauded loudly when U.S. Rep. John Lewis introduced the president, cheered when he said America requires an “occasional disruption,” and stood on their feet at the rousing end of Obama’s speech. Organizers said the march was

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26

The Week In News

That’s Odd I Spy a Tax Evader It’s gotten so bad in Greece that finance ministers are considering hiring spies to find out if citizens are bailing on their taxes. These spies aren’t your typ-

This week, Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis pointed out that the “culture of tax avoidance runs deep within Greek society.” As such, he proposed the following: “To this effect we propose the following: That large numbers of non-professional inspectors are hired on a strictly short-term, casual basis (no longer than two months, and without any prospect of being rehired) to pose, after some basic training, as customers, on behalf of the tax authorities, while ‘wired’ for sound and video.”

Where do these “non-professional inspectors” come from? Well, non-professional spying agencies such as “stu-

dents, housekeepers, even tourists in popular areas ripe with tax evasion,” of course. Varoufakis insists that these amateur scouts will be “hard to detect by offending tax dodgers.” Even the thought of random people recording your conversations will be enough for many to finally pay their taxes, he says.

Spying—and using foreigners to do it—should go down well with voters in a country suffering from record unemployment that has lost a quarter of its economy. They elected Varoufakis’s party in the first place to end this kind of humiliation.

Varoufakis may need to work hard on getting the right people to spy on his country’s citizens. If I was wired as a secret agent, I’d have trouble understanding what those guys are saying. After all, it’s all Greek to me.

A High Five for Spock For years, fans of Star Trek’s Spock have been drawing Leonard Nimoy’s Spock face on Canadian $5 bank notes over the face of former Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier. With Nimoy’s recent

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Clearly we love to analyze wealthy Americans and statistics related to them, but where exactly do all the people we discuss and dissect live?

Using data from the most recent Five-Year American Community Survey released at the end of the year, FindtheHome.com listed the richest cities in the nation. For the sake of this particular list, cities were ranked by the percentage of residents earning over $150K and the list was limited to cities with over 500,000 residents.

To the surprise of many reading this magazine, no, the Five Towns were not included in this list.

The top ten richest cities in America are: 1. San Francisco Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 23.4% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 52.4%

ical cloak and dagger operators; some of them will look just like you!

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Richest Cities in America

Total population: 817,501 2. San Jose, Calif.

Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 22.6% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 37.4% Total population: 968,903 3. Washington Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 19.0% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 51.7% Total population: 618,777 4. Seattle Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 16.2% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 57.4% Total population: 624,681 5. San Diego Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 14.8% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 41.7% Total population: 1.32 million 6. Boston Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 13% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 43.9% Total population: 629,182 7. New York City Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 12.7% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 34.5% Total population: 8.27 million 8. Los Angeles Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 11.3% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 31.1% Total population: 3.83 million 9. Austin, Texas Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 11.1% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 45.6% Total population: 836,800 10. Denver Percentage of incomes over $150,000: 11% Percentage of population with bachelor’s degree: 42.9% Total population: 619,297

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intended to remind the world that the struggle for equality for all has not ended.

“We’re fighting now for not just civil rights but human rights,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. “The right to housing, the right to employment, the right to healthcare, the right to not be prosecuted unfairly. All those who feel America has denied them, this is your Selma moment.”

Mychal McNicholas, 74, a retired lawyer from Queens, said the march was yet another example of civil protest he’s been engaged in for half a century to bring about social change. “I was demonstrating in the ‘60s and we’re still at it,” he said.

Six hundred marchers assembled in Selma on Sunday, March 7, 1965 and, led by John Lewis and other SNCC and SCLC activists, crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge over the Alabama River en route to Montgomery. Just short of the bridge, they found their way blocked

by Alabama State troopers and local police who ordered them to turn around.

When the protesters refused, the officers shot teargas and waded into the crowd, beating the nonviolent protesters with clubs; over 50 people were hospitalized.

“Bloody Sunday” was televised around the world. Martin Luther King called for civil rights supporters to come to Selma for a second march which he led on March 9 but turned it around at the same bridge.

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28

The Week In News demise, the Spock doodlings have been increasing—and the central bank is none too happy.

Although it’s not illegal to add Spock’s pointy Vulcan ears, sharp eyebrows and signature bowl haircut to bills, bank spokeswoman Josianne Menard said in an email: “There are important reasons why it should not be

done”—namely that it was “inappropriate” to deface the banknote because it was a “Canadian symbol and source of national pride.”

When Nimoy passed away, a cry went out for fans to scrawl his image on the bills in tribute to the actor and the role he played. “Spock your $5 bills for Leonard Nimoy,” the Canadian De-

sign Resource tweeted on its posting, while Simon Williams tweeted: “I’ve had a beat up Canadian 5 buried in my wallet for years, finally found a use for it!”

Images of the altered bills were circulated widely online and attracted international media attention.

Calgary artist Tom Bagley, who

posted his own Spock-Laurier hybrid on Facebook and Flickr after Nimoy’s death, said the original idea came about when he tried to impress someone. “I always thought it was OK as long as the numbers were intact – it still counted as money,” he said.

I am sure Spock would give a high five—I mean a Vulcan salute—if he were alive today.

Buy a House; Get a Wife

Generally, people get married and then look to purchase a home to accommodate their growing family. But one inventive homeowner in Indonesia has put her house on the market—and herself along with it.

The two-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Sleman — a sleepy district near the Javanese city of Yogyakarta — comes with a fishpond, spacious backyard and a chance to ask 40-yearold owner Wina Lia for her hand in marriage.

The asking price is the rough equivalent of $76,500. “Buyers who don’t negotiate the price,” the ad says, “can ask the owner to marry (terms and conditions apply).”

Wina’s online ad went viral, prompting a local news outlet to track her down and confirm that the offer was genuine.

“Indeed it’s true, Wina is ready to be married by a house buyer,” the headline says, as tweeted by Sleman’s unofficial Twitter account.

Dian Purna Dirgantara, the realtor who concocted the plan, says his sales strategy is working. “Since yesterday morning there are continuous calls, I don’t count how many, there must be dozens or even hundreds.” He clarifies that marriage isn’t a must. “If someone just wants the house, they can have

The Week In News

Write an Essay; Win a House

Janice Sage is looking to give away her county inn valued at $905,000. And it can be yours—if you write the right essay with the right words on how you’d love to run the idyllic Maine inn. Don’t think you can win her over with your long-winded soliloquy of your qualifications. Entries should have no more than 200 words, says Sage, the owner of the Center Lovell Inn and Restaurant.

The creative hotelier launched the contest in January and estimates that she’ll receive as many as 7,500 entries

by May 17. Each entry comes with a price—a $125 fee—that with enough entries will cover the estimated value of the

210-year old facility, plus an additional $20,000 for the next owner.

“There are a lot of talented people that can’t, just can’t, go out and buy an inn like this,” Sage sagely said. “Now all they need to do is write and convince me.”

The hotel, together with a barn built in 1895 and other outbuildings, is located about 55 miles northwest of Portland and offers sweeping views of New Hampshire’s snow-capped mountains.

Sage has run the inn for 22 years and will select the top 20 essays. Those almost-winning entries will be passed along to two unnamed local residents who will judge the finalists and select a winner.

The winner, though, will have to adhere to some stipulations: they must agree to operate the business for one year following transfer of ownership, and will keep the inn painted in its traditional white, with green or black roofing and shutters—“inn-definitely.”

How did Sage come up with this amazing plan? Well, she actually took ownership of the inn in 1993, after—you guessed it—she won a similar contest launched by the previous owner.

“I came here on angel’s wings,” she said. “I hope I can do the same for someone else.”

Make sure to inn-clude the following words in your essay: inn-teresting, inn-credible, inn-tense, and you’ve got yourself an in(n). 

MARCH 12, 2015

On October 29, 1944, 14 aircraft flown by British WWII pilots supplying anti-fascist fighters in Albania set out on their mission; 12 returned to their base in Italy, one failed to discharge its load and one was assumed to be missing. For seven decades, that lone bomber was believed to be at the bottom of the Adriatic Sea. But last October, a British and U.S. team climbed 6,000 feet into the Albanian mountains to locate its wreckage, which had been spotted by a villager out collecting herbs.

“Clearly what we found was enough to suggest we had found the remains of a big four-engine bomber,” said Chris Casey, a doctor at the U.S. embassy in Tirana and part of the expedition.

What led researchers to the remains of the aircraft? It was a vital clue found in the form of a ring. The gold ring, engraved “Joyce & John” was kept by an Albanian villager and then his son.

Jaho Cala found the ring in 1960 while collecting metal and wood in the mountains when Albania was shut off from the outside world by the Stalinist regime of Enver Hoxha.

“He gave it to me when I got married in 1971, but told me clearly the ring did not belong to our family and I was to return it to its owner after Communism ended,” Jaho’s son, Xhemil Cala, recalled.

Twenty years later, with Albania rid of Communism, Cala took to wearing the ring while serving as a police officer.

But he had not given up returning it to its rightful owner. He said the ring would not stay put on his finger, twisting as he

were yesterday,” Webster told Reuters, adding she was “overwhelmed ... getting all these keepsakes that we never thought we would ever get.”

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WWII Pilot’s Ring Returned 70 Years Later

slept. A Muslim cleric told him the ring kept twisting because it was not his.

Cala vowed to return the ring to its rightful owner. At one point, he tried to intercept a visiting British envoy to pass him the ring, but was shooed away by defense ministry guards. When his commanding officer visited Britain, Cala gave him the ring but he brought it back saying he had no luck finding the owner.

Finally, he appealed to a regional government official, who alerted the British embassy more than two years ago.

The story of the lost plane finally came together.

A flight engineer, Sergeant John Thompson, and Joyce Mozley got married in June 1944 but only spent a weekend together before he was posted overseas. Thompson’s plane had dropped supplies to the Biza valley, but on turning west to return to Italy it clipped the top of the mountain and crashed, killing the crew.

After the war, Joyce remarried and then died in 1995.

At a recent ceremony in Albania’s Defense Ministry, Cala kneeled as he handed the ring to Thompson’s 92-yearold sister, Dorothy Webster, along with a fuel gauge from the aircraft and a piece of rock from the mountain that brought it down.

“Your brother helped to liberate my country. He will never be forgotten,” Defense Minister Mimi Kodheli told Webster.

“I remember him very well, as if it

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that,” he said.

Wina is a single mother and said that she was game to the marriage proposal idea since she is looking to remarry.

“Dian suggested I put up the tagline ‘Buy the house and marry the owner at the same time.’ And I said O.K. to it. I’m looking for a husband anyway.”

Solves the housing crisis and the shidduch crisis all at the same time.

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Around The Community Learning and Discovering at Shulamith Middle Division’s Science Fair

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On Wednesday, March 25, Shulamith Middle Division held its annual science fair. The students and science teachers, Mrs. Miller and Dr. Tucker, were so excited to show their completed science experiments to the panel of distinguished guests who volunteered to judge at the fair. The enthusiasm was palpable as the students and judges interacted and learned science together. The displays

were so informative and beautiful.

The science fair gives our students a unique opportunity to delve deeply into a science topic that interests them.

After the students decide to perform a specific experiment, they are encouraged to learn as much as they can about that topic before proceeding. This helps them to better understand the science concepts in their experiment. After the procedure,

Assemblyman Goldfeder Attends AIPAC Policy Conference in DC

Assemblyman Goldfeder meeting with Congressman Joe Crowley

Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder traveled to our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C. last week to attend the annual AIPAC Policy conference and meet with congressional leaders about issues related to Israel and the Jewish community. Among many others, Assemblyman Goldfeder met with Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Cory Booker, Congressmembers Joe Crowley, Kathleen Rice, Hakeem Jeffries, Yvette Clarke, and Grace Meng.

Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder attends a reception with Senator Charles Schumer and AIPAC President, Robert Cohen

the students are asked to analyze their results. All of these steps help our students to understand the concepts behind the scientific process and scientific research.

There were a variety of science topics researched by the students. Some of the experiments were based on different aspects of sound, microbiology, the psychology behind learning, how effective sunscreens are, how to keep food from

spoiling, and much more. The information presented was relevant and useful to both the students and the judges. The students also had the opportunity to listen to their fellow classmates present their experiments to each other in class. All in all, the science fair was a great success.

We all learned so much—from our own work and from each other.

Celebrating Purim in Style with SKA

With this year’s Purim “SKafari” Chagigah on Tuesday, Purim parties for each grade on Wednesday night and open house on Purim day hosted by Mrs. Helen Spirn, head of school, the girls of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls really enjoyed simchat yom tov! Many thanks to the Sigman, Kurtz, Boczko and Hirt families and the wonderful faculty members – Mrs. Braun, Mrs. Ralbag and Rabbi Zakutinsky – for

opening their homes to students for merrymaking.

31 THE JEWISH HOME

Because You Deserve A Perfect Smile

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Every story includes a postscript composed of brand-new material that takes a behind-the-scenes look at the aftermath of the story and adds an exciting new layer of meaning.

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34

Around The Community HANC High School Wins AIPAC’s First Ever Early Action Exemplar Award

By Judah Wolkenfeld, senior Students from the Hebrew Academy of Nassau County High School recently attended AIPAC’s annual Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., the lobbying group’s headliner event billed

as “three of the most important days affecting Israel’s future.” HANC’s Public Affairs Committee (H-PAC) president Elizabeth Frenkel, along with seniors Judah Wolkenfeld and Adam Livi and juniors Jonathan Ossip and David Rabanipour, were joined by HANC alumni and 16,000 other Israel advocates dedicated to strengthening the American-Israel political alliance.

The students were addressed by many prominent world leaders and political figures, such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Czech President Milos Zeman, former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice, and U.S. Senators Mitch McConnell and Robert Menendez, among others.

The students were able to network and interact with Israel activists from around the world, and attended seminars featuring advocates from diverse backgrounds where the students had the opportunity to develop a deeper and more comprehensive understandings of Israel’s place on the world stage. In addition, the HANC group was selected as one of four high school committees to receive AIPAC’s first ever Early Action Exemplar Award, awarded to a school for outstanding efforts to improve the American-Israel relationship by fulfilling fall and spring student initiatives to spread awareness to core student leaders and student body members. Congratulations to HANC High School for making a difference.

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MARCH 12, 2015

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36

Around The Community The Big CHAZAQ Event III – An Event you Don’t Want to Miss!

Everyone is buzzing about the upcoming Big Event CHAZAQ III, and this is one event you will not want to miss!

CHAZAQ never fails to organize an incredible experience, but this year The Big Event will be the likes of which you’ve never seen before. On Sunday, March 15, the Colden auditorium (in Queens College) will most probably host the most inspirational and entertaining show it has ever held on its stage.

The lineup for The Big Event III is a

star studded one. First off, the inspiring speakers will keep the crowd riveted.

World renowned lecturer Rabbi Paysach Krohn is always inspiring. He speaks with emotion and doesn’t lose the attention of the crowd for a moment. His real life stories never fail to bring tears to your eyes and always make you proud to be a Jew. Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein is one of those speakers that you just can’t bear to miss.

His “tell it like it is” style keeps it real and he doesn’t beat around the bush. But his

real desire to help fellow Jews and his dynamic way of speaking is what makes his lectures easy to swallow and internalize.

Charlie Harary is both funny and real. He is very relatable, a regular guy who has the tools to get the right messages across in the most entertaining ways. His inspiring shiurim always leave listeners with a feeling of intense pride in being a Jew and the feeling that they have the ability to change for the better.

If you are waiting to be knocked off

your feet, Marc Salem, an internationally acclaimed mentalist, will be the one to do it! Professor Salem has been a student of the human mind for over 30 years. He is considered one of the world’s foremost authorities on non-verbal communication.

As an entertainer, Marc Salem has performed his show Mind Games around the world, astounding and baffling millions.

He always leaves his audience laughing, thinking and thoroughly entertained.

Using psychological techniques, a sharp eye, a quick wit and decades of training, Salem engages the audience in a series of mesmerizing and mystifying Mind Games. He has presented his program on the power of the mind to millions of people in theatres, on television and for private corporate events around the world.

The tools of the psychologist, the skills of the advertiser, the audience management of the conjuror are all elements in his arsenal. He has just completed a yearlong world tour performing to sell-out audiences. With a resume like this, he is sure to impress the crowd.

The music lineup is incredible and will be sure to bring the crowd to their feet. The world famous Eli Gerstner, the producer of the ever-popular Yeshiva Boys Choir, The Chevrah, and his own solo albums, is telling enough about the caliber of the concert. Yosis Orchestra will be there, as well as the Master of Jewish music, Avraham Fried. Eli Gerstner says of the show, “There is absolutely nothing like the CHAZAQ Big Event. The amount of chizuk this event gives to all the people they influence and help on a regular basis is tremendous. This year in classic CHAZAQ style, they took it up to an unbelievable level. The concert will feature a full orchestra as well as the legendary Avraham Fried. They also have an amazing lineup of dynamic rabbanim who will inspire the crowd. I am so honored and humbled to be producing this event for these true tzaddikim.”

So the big question is where are YOU going to be on March 15? The answer, of course, is The Big Event III! And while you are having a night of incredible entertainment, you will also be helping an invaluable organization that is vital to the community, CHAZAQ. The vast amount of programs they have, as well as the hundreds of lives they influence toward Yiddishkeit each year, is reason enough to support CHAZAQ. From a wide range of shiurim available to the community, to teen programs and public school clubs, as well as everything in between, we need CHAZAQ, and CHAZAQ needs your support. We can’t wait to see you there!

WATCH YOUR EMAIL FOR THE FULL CIRCULAR & SEE ALL THE SPECIALS THIS SUNDAY! Email Lawrence@SeasonsNY.com To Join Our Email List!

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Around The Community

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PHOTO BY NAFTOLI GOLDGRAB:

When Darchei Torah’s president, Mr. Ronald Lowinger, established the Yeshiva’s Kollel in 2000, he dedicated it to the memory of his grandmother, Tirtza Devorah Weisz, a”h, with whom he had an exceptionally close relationship. A short time after surviving the Holocaust, Mr. Lowinger’s parents settled in New York and began to rebuild. Living with them was Tirtza Devorah, their mother and mother-in-law, and it was she who remained at home each day with the Lowinger children, enabling both of their parents to go out and earn a livelihood from morning to night. Her impact on the entire family was enormous, as her sterling middos, her passion for Yiddishkeit and her mesiras nefesh made an indelible impression on her grandchildren and later, her great-grandchildren. Today her legacy lives on in her descendants, including our guests of honor, Hillel and Leah Rosenman. Leah has fond memories of her great-grandmother, and indeed their own daughter bears her name, Tirtza Devorah.

Living in Lawrence, the Rosenmans carry on the mesorah of all their illustrious forbears. Hillel is the owner and operator of assisted living facilities in New York State, and was a founding and active member of Heichal Dovid, the Law-

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Mr. and Mrs. Hillel Rosenman Guests of Honor

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The Inaugural Dinner of Kollel Tirtza Devorah will take place next Motzaei Shabbos, March 21, at Yeshiva Darchei Torah. The Kollel, located on the Yeshiva Darchei Torah campus in Far Rockaway, is comprised of scholars who engage in advanced Torah study from morning until night. They simultaneously train for careers in Jewish education, the rabbinate and other forms of communal service while enhancing their own knowledge and leadership skills. Alumni of the Kollel are serving the public today in places as far as Phoenix, Arizona, and as close as our own Five Towns community.

The dinner will pay tribute to three outstanding couples with longstanding ties to the Kollel.

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Kollel Tirtza Devorah Dinner to be Held Next Week

Kollel Tirtza Devorah of Yeshiva Darchei Torah Top row, L-R: Rabbis Betzalel Krasnow, Chaim Tepfer, Gavriel Sholom Tennenberg, Dovid Tepfer, Chaim Katz, Eli Winzelberg, Moshe Bonrouhi, Baruch Rosenberg, Avrohom Schustal, Eliyahu Schwadel, Benzion Schwadel, Daniel Zerovabeli. Middle row, L-R: Rabbis Zev Kops, Dovid Kosoff, Eli Wiener, Meir Safdieh, Pacy Horowitz, Sruly Wallach, Ephraim Fink, Yitzchok Beren, Yacov Asher Engel, Mordechai Rosen, Avi Lauterbach, Eliyahu Sternberg, Moshe Chaim Horowitz, Meyer Simcha Schwartz. Bottom row, L-R: Rabbis Binyomin Chopp, Dovid Engelberg, Moshe Aronov, Moshe Wischogrodski, Yossi Reisman, Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky, Rosh Yeshiva; Rav Dovid Bender, Rosh Kollel; Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva; Rabbis Ezra Rosner, Levi Simsovits, Yaakov Rubin, Dovid Bain and Yossi Sauber. Not shown: Yosef Elefant, Shimmy Katscher, Zvi Pollak and Yechiel Ungar. Not shown: Yosef Elefant

rence shul that bears the name of another grandparent, David Diamond, a”h. He is an alumnus of Yeshiva Tiferes Torah of Staten Island, Beis Yisrael in Yerushalayim, and Ohr Yisroel, the yeshiva of Rav Avrohom Zucker, with whom he still keeps a close kesher. The Rosenmans are involved in a variety of communal projects and have a special interest in helping children with medical challenges.

The Rosenmans are proud to support the distinguished Kollel that bears their great-grandmother’s name, and they are surely providing her nachas as they perpetuate her sacred legacy.

Rabbi and Mrs. Dov Keilson Kesser Torah Award

al times a week and consults and learns individually with students and alumni throughout the morning. Each week he publishes Zichron Avinoam on the parsha, a dvar Torah that reaches hundreds of subscribers around the world.

He spends each afternoon studying at Kollel Tirtza Devorah, enriching his own Torah knowledge while developing into an even more effective mentor and role model for the hundreds of souls he touches.

After graduating from Yeshiva Darchei Torah in 1988, Rabbi Keilson learned at the Yeshiva of Far Rockaway, Yeshivas Mir Yerushalayim, and the Kollel of Ner Yaakov. He and his wife, the former Rivky Brickman, reside with their family in the Yeshiva’s immediate neighborhood. Exemplars of Torah, mussar and chessed, it is highly fitting that the Keilsons be awarded with the inaugural Kesser Torah Award by Kollel Tirtza Devorah.

Mr. and Mrs. Yehuda Schwartz Eitz Chaim Award

Rabbi Dov Keilson may seem like a man who never sleeps. This is not due to a lack of vigor – on the contrary, he possesses boundless energy. But his schedule keeps him occupied from morning until well past midnight – teaching, listening and guiding talmidim and Jews from all walks of life. Rabbi Keilson has been the mashgiach ruchani of the Yeshiva’s Mesivta Chaim Shlomo since 2001, where he delivers mussar vaadim sever-

When Yehuda Schwartz comes regularly to learn at Mesivta Chaim Shlomo

with Rabbi Dovid Bender, Rosh Kollel of Kollel Tirtza Devorah, he is, in a sense, returning home. It is there that he studied from the beginning of high school, in 1998, through Beis Medrash and, after a year in Israel, two years of Kollel. Yehuda thus laid the foundation for his life of growth as a ben Torah who is engaged in the business world. Today Yehuda, married to the former Tzippy Zuber, is the successful founder of a network of physical therapy management centers in New York City. Many of Yehuda’s friends from Yeshiva are current or former scholars at the Kollel.

The Schwartzes remain connected to the Kollel and the Yeshiva in several ways: Yehuda learns at the Yeshiva at nights; their son, Menachem, is a student in the Yeshiva’s preschool; and Yehuda is a founding member of the YDT Alumni Committee, which has successfully implemented numerous initiatives, from regular shiurim to fundraising campaigns. Yehuda is also a founder of the Beis Medrash of Lawrence, one of the Five Towns’ newest and fastest-growing shuls, where his passionate approach to increasing Torah, avodah and chesed in the world has found new expression.

Through their support of – and profound personal commitment to – Torah learning and ideals, the Schwartzes are truly deserving of the inaugural Eitz Chaim Award of Kollel Tirtza Devorah.

To make a reservation or place an ad in the dinner journal, please call 718.868.2300 ext. 237 or email kollel@ darchei.org.

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Around The Community HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, shlita Issues Psak about Celebrating Dirshu Siyum on Mishnah Berurah

By Chaim Gold Can one make a siyum on the Mishnah Berurah? Does one recite a Hadran on such a siyum? What about Kaddish? These were the questions recently posed by the senior members of Dirshu’s hanhala to the senior gadol, HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, shlita. With the siyum of the first Machzor of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha around the corner, this question is of great relevance.

Rav Chaim, who derived great pleasure from the shailah, replied that the last se’if kattan in the Mishnah Berurah should be said and yes, a Hadran should be recited! Rav Chaim also said that the regular Kaddish normally said after a siyum should also be recited.

Rav Chaim’s ruling just strengthens the feeling that a siyum of this magnitude – a siyum marking the culmination of seven years of learning the Mishnah Berurah day after day – is truly a profound, momentous simcha shel mitzvah. Indeed, major siyumim will be held in six locations on five continents featuring leading Gedolei Yisrael who will attend and address the siyumim.

The Scramble for Tickets to See and Hear Senior Gedolei Hador Of course, most prominent is the major siyum taking place at the Yad Eliyahu Stadium where leading senior Gedolei Yisrael, the einei ha’eidah, will attend, recognizing the lomdei Dirshu for their remarkable accomplishment and the Dirshu Organization for facilitating them. Gedolei Yisrael such as senior Rosh Yeshiva HaGaon HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman, shlita, HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, shlita, the Belzer Rebbe, shlita, HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein, shlita, HaGaon Harav Shimon Baadani, shlita, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe shlita, HaGaon HaRav Berel Povarski, shlita, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Scheiner, shlita and so many others are slated to attend.

The demand for tickets at Yad Eliyahu was so great that they sold out almost immediately! To accommodate the thousands of lomdei Dirshu who wanted to attend but could not get tickets a second location was rented. That location is a large hall of the Binyanei Haumah Convention Center in Yerushalayim which will host an interactive program with the one in Yad Eliyahu featuring both live satellite streaming from Yad Eliyahu as well as its own exclusive programming.

As the Binyanei Haumah location is also quickly filling up, Dirshu plans to set

up additional satellite hookups in various locales throughout Eretz Yisrael where many more thousands will be able to participate.

The fact that so many Gedolim representing the entire spectrum of Torah Jewry have indicated that they will attend is a testament to the great, historic nature of the siyum of the Machzor Rishon of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha.

of the most powerful and inspiring speakers of our time. HaGaon HaRav Aharon Schiff, shlita, Rav of the Machzikei Hadas Kehilla of Antwerp, will be the special guest from continental Europe.

Harav Sholom Cohen

Harav Gershon Edelstein

Belzer Rebbe

Around the World Siyumim Eretz Yisroel is certainly not the only location to celebrate the siyum on the entire Mishnah Berurah on a large scale. In the United States, the massive siyum will take place in the form of the Dirshu Shabbos Kinnus Olam HaTorah to be held Shabbos, Parshas VaYakhel-Pikudei-Parah at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Stamford, Connecticut. Gedolei Yisrael from throughout America are scheduled to spend Shabbos at the Convention with lomdei Dirshu. An absolutely inspiring program for both men and women is scheduled. The highlight of the weekend will be the massive Grand Siyum to be held on Motzoei Shabbos where the Mishnah Berurah will be completed.

Although the Shabbos itself is already sold out, the entire community is invited to the siyum on Motzoei Shabbos. Buses will be available from many frum centers.

The first siyum of the Machzor Rishon of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha in England will be held over Shabbos Parshas Vayikra-Hachodesh at the Norwood House.

This is the first Dirshu Shabbos in England and Dirshu’s United Kingdom offices have been overwhelmed with requests.

Major Gedolim and Rabbanim from England will attend. The special guest from Eretz Yisrael will be the Modzhitzer Rebbe, shlita. The special guest from America is scheduled to be HaGaon HaRav Yissocher Frand, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshivas Ner Yisroel of Baltimore and one

A massive siyum in France is slated to be held on Sunday, March 22 when more than 5,000 people will gather at Les Docks Des Paris to celebrate the accomplishments of lomdei Dirshu. The special guest speaker at the event is scheduled to be the venerated, senior Sephardic Chacham, HaGaon HaRav Shalom Cohen, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Porat Yosef and Nasi of the Shas Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah. Tens of prominent Rabbanim from France are also scheduled to attend the siyum.

South Africa, home to a prominent contingent of lomdei Dirshu, will also be having a large siyum at the Scarlet Ribbon Hotel on March 18. The featured guest speaker will be Dayan Yonasan Abraham, shlita, a senior Dayan on the London Beis Din. A large siyum will also be held in Argentina on March 25 at the Ohr Chaya Hotel. This is the first major Dirshu event in South America and it will be addressed

by HaGaon HaRav Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Ateres Yisrael of Yerushalayim.

All of the siyumim in locales throughout the world will feature musical entertainment as befitting a celebration of the culmination of an undertaking of such magnitude and the simchas haTorah that it signifies.

“What Would Give the Chofetz Chaim Nachas?”

One prominent rav put things in perspective when he said, “The whole world

is rightfully excited by the recent release of footage of the heilige Chofetz Chaim taken at the first Knessiah Gedolah more than ninety years ago. That is the way it should be. To see the Rabban Shel Yisrael and the chizuk that it gives simply cannot be quantified. That being said, we must ask ourselves, ‘What would give the Chofetz Chaim himself a tremendous nachas ruach?’ Certainly, seeing tens of thousands of Yidden completing the Machzor Rishon of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha! Certainly seeing tens of thousands more new participants undertaking to join the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha cycle for the Machzor Sheini as they embark on the first Chelek of Mishnah Berurah would give him tremendous nachas! The fact that the program also includes a daily portion of mussar from one of his mussar sefarim is also something that would certainly infuse him with profound simcha.” The rav continued, saying, “It would be such a wonderful simcha if more and more Jews the world-over would join the tens of thousands of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha participants so that the words and lessons of the Chofetz Chaim become part of our day, every day!”

Rav Avigdor Bernstein, a senior member of Dirshu’s hanhala, related, “The Chofetz Chaim was niftar more than eighty years ago. In the interim Am Yisrael suffered the Holocaust and European Jewry was decimated. Nevertheless, today, in 2015, the Chofetz Chaim lives on!

Now, tens of thousands of Yidden all over the world will gather in the coming days and weeks to complete the entire Mishnah Berurah and start once again. What a zechus to be part of Daf HaYomi B’Halacha!”

To join Daf HaYomi B’Halacha or to find a shiur near you, please call, 1-888-5Dirshu, Info@kolleldirshu.com.

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Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky greeting Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky and Meir Krengel on the floor of the NYS Assembly last week

MARCH 12, 2015

Purim Fun and Dancing at Midreshet Shalhevet

The energy was palpable and contagious on March 3 as Midreshet Shalhevet celebrated with an exciting and festive chagiga. Dressed in an array of costumes, the students entered the glow-in-the-dark ballroom complete with disco balls and glow lights. DJ Gary Wallin pumped up the room with lively music as the students and faculty danaced together. Following dancing, the administration performed a skit, depicting a typical day in Shalhevet.

The students were rolling with laughter as the administration imitated the students. Comedian Eli Lebowicz kept the chuckles going with a stand-up improv show. The girls participated in various comedic sets and had their friends giggling at their shenanigans. The chagiga wrapped up with a costume contest, won by sophomore Hailey Leibowitz.

It was a great way to bring in the Purim cheer and celebrate together.

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Yeshivah Gedolah of Memphis

This year, the city of Memphis, Tennessee, has been privileged to host a new yeshiva which provides a truly unique opportunity for the serious ben Torah. Bochurim have come from a variety of yeshivos, including Mir Yerushalayim, Brisk, Ner Yisroel of Baltimore, Torah Vodaas and Sha’ar Hatorah of New York.

The yeshiva is under the leadership of HoRav Nota Greenblatt shlita. Rav Nota’s history dates back to the legendary Rov Dovid Leibowitz zt”l in the original Chofetz Chaim Yeshiva on South 9th Street in Williamsburg, New York. From there he traveled to Boston to learn under the great Rov Yosha Ber Soloveichik and Rov Yechiel Michel Feinstein zt”l. From Boston he followed Reb Michel to Mesivta Tiferes Yerushalayim to learn under the great Gaon HoRav Moshe Feinstein zt”l. It is from this extraordinary background, under the guidance of these Torah masters, that his distinct derech halimud was formed.

In the ensuing years he would become a close and highly respected talmid of Reb Moshe zt”l, and his decades in Memphis did nothing to weaken their bond.

The yeshiva offers an all encompassing fully immersive experience.

Its unique dual program offers classic “lomdhishe” shiurim but also thrusts the talmidim into the world of practical psak halacha. They are able to observe firsthand the sheilos and piskiy halacha that arise on a daily basis before a posek and rav known for his expertise in Eruvin, Kashrus, Gittin, Mikvaos and virtually all areas of practical halacha.

These questions come from an astonishing variety of people, from the simplest layman with a sheila related to kashrus,

Shabbos or tefilah, to the myriad talmidei chachomim and mesadrei Gittin who seek Reb Nota’s expertise on the most weighty halachic matters. And each one goes away satisfied that the question has been answered in the most complete way possible.

The boys are very taken with Reb Nota’s commanding presence, his wealth of inspiring maasei gedolim and his broad scholarship. They especially enjoy the Motzei Shabbos Shiur in his home which has a warmer and more open format and delves into many fascinating sugyos.

This zman the Rov has devoted himself to giving over the Mesoras HaTorah to an extraordinary group of bnei Torah in the South. The Rov shlit”a has been giving shiurim daily. The shiurim are wonderful as the Rov is imparting his unique approach to Gemara to his talmidim.

The community has been extremely accommodating towards the yeshiva, ensuring that the bochurim feel comfortable there, displaying southern hospitality and tremendous kavod haTorah. The yeshiva is housed in the Young Israel of Memphis with catered meals brought in.

A house has been provided to serve as a dormitory, and the bochurim are very well cared for.

Anyone wishing to find out more information about this exciting new yeshiva should contact Manes Blumenfrucht at 917-294-5238.

We would like to wish the yeshiva much hatzlacha, and extend our heartfelt blessing that Rov Nota Greenblatt shlit”a should continue to enlighten them with his shiurim and Torah for many, many years to come.

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Dancing at the annual Yeshiva of South Shore Purim Chagiga

Boys in Rabbi Jacobi’s class at Yeshiva of South Shore hitting the Haman piñata in preparation for Purim

Twenty Years of Torah Lishma

Assemblyman Goldfeder Hosts Local Leaders in Albany

Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder was joined at the State Capital in Albany last week by local askanim including Mr. Richard Altabe, Rabbi Baruch Rothman and Moti Hellman to discuss the many important issues affecting the commu-

nity. They spoke about the need to pass important legislation like the Educational Investment Tax Credit (EITC) to help parents with skyrocketing tuition costs and increase funding for security at our yeshivos.

By Mordechai Kastelbaum Our community is marking a very special milestone this Motzei Shabbos as Kollel Avreichim of Lawrence and Far Rockaway celebrates its 20th anniversary at its Annual Dinner.

Under the leadership of the Rosh Kollel, Harav Laibel Rand, shlita, the Kollel has blossomed into a vibrant makom Torah that is counted among the foremost kollelim in the country.

It is difficult to imagine what our community was like 20 years ago without Kollel Avreichim in our midst. That is because so many of its members have assumed positions of leadership in our local mosdos. As such, the Kollel has impacted virtually every member of the community, even those who have not set foot in its Bais Medrash.

Still, the Kollel’s primary purpose and singular goal since is simply limud haTorah lishma. It is a place of high-caliber, sophisticated learning, with the goal of producing superior talmidei chachomim who will be Klal Yisroel’s future Rabbinic leaders.

Most important for us is the impact that such an influential makom Torah has on the entire community and on ev-

ery individual who lives here. The Kollel has always been a badge of honor for Lawrence and Far Rockaway, a vital

testament to our high regard for limud haTorah and bnei Torah. Its very presence has had far-reaching influence on the fabric of our community and raised the level of Yiddishkeit for all.

The milestone being celebrated this Motzei Shabbos offers us the opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of Kollel Avreichim and show our support to its Rosh Kollel and choshuva members. The Dinner will be held at the Lawrence Country Club at 8:45 pm and will feature Rabbi Dovid Fordsham, Marah D’Asrah of Bais Medrash of Lawrence, as the Guest of Honor.

For more information, contact 718475-7650 or email KollelAvreichim@ gmail.com.

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Around The Community HANC Plainview Celebrates 100 Days of School During the week of March 2, the Hebrew Academy of Nassau County in Plainview proudly celebrated 100 days of school. The kindergarten class wrote

a book called “Wishes for 100,” looked for patterns in the hundreds chart, made necklaces counting out groups of 10 with Cheerios and Fruit Loops, count-

ed by 10’s, made special 100 day hats, and shared our 100 collections with our friends. The festivities will continue even though the day has passed. They

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look forward to estimating how much popcorn 100 kernels of popcorn will make, and estimating the length of 100 unifix cubes.

They will also be putting together a 100 piece puzzle as a class.

The second grade celebrated 100 days of school in their Hebrew class.

100 in Hebrew is “meiah.” They made “mishkafei meiah,” 100 glasses and discussed the letter “mem” that is connected to Purim. They found many examples of the letter “mem” such as megillah, mishloach manot, matanot l’evyonim, Mordechai, mishteh, mesiba, and so many more! We had such a blast realizing how much we have learned in 100 days!

School Principal Rabbi Kalman Fogel said, “I am proud of the way our teachers are integrating math and Hebrew into everyday situations.”

Flatbush Chametz Gemach Between Purim and Pesach, bring chametz that has a reliable hechsher to the Flatbush Chametz Gemach which will sell it over Pesach (it sells real chametz). After Pesach, food will be distributed to families in need.

The Gemach is located at 1101 East 3rd Street. Please call 718-377-6361 for more details and to be sure someone is home to receive the chametz. Or email yitzchak@relkin.com (please put “Chametz Gemach” in subject line).

The Gemach also accepts monetary donations to purchase supplies or even extra food. Deadline for donating your chametz is Thursday, April 2nd, the day of bedikas chametz.

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follow “reasonable and objective” underwriting standards. Any homeowner or renter who has made a reasonable effort to find coverage on the private market could be eligible to apply to the Association for coverage of up to $1.5 million for property and contents.

The Association includes provisions to help keep costs low for both policyholders and insurers. Policy premiums would be capped at certain percentages of private market policy rates, based on the class of property. The Association would also have the power to distribute any premium gains and losses in excess of 1% evenly among members. This is in sharp contrast to the federal government’s National Flood Insurance Program, which after 1986 was stripped of its ability to save and re-invest premium revenues.

This is designed to help protect policyholders from fluctuations in the insurance market.

Following Superstorm Sandy, many homeowners found their insurance claims contested by providers, with some even experiencing allegedly fraudulent practices on the part of insurance adjusters.

At the same time, coastal communities nationwide are faced with the potential for large increases in their flood insurance as a result of the Biggert-Waters Act of 2012, which Congress voted to delay until 2017. This leaves many in the community unsure of how they will be able to afford their premiums in the coming years.

“The National Flood Insurance Program has become a nightmare for coastal homeowners across the nation. Outrageous premiums, denied coverage, an er-

roneous and faulty mapping process and, most recently highlighted in media stories, the situation of thousands of storm victims’ Engineer reports being altered in order to deny homeowners desperately-needed flood insurance payouts,” said Dan Mundy, Jr., President of the Broad Channel Civic Association. “The concept of a state flood insurance program is one that we wholeheartedly support.

We commend Assemblyman Goldfeder for taking the lead on this critical issue that affects hundreds of thousands of New York residents. This concept has the potential to offer an alternative means to allow homeowners the ability to obtain flood insurance, which is essential to maintaining home and real estate values throughout the state.”

Assemblyman Goldfeder has long been an advocate for families struggling with complicated insurance policies and rising premiums. In 2013, Goldfeder helped pass a comprehensive Sandy insurance legislative package to reform the process of providing insurance coverage, strengthen homeowners’ rights and hold companies to a higher standard

of accountability. Last month, Goldfeder was appointed to the influential Assembly Committee on Insurance. At the time, Goldfeder heralded the appointment as an opportunity to continue his fight to improve insurance options for families.

In introducing this new legislation, Goldfeder pledged to use his new role on the Insurance Committee to help make the Association the new law of the land.

“Our families have been held hostage by the mismanaged National Flood Insurance Program and by unscrupulous insurance companies,” concluded Goldfeder. “This Association will ensure that rising flood insurance premiums do not price families out of the neighborhoods they know and love. I thank Department of Financial Services Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky for his tireless work to protect New York families and I look forward to working with him, my colleagues in the Assembly and on the Insurance Committee to finally give families the choice they deserve when it comes to buying protection from floods.”

MARCH 12, 2015

and a board of 13 directors. Association members would have to follow a plan of operation requiring them to provide “economical, fair and non-discriminatory” flood coverage to policyholders and

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Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D – Far Rockaway), together with community leaders and local families impacted by Supestorm Sandy, announced plans this week to introduce new state legislation creating the New York Flood Insurance Association (NYFIA), a joint underwriting association designed to serve New York State homeowners in flood-prone communities. The new body will provide homeowners with an alternative to rising federally-backed flood insurance premiums by offering economical, fair and non-discriminatory policies, and protect families from the unfair flood damage claims practices experienced following Superstorm Sandy.

“Our families were victimized by Sandy and then again by the Insurance Companies and NFIP who were supposed to help. Insurers have fought Sandy claims and challenged homeowners’ needs, adding insult to injury for those who went through so much and who still struggle to recover,” said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder. “The New York Flood Insurance Association will be a strong system with shared risk that will give families a new choice for flood coverage and help keep premiums affordable so that they can remain strong and secure in their own homes.”

Goldfeder’s plan is modeled on the New York Property Insurance Underwriters Association, which was created in 1968 to provide dwelling and commercial coverage for inner-city property owners unable to get covered for fire insurance in the face of frequent rioting and urban decay. More recently, other states have taken similar steps to protect families following hurricanes. In 1993, the Florida state legislature created the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund to lower premiums by providing partial reimbursements to insurers for catastrophic hurricane losses after Hurricane Andrew.

In 2002, Florida created the Citizens Property Insurance Corporation as a joint underwriting association to expand insurance policy options for homeowners finding it difficult to insure their properties.

The legislation proposed by Assemblyman Goldfeder amends New York State insurance law to create the New York Flood Insurance Association as a choice for consumers when flood insurance is unaffordable or difficult to obtain. Under the proposed law, the Association’s membership would be comprised of state-approved insurers and would be governed by the Superintendent of the State Department of Financial Services

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Assemblyman Goldfeder Unveils Plan Creating the New York Flood Insurance Association

Around The Community Simcha and Smiles at the i-Shine Purim Carnival PHOTO CREDIT: ERAN ABRAMOVICH

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Purim at DRS

When walking into DRS Yeshiva on Purim night, one couldn’t help but feel “marbim b’simcha.” The Annual DRS Purim Chagigah is a highlight of the year, and is unique to DRS, as it is one of the few schools that hosts its students and their parents at a fun, exciting, and inspiring simchat Purim event.

The night began as students, parents, and community members filled DRS’s beautiful Beit Medrasha for Megillah reading led by Rabbi Kaminetsky. Following Megillah, students and parents enjoyed a festive ‘break-fast’ meal in the gym. The highlight of the night was a siyum completed by 30 students who com-

pleted Masechet Makkot or Moed Kattan!

On Purim, we celebrate the fact that the Jews at that time willingly re-accepted the Torah, and it was so inspiring to see high school students accept this great project upon themselves in honor of the holiday.

The night continued as DRS students and Rabbeim, decked out in Purim cos-

tume, danced for hours to the lively music of Neshoma Orchestra. Following dancing, everyone enjoyed the annual student-created comedy videos, and a comedy performance of “DRS:The Musical” by some of the DRS Rabbeim. The night faded away as the student body burst into laughter.

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Local Rockaway Councilmembers Visit Israel

said the delegation met with political leaders including the president of Israel, Jerusalem city councilmembers and the deputy minister for foreign affairs, as well as mayors of various cities.

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Councilman Donovan Richards praying at the Kotel

“Traveling to the Israel last month was a transformative and revelatory experience,” said Councilmember Donovan Richards. “ As a local representative for a large and flourishing Jewish population, this trip was important to deepening my understanding of the culture and the history of my constituency.

This experience also reaffirmed the importance of supporting the state of Israel as the only democracy in a turbulent and increasingly unstable region.

I look forward to further collaboration with the Jewish community in the 31st council district and advocating on their behalf.”

“I was sincerely honored to make my second trip to Israel this past February with the City Council,” said New York City Council Member Eric Ulrich.

“Our trip included visits with many of Israel’s elected officials and leaders in government. I was also very interested in learning about the nation’s many small business and tech start-up initiatives, and how Israel almost seamlessly transitions veterans from service to civilian jobs—issues we deal with here on a local level. Although there wasn’t a lot of downtime, we visited some incredibly beautiful and inspiring places – experiences I’ll take with me the rest of my life. This is absolutely a trip I hope to make again soon.”

Other members of the delegation that traveled to Israel included Mark Treyger, Brad Lander, Antonio Reyno-

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City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and a delegation of 14 council members, including our local council members Don van Richards and Eric Ulrich, traveled to Israel for an eight-day visit to the Jewish state.

The Council group was in the Middle East from February 15th to February 23rd. The trip was paid for by the Jewish Community Relations Council and the UJA Federation of New York, which has sponsored a number of trips for politicians to promote support for the Jewish state.

The delegation’s itinerary included trips to the Old City of Jerusalem, the Western Wall, the Church of the Nativity, the Dead Sea, Yad Vashem and Tsofen High Technology—a nonprofit group that promotes the integration of Israel’s Arab community into its hightech industry. Aides to Mark-Viverito

NYC Councilmembers Donovan Richards and Eric Ulrich with Nathan Krasnovsky, Executive Director of the JCCRP, out to dinner in Jerusalem

so, David Greenfield, Rafael Espinal and Darlene Mealy of Brooklyn; Mark Levine, Helen Rosenthal and Corey Johnson of Manhattan; Ritchie Torres and Andy Cohen of the Bronx; Donovan Richards, Eric Ulrich and Jimmy Van Bramer of Queens.

Hindy Poupko, the Managing Director at the JCRC-NY, said, “It is well-known that a trip to Israel can be a truly life-changing experience and it is for this reason that the JCRC has been leading trips to Israel for almost thirty years. On our most recent mission to Israel with the New York City Council, the members had the opportunity to meet with the diversity of Israeli society and its political leadership.

They visited the north of the country, saw Israel’s border with Lebanon up close and gained a deep appreciation for the security challenges Israel faces every day. They also spent a day near Israel’s border with Gaza and met with the mayor of Sderot and saw firsthand the imminent threat of rocket fire that Israel’s southern citizens are forced to live with. Additionally, the City Councilmembers had the opportunity to meet with their counterparts in Jerusalem and

discuss shared challenges like affordable housing and immigration. All in all, the seven day trip to Israel provided the members with a comprehensive understanding of incredible achievements made by the State of Israel and the profound challenges that it continues to face.”

Nathan Krasnovsky, Executive Director of the JCCRP, was extremely grateful for the support the councilmembers and JCRC showed for the State of Israel. “I was delighted to see my local councilmembers visit Israel to help them gain a deeper appreciation for the land of Israel, which in turn helped foster a greater understanding of their local Jewish constituents. I saw firsthand the impact it had on them and it truly was a remarkable trip. I commend the speaker for leading the delegation to Israel, our two local councilmembers for their willingness and eagerness to visit in such a crucial time, and of course, Rabbi Michael Miller, Executive Vice President & CEO of Jewish Community Relations Council, for arranging such a profound and insightful trip for the NYC councilmembers.”

Shevach’s Priceless Performance of The Prince and the Pauper The Queens community of women were regaled on Sunday afternoon, March 1 with the performance of “The Princess and the Pauper” by Shevach High School of Queens. The venue was John Bowne High School on Main Street in Flushing and a capacity crowd turned out in spite of inclement weather and snow conditions. Mothers and guests were proud of the Shevach girls, as they

acted, sang, and danced their way into the hearts of the audience.

The story of the prince who wanted to be a pauper for just one day while the pauper only desired to be the prince for one day, was adapted to create a Jewish presentation, replete with morals and lessons. We each have a role to play in this world and we are to play that role with pride and grace. As was said, “Many

people believe the grass is greener on the other side, but every lawn needs to be mowed nevertheless.” Both the princess and the pauper find they are miserable with the switch and want nothing more than to be what they originally were. The surprise ending to the story left the audience awed by the turn of events.

The students took very little class time for the practices. Rather, they gave

of their extra, out-of-school time to hone their talents and be the best they could be.

Scenery, props, lighting, sound system— all came together in a seamless fashion.

The young ladies were able to shine as a team. “We are all in it together,” said Rebbetzin Hirtz, principal of Shevach High School, “and never was this more evident than in the production this year.”

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Around The Community JCC of the Greater Five Towns and JCCRP Put Smiles on Seniors’ Faces for Purim Volunteers came out and braved the snow to help the JCC of the Greater Five Towns and the Jewish Community Council of the Rockaway Peninsula package over 130 mishloach manos bags to be delivered to the residents of local nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the neighborhood. Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky of the 20th District also came out to show his support and help package mishloach manos to help those in need.

“I enjoyed packaging mishloach manot baskets for local seniors with the JCC of the Five Towns and JCCRP. Glad I can play a small part in making their Purim festive!” Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky stated.

There were volunteers of all ages, including little children who colored pictures to be put in the mishloach manos gift bags to help bring a sense of joy and Purim spirit to the residents. All the items packaged were in accordance to the res-

Nathan Krasnovsky, Executive Director, JCCRP & JSC; Todd Kaminsky, Assemblyman of the 20th district; and Joel Block, Executive Director of the JCC of the Greater Five Towns

idents’ dietary needs, as instructed by the various facilities. We provided ev-

Achiezer volunteer Binyomin Menashy laining the Megilla for a group of elderly/ homebound residents at The Regency on Central Ave in Lawrence

HALB Student Creates App for iPhone Naamah Adelman, Senior Case Manager, JCCRP, delivering mishloach manos

erything from sugar-free hamantaschen to sugar-free chocolate bars which were sure to bring a smile to the residents’ faces. The packages were delivered to Grandell Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Long Beach Assisted Living, and Woodmere Rehabilitation. All three facilities are strictly kosher with a high population of Jewish residents who were delighted to receive these special packages on behalf of Purim. “Our residents were so touched when they saw all of the adorable little drawings the children had made for them,” said Justin Weinberg, Assistant Administrator at Grandell Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.

A huge thank you goes out to UJAFederation of New York for their support and to the extraordinary volunteers who took time out of their Sunday to help put a smile on the faces of our local parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.

We could not have done it without you!

Congratulations to Benjy Wiener, an eighth grader in HALB, who has created a Gematria Calculator App for the iPhone!

As a seventh grader at HALB and a member of the HALB Geek Squad under the guidance of Mrs.Shuly Rubel, Benjy took to coding when he signed up with other Geek Squad members to codecademy.com. Learning HTML and Java Script helped him understand the coding process and furthered his interest in coding. Benjy’s grandfather gave him the suggestion of making a Gematria Calculator.

Benjy first began coding using HTML and then tried Python. After getting several inquiries as to when it would be on the App store, he decided to make an iOS version. The rest is history!

The Gematria App calculates the Gematria (numerical value) of any Hebrew word or phrase. It updates the result as you type – no need to press any buttons first. It calculates in regular Gematria,

Gematria Ketana (all letters’ values are single-digit), expanded Gematria (the value of each letter in the spelling of the letter is counted, so aleph would have the value of aleph + lamed + fey, or 111) and reverse Gematria (aleph = 400, taf = 1).

Benjy’s app even saves your calculations for later viewing and/or comparing.

He is currently working on his next App – iRecipeBox.

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ISRAEL WASSER

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Around The Community DRS Students Place in Science Olympiad Competition Eager to win esteemed awards while proving their scientific knowledge, students from 11 different high schools in the tristate area gathered at Landers College for Men to participate in the Annual Science Olympiad

Regionals this past Sunday. Handson engineering events and written biology, chemistry, physics, and scientific reasoning tests gave students a chance to meet with and interact with other high-schoolers.

Students began preparing since the start of the school year to compete in 15 different categories, including popular events like compound machines, anatomy & physiology, and chemistry Lab. At the award ceremony, a lead-

ing chemistry professor from Landers along with a bio-technology researcher spoke about how Jews can balance scientific careers with their religious lives.

Winners from DRS included 3rd placers David Haskell, Yonatan Plotsker, Yitzchak Carroll, Evan Goldstein and 4th place winner Dovi Shlossberg. Science Olympiad has proven to be a great way for students to display their academic talents while making new friends.

Queens Library to Hold Open Budget Hearing Queens Library is preparing its operating budget for Fiscal Year 2016. The public is invited to find out what the library’s funding priorities are and to give the library their input. The hearing will take place on Monday, March 30 at 6pm at the Queens Library at Flushing, 41-17 Main Street near Kissena Boulevard.

Public comments are invited. Speakers may sign up upon arrival, and will have an opportunity to speak on a firstcome, first-served basis for up to three minutes. Queens Library will be also be taking public comments online from April 1 - April 30 at www.queenslibrary. org/budgetfeedback.

Queens Library is an independent, not-for-profit corporation and is not affiliated with any other library. Queens Library serves a population of 2.3 million in one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the U.S. and has among the highest circulations of any public library system in the world.

For more information about programs, services, locations, events and news, visit the Queens Library web site at www.queenslibrary.org or phone 718-990-0700.

Drinking on Purim is No Joke See what Rocky has to say on page 11

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Around The Community

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Sit at Rav Chaim’s Seder Table … jaffa families e∂ition

LLING! E S T B E S G G A DA H HA

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On Sunday, March 1, the Young Israel of North Woodmere Youth Department held their annual Purim Carnival. The children enjoyed a magic show, carnival with booths, music, and food and ended with a visit full of song, dance and hamentashen to the residents at the Bristal Assisted Living. A great time was had by all in anticipation of Purim!

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vru, hfrs vchah Yeshiva Darchei Torah

s"xc

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A T r i b u t e To Yo ur C h i l dr en .

O ur F u t ur e . O ur L e g a c y.

THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY— MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN ARE INVITED TO JOIN US AT A SPECIAL

Hachnosas Sefer Torah Event DEDICATED BY

MR. & MRS. NACHMAN GOODMAN ww

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IN MEMORY OF THEIR FATHERS

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SUNDAY, MARCH 15, 2015• v’’ga,

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11:00AM–12:30PM K’SIVAS OSIYOS RECEPTION AT THE GOODMAN HOME, 33 MERRALL DRIVE, LAWRENCE, NY

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Mr. & Mrs. Barry Weiss

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Mr. & Mrs. Eric Austein Birkas Kohanim

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Mr. Seth Rosenblatt Mr. & Mrs. Rivie Schwebel Mr. & Mrs. Richard Sinnreich Mr. & Mrs. Yitzhak Soleimani Mrs. Moshe Sukenik Mr. & Mrs. Neil Tepper Rabbi & Mrs. Raphael Weis Mr. & Mrs. Joel Yarmak Dr. & Mrs. Yechiel Zagelbaum

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Pesach To Do List:

CAHAL’s 6th Annual Concert is a Huge Success

International Tickets Booked Matzah Ordered Wine Ordered Bags Packed Phone/ SIM Card Rental Shipped directly to you or local pickup available

For more information regarding pricing and plans visit www.Amigo-us.com Or call 1-888-AMIGO-US (1-888-264-4687)

CAHAL, the community-wide special education program, held its sixth annual fundraising concert on Motzei Shabbos, March 7, at Lawrence High School.

The concert featured some of the outstanding Jewish performers in the world today, Baruch Levine, Dovid Gabay and the new sensation, Simcha Leiner. The always popular Shloime Dachs and the Shloime Dachs Orchestra accompanied the performers. The concert, CAHAL’s largest fundraising event of the year, was a sell-out, with nearly 800 people in attendance.

The YSTUDS, an upand-coming a cappella group from Yeshiva University, opened the show with a guest appearance. The group amazed everyone with their poise, sweet harmony and unique style. The exciting Dovid Gabay followed. His beautiful voice and popular songs set the tone for what was going to be a series of outstanding performances. Richard Altabe, founder and vice president of CAHAL, spoke about how the program has helped hundreds of Jewish neshamos receive a yeshiva education in self-contained, small classes with individualized attention. He proudly proclaimed how CAHAL began, inspired by Dr. Norman Blumenthal and the principals of the founding yeshivas. Mr. Altabe thanked the Directors of the Program, Mrs. Naomi Nadata and Mrs. Alice Feltheimer, for their years of dedication to the children, and boasted about how CAHAL has been able to mainstream

a large percentage of children from the program back into the yeshivos where their siblings and friends attend.

The sold-out crowd came alive when young sensation, Simcha Leiner, began performing. His amazing range and sweetness of character electrified the audience. After a 30 minute performance, he was joined by Baruch Levine for a beautiful duet. Levine, with his magnificent voice and enthusiastic personality, performed for 30 minutes to tremendous ovations. Shloime Dachs and Simcha Leiner joined Levine on stage for the big finale. The last three songs proved to be a beautiful finish to a magical evening of entertainment.

The event proved to be a huge success and raised much-needed money for CAHAL’s Scholarship Fund.

For information about CAHAL, visit their website, www.cahal.org.

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P R O S P E C T PA R K S U N D AY M AY 1 0 T H 2 0 1 5

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$500 FUNDRAISING COMMITMENT

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Free admission with registration. Cheer us on & join the free post-race Celebration & Concert.

Join the Special Campers, Families, Staff, Friends & Camp HASC Community for an amazing, fun-filled day in Prospect Park.

This year we are bringing the amazing and legendary Camp HASC Marathon to our home turf with exciting new options.

We will be throwing a huge post-race celebration on the magnificent park lawn.

Come and enjoy the free food and star studded concert. Bring your campers, your friends and your family to join together for this special day.

Get involved by visiting RUN.CAMPHASC.ORG

DESIGN: AVISTAHLER@GMAIL.COM

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The biggest barometer of the event’s success was the enthusiasm of the participants in supporting Madraigos’ vital life-saving services to the community. Many of the contestants were repeat participants, as this was their 4th or 5th annual Bowl-A-Thon event. Two participants, attending this Bowl-A-Thon for their first time, stated that they could not wait for next year’s event. Some of the many enthusiastic comments by the bowlers were: “We are here to support a phenomenal cause for a growing need in the community,” “Madraigos is a household name in the community; more communities should have a place like this” and “We are having a great time, enjoying a get-together with friends for a great cause.” One of the bowling teams, appropriately named “Shiur Girls,” was comprised of young women who have been attending Madraigos’ weekly Wednesday night women’s Shiur (class) for several

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Friends and family enjoying the night

years. The sentiments they expressed were: “Madraigos is so generous, we love Madraigos.”

Dovi Wisnicki, a member of the Madraigos Board of Directors, who threw himself into this event as usual and was a swag bag and raffle prize sponsor and brought a couple of teams as well, described how proud he was of Madraigos and its service to the community.

“We are thrilled to partner with Madraigos for this special event and help support its many vital services addressing the emotional, spiritual and mental health needs of young adults and their families,” stated Yoeli Steinberg of Gourmet Glatt Emporium, a state-of-the art- kosher supermarket in the heart of the Five Towns.

“Thank you to all participants for making this event a success.”

Rabbi Dov Silver, Madraigos Founder and Executive V.P., commented, “We are grateful to all the sponsors and all our participants who came out to support our community’s youth.”

Rabbi Silver made special mention of the devotion of the coordinators of the boys’ and girls’ Lounge programs, respectively Mr. Yehuda Alcabes and Mrs. Mindi Werblowsky, who, in addition to supervising alternating nightly activities for the teenagers, also expend much effort to form lasting meaningful and mentoring relationships with them.

The event brought together a diverse group of over 120 bowlers from across the tri-state area. Exciting contests were held throughout the night including the popular Red Pin Contest. David Jaison, mentalist, wowed the crowd as he performed for all participants throughout the night. Adding to the night’s festivities were the raffle drawings. An Aussie Gas Grill, Tara pearl necklace, a gift certificate for an Andrew Lock custom-tailored suit (generously donated by Andrew Lock Fine Tailoring), Invicta men’s watch, unique sports memorabilia, and special sports game tickets, were among the raffle prizes generously sponsored by friends of Madraigos. Complimentary gifts included a Bowl-A-Thon T-shirt and swag bags full of welcome gifts were distributed to all bowlers and sponsors.

Madraigos acknowledges Moshe Klein of MK Creative Group for his outstanding work and expertise in mar-

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The Fifth Annual Gourmet Glatt Bowl-A-Thon to benefit Madraigos at Woodmere Lanes was a resounding success. This signature event has become an annual Madraigos tradition among Five Towns residents, local businesses, friends, and supporters. One could not help but be deeply touched by the warmth and festive atmosphere as the participants, sponsors and Madraigos staff all came together in a beautiful display of unity (achdus). Overhead monitors elegantly flashed the names and icons of the numerous event sponsors. There were smiles on everyone’s faces, as friends cheered on each other’s bowling prowess. Beautiful platters of delicious food, generously donated by Carlos & Gabby’s, were replenished repeatedly as the participants and spectators thoroughly enjoyed the nourishment.

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Madraigos Strikes Success at 5th Annual Gourmet Glatt Bowl-A-Thon Huge turnout as friends and local businesses rally together

Members of Kehillas Ahavas Yisrael enjoying a night out

keting, graphic design, printing and web services. The amazing “bowlforthem” website created by Moshe provided easy sponsor and team registration, listed the team names and members and beautifully displayed the names and logos of the over 110 local corporate sponsors that provide a full spectrum of services and goods for

Rabbi Silver presenting gift to Moshe Ratner, accepting it on behalf of Gourmet Glatt

the Five Towns and surrounding communities. In addition, Moshe formed three bowling teams from the Kehillas Ahavas Yisrael synagogue in Cedarhurst.

Madraigos wishes to express its deep gratitude to all event sponsors, swag bag sponsors and prize sponsors. A full listing of all sponsors can be found on bowlforthem.com. We note special appreciation to Gourmet Glatt Emporium, title sponsor, to OMRU, Premium Give Away sponsor, to Carlos & Gabby’s for donating many delectable goodies from their hallmark cuisine and to David Jaison for entertaining the participants with his unique and amazing style. Other sponsors include MK Creative Group, Newman Law, Marine Park Appliances, Andora Systems, Traditions Eatery, Chase Abstract, Wisnicki and Associates, Riverside Abstract, Mark David Hospi-

tality, Rx Care, Bank United, Stop Chop and Roll, Junee, Junee Jr., Dependable Abstract, VisionVille, Transcend, Island Exteriors, Lightwave Energy, BIG Productions, Prime Supply and Basser Kaufman.

“We are thrilled with the outcome of our Annual Bowl-A-Thon,” said Rabbi Josh Zern, Executive Director. “The continued support of our community has allowed Madraigos to be an innovative and highly regarded youth service provider in the Five Towns/Queens community.

The nightly ‘Lounge’ activities, support groups and School Based Services program continue to grow and gain stronger momentum as more and more schools partner with us. We have to make sure this expansion moves forward.”

Funds raised at the event will assist Madraigos, a 501c-3 not-for-profit organization, in providing a wide array of valuable mental health, social and spiritual services geared towards helping teens and young adults overcome life’s everyday challenges one step at a time.

Since its founding in 2003, Madraigos has focused on delivering a comprehensive and concerted model of service, tailor-made to address the specific needs of the young adults and create vital support systems for them within the greater Jewish community. Madraigos’ services include a 24-hour Support Line, Community Education, Crisis Intervention, Case Management, Educational Enhancement Program, The Lounge, Assessments and Referrals, School-Based Services, Shabbatonim, Job Placement Program, Support Groups, and Yom Tov Retreats.

For more information about Madraigos, please visit www.madraigos.org.

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MARCH 12, 2015

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Around The Community A Shared Mission

By Tammy Mark The stately façade of the Lawrence Middle School building accurately conveys the magnitude of the Lawrence District’s mission. Fittingly flanked by the adjacent Rock Hall Museum, representing the rich history of the Village of Lawrence, the grand staircase leading up towards the school’s edifice evokes certain fortitude. Inside the building, the aged wood paneled conference room lined with photographs lends an air of legacy and historical import. It is in this room that community leaders from across the district gather together to serve the community, strengthen relationships, and seek to create new opportunities.

Lawrence School Board members along with educators and administrators from public and non-public schools throughout the greater community were amongst the participants in the opening meeting of the current school year. The camaraderie in the room was palpable as they gathered around the long table to discuss the relevant issues at hand.

Rabbi Yaakov Reisman of Congregation Agudath Yisroel of Long Island was called upon to address the guests.

A revered community leader, he is also a father of four special needs sons; all of whom were educated in the Lawrence Public Schools. Rabbi Reisman lauded the District’s communal endeavor and credited the educators’ unique relationship to their shared mission to serve all district children, comparing their efforts to the biblical tale of Noah’s mission to preserve the world.

Representing the Lawrence Union Free School District 15, the Lawrence District Board of Education members are steadfastly devoted to serving all of the district children—those in the public schools and those attending private school. Simultaneously they also strive to bridge the two worlds. This is no small undertaking, given the significant cultural diversity of the area residents as District 15 encompasses the Long Island neighborhood of Lawrence and the surrounding areas of Inwood, Atlantic Beach, Cedarhurst and parts of Woodmere.

In efforts to keep the lines of communication open, the School Board orchestrates meetings several times throughout the year for representatives from all non-public schools to confer on communal educational issues. This unique initiative, instituted by the Lawrence District, allows administrators and educators to work together and fig-

ure out how best to legally facilitate educational goals. Lawrence-Woodmere Academy, Hebrew Academy of Five Towns and Rockaway, Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, Yeshiva Darchei Torah and Kulanu Academy are but a few of the schools that regularly participate in the meetings, and all schools from the greater community are welcomed.

Special education, transportation and professional development opportunities are some of the items regularly addressed. At the first meeting of this academic year, items on the agenda included the core curriculum and opportunities for related teacher training, a review of snow day communication procedures, and the proposed repurposing of the District’s Number Five School.

The Lawrence District School Board assumes the vast responsibility of keeping the public schools strong and flourishing while also managing certain educational aspects of the district private school children, including the providing of textbooks, transportation and most significantly special education services. Having taken control over the hiring of support service providers from New York State in 2013, the District is now responsible for providing and maintaining support services such as social work, psychology and nursing services to all of its children, even those attending private school.

The current school year is well underway and the systems are running smoothly, but it is not without significant effort and coordination by the School Board and Lawrence District administration. The Board insists on having a stable protocol in place. To that end, School Superintendent Gary Schall conducts visits to all of the local private schools at the beginning of the school year.

Schall travels with a team: Elise Danzger, a psychologist and liaison for special education and Rabbi Jeremy Feder, the recently appointed Director of Transportation. Ensuring that both systems run smoothly is crucial to a successful school year. District 15 currently busses its 7,500 resident students to 175 different schools. Factoring in the varied dismissal times for yeshivas and the public school afterschool programs, Lawrence has some of the most complex routing in the entire state.

During the private school visits, Schall encourages the administrators to speak freely about their concerns, if

any. The administrators review what programs work well and are comfortable discussing their specific needs.

These visits ensure accountability of the district providers, which ultimately aids in the success of the students.

In keeping with the commitment to provide appropriate education to all eligible children under its jurisdiction until age 21, the educators work to ensure that special needs young adults not only have the best possible education but also find their place within the community. Visits are made to CAHAL and Kulanu Academy, two privately run special education programs that serve the District 15 community.

The School Board continually looks to share district resources and coordinate services in meaningful ways. As Kulanu transforms into a long-term resource for students as they enter adulthood, Schall suggests the possibility of utilizing the Lawrence High School’s successful life skills programs as vocational training for Kulanu students nearing graduation.

Executive Director Beth Raskin of Kulanu is very appreciative of the ability to create true partnerships in caring for the community’s special students.

The relationship is neither adversarial nor competitive. Raskin says, “We want to support those that can’t find their niche, not take over things that work well.”

The interest of the yeshiva administrators to share resources and maintain a mutual and cohesive partnership extends well beyond special education.

At the Rambam Mesivta High School, Rabbi Yotav Eliach has expressed interest in having his yeshiva robotics team collaborate with the Lawrence High School robotics team, which was ranked second in New York State. Rambam’s advanced placement students are allowed access to the Lawrence High School labs for use after regular public school hours. Rabbi Eliach is also working to implement a program for his students to serve as mentors for Lawrence Middle School students and providing them with afterschool help in place of private tutoring.

Dr. Rochelle Brand of the HAFTR Middle School is looking forward to be collaborating once again with Lawrence Middle School on “Names not Numbers,” a Holocaust remembrance program. A huge success last year, the program partnered HAFTR students with Lawrence students to create a documentary portraying survivors of the

Holocaust. The powerful documentary was filmed, edited and compiled by the students. This inspirational program brings yet another opportunity for bridging the community.

The communication between Lawrence District officials and the community has remained constant in times of crisis, even in the chaos that ensued in 2013 in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

As the Five Towns community was plagued by flooding and loss of power, Schall and School Board Vice President Dr. Asher Mansdorf drove District-owned trucks through Inwood and Lawrence to assist in rescue operations.

Coordinating with the Five Town’s Community Center’s Pete Sobel, they worked throughout the night to bring local residents to safety.

With all of the schools in the district affected in one way or another by the storm, the Lawrence School Board worked quickly and efficiently to arrange for the emergency relocation of schools whose buildings were damaged to intact district facilities. They also opened their doors to the students of the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, whose oceanfront elementary school building was uninhabitable; hosting the yeshiva’s first and second graders in the Middle School. Having the young yeshiva children hosted by the older middle school students proved to be an experience that further cemented the community’s bond.

At the same time, Rabbi Nosson Neuman’s newly opened yeshiva, Ateres Miriam, had eight feet of water in the basement. As he struggled to keep things up and running, Rabbi Neuman received a call from Dr. Mansdorf. Mansdorf reached out to Rabbi Neuman and insisted he meet with Schall to discuss how the District could help him and to begin building a relationship. “Asher is a dear friend of the community,” says Rabbi Neuman.

The support of the community and yeshiva leaders towards the Lawrence Public School system is pervasive.

Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe of Mesivta Ateret Yaakov, a yeshiva high school in Cedarhurst, says the recent positive changes in the District are astounding.

“The desire to help everyone in the district is fantastic.” A product of a public school system himself, Rabbi Yaffe is a big supporter of public education.

“The better the public school education, the better society we live in. It is the cornerstone of our society.”

Around The Community

65 THE JEWISH HOME

Shushan Purim at HANC

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MARCH 12, 2015

First graders at HANC celebrate Dr. Suess’ birthday on March 2

Students at HANC’s Samuel & Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary School in West Hempstead had an amazing time at the annual Shushan Purim carnival!

Students, teachers and administrators all came to school dressed in costume.

The sixth graders did a great job running the carnival which included a variety of Purim-themed games, prizes, a Moon Bounce, ices and other yummy treats. The students had a wonderful time celebrating Shushan Purim and

participating in all the activities. It was truly a great day, full of school spirit.

A big “thank you” to the G.O. and Mrs. Spitalnik for all their hard work as well as to Rabbi Merrill and all the sixth grade teachers.

Adar in Shulamith Middle School

By: Arielle Lipsky Adar is a time of simcha, and in the Middle Division of Shulamith School for Girls, the students have been celebrating the month with a series of funfilled activities. To begin, the G.O. planned a succession of dress up days. The first was on Rosh Chodesh when we enjoyed Crazy Hat Day. Students came in with silly hats and zany wigs; some of them even lit up!

A few days later, it was time for the ever-popular annual Dress-up-as-aTeacher-Day! As the enthusiastic girls came to school, davened, and waited so patiently to get changed, no one could sit still. Finally, the students changed into their costumes. Sheitels, shirts, skirts, shoes, and glasses were all used to make help transform students into their favor-

ite teachers.

On Thursday, the talented eighth graders traveled to the Lower Division where they ran the annual Purim carnival, sponsored by the Shulamith Women’s Organization. The theme of the carnival was Disney, so each eighth grader dressed as a Disney character. The SWO treated the school to more rides than ever

before, and a wonderfulDress Up as a Teacher Day time was had by all. We were privileged ers, and braids, and, as a final treat, we to be joined during the festivities by our wore our favorite Purim Costumes on the friends from Kulanu who came for a day before Ta’anit Esther. short while to celebrate with us.

Adar in Shulamith brought smiles to After the carnival, the G.O. did not everyone’s faces. Simchat Purim to all! let the students down, and everyone enjoyed two more dress up days. On Preppy Day, students wore ties, glasses, blaz-

Around The Community

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MARCH 12, 2015

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On Sunday, l’kavod Purim, the Live & Learn Program held a special event for boys grades 1-6 at Yeshiva of Far Rockaway. After pizza, soda and door prizes, Rabbi Tzvi Krigsman, menahel of Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island, shared divrei chizuk. After the speech, the boys were mesmerized by young, talented magician Zevy Goldstone (Z.G. Magic) who performed some fire tricks as well as some other tricks including a disappearing banana. Then for the main feature of the night, Mad Science performed the “Fire & Ice” show. The theme of the night was fire since the boys just learned about the melacha of mavier (kindling a fire).

216 Million NIS Implementation Shuvu Chazon Avrohom’s 24th Annual Agreement Signed for Ramat Givat Zeev Dinner

Following the signing of one of Israel’s largest implementation agreements, Ichud Construction Foundations LTD and Nofei Israel are beginning construction on Ramat Givat Zeev, a new upscale neighborhood outside of Jerusalem.

The Ichud Construction Foundations LTD is building the new luxury Ramat Givat Zeev neighborhood north of Jerusalem. The neighborhood’s entrepreneur Nofei Israel recently signed an implementation agreement that is one of the largest signed in the building industry in the past year.

The deal is worth 216 million NIS and includes the construction of a highclass building project located on the mountain-side Givat Zeev neighborhood. The project will house 234 apartments in 13 buildings. Each unit costs 900,000 NIS. Nofei Israel said that they chose Ichud Construction Foundations LTD because of the company’s extensive ex-

perience in building impressive apartments and high work quality. The end result will be homes built according to standards used across neighborhoods in the U.S. and Europe.

Nofei Israel representative describe that the plans will include construction standards that are new to Israel. “This is an up-market neighborhood, both in terms of environmental development, and in terms of the finishing in each apartment,” according to Nofei Israel.

Ramat Givat Zeev is a prestigious Orthodox neighborhood facing the beautiful mountains north of Jerusalem. A majority of the lots for private homes were sold prior to the start of construction. The community will be comprised of religious families from around the world and Israel. Construction is expected to be completed within 36 months. Ichud Construction Foundations LTD reports that they plan to start building in the next two weeks.

On Motzei Shabbos, February 28, Shuvu Chazon Avrohom hosted their 24th Annual Dinner. This warm, uplifting and inspiring evening honored Rabbi Ezra Rodkin with the Rabbinic Leadership Award. In his inspirational message, Rabbi Rodkin challenged all those present to visit a Shuvu school and be a personal witness to the impact of a Torah education in a warm atmosphere is having on Israeli society.

Mr. and Mrs. Mendy Greenberger were recognized for their dedication of the Shul- Assembly Hall in Akko. The attendees watched a video of the actual dedication at the Shul this past December while also learning about the deep commitment to other Jews that Mr. Greenberger’s parents, R’ Shlomo and Faigy Greenberger, a”h, imparted by their deeds.

Ronan, a Shuvu high school student in the Shuvu High School in Gan Yavne, spoke eloquently of how the

Rabbonim and faculty of his Shuvu school supported his family last summer when his mother passed away. He attributed their first steps to recovery from this tragedy to the chizuk and direction provided by Shuvu.

The guest speaker, Dayan Yonason Abraham, spoke with great warmth of the days he spent visiting Shuvu schools last winter. The Dayan quoted Horav Pam zt”l’ s famous words “The last battle before Moshiach will be in the classrooms.” “Go and see how Shuvu is changing the face of Eretz Yisroel…That is our security fence…

Not the fences being built… A 10 year old boy is changing his family…They are learning Torah b’simcha…This boy knows 1,800 Mishnayos B’aal Peh… Go see boys with the name Nimrod, learning Torah…Go see girls who are changing their homes….Go see for yourself…They are the future of Eretz Yisroel.”

PURIM PHOTO ALBUM! See Pages 82 & 129

67 THE JEWISH HOME

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MARCH 12, 2015

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Around The Community JCCRP Passover Food Drive Dedicated L’iluy Nishmas Dr. Esther Rose Lowy a”h For over 50 years, the Combined Passover Fund has served the Jewish poor in our Five Towns and Rockaway community. With the funds that you help provide we are able to give families and the elderly checks that enable them to purchase food and other necessities to help celebrate Pesach. 100% of the funds collected are allocated directly to needy individuals and families.

Your contribution makes this possible.

This year, we are dedicating the funds raised in memory of Dr. Esther Rose Lowy a”h, a beloved Los Angeles woman who was born and raised in Far Rockaway. She is remembered for her passion, her love of Israel, and her intense dedication to her family, her community and her students. Despite her own illness, Dr. Lowy cared for her elderly mother, without the help of any professional aides, until a few weeks before her own passing, refusing to give up on the mitzvah of caring for her mother until she was no longer physically capable.

Dr. Lowy a”h, passed away on December 19, 2014. She is survived by her husband, Rudy; her children, Elie, Ephraim, Mindi Weinberg, Tova Pfeffer, Devorah Pelman, Naphtali, Shuli and Chaim; her mother, Edith; her brother, Abraham; and many grandchildren, many of whom live locally.

Ephraim Lowy, the son of Dr. Esther Rose Lowy a”h, remembers his mother for being the ultimate manifestation of the word “chessed.”

“My mother viewed her home as ‘hers’ in name alone. It was a home where everyone was welcome, regardless of background, views, or even an

invitation for that matter.

Whatever we had, we had to share. I cannot think of a single time my parents said no to the opportunity to host someone. People would come for Shabbos, for meals, or to vacation in Los Angeles, and they would always feel as if they were in their own home.

“It is with the memory of my mother’s recent passing in mind, that I am spearheading our community’s food drive to feed the needy this Passover. Holidays are especially difficult for the needy as their needs increase when their funds are most scarce. Helping feed the needy is an essential component of simchas Yom Tov according to the Rambam. I remember how much pain it would cause my mother to see those in need, and I hope to contribute to her legacy by doing just a little bit to help the less fortunate. Please join me this year as we continue to spread her legacy by helping our local families this Yom Tov.” This year, we ask that you be a little more generous than you have in the past.

The dire economic conditions have affected many in our community forcing more people to seek assistance, and as you know, the price of food has risen sharply.

Therefore, many more people will seek assistance in making Pesach and they will come to our door. Please make out your tax deductible contribution to the JSC Far Rockaway Kosher Food Pantry.

Checks can be mailed to our office located at 1525 Central Avenue, Far Rockaway, NY 11691. Donations can also be made online by visiting www.jccrp.org and clicking on “Pesach Fund” when making the contribution.

69 THE JEWISH HOME 

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99¢

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Tonnelli Salad Dressing All Varieties - 8 oz

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71 THE JEWISH HOME

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Around The Community AIPAC Honors United Hatzalah as Leading Innovator United Hatzalah (UH), Israel’s premier volunteer emergency response network, was honored for its leadership, innovation and service last week by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference in Washington, D.C.. The organization’s Founder and President Eli Beer stunned the 16,500 conference participants by arriving on stage lights and sirens blaring on an ambucycle, a specially equipped motorcycle ambulance designed by United Hatzalah to speed up emergency response times.

The “game-changer” organization was recognized for its innovation in effectively and efficiently assisting in saving lives. With a network of 2,500 volunteers across Israel, United Hatzalah responds to 700 emergency calls daily, using tailored GPS technology and a smartphone app to respond to crises within minutes after the initial report. The successful United Hatzalah has been a model for the world, with EMTs in Argentina, Brazil, Panama,

Lithuania, Ukraine, Rwanda and Jersey City now implementing the Israeli-developed strategies and methods.

me tremendously proud of what UH does every single minute to protect Israel, and proud of the work we are do-

and night to protect Israel and help spread the good word about the work the people of Israel do for this world.”

Eli moved and motivated the huge crowd of passionate supporters of Israel with his heartfelt presentation.

Throughout the 3-day convention visitors were welcomed to United Hatzalah’s showcase display of technology, training and emergency medical first response.

What can Obama Learn from Moshe?

“Driving in on a United Hatzalah ambucycle, one of Israel’s outstanding innovations, talking in front of 16,500 people, and hearing them cheer made

ing to export this beautiful concept to wherever it is needed,” said Beer. “As an Israeli I am happy that there are organizations like AIPAC that work day

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Around The Community

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MARCH 12, 2015 For the past four weeks, children from the Five Towns, West Hempstead, Queens, Monsey, Chicago, and Los Angeles worked on making their brachos out loud with the Out Loud Brachos program. Local stores, including Oh Nuts, Hapina, Carlos & Gabby’s, Brachs and Pizza Pious, handed out prizes to the children for making their brachos out loud. This is the tenth year of the program and thousands of brachos have been said out loud and thousands have been able to answer amen!

Carlos & Gabby’s Hosts the Perfect Matches Marathon

HANC High School Celebrates Purim

A Living Chesed

“Awesome!”

“So much fun!” “Amazing crowd!” “Fantastic food!” “So much better than getting stuck on a bad date!” “What a healthy way to meet!” “Where did all these people come from anyway?”

What a refreshing new type of singles event!

If you happened to pass Carlos & Gabby’s in Lawrence on Monday night, March 9, you’d have caught a glimpse of a packed house. The Perfect Matches Marathon was in full swing from 7:30 pm until 11pm. At 11pm, the management had to gently throw everyone out.

The singles were still talking, laughing and eating. They just didn’t want to leave.

Ora Zeitlin, a fourth grade student at Shulamith School for Girls, lives the lessons imparted by her teachers. While No one needed topics to talk about shopping at a local grocery store, Ora – they just had to ask and answer the noticed a sign depicting a hungry child. unique questions in the Perfect Matches Excitedly she outlined her plans to raise games that were on each and every table. money for hungry children. “I’ll be a There were spontaneous introductions. vending machine that really works and No one felt awkward. Couples laughed, sells stuff. Then I’ll give all the money a few gasps could be heard ... the room to Hunger Hurts.” From a desire to help was noisy with good karma. People got others, materializes an idea for a Purim to know one another, ate good food and costume. Is this not one of the foundamingled. Shadchanim and facilitators tions of Purim—matanot la’evyonim and were present. Follow up is underway. love of a fellow Jew? So many people had to be turned away Ora visited home after home on both from this event that another one is al- Purim and Shushan Purim encouraging ready in the planning stages. All in all, it other children to participate in the mitzwas a fantastic evening. Everyone wants vah of tzedaka by buying prizes from her another marathon ASAP. This very first vending machine. In total, Ora raised one was successfully sponsored by The $144 for the Davis Memorial Fund.

White Shul. Bravo! Yasher koach!

“Maybe I can work for them raising

money,” suggests Ora as she recognized that while she is only 9 years old, her inspiration became a reality.

Around The Community Achiezer’s 3rd Annual Gala PHOTO CREDITS: MOSHE GERSHBAUM & TSEMACH GLENN

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This past Sunday evening, Achiezer, who tirelessly works to assist our entire community, hosted its third annual Gala which was attended by more than 1,300 enthusiastic participants. Those present included dozens of rabbonim and nearly a dozen elected officials—showcasing the feeling of camaraderie and unity which has become synonymous with Achiezer.

The evening was laced with a feeling of achdus and of purpose; the Gala’s tagline “We are ALL Achiezer” was tru-

ly felt. So many of the attendees have been recipients of Achiezer’s many programs – they were there both to show their appreciation and to express their desire to be a part of such a wonderful organization, where one can be both a contributor and a beneficiary at once.

The Gala took place at the Sands Atlantic Beach and the evening began with a delectable buffet dinner catered

by Chap a Nosh and a Sushi Bar by Simply Sushi. By 8:15 pm, the program had already commenced with an overflow-

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ing crowd.

Master of Ceremonies Mr. Adam Mirzoeff began the program welcoming and thanking the many rabbanim, community leaders and dignitaries in attendance. Senator Chuck Schumer spoke eloquently about his great connection to the Bender family, stemming all the way back to his involvement together with Rabbi Yaakov Bender (father of Achiezer’s founder and director, Rabbi Boruch Ber Bender) in the inception of Flatbush Hatzalah many years ago. He also spoke about Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech to the Assembly and promised that he will “do anything he can here in America and in Eretz Yisrael to keep Am Yisrael Chai.” His statements were met with a standing ovation.

Mr. Adam Mirzoeff also gave honor and tribute to the late mayor of Cedarhurst, Mr. Andrew Parise, who served our community with devotion and commitment, as well as Joseph Sanford Jr., a young fireman who recently died in the line of duty. He also thanked our local police and fire department representatives who were in attendance, and on behalf of them all they received a rousing standing ovation.

All assembled then recited a perek of Tehillim, led by Trustee Mr. Ronald Lowinger. Thereafter, Chairman of the Board, Mr. Shulie Wollman, addressed the crowd. He thanked everyone for showing their support of Achiezer, their belief in Achiezer, and that they are all a part of Achiezer.

In Adam’s articulate words, “Achiezer holds your hand through the expertise process, to cope with the challenges you are dealt” and tonight, Achiezer was held aloft by the community, allowing it to continue its sacred work.

Rabbi Boruch Ber Bender’s address began with a touching story related by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv. Through the story, Rabbi Lau,

a noted Holocaust survivor, explained that, despite all of the horrors he experienced, the one thing that moves him most, that brings him to tears, is “unnatural giving.” The act of chesed, not because it is convenient for the giver, but because he wants to give to another person, to do for him, to ease his pain.

Rabbi Bender then explained that “this is why we are all here tonight; every person here wants to give in some way.”

He continued, “The calls are difficult, the volume is high, the needs are pressing,” and with candor he went on that it is Achiezer’s responsibility to keep up with the calls, responding to each and every one. He thanked each employee by name for their contributions to the organization, for without their seamless work and compassion the organization could not function. He also he thanked the many people who are ALL Achiezer – the financial advisors who guide a family with an over-drafted account to a regularly paying job, to stability and to dignity; the doctor who has just arrived home after a 14 hour work day and turns right back around to the hospital to attend to an “Achiezer patient.” Rabbi Bender then related a chilling story about Danielle Besser a”h, who was tragically killed in a terrible motor vehicle accident while vacationing in Mexico. Achiezer, together with Homeland Security’s Dov Horowitz and Lilian Fergie Hernandez’s relentless efforts, came through with something that one Mexican Official stated was “never seen before.” They were instrumental in bringing her body back to a proper and timely kevuras Yisrael. Rabbi Bender concluded with an indelible message – that the commitment and resolve of the community, the volunteers, the staff, the supporters and the friends of Achiezer stands strong, for they are the incredible make up of Achiezer. He further gave the assembled a bracha to continue in the path of unnatural giving.

Around The Community

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The program continued with video presentations and awards presented to each of the five distinguished honorees.

When Dr. Schneider accepted his award, he was surprised with a very young visitor--one who owes his life to Dr. Schneider. When the Kohn Family from Cedarhurst heard that Achiezer was honoring Dr. Schneider, they reached out to Rabbi Bender. Five years ago, their 15 day old son wasn’t “acting right.” Young Benny Kohn was eventually admitted to the hospital, where an “angel” in the form of Dr. Schneider appeared. He performed a brain procedure

which proved to be lifesaving, and the Kohn’s felt it was only appropriate to present Dr. Schneider with a note, written by Benny himself, thanking him for his vitality. Needless to say there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.

The last speaker of the evening was the Guest of Honor, Mr. Yoeli Steinberg. He noted how this week’s Parsha, Parshas Vayakhel, contains G-d ‘s commandment to erect the Mishkan. Yoeli likened Achiezer to a place where Mishkans are constantly being erected, where families are made whole, where Hashem rests. He explained that he accepted

the award merely as a representative of the community. He thanked those in attendance for “being Achiezer.”

As the program came to an end, there was one last video presentation—a display of what goes on at Achiezer on any given day. There were no words necessary to portray Achiezer’s wide range of services, from cancer treatments, death/ bereavement, hospital meals, health Insurance or mental health counseling, the film spoke for itself.

Achiezer’s 3rd Annual Gala drew to a close with a beautiful dessert buffet. As the crowd lingered for just a bit more,

the conversations all centered on the program, Achiezer, and its great accomplishments in but a few years.

The feeling was warmth, it was appreciation for the past, it was inspiration for the future; it was a feeling of Achiezer.

Photos and videos of the dinner can be viewed at www.achiezer.org. Donations to help continue Achiezer’s important work can be written out to Achiezer or can be given on the Achiezer website as well.

Stern College Student from Woodmere, NY, Awarded Research Fellowship Stern College for Women student Sima Fried, of Woodmere, New York, has been awarded a research fellowship in archaeology for the upcoming summer. The award, the Ackerman Family Dig Fellowship, covers the cost of room and board for the entire field season at Tell es-Safi/Gath in Israel.

Fried began her research last summer at the site of Tell es-Safi/Gath, also known as the biblical Goliath’s hometown, under the supervision of Dr. Jill Katz, clinical assistant professor of archaeology at Stern College, who is one of the area supervisors at the site. Along with other Yeshiva University students, Fried focused her research on the city’s fortification wall, analyzing its initial construction 5,000 years ago and its subsequent re-use by the Philistines during the time of the First Temple.

“By winning this fellowship, Sima had her contributions from last summer validated as well as receiving a vote of confidence regarding her potential to contribute to the team in a meaningful way next summer,” said Katz. “In the coming season, she will return with me as my field assistant.”

For Fried, a sophomore studying anthropology, the dig is a fascinating intersection of history, sociology, biology and psychology. “I have always had a passion for history, and archaeology is a unique and intimate way to interact with the past,” said Fried. “There is something truly awe-inspiring being the first one to unearth a vessel, or even a shard of pottery, that has not been handled for thousands of years. There is also the adventure and sense of mystery that accompanies every sunrise—you never know

what you might find.”

For instance, Fried recalled what appeared to be a cheap plastic bracelet that a volunteer at the dig picked up one morning near the main path. “The Tell is located in a national park and we initially believed the bracelet was litter from a tourist,” she said.

“However, on closer inspection we realized that the bracelet was constructed from a beautifully decorated piece of glass—it was later identified as a Crusader Bracelet.”

Ultimately, Fried hopes to pursue a career combining as many of her interests as she can, possibly in academia or even biblical archaeology, like Katz. “Dr. Katz was invaluable in helping me create my shaped major and

she was the one who encouraged me to apply to the fellowship,” she said. “Who knows? Maybe I will return to YU to help her build the department here.”

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Around The Community PHOTO CREDITS: IRA THOMAS CREATIONS

Rabbi Lau Speaks about Yishuv Ha’Eretz at Merom Yerushalayim’s Community Event

Mesivta Football League Season 3 Championship – MAY Eagles Win! This past Sunday, the Mesivta Football League brought its third season to a close. From beginning to end, it was an exhilarating experience for all participating yeshivos. Every Sunday afternoon throughout the long, cold winter, teams arrived for their games at Lawrence High School, Aviator Sports and Events Center or Calvert Vaux Park in Brooklyn pumped and excited to represent their schools in competitive flag football. Games were intense, but menschlech, with tremendous sportsmanship displayed week in, week out by all teams. In the end, although unanimously all teams had an enjoyable season, the League would like to congratulate Coach Josh Rahmanan, Assistant Coach Natan Cohen, and their MAY Eagles on winning this season’s MFL championship.

The playoffs were intense with all teams making it to the playoffs. In the quarterfinal round of playoffs, last season’s reigning champions DRS (4) lost in an upset to Mesivta Yam HaTorah (5) while in the two other quarterfinal games, the wins went to the favorites, with Yeshiva Darchei Erez (2) beating out Rambam (7) and Yeshiva Shaare Torah (3) taking the game over HAFTR (6). Mesivta Ateres Yaakov, the number 1 seed, had a bye straight into the semifinals.

The semifinals continued with the

Championship game MVP Ari Shaulson flanked by League Administrator Rabbi Yossi Bennett, Head Referee Dom Derosa and Commissioner Eliezer “Zezy” Fuld

same intensity as the quarters, if not more. With MAY beating out MYHT and YDE edging YST in a close, heated Brooklyn rivalry, the stage was set for this season’s championship game – YDE versus MAY. The top seeded MAY Eagles came out strong. With superstar quarterback Ari Shaulson running in three touchdowns and throwing a third received by Avi Polatoff, the Eagles took a quick lead which they did not lose. By the half, the Eagles were up 12-0.

Relentless pressure by the Eagles defensive line, including multiple sacks by Benjy Terebelo and Michael Rotlevi, ensured the champion- The 2015 MAY Eagles

ship game shut-out for the Eagles, 26-0. website at mesivtafootball.com or email The League would like to congrat- mesivtafootball@gmail.com. ulate Mesivta Ateres Yaakov on the win and Ari Shaulson on winning the Championship Game MVP trophy. The League would also like to congratulate YDE quarterback Charlie Cohen on winning the League MVP trophy.

The League would like to thank all participating yeshivos – their players, coaches, administrators and fans – for helping make this season so incredible.

For more information about the Mesivta Football League and footage of the championship game, please visit their MAY quarterback Ari Shaulson sets up to pass

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Ketana of Long a v i h s e Y Island

!jna ohrup dj

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!jna ohrup dj

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Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island L O O H C S E R P

Your Purim Photo Album Simchas Purim at the White Shul

PHOTO CREDITS: IRA THOMAS PHOTOGRAPHY

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At the Agudah Israel of Long Island

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Celebrating Purim at the Young Israel of Woodmere’s Carnival

PHOTO CREDITS: IRA THOMAS PHOTOGRAPHY

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Your Purim Photo Album

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At the Young Israel of Woodmere’s 5th Annual Purim event

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Your Purim Photo Album Simchas Purim at the home of Ephraim and Rena Kutner

Your Purim Photo Album

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Celebrating Purim with Rabbi Gedaliah Oppen

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Photos Continue on Page 129

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Israel Today

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On Leadership her comments was because her “smart” strategy “might be too nuanced an argument for some.” Count this columnist amongst the “some.”

Recently, news from Washington emerged that President Obama, U.S.

It would behoove Obama to take a page or two, or perhaps five books, from Moshe’s manual on leadership. ministers and their subsequent success, completely secure in his role and his place in history, making him the quintessential leader.

Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry all expected to skip this year’s American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) summit,

S

M

oshe, the only person in history to ever meet, metaphorically, face-to-face with G-d, is described as “the most humble of men.”

This humility counterintuitively made Moshe greater, permitting him to assemble a group of leaders which enabled the management of a nation in transit on its way home.

A basic law of top management is assembling a group of top-flight assistants. Let’s consider the leaders assisting Moshe: Aaron, his older brother, the first official spokesman of the Jewish people and the first of the Priestly class, the modern day analog to Minister of Religion; his older sister, Miriam, effectively the leader of the women; Yehoshua, leader of the military, who eventually replaced Moshe as the nation’s leader; Yitro, Moshe’s father-in-law, who established a multi-tiered legal system; and Betzalel, assigned by G-d to build the Mishkan. How did Moshe relate to these leaders? Though Moshe received the laws from G-d directly, he deferred to Aaron HaKohen on its implementation and practice; he heeded the advice of Yitro, establishing history’s first recorded court system; he relied upon Yehoshua to assemble and lead the army of Israel; and he delegated the building of the Mishkan to Betzalel, a boy of 13, according to the commentators. In each

political collateral. Everyone who is anyone in the world of politics attends, ascending the podium as all pandemonium breaks loose for the big names, like Obama, Biden, and Kerry.

Unquestionably, the big three were not in attendance because President Obama chose to snub Israel and American Jewry in retaliation for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s controversial address to a joint session of Congress on March 3. Petulance and avoidance is the antithesis of leadership and should never be its replacement. Unfortunately, of late, that is what the Obama administration is offering with the White House often “elsewhere,” neither attending the Paris March honoring the victims of terrorism, nor the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. (Europe’s leaders were fully accounted for at both events.)

If only today’s leaders would find inspiration in Moshe. Imagine a world directed by leaders who chose to emulate him?

I

t would behoove Obama to take a page or two, or perhaps five books, from Moshe’s manual on leadership.

He could start with the concept that great leaders surround themselves with great talent, a concept his administration has conspicuously avoided. My opinion of the performances of secretaries of state and the set of spokespeople, Josh Earnest of the White House and the State Department’s Jen Psaki, suffice it to say is low. Recently we saw an addition to this list of regrettable representatives in Deputy State Department Spokeswoman Marie Harf, who claimed that more heads would remain attached to necks in the Middle East if ISIS terrorists had gainful employment. She was serious, so much so that she doubled-down on dumb and claimed the uproar regarding

despite being mainstays in the past. The AIPAC gathering is considered the most important U.S.-Israel gathering of the year and the opportunity for politicians to trot out their Israel/Jewish bona fides, lining up credentials, support, and future

hortly after President Obama was sworn in, he stated unequivocally that he did not believe in “American exceptionalism.” Today the world is witnessing the beginning of the end of the primacy of America on the world stage, and it is occurring under Obama’s stewardship. This may be one of the few promises he has delivered on. It is said that society gets the leadership it deserves. This may be so but America and the world needs a “Moses” to lead us out of our present wilderness.

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 @Hamodia.com.

MARCH 12, 2015

case the goals and objectives were clearly stated and Moshe himself assisted in each, ensuring their success.

Moshe’s profound humility should not be confused with low self-esteem; he was unthreatened by the talents of his

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s Jews are the “People of the Book,” not surprisingly Israel is the home to many great bookstores. The other day while perusing shelves in my favorite used bookstore, I almost bought “Moses on Management.” Today I went back and it was gone. Initially, I was frustrated by missing the moment to be mentored by Moses on management, then relieved. I realized I’ve already got an original copy of Moses’ management manual—the Torah.

It seems now, both in terms of weekly Torah readings and current events, is an appropriate time to discuss leadership. Recently in sefer Shemot, Moshe led 3 million Jews out of Egypt and conducted a building drive to support the first great Jewish owned and operated building project, the Mishkan. This month, Adar, is the month of Moshe’s birthday/yahrtzeit and what better way to remember history’s greatest leader than to discuss leadership?

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Matt Solomon

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Riddle!

You have a single scale with one pan. You have three bags of large gold coins with an unspecified number of coins in each bag.

One of the bags consists entirely of counterfeit coins weighing 55lb each. The other two bags contain all genuine coins weighing 50lb each. What is the minimum number of weighing operations you need to carry out before you can be certain of identifying the bag containing the counterfeit coins?

Answer on next page

THINGS I’LL MISS THE MOST ABOUT THE WINTER           

  

Licking random telephone poles to see if my tongue sticks to it.

Throwing on a coat to cover the meatball stains on my shirt.

Using melting salt when my soup is too bland.

Being able to instantly converse with anyone—“So it’s really cold outside, huh?”

Getting my daily exercise by simply scraping off my windshield.

Having a built-in excuse for always being late—“I was stuck in traffic...they must be filling potholes again!”

Feeling like I am living on the edge simply by going out for ice cream in the frigid temperature.

My weekly glove shopping…since I always manage to lose one glove every two days.

Eating cookies every night because the winter is made for comfort food.

Listening to my co-workers sniffle and worrying about catching their “not-so-bad pneumonia.”

Watching my kids eat snow (which they only do if it has been sufficiently trampled on first).

Having a natural fridge or freezer in my car.

Being reminded of the Liberty Bell every time I look at my hands.

Free ice skating when I slip and slide around on my driveway; free lawsuits when I slip and slide and fall on my neighbor’s driveway.

You Gotta be

Kidding!

Lucy is having a bad day at the roulette tables. Down to her last $100, completely exasperated, she cries, “What horrible luck! What in the world should I do now?”

A gentleman next to her, trying to calm her down a bit, calmly suggests, “I don’t know... Why don’t you play your age?”

He walks away. Moments later, he is intrigued to hear a great commotion at the roulette table. Maybe she won!

Rushing back to the table and pushing his way through the crowd, he is stunned to see Lucy lying limp on the floor, with the table operator kneeling over her.

He asks, “What happened? Is she all right?”

The operator replies, “I don’t know, buddy. She put all her money on 45. When 67 came up she fainted!”

Brain Teaser

Are the gray shadowy dots present at each intersection?

89 79 THE JEWISH HOME

March Crossword Puzzle 2. Killer of JFK’s assassin 3. Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement 6. First president to be impeached by the House of Representatives 7. College basketball tournament 8. First national park in the U.S. 9. The novel that helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War 12. Prison on an island called “The Rock” Across 4. Official flower of March; they grow perennially in bulbs and are usually yellow 5. Shot in 1981, he declared, “Honey, I forgot to duck!”

10. His theory of relativity led to new ways of thinking about time, space, matter and energy 11. Dutch painter who sold only one painting during his lifetime and whose first painting is called The Potato Eaters 13. It’s finally here, after a long winter 14. Established as a civilian force by JFK 15. “You too?!”

16. General of the Union army

G OT FU N N Y?

Down 1.Houdini 2. Jack Ruby 3. Camp David Accord 6. Andrew Johnson 7. March Madness 8 Yellowstone 9 Uncle Tom’s Cabin 12. Alcatraz

Across 4. Daffodil 5. Ronald Reagan 10. Albert Einstein 11.Van Gogh 13. Spring 14. Peace Corps 15. Et tu Brute 16. Ulysses S. Grant

Comm Let the ission er dec Send

your s t

uff

ide

to fivetow centerfold@ nsjewis hhome. com

MARCH 12, 2015

1. Born Erik Weisz in 1874, he went on to be a true escape artist and magician

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Down

ANSWER TO RIDDLE: Only one weighing operation is necessary. Take one coin from bag one, two coins from bag two and three coins from bag three. Weigh all six coins together. If they weigh 305lb, then the first bag contains the counterfeit coins. If they weigh 310lb, then the second bag contains the counterfeit coins. If they weigh 315lb, then bag three contains the counterfeit coins.

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Israel Today

Rafi Sackville

Over the Edge

N

issim Elmakayis is a genial man who has a kind but sad face. It’s as if he has become so used to hearing heartbreaking stories that his face has become permanently fixed in sympathy. He entered the Meir Panim soup kitchen dining room he has run in Dimona for twelve years and stood in front of our one hundred students. After two days of lectures I wondered how he would hold their attention before they broke into idle chatter. His short introduction only added to my fear.

As if sensing this was about to occur he began telling a story about his son who, on his way to school every day, passed the local bakery with two friends. He would buy a roll. His friends would steal theirs. As his son explained it, the boys weren’t criminal by nature but they were poor. They had nothing to eat at home.

What followed was a moving story of how Nissim’s son began paying for their lunches.

T

he economic situation in Dimona is bleak. The town hasn’t broken the shackles of its original 1950’s look. Apartment buildings appear eroded like the Arava that surrounds them. The center of town is a loose connection of stores and offices that

over until they had increased the value of that pen.

Barak is a young man who won’t graduate with a diploma. He has already seen the wrong side of the law. He had spent the previous two days disrupting our group activities. Today, however, he was in form. He turned that small pen into a tie, a costume, then a hat until two hours later it eventually morphed into four goldfish. Later that afternoon he would present them to a children’s daycare center we would visit.

Maybe it was the mention of crime or maybe it was the pathos of the story, but Nissim’s story had Barak transfixed.

Nissim told us the story of a widow fearful her children would be taken away from her. The fear emanated from the fact that they are constantly ill. She is out of work, has no food in the house, and is too embarrassed to ask for it. Nissim got word via the grapevine of her dire straits and paid her a visit. She became hysterical when she saw him, mistakenly believing he was working with the welfare department. She thought he had come for her children.

Nissim made her a deal. He asked her to work at the center. She would be given a small wage and could take as much food as she needed. The solution was only partial because her small children were still ill. Once Nissim managed to convince her of his intentions she invited him in.

What he saw sickened him. The walls and ceilings were covered in green mold. No wonder the children weren’t well. In the fridge he found no more than a container of hummus and half a bottle of ketchup.

Nissim contacted his buddies at the police station. Together they formed a volunteer group that cleaned up the apartment. It took time, but Nissim was pleased to inform us that the apartment is now clean, the children are well, and the woman is eternally grateful.

In the fridge he found no more than a container of hummus and half a bottle of ketchup. lack both theme and cohesion. A local mall houses darkened alleys that become oppressive wind tunnels in winter and offer temporary shade in summer.

Dimona has enjoyed periods of economic growth, but there has been a growth in redundancy over the last few years. The economy has risen and fallen, and the unemployment rate currently stands at more than 10%.

I know of people who live in Dimona who vociferously claim that the city has changed, has been upgraded, and has a future. They are quick to mention the high salaries of those working for Dead Sea companies. They cite the tax advantages, the reduced school fees and cheap housing. They have an obvious interest in promoting the town, but even a rich man can look unkempt and homeless, and that is the immediate impression that outsiders are prone to get.

Earlier in the day I had walked into the police station with three students in need of a bathroom. The anteroom was filled with young men who didn’t look as though they were there on a sightseeing tour. The building was clean and occupied a prominent place in the center of town.

We had dropped in while on our way around town trying to complete an interesting task. My small group of students had been presented with a pen. Their task was to see if they could swap it for anything of similar value. They were to swap that newfound item over and

H

e is accustomed to fielding phone calls in the middle of the night. This winter has been especially cold and one morning at two o’clock he received a call from an elderly gentleman who wondered if Nissim might be able to provide him with a blanket the following day. Nissim understood the desperation of the call. His son was serving in the army so he took the heavy blanket from his bed and drove around to the man’s house.

One can only wonder why non-profit organizations have become the focus of such selfless acts of good will. Where are the government agencies? Why don’t they help the freezing, the hungry, and the homeless in places like Dimona? Why does the government abrogate responsibility to non-profit organizations like Meir Panim? Why, for example, can’t the government match a few shekels for every person Nissim needs to feed?

The irony of the situation isn’t lost on Nissim, but he doesn’t have the luxury of dwelling on it. He accepts

Nissim Elmakias on the left

the facts on the ground with a sigh. He wishes the situation improved to the point where he could close the kitchen. Unfortunately, in the last year and a half alone the kitchen has gone from feeding 450 to close to 650 families a week.

After he told us the story of the elderly gentleman and the blanket, he placed an advertisement in the papers requesting donations. The day the ad appeared he received a phone call from someone asking if Nissim had enough room to store blankets if he came down with a truck that very day. Nissim said he did, but was certain the man was just playing a practical joke on him. Five hours later a truck pulled up carrying over 300 hundred blankets, each costing in excess of 250 shekels a piece.

The truck was driven by Micha Hollander. Micha owns a shooting range in Kfar Saba. He asked Nissim for the addresses of people in need of the blankets.

He and his daughter spent the day going from house to house. Micha wasn’t finished. He came back with another truck load of pillows, small heaters and emergency torches.

With Pesach around the corner the center has long stopped the practice of handing out baskets of food that look good in front of the media who always seem to pay attention around chagim. Nissim now hands out stamps that are valid for food, but not items like alcohol or cigarettes. He also makes it a point of giving the stamps to mothers, who are more likely to use it on goods that are both vital and nutritious.

It was clear that Nissim had more stories to tell, but we had to go. I looked around the room and noticed how even the most talkative and disruptive of our chargers were silently shuffling out through the narrow corridor. Barak walked ahead of me looking unusually somber.

Since visiting Dimona I have twice spoken to Nissim and on both occasions I could hear the sadness, but resolve in his voice. His work at Meir Panim is far from over. If he could he would shout from the mountaintops to alert as many people as he could to the severity of the situation in Dimona. The least I could do was help him reach a few more hearts by writing this short sto ry.

Rafi Sackville, formerly of Cedarhurst, lives in Ma’alot in Western Galil. He teaches in the local high school.

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Netanyahu Attacks Obama’s Naiveté when it Comes to Iran

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Going Nuclear

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BY NACHUM SOROKA

what will happen when Iran’s nuclear capabilities are virtually unrestricted and all the sanctions will have been lifted. Iran would then be free to build a huge nuclear capacity that could produce many, many nuclear bombs.”

The prime minister brought North Korea as a prime example of the ineptness of international inspectors to stop a country bent on obtaining nuclear weapons from obtaining them. “Inspectors document violations; they don’t stop them,” he pointed out. Like North Korea, Iran has a history of defying international agreements and just as North Korea threw out the UN inspectors from its nuclear facilities after a short while, there is nothing saying that Iran won’t do the same. This being besides the fact that there have been, and still very well may be, underground and undercover nuclear facilities in Iran that the world and Israel do not know about—and neither would the inspectors.

A

fter all the political posturing and fingerpointing, the faux humiliation and self-righteous protocol adherence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his thoughts to Congress on the looming treaty with Iran and left. His address may have been given directly to Congress—or at least to whomever chose to stay—but he spoke to the entire country. And it is ironic that the most open and clear presentation of the agreement between the rogue state and the United States to the American public was not given by a U.S. lawmaker, but by a foreign leader whose invitation to speak was more political exhibition than serious negotiation. In contrast to the Obama administration’s prevailing attitude of “we have to pass it in order to see what’s in it” and muddled responses to serious questions, Netanyahu laid out his case against the deal in simple, methodic terms.

President Obama’s response was a metaphorical shoulder shrug back.

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s main points can

be distilled into two ideas: One, a deal that allows one of the biggest sponsors of world terror to keep its nuclear structure intact is not a deal at all, and two, that international supervision of a rogue state’s nuclear program—what the deal intends to accomplish—will not accomplish much in scaling back that state’s nuclear ambitions.

While the details of the negotiations are not public, the prime minister said that anyone with a Google account can learn that the deal under present discussion would permit the Iranian regime to continue operating—and expanding—its nuclear program, allowing it to get to the 190,000 centrifuges the Ayatollah has spoken about as the magic number for his nuclear objectives. Last week, President Obama conceded that whatever concession package the West was putting together with Iran would expire in ten years. Said Netanyahu, “Now, a decade may seem like a long time in political life, but it’s the blink of an eye in the life of a nation.

It’s a blink of an eye in the life of our children.”

He added, “We all have a responsibility to consider

“A decade may seem like a long time in political life, but it’s the blink of an eye in the life of a nation.”

P

resident Obama’s response to Bibi’s speech was not much of a response, as the prime minister himself already articulated most of the response in his address. The president did not bother to refute any of Netanyahu’s assertions, nor did he attempt to argue with any of his judgment.

Instead he said that the address presented “nothing new” and offered no real alternative to the deal un-

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id Netanyahu accomplish what he set out originally to do? Aside from the leftistcamp opinion that the prime minister’s goal was to boost his own poll numbers back home (for which they self-righteously did not abet by boycotting the speech), Netanyahu’s motivation for disrupting the White House agenda is not completely clear. Even whether his government was complicit in John Boehner’s political scheming is a matter of dispute between the Israelis and the Obama administration among media outlets. But it should be obvious that in no way did the Israeli prime minister feel that his speech to a Republican Congress would have any positive effect on the president’s administration’s plans with Iran.

Netanyahu’s stated goal was not to shape anyone’s opinion about the deal. Last week he repeated both during, before and after the speech that as the world’s leader of the Jewish people, he has a moral obligation to speak out on its behalf. “As prime minister of Israel, I have a moral obligation to speak up in the face of these dangers while there is still time to avert them. For 2,000 years, my people, the Jewish people, were stateless, defenseless, voiceless,” he told listeners at the AIPAC Convention last week.

But whether that was Netanyahu’s sole intention in addressing Congress or not, the ancillary benefit of his visit was the opportunity it afforded him to shape the opinion of an American public who mostly did not have much of a clue about what an Iranian deal would include or mean to the world—until now. Netanyahu was able to lay out in clear, layman’s terms why the deal we are being sold is not only not optimal, but is foolish as well. Aside from the griping about Netanyahu’s “condescending” tone by some Democrat top brass, the prime minister’s speech was well-received and his points were heard across the Western world. He may not have won over anyone in Washington to his side, but he has forced them to answer some tough questions and publicly yield on some issues (for what that’s worth). This week, President Obama told CBS’s Face the Nation, “If we cannot verify that they are not going to obtain a nuclear weapon, that there’s a breakout period so that even if they cheated we would be able to have enough time to take action—if we don’t have that kind of deal, then we’re not going to take it.”

By offering his view to the U.S. public, Netanyahu also provided ammunition to the president’s

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der negotiation, something that the prime minister proclaimed in his speech as the only possible—and flawed—logic a Western country could have in negotiating such terms.

Obama insists that this deal is the only one so far that Iran is willing to discuss and that that in itself should be good enough reason to move forward with it. But Netanyahu argued that dealing with Iran, the country, at the nuclear negotiation table is no different than dealing with an Iranian vendor at a Persian bazaar. One has to be willing to allow the other side to walk away and “call their bluff. They’ll be back, because they need the deal a lot more than you do.”

All told, it would appear that the president is willing to concede with a nation who he agrees as having deadly intentions because his critics are not saying anything new or offering any magic bullets. And all for ten years’ quiet—at most.

most vociferous critics in the Senate, both Republican and Democrat. New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez, who escorted the prime minister to the Congress floor to speak last week, already co-sponsored a bill with Republican Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois which would impose even tougher sanctions on Iran by July and co-sponsored a bill with Republican Senator Bob Corker which would require Congressional approval of any treaty the administration agrees to with Iran. The president has already threatened to veto these bills, but a changing public perception of the Iran situation may make it harder for him to do so, and a strong majority in the Senate would even make Menendez’s bills veto-proof.

I

t may be argued that the prime minister’s speech had the opposite of its intended effect in a different part of the world: Iran. Current Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has been facing opposition by hardliners in Iran to his discussions with the West who feel that he is being too moderate and capitulatory regarding the country’s nuclear ambitions.

Netanyahu’s warning to the world about these talks has helped Rouhani claim against the hardliners in his country that he is not being too compromising to the West. Iran’s real leader, Ayatollah Khameini, is using Netanyahu’s objections as proof to the vulnerable position his country has backed Israel into. “Increasing global hatred of #Israel is a sign of divine help. Today Israel is more isolated & its supporters are more embattled #ShutDownAIPAC,” he tweeted last week.

Regardless of whether Israel feels vulnerable, Netanyahu finished off his address with the promise that if the U.S. is unwilling to stand up to a nuclear Iran, Israel is unafraid to go it alone. “We are no longer scattered among the nations, powerless to defend ourselves. We restored our sovereignty in our ancient home. And the soldiers who defend our home have boundless courage. For the first time in 100 generations, we, the Jewish people, can defend ourselves. This is why – this is why, as a prime minister of Israel, I can promise you one more thing: Even if Israel has to stand alone, Israel will stand,”

was his closing message to Congress.

Earlier in the week a Kuwaiti newspaper, Al-Jarida, reported that in 2014 President Obama threatened to shoot down Israeli planes after John Kerry was informed that the IAF was planning a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. Both the U.S. and Israel

“I have a moral obligation to speak up in the face of these dangers while there is still time to avert them.” denied the report, and Netanyahu reiterated in his speech to Congress that he was not advocating a military operation against Iran by the Wes. If all other options are off the table, though, the prime minister made it clear that Israel does not feel inhibited.

It is reported that after the prime minister’s address House Majority Leader John Boehner presented him with a bust of Winston Churchill as a not so subtle hint to which current leaders are acting on the right side of history. Prime Minister Netanyahu compared himself last week to Queen Esther who refused to be silent while her nation was facing death. As people who know better than to put our faith in human beings, let us hope that all crisis will be obviated all too soon. 

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Torah Thought

99

Parshas VaYakhel Pekudei long run this is destructive to the individual and to the system itself.

In democracies, elections held periodically are meant to hold political leaders accountable. Though in practice this does not always work, the theory

We are all accountable for the past and for the future. for their errors, sins, omissions and failures. We live in a world where everyone and everything is entitled to a pass. In our Torah-only educational system, the older the student becomes and the higher the level and reputation of the institution he or she attends, the weaker the demands of accountability become.

Without a system of testing and with no realistic goals for scholarship there is a complete lack of accountability. In the

of accountability is at least present in the society and the political system. In a dictatorship there never is any voluntary day of reckoning or demand for accountability.

No one likes to be beholden to the judgment of others, therefore we see that in businesses, educational institutions, social agencies and religious institutions, mini-dictatorships abound.

The prophets of Israel held the leaders

and the people of Israel accountable to the moral teachings of the Torah and to G-d Himself, so to speak. Thus the prophets of Israel served as the necessary brake to an otherwise dictatorial, all-powerful monarchy.

The rabbis of the Talmud were acutely aware that they were accountable for their decisions and behavior.

Oftentimes that sense of accountability focused on the presence of another individual rabbi to whom one somehow felt accountable. The great Mar Shmuel mourned the death of Rav by saying that the “person that I feared and was accountable to is no longer with us.”

The idea of accountability stretches over generations. We are all accountable for the past and for the future. And it is in that light that we will certainly be judged and how the accomplishments of our lifetime will be marked and assessed.

Shabbat shalom.

MARCH 12, 2015

countability that allows the basic axiom of Jewish life, reward and punishment, the temporal and eternal, to function.

One of the great weaknesses of individuals and societies is that they somehow feel that they are not accountable

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he main lesson of this week’s Torah reading, which may possibly be obscured by the wealth of Mishkan detail that appears in these closing chapters of the book of Shemot,,is the basic Jewish concept of accountability. Moshe accounts for all of the work that was done in the construction of the Mishkan and for every shekel that was expended in that project.

Moshe was troubled when he could not initially account for the one thousand shekels that were apparently missing and that did not allow him to balance the books fully. Only later, when he was able to recall that the missing silver was used to fashion the hooks that held the curtains of the structure, was his account complete and fully accurate.

In the last analysis of life, accountability is the main challenge and test that faces us. King Solomon in Kohelet informs us that all of our actions and behavior will be accounted for in G-d’s system of justice. It is this concept of ac-

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Rabbi Berel Wein

The Shmuz

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R’ Ben Tzion Shafier

Parshas VaYakhel Mirrors of Beauty “He made the wash basin of copper and it base of copper, from the mirrors of the women who gathered at the entrance to the Ohel Moed.” — Shemos 38:8 The Torah specifies that the wash basin in the Mishkan was made of copper taken from the mirrors that the women brought as donations. Rashi explains that by telling us where the copper came from the Torah is teaching a significant lesson.

Moshe Rabbeinu was appalled by the idea of using the mirrors in the Mishkan because they were used to enhance a woman’s beauty, which is a source of yetzer ha’rah. Yet Hashem said that not only should they be used, they were the most precious of all the items that were donated. In fact, the very reason Hashem wanted them to be used in the Mishkan was that the women used them to beautify themselves and attract their husbands.

This Rashi leaves us to wonder: how could Moshe Rabbeinu have been so mistaken? Chazal tell us he was the greatest human who ever existed. For forty days, he lived like a malach – without food, drink, or sleep – and he learned the entire Torah. Yet he looked at these mirrors with disgust until Hashem told him that they were actually the most precious gift given. How is it possible that Moshe was so off in his understanding?

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Men and Women are Different The answer to this question can be found by watching little children

tures, maybe even different planets. It isn’t that they are socialized or trained differently; it is that their inner makeup

These mirrors had become holy as they had been used to strengthen the bond of love and devotion between husband and wife. at play in the local public schoolyard.

The girls will be off on one side playing jump rope or hopscotch while the boys will be off to the other side playing tag or touch football. Even though the classes are mixed, it is rare to find boys and girls together in play.

The reason for this is that boys and girls are different.

They have different interests, desires, and value systems.

They are different in the way that they behave, relate to each other, and communicate. In fact, boys and girls are so different that you would almost assume they come from different cul-





  

is fundamentally different.

As an example, studies show that when asked, “Who is your best friend?” three-year-old boys are as likely to name a girl as they are a boy. At that age, mixed gender friendships are quite common. Yet by the time this same group of children is five years old, only 20% will have a best friend from the opposite gender. By the time that they are seven, it is almost nonexistent for a boy to have a best friend who is girl, or for a girl to have a best friend who is a boy – because by then they have almost nothing in common.

This separation and disinterest continues until puberty when something remarkable happens: the boys become very interested in the girls, and the girls become very interested in the boys. It isn’t that their differences have disappeared. Quite the opposite, they are even stronger now, but there are powerful forces developing within them that pull them to each other – attraction and infatuation.

Hashem created these entities so that man and woman could marry. If it weren’t for these forces, a successful marriage would never exist. To ask two individuals, vastly different in nature, outlook, and temperament, to live as one would never happen – it would be impossible.

To allow man and woman to create a successful union, Hashem put various forces into the person, and attraction and infatuation are two of them.

They are very powerful, so powerful that they can pull together opposites and bring them together in harmony, peace, and love. However, as powerful tools, they can also easily be misdirected and misused.

The answer to the question on Moshe Rabbeinu seems to be that he was fully aware of the powerful force of attraction and the pull that it exerts.

What he wasn’t aware of was the purity of the women who donated the mirrors. Hashem told him that these women were different. They used their beauty only for its intended purpose – to attract their husbands. These mirrors had become holy as they had been used to strengthen the bond of love and devotion between husband and wife.

The children brought forth from such a union were pure and exalted; therefore, these mirrors were the most precious of all the donations.

This concept has great relevance in our times. We live in an age when the very social fabric of society seems to be tearing apart at the seams. With divorce rates in the Western world hovering at 50%, the concept of raising children in a stable home seems to be a relic of the past. One of the causes of this breakdown is the misuse of the very system that Hashem put into man to allow him to flourish. Attraction and infatuation are tools that, when used properly, allow a husband and wife to achieve harmony, tranquility, and peace. However, when misused, these forces no longer accomplish their intended purpose, and the couple suffers — never quite understanding why their marriage doesn’t work anymore.

Understanding the purpose and proper use of these forces that Hashem created is one of the keys to living a successful life.

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.

The Observant Jew

101 THE JEWISH HOME

Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

Fully En-Gauged tool would be to focus on maximizing the mileage we’re getting right now. By trying to fill each moment with as much goodness as possible, we are going to go farther than we would simply by knowing when the engine will stop.

A friend of mine left this world at a youthful forty-nine years of age, but

By trying to fill each moment with as much goodness as possible we are going to go farther. indicator. When you push that button on the wheel, there’s also a little graph that tells you your current efficiency.

Depending on how you accelerate or cruise, you can see whether you’re getting ten miles per gallon at this moment or fifty. A friend of mine used to use a similar gauge on a much older car to travel long distances on small amounts of fuel, even when he wasn’t running on empty. The reason it’s so much better is because instead of just getting a semi-accurate idea of when you will run out of gas, you are actually able to do something to prolong the amount of time you can keep moving forward.

Instead of being reactive, you’re being proactive!

In life, we don’t know how much time we have on this planet.

We see people who live a very long time, and we see people whose lives seem to be cut short. It’s possible this was all the time they were allotted, even though others live a lot longer.

I started thinking: wouldn’t it be amazing if people knew how much time they had left? If they could use the gauges to know they had fifty-eight years left or only eight years? Then, they could pace themselves to do as much as possible in that time.

Then I realized that it was no different than seeing how many miles were left. It might be nice, but a much better

when we figured out all the things he was doing when he was here, from Torah to chessed to all kinds of mitzvos, we marveled at how he had crammed 120 years of life into less than half that time.

The bottom line is that if you want to make the most of your trip on earth,

don’t worry about how much time you have, but what you do with it. You’ll get the farthest in life if you remain fully engaged.

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. © 2015 by Jonathan Gewirtz. All rights reserved.

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good gas mileage and moving to city streets where traffic, stoplights, and callous pedestrians who make you wait as they leisurely jaywalk in front of you resulting in seriously reduced efficiency, your gauges are going to overestimate what you really have left.

Instead, I’ve found a more useful

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ave you ever been driving and suddenly, without warning, your low fuel light goes on?

OK, so you had warning. The needle had slowly been making its way down from F towards E as you traveled on your merry way, first ½ a tank, then ¼, then 1/8, but even though you knew it was coming, that little orange light can be terrifying.

So now you have to guess how far you can drive and if you will make it to a gas station before your car sputters to a halt on the highway, you have to call for help, and your spouse will have new ammunition for poking fun at you for the foreseeable future.

Yes, some people “never let the gas get below half a tank.” There’s a word for people like that: “Annoying.” But then, there I was, driving down the road and my orange light came on indicating that I’d better find fuel soon or else I would not live it down.

In some cars you are just at the mercy of the little light and you have no idea how much time you have, how much gas is in the tank when the light comes on, or how far that gas will take you. My car, however, has some spiffy little technology that helps.

When you push a button on the steering wheel, you can cycle through lots of helpful information on tire pressure, mileage, temperature, and the pièce de résistance, a “distance to empty” readout.

This handy tool calculates how far you will go based on the amount of fuel left in the tank and the average mileage you’ve been getting. It actually says you have 16 miles or whatever it determines to be correct.

In situations when I’ve been running low (yes, it has happened more than once), I’ve used that to help me figure out whether I should start panicking or not. Then I realized that it wasn’t as helpful as I thought. You see, based on different driving conditions, such as leaving the highway where you get

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102

A Fulfilled Life

Rabbi Naphtali Hoff

Bonding in Close Quarters

G

etting around these days has been tough. With snow and ice continuing to accumulate, we simply have less space outside (assuming we even go outside) to walk, drive and park our cars. The way to work, school, et al has been slow and oftentimes treacherous.

While navigating in tight pathways can be challenging, there are some benefits to this new paradigm. One has been increased patience and understanding.

As we attempt to navigate through tighter paths, we are forced to take others into greater consideration and patiently negotiate passage so that everyone can move forward. We also see that we can get by with less and do not need the standard expanse to achieve our goals. Perhaps most significantly, our view towards others becomes more expansive, as we are all suffering through the situation together. Suddenly, there is something – an external condition – that bonds us, even complete strangers. We are all in it as one and need to help each other out if we are to make it through safely. The snow helps bring us closer together, literally as well as figuratively.

Reflecting on snow-driven proximity brought to mind the fact that in some definite ways smaller really is better, particularly as it relates to our relationships with Hashem. In our nation’s history there have been three central houses of Hashem in our midst. The first is the mishkan, whose construction and furnishings occupy the bulk of the latter part of Shemos. The other two are the batei mikdash in Yerushalayim.

Interestingly, each of these structures was progressively larger in size and more elaborate than its predecessor (though Bayis Sheni was first built as a more humble successor to King Shlomo’s majestic edifice, the expanded version of Herod far exceeded the earlier mikdash). A casual observer may see this trend as a positive, in the spirit of bigger is better.

However, I once heard an approach from Rabbi Akiva Tatz that suggested otherwise. He explained that the aforementioned trend in structural size was actually a reflection of spiritual disconnect, a sign that we were becoming increasingly more removed from our Maker.

The example that he used to illustrate the point was that of a married couple. At first, when their affection is strong and their focus on each other is constant, they are more than willing to coexist in close quarters. They see the opportunity to maintain proximity as

is also very much relevant at the workplace.

While there are many ways through which we can maintain the connection between ourselves and others, perhaps the most basic is communication. What we say, as well as how and how often

Relationships need to be continually charged with freshness and positive engagement if they are to retain their vibrancy. a positive, an opportunity to cherish as they being their life together. Over time, however, the excitement begins to wane, and the two start to look for more personal space in which to operate.

Similarly, when Klal Yisrael was first redeemed from Egypt, their love and appreciation of Hakadosh Baruch

we say it, can make all of the difference between a close, healthy relationship and one that is strained and distant.

Think, for example, of how we use electronic communication. We all know the reasons that we type instead of write.

It’s faster, it’s neater, and it can easily be saved and categorized for future refer-

Hu was at an all-time high. They were extremely appreciative of all that He had done for them and, by uttering naaseh v’nishma, had committed to direct their futures along a pathway of deep spiritual connection and divine service. Over time, however, our collective spiritual engagement and enthusiasm began to wane, necessitating greater “space” between the two partners. It reached the point where we were banished from the home entirely, the beginning of a protracted and painful exile.

As the above mashal indicates, it is not enough to fuel a relationship on initial feelings. Relationships need to be continually charged with freshness and positive engagement if they are to retain their vibrancy. This is true at home. It

ence without as much sifting and paper clutter. When used for sharing information, electronic notations can be sent far and wide and can be responded to at the recipient’s convenience.

Despite the many benefits of e-communication, the shift away from written communication also presents some meaningful downsides. These include: Misinterpretation – So much of the way that we normally share information and ideas is based on nonverbal communication. Inflections, hand gestures, facial tone, body positioning and the like say so much about how each party is receiving and responding to each other, as well as their passion for the information and ideas being shared.

Without hearing a voice or seeing non-

verbal cues, people struggle to properly discern the intended meaning, tone, value and emphasis.

Impersonal touch – No matter how thoughtfully an email is crafted, its digital nature makes it feel distant and impersonal. You simply cannot compare the feel of an email with a handwritten (or even typed) letter or note.

Raising the temperature – For most of us, distance makes it feel safer to “yell” or to be critical. We can more easily muster up the gumption to criticize when we are typing words on our personal keyboards than when we have to look someone in the eye and share our feelings.

You can’t get it back – The quick nature of email makes it easy to forget that our words actually matter and can really come back to bite us. (I suggest that you never send any email with potentially negative implications without showing it to one or two trusted colleagues first).

Not only must we worry about the message at the moment that it’s received, but there is an excellent chance that it will be forwarded for others to see.

Keeping your distance – Perhaps worst of all, email, IM and other e-communiques maintain distance between colleagues, sometimes when only a wall or cubicle separate them physically. It’s often easier to fire off a response than to get up and share a few words. You may also not want to disturb your busy coworkers, especially if they are in another conversation or on the phone. While all of that is laudable, it’s important to not fall into the habit of remaining distant.

As our jobs involve working with and getting things done with people, we have to be able to build healthy relationships. We need to interact in person, to get to know each other in real terms, how we each tick. Building trust helps us get our work done and there’s no better trust builder than getting to know people in direct, human terms.

Rabbi Naphtali Hoff is an executive coach and president of Impactful Coaching and Consulting (ImpactfulCoaching.com).

He can be reached at 212.470.6139 or at president@impactfulcoaching.com.

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Ask the Attorney Zehava Schechter, Esq.

Attorneys and Real Estate Brokers Part II Dear Readers, After my last article on Attorneys and Real Estate brokers, I received a number of responses from realtors and sellers/ buyers about various issues presented in the article. As this subject appears ripe for further elucidation, I have invited three

experienced realtors to provide their responses to real-life situations which they and/or their clients (sellers or buyers) face to present you, the Reader, with practical and helpful information as you navigate the world of real property acquisition.

Q. I am selling my house, which has a full bathroom in the basement for which there is no permit or Certificate of Occupancy on file with the Town. I am receiving mixed advice which ranges from removing the bathroom to hoping that the purchaser’s lender will not

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object to the lack of legal status. What should I do? Should I tell my listing agent?

Ettie Avezov, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson with Anessa Cohen Realty (Avezov2@gmail.com), responds: When putting your home up for sale it is always important to give full disclosure to all involved in the sale and purchase of your home. If the bathroom has no permit or Certificate of Occupancy on file with the town, the listing agent needs to be made aware of that immediately and needs to disclose this to all potential buyers to avoid any legal issues down the line. When selling a home with this unresolved issue one must be aware of a couple of things: -Although it is possible to find a buyer that will agree to buy the home “as is” and legalize the bathroom once they take ownership, the seller would need to offer a large discount to make it worth their while.

-If a buyer will need a bank loan he will have trouble getting one since it is an illegal bathroom and the work might not even be up to code.

-It might end up being cheaper and simpler to resolve the bathroom’s legal status on your own prior to selling the home. Having the Certificate of Occupancy prior to selling your home saves you a lot of aggravation and makes your home desirable to a much larger group of buyers.

However you decide to approach this make sure you have a listing agent that will market the home properly, with full disclosure, to avoid any legal snafus.

Q. I recently posted my home for sale on the local Jewish e-mail list. A number of realtors contacted me to encourage me to give them an “exclusive” listing. What is this? Why would I do this if want as many people as possible to know about my available home? If I am able to sell my home without paying a realtor’s commission, I would save money. What is the best course for me to take?

Elisa Rosen, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson with Douglas Elliman Real Estate (Elisa.Rosen@elliman.com), responds: An exclusive listing is when your real estate salesperson or his/her brokerage markets your home without posting it on the Multiple Listing Service.

My goal as a real estate agent representing the seller is to expose the prop-

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.

W. Zehava Schechter, Esq. specializes in real estate law, estate planning and administration, and business law on Long Island, New York. Please send your comments to SchechterLaw@gmail.com.

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Q. My brother-in-law is an attorney and is willing to represent me in the purchase of my dream home and will not charge me. My only concern is that he specializes in personal injury law and has no experience in real estate law.

Zehava Schechter, Esq. responds: Would you trust an ophthalmologist to operate on your leg? I do not practice personal injury law and am not knowledgeable about or competent in that area of law to represent clients. Yet, you are suggesting here that there is no difference between an eye and a leg.

I find the deal works best and smooth-

1 In the spirit of full transparency, Samuel

Richter is the author’s husband.



Q. I found my dream home. The seller’s real estate agent told my agent that I need to give a $1,000 binder to hold my offer or I will lose the preferred option on the property. My agent says not to pay it. What do I do?

Samuel Richter of Douglas Elliman Real Estate1 (SamRichter@aol.com), responds: Do not pay it. No amount of binder will hold your offer. The Seller is free to accept other offers and is not obligated to you until he/she signs the contract negotiated by both sides’ attorneys. The Seller will continue to show the house to other potential purchasers until contracts are fully signed with one set of purchasers.

The best (and really, only) way to protect your interest is to proceed without delay toward a fully-executed (signed) contract. Once the Seller signs the Contract of Sale, he/she is bound to the Purchaser per the terms of the Contract.

may befall you?

There is another issue which bears discussion here. An attorney cannot wear two hats (attorney and real estate broker) in the same deal. This is a blatant conflict of interest and the attorney will be subject to disciplinary proceedings. In fact, there is a New York State Bar Association binding opinion that a husband-wife team of broker and attorney MAY not work on the same deal for this reason. As a result, my husband, Sam Richter, and I are not permitted to work together on any real estate transaction.

THE JEWISH HOME

erty to as many people as possible. By marketing the home using the Multiple Listing Service, we can accomplish this goal for the homeowner to obtain the highest offers.

A good real estate brokerage will give the homeowners the power to sell their home that they would not have on their own. Services to look for should include an extensive range of advertising through the web, print marketing, and professional photography. Having an inhouse mortgage company is very helpful to quickly pre-approve any potential buyers. Caring and dedicated agents who work together as a team to get the home sold for the best price is of primary importance. All this will give the sellers a real advantage over trying to sell on their own.

est when both lawyers know what they are doing, so make sure you hire an attorney who specializes in real estate law. It is tempting to “hire” a family member to save money even if your brother-in-law does not specialize in real estate law, but this is not a good idea. The specialist in another area probably is not up to date on real estate law or practice and legal mistakes may be made unknowingly which could prejudice your interests. The attorneys’ first obligation is to protect the interest of their clients (seller or buyer) and the deal is secondary. Would your brother-in-law recognize the pitfalls which

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ADVERTORIAL

Keren Minchas Shlomo – Helping the Poor of Eretz Yisrael

An Unusual Call eped. thing drive, my phone be While I was busy with a clo ramedics, the line. As we’re both pa on s wa am rah Av n so My unusual especially complicated or he often phones to discuss cases. ht. call he’d been on that nig This time, he described the d an ms pto r as he detailed the sym I listened with half an ea lik unds e nutes, I interrupted. “It so mi few a er Aft t. en atm tre re, and it am,” I said. “But I’m busy he you did a good job, Avrah e treatndreds of other cases you’v sounds pretty much like hu t you unusual about this one tha so s wa at Wh st. pa the ed in ?” called to discuss it with me admitminute. “You’re right, Ta,” he a for nt Avraham was sile t what sn’t unusual. The truth is tha ted. “Medically, this case wa ber em in the apartment. I don’t rem struck me is what we saw a pillow Ta, the sick man didn’t have ever seeing such poverty. even n’t did y . Forget pillows… the on which to rest his head have sheets!” rning cousin of ours had been lea Hashgachah had it that a ch ma ge d when he left he gave the in Eretz Yisrael for Elul, an ndlows that were almost bra pil o tw d an en lin of s set l two ful new. ’d visic stopped at the home he Later that day, the paramed night’s nted check on the previous ited the day before. He wa too. er, liv pillows and linen to de patient… and he had some

in the Five Towns, sponsored by an anonymous donor. All types of clothing are needed – for men, women and children, and in all styles – modern, yeshivish and chassidish.

As well as only sending gently used clothing (no shoes, hats or under garments), we must also consider the feelings of the aniyim receiving the clothing. Please make sure that all clothing is stain free, no holes, all buttons accounted for, & zippers in working order.

“Poverty has no respect for these distinctions,” Rabbi Maier Solomon, head of the Keren Minchas Shlomo organization, explains. “People in all sectors are hurting – and you can help.”

You Can Help!

The clothing drive will take place on March 15, 2015 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m at the Agudah of Long Island, 1121 Sage Street. Volunteers will sort the clothing and pack it into boxes to be shipped to Israel.

Mrs. Shaindee Schorr, a veteran baalas chessed and organizer of many successful clothing drives in the neighborhood, has volunteered to spearhead this clothing drive, too. She can be reached at 917-734-161, if you would like to volunteer.

ALL acceptable clothing is sent to Eretz Yisroel. We do not send our clothing to be recycled, nor to third-world countries.

Please Don’t Cry… I was on my way to one of our drop-off points, loaded with two big boxes full of towels that we had just recieved .

Th ey were beautiful towels, thick and so ft. Keren Minchas Shlom o dis tributed over 20,000 new towels alrea dy. This time, I was esp ecially pleased that we had gotten a great shipment of such a quali ty item for our “clients.”

As I headed toward the gemach, I passed a woma n I recognized – one of our regulars.

It was just before Yom Tov and Mrs. M was loaded down with three shopping bags full of clo thing for her family. With a husband suffe ring from a chronic illness an d nine adorable and lively children, Mrs. M certainly had her hand s full – and I don’t mean just with shoppin g bags.

“Mrs. M!” I called. “Please wait a moment. Could yo u possibly use some towels?” I put do wn my boxes and pulle d open the flaps to show her the prize withi n.

Mrs. M. rested her shop ping bags against the bo x and peered inside. Then, to my conster nation, her eyes overflow ed . I was flabbergasted. “Oh, no! What did I do?” I asked.

“Mrs. M, you’re walking out with over $1,000 wo rth of new clothing,” I tried to console he r. “Why are you crying ov er some towels?”

Mrs. M. couldn’t answer for a moment. Then she wiped her eyes and looked at me. “The towels are beautiful. I’m crying because, believe it or not, I have on ly two towels in my hous e. The eleven of us take turns using the tow el. The clothing alone is more than I ever dreamed of. How did yo u know to offer us towels , too?”

MARCH 12, 2015

states that Haman’s progeny were learning Torah in Bnei Brak. To this, Rav Yonasan Eibeshitz comments that Haman was zocheh to this because he intended to help poor people.

This is the reward of Haman Harasha, whose goal in life was to destroy Torah and wipe out Klal Yisrael – l’hashmid, laharog ul’abed! The evil Haman was rewarded because he thought of helping poor people – even though he had ulterior motives, and even though his plan didn’t come to fruition.

Can you imagine what we Yidden will be zocheh to when we help our poor brethren?

A community-wide clothing drive in now under way



Haman plotted and schemed to wipe out all of Klal Yisrael.

How did he intend to get away with it?

Reb Shlomo Alkabetz writes in his sefer Manos Halevi that Haman’s original intention was to give the 10,000 silver talents to help poor people. “In that zechus,” he planned, “I will be able to kill all of Klal Yisrael!”

But Mordechai Hatzaddik learned of Haman’s plot. “The Gemara (Pesachim 88b) tells us that ‘Mah shekanah eved, kanah rabbo – whatever a slave acquires belongs to his master’,” Mordechai pointed out. “So those 10,000 talents of silver belong to me!”

The Gemara Sanhedrin 96b

THE JEWISH HOME

Clothing Drive in Five Towns

Your Money

Allan J. Rolnick, CPA

You Taxin’ Me?

A

ctor Robert DeNiro has played some of the most compelling characters in movie history: the schizophrenic ex-marine Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, the young mob boss Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II, the Chicago bootlegger Al Capone in The Untouchables, the “gentleman” gangster Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas, and the shrewd bookmaker “Ace” Rothstein in Casino.

He’s accumulated seven Oscar nominations for his work (including two wins), along with nine Golden Globe nods (two wins), dozens of other awards, and even a star turn as Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Club Man of the Year.

But DeNiro is more than just an actor. He’s also a shrewd businessman and entrepreneur. He’s co-founded the TriBeCa Productions studio and TriBeCa Film Festival and partnered with successful real estate and restaurant developers throughout the city. He’s even starred in “I Love NY” commercials promoting Hudson Valley tourism. (If Travis Bickle were still driving today

— perhaps for Uber? — he wouldn’t recognize the streets. Ironically, DeNiro is partly responsible for that cleanup!)

DeNiro’s business ventures have given him a $200 million net worth. And for a brief moment last month, they led to a $6.4 million back tax bill.

This isn’t the first time DeNiro has made news for his taxes. His first fight involved a 98-acre compound he owns in the Hudson Valley town of Gardiner, which the New York Times reports includes a house, “two guesthouses; a 14,000-square foot barn converted into a recreation center with a full gym, a swimming pool, boxing ring and film production suites; another barn turned into offices; tennis courts; and a ski slope.” In 2006, the trustees controlling the property sued the town to lower the assessed value, which was pegged at $6 million. The trustees argued it was worth $4 million, while the town countered it was actually worth closer to $9 million.

The town won and the trust’s lawyers appealed that decision. But by that

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point, the town’s legal bills dwarfed the extra tax they stood to collect, and the town’s residents were turning against DeNiro. (It may not have been quite like how Jimmy Conway turned against Henry Hill in Goodfellas, but it certainly wasn’t pleasant.) When DeNiro learned the trust’s lawyers had filed their appeal, he threw a fit that would have made Travis Bickle proud, withdrew the suit, and ordered his accountant to reimburse the town for $129,000 in legal fees.

DeNiro’s latest tax issue involves our friends at the IRS, with even more money at stake. Last month, the IRS filed a lien to collect $6,410,449.20 the actor owed on his 2013 personal return. That amount naturally includes interest and penalties that accumulated over time, but it had to be a big bill to start out with!

Fortunately for everyone involved, DeNiro’s latest tax caper has a happy ending. That’s refreshing, considering how many of the characters he plays end up dead or in prison. His spokesman reported that the IRS bills had been “sent

to an old address,” and once the actor learned about the debt, “he had a check for the full amount hand-delivered to the IRS” the next morning. Apparently it’s good to be worth $200 million — even if you have so many addresses the IRS can’t find the right one to send the bills!

Hollywood’s brightest stars aren’t generally known for their financial smarts. DeNiro is an exception to that rule, but his success still hasn’t guaranteed him an easy time with the tax man.

That’s why it’s so important to have the right advisors on your side, advocates who can help you pay the least amount possible with the least hassle possible.

And that process starts with a plan.

Make sure you have one—even before you’re ready for your star turn!

Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 years in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com.

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Aliza Beer, MS, RD

To Juice or Not to Juice?

T

he juice cleanse business is booming! It promises weight loss, body detoxification, and the treatment/prevention of illnesses and diseases—everything from the common cold to cancer.

A juice cleanse/fast is when a person limits their diet to only fresh vegetable and fruit juices and water for anywhere from a few days to several weeks. Packaged juices go through a pasteurization process that kills potential pathogens, but homemade juices do not, so if you make your own juices at home, make enough for only one serving. A nutritious juice here and there can be beneficial for your health, but limiting your diet to only juice for weeks can do more harm than good.

The following are some potential issues with juice cleanses: 1. It’s dangerous for some people: Diabetics, people undergoing chemotherapy or with nutritional deficiencies, or people with kidney disease should not try juice fasts. The

high sugar consumption in juice fasts can skyrocket blood sugar levels and cause blurry vision, excessive hunger and thirst, and wounds and infections might heal more slowly.

According to Livestrong, high levels of potassium and minerals can build up in the blood and pose a dangerous threat to those with kidney disease.

2. Raw/whole fruits are healthier: Juicing removes some nutrients and fiber. Fiber helps slow down the rise in your blood sugar and makes you feel full.

3. Juice fasts lack substantial amounts of protein and fat: Without sufficient protein your body has no raw material with which to build new tissue. A lack of fat will be detrimental to your hair and skin,and contributes to

malabsorption of fat soluble vitamins.

4. It’s a fad diet: Like most fad diets, a juice fast is not an effective way to lose weight and keep it off. Will you lose weight?

Probably, since you’re cutting out all the fat from your diet and drastically lowering your caloric intake. But you will most likely put it right back on after the fast.

5. It can lower your metabolism: As with most crash diets, you are putting your body into starvation mode, so it lowers or slows the metabolism in order to save itself.

6. There really isn’t anything to detox: The body already does an excellent job of cleansing itself via the liver, kidneys, and intestines. It excretes or expels the unwanted toxins through urine, bowel movements, breath, and sweat.

To juice or not to juice? There are some benefits to juice cleanses. Some people feel like they have freed themselves from the control cravings for bad food. They say it helps them break unhealthy eating habits. You will also be getting the recommended serving of fruits and vegetables per day.

If you are going to try a juice fast, make it short. It’s not healthy to restrict your body for weeks from the other nutritious foods it needs. But if you are considering doing a juice fast to lose weight, this isn’t the way to go. Moderation is the key to any diet, and the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to make healthy lifestyle changes that you’ll be able to maintain throughout your life.

Aliza Beer is a registered dietician with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz show. Aliza can be reached at alizabeer@gmail.com.

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The Night before Purim A Cautionary Tale

(with apologies to Clement Clarke Moore)

They’d rented a limo, To drive them around, In the back there was booze, Beer and wine to be found.

So Yossi gave in and drank down another, And started forgetting his father and mother, And after the third, he wanted to stop, But good ol’ Naftali would not let it drop.

But Yossi, the youngest, Said he wouldn’t be drinking, He told all his buddies, “I know what you’re thinking.”

So he said to Yossi, “Here, try something new,” He gave him some bourbon, and then vodka, too.

And Yossi was laughing and dancing and singing, But he had a headache, his ears were both ringing.

“I know that you’ll pressure me, bug me, and say, ‘C’mon kid, don’t worry, please, don’t be that way.

We’re just having fun, come on, be a trooper, We’ve gone out to party, we don’t need a pooper!’”

And Mr. Kaplinsky was just tickled pink…

But then Dov and Yanky threw up in his sink.

Then Mayer got sick on the second floor landing, And Benzy and Yitzy were just barely standing.

“But right before leaving, I promised my folks, That I wouldn’t drink or share any smokes, I told ‘em I’d laugh and I’d dance and I’d sing, So just leave me be and do your own thing!”

Then Mr. Kaplinsky turned suddenly mean, And said, “You’re the worst bunch of kids that I’ve seen, I want you to go, and leave me in peace, Get out of here now, or I’ll call the police!”

But soon as they got in their thirty foot Hummer, Naftali said, “Yossi, you’re being a bummer.

I think you should stay home with mom and with dad, If you think that drinking is so very bad.”

The evening began with the best of intentions, They’d get lots of checks, while acting like menschen.

Of course there’d be drinking, but not in excess, They’d dance and get paid and would not leave a mess.

But soon there was beer, and then there was scotch, All Yossi could do was just sit there and watch, He’d given his word, that he would refuse If anyone tried to offer him booze.

The guys were all drinking and horsing around, While Yossi just sat there, not making a sound.

And as he sat sulking while watching his peers, He thought, “Well, I’m sure I could handle one beer.”

“I promised I wouldn’t drink whiskey or wine, But I think one bottle of beer would be fine.

At that Shalom Zachor a few weeks ago, My dad saw me drink one, and didn’t say no.”

And so it began, one bottle of beer, And then the car stopped and the guys yelled, “We’re here!”

They all tumbled out, and knocked on the door, Of Mr. Kaplinsky, who sure wasn’t poor!

The house was a mansion, with bedrooms galore, A living room, dining room, study and more, A huge indoor pool, a beautiful deck, They knew their yeshiva would get a fat check!

They just barely managed to walk to the car, They started to drive, but hadn’t gone far, When Yanky said, “Guys, I hate to be fussy, But when we departed…I think we left Yossi!”

Poor Yossi lay under the dining room table, With vodka and brandy and a glass of Black Label.

Kaplinsky was yelling, “This place is a churban!

The carpet and drapes and the walls reek of bourbon!”

The maid took the vacuum and started to use it, While Mr. Kaplinsky was spraying Renuzit, She did all the carpets and rugs she was able, And then started vacuuming under the table.

“DIOS MIO!” she cried, “I hit someone’s head.

Please, Señor Kaplinsky, he looks like he’s dead!”

And Mr. Kaplinsky, while secretly seething, Got down on his knees and saw Yossi was breathing.

Then he called Hatzalah; they came in a minute In a new ambulance, and they put Yossi in it.

Then straight to Mount Sinai with sirens and lights, They pumped out his stomach, he stayed overnight.

His parents came running, and stood by his bed, His mother was crying, his father’s face red.

He promised them it wouldn’t happen again, His dad said, “You better believe it, my friend.”

He could tell that his father was still quite enraged, When his dad said, “You’re grounded until you’re engaged.

You’ll stay in your room except during meals,

MARCH 12, 2015

The boys started dancing and getting quite busy, But Yossi was feeling a little bit dizzy, So he asked Naftali, “Hey, what should I do?”

He answered, “I think you need beer number two!”

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T’was the night before Purim, And all through the town, Lots of bochurim were drinking, Just chugging it down.

THE JEWISH HOME

Rocky Zweig

This ruling is final, there are no appeals.”

“Do you understand how much mommy cried?

Do you understand that you could have died?

We gave you our trust, all you did was abuse it, I love you my son, but I can’t excuse it!”

And so now we come to the end of our fable, Where Yossi was rescued from under a table.

We hope that this story will teach you to think, Before you reach out for that very first drink.

For soon there’s a second, and then there’s a third, ‘Cause nobody wants to feel like a nerd.

Remember next Purim, go out and collect, But please be a mensch and have some respect.

You won’t have to go around asking mechila, For the damage you did while drinking tequila.

If you just remain sober, don’t make a l’chaim, Next year may we see Purim in Yerushalayim!

Rocky Zweig has been writing since he was sixteen and was the Editor-in-Chief of the late and decidedly unlamented Modieinu, the mimeographed (remember mimeographs?) newspaper of the Tenth Avenue Pirchei of Boro Park, where he wrote everything from stories to news articles to hashkafa articles to...yes (now it can be told!)...letters to the editor.

Rocky was sixteen a very long time ago. He is the proud father of three marginally neurotic children. He has been married three — count ‘em — three times and has finally determined that he’s probably not very good at matrimonial bliss.

He lives in his Fortress of Solitude in Flatbush with a small menagerie: Clarice, a European Starling; Rabbi Horatio LeZard, a Bearded Dragon; an aquarium filled with Lake Malawi African Cichlids; and a ten gallon tank that functions as a Home for Unwanted Goldfish, or H.U.G., collected over the years by his grandkids and great nieces and nephews at myriad street fairs and carnivals (rather than face the unpleasant task of flushing these unfortunate piscine creatures when they are eventually, inevitably ignored by their own obnoxious progeny, the parents simply call Uncle Rocky who then feeds them and cares for them until their ultimate natural demise three or four or even ten years down the pike). So apparently Rocky seems to get along better with animals than with his fellow homo sapiens. Or sapienses. Or whatever.

Rocky’s column will be appearing every other week in The Jewish Home.

Notable Quotes

THE JEWISH HOME

Compiled by Nate Davis

“Say What?”

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MARCH 12, 2015

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A developer has created a zerogravity martini glass, which promises to let astronauts drink cocktails in space without spilling.

Our astronauts are drinking?

Guys, the first step is admitting to Houston that you have a problem.

– Seth Myers President Obama said he wants the United States to establish an embassy in Cuba

by April. When asked if Cuba would establish an embassy here, Obama said, “What do you call Miami?”

– Jimmy Fallon

Jeb Bush is getting his presidential campaign in gear. Last week he said he supports a path to citizenship for immigrants.

He said, “I believe in an America where hard work and dedication can lead to any job that your brother and dad once had.”

– Conan O’Brien

Today is my least favorite day of the year. It’s the Monday after daylight saving time starts. It throws me completely out of whack. I don’t know why they do this.

Even if it is necessary—which it isn’t—why do we have to spring forward all at once?

Can’t we tippy-toe forward one minute a day over two months?

– Jimmy Kimmel I still haven’t adjusted the clocks in my house. I’ll need four to six weeks. We can send a satellite to Mars, yet we cannot have a microwave that automatically adjusts its clock.

- Jimmy Kimmel

Hillary Clinton used a private email account to conduct official state business.

Experts say that if this violates any federal rules, then she . . . will still be president.

– Jimmy Fallon

During his speech in Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly referred to Congress as “my friends.” It was a move that had many in Congress Googling the word “friend.”

–Seth Myers

Since Obama is the godfather of the prefabricated revolutions in the Arab world, and since he is the ally of political Islam, [which is] the caring mother of [all] the terrorist organizations, and since he is working to sign an agreement with Iran that will come at the expense of the U.S.’s longtime allies in the Gulf, I am very glad of Netanyahu’s firm stance and [his decision] to speak against the nuclear agreement at the American Congress despite the Obama administration’s anger and fury.

–Dr. Ahmad Al-Faraj writing in the Saudi Arabian newspaper Al-Jazeera It is extremely rare for any reasonable person to ever agree with anything Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says or does… However, one must admit, Bibi did get it right, at least when it came to dealing with Iran… What is absurd, however, is that despite this being perhaps the only thing that brings together Arabs and Israelis (as it threatens them all), the only stakeholder that seems not to realize the danger of the situation is President Obama, who is now infamous for being the latest penpal of the Supreme Leader of the world’s biggest terrorist regime: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

– From an article on Al Arabiya’s website by Faisal J. Abbas, titled, “President Obama Listen to Netanyahu on Iran”

I checked the actuarial tables, and the lowest death rate is among six-year-olds. So I decided to eat like a six-year-old. It’s the safest course I can take.

- Warrant Buffett explaining to Fortune Magazine why he drinks five cans of Coca Cola every day and often eats ice cream for breakfast When it comes to defending the U.S.-Israel relationship, I am not intimidated by anyone–not Israel’s political enemies, and not by my political friends when I believe they’re wrong. As long as I have an ounce of fight left in me, as long as I have a vote and a say and a chance to protect the interest of Israel, the region, and the national security interests of the United States, Iran will never have a pathway to a weapon.

- Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) speaking at the AIPAC Convention one day before the Justice Department announced criminal charges against him after a year-long investigation The timing is curious. This investigation has been going on for over a year and yet the very week they announce a pending indictment comes within hours after Sen. Menendez showing courage to speak out against President Obama’s dangerous foreign policy that is risking the national security of this country.

- Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) discussing the pending charges against Sen. Robert Menendez

Joe Biden, as Barack Obama’s own secretary of defense has said, has been wrong about nearly every foreign policy and national security decision in the last 40 years. Moreover, if Joe Biden respects the dignity of the institution of the Senate he should be insisting that the president submit any deal to approval of the Senate, which is exactly what he did on numerous deals during his time in the Senate.

– Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), who spearheaded the letter, responding to criticism from Vice President Biden We now know that the crime they say is at the root of terrorism was not committed by Arabs or Muslims at all. They say the World Trade buildings were brought down by carefully placed explosives, not by planes. It is now becoming apparent that there were many Israelis and Zionist Jews in key roles in the 9/11 attacks… We’re dealing with thieves, liars and murderers. Listen to this. We know that many Israelis were arrested immediately after the attack, but quickly released and sent to Israel. We know that many Jews received a text message not to come to work September 11. Who sent that message that kept them from showing up? … It now appears 9/11 was a false flag operation, which is an attack from one country but made to appear like an attack from another in order to start a war between them. Is this what friendship is?

– Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in a sermon last week

Joe Biden will speak to … a human rights convention on Friday. Then on Saturday, he is scheduled to speak to them again to apologize for whatever he said in Friday’s speech.

- Jimmy Fallon

Yesterday was not only daylight saving time, but also International Women’s Day. What better way to address the issue of inequality for women than giving them a day that’s missing an hour.

– David Letterman Yesterday, the Supreme Court spent over an hour listening to arguments on whether Obamacare is unconstitutional. Yeah, listening to arguments about Obamacare for an hour, or as most people call that, “Thanksgiving dinner.”

– Jimmy Fallon

It seemed rather short.

– The world’s oldest person, Misao Okawas, when asked at her birthday party how it feels to have lived for 117 years so far

I was near tears throughout the prime minister’s speech – saddened by the insult to the intelligence of the United States as part of the P5+1 nations, and saddened by the condescension toward our knowledge of the threat posed by Iran and our broader commitment to preventing nuclear proliferation.

- From the written statement released by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) immediately after Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech to Congress

A Chinese family was kicked off a flight to Hong Kong because their 3-year-old wouldn’t sit in his seat. As a result, the 3-year-old missed his first day of work.

– Conan O’Brien

WARNING: I DO DUMB THINGS. - Message on the shirt of Luciano Gutierrez, 66, as he was busted for his ninth DWI in Texas

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MARCH 12, 2015

In 36 years in the United States Senate, I cannot recall another instance in which senators wrote directly to advise another country — much less a longtime foreign adversary — that the president does not have the constitutional authority to reach a meaningful understanding with them.

- Vice President Joe Biden responding to the Republicans’ letter to Iran

The world’s oldest person turned 117 today. And she celebrated the same way she did last year — by driving her car into somebody’s living room.

- Seth Myers

Forbes released its annual list of billionaires. Once again the richest person on the planet, with $79.2 billion, is Bill Gates. To put that into perspective, that’s enough money to never have to drink tap water at a restaurant ever again.

– Jimmy Kimmel

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I think it is somewhat ironic to see some members of Congress wanting to make common cause with hardliners in Iran. It is an unusual coalition.

- President Obama responding to the Republicans attempting to thwart his negotiations with the Iranians

The new Apple Watch is out…Hillary Clinton could use one of these Apple Watches. She could hook it up to her secret email account. If you want to contact Hillary, she’s at hillary@pantsuit.com.

– David Letterman

THE JEWISH HOME

We will consider any agreement regarding your nuclear-weapons program that is not approved by the Congress as nothing more than an executive agreement between President Obama and Ayatollah Khamenei. The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time.

- From a letter signed by 47 Republican senators to the government of Iran explaining to them that President Obama’s unilateral agreement with them may not be binding in the future

THE JEWISH HOME

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MARCH 12, 2015

114

Parenting Pearls

Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW

Teaching Values I have recently heard my son making disparaging comments about other groups of Jews who are different than we are. I was quite bothered by this especially because my husband and I try to be very respectful of all Jews, even if they are different from us. Both my husband and I have spoken to him about the matter on a few occasions. He listens to us and says that he agrees, but then he’ll make another such comment within a few days. I fear that he hears these comments from friends. How can we impress upon him how important this matter is to us?

Rabbi Staum Responds: To phrase your question in another way: How do we teach our children our values?

Rav Yitzchok Hutner zt”l once

noticed a father disciplining his son to daven. Every time the child would get up or divert his attention, the fa-

quiet, to sit down, to pay attention…

If you want to teach your son to daven, then daven!”

How can we get our children to value what we value? ther sternly redirected him. It was a battle.

“What are you doing?” Rav Hutner asked the father.

“I’m teaching my son to daven!” answered the father.

“No, you’re not,” said Rav Hutner. “You’re teaching your son to grow up to tell his own son to be

We live in a world with so many external influences antithetical to the Torah values we so badly want to instill in our children. Beyond that even within our own communities our children are influenced by friends and neighbors who may not share the same values as we do. Often it seems that when we try to teach our children about something important it ends up as a power struggle or at best as us lecturing. Lecturing our children hardly seems like the best option. How can we get our children to value what we value?

Instead of telling our children how to live we need to demonstrate it. The fact is that lessons can be taught, but values must be imparted.

Wise parents commit lots of honest, respectful, kind, and responsible acts in front of their kids.

Simply stated, actions speak louder than words. We need to always be vigilant to our own words and behaviors to assess whether we are living our own values.

The next time a driver who is a member of a different sect of Jews than your family cuts you off be careful how you speak about the person.

Another idea is to talk about values when we know our children can hear.

What we say in front of our kids is more important than what we say to them.

The proof is that many children

learn to value money and the pursuit of money because they often hear their parents talking about it, even though they may have much of it.

It’s unnerving at times to realize how much our children follow our lead.

Our children are mini-microphones of us. If you want to know how you sound on the phone listen to the way your younger children speak on the phone when playing house or listen to your older children as they speak on the phone to their friends. If you want to know how you deal with frustrating and challenging situations listen to how your children react in such situations.

Someone once asked Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l how he taught his children to recite brachos properly. Rav Yaakov replied that he never taught his children how to recite brachos. In his home his children saw and heard how he and his wife recited brachos, and they learned through osmosis.

If you have the chance to daven or spend a Shabbos with members of other groups of Jews speak about how beautiful the experience was. That will teach your children the value of respecting other groups of Jews.

We can’t force our children to adopt our values.

The most we can do is try to inspire them to want to follow our positive example.

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.

115 THE JEWISH HOME

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117 THE JEWISH HOME

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MARCH 12, 2015

118 100

In The Kitchen

Naomi Nachman

Fresh Fish for Pesach I

am constantly challenged to come up with new ideas for Pesach. I try to create original, delicious recipes with fresh new ideas for my clients as well as for my family. These recipe are a really big

hit with my tasters (i.e. my family, who are my biggest critics!).

Nut Crusted Salmon with Creamy Chrain Sauce The marriage of flavors and textures between the kick of the creamy chrain and the crunchy, salty and sweet nut mixture makes this dish a real winner.

Ingredients 1/8 cup red horseradish 1/8 cup mayonnaise 1 cup shelled salted pistachios ½ cup brown sugar 2 tablespoon lemon juice 2 pounds salmon fillet (one whole side of a salmon)

Directions Mix the horseradish and mayonnaise together in a small bowl.

Place the salmon on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread the mixture over the fish and set aside.

In a food processor, crush the nuts until they are coarsely ground but not too fine. Add in the brown sugar and lemon juice and mix until it looks like wet sand. Pat the nut mixture on top of salmon and bake for 25 minutes at 350°.

Sweet and Sour Tilapia

Middle Eastern White Fish

This recipe is very family friendly, doubles easily and freezes well. You can use salmon as well.

This recipe bursts with Israeli flavors. If you like it spicy, add more cayenne pepper. It’s delicious hot or cold. You can also use tilapia or salmon.

Ingredients 1-2 pounds tilapia cut in half lengthwise ½ cup matzah meal (gebrochts, optional) Salt and pepper Oil for pan searing 2 onions, cut into rings 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 cup ketchup ¾ cup brown sugar Pinch cinnamon 1 can pineapple chunks with syrup 4 carrots, sliced into rings 1 tablespoon potato starch 2 cups water, divided Directions Rinse the fish, then pat dry. Mix the matzah meal together with salt and pepper. Dip fish in mix and shake off excess. If you are not using matzah meal, just salt and pepper the fish.

Heat oil in a frying pan and pan-sear the fish until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes on each side.

Drain on absorbent paper.

Slice the onions thinly and sauté with garlic until soft. Add ketchup, pinch cinnamon, brown sugar, can of pineapple chunks with the liquid, and ½ the water. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine the potato starch and remaining water until all clumps are dissolved and add to simmering sauce. Bring back to boil until sauce thickens, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place fish in casserole dish. Pour sauce over fish and bake for 15 minutes at 350°.

Ingredients 8 slices white fish 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion, diced 1 teaspoon cumin ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 3 gloves garlic, minced, or 4 cubes from frozen package 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro or parsley, or 6 cubes from frozen package 1 plum tomato, diced 14oz can tomato sauce Kosher salt to taste Water

Directions Heat a large sauté pan for a minute and then add oil. Add onion and sauté until soft.

Place fish fillets on top of mixture. Cook for a few minutes and turn to coat other side and cook for another 3 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic, cilantro or parsley, plum tomato, tomato sauce, and salt. Pour over fish in sauté pan. Add enough water to cover fish (not more than 8 ounces). Cook for another 15 minutes until fish is cooked through.

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.

119 THE JEWISH HOME 

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Forgotten Heroes

121

The Bravery of Max Guedj

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raids. It was up to the tireless air force to fend off these attacks. Guedj continued serving with Coastal Command and made up to three patrols a day. Attacking moving boats from the air with unguided bombs is difficult but he had to attack small boats that could disappear under the water in about a minute—submarines. German U-boat submarines prowled off the coast looking for any ships or convoys bringing in vital supplies. Guedj was assigned to these patrols and in 1943 was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses for “his quiet and unassuming attitude … [his] exceptional zeal to fly and fight are a wonderful example for all those around him.” Guedj also received a DSO (Distinguished Service Order) and many French medals for his bravery in the air. Several times his plane was shot up yet he managed to bring it back to base to fly another time. He even managed to shoot down a Junkers 88 over the Bay of Biscay.

In 1944, Guedj was promoted to wing commander which was a rare honor for a foreigner in the RAF. After his tour of duty was up in 1944, Guedj was assigned to be an instructor but still routinely went up on combat missions. He took part in many operations including covering the Normandy invasion. Many of his heroics may never be known as they weren’t all written down.

MARCH 12, 2015

A

t the beginning of World War Allies slowly gained control of the II the Germans only looked skies—first over England and then over eastward and quickly subdued Europe. Daring pilots were in short Poland before the onset of winter in supply and many airmen from occu1939. That winter was called the Pho- pied countries volunteered to serve. ny War as Germany Max Guedj was one waited until May 1940 of those pilots, even to attack Western Euthough he was from a rope. France, Belgium, French protectorate.

Holland and England He was born in 1913 all had declared war and was a considered on Germany but didn’t a French national by attack. Finally, in one birth. Coming from of their patented blitza family of lawyers, krieg campaigns, GerMax studied law in many gained control Paris and became an over most of the contiaccomplished lawyer. nent except Great BritInterestingly enough, ain and a few neutral he lived for short pecountries (Switzerriods of time in GerA brave hero, Max Guedj land, Sweden, Spain many, Russia and the and Portugal). Many U.S. In 1938, Max of the soldiers fighting the Germans es- obtained a private pilot’s license and a caped to England where several coun- year later was inducted into the French tries organized governments in exile Army as an infantryman. After France to fight the occupying Nazis. The Free capitulated, he joined the Royal Air French became the most well-known Force in England as a student pilot. because they contributed a lot of manAfter finishing pilot training, he was power towards the Allied cause. Free assigned to Coastal Command to proFrenchmen served in all branches of tect the borders and convoys coming in the military and many were decorated and out of England. Guedj’s plane was heroes by the war’s end. One of these a Bristol Beufighter and he later piloted fighters was a Jewish Tunisian fighting a De Havilland Mosquito, which were for the French named Jean Max Mau- both hybrid fighter-bombers and workrice Guedj. horses of the RAF. It was in a BeufightFrance surrendered to Germany in er that he took part in an important raid the summer of 1940 and a puppet gov- that damaged a German capital ship, ernment called Vichy France took con- the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. On May trol. However, under General Charles 17, 1942, 46 British planes attacked the De Gaulle many servicemen were still ship and put her out of commission for loyal to the Allies. Over the next four several months. Guedj made three passyears much of France’s miles over the cruisitary might changed loyer fighting off alties from Vichy to Free antiaircraft fire France. Many French and returned to soldiers took part in the base safely even invasion of Normandy though his plane in June 1944 and rewas rife with captured Paris later in bullet holes. the year. These soldiers These were served in separate units uncertain times in the British 12th Army. for the Allies There were even Free stationed in French airborne comGreat Britain mandos that parachutas the Germans ed in with the advance pounded the troops as part of the country with landings. seemingly endthe Liberation Museum in Paris During this time the A plaque inin memory less bomber of Max Guedj

THE JEWISH HOME

Avi Heiligman

A Bristol Beaufighter

Sadly, his flying career came to a tragic end on January 15, 1945. Guedj was flying his Mosquito on an attack of a 6,000 ton tanker off the coast of Norway. After significantly damaging it, they found themselves the target of a dozen German fighters. Max Guedj and his British navigator, Flight Lieutenant Langley, were shot down and there was no trace of them after the battle. Four other Mosquitoes were shot down in the raid as well.

Servicemen and women who gave their lives so that world could be free of tyrants are never forgotten. The story of Max Guedj is extraordinary given his background. For a Tunisian-born Jew to fight with the Free French in England was unusual. The dedication he put into protecting England and fighting to rid France of the Nazis was the story of many forgotten heroes of World War II.

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions.for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.

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Health & Fitness

David Elazar Simai, MD

Dealing with a Loose Stomach Dear Readers, Dealing with diarrhea seems to be a perennial issue. When I am asked by concerned parents, “Is there a stomach virus going around this week?” I usually reply, “Yes, there is a stomach virus going around almost every week of the year.”

In order to make everyone familiar with the basic causes and my treatment approach for children with diarrhea, I decided to share with you a recent handout that I created for my patients.

• Most cases of diarrhea are viral in nature and can present along with fevers and vomiting.

• Infectious diarrhea could easily last two weeks.

• Dangerous diarrhea strains such as salmonella or shigella usually presents with high fevers and bloody diarrhea.

• One of the most common complications of diarrhea is

dehydration.

• Children and adults with diarrhea cannot digest milk normally and therefore could have more pain and loose stools when they eat

dairy products.

• Patients with diarrhea lose

large amount of salt and water (electrolytes) in their stools, so do not try to re-hydrate them with just plain water.

How Should I Treat my Child?

1. Feed your child the “BRAT” diet—Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast 2. Hydrate well with Pedialyte (if not available, try Gatorade, Powerade or Vitamin Water) to replenish the lost electrolytes.

3. Chicken soup broth, crackers and saltines can be helpful.

4. Avoid milk at all costs.

5. Yogurt may help; the probiotics found in yogurt can stop the diarrhea faster.

6. Probiotics can be purchased over the counter at your pharmacy if your child cannot tolerate yogurt.

7. Avoid greasy or fried foods.

8. Avoid acidic foods like fruits, tomato sauce, and pizza. They will often lead to bleeding diaper rashes.

9. Change your child’s diapers often to prevent diaper rash.

10. Use Vaseline, A & D Ointment, Buttpaste, Desitin or Balmex after air drying the diaper area.

11. Avoid wiping the diaper area with wipes to keep the skin intact. Use lukewarm water instead to clean the area.

If Your Child Starts to Vomit: • If they vomit once: stop giving solid foods and start giving sips of Pedialyte or Gatorade.

• If the vomiting repeats a few times, sit next to your child for an hour or two and give one teaspoon

of Pedialyte every five minutes – not faster! This way, your child will absorb all the fluids before they have a chance to vomit again.

This step is the most important one.

• After successful, slow hydration for a few hours, if your child would like, try to give her crackers or saltines and if she tolerates this, you could advance the diet further.

• If your child continues to vomit despite having five minute breaks between sips, call your doctor.

She may be severely dehydrated and may need intravenous fluids.

With the slow hydration technique (and of course G-d’s constant help) I manage to prevent the vast majority of patients from severe dehydration. It’s amazing to see how in about an hour, a lethargic child who came to my office vomiting half a dozen times could drink a cup of Gatorade we gave him (slowly), perk up and leave the office smiling.

If the virus has hit your household, try and use good hand washing practices especially before mealtime in order to limit spreading the virus.

Having said that, I hope that with spring around the corner your children won’t bring any of these circulating stomach viruses home. The spring tends to bring a wave of especially bad stomach viruses…and April showers and flowers.

Sincerely, David Elazar Simai, M.D. 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.

Dr. Deb

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A Way to Think of Ourselves

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is holding based on what they can do, not based on what’s wrong with them.

And the goal, of course, is to do better and better.

In a way, people who have faced difficult challenges are better off than those who haven’t. They’ve tested their mettle and gotten help if they weren’t able to pass. But in the end, when they

to respond by re-thinking his position as Abie would have liked. Instead, Marty hardens his position. We can’t control other people’s minds.

It is possible that Abie has to let go of believing that he can accomplish anything at all. This is very hard and also very sad for him to acknowledge.

Here, he sees a family mess and he is

In a way, people who have faced difficult challenges are better off than those who haven’t. do pass, they’re stronger, smarter, richer, more skilled, more flexible and wiser than those who were never tested.

Take, for example, the person who

complained last week that he was shaken to the core about a cutoff in his immediate family (all stories are made up). He has become – unwillingly – the go-between for two people who technically aren’t speaking but want to relay angry, vindictive messages to one another. He is hurt beyond words at the breakdown in communication but even more hurt by the attitudes that the two people harbor against one another.

This gentleman, who is in pain, is kind and sympathetic and wishes only that he could change the way the people he loves think about one another. But he can’t. So the first thing that he will be learning is that although we all do have an effect on others, those others may respond to our influence in ways we do not want. So, for example, this gentleman, we’ll call him Abie, has indeed, impressed upon one family member, Marty, how wrong he is in his impressions of the motives of another member, Alice. But Marty chooses not

powerless to salvage anything. So the very next thing that Abie must learn is how to be happy with his life again in spite of what is swirling around him. He

has to turn to his work, his interests, and his other family members for the joy that Marty has taken away.

Finally, Abie may have to limit his contact with either Marty or Alice or both, whichever person has a toxic at-

titude. Our requirement here on Earth is ivdu es Hashem b’simcha [serve G-d with joy]. Abie did try to help, but it did not work. We can’t make choices for other people; that is what their bechira is for.

At some point in his journey, Abie will realize that because of this unpleasant experience, he is stronger, more resilient, and more capable than many other people that he knows. He will know that he has become a deeper, more thoughtful, more aware person.

He will recognize that he knows what his limits are. These are the elements of wisdom and he might not have acquired them in any other way.

So, yes, in an odd sort of way, his terrible nisayon has helped him be not only a better person than he was, but a person of greater capability in dealing with life than many others who were not tested. Isn’t this part of life, too – to grow as a person?

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.

MARCH 12, 2015

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e have been traversing “Marbim B’Simcha” Adar, the month of increasing joy, going towards the greatest of all joy – renewal at Pesach. We will be a new people in a new year. Our life will be new – if we wish it to be.

Thinking of renewal got me thinking. Someone I’m seeing wanted to claim insurance reimbursement and handed me a form to fill out. I hate this part of my job. Not that I mind the paperwork (although I don’t care for it) but I hate having to pin labels on people. And I was thinking about the various people I know, some in therapy with me and others who are friends, family, and colleagues. It started me wondering (once again) why people in therapy should get labels.

Yes, they are not coping well with the curve balls that Hashem has thrown them. That is correct. But the people who are not in therapy, the happy, well-adjusted ones: Is it possible that G-d has simply not given them the same difficulty of challenges? Maybe with the same nisyonos they would not do any better than my clients.

Perhaps the confident, slightly smug exterior of those I know who are truly happy with their good fortune would drop very quickly if faced with unexpected deaths, illness, cheating, abandonment, or emotional abuse.

It’s certainly easy to line up your Will with G-d’s Will when He is not doing anything to provoke your resentment, anger, bitterness, despondency, or anxiety. It’s another thing to cope gracefully with tzar [trouble] when it is devastating and you were never prepared for it.

Looked at that way, the insurance industry should stop labeling people (as the National Institute of Health has now done) and instead label the difficulty of Life’s challenges. In other words, I have started going to the gym. If I were asked to pick up a 100 lb. weight, I couldn’t do it; I would fail terribly. Does that make me inadequate? So, smart trainers gauge the weight they ask their customers to lift based on those customers’ skills and strength. Then and only then would it make sense to stick a label on the customer.

But wait. They wouldn’t stick a label on the customer at that point. They actually write down where the customer

THE JEWISH HOME

Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

THE JEWISH HOME 

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Life Coach

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This Week’s Challenge

THE JEWISH HOME

Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

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Fixing someone up is an effort!

Don’t you go to enough lectures to know whether it works or not is not in your hands? Who’s running the world, anyway?!

Here’s another common statement people make when asked to fix people up: “I would but I don’t know anyone!” You are kidding, right?!

You must know someone! You are not living on a deserted desert island are

you?!

And guess what? That someone may know someone, who knows someone, etc. Get it?! You do not have to know a single someone personally. You just have to have it on your agenda to ask the people you do know who they know. Everyone eventually knows a single guy or girl.

People complain about the shidduch crisis. Well, here’s the challenge: stop complaining and do something about it! This week! Try to make one match. Whether you’re 8, 18 or 80 you know people.

An 8-year-old camper who loved his counselor, told his grandparents about him and his grandparents took him seriously and met the counselor.

Now the counselor is married to their grandchild. No, not to the 8-year-old – their 18-year-old granddaughter.

Friends should fix up friends; people of dating age know the most people their age. Often kids get married and claim, “I only know married people now!” or “All of my friends are married already.” Well, even those married people have friends, siblings, business associates. Remember the saying you heard as a toddler, “Use your words,” well use them...and ask people who they know. You were single once. Don’t forget the people who are single now.

Now what about you older marrieds who say, “My kids are too young,” “I only know people with little kids,” “I’m not up to that yet.” I’ve got good news for you—your kids will grow up! I’ve got bad news for you—your kids will be part of the shidduch scene one day! Think expansively now! Ask people about single sisters or brothers they have—nephews, nieces, people in shul. It’s like six degrees of separation. If you just start talking everyone knows some-

one who knows someone….

And now, you people “in the parsha,” so to speak—meaning you have kids dating, Don’t, I repeat, don’t just worry about your own child.

You know the saying, “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans!” Meaning while you put your effort in for someone else, often someone breathes a little life into your child’s world. (No, don’t ignore your child, they always need you, but don’t ignore someone else’s either.)

Now, how about you moms who have a bunch of sons? Very often it feels freeing, right? ‘Cause they say boys have it easier. Well, here’s the truth: not all boys! And here’s the second truth, those boys who have it easy now may have girls in the next

generation. So make your effort now for others and maybe G-d will make it easy for your granddaughters!

You may not be good at it!

You may not make it happen!

You may not know who is right for who!

But whatever age you are, whatever stage you are at, just take on the challenge! Make the effort! And you will be a success! ‘Cause fixing them up is your goal—not marrying them off. That’s their job and their challenge of the week!

Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and career and life coach. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com

MARCH 12, 2015

S

o you know how people often say, “I’m really not good at it!” Well, let me tell you something, there are certain things we still want you to do even if you are not good at it—like help clean the table, or shovel the driveway, or pick someone up at the train station. These are not things we really need someone to be good at; you just need to be willing to get involved or make the effort.

Well, here’s another request people answer “I’m just not good at” to, and it’s “Why don’t you try fixing someone up?” Like what exactly do they mean? Are they afraid they won’t know who will like who? Who does?!

People who chose their mates directly apparently think they are “good at it.” After all, they ask for no help.

Besides “I’m not good at it,” here’s another common statement people use to avoid helping with a fix up. “I have tried but I haven’t been successful.” Oh, so are you always successful? I mean, didn’t you ever shoot for a basket and miss? Is that a reason to quit? It’s part of how the experience works: you miss some, you make some! It’s the effort that’s important.

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COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

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

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1 4 9 2 E A S T 1 2 T H S T R E E T, B R O O K LY N , N Y 1 1 2 3 0

7 18.769.8160

THE New

Seminary asjv rbhnx

f: 7 18.769.8640

Rebbetzin Sora F. Bulka MENAHELES

Rabbi Yeshaya Levy MENAHEL

I N F O @ T H E N E W S E M I N A R Y. O R G

w/ College Grad AND Lease Loyalty

w/ College Grad OR Lease Loyalty

Customer Lease Special

Ridiculously Low Prices!

per Month

36 Month Lease 12,000 Miles Per Year Up to $5,000 Damage Waiver Available

2015 Infiniti Q40 AWD

2015 Altima SV

$

150* $165* $179* w/ College Grad AND Lease Loyalty

w/ Lease Loyalty

Customer Lease Special

235* $259*

$ per Month

36 Month Lease 12,000 Miles Per Year Up to $5,000 Damage Waiver Available

w/ Lease Loyalty

Customer Lease Special

39 Month Lease 10,000 Miles Per Year Up to $5,000 Damage Waiver Available

Expires 3/17/15

Join Our Email List For Specials www.wheelstolease.com/joinemaillist

per Month

MARCH 12, 2015

109* $129* $145*

$



2014 Nissan Sentra S

THE JEWISH HOME

WHY CLEAN YOUR CAR FOR PESACH, WHEN YOU CAN GET A NEW ONE!

Sale will take place: Monday, March 16 7pm-10pm Tuesday, March 17 10am-1pm 633 Oakland Avenue Cedarhurst NY (718) 490-4047