Five Towns Jewish Home - 6-14-18

June 14, 2018

Distributed weekly in the Five Towns, Long Island, Queens & Brooklyn

Your Favorite Five Towns Family Newspaper

VILLAGE OF LAWRENCE ELECTIONS See page 7

Around the

Community 43 Governor Cuomo Visits the Five Towns

pg

97

pg

93

TJH Interviews the Candidates In the Name of Diversity, New York’s Mayor Wants to Destroy the American Dream pg 123

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Photo-Op or Historical Moment?

A Heartfelt Tribute at the White Shul’s Annual Dinner

46 Gesher’s First Annual Dinner Raises the Bar

What Happened in Singapore and What the Future Holds pg103 Launch of Dirshu Dorshei HaDaf Program PAGE 17

PAGE 60

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JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Dear Readers,

I

moved to Lawrence eleven years ago and I have never looked back. I love living in a place where I know that my children can play freely on the block with their friends. I love living in a place where the people in the post office know that I mail papers to Israel every other week, the manicurist calls me “Shana,” and those who bag my groceries know that I like my Shabbos shopping to be packed in boxes. I’m living in a small town – and I am so grateful.

The beauty of living in a small town is that each one of us is cognizant of how we play a vital role in the village. And on Tuesday, we will realize just how loud our voices are when we vote in next week’s election.

I have always been an advocate of voting.

It’s been engrained in me since I was young. My father would come home from work on Election Day. “Did you vote?” he would ask each of us.

Of course we did – we knew that in our family we were expected to vote once we turned 18.

Now, note that my father never asked us who we voted for. It really didn’t matter. Nowadays, I know that my father and I don’t always vote for the same party or candidate – and that’s OK. The important part is that we vote. We make sure that our voices are heard.

In July of 2017 there were an estimated 6,607 people living in Lawrence. Of those few thousand living in Lawrence, not all of them can vote. Some of them are not registered; others are not yet of voting age. So we’re left with a pool of around 2,000 individuals who can vote in Lawrence elections. Two years ago, when

there was a mayoral election in Lawrence, only about 510 people voted in that election. Where were the others? Perhaps they were busy at work or maybe their kids were sick. Others thought that it really didn’t matter if they cast their vote one way or another.

I’ll tell you why it’s important that you vote – especially in a local election like Tuesday’s.

Our politicians work hard for us. In the Village of Lawrence the mayor and trustees are volunteers – they do not get paid for their work. And yet, they devote their time and energies to helping make Lawrence a beautiful, safe, and comfortable place to live and to bring up families.

A vote on Election Day tells them that we’re engaged and appreciative of what they’ve been – and will be – doing. It tells them that their constituents want to be involved in the process.

It shows them that we’re a small town – and each one of us wants to be heard.

I know both candidates who are running for mayor in the upcoming election. They are both wonderful individuals who are concerned for the klal. Both of them expend time and energy in helping others. Both of them have their strengths that they will use to continue to make Lawrence a wonderful home to hundreds of frum families.

Please take the few minutes out of your busy schedule on Tuesday to stop by Village Hall to vote. Each vote – and voice – counts.

Make your voice heard.

Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

Yitzy Halpern PUBLISHER

publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Yosef Feinerman MANAGING EDITOR

ads@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Shoshana Soroka EDITOR

editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Nate Davis Editorial Assistant Nechama Wein Copy Editor Berish Edelman Mati Jacobovits Design & Production Gabe Solomon Distribution & Logistics P.O. BOX 266 Lawrence, NY 11559 Phone | 516-734-0858 Fax | 516-734-0857 Classified: Deadline Monday 5PM classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.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. The Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The Jewish Home contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly.

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JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

8 8

Readers’ Poll COMMUNITY Community Happenings

42 TJH Speaks with Michael Fragin

93

TJH Speaks with Mayor Alex Edelman 97 NEWS

36

Global

12

National

28

Odd-but-True Stories

36

Photo-Op or Historical Moment by Susan 103 Schwamm

ISRAEL Israel News

22

Family Matters by Rafi Sackville

90

PEOPLE Jules Herman Sitrick, Wartime Hero by Avi Heiligman

124

PARSHA Rabbi Wein

84

Turning Toward the Source of Light by Rav Moshe Weinberger

86

JEWISH THOUGHT Korach Island by Eytan Kobre

88

HEALTH & FITNESS The Line Between Addictions and Self-Soothing

by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn

110

Snacking Isn’t All that Bad by Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

112

FOOD & LEISURE The Aussie Gourmet: White Pizza

113

Dear Editor, I’ve been a Lawrence resident for the past five years and I am so grateful to live in a place where I can raise a frum family in a peaceful and safe neighborhood. Based on the happenings at several recent Lawrence Village meetings, I’ve read disturbing reports of individuals proposing to build a hotel, an assisted living center, a massive apartment complex, or a commercial property on Rock Hall Road. We are lucky to have a strong advocate for our wellbeing in Mayor Edelman. He has been an exemplary mayor consistently opposing these plans to ensure unwanted noise, traffic, and strangers are not brought to our area just to make money. He has shown time and again – by being responsive to our needs whether fixing roads, removing snow or dealing with any issues residents raise – that he is truly a public servant, not a politician.

Please join me on June 19 in re-electing Mayor Alex Edelman as Mayor of Lawrence. He has proven his main concern is the families that live here and the safety of our children. Save our Village from being commercialized and our quality of life from being destroyed.

Sincerely, Leah Ben-David

Dear Editor, As recent Trustees of the Village of Lawrence, we feel well qualified to comment on the upcoming elections in our Village. We have spent hundreds if not thousands of hours over 8-10 years working on Village matters and have had the opportunity to work with many of the elected officials and Village employees.

Based on our experience as your elected officials, we endorse Michael Fragin’s election as Village Mayor without reservation. Michael brings significant expertise at multiple levels of government to a small Village.

Michael came to every meeting prepared and examines and studies all issues that come before the Board.

He is responsive to resident inquiries. Additionally, Michael has been creative and anticipatory of issues affecting our community and has been proactive in trying to solve them. Michael is honest and a consensus builder who will recognize and respect opposing points of view. Michael, as a longtime member of Hatzalah and as a volunteer in other various community programs, has spent a significant amount of time helping others in the greater community.

It is critical for the health and wellbeing of our Village to have Continued on page 10

LIFESTYLES Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer 106 Mann, LCSW Take Control over Your Home with Disney Circle by Adiel Lejbovitz 126

112

Your Money

133

Who is Messing with the Roads? by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., 134 CLC, SDS

HUMOR Centerfold

82

POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes

114

Obama Took Lying to New Heights with the Iran Deal

by Mark Thiessen

122

In the Name of Diversity, New York’s Mayor Wants to Destroy the Ameri123 can Dream by Richard Cohen CLASSIFIEDS

128

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woman who wrote into the “Dating Dialogue” column this week and expressed that she has no interest in getting married but that her parents are making her date.

To this dear young woman: life, when you’re young, is carefree and spirited. We feel as if we can conquer the world and we want to spread our wings and enjoy our freedom. Your parents, though, have been through many years of life. And they know that time eventually will bring with it different circumstances – some wonderful and some more problematic.

Having a life partner who can help you navigate those circumstances – and help you enjoy those situations as well – can make things all that more wonderful and manageable.

Even more years down the road, when you’re retired and looking to enjoy your retirement, think about what life will be like on your own.

Wouldn’t you appreciate having a steady “friend” who you can always count on to be on your side?

Now, if you have been in a home where your parents were not friends and there was constant fighting, then, yes, I can understand why you may feel you’re better off alone. And perhaps, there may have been someone in your life who has hurt you – physically or emotionally – and you may feel more secure alone. I can understand that. If that is the case, though, perhaps you may benefit from speaking with someone who can help you with what you saw or experienced.

Your parents want you to date because they don’t want you to turn around in five, ten, or even twenty years and lament the fact that you are alone – and that it was your own choice to do so. They just want their child to be happy – even when you’re not their little girl anymore.

Sincerely, Ahuva Reichman

Touro is an equal opportunity institution. For Touro’s complete Non-Discrimination Statement, please visit www.touro.edu.

Michael elected as mayor. His perspective is a needed one and his experience and energy, with a strong financial focus, are real assets to the board and the village as a whole.

Michael can always be counted on to ask the tough questions on expenditures, ask the right questions on a myriad of proposals that come before the Mayor and Board. With his extensive government knowledge, he will continue to make sure that the Village is complying with laws and requirements.

Please, for the long term health of our Village, please vote for Michael Fragin, Village Mayor on Tuesday, June 19, 2018.

Ed Klar, Trustee Village of Lawrence 2004-2012 Joel Mael, Deputy Mayor and Trustee Village of Lawrence 2003-2013 Dear Editor, I enjoy your paper very much and like to read it through every week.

The first thing I read each time is the

quotes. I never reached out to you before but I want to commend you for being able to keep it interesting, informative and entertaining each week in that section. I know that it must be hard to keep things “clean” and not all about politics – considering that everything seems to be about politics these days.

Keep up the good work!

Chananya Cooper Dear Editor, This letter is meant for the young

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT Please note the eiruv extends to the playground at the Far Rockaway boardwalk and Beach 9th Street but the rest of the Far Rockaway boardwalk is NOT covered by the eiruv.

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home

The Week In News

Temporary Taliban “Time Out”

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani recently announced a three-day ceasefire over the Eid holiday with the Taliban. The break in fighting marks the first ceasefire since the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.

“All the mujahideen [Islamic warriors] are directed to stop offensive operations against Afghan forces for

the first three days of Eid-al-Fitr,” the Afghan Taliban said in a WhatsApp message. “But if the mujahideen are attacked, we will strongly defend [ourselves],” the group added.

Foreign troops were excluded from the ceasefire. “Foreign occupiers are the exception,” the Taliban announcement said. “Our operations will continue against them, we will attack them wherever we see them.”

President Ghani was clear that only the Taliban would be spared in the ceasefire but fighting against other militant groups, including “Islamic State,” would continue. Ghani hopes that the ceasefire will give the Taliban time to reflect on the “negative effects of their violent campaign.”

“With the ceasefire announcement, we epitomize the strength of the Afghan government and the will of the people for a peaceful resolution to the Afghan conflict,” the president added.

The United States confirmed that it would respect the ceasefire as well. “We will adhere to the wishes of Afghanistan for the country to enjoy a peaceful end to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, and support the search for an end to the conflict,” said General John Nicholson, the U.S. commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan.

$2.5B in Aid Going to Jordan

Jordan’s neighbors are coming together to help the struggling country during its recent economic crisis. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have all agreed to provide $2.5 billion in aid to Jordan, whose economy has hit the skids following the recent wave of anti-austerity protests.

“In light of the close brotherly ties … it was agreed that the three countries would provide an economic aid package to Jordan totaling $2.5 billion,” the official Saudi Press Agency said. The package will include a deposit in the Jordanian central bank, World Bank guarantees, budgetary support over five years, and financing for development projects. It was announced at a summit, which was held in Mecca.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II along with Saudi King Salman and leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait all attended the meeting.

Jordan has been rocked by mass protests against rising prices and a proposed tax hike. The country is pushing for the measures to curb the government’s debt, much of which it owes since securing a $723 million loan from the International Monetary Fund in 2016. Austerity measures tied to the loan led to a dramatic surge in the prices of everyday items across the kingdom. Angry protests over the tax proposals forced Prime Minister Hani Mulki to resign last week.

Although authorities announced that they were withdrawing the tax legislation, the balance needed to meet popular demands and reduce the debt burden is very delicate. Jordan blames its economic woes on the general instability in the region and the influx of refugees it has received from Syria over the past six years of civil war.

Return to Sender It been years but a letter written

by Christopher Columbus is now back in Spain.

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home

eries, addressed to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Only about 80 copies of all editions have survived.

Investigators learned that one of the copies had been stolen from the National Library of Catalonia in Barcelona and determined in 2012 that the one at the library was a forged copy.

The stolen letter had been sold for about $1 million in June 2011, according to ICE. The person who had the letter volunteered to transfer it after “extensive negotiations with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware,” ICE said.

“I am pleased to be able to return a priceless piece of cultural property to its rightful owners,” Alysa D. Erichs, the Homeland Security Investigations acting deputy executive associate director, said in a statement.

This is the second time that the U.S. has returned a stolen Columbus letter to a European country.

In 2016, the U.S. returned an eight-page copy that had been stolen from a library in Florence, Italy, and donated to an unsuspecting U.S. Library of Congress. The letter from Italy is believed to have been stolen and replaced with forgery in about 1950.

Last week, the United States returned a rare copy of a letter by the explorer describing his discoveries in the New World, after it had been stolen from a museum in Spain.

The investigation into the stolen letter spanned seven years and on Wednesday it was transferred back to Spanish authorities during a repatriation ceremony, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

ICE, which investigates looted cultural heritage and stolen artwork, and the Department of Justice worked on the case after receiving a tip in 2011 that several manually printed copies of the letter had been stolen from European libraries.

Known as the Catalonia Plannck II Columbus Letter, it contains the explorer’s 1493 account of his discov-

That document was consigned in late 1992 to a New York auction house by a rare book dealer who purchased it two years before “from an unknown entity.” A private buyer paid $300,000 in November 1992 and donated the item to the Library of Congress in 2004, where it had remained. Federal investigators took custody of it in March 2014 and had further testing conducted. It showed a chemical was used to bleach the ink of the Italian library’s stamp. The U.S. returned the document, which was a copy printed in Latin by Stephan Plannck.

ICE has returned more than 11,000 artifacts to over 30 countries.

Jewish Teen Murdered by Migrant in Germany A 20-year-old that was seeking asylum in Iraq has been brought back to Germany to stand trial for the murder of a 14-year-old Jewish girl. “I am delighted the suspect sought by justice is back in Germany,” said Interi-

or Minister Horst Seehofer, adding that Ali Bashar would now “rapidly” face trial.

Bashar is accused of assaulting and killing Susanna Maria Feldman, Hy”d, in the German city of Wiesbaden. He was detained in Iraq following public outcry after German police said that he was able to flee the country with his family. Although there is no official extradition agreement between Iraq and Germany, Bashar was put on a Lufthansa flight to Germany from Erbil, the Kurdish regional capital.

Tariq Ahmad, police chief for the Dohuk province of Iraqi Kurdistan, told reporters that “during interrogation following his arrest, the young man originally from Kurdistan confessed to killing the German girl.”

Bashar arrived in Germany with his parents and five siblings in December of 2016. They claimed to be

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refugees when, in fact, they were in Germany to seek a better economic situation. His asylum request was rejected at the end of 2016 and he should have been deported. Sadly, he was not. And so began three years of a crime wave by Bashar which included assaults on police officers, robbery with a knife, and possession of illegal weapons. In March of this year, Bashar was a suspect in the assault of an 11-year-old girl at the same refugee shelter where the Bashar family was living.

Susanna disappeared from her home on May 22. Her mother filed a missing person’s report but police thought that she was a runaway. Finally, police mobilized. Tipped off by a 13-year-old migrant boy living in an asylum shelter of the kind that dot Germany these days, the police soon had a suspect. Detectives found Susanna’s body on June 6 in a wooded area near railroad tracks on the outskirts of Wiesbaden, a few miles from her home. She had been assaulted and strangled to death.

Renewed pressure is being put on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government over her decision to open Germany’s borders to Europe’s refugees in 2015. More than a million asylum seekers have entered Germany since then. Demonstrators across the country held a minute of silence for the slain teenager. Susanna’s murder is becoming more than just a blip on the screen of a towering wave of crime that Germany has seen since accepting thousands of refugees. Germans, sick of their children and women being assaulted by migrants, are speaking out. Violent crime in Germany has risen by at least ten percent since Merkel opened the country’s doors in mid-2015. In fact, on New Year’s in 2016 at least 1,200 women were assaulted by some 2,000 men – a terribly scourge that German police have attempted to hush up.

Susanna’s murder is the fourth death of a German teenage girl by the hands of a migrant in the last year and a half. Alice Weidel, the leader of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which surged in last fall’s federal elections, winning almost 13 percent of the vote and 94 seats in the German parliament, made note of the wave of murders of young teenage girls. “Susanna is dead. Maria from Freiburg; Mia from Kandel; Mireille from Flensburg; and now Susanna from Mainz,” she lamented. Weidel, who has called for Merkel to step down over her failures of leadership on the migration issue, went on: “Su-

sanna’s death is not a blind stroke of fate,” she noted. “Susanna’s death is the result of many years of organized irresponsibility and the scandalous failure of our asylum and immigration policies.”

Sanctions for Migrant Slave Traders

In a first of its kind, the UN Security Council has imposed sanctions on six men who have been accused of trafficking migrants in Libya. The motion for the sanctions was filed by the Netherlands and supported by France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. Russia put a “technical hold” on the motion in May and requested more evidence, but dropped its objection last Thursday. This is the first time that the committee has enforced international sanctions on individuals for human trafficking.

CNN had exposed an undercover international slave trade last year in Libya. Six men made millions of dollars buying and selling vulnerable migrants. Two of the scammers are Eritreans and the other four are Libyan; one of them is a commander with the Libyan Coast Guard. His position helped the flow of migrants go unnoticed. He is accused of using firearms to deliberately sink boats carrying migrants. Another is accused of having longstanding links with ISIS and is known for “cultivat[ing] relationships with terror groups,” according to UN documents. The group is responsible for trafficking large numbers of migrants through Libya to Europe.

Dutch prosecutors describe the men as flashy with their wealth. “The sanctioned individuals are young, mostly 30-something, and people who really want to spend their money – on their militia, their business, but also on properties and goods all over the world. They feel untouchable,” the Dutch Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.

The sanctions imposed will freeze the six men’s financial assets includ-

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

ing personal bank accounts and the revenue from their global business activities. They will also be subject to strict travel bans.

“These sanctions will help stop the flow of blood money ... It will prevent them from buying protection in Libya which in turn can destabilize the region,” the Dutch National Prosecutors’ Office said.

Every year, tens of thousands of poor and desperate migrants pour into Libya, the final transit stop before a short but dangerous sea voyage across the Mediterranean to Europe.

With little money, food, and resources they are forced into selling themselves in order to secure a safe journey for themselves. A crackdown by the Libyan Coast Guard means fewer boats are departing, leaving smugglers with a backlog of would-be passengers on their hands. As a result, there are increasing reports of migrants being sold in slave auctions before facing the most appalling conditions.

In 2015, migrant smuggling networks raked in between $5.5 billion-$6.7 billion. The following year in 2016, there was a sharp decline in profits. Migrant testimonies provided to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have revealed “the

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Sanctions on Russia for Cyberattacks

This week saw new sanctions imposed by the U.S. Treasury Department on five Russian entities and three individuals for working with Moscow’s military and intelligence services in an effort to conduct cyberattacks against the U.S. The latest step by the Trump administration comes in response to “Russia’s malign and destabilizing cyber activities” against the U.S. and its allies, including the NotPetya cy-

berattack and cyber intrusions of the U.S. energy grid, Treasury said, and includes a firm that’s controlled by Russia’s Federal Security Service or FSB. “The United States is engaged in an ongoing effort to counter malicious actors working at the behest of the Russian Federation and its military and intelligence units to increase Russia’s offensive cyber capabilities,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement on Monday.

Monday’s action also targets the Russian government’s underwater capabilities. Treasury said that Russia has been active in tracking undersea communication cables, which carry the bulk of the world’s telecommunications data.

“The entities designated today have directly contributed to improving Russia’s cyber and underwater capabilities through their work with the FSB and therefore jeopardize the safety and security of the United States and our allies,” Mnuchin added.

The firms targeted in Monday’s announcement have directly contributed to improving Russia’s cyber capabilities through their work with the FSB, which has compromised the

security of the U.S. and its allies. They include Digital Security, ERPScan and Embedi.

One of the designated entities is controlled by and has provided material and technological support to the FSB, while two others have provided the FSB with material and technological support. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, is also designating several entities and individuals for being owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, the three entities that have enabled the FSB.

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JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Under the recent deal, ZTE will change its board and management within 30 days, pay the $1 billion fine, and put an additional $400 million in escrow. The deal also includes a new 10-year ban that is suspended unless there are future violations.

Venezuela: Most Unsafe Country

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The ban, which traces back to a breach of the U.S. embargo on trade with Iran, had prevented China’s second largest telecom equipment maker from buying the U.S. components it relies on to make phones and other devices.

Yin Yimin, the chairman of ZTE, issued an apology to staff and customers on Friday. In addition to the fine, ZTE agreed to overhaul its leadership in exchange for lifting the ban.

In a memo to staff, Yimin said ZTE

would look to get back into business as soon as possible and hold those responsible for the breach accountable.

“This issue reflects problems that exist with our firm’s compliance culture and at management level,” Yin wrote, according to a source inside the company, adding the incident was caused by the mistakes of a few ZTE leaders and employees.

He added that the U.S. ban had caused “huge losses for the company” which had been forced to pay a “di-

sastrous price.”

Last year ZTE pleaded guilty to conspiring to evade U.S. embargoes by buying U.S. components, incorporating them into ZTE equipment, and illegally shipping them to Iran, paying nearly $900 million in fines. The latest sanction in April was because ZTE lied about disciplining some executives responsible for the original violations. This ban was a key component in recent trade talks between Washington and Beijing.

It’s never a good sign when a country’s safety record comes up behind Afghanistan. Venezuelans that participated in Gallup’s annual Global Law and Order Index reported that, compared to the rest of the world, they distrust the police, feel unsafe walking at night, and have been robbed and assaulted the most. The citizens of Venezuela felt their country was worse than many of the war-torn nations, failed states, and historically dangerous regions around the globe.

In the Gallup survey, the country achieved a law and order score of 44, lower than Afghanistan, South Sudan, Gabon, Liberia and South Africa. This is the second year in a row that Venezuela came in last, due to recent political, social, and economic volatility in the nation.

A whopping 42 percent of Venezuelans said that they had been robbed in the last 12 months. Another 23 percent said that they had been assaulted in the last year. Both numbers are record highs for the country since Gallup started the survey in Venezuela in 2006.

Gallup found that in general Latin America and the Caribbean are perceived as the least secure regions on Earth, with a low score of 62. When compared to Sub-Saharan Africa (68), Eastern Europe (81) and South Asia (83), the numbers are even more disturbing.

The safest regions, according to the report, were East Asia (87) and Southeast Asia (86), and Western Europe and the United States and Canada, which were tied in third place with a score of 85. The safest countries were found to be Singa-

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

Five Towns Community Collaborative Conference  June 24, 2018 / 11 Tamuz, 5778 at The Young Israel of Woodmere  Aish Kodesh, MAY, Bais Tefilah, Beth Sholom, BA, BKNW, Central, DRS, HAFTR, HALB, Hakotel, HANC, HaRova, OU- JLIC, Kaylie, Kneseth Israel, Kulanu, Lander, Mesorah, Michlalah, M' Basya Rochel, M’ Lindenbaum, MMY, Morasha, Moshava (I.O.), MTVA, YTVA, NCSY, Ohr Yerushalayim, Rambam, Shalhevet, Sh’eefa, Shulmaith, SKA, SFW, Project YES, YILC, YIW, YIWH, Y.U., YOSS

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Rebbetzin Shani Taragin

From Dating to Marriage: A Parent's Guide to a Child's Successful Journey

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Rabbi Jesse Horn Learning from Yaakov: Being a Role Model to Your Children

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Mrs. Michal Horowitz The Power of Chessed: Helping Others, Changing Ourselves, Upholding Our World

Rabbi Isaac Rice Important Lessons that Parents Should Learn from Their Children

Rabbi Dr. Ari Bergmann Relationships and the Family Structure: How We Resemble Hashem

Dr. David Pelcovitz Mrs. Chana Glatt Favoritism: Timely Tips from Tanach

When Leadership Fails: Talking to Our Children and Grandchildren About Scandals

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JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home

pore, Norway, Iceland, Finland, and Uzbekistan. The U.S. had a score of 84 and was about halfway down the list.

U.S. Admonishes Nicaraguan Govt

Several officials in Nicaragua are having their U.S. visas revoked by the Trump administration. The White House announced that the move is in response to the country’s reaction to the latest wave of anti-government rallies in which state security forces killed dozens of people.

The international community has come out very strongly against

the government of President Daniel Ortega. The revocation of visas is the first punitive action taken by the Trump administration. The Organizations of American States took up the Nicaraguan issue this week in Washington, D.C. Citizens from the Central American country protested outside local hotels in the capital.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said that the violence is “undermining democracy” in a country that has slowly come under autocratic rule by Ortega. “The political violence by police and pro-government thugs against the people of Nicaragua, particularly university students, shows a blatant disregard for human rights and is unacceptable,” she said.

The State Department did not define which Nicaraguans would not be allowed to enter the United States, although it did say that the ban included police commanders and national and regional officials.

Tens of thousands of Nicaraguans have been marching against the government in recent weeks.

State security forces have been firing upon largely peaceful demonstrations with live ammunition. More than 120 people have been killed.

Life on Mars?

NASA’s Curiosity rover has discovered potential building blocks of life on the planet Mars. Organic molecules found in the bedrock of the Gale Crater suggest that conditions on the Red Planet may have once supported life.

“The chances of being able to find signs of ancient life with future missions, if life ever was present, just went up,” said Curiosity’s project scientist, Ashwin Vasavada of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Curiosity also measured a seasonal difference in methane gas, which on Earth is formed from animals, vegetation and the environment itself.

The findings were published in two studies in Science journal. Utrecht University astrobiologist Inge Loes Kate of the Netherlands writes that “the question of whether life might have originated or existed on Mars is a

lot more opportune now that we know that organic molecules were present on its surface at the time.” Kirsten Siebach, a Rice University geologist, said that the methane observation provides “one of the most compelling” cases for present-day life.

Scientists will need a more powerful spacecraft in order to determine whether tiny organisms such as bacteria ever lived on the planet. Scientists have been looking for proof of life on Mars since the 1976 Viking landings, which came up empty. Curiosity landed in 2012 and although it confirmed the presence of organic material in rocks five years ago, this is the first time that actual organic molecules that NASA scientists were familiar with were spotted.

Mosques Shuttered in Austria Austria is shutting down seven mosques and expelling imams that are linked to Turkish nationalists and are promoting political Islam. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced the

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JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home

A Terror Tunnel – Underwater

move last week, saying that “parallel societies, political Islam and radicalization tendencies have no place in our country.”

In April, images were posted

online of children in Turkish army uniforms re-enacting the World War I Battle of Gallipoli. The battle, one of the last victories of the Ottoman Empire, stopped Allied forces from reaching Turkey’s capital, Constantinople. According to Austrian media, child actors played dead and were covered in Turkish flags.

Sixty of the 260 imams in the country are being investigated, according to the Austrian government, 40 of them belong to ATIB, an Islamic organization in Austria with

close ties to the Turkish government.

The government is dissolving an organization called the Arab Religious Community. Six of the mosques targeted for closure are run by it: three in Vienna, two in Upper Austria and one in Carinthia.

Austria has been preparing for this possibility for a long time. The Austrian authorities have been working with a Muslim community body called IGGÖ to identify mosques and imams suspected of radical Islamist or nationalist connections.

An underwater Hamas terror tunnel was destroyed by Israel last week.

In response to rocket attacks out of Gaza, the Israeli Air Force conducted a series of raids in the Strip and struck “a military compound belonging to the naval force of the terror group Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip,” the army said. It was later revealed that the specific target in the counterattack was a naval tunnel that extended dozens of meters underwater into the sea.

IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said that the IDF believes that the tunnel was meant to permit Hamas’s naval unit to go to and from their base on the shore to the sea undetected. Once at sea, they could travel underwater to their targets in Israel. “We know that it was an operational tunnel that has been used, or at least trained in, before,” he said. “The IDF will not allow Hamas to strike Israeli targets, military or civilian, from the sea.”

Although the spokesman would not say how long Israel had known about the tunnel, he did say that it was discovered after “extensive intelligence work, both by naval intelligence and military intelligence.”

He also said that Hamas may have other similar tunnels. “We continue to monitor [the area] using all of the operational, technological and intelligence capabilities at our disposal,” he said.

Israel’s Defense Ministry announced on May 27 that work has begun on a marine barrier to help stop sea attacks. The naval wall is to extend 200 meters (660 feet) out to sea and will serve as an additional hurdle for Hamas frogmen seeking to infiltrate into Israeli territory, as occurred during the 2014 Gaza War. More than 100 rockets and mor-

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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Alex Edelman wants you to vote for Stanley Kopilow

To get himself elected, he hopes you’ll forget that Kopilow Voted against busing for yeshiva students (11/12/06) Voted to block $135,000 in funding for Kulanu (2/27/07) Voted twice to oppose busing for yeshiva pre-school Voted against using funds from the sale of Number 1 school for tax reduction (7/10/07) Has consistently opposed funding for special education in the yeshiva community A vote for Alex is a vote for Stanley

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tar shells were fired at Israel on May 29 and 30. In response to the attack, the Israeli Air Force bombed at least 65 targets in the Gaza Strip, including a naval armory containing “advanced maritime weaponry capable of naval infiltration and carrying out terror attacks by Hamas naval forces,” the army said.

Jerusalem on Tuesday of this week in the so-called Case 3000, a case in which the Israeli leader is not a suspect. Bibi gave testimony to police in the massive corruption investigation surrounding the purchase of submarines and naval vessels from a German shipbuilder.

Classified IDF Video Put on YouTube Unedited footage of the IDF chief of staff’s visit to southern Israel was mistakenly posted on the IDF’s official YouTube page recently. The clip showed shots of classified documents and an intelligence officer’s assessment of last week’s Gaza rocket fire.

The military removed the video from its Hebrew language YouTube page once it was alerted to the mistaken broadcast.

The video – which was viewed by 60 people – was of IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot visiting areas near the Gaza Strip on May 29 while there was heavy fighting across the border.

Around 200 shells and rockets had been fired at southern Israel from Gaza, and Eisenkot was meeting with senior officers and heads of local governments.

In the video, a military intelligence lieutenant colonel tells Eisenkot that the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas terrorist groups were responsible for the rocket fire. That information was later made public by the IDF. The intelligence officer also said that Hamas’s elite Nukhba Force was involved, which the IDF had not let the public know at the time.

Classified documents, screens showing maps and the faces of other intelligence officers were also shown in the video. The IDF has a policy to always blur such items before releasing any footage to protect its officers and intel. In a statement, the military blamed the broadcast on a “technical malfunction.”

Bibi Gives Testimony Investigators questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for five hours in his official residence in

It was the first time the prime minister was questioned about the case.

Case 3000 involves suspicions that state officials were paid bribes to influence a decision to purchase four patrol boats and three Dolphin-class submarines costing a total of 2 billion euros from German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp, despite opposition to the deal by the Defense Ministry.

A spokesperson for the Netanyahu family said the prime minister “detailed all the professional considerations which guided his decision-making in the matter of the submarines and naval vessels, and their importance to the security of the country.

“The prime minister welcomed the opportunity to clarify the complete picture and to finally put an end to the false claims that have been made against him by politicians and others,” the spokesperson added.

A number of Netanyahu’s close confidants have been arrested as part of the case. Police are reportedly set to recommend indicting five suspects in the case, including Netanyahu’s former adviser and confidant Yitzchak Molcho and his personal lawyer and cousin David Shimron.

Shimron has been questioned several times as part of the investigation by the Lahav 433 anti-corruption unit. In addition to his work with Netanyahu, he served as a lawyer for Miki Ganor, who was ThyssenKrupp’s local representative and who turned state’s witness in July. Shimron is considered a key suspect in the case.

Netanyahu was expected to be questioned as a suspect on Tuesday in a separate corruption case involving the country’s telecom giant, Bezeq. Two Netanyahu confidants have been arrested on suspicion of

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The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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promoting regulation worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the telecom company. In return, Bezeq’s subsidiary news site, Walla, allegedly provided positive Netanyahu coverage. The confidants have turned state witnesses.

Netanyahu has faced investigators nine times since the beginning of 2017 in connection with three cases in which he is a suspect.

Case 4000, the high-profile graft probe relating to the national phone company Bezeq, recently acquired new evidence from a key state’s witness reportedly implicating Netanyahu in an illicit quid pro quo deal.

The probe involves suspicions that Netanyahu, who has also served as communications minister for several years over his past two terms, advanced regulatory decisions benefiting Bezeq controlling shareholder Shaul Elovitch in exchange for flattering coverage of the Netanyahus from the Elovitch-owned Walla news site.

The state prosecution is currently considering whether to indict the prime minister in two other corruption probes, Case 1000 and Case 2000, after police in February recommended putting Netanyahu on trial in both.

In Case 1000 – in which Net-

anyahu and his wife are suspected of receiving illicit gifts from billionaire benefactors – Netanyahu family spokesperson-turned states witness Nir Hefetz reportedly provided investigators with names of additional patrons of the couple, seemingly strengthening the case that the alleged behavior was part of a pattern.

In Case 2000 – which involves a suspected illicit quid pro quo deal between Netanyahu and Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper publisher Arnon Mozes – Hefetz was said to have provided names of additional figures involved in the conversations between the two.

Israel & the UAE

According to an article published by the New Yorker magazine this

week, Israel has maintained a clandestine but close relationship with the United Arab Emirates for the last two decades which has focused heavily on intelligence sharing and security cooperation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has often touted Jerusalem’s covert ties with Sunni Arab states, which he says stem to a large extent from Iran being a common enemy and Israel’s growing hi-tech prowess, but he has been reluctant to specify the nature of those relations.

Monday’s lengthy New Yorker exposé revealed what it indicated was a deep and longstanding Israeli relationship with the UAE, and particularly with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which started when Yitzhak Rabin was prime minister in the mid1990s.

Israel in 1996 officially opened “trade offices” in Oman and Qatar (which have since closed), but the Jewish state has never had formal ties with the Emirates.

“The secret relationship between Israel and the UAE can be traced back to a series of meetings in a nondescript office in Washington, D.C., after the signing of the Oslo Accords,” the article, which was posted online

on Monday and will appear in the New Yorker print edition next week, states.

Ties started when the UAE sought to buy F-16 fighter jets from the U.S. during Bill Clinton’s first term in the White House. U.S. and Emirati officials were worried about Israeli protests over the arms sale, but rather than veto the deal, Jeremy Issacharoff – today Israel’s ambassador to Germany, but then an Israeli diplomat working out of the D.C. embassy in Washington – asked for an “opportunity to discuss the matter directly with the Emiratis, to find out how they intended to use the American aircraft,” the paper’s staff writer Adam Entous cites former U.S. officials as saying.

A government-backed think-tank in Abu Dhabi called the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research then “became a conduit for contacts with Israel,” the magazine claims.

In 1994, Issacharoff met with Emirati officials in a private office, “off the record, unofficially,” according to the article. “Israeli and Emirati officials didn’t agree on the Palestinian issue, but they shared a perspective on the emerging Iranian threat, which was becoming a bigger priority for leaders

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VOTE Michael Fragin for Mayor of Lawrence A long record of public service 10 years on the Lawrence Board of Trustees Nassau Police Department Advisory Council

in both countries.”

Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Emirati leader known as MBZ, did not mind that the fighter jets contained Israeli technology, as long as they helped modernize his country’s military defense against the Islamic Republic. “I can envision us being in the trenches with Israel fighting against Iran,” a former American official recalled MBZ telling a visiting delegation of U.S. Jews.

Hoping for the eventual normalization of ties, Israel developed an “intelligence-sharing relationship” with the UAE, which, years later, led to a joint appeal to U.S. president Barack Obama to take the Iranian threat more gravely.

Toward the end of Obama’s second term, U.S. intelligence agencies discovered phone calls and even a possible meeting between Netanyahu and a senior Emirati leader in Cyprus, the report cited U.S. officials as saying. “Obama set out to bring Jews and Arabs closer together through peace,” former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren told the magazine. “He succeeded through common opposition to his Iran policy.”

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Leaks at the Top

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A Senate Intelligence Committee staffer has been arrested for lying to investigators looking into the leaking of classified information. James A. Wolfe, 58, was indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of making false statements about contact he had made with reporters and the passing of sensitive information related to the work of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He was the security director of the committee for 29 years.

Wolfe was arrested one day after the full Senate quietly authorized the committee to cooperate with the Justice Department regarding what was described only as an “investigation arising out of allegations of the

unauthorized disclosure of information.” The telephone and electronic communications of New York Times reporter Ali Watkins were seized by the Justice Department on that day as well.

Watkins had a three year relationship with Wolfe, and the F.B.I. approached her asserting that Wolfe had fed her information for many of her articles. She denies that he was a source for any of her investigative reporting. The Times said in a statement that the actions taken by the Justice Department “will endanger reporters’ ability to promise confidentiality to their sources and, ultimately, undermine the ability of a free press to shine a much needed light on government actions.”

The Security Director of the Senate Intelligence Committee is entrusted to administer the strict confidentiality procedures for all member offices and committee staffers. A leak at that level is a huge breach with very large ramifications. “Mr. Wolfe’s alleged conduct is a betrayal of the extraordinary public trust that had been placed in him,” Jessie K. Liu, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, noted. “It is hoped that these charges will be a warning to those who might lie to law enforcement to the detriment of the United States.”

Committee rules explicitly state that no senator or committee staff member “shall disclose, in whole or in part or by way of summary, the contents of any classified or committee sensitive papers, materials, briefings, testimony, or other information received by, or in the possession of, the committee to any other person,” except as authorized by the committee.

Wolfe, who was set to retire in early 2018, was placed on leave on December 15, 2017.

Geyser Gush

Steamboat Geyser of Yellowstone National Park’s Norris Geyser Basin, the tallest in the world, has erupted eight times in less than

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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three months, astonishing scientists.

During major eruptions, water can be thrown more than 300 feet into the air. A geyser is a hot spring in which water intermittently boils, sending a tall column of water and steam into the air. The latest eruption of Steamboat was on Monday just after 9AM. “It was unbelievable,” Jamie Farrell, a geologist at the University of Utah who happened to be at the geyser during the eruption, said. “The first thing that comes to my mind when I think back on it was just how loud it was, the roar of the eruption,” he said, comparing the second part of the eruption to the sound of a jet engine.

Aside from the unusual frequency, scientists are amazed that the spree of eruptions seems to be working according to a schedule. Oddly, the eruptions occurred six to eight days apart. Geysers usually erupt at random.

The questions that scientists are scrambling to answer are why the geyser is specifically active right now and whether there are warning signs before an eruption.

Wendy Stovall, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist with the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, said, “It seems like it’s not really abnormal for Steamboat to go through periods of being really active.” She noted that in the mid-1960s and early 1980s the geyser was recorded to be particularly active, with four separate years seeing more than 20 eruptions at the site.

Millennials Expect to be Millionaires

Millennials have big dreams. According to a new study, more than half of millennials believe they will become millionaires. Many of them have crushing student loan, credit card and other debt but they don’t let that get in the way of their (unre-

alistic?) dreams.

“Young people are optimistic about the future,” said JJ Kinahan, chief strategist for TD Ameritrade, in a statement on the company’s new report. “On average, survey respondents expect to land a job in their chosen field and be completely financially independent by age 25.”

Whoa! That was fast.

Seventeen percent of millennials

admitted that they’re not financially independent from their parents.

Their optimism, perhaps, is due to the high graduation rates of the group. They are optimistic about the economy, the job market, and their job plans. Constantly viewing media stars who have had meteoric rises due to social media may also have colored their glasses pink.

The tech world is home to many

young millionaires and billionaires, including Mark Zuckerberg, 34, whose Facebook success has yielded him a net worth of $72.2 billion.

Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel has made $2.9 billion through the venture. Those stories may be the exception, not the rule. This latest study comes less than three weeks after another report revealed that the millennial generation may never

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JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home

recover from the impact of the 2008 recession.

That report, by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, found the net worth of an average family headed by someone born in the 1980s fell 34 percent below expectations in 2016, the most recent year for which data is available. Unlike all other generational groups, the typical 1980s family actually fell further behind in 2010-2016, when people born in other decades were starting to rebound from the financial crisis. The gloomy report pegged the financial setback on high rates of debt, often due to student loans and credit cards.

Despite anticipating financial success in the face of lackluster economic outcomes, millennials have different ideas about what kind of lifestyle that wealth will afford them.

Nearly a quarter (24 percent) said they don’t expect to own a home.

And many of them don’t want a family. One in four said they don’t want to get married; thirty percent shunned the idea of having children.

Still, perhaps they’re really living in dreamland when, on average, they said they want to retire at age 56, although they don’t plan on saving for said retirement until they hit age 36.

25 Years for Baltimore Police Officer

As the Baltimore Police Department cracks down on corruption, former Gun Trace Task Force Sgt. Wayne Jenkins, 36, has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for his involvement in several crimes.

In fact, he is being regarded as one of the most corrupt officers of all time.

With the maximum sentence set to 30 years, U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced him just five years short of the maximum – a harsh sentence – intended to deter corruption amongst authorities.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Leo Wise said the damage inflicted by Jenkins was “immeasurable.” Jenkins was accused of stealing seized drugs on a “near-daily basis” and encouraged and assisted his squad in carrying out

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robberies while bilking taxpayers for unworked overtime pay.

When the sentence was read, Jenkins was visibly upset and emotional.

“I made so many mistakes, your honor,” Jenkins said, his voice cracking.

“I know it’s my fault. I deserve to be punished and I deserve to go to jail.”

Jenkins admitted that he tarnished the reputation of the police badge. He expressed his deep sadness that he will no longer have the opportunity to visit the grave of his son, whom he lost in 2015. He also conveyed that he is devastated that he won’t have a relationship with his 18-month-old child, born just a few months before his arrest. “I brought this on myself,” he acknowledged.

Jenkins is one of four officers to be sentenced in this case. One other officer was already sentenced; he too was sentenced by Blake to five years below the maximum sentence sought by prosecutors. The other officers – Former Detective Marcus Taylor, who fought his charges at trial and maintains his innocence, and former detectives Evodio Hendrix and Maurice Ward, who pleaded guilty and cooperated with the government – will be sentenced later this week.

The prosecution said that Jenkins operated his two plainclothes drug squads “like a criminal gang.” He was recorded on a wiretap telling officers in one of those robberies to pretend like he was the U.S. attorney while interrogating a man who they believed had drugs and money they could steal. Their crimes caused an indirect death, an additional charge of civil rights violation. In 2010 Jenkins ordered two other officers to ambush two men, who said they believed they were being robbed and fled. While trying to get away, the men got into an accident that killed 87-year-old Elbert Davis, and police planted drugs in their car. Both men went to federal prison.

After his sentencing Jenkins apologized to Davis’ family, who were present in court, and to Umar Burley, who was freed from prison last year after the scam was uncovered.

The case also revealed that Jenkins formed a lucrative alliance with a bail bondsman and family friend, Donald Stepp. Stepp would re-sell drugs the officers had taken off the street. Stepp estimated he made $1 million in drug sales and cut Jenkins in on $250,000 of the profits.

Prior to the corruption charges, Jenkins was described as a “golden boy” viewed as “untouchable” within the department. Many are still wait-

ing for an explanation as to how the police department allowed his team to operate without checking up on them for so many years. As a result, state lawmakers passed a bill creating a task force to investigate the corrupt task force and are working to assemble a panel that will have subpoena power and hold public hearings.

Clemency for Grandmother Serving Life Sentence

President Donald Trump has granted clemency to Alice Marie Johnson, 63. Johnson was convicted in 1996 for a non-violent drug offense and money laundering and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. After gaining the attention of the media and some celebrities with loud voices, the case was brought to Trump’s attention. The grandmother’s story pulled at Trump’s heartstrings and he set her free last week.

Johnson expressed her deepest appreciation for Trump’s kindness. In an interview with Fox News Johnson gushed, “Thank you so much President Trump for taking the time to look at my case and to really look at me. I promise you, President Trump, I will make you proud that you gave me that second chance.”

When asked how she remained sane during her 22 year stay in prison – a third of her life – she said that she constantly maintained faith and stayed optimistic that her redemption would come.

Johnson got involved with crime shortly after her divorce and losing her job at FedEx. She recalls those desperate times and warns anyone going through something like that, “Don’t make a permanent decision that can change your life forever based on a temporary situation.”

She plans to rally for prison reform and help prisoners prepare for rejoining society.

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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ing rolls up to date,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the conservative majority. “The only question before us is whether it violates federal law.”

Supreme Court Sides with Ohio On Monday, the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, said that Ohio’s method of removing names from its voter rolls does not violate federal law.

Monday’s ruling concerning the

battleground state comes as the country gears up for midterm elections this fall. At least six other states have similar laws, and the ruling could embolden others to follow suit and put in place similar methods.

Ohio law allows the state to send address confirmation notices to voters who have not engaged in voter activity for two years. If a voter returns

the notice through prepaid mail, or responds online, the information is updated. If the notice is ignored and the voter fails to update a registration over the next four years, the registration is canceled.

“We have no authority to second-guess Congress or to decide whether Ohio’s supplemental process is the ideal method for keeping its vot-

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, a Republican, said the ruling is a “validation” of the state’s law.

“Today’s decision is a victory for election integrity, and a defeat for those who use the federal court system to make election law across the country,” Husted said in a statement.

“This decision is validation of Ohio’s efforts to clean up the voter rolls and now with the blessing nation’s highest court, it can serve as a model for other states to use.”

A dissent from Justice Sonia Sotomayor and liberal justices argued that the court ignored a history of voter suppression that the National Voter Registration Act, commonly referred to as the motor voter law, was meant to address.

“Congress enacted the NVRA against the backdrop of substantial efforts by states to disenfranchise low-income and minority voters, including programs that purged eligible voters from registration lists because they failed to vote in prior elections,” Sotomayor wrote. “The Court errs in ignoring this history and distorting the statutory text ... ultimately sanctioning the very purging that Congress expressly sought to protect against,” she added.

The case came about when Larry Harmon challenged the process, arguing that he was removed from the rolls even though he had not moved but had opted not to vote in 2009 and 2010. When he showed up at the polls in 2015 he was told his registration had been canceled. He claimed no recollection of receiving a confirmation notice from the state and he later brought a suit along with two public interest groups called the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless and the A. Philip Randolph Institute.

In September 2016, a federal appeals court ruled against Ohio, saying that 7,515 ballots that had been struck could be cast in that fall’s election. The state appealed, saying the process targets people who have failed to respond

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to a notice, not those who have failed to vote.

The Trump administration, reversing positions from the Obama administration, agreed with Ohio’s interpretation of the federal law.

The “NVRA does not prohibit a state from using nonvoting” as the basis of sending an address-verification notice, administration lawyers argued in court briefs.

We are the Champions

This week, the National Mall and the streets of downtown D.C. were a sea of red as the Washington Capitals and their fans celebrated the team’s historic Stanley Cup victory.

Alex Ovechkin hoisted the Stanley Cup over his head from atop a

double-decker bus as fans cheered on Tuesday. Marching bands, city officials and first responders paraded through the streets. At least one Zamboni was spotted cruising along the parade route.

Already cheering for the Caps, waving flags and bearing banners, fans showed up early to stake out spots along the route. Some showed up Monday night and camped out. Around 100,000 fans were expected at the parade.

“This is the best. We have followed the Capitals for many, many years, and we wouldn’t miss this for the world,” said a fan who traveled from North Carolina and camped out Monday night with her husband.

Among the fans on the National Mall early Tuesday was a couple who waited with their young twins, Nick and Alex. The kids are named after Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. “We’ve been going to the games for the past 10 years,” their dad said.

The parade is the city’s first sports parade in D.C. since the Redskins celebrated in 1992.

The city and the sports stars have been partying since Thursday, when the Capitals beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 on the road in Game 5.

Justify Triumphs No Homework!

Justify is a chestnut-colored colt and probably one of the most celebrated animals in the world at the moment. The male horse won the Triple Crown this week. The Triple Crown is an award for winning a group of three important events in the sport consecutively. The late bloomer won the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, giving the sport its 13th Triple Crown champion – a second in just four years.

Justify’s career began just 77 days before the Kentucky Derby, on February 18. There he won his first three races by a combined 19 lengths, making trainer Bob Baffert a believer. Two weeks later, he survived a challenge in the Preakness, winning by a halflength. Then, this week on Saturday, the colt calmly took off on the tracks of Belmont Park on an 80-degree day.

Justify achieved one of the sports world’s toughest feats in a short amount of time. At 6-0, he’s the second undefeated Triple Crown winner; he’s the first to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont without racing at age 2; and he’s the only horse to beat nine rivals in the Belmont with a Triple try on the line.

Of course his human handlers are also being recognized. Bob Baffert became the second trainer to win the Triple Crown twice. His first Triple Crown was in 2015 which broke a 37 year stretch, with a horse named American Pharoah.

“It never gets old,” Baffert said.

“American Pharoah, he’ll always be my first love.”

“I don’t have to really compare them, because if they make this wall,” he said of the two horses, pointing to photos of past Triple Crown winners all around him, “it’s all OK.” Jockey Mike Smith became the oldest jockey to win the Triple Crown at the age of 52. This victory gives racing its second Triple Crown winner of the decade. He joked about his age after the win, admitting that he took a nap earlier in the day.

“This horse ran a tremendous race, he’s so gifted,” Smith said. “He’s sent from heaven. I tell you, it’s just amazing. I can’t describe the emotions that’s going through my body right now.”

Don’t be surprised if your children beg you to move to Long Beach.

The Long Island school district has a new policy that will take effect in the fall. For the new school year, public elementary school students in Long Beach will no longer have “traditional” homework.

Long Beach public schools superintendent Jennifer Gallagher announced the no-traditional-homework policy for the four elementary schools in Long Beach in a letter on June 6.

“There is a ton of research suggesting that homework in the elementary grades doesn’t help much at all,” she noted. She mentioned that studies show that more reading helps children build their fluency and comprehension. Many students are not spending enough time reading because they are expending all their time and energy on homework when they get home from school. “We will be eliminating ‘traditional’ elementary homework.

Instead, we are asking every child and every family to … wonder, read and play” each night, her letter continued.

Additionally all Long Beach elementary schools will be adding short “brain breaks” in every classroom to give students more time to move and play.

It is not clear how school officials will ensure that students take the extra time to actually read and not watch more television or play video games after school.

Lost & Found

It was almost four decades since William Howard Hughes Jr. was seen.

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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The former Kirtland Air Force Base officer was apprehended at his home last week after officials found him at the conclusion of a fraud investigation involving a fake identity he had been using.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations said that Hughes was involved in classified planning and analysis of NATO’s control, command and communications surveillance systems during the Cold War. He specialized in radar surveillance when he disappeared at 33 years old.

He was last seen withdrawing more than $28,000 in Albuquerque in the summer of 1983 after returning from a two-week vacation in Europe. He had just completed a stint in the Netherlands, where he worked with NATO officers on the Airborne Warning and Control electronic surveillance aircraft.

An Office of Special Investigations spokeswoman told the Albuquerque Journal that there’s no indication Hughes was involved with the Soviet Union or that any classified information was leaked.

After his arrest last Wednesday, Hughes told authorities that he was depressed about being in the Air Force and simply decided to leave.

One day, in the summer of 1983, he created a fake identity and has quietly been living in California ever since.

Hughes was charged with desertion and is being held at Travis Air Force Base in California.

Govt Spending Less on Children

Any parent can attest to the fact that children cost a lot of money.

The federal government, however, has been spending less and less on the next generation. Since 2010 the annual budget for kids has been declining. Now less than 10% of the federal budget is reserved for children, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. In 2010, the budget

was $405 million, 11% of the budget.

In 2016 the budget for kids was $377 billion, just 9.8% of the budget.

According to financial experts, by 2020 the government will be spending more in interest costs on the national debt than on our youth.

“Our nation once invested in its future, but now we are struggling to pay for the past,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

The data make clear “that policymakers are burdening our children with massive amounts of debt while doing little to invest in their future,” the report concludes. “This unfortunate combination threatens the long-standing practice in this country that each generation leaves a better world for the generation that follows.”

The budget includes all funding that benefits children including Medicaid, food stamps, Children’s Health Insurance Program, Supplemental Security Income, Section 8 low-income housing and the Earned Income Tax Credit.

The real question is where the funds are going to instead. In 2016, they went to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security for adults (46%); defense (15%); other non-defense pri-

orities (23%); and interest payments on the national debt (6%). Many are blaming the impending retirement of the Baby Boom population and the rise of their health care costs, which eats up a larger share of the pie, on the short stick going to our children.

The estimated cost of raising a child from birth through age 17 is $233,610, as much as almost $14,000 annually, the Department of Agriculture says. That’s the average for a middle-income couple with two children, not for a family living an Orthodox lifestyle in some of America’s most expensive cities.

KBG84: Japan’s Oldest Pop Sensation These grandmothers put us all to shame.

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centenarian as their member. “‘Chomei da ne’ is an expression in Kohama. It means that everyone lives long,” Natsuko Maenaka, 84, who is part of the troupe, says as she adds the finishing touches to her costume. Kohama is a small, remote island southwest of Okinawa. “My father lived till he was 92, and at the time, it seemed like he’d lived to well over 100 years, but now that seems like nothing. We all live that long.”

KBG48 members attribute their energy levels to “ikigai,” or a “sense of life.”

The group meets every month for rehearsals and practice a form of slow pop inspired by the island’s traditional ballads. These women are going places. They have traveled

to Tokyo and Singapore to perform.

When they’re not on stage some of them work in sugar cane fields with their families to keep fit and stave off dementia. Keeping active is an important part of life in Okinawa, as is keeping a healthy diet.

KBG84’s ebullience and energy levels aren’t uncommon in Japan. It’s considered a “super-aged” nation, in which most of the populace is over 65. In 2017, there were an estimated 67,824 people 100 or older in Japan.

And though centenarians are spread across the country, in Okinawa, their ratios are among the world’s highest: about 50 per 100,000 people.

With over 1,000 centenarians, Okinawa has earned a reputation as a “land of the immortals” and is one of five “Blue Zones,” areas around the world in which people live much longer than average.

Tomi Menaka, who is 95 and lives in Okinawa, says that it’s hard to eat certain foods at her age. Her favorites nowadays? Instant noodles and energy drinks.

She holds up a bottle of an energized vitamin drink. “I drink one every day,” she says.

No wonder she can’t stop dancing.

Still Climbing – at 80

John Rukavina can often be found thousands of feet above ground. The 80-year-old has been building skyscrapers for decades – and he’s not about to stop.

Recently, Rukavina conquered the Willis Tower in Chicago. Dangling more than 110 stories in the air, Rukavina quipped, “It’s safer to be on that antenna [at the top of the building],” Rukavina said, “than it is to jaywalk on LaSalle Street at noon.”

Rukavina is semiretired now but will climb on high-profile jobs that pique his interest. A recent offer to work on the Willis Tower fit the bill.

So on March 18 Rukavina readied his gear and his body for another day high above the city.

Rukavina had worked on the installation of the skyscraper’s original

antennas in the 1970s. Back then it was called the Sears Tower and was the world’s tallest building. Last month he helped triumphantly unfurl an American flag on top of the new building, clinging to the antenna like a kid on the playground.

“Life is boring,” he said. “You gotta have something to do.”

Rukavina says his love of buildings and construction stems from his childhood toy: Tinkertoys. He says he has never felt comfortable working in an office – he enjoys spending his time thousands of feet above ground, tinkering with iron and steel.

“There wasn’t a day that I went to work that I didn’t think I was going to fall,” he said. “You can be afraid, but you better not tell nobody because they could care less.”

At one point during his career Rukavina brought a grill up to the building he was constructing and grilled steaks for his crew hundreds of feet in the air.

Despite his age, he’s still fearless.

“To me, it’s just a number,” he said. “It doesn’t mean nothin’.”

Although he is referring to his age, he could be referring to number of feet off the ground – tens or thousands, it’s all the same to him.

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Mowing Across the USA

“I came to cut his lawn and it meant a lot to him,” Smith says.

Sounds like a grass – I mean, great – act of kindness.

$760K for a Parking Spot

Rodney Smith, please visit my house.

Smith has been making the cut around the nation as he sets out to accomplish his mission: to mow lawns in all 50 states. The impetus is his desire to show fellow Americans that he cares.

In 2016, Smith founded a lawn care nonprofit, Raising Men Lawn Care Service, in his hometown of Huntsville, Alabama. Raising Men Lawn Care Service helps young people give back to their communities. The kids in the program visit veterans, the disabled, the elderly, single moms and anyone who needs help doing yard work. They mow people’s lawns, shovel show, rake leaves and more – free of charge.

“In 2016, I saw a man mowing his lawn, struggling. So I got out of my car and helped him,” Smith said. At the time he was in college and would mow lawns in between classes. Slowly he got kids involved. And now he has expanded his program throughout the country. At least 137 children are in Smith’s program, as well as one in Canada and seven in Bermuda and the UK. Last summer Smith visited all 50 states in 39 days, driving to 48 and flying only to Hawaii and Alaska. He decided to embark on the journey for a second time this year, so on May 17, he began traveling all 50 states again.

In the first three weeks, Smith visited over 20 states. In each state he mows a few lawns – but he also talks to kids about community service as he visits each state. His followers on social media give him tips on who needs the services in each place.

“There was a husband and wife in Vermont,” Smith recalls. “A year before, they were struck head-on by a car. They were on a motorcycle... They almost lost their lives. The husband has a traumatic brain injury and he can’t do anything.

Next time you’re fumbling in your purse for a quarter for the meters on Central Avenue be happy you’re not digging out thousands of dollars to park your car.

Recently, a parking spot – just 16.4-feet by 8.2-feet – sold for a record-breaking price of HK$6 million (which is around $760,000) in Hong Kong. The space is attached to a fancy downtown apartment block in the city’s Ho Man Tin area in central Kowoon, the most densely populated part of Hong Kong, and is roughly $5,360 per square foot.

The $760,000 price exceeds the previous most expensive parking space in Hong Kong. In 2017, $664,260 was paid for a spot in Sai Ying Pun, on Hong Kong Island.

Lest your jaw cannot be lifted off the floor it’s on right now, keep in mind that spots in Manhattan have been offered for the mind-blowing price of a $1 million. To be fair, those NYC spots are much larger than the Hong Kong space that was just sold.

Hong Kong has some of the most unaffordable housing in the world, with the median price of a home in the city costing around 19 times the annual median household income.

It topped a list of the most expensive cities in the world in 2017, the seventh year in a row Hong Kong has held the number one spot. Real estate agents have previously demanded potential buyers shell out a $900,000 deposit just to view properties.

While the properties selling for these staggering amounts are all luxury apartments, even subdivided flats smaller than 100 square feet (9 square meters) can rent for upwards of $380 a month, and many of the city’s poorest struggle to find affordable homes.

And we thought the Five Towns was expensive.

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Around the

Community YOSS Grads Show Hakaras Hatov

S

miles were in abundance as the Pre-1A boys celebrated their graduation from Yeshiva of South Shore’s Early Childhood Center. The theme of the graduation

was Hakaras Hatov, and the boys wanted to thank the people who have brought them to this point and who will help guide them towards their next milestones. They expressed

that they are thankful to Hashem, their parents, grandparents, rebbes and morahs. They also showed their gratitude to their Yeshiva. The graduation was dedicated to Rav Binay-

min Kamentzky, zt�l, and the great place he founded for them to learn Torah. The talmidim were proud and are excited for first grade!

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

Around the Community

Governor Cuomo Visits the Five Towns

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overnor Andrew Cuomo visited Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway, HAFTR, on Wednesday. The Governor reiterated the importance of every child feeling safe in school and spoke about the uptick of hate crimes in recent months. Anti-Semitism and BDS are not welcome in our state, he said. The governor spoke passionately to the crowd of representatives of area schools and local leaders about New York State’s connection and allegiance to Israel, an ally of the United States. The audience gave him numerous standing ovations throughout his speech and interrupted him with rounding applause.

The Governor recently announced the release of New York’s Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes grant funds. In his visit to HAFTR, and to Magen David Yeshiva in Brooklyn later in the day, the community came out in appreciation for the Governor and the State Legislature for creating this grant for non-public schools.

Teach NYS, a nonpartisan organization advocating for government funding in nonpublic schools, helped to create this $25 million competitive grant as part of the 2017 adopted State budget.

Each school that applied for the grant and was approved will be able to receive up to

$50K for each campus – up to $150K per school – to upgrade their security infrastructure in order to provide a safe place for their students.

Cameras, walls, gates, safety doors and other adaptions to their facility can be used with these funds.

“Our yeshivas, synagogues and community centers are vital institutions and especially in today’s day and age, it is critical for us to do all we can to keep them safe,” said Senator Todd Kaminsky, who sat next to the Governor as he made his remarks in HAFTR. “Thank you Governor Cuomo for recognizing the importance and centrality of these institutions to the Five Towns and providing critical security funding where it is needed.”

“Today was about expressing our deep appreciation to Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature for recognizing the security needs of our schools and our communities and for making adequate funds available so that our children receive comparable benefits in their schools as do all other students throughout the state,” said OU Executive Vice President Allen Fagin, who attended the event at Magen David Yeshiva. “The safety of our schools is the paramount consideration, and we thank the Governor for acting decisively on this critical imperative.”

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Around the Community

White Shul 96th Annual Dinner Paying Tribute to our great Mara D’Asra Rav Raphael Pelcovitz, zt”l PHOTO CREDIT: YOEL HECHT PHOTOGRAPHY

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Around the Community

Shulamith fifth graders Raizie Bokow, Leora Bindiger, Daniella Turner, and Hadassah Klahr took advantage of the beautiful spring weather to run a lemonade stand. All proceeds were donated to Chai Lifeline

Awards of Distinction at HAFTR

Erica Hilsenrath

Daniel Friedman

rica Hilsenrath is HAFTR’s valedictorian this year. Not only does she have the highest general studies and Judaic studies averages but this incredible young lady is a true leader in every sense of the word. This amazing individual is exceptionally active in a host of school and community activities. Her loves include the math and science fields and indeed her work with our Science Institute and Math Research program only add to her wonderful resume. She is currently president of the Deah chapter of the National Honor Society. She also gives of her time in a multitude of community service pursuits. From Torah Bowl to Tomchei Shabbos, to helping with youth groups to fundraising endeavors, she is there actively leading others to success after success. Next year Erica will be at Midreshet Moriah in Israel and the following year she will attend the S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program at Stern College for Women.

Daniel Friedman is HAFTR’s salutatorian. Last year the school honored him as Student of the Year

at induction of the Deah chapter of the National Honor Society. In his speech he talked of individual potential and how the fear of failure limits many people. He urged his fellow classmates to take risks and meet challenges. Indeed he has successfully met many challenges in his various activities. He thrived in both the Bronfman Fellowship and in the Tikvah Scholars program. He is also exceptionally involved as a chairperson in Model Congress, is captain of Torah Bowl, and is a vibrant member of the Math Team and the Science and Engineering program. As a matter of fact, he even successfully engaged in the highly competitive Jerusalem contest and is an AP Scholar.

Daniel also spends countless hours volunteering with Tomchei Shabbos, I-Shine and programs helping children with learning differences. Finally, he thrived in an independent study program at Yeshiva University. Next year Daniel will be at Yeshivat Har Etzion (Gush) in Israel and the following year he will attend Princeton University.

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Dear Dr. Stern, Is it really reasonable for my wife to expect to receive “new teeth” within an hour?

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Internationally experienced in dental and oral rehabilitation, Dr. Stern will help you through the process at his special clinic.

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Dr. Gedaliah Mordechai

Stern

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JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Overflow Crowd Attends Gesher’s First Annual Dinner

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eeping with the event theme of “Raising The Bar,” Gesher’s first annual dinner has set a tone of success. Known for meticulous planning and patient development in the educational arena, the Gesher administration relied on those same qualities in readying for this milestone event.

The Gesher Early Childhood Center has been serving the Five Towns and Far Rockaway communities for six years. It has built a reputation of excellence and has attracted students from all sections of the neighborhood. With now hundreds of families identifying themselves with Gesher, the time had come to embark on a formal dinner campaign.

Gesher is fortunate to have a very dedicated and prominent parent body and a well-recognized contingent of grandparents. It was noted that many dinner campaigns are met with the challenges of enlisting involved support.

The Gesher administration, however, was met with appreciate enthusiasm by its committees and its honorees.

The three committees represented a strong cross-section of the community.

Ari and Chanie Friedman, Motti and Shani Fox, Dr. Benjy and Faigy Hertz, Yossi and Shana Katz, Jacob and Tali Kohn, and Isaac and Elisheva Zafir made up the Parent Committee.

On the Grandparent Committee were Joshua and Vera Guttman, Rabbi Basil and Sherry Herring, Aroni and Chani Parnes, Moshe Ephraim and Esther Ruzorsky, Ash-

PHOTO CREDIT: KRANZ PHOTOGRAPHY

er and Tova Schonkopf, and Robby and Roz Vegh.

And the Community Dinner Committee included Lewis and Lauri Barbanel, Bert and Sura Fried, Dr. Dovid and Rachel Metz, Matis and Yael Nayman, Zalmie and Jenny Rosenberg, and Dr. Jeff and Nicole Spivak.

The overflow crowd enjoyed a lavish and delicious buffet by Oasis Catering, in the elegantly decorated ballroom of Beth Shalom courtesy of Dina Rogoff.

In signature Gesher-style the program was prompt and was designed to deliver the evening’s message in a timely and enjoyable manner. Arnie Waldman, who together with his wife Sarah chaired the event, served as the evening’s Master of Ceremony.

Themselves current Gesher grandparents, he opened by expressing his appreciation and admiration of the Gesher faculty.

The first honoree was Morah Sara Leah Jaffe, recipient of the Leadership in Education Award. Presented to her proudly by her father, Rabbi Naftali Portnoy, the award recognizes her invaluable contributions to Gesher’s six years of raising the bar.

The Parents of the Year award was presented to Yossi and Devory Davidson by her father Mr. Gary Klein. The Davidsons, vividly adored by their friends and families, are highly regarded for their commitment to chinuch and strong sense of community.

Mr. Waldman concluded the awards portion by presenting his children, Dr. Daniel

and Shayna Klein, as Guests of Honor. Their humble sincerity and ability to inspire others in all aspects of Torah and avodah have earned them much respect and admiration.

All of the honorees received stunning portraits of the Old City of Yerushalayim adorned with many pesukim describing its beauty.

The final presentation was a surprise tribute to the devot-

ed Gesher morahs who work tirelessly to support their students.

Dinner guests were extremely pleased with the meaningful program delivered succinctly through well prepared video arrangements.

The Gesher administration thanks its Executive Director Rabbi Moshe Lewin for his exceptional planning.

The catering portion then

continued with the hot buffet and the dessert display. The guests enjoyed all aspects of the event and were clearly impressed by the Gesher model. Many of the attendees expressed their delight and it was overheard repeatedly, “Best dinner I’ve ever been to!”

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Around the Community

Fun and Safety at RNSP Fair

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n Sunday, June 3, the Rockaway Nassau Safety Patrol presented the community with a world class public safety event, an event that was thoroughly enjoyed by scores of children and their families.

Children got to enjoy blow-up rides and other fun carnival-like activities.

However the theme of public safety was evident through the many fun and engaging hands-on, safety-related activities.

Families were treated to a world class fire safety demonstration. They had the ability to put that knowledge to the test in the FDNY’s smokehouse.

The smokehouse is a simulation of a real house fire. Those inside needed to employ their knowledge of fire safety and practically apply taught procedures as a means by which to remove themselves from the simulated danger.

The families at the public safety event were also treated to self-defense training courtesy of Warren Levy Mixed Martial Arts. Participants got to learn important self-defense strategies, and many also had the opportunity to win free sessions at Warren Levy.

We hope that many families sign up to avail themselves of that which Warren Levy has to offer.

Hatzolah of the Rockaways and Nassau County was generous enough to make an ambulance available for educational purposes. Families got an inside peek of the life-saving tools and practices that Hatzolah volunteers put to use each and every day.

As always, the NYPD came through in full force! The families at the RNSP Public Safety Event had a lot of fun engaging with the NYPD officers. The NYPD’s Highway division had a motorcycle on hand. Children got to sit on the motorcycle and hang out in police cars. As if that was not enough, they even got to see and handle the tools used by the NYPD’s elite ESU force.

The children got to learn that the work of the NYPD is way more intensive than what appears on the surface.

RNSP patrol units were on hand to meet and greet the community members they serve and to etch hundreds of bikes, scooters, and electronic devices. For as long as the RNSP has been collaborating with the 101st Precinct etching and registering bikes, scooters, and electronic devices, this free service

has proven to reunite rightful owners with their lost and stolen property dozens of times over. We graciously thank our sister organization, Flatbush Shomrim Safety Patrol for their generosity in proving their command center.

The usage of their command center was the primary source of power and also served as the events headquarters.

Much thanks to FSSP’s Coordinator, Bob Moskovitz and to FSSP’s and Flatbush Hatzolah’s Akiva Klein.

The active engagement with all of these public safety personnel and their life saving vehicles and tools left the families of our community with a profound appreciation for what they do each and every day.

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The RNSP thanks the commanding officer of the NYPD’s 101st Precinct Captain Vincent Tavalaro for his devotion to the Far Rockaway community.

Much thanks also goes out to crime prevention officer Michael Depace for educating the families in attendance of the various ways to avoid falling victim to crime. An untold amount of planning, coordination, and work made this event possible. Without our devoted community affairs officers Kevin Campell and Lynn Blanchette, the event would not have happened. They

spent many hours diligently working to make sure this event was a success.

The above mentioned divisions of the NYPD worked collaboratively to educate the families about all that the NYPD does to service our great city.

We thank them all for all the work they do for our community every single day.

Most of the work they do every day goes unnoticed by the general public, but they play a huge and important role in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the citizens of our community and beyond.

Councilman Donavan Richards Jr. of the 31st New York City Council District was also in attendance. His steady support and interest in the work of the RNSP is always appreciated. He regularly meets with the leadership and members of the RNSP to offer support and recognition.

Much thanks is also due to Carlos & Gabby’s, who for the last few years have provided food for all of the RNSP members and staff while they work this important community-wide event.

Last and finally not least, we are so

blessed and thankful to have so many devoted members, most of whom were on-hand at this public safety event and for all that they do to make the Far Rockaway and Five Towns community a better place to live and do business.

In particular, much gratitude is due to Shmuel Russell, Nussen Bornfreund, Dov Klein, and Channa Leah Siegel for all of the work that they put into planning and arranging what turned out to be a spectacular public safety event that benefited thousands in a most meaningful way.

Congratulates the Class of 2018

and wishes them hatzlacha as they move forward to seminary and college.

We are sure you will all continue to grow and be successful in your future endeavors!

SEMINARIES Amudim Baer Miriam COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES Darchei Bina Adelphi University Emunah V’Omanut City College Honors MMY Cornell University Machon Maayan Brooklyn College Midreshet Harova Hofstra University Midreshet Moriah Hunter College Midreshet Lindenbaum John Hopkins University Midreshet Tehilah Kingsborough Community College Midreshet Torah V’Avodah (TVA) Lander College for Women Midreseht Torah V’Chesed (MTC) Nassau Community College Sha’alavim for Women Queens College Tiferet Queensborough Community College Tomer Devora Stern College for Women SUNY Old Westbury Touro College

s s a Cl 8 1 0 of 2

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Around the Community

Project Bottle Cap Far Rockaway and Five Towns Newest Holocaust Awareness Initiative

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verybody is familiar with the number of Jews brutally murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust – 6 million Jews. But just how much is 6 million? That is the question that Project Bottle Cap, our community’s newest Holocaust awareness program, has set out to answer. The goal of Project Bottle Cap is to collect 6 million bottle caps, to show exactly how much the number 6 million really is.

We spoke with Yossi Keilson, founder and director of Project Bottle Cap, to find out more about this groundbreaking initiative.

How did you come up with the idea for Project Bottle Cap? YK: I got the idea from a story I read in a publication my family subscribes to. In one of the yom tov supplements, there was a story about an old man who everyone thought was crazy because he would collect everyone’s empty schnapps cups at the end of every Kiddush. After he died, his neighbors found out that he had been trying to collect 6 million schnapps cups so that every one of the Jews who perished in the Holocaust would have had a l’chaim made for them. The story got me thinking that we really can’t picture the number 6 million – it’s just too big of a number to wrap your head around! So I thought, if he could do it with schnapps cups, well, why can’t I do it with bottle caps?

I started collecting bottle caps by myself, but after a few weeks, I realized that I would need some help if I wanted to reach my goal before I was a crazy old man. So I decided to spread my new idea, which I’d dubbed “Project Bottle Cap,” to the schools in our community.

When did Project Bottle Cap start?

YK: I started collecting on my own

a new bag, or you can deliver them to Project Bottle Cap Headquarters, at 780 Elvira Avenue in Far Rockaway.

right after Sukkos of this year, and we started in our first school a few days after Chanukah.

How many schools are involved?

YK: I wanted to start off slowly and see how far we could get in one school before spreading it too far. So for this past year, we’ve only started the project in one elementary school – my alma mater, Yeshiva Darchei Torah. All classes from grades 1-7 are involved. We started just after Chanukah, and we have already collected over 40,000 bottle caps! We’re hoping to start in other schools in our community for the 2018-19 school year.

Where are you storing all those bottle caps?

YK: As of right now, I’ve been storing them wherever there’s extra room for storage in my house – in the attic, the basement, the garage, etc. Once we start getting closer to our goal, I’ll probably have to rent out some storage space somewhere or buy a giant dumpster to put in my backyard – but I think we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

What type of caps are eligible?

YK: The most important rule is that all caps have to be from a bottle – not a can, not a squeeze pouch, not a container, a bottle. Besides for that,

only plastic caps are counted, and only caps that are in good condition – not cracked or broken, and they need to be perfectly clean. (This is especially important when it comes to milk bottle caps, because if you don’t wash them out well, they can start to smell pretty bad!)

Can other people participate?

How? YK: Of course! The more people collecting, the faster we can reach our goal!

It’s very easy to be a part of the project. All you have to do is collect bottle caps! Any time you finish a bottle of something in your home – soda, milk, juice, water, seltzer, etc. – before throwing out the empty bottle, take off the cap and save it. You can keep a special bag or container near your recycling bin or anywhere else convenient, and tell all of your family members to put their bottle caps in it. Pick a nice round number, such as 100 or 500, and once you reach that number of caps, tie up your bag and start a new one. (This way, you’ll be able to keep track of how many caps you’ve collected without recounting them all the time – you’ll know that every sealed bag has your chosen number of caps in it.) You can either keep your bags of caps in your own house until we reach our goal and just e-mail us your total each time you fill

What are you going to do with all the bottle caps once you have 6 million?

YK: First, we want to gather them together in a public area – a park or somewhere similar – and let everyone in our neighborhood come see for themselves how massive the number 6 million really is. After that, we hope to put the collection in a Holocaust museum, so that all kids and adults can see and understand, at least to some extent, what the number 6 million really means.

How long do you think it will take to reach your goal?

YK: Well, that really depends on the level of participation that we get.

If we stay in just one school, then at the rate we’re going now – about 50,000 caps a year – it would take 120 years to collect 6 million. However, if everyone joins the project then, as a community, I think we could reach our goal in just a few years.

Here’s a statistic to think about: the Coca-Cola Company sells 1.8 billion bottles of soda every day. That’s a worldwide statistic, but the potential is clearly there to collect a few million bottle caps as a community.

The main thing is not to worry about reaching the goal, and to just collect those caps! With everyone’s participation, and Hashem’s help, I’m sure we can reach 6 million before you know it – to show the world how much 6 million really is. Just remember – every cap counts!

To start Project Bottle Cap in your school, shul, or camp, or for more information, call (347)-254-3286 or e-mail everycapcounts@gmail.com.

Ezra Academy Community Lecture Series Grows

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s Ezra Academy entered its fiftieth year, celebrated by their gala anniversary dinner back in February, they made resolved to do more, not just for its students and alumni but for the community at large. One of those things implemented was a community lecture se-

ries. This past Sunday they hosted the most recent shiur in the series. After the last lecture with Rabbi Yehoshua Kurland created a buzz, having another shiur so close in proximity was an obvious decision. This time the world renowned author of the Living Emunah series, Rabbi David Ashear,

was the presenter. Word spread far and wide as people coming from as far as Passaic and Williamsburg were in attendance, the largest of the series to date. Rabbi Ashear spoke about the importance of emunah and the difference it can make on one’s life if they work on it. Besides for leaving

the attendees with inspiration, Rabbi Ashear also gave each person a sefer, Rav Avigdor Miller’s commentary on Shaar Habitachon of Chovot Halevavot. It was a beautiful evening and had people looking forward to and anticipating the next lecture in the series.

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OHEL’s Fourth Annual OXC Classic Was an Athletic Mud-Filled Adventure

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his year’s OXC Classic, which took place on Sunday, May 27th, is a unique, inclusive mud run obstacle course race at the summer camp site of Camp Kaylie in Wurtsboro, NY. The race this year set new records for participants, with 585 runners completing the challenging and exhilarating course.

Despite periodic light rain on Memorial Day weekend, hundreds of people, ran, swam, crawled and climbed their way through 36 obstacles, including a brand new America Ninja Warrior style warp wall, across a five or one and a half mile course, all to raise money for OHEL’s children and families.

The OXC Classic is oneof-a-kind mud run in Camp Kaylie, designed specifically to challenge runners of all abilities in line with OHEL Children’s Home and Family Services mission of inclusion. This includes two course lengths to appeal to families, children, and people with disabilities, as well as competitive athletes and obstacle spotters to help everyone conquer the obstacles, all while everyone is

pushed to their limits working together to beat the course.

Said Mendy Schreiber, who ran in the Family Wave, “The OXC Classic was an amazing family day, as we all worked together to complete obstacles and conquer the course, and then enjoy the well-earned BBQ at the end of the day.”

At OHEL, we help thousands of individuals overcome different personal struggles they may face – from abuse to depression, disability to divorce. The OHEL OXC Classic provides the unique opportunity for participants to challenge their own bodies and test their limits, all while helping others and supporting children and adults with disabilities who face greater challenges every day.

This year was also the inaugural OXC Classic Leadership Shabbaton featuring Mor Sapir, an internationally renowned rock climber and inspirational speaker. Over 150 people, high school students and individuals from OHEL Bais Ezra attended this year, participating in seminars and shiurim and learning about ways to fight stigma in our

communities.

Together with hundreds of runners and thousands of donors OHEL raised over $525,000 from more than 3,000 different donors! OHEL specifically thanks its top individual fundraisers Rabbi Lewis Wienerkur, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Sarah Segall and top team fundraisers, Team #Avidstrong, Team Garden State Warriors, and Team Rosco Mud Runners who all led the way on the course and fundraising for OHEL! Said Rachelle Rosenberg, an Event Co-Chair and top fundraiser, “The OXC Classic is a day of giving, to OHEL’s children and to ourselves, as we challenge our bodies to overcome obstacles, mud, and walls and raise money so OHEL’s individuals can conquer their daily obstacles.”

In addition to the dozens of runners from Bais Ezra and Camp Kaylie throughout the day, the highlight of the day was the Inclusion Wave where runners from three of OHEL’s residence homes led the way through the OXC course culminating in a final celebration at the finish line. In total, almost 100 runners with dis-

The OXC Finish Line

Inspirational Speaker and Award Winning Climber Mor Sapir

abilities completed the OXC Classic.

OHEL is grateful to its many sponsors without whom there would be no OXC Classic, including Obstacle Course Sponsor Jack Jaffa who successfully completed the race as part of Team Jaffa Xtreme.

Other sponsors included: 24 CT Fitness, ABC Communications, ABF Mud Run, The Addison Group., Ambulnz, Atlantic PC., Avid Fitness, Brooklyn Family Pages, Clif Bar, Dependable Abstract., Event

Medic Services, Five Towns Jewish Times, Great Kosher Restaurants Foodies, Inflated Creations, Izzy’s Brooklyn Smokehouse, Jack Jaffa & Associates, Jakes Playhouse, in memory Susan Jacobson Z”L, The Jewish Home, Jewish Link of New Jersey, Modell’s Sporting Goods, ReliaTech Network Solutions, Rosenberg & Steinmetz PC, Stein Farkas & Schwartz LLP, Ted Supply, Toby Schwartz Graphic Design, Top Notch Staffing, TriState, and Capital Bank.

OHEL also thanks its OXC Co-Chairs Ben Englander, Aryeh Jacobson, Yehuda Konig, Rachelle Rosenberg and Jeffrey Schwart and OXC community coordinator Rabbi Avi Weber for their hard work and vision in making the OXC Classic a success.

Ready to join us next year?

Start training now – put it on your bucket list for you and your family! Be a part of the Fifth Annual OXC Classic event next year on May 19, 2019. Pre-register at www. oheloxc.org.

Individuals interested in the many programs and services that OHEL provides should contact OHEL at 800603-OHEL (6435), or visit www.ohelfamily.org.

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Around the Community PHOTO CREDIT: AMRAM ABRAMOVICH OF ERAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Nesiv Hatorah Groundbreaking

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ast Sunday, amidst a brief reprieve from the inclement weather that had soaked the area for the previous few days, Khal Nesiv Hatorah celebrated the groundbreaking of their future home at 830 Hicksville Road. In addition to the new Shul, the building will, b’ezras Hashem, host Kollel Zichron Ephraim Heschel and the Halacha Hotline of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway Community, both under the leadership of Harav Binyomin Forst, shlit”a, the Kehilla’s Mara D’Asra.

The festive atmosphere was contagious, as young children, fueled, no doubt, by soda, peckalach and cotton candy, dashed about wearing mock hard hats, emblazoned with the Shul’s name.

In the Rav’s brief address to the overflow crowd, he emphasized the achdus that helped bring the shul to this point and which would be required to bring the project to fruition.

The event was enhanced by the presence of many local rabbonim, who came to give chizuk and show support for the Rav and the kehilla.

After the groundbreaking ceremony, replete with gold colored shovels and (real) hard hats, the joyful attendees danced and sang for the remainder of the brief event.

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JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home

FINAL STRETCH

HELP BRING THIS BEAUTIFUL BASTION OF CHINUCH TO THE FINISH LINE

BUILDING

CA M PA I G N

An opportunity for partnership!

This is a historic opportunity to partner

with Siach Yitzchak and earn a share in its perpetual impact on the future of Klal Yisroel!

For 38 years, Siach Yitzchok, under the leadership of its dedicated Menahel, Rav Dovid Sitnick, has been a dynamic chinuch anchor of our community. The Yeshiva’s pioneering chinuch achievements are part of the beautiful spectrum of the Five Towns/Far Rockaway community’s essence and identity.

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‫ה ב נ י ן‬

‫ז ה‬

‫ה ש ל ם‬

Dedication Opportunities Cheshek Shlomo Building Dedication ........ $2,000,000 Junior High School Name ...................... $1,000,000 Early Childhood Learning Dedication ...... $1,000,000 Bais HaMedrash Name ..................... $360,000 Reserved Main Entrance ..................................................... $360,000 Dining Hall / Auditorium .................................. $360,000 Harav Shlomo Freifeld zt”l Memorial Wall ...... $250,000 Founders Wall in Main Lobby ..................... $250,000 Gymnasium .......................................................... $250,000 Kitchen ............................................................... $100,000 Classrooms (12) ................................... $50,000 4 Reserved Limudei Kodesh Conference Room ................... $36,000 Tutor / Enrichment Rooms (4) ............................ $25,000 Bais HaMedrash Menorah .................. $18,000 Reserved Yizkor Plaque (2) .................................................. $10,000 Mezuza at each Floor’s Entranceway (5) ............. $10,000 Mizrach Wall Decorative Panels (12) ..... $7,200 1 Reserved Otzar Haseforim Bookcase (6) ....................... $7,200 Bais HaMedrash Bookcase (18) .......... $7,200 1 Reserved Bais HaMedrash Window (10) .............. $5,400 6 Reserved Classroom Mezuzah (12) .................... $5,400 4 Reserved Pre-school Classroom Mezuzah (6) ..... $5,400 1 Reserved Pre-School Netilas Yadayim Stations (6) ... $5,400 1 Reserved Classroom Windows (18) ...................................... $3,600 Classroom Cubbies (18) .................... $2,500 2 Reserved Set of Table & 4 Chairs in BM (50) ..... $1,800 1 Reserved Water Fountain (8) ................................ $1,800 1 Reserved Mezuza (50) .............................................. $1,800 1 Reserved Classroom Clocks (18) .......................... $1,000 2 Reserved

DONATE A BRICK FOR Join our

$500

with a permanent recognition plaque on the ‫ בונים‬wall in the lobby

For information on dedication and additional sponsorship opportunities please contact Rabbi Mordechai Stein at the Yeshiva office at 718.327.6247 ext.16 or mstein@siachyitzchok.org

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Around the Community

BYQ Early Childhood Outdoor Classroom

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he children at the Bais Yaakov of Queens Early Childhood Center are enjoying the beautiful weather in their outdoor classroom. It is a wonderful spot to exercise both mind and body, and a whole lot of fun!

The spring season kicked off with the planting of a beautiful children’s garden. Under the direction of Morah Gitle, our esteemed nature teacher, the children planted gorgeous multicolored begonias, dahlias, geraniums and marigolds. The kitchen garden is thriving with a variety of herbs and delicious radishes. As the children worked they learned new vocabulary and scientific concepts in the very best way possible: through hands-on experiences. To further expand on the language arts learning, a favorite poem “Seeds” is displayed near the garden. The children love reading the familiar words and chanting the poem.

Children can also be found sitting near the garden with pencils and paper, sketching the beautiful flowers.

They carefully examine each delicate leaf and petal and try to replicate them on paper. Sketching helps children notice details and learn to pay close attention. It also develops eyehand coordination and fine motor skills. The more children sketch, the better their focus and attention to detail. These skills are foundational for reading, writing, and arithmetic.

In addition to the daily tending of their garden, the children are very busy with other activities in their outdoor classroom. They enjoy spending time in their “nest,” a tree house-like structure that was built just for them.

The nest is well stocked with natural materials like pinecones, bark circles and rocks. The girls enjoy arranging the materials in all sorts of beautiful patterns, mimicking the “land art” of Andy Goldsworthy.

The evaporation stations are also quite popular. Our young artists enjoy painting with water on fancy

framed easels and creating all kinds of beautiful designs. Science comes into play as the children observe what happens when the warm sun hits their watery creations. As the water begins to evaporate and the easels dry up, our youngest students start to understand a very complex concept.

Hollow blocks are a fabulous tool for children to build life size creations as well as mazes that snake across the entire yard. There is a good deal of mathematical learning as well as physics involved as children calculate

weight, distance and force. The children learn the fundamentals of engineering as they build sturdy foundations and functional structures.

Of course, gross motor activities are also available in the outdoor classroom. Bikes, jump ropes, and Chinese jump ropes compliment the large climbing toy in the yard and help children exercise their ever-developing muscles.

Visitors to the BYQ Early Childhood Center outdoor classroom can practically see the children growing and blooming before their very eyes.

HALB Girls Win Soccer Championship

A

fter an undefeated season the HALB girls soccer team beat YNJ 7-3 to become this year’s champions. The HALB Lions started out very strong. Within the first 5 minutes, Atara Sicklick popped in a quick goal to get the momentum going. The YNJ Jaguars were fighting hard and had many break aways but defenders Chana Spirn and Simona Goldberg challenged their offense and did not allow any shots. At the end of the first half the score was 4-0.

At second half, both teams came out fighting but Naomi Sigman did not disappoint with another shot from the corner and then notched another assist to put the score at 6-0. Just as

it looked to be a shutout, the Jaguars pulled out all the stops and scored 3. But thanks to the swift hands of rookie goalkeeper, Tova Farber the

shots were kept to a minimum. With 4 minutes left, the lions scored once again for a final score of 7-3.

We are so proud of their success

this season. Their teamwork and middot were excellent on and off the court.

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

Around the Community

Young volunteers from the Learn & Live Program helping out at the JCCRP Kosher Food Pantry this week

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We are All Volunteers 4Hashem

JEP-Nageela staff members 4Hashem include...l to r- Chaim Bloom, Sam Lipke, Rabbi Dovid Shenker, Rabbi Yitzchok Wurem, Ohavia Feldman, and Jennifer Zwiebel

By Jennifer S. Zwiebel

J

EP/Nageela’s biggest fundraiser of the year, 4Hashem, culminated last Wednesday night, June 6, with explosions of confetti and many smiles from volunteers, staff and friends who helped make it happen. The 30-hour matching X4 campaign, orchestrated by Ohavia Feldman, JEP/Nageela Executive Director, went into its final exhilarating moments with a “bonus round” where each dollar was then matched X6! The celebration continued with a beautiful dinner spread sponsored by Seasons and Camp Romimu at campaign headquarters, the Bais Medrash Ateres Yisroel.

All that excitement translates into more children who can reap the benefits of a Joyfully Jewish experience at Camp Nageela this summer and more wonderful Torah-infused programming by JEP throughout the year. Generous matchers of the campaign are members of JEP/Nageela’s “Choose Life” society, a pillar of support for the organization.

Much of the campaign’s success is due to JEP/Nageela volunteers. Many former campers and staff members volunteered to help spread the word about 4Hashem.

One key volunteer, Omi Warshauer, has been involved with JEP/Nageela for over eight years since some of her siblings attended Camp Nageela.

She received a flurry of “Shout Outs” online as she helped raise funds for the campaign. Ms. Warshauer describes her support as a “zechus”

We reached our goal -- it’s time to celebrate!

and that she gained a lot more than she gave. “The organization is like no other! You can’t help but want to be involved when you see how pure the motives of the Shenkers, Rabbi Wurem, and the rest of the team are.

It’s pure and simple – the goal being to bring children close to the beauty of Yiddishkeit. JEP/Nageela is completely 4Hashem!”

Aaron Fried, a Nageela camper and staff member since 10 years ago, is now volunteering for the organization. “After being involved this last year, it ended up rekindling a spirit of wanting to give back. One thing that keeps me continuously connect-

ed is the people. That’s what drew me in from the beginning. People are genuinely interested in your personal benefit. JEP is different from other places in that it’s more of a family atmosphere and they have a genuine concern for others. It’s not just about a Jewish camp experience but trying to help each child achieve in life in general.”

The Bloom boys were among those who volunteered to help make calls to prospective donors. Twelveyear-old Binyomin Bloom saw the impact JEP/Nageela had on a girl who spent Shabbos with his family a few years ago on a JEP Shabbaton.

“She really felt Judaism, she enjoyed the Shabbos experience, and she wanted to learn more.” Binyomin’s favorite part about his volunteering experience 4Hashem was “making the calls and being a part of a fun and good environment.” is a volunJEP/Nageela teer-based organization. The more volunteer support, the more good work that can be done 4Hashem.

Please help us to continue our efforts, volunteer and support JEP/ Nageela. Contact Rabbi Dovid Shenker at 516-374-1528, ext. 203 or visit jepli.org/4Hashem.

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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When HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, Shlita, Was Moved to Tears Dorshei HaDaf Program Launched at Home of Rav Chaim Kanievsky

By Chaim Gold

I

t was an emotional moment at the home of HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, shlita. No one was expecting it, but suddenly Rav Chaim was moved to tears. He was visibly emotional and could not contain himself. What caused Rav Chaim to cry? It was a story about remarkable ahavas haTorah told by his chavrusah and close confidant, HaGaon HaRav Elya Mann, shlita.

The event was a pesicha event, the day after Shavuos, marking the inauguration of “Dorshei HaDaf,” a new Dirshu project that will feature a hotline whereby anyone who has a question on that day’s Daf can call a number and receive answers from a rotating team of talmidei chachomim who will be charged with answering the phones.

The Question that so Deeply Moved Rav Chaim At that event, Rav Elya Mann related, “Today is 7 Sivan, the yahrzeit of the famous Ger Tzedek of Vilna, Rav Avrohom ben Avrohom. When Rav Avrohom was taken to be burned al kiddush Hashem for converting to Judaism, he requested from those who came to kill him that they honor his one final request as has been customary throughout the ages before killing someone... They agreed.

“He asked to be taken to the Vilna Gaon. They brought him to the Gaon and he asked the Gaon the following question: ‘We know the rule of zerizim makdimim l’mitzvos – One should perform mitzvos with alacrity. According to that dictum I should be running to fulfill this mitzvah of dying al kiddush Hashem. On the other hand, the quicker I run, the quicker I will hasten my death and one must not hasten one’s death. What should I do? Run quickly or not?’”

Upon hearing Rav Elya tell over the question, Rav Chaim became extremely emotional and let out a sob. Clearly, the Ger Tzedek’s love of Torah and mesiras nefesh touched him deeply.

HaRav Chaim Kanievsky in discussion with Rav Dovid Hofstedter

Rav Mann continued, “Before the Gaon had a chance to answer his question, the soldiers hustled Rav Avrohom away. The Gaon rushed to the window and shouted after him, ‘Reb Avrohom, quicker!’ Rav Avrohom began to walk quickly…”

Rav Mann remarked to Rav Chaim, “How much time did Rav Avrohom merit to learn Torah before he was killed? Still, we see what an exalted level of Torah he was able to reach. That is the power of immersion in Torah.”

Dorshei HaDaf: Another Aid to Torah Learning Dirshu has made its mission to facilitate and encourage limud haTorah with accountability among all segments of Klal Yisrael and has invested a tremendous amount of resources to empower Yidden the world over to maximize both the quality and the quantity of the Torah that they learn.

The latest program, Dorshei HaDaf, is another aid to Torah learning that Dirshu is providing as a service to Klal Yisroel.

At the home of HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein, shlita, senior Rosh Yeshiva of Ponovezh, HaGaon Rav Boruch Dov Diskin, shlita, Rosh Yeshi-

va at Yeshiva Orchos Torah, and primary composer of the Dirshu tests, as well as Dirshu’s Nasi, Rav Dovid Hofstedter and Rabbi Avigdor Bernstein, a senior member of Dirshu’s Hanhalah, explained to the Rosh Yeshiva how the new program came about. “Today, those learning the Daf HaYomi often come up with questions that they cannot answer. The nature of Daf HaYomi learning and the amount that must be covered daily often doesn’t allow for a protracted amount of time to research questions. What Dirshu has done is taken some of their most capable talmidei chachomim, those who have been tested cumulatively on the entire Shas with Gemara, Rashi and Tosafos over the past two or three machzorim of the Daf HaYomi and have appointed them to be available on the Dorshei HaDaf hotline to offer learners answers to any questions that they have.”

HaGaon HaRav Gershon Edelstein, Shlita: The Main Thing is to Increase Torah Learning Rav Gershon gave his heartfelt bracha, saying that anything that will help improve people’s learning and deepen

their understanding of learning is a good and important thing.

Rav Gershon also commented that the main thing is to increase Torah learning, both in quality and quantity, and if testing succeeds in doing this, then it is a vital, positive tool.

The Rosh Yeshiva commented that when large gatherings celebrating the accomplishments of lomdei Torah brings chizuk in learning and results in more people learning Torah, it is a great chizuk.

Kinyan HaShas Graduates Explain How Tests Transformed Their Learning One of the unique aspects of the Dirshu Dorshei HaDaf program is the fact that the hotline is manned by those who have succeeded in taking and excelling on Dirshu tests on multiple machzorim of Shas. Rav Yaakov Hain, shlita, Rosh Kollel of Kollel Yissocher B’Ohalecha and a shoel u’meishiv in Yeshiva Orchos Torah, the yeshiva founded and headed by HaGaon HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman, zt”l, explained what it was that enabled him to become one of the individuals who will be answering the phones for the

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

Meeting at the home of Harav Gershon Edelstein to discuss the new Dorshei HaDaf Program

Dorshei HaDaf program.

He said, “I have a tremendous amount of hakoras hatov for Dirshu because it was only through the Dirshu Kinyan Shas program that I was able to make my way through Shas in a comprehensive manner.

“I have two different positions.

One as a Rosh Kollel and the other as a shoel u’meishiv. If I didn’t have the obligation to take the Dirshu tests I would be so busy with just learning the material for my two other responsibilities that I would have neglected learning the rest of Shas. It is only because of the rigorous testing schedule that I was able to complete Shas and retain the material in a verifiable way.”

Rav Hain then reminisced about an incident that transpired approximately thirteen years ago. “At that time,” he explained, “they asked for a number of test takers to come and meet Rav Dovid Hofstedter. He wanted to hear about our experiences taking the tests, so that he could hear feedback on how to make the program even more effective. I answered that I had already been tested in programs run by several different organizations and now I am with Dirshu. He asked me, ‘If other organizations are doing this, why is Dirshu necessary?’ I replied that Dirshu is the only organization that has different tracks for Gemara and Rashi and a separate track for Gemara, Rashi and Tosafos. ‘Why,’ he probed further, ‘is it significant that there is a separate track just for Gemara with Rashi?’”

I answered, “When one takes a test with Tosafos, human nature is that he focusses only on Tosafos without investing sufficient time and effort into understand the Gemara and Rashi. If, however, you first go through Shas being tested only on Gemara with Rashi and only then, for the next machzor, do you progress to including Tosafos, the benefits are indescribable!”

Success Breeds Success Rav Yaakov Menachem Krauss, a distinguished talmid chochom who has been tested on the entire Shas and is now one of the individuals tasked with marking Dirshu’s tests, spoke about how effective Dirshu’s tests were in enhancing his own learning. “Firstly, of course, taking a test creates a tremendous feeling of obligation to know the material. It is, however, much deeper than that. I think the most powerful effect that Dirshu has had on me is the sipuk, the spiritual satisfaction in learning, which it brings. There is nothing that can describe the rush that one feels when, after the test, you get the answer sheet and determine if what you wrote was correct. When you see that you were matzliach the pleasure is incomparable!

“One reason is because when a person does well on a Dirshu test he knows that he succeeded in really knowing the Gemara. Dirshu doesn’t ask riddles or ‘gotcha’ questions but rather asks solid and comprehensive questions that encompass the essence of the sugya. It is mindboggling to contemplate the amount of Torah that Dirshu has caused to be learned. I often say that the night before a Dirshu test, there is massive infusion of Torah being learned in the world – a zechus that cannot be properly quantified!”

The “Kinyan” Imperative At the home of Rav Chaim, Rav Eliyahu Mann sitting next to Rav Chaim was asked to convey Rav Chaim’s message. His remarks were reminiscent of the Gemara’s account of a meturgaman, a translator, who would amplify the words of the rebbi.

He said, “How fitting it is that this event of kiddush Hashem [of the launching of Dorshei HaDaf] is transpiring today.

“Today is the day after Kabbolas

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Rav Dovid Hofstedter greeting Harav Gershon Edelstein

HaTorah – the receiving of the Torah.

According to the Magen Avrohom, it isn’t the day after Kabbolas HaTorah but actually the day the Torah was given – 51 days after the beginning of Sefiras Ha’Omer.

“In order to understand Torah, one must acquire Torah. The Chazon Ish would say, ‘A person cannot acquire anything without the act of a kinyan, an acquisition. Torah also requires a kinyan. For every acquisition of material possessions there are Mishnayos that explain how that kinyan takes place. With regard to Torah as well, there is a Mishnah that delineates how to acquire Torah. That Mishnah is the one that enumerates the 48 ways to acquire Torah. The first way to acquire Torah, the Mishnah says, is Talmud, to learn.

“What is ‘talmud’?

“What does talmud mean and how is it acquired?

“The simple answer is that talmud means to sit and learn Torah. It makes no difference what a person’s ‘job’ is – whether he learns all day or engages in parnasah for part of the time. It all depends on what your primary focus is. If your primary focus is Torah, it means that you are a ‘talmud,’ a learner. It makes no difference whether you are engaged in other activities for part of the day. You are a ‘learner’ that is what defines you!

“A person must use every free minute to learn and must make sure that he has free minutes to learn.

“This is especially important when it comes to Daf HaYomi. There are times when a person is busy. He does not have the time to learn, it is difficult for him to learn. Still, if he knows that he is learning the same Daf as all of Klal Yisroel is learning, he will somehow find the time to keep up, he will engage in ‘talmud’ even when it is difficult. That is the first kinyan of the 48.

“Learning.

[Rav Chaim told me another interesting thing, relates Rav Mann.]

“When a child who is becoming bar mitzvah comes to ask [Rav Chaim] what spiritual undertaking he should accept upon himself in honor of his bar mitzvah, Rav Chaim says, “To learn Shas.”

[I ask Rav Chaim, “Shas?!”]

[He replies, “Why not?”]

“That is ‘learning.’

“Learning means Shas, but it doesn’t have to be done in one night.

When a person learns Daf HaYomi, he learns one daf today and another daf tomorrow, as the Gemara teaches, ‘The wise person says, “Today I will learn one page and tomorrow another.” The wise person does not say, ‘How am I going to learn so much?

How can I finish the entire Shas?’ The way to acquire Shas is by learning one Daf after another with consistency.

“Throughout the generations it was known that one must learn from others. A rebbi must give over to a talmid and a talmid must learn from a rebbi.

“Today, the new concept of [the Dorshei HaDaf] hotline is akin to a rebbi/talmid relationship. Whenever a person has a question he has whom to ask. Today, with the establishment of the new [Dorshei HaDaf] Hotline for Shailos it will be possible for people all over the world to tap into this rebbi/talmid relationship – even when the rebbi is geographically far away from them.”

Rav Mann concluded by quoting Rav Chaim’s opinion with regard to Dirshu. He said, “Tell Dirshu that I am jealous of their zechusim. In many ways Dirshu has ensured that Torah should not be forgotten among Yisroel. Ashreichem v’ashrei chelkechem – fortunate are you and fortunate is your lot!”

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Around the Community

This past Thursday, the Five Towns Premier at Woodmere hosted an informative educational seminar to close to 100 social workers from local hospitals . The dynamic Dr. Sara Gluck delivered a lecture on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She spoke about different methods on how to help patients cope with PTSD, treatments, therapy and beyond.

MTA’s Inaugural Scholarship Campaign Culminates with Yeshiva-Wide Seduas Preidah and Siyum

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ore than 400 talmidim, rebbeim, parents, and friends joined MTA on Wednesday, June 6, for its Yeshiva-Wide Seudas Preidah and Siyum, celebrating the Torah learning accomplishments of all talmidim and the culmination of its inaugural Scholarship Campaign, honoring Rabbi Hyman Arbesfeld (‘49). The program was sponsored by MTA alumni Eytan (‘06), Noam (‘08), and Ezra (‘12) Mishkoff, in memory of their father, Meir Mishkoff (BTA ‘75).

The evening was a true celebration of both Torah learning and the entire educational experience, as more than 50% of MTA families participated in its first-ever Scholarship Campaign, highlighting the importance of supporting Jewish education. “We need to ensure that all of our children are entitled to a Jewish education,” said Campaign Co-Chair Mordy Rothberg.

“I’m passionate about the need to support our Scholarship Campaign because every child should have access to the exceptional educational experience provided by MTA.” The Campaign began with a $1 million gift from Rabbi Arbesfeld, given last year, in appreciation of the scholarships he received as a student.

“I was fortunate to have my entire Yeshiva University education, from high school at MTA to college, to Semichah at RIETS, supported by scholarships,” said Rabbi Arbesfeld. “I gave this gift in memory of my father. It was his inspiration and love that motivated me to pursue a life of Torah and maddah.

I hope this gift will inspire many oth-

ers to support this exceptional high school, and that parents will send their sons here, knowing that tuition assistance is available.”

The Yeshiva-Wide Seudas Preidah and Siyum was a fitting way to celebrate the success of the Scholarship Campaign, as the event itself demonstrated the tremendous impact a Jewish education has on students. More than 125 talmidim made a siyum, celebrating the completion of a masechta they learned this year. “The energy felt throughout the evening, as talmidim danced with their rebbeim, parents, and friends, was amazing and a true tribute to the relationships that have grown throughout the year,” said head of school Rabbi Joshua Kahn. “The excitement and pure joy on the faces of our talmidim and rebbeim as they celebrated a year of incredible Torah learning accomplishments together, was inspiring and a strong indication of the influence our educational experience has on their lives.”

The program also included opening remarks from Rabbi Kahn, divrei bracha from Yeshiva University President and MTA alum Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, a special presentation to Rabbi Arbesfeld, who shared his personal story as the recipient of a full scholarship to MTA and the importance of paying it forward to ensure that every child has access to the yeshiva’s educational experience, and divrei Torah from Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Michael Taubes and RIETS Rosh Yeshiva Rav Mordechai Willig.

Yeshiva University President Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, Rabbi Hyman Arbesfeld, and MTA Head of School Rabbi Joshua Kahn

Yaron Kahan (‘19), Rabbi Shalom Richter, and Ephraim Greenberg (‘19)

Seniors Zeve Kornwasser, Noam Putterman, Meir Uretsky, Rav Tanchum Cohen, and Yehuda Snow

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Young Publishers

C

ongratulations to the second graders at Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam. Throughout the year the second graders have

been worked steadily on their writing skills and most recently wrote their personal narratives. The girls revised and edited them to perfection.

Their narratives have great leads, dialogue, show – not tell, and contain other important features needed for good writing. The girls’ stories were

professionally published and the proud authors hosted their parents at a memorable publishing party!

Senate Passes Bill Ensuring NY Children Learn about Holocaust

T

his week it was announced that for the second year in a row, the State Senate passed legislation to ensure New York students

are taught about the atrocities of the Holocaust. The bill was originally introduced in early 2017 in the wake of a spate of anti-Semitic incidents

throughout the nation.

Senator Phillips, who sponsors the bill, said, “Society has an obligation to remember and continue to condemn one of the worst atrocities in human history. Providing our children with a comprehensive history of the world, which includes teaching the Holocaust in a responsible manner, is crucial in preventing history from repeating itself. With hate-driven crimes in the headlines almost every day, this lesson is more important than ever. I applaud my colleagues in the Senate for passing this bill and call on the Assembly and Governor Cuomo to take action on the measure immediately.”

“We as a nation have an obligation to remember and honor the lives of those murdered and to prevent one of the worst calamities in the history of mankind from happening again,” said Senator Kaminsky, who cosponsored the bill. “I’m pleased the Senate passed this crucial measure today to ensure that every child in New York State is taught about the horrendous atrocities of the Holocaust, while ensuring that the six million Jews who were murdered are never forgotten.”

In a 2018 survey, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) found that 31 percent of Americans, and 41 percent of millennials, believe that two million or fewer Jews were killed in the Holocaust while the actual number is around six million. The survey also found that 41 percent of Americans,

and 66 percent of millennials, cannot say what Auschwitz was.

The measure requires the State Education Department to conduct an audit of Holocaust education in New York schools and provide a report to the Governor and Legislature.

Additionally, the bill orders the Education Department to promulgate regulations to ensure that all schools are teaching about the Holocaust in accordance with state law. The legislation was originally introduced in early 2017 following the wake of an incident in which an upstate school teacher gave an assignment requiring students to defend the Nazi viewpoint in support of the extermination of more than 10 million people, including six million Jews. Senator Kaminsky was outraged when he learned of this incident and immediately wrote to Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia and the state’s Board of Regents calling for an investigation into the matter to ensure that similar classwork is not being assigned anywhere else in New York. “This assignment is incredibly disturbing, potentially traumatizing, and completely unacceptable,” said Senator Kaminsky at the time. “The Holocaust is not some hypothetical scenario to be used for a mock debate; it was a horrific genocide, plain and simple, and we as a state must do all we can to educate our youth on this abhorrent calamity and prevent such atrocities from ever occurring again.”

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

Off the Beaten Path.

But Not Too Off.

As a homeowner at Lakeshore Hills, you will not only enjoy the quiet beauty of the Catskill Mountains, you will also be in close proximity to one of the world’s premier learning camps, allowing you to imbibe the spirit of Torah even while on vacation.

Three-and four-bedroom winterized homes Living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry room Unfinished basement with potential for 4 more BR Shul / Pool / Lake / Playgrounds and sports fields Across from Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s learning camp 2.3 miles from Woodbourne’s Route 52

From $239,000 Please call 347-510-3597 or email lakeshorehills@outlook.com

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A Busy and Exciting Week at YCQ

I

t has been an exciting week at Yeshiva of Central Queens.

With the focus on STEM subjects growing in all areas of academia, YCQ’s STEM Club-SET3 visited Luna Park in Coney Island to experience their lessons on how roller coasters work firsthand. The students learned that other than motorized chains that pull a rollercoaster up the first hill, it is nothing more than the build up of potential energy, the conversion to kinetic energy, the pull of gravity and finally the law of inertia (keeping the coaster in motion), that makes the rollercoaster work, offering the rider the thrill of the ride.

The grade eight students then embarked on their yearly trip to Washington, D.C. During their tour of the Capitol, Congresswomen Grace Meng and Donna Iken, a senior legislative assistant, took time out of their busy schedule to meet with the students for a talk and photo opportunity. The students then visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial, bringing to life the U.S. history and government they have learned about in the classroom.

Back in Queens, the orchestra and band performed their annual spring concert. The performance included Hatikvah, Shalom Aleichem and other songs played on violin, drums and trumpet. Research has shown that learning an instrument increases memory skills, improves coordination, increases comprehen-

sion in math and reading, creates responsibility, improves listening and social skills, and creates a sense of achievement. The after-school music program offers students a choice of instruments and weekly group lessons to enforce the skills needed to work towards their goals.

Finally as the week came to a close, and everyone began to settle down to prepare for finals and graduations, the YCQ Wildcats boy’s varsity soccer team won the championship game for a second straight year with a 4-3 victory over HALB.

CAHAL Hosts Annual Staff Appreciation Dinner

O

n June 12, CAHAL hosted its annual staff appreciation dinner in honor of their teachers, assistant teachers, related service providers and extended staff.

The event is held to recognize the outstanding efforts of the staff of the CAHAL program and to share the wonderful accomplishments and successes of the students in each class.

Dr. Norman Blumenthal, co-founder and Chairman of the Board of CAHAL, opened the evening by speaking about the unique mission of CAHAL and expressed gratitude to the teachers who are the bloodline of

the program. Rabbi Moishe Waxman, CAHAL limudei kodesh coordinator, gave a meaningful dvar Torah. It was an evening of sharing the nachas as several staff members told personal stories of inspiration and appreciation. Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs, who has worked with CAHAL students from first through eighth grade, expressed his delight this year in seeing his young talmidim acquire so many skills and develop the excitement of giving through their involvement in many chessed projects. Mrs. Melody Harris, a veteran CAHAL teacher of many years, expressed her sincere

hakaras hatov to the yeshiva administrators who have a special appreciation for their CAHAL students and celebrate their achievements. She spoke about how being a teacher in CAHAL has truly given meaning to her life. Mrs. Malkie Hyman spoke of her experiences of working with both younger children and middle school students. “There is a light at the end of the tunnel,” she told her colleagues, “and we have the privilege of igniting that light for each of the students.”

Each teacher spoke from the heart, and it was clear that everyone attending shared an incredible pas-

sion and dedication to their mission in CAHAL. A special thank you to the administration and staff of Mesivta Ateres Yaakov for hosting the evening.

CAHAL is completing its 26th year of educating children with learning challenges. Since 1992, hundreds of community children have been able to remain integrated in our local yeshivas, learning the mainstream curriculum. For more information, contact CAHAL at 516-2953666 or visit WWW.CAHAL.ORG.

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

Around the Community it u

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Rambam Accolades

‫בימים ההם‬

el ll‫ת‬ m k‫י‬o‫הל‬ il‫ו‬l‫כ‬i ‫ ם‬TES 10 T‫ל‬eh‫ ל‬LEBRA

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SE FER YA LK UT DA NIE L, CH AP TER 2

Michael Akhavan

Akiva Schuck

Rambam Co-Valedictorian: Michael Akhavan Michael Akhavan, Rambam’s class of 2018/5778 co-valedictorian, is a true representative of the grade.

Michael distinguished himself early on at Rambam and quickly became known as someone with exemplary middos, as well as someone who was eager to contribute to the school culture and to Am Yisroel. As gabbai of the Sepharidc minyan, Michael strove to create an atmosphere of ahavas Hashem and achdus. He shepherded the school’s weekly Torah publication, Hamasmid, and was a Debate Captain. He was a stalwart member of Rambam’s Basketball team and Yachad Club. He is a member of the Arista Honor Society and even won Rambam’s CBS Survivor Tzedakah Challenge. Michael is kind, humble, and epitomizes the idea of a ben Torah. He plans on studying at Sha’alvim next year and continuing his Torah learning in the U.S. while attending the Queens College Scholars program.

Rambam Co-Valedictorian: Akiva Schuck Conscientious, creative, and a stellar character are the trademarks of Akiva Schuck, Rambam’s co-valedictorian this year. Akiva’s academic prowess was recognized from the time he applied to school four years ago and was named a Rambam scholar. Over the course of high school his achievements earned him membership to the Arista/Na-

Doniel Fodiman

tional Honor Society. Excelling in all of his academic studies and being a budding talmid chochom, Akiva is respected by Rambam’s administration, faculty, and student body. His wonderful middos endear him to everyone who meets him. He is a well-rounded individual who participates in various sports teams, extracurricular activities, was involved in the school’s weekly Torah publication, Hamasmid, and is frequently found in the Bais Medresh “just to learn.” Akiva plans to attend Yeshiva University after spending time in Israel in Yeshivas Netiv Aryeh.

Rambam Salutatorian: Doniel Fodiman Rambam’s salutatorian, Doniel Fodiman, is always seen walking around with a sefer and a book. His commitment to halacha, intellectual curiosity, and drive for truth set him apart as the quintessential Torah U’Madda man. Doniel was integral to the success of the school’s Torah Bowl, Poetry, and Tennis teams.

He founded the Rambam Medieval Jewish Poetry Club while writing for AIPAC and serving in Lev Leytzan, the Compassionate Clown Society.

Doniel plans on learning in Yeshivat Har Etzion (Gush) and then staying in Israel to continue both his kodesh and college studies. Wherever he goes, there is confidence he will have a meaningful thought, a kind word, and a warm smile for everyone he meets.

Inequality in the name of diversity Page 123

A REFUAH WITH HOLY TEHILLIM MONEY

In

the city of Preshburg, there was a special mesorah, a tradition, that if someone had a choleh in his house, the family gathered a minyan of 10 people and paid them to say Tehillim, so that the ill person should recover.

Reb Daniel Prostitz, the Preshburg Rosh Beis Din in the days of the Chasam Sofer, had an interesting minhag. He would ask all the people who said Tehillim for the choleh to donate a few dollars. He then bought food with this money and gave it to the ill person to eat.He would explain that these Tehillim sayers had an extra zchus, and even their money had a special chashivus. In their merit, feeding the choleh food that was purchased with their money would surely bring about a complete refuah.

CONTACT TEHILLIM KOLLEL TODAY:

718.705.7174

I N F O @ T E H I L L I M K O L L E L .O R G | W W W.T E H I L L I M K O L L E L .O R G

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A R O U N D

T H E

BEIT SHEMESH ‫קבר ָדּן בן יעקב‬ TZFAS (1) ‫ציון האר”י הקדוש‬ TZFAS (2) ‫ציון רבי לייב בעל יסורים‬ TZFAS (3) ‫ציון רבי שלמה אלקבץ‬ TEVARYA (1) ‫ציון של״ה הקדוש‬

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Around the Community

HANC High School Closing Ceremony

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n Friday, June 8, HANC High students and faculty filled the school’s auditorium for the 2018 Closing Ceremony. The program opened with remarks from Principal Rabbi Shlomo Adelman followed by award presentations.

The first set of recognitions was a series of honors that were given to students who stand out in areas that are valued at HANC. Rabbi Adelman introduced the awards with a special emphasis on the process of choosing recipients. Faculty members nominated candidates for consideration and collectively selected the recipients. Each award went to one male and one female recipient and was presented by administrators.

The names of each recipient of the ten awards will be added to the plaques adorning the second floor hallway. The students who went above and beyond in their participation in chessed activities were Shirley Ebrani and Rafael Akilov, who received the Rabbi Moshe & Rebbetzin Sandra Gottesman Chesed Award.

The Golda Meir Community & School Spirit Award went to Kayla Stern and the Natan Sharansky Community & School Spirit Award

went to Aeton Rabanipour, as students who exemplify “a strong commitment to the HANC community and [work] selflessly in order to foster inclusiveness and strengthen school spirit.” Students were also recognized for their “academic achievement, true intellectual curiosity, and a demonstrated commitment to increasing knowledge in various disciplines.”

Jonah Rocheeld received the Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook Passion for Education Award, and Courtney Isler received the Nechame Leibowitz Passion for Education Award. Students with outstanding “determination and diligence and an unwavering commitment to advance academically” received The Rabbi Meyer & Rebbetzin Goldie Fendel Determination and Perseverance Award; Daniella Rothman and Jesse Rothafel were the recipients.

The Ateret Shem and Keter Shem Tov recognizes two students who demonstrate distinguished character and a strong commitment to leading a life of high ethical and moral standard consistent with Torah ideals and values. The recipients were Racheli Abginesaz and Matthew Zimmerman.

HANC helps build char-

acter by ensuring that students perform acts of chessed. Chessed, a Hebrew word for kindness, is a term often used at HANC as students participate in chessed activities such as community service throughout the school year and into the summer months. Although 15 hours per year are required by HANC, many students choose to continue their participation past their obligation.

Chessed Awards were presented to such students

by Dean of Students, Rabbi Etan Ehrenfeld, and Director of Student Life, Rabbi Daniel Mezei. Silver awards went to students who completed more than 25 chessed hours, gold awards to students who completed over 50 hours, and platinum awards were reserved for students who completed over 100 chessed hours.

Congratulations to Susan Deutsch and Yosef Hekmati who went above and beyond and completed over 100 hours of community service.

This was followed by an address given by newly elected president, Aeton Rabanipour, and a nostalgic year-in-review video presentation expertly prepared by the Student Life Team.

Students watched the presentation while enjoying

ice cream bars. In addition, a special recognition was given to the hardworking custodial faculty and security. A heartfelt farewell was extended to those faculty members who will not be returning.

Director of College Guidance Ms. Karen Sheff, presented a series of awards recognizing students’ accomplishments.

These awards were: Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award - David Reitano; The Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award Aeton Rabanipour; George Eastman Young Leaders Award - Adena Cohen; Rensselaer Polytech Institute Medal Award- Jonah

Rocheeld; Xerox Award for Innovation and Information Technology - Josh Vilkas; The Brandeis Book Award Gabrielle Schoenberg; Nassau County District Attorney Shield Award- Joseph Haar; and the Yeshiva University Torah U’Madah Book Award - Courtney Isler and Jonah Rocheeld.

The ceremony was an incredible success and created a sense of achdut among the students as they cheered for their peers who received awards. The program concluded with a musical performance by juniors Bernie Maslin and Racheli Abginesaz.

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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Holocaust Survivors Visit YOSS

S

tudents in Yeshiva South Shore’s Mechina division were fortunate to be visited by two Holocaust survivors, Jack Nayberg and Dora Siegelman. Rabbi Yoni Escovitz, a 7th grade Rebbi at YOSS and the rav of this brother and sister, led an interactive question and answer session for the 6-8th graders. The siblings gave a glimpse of pre-war European Jewry and the incredible void that remained after the war. The talmidim heard about their harrowing experiences in the ghettos, the concentration camps, and the death march, and were inspired by

their miraculous survival.

After the presentation, the students personally greeted and thanked them for sharing their stories. It was then that they were shown the numbers on Mrs. Siegelman’s arm, to be etched forever into their minds.

“It is so important for the new generation to have first-hand testimony of the Holocaust,” said Rabbi Zev Davidowitz, Menahel HaMechina. “Our talmidim need to be able to tell their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren what they heard with their own ears and saw with their own eyes.”

Is it an addiction or just a way to relax?

Page 110

Family heirlooms and history came to life at the Eitz Chaim Heritage Museum of Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s sixth grade

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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Around the Community PHOTO CREDIT: IRA THOMAS CREATIONS

The graduating class of Yeshiva of South Shore

Cub Scout Pack 1818 Learns Archery

Sensing Robotics

C

ub Scout Pack 1818, the only Shomer Shabbos and Shomer Kosher Cub Scout Pack in the Long Island area, chartered by the Marion and Aaron Gural JCC, ​took a trip to the Schiff Scout Reservation this past Sunday to learn all about archery at their beautiful, sprawling, 400 acre site.

While the nearly two dozen boys who attended the event were very excited to learn archery skills and how to handle real bows and arrows, a scout knows that safety is a priority and is essential to any activity. The basics had to be mastered first. Pack 1818 paid close attention to Theodore Roosevelt Council Board Member Gino Scartozzi as he taught the boys crucial rules of archery including the importance of not making noise that would distract those getting ready to shoot, not walking to retrieve your arrows while shooting is still in progress, and the correct way to pick up your arrows so that you won’t get hurt. (Use the Frankenstein stance!

Hold arrows with both hands parallel to the ground.) Each member got to aim and fire at their targets. The boys learned that archery is a lot harder than it looks! It was an educational and exciting experience for all. Neesan, age 7, from the Wolf Den, was very pleased after practicing with his bow and arrow for the first time “I [scored] a 3 on the target and Shimon [his twin brother] got a 2! I want to do it again next year!”

It was a wonderful day for Pack 1818, and with the extensive grounds

and many outdoor activities Schiff Scout Reservation has to offer, Pack 1818 ​will surely ​be returning to this exclusive scout camp soon.​This coming Sunday Cub Scout Pack 1818 will be holding their first annual Blue and Gold ceremony, where the scout families will celebrate all of their sons’ accomplishments during this inaugural year in scouting. Pack 1818 was formed earlier this year with the help of The Marion and Aaron Gural JCC by a group of neighborhood parents who were looking for wholesome, exciting and character-building experiences for their sons.

For more information about joining​ this shomer Shabbos, ​k​osher Pack contact Batsheva Altman at (917)450-4225 or Rachayle at the Gural JCC (516)569-6733 ext. 222, rachayle.deutsch@guraljcc.org.​

H

ALB students have been using robotics, which is the science of designing, building, controlling, and operating robots.

The excitement was palpable in Mrs. Rubel’s technology class last week as the 5th grade students created their own robots with Cubelets to gain an understanding of how they operate.

They learned that a robot is a machine that can sense, think, and act on its

own. In order for students to form theories about the sense component of their robot, they investigated presenting varying input/stimuli to the Sense Cubelet. In this lesson, students practiced observing behavior and built understanding of stimuli/input and the correlation to reaction/output.

Each group of students were eager to name and present their robot to the class.

The moon, the sun, and the power of mesorah Rabbi Weinberger on page 86

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Around the Community

Rabbi Akiva Oppen, from Oppen Scrolls, came to HAFTR’s Early Childhood this week to demonstrate what a sofer does and how mezuzot are made PHOTO CREDIT IRA THOMAS CREATIONS

Members of HALB’s 8th grade were inducted into the Chochmei Lev Honor Society this past week

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

Thank You to our hosts

Menash and Mimi Oratz and to our breakfast committee and participants for your tremendous support.

Your efforts ensured that the Madraigos Annual Breakfast was a great success.

May we continue to elevate our teens, young adults and families through our prevention and intervention programming.

-The Madraigos Family

COMMITTEE Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Burg Mr. and Mrs. Judah Cohen Mr. and Mrs. Uri Dreifus Mr. and Mrs. Yossi Eisenberger Mr. and Mrs. Yochanan Frisch Mr. and Mrs. Gadi Fuchs Mr. and Mrs. Laurence Garber Mr. and Mrs. Nosson Ginsbury Mr. and Mrs. Simcha Goldberg Mr. and Mrs. Avi Goldstein Mr. and Mrs. Michoel Greenfeld Dr. and Mrs. Ernie Isaacson Mr. and Mrs. Motty Jacobowitz Mr. and Mrs. David Klein

Mr. and Mrs. Dovid Klein Mr. and Mrs. Moshe Klein Mr. and Mrs. Motty Klein Mr. and Mrs. Ephraim Kutner Mr. and Mrs. Yoni Kutner Dr. and Mrs. Moishe Lazar Dr. and Mrs. Steven Levine Mr. and Mrs. Menachem Lieber Mr. and Mrs. Allan Lieberman Mr. and Mrs. Moshe Majeski Mr. and Mrs. Moshe Mandel Mr. and Mrs. Yitz Mendlowitz Mr. and Mrs. Eli Moskowitz Mr. and Mrs. Yanky Muller

Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr.

and and and and and and and and and and and and and and

Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs.

Yanky Neuhoff Shmueli Neuman Aroni Parnes Sholom Parnes Dov Perkal Moshe Perl Tzvi Perl Avi Popack Moshe Ratner Shlomo Reich Shimshi Rosenberg Sruli Rosenfeld A.J. Sabo Yossi Schonkopf

Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr.

and and and and and and and and and and and and

Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs.

Mordechai Schwartz Ushi Shafran Aron Solomon Naftali Solomon Yaakov Spinner Nassan Treitel David Vegh Shalom Vegh Sruli Weinstein Dovi Wisnicki Moshe Wolfson Michael Zuckerman

Clinical Services: Assessments/Referrals, Case Management, Crisis Intervention, Support Line, Support Groups Community Resources: Community Education, Educational Enhancement Program, Job Placement Program, Parenting Matters, School Based Services Youth Programs: Girls Night Out, Holiday Retreats, Ignight, The Lounge, Year Round Events

936 Broadway, Woodmere, NY 11598

I

516-371-3250

I

info@madraigos.org

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www.madraigos.org

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Around the Community Hundreds enjoyed the fun at the community-wide carnival in Queens presented by CHAZAQ, Councilman Rory Lancman and QJCC

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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Around the Community

A Year of Extra Learning

T

hrough the tremendous efforts of Rabbi Dov Fried, the Yeshiva Har Torah 7th and 8th grade students have dedicated themselves to an incredible Torah project this year. In addition to the serious learning that takes place in all of their classrooms on a daily basis, many of the talmidim were involved in so many “extra” Torah lishmah learn-

A Winning Season

U

nder the leadership of Rabbi Eli Brazil and Mr. Larry Gross the 5 Towns Flag Football League has just finished the spring ‘18 season. Congratulations to the champions in each division.

The season and playoffs were beyond amazing as many of the games were decided in the final seconds. The league, which is open to 1st-8th grade boys in the 5 Towns and surrounding areas, had five divisions with over 30 teams.

The ability to play competitive flag football in a structured environment makes this league such a great success. Every participant each season also receives a Flag Football giveaway. Plans are already underway for next season, which will hopefully begin in the beginning of September.

We would like to thank the league sponsors Gourmet Glatt and S. Adelsberg & Co. Certified Public Accountants.

For registration information and to view more pictures please go to www.5townsflagfootball.com.

ing opportunities. Before morning tefillah, groups of students could be found learning together with Rabbi Dov Fried or in their own small chaburot, learning Mishnayot. During breakfast, large numbers of talmidim learned Gemara Masechot Makot with Rabbi Dov Fried. Their desire to increase their learning opportunities often spilled over into their homes

and even on weekends and vacations.

To honor this wonderful accomplishment the students celebrated with a special Siyum HaGadol. The talmidim began the program with 15 minutes of uninterrupted Gemara learning which filled the YHT Beit Midrash with the kol Torah. After opening remarks and divrei bracha from Rabbi Menchel, YHT principal,

the students were privileged to hear inspiring divrei chizuk from Rabbi Shmuel Marcus, rabbi of the Young Israel of Queens Valley and a maggid shiur at Lander’s College. The program ended with spirited dancing and singing and a Carlos & Gabby’s seudat mitzvah. What a way to honor student learning!

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Around the Community

A Rewarding Year

O

n Monday, the boys from Rabbi Stein’s fifth grade class at Siach Yitzchok were treated to either a trip to Seasons Express or to Rabbi Stein’s home for a barbecue.

This was in honor of a great effort put into chazara of maseches Bava Kama perek hakones. The boys had a great time. It began with a baseball game and fun on the swings and moonbounce. They then enjoyed a seudah which ended with roasting marshmallows over a fire and a small kumzitz.

“I’m really proud of these boys,” Rabbi Stein said. “They really deserved this amazing evening, as they work very hard in their learning and chazara all year.”

SKA Graduation

G

raduation Day finally arrived! On Sunday, June 10, the class of 2018 of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls had their commencement exercises at DRS where family members joined the graduates, SKA ad-

PHOTO CREDIT ART PHOTOGRAPHY

ministration and faculty to celebrate this milestone. We heard from valedictorian Ayelet Aharon, salutatorian Shoshana Rockoff, and Keter Shem Tov awardee Aliza Rothman who each addressed the audience beautifully.

Mrs. Helen Spirn, SKA Head of School, delivered a stirring message to the graduates, reminiscing about the 25 years since SKA’s establishment and noting the many incredible accomplishments the school had achieved.

After the ceremony, the guests and graduates headed outside to the tent for light refreshments and the opportunity to celebrate. Mazal tov to the entire SKA Class of 2018!

GraphicsElis@gmail.com

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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GOSR SERVICES:

Around the Community Aibish and Flori Mendel, grandparents of Beni Mendel, a student at Yeshiva South Shore, held a hachnasas sefer Torah in honor of Beni’s Bar Mitzvah on June 3. After Beni leins from the Torah on Parshat Chukas, the Torah will be used on a weekly regular basis as it will be used by Misaskim for shiva houses.

PHOTO CREDIT: IRA THOMAS CREATIONS

Case Management- GOSR Case Managers can coordinate services to the following: Kosher Food Pantry SNAP Enrollment NOEP (education to increase aware ness and participation in the underutilized SNAP, Summer Food Service Program, and School Breakfast Program in New York State) Medical Insurance Enrollment (Medicaid, Medicare, Child Health Plus, Essential Plan and other Qualified Health Plans available through the New York State of Health Marketplace) Mental Health Counseling and Career Counseling Crisis Intervention

 Career Counseling  Housing Case Management

CALL 718.327.7755

EMAIL info@jccrp.org

1525 Central Avenue Far Rockaway, NY 11691

WWW.JCCRP.ORG

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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Around the Community

Scenes from the siyum of the shiur of Rav Yaakov Bender and Mr. Ronald Lowinger at Mesivta Chaim Shlomo

Shevach Students Prepare for the Future with a Financial Literacy Course

T

he buzz in the hallways of Shevach High School is about the financial literacy minicourse that was introduced this year for 11th graders. Taught by Assistant Principal Mrs. Miriam Krohn, the course prepared its students for the world of personal finances. Students learned about managing their money wisely, both as students and for their future roles as women running a household and /or in the workforce.

Included in the lessons were such topics as checking and savings accounts, investments, insurance, taxes and more. The Shevach girls learned the power – and risks – of credit cards, debits cards, and ATMs. They learned how to budget, making room for items such as shopping and tzedakah, while setting aside for savings. The students were given a sense of what lies ahead for them as they graduate and enter the next stages of their lives.

Students were taught about overdraft privileges, bounced checks, money market accounts, social se-

curity deductions, student loans and mortgages. Mrs. Krohn made a clear delineation between what one wants and what one needs. Using a pie chart to teach budgeting, she showed the girls that some expenses are unavoidable. Others are occasional and still others are frivolous. And then, of course, there are always the expenses from leftfield. Think mechanic and dentist. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a rainy day envelope for that?

As an added bonus, Gregory Binkiewicz, CPA, a practicing accountant, addressed the students on the topic of insurance, taxes, and money scams. Questions and answers were flying back and forth as the girls were challenged to rethink ideas that they previously had, and to realize that the money world is a complicated place that requires navigation.

Students left feeling more knowledgeable, prepared and empowered.

Seeing how popular and important this course was, it will be incorporated into Shevach’s curriculum.

Senator Todd Kaminsky was honored by the MET Council at their Legislative Breakfast on Sunday, June 3. Senator Kaminsky was awarded the Holocaust Survivor Advocacy Award at The Yale Club. The breakfast was held in tribute to the memory of Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz. Pictured, left to right is: Met Council Board Member Robert Morris, Senator Todd Kaminsky, and David G. Greenfield, CEO of Met Council

Project Extreme’s Extreme Online Auction

P

roject Extreme introduces the Extreme Auction, a whole new way to show support for at risk teens and their families. At 2pm on Tuesday of this week, the “doors” opened to the Extreme Auction, a Chinese auction that takes place on the Internet at extremeauction.org.

The auction will run from June 11, 2018 through 2PM on September 3, 2018 and promises to have a major impact on the community. Project Extreme friends will be receiving emails about the auction, and can forward those emails to invite an unlimited number of guests to virtually “attend” and take part in the auction.

Members of the public can also participate by going to extremeauction. org.

Thanks to the generosity of donors Project Extreme has assembled an exciting catalog of auction items to get people interested. Items up for ticket purchase include: Tickets to see Hamilton on “Broadway” in-

cluding a meet and greet with the cast and dinner with cast members; a cruise to the Caribbean; $500 Visa gift cards; and more!

Money raised by the auction will go toward helping troubled and at risk teens. Project Extreme works with each child (and their family).

There are programs and services that help the child learn how to overcome their challenges and live a productive life. The teens that we have helped actually become mentors themselves in later years, to help other teens. So by helping even just one child, we are helping so many more.

Project Extreme provides second beginnings. Coming to Project Extreme is the first solution for a second beginning, and a gateway to a successful and productive life.

For more information on getting involved with Project Extreme or information on the auction, please contact Melissa at 516-612-3922.

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

CAHAL THE Community EDUCATION program COMPLETING

26

YEARS

Successfully educating community children together with our partner schools

bais yaakov ateres miriam bnos bais yaakov hebrew academy of five towns and rockaway hebrew academy of long beach hebrew academy of nassau county mesivta ateres yaakov siach yitzchok shulamith school for girls torah academy for girls yeshiva darchei torah yeshiva ketana of long island yeshiva of south shore

expanding our program,

12

classes!

516 295 3666 ~ CAHAL@CAHAL.ORG

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TJH

Centerfold

You gotta be kidding Jimbo and his son went fishing one day. After a couple hours out in the boat, the boy suddenly became curious about the world around him. He asked Jimbo, “How does this boat float?”

Jimbo thought for a moment, then replied, “Haven’t got the faintest idea, son.”

The boy returned to his contemplation, then turned back to his father, “How do fish breathe underwater?”

Once again Jimbo replied, “Don’t rightly know, son.”

A little later the boy asked Jimbo, “Why is the sky blue?”

Again, Jimbo replied, “Son, I ain’t exactly positive about that one.”

Worried he was going to annoy his father, Jimbo’s son said, “Dad, do you mind me asking you all of these questions?”

“Of course not, son,” said Jimbo. “If you don’t ask questions, you’ll never learn anything!”

Triple Crown Winners There have been 13 Triple Crown winners over the past 100 years. Which one of the following was not a Triple Crown winner?

Justify

Secretariat

Whirlaway

Sir Barton

American Pharoah

Citation

War Admiral

Triple Crown Winner

Affirmed

Assault

Omaha

Seattle Slew

Count Fleet

Gallant Fox Answer: Well, technically Triple Crown Winner is a Triple Crown winner because his name is Triple Crown Winner.

But Triple Crown Winner never won the Triple Crown, so within the context of the conversation about Triple Crown winners, Triple Crown Winner is not actually a Triple Crown winner. Get it?

Got it? Good!

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Well Said, Dad “I enjoy Father’s Day. It’s a time when I pause to reflect on the joy that has come into my life thanks to my two wonderful children, whose names escape me.” – Dave Barry “Having children is like living in a frat house – nobody sleeps, everything’s broken, and there’s a lot of throwing up.” – Ray Romano “By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong.” – Charles Wadsworth “There should be a children’s song: ‘If you’re happy and you know it, keep it to yourself and let your dad sleep.’”

– Jim Gaffigan “Fatherhood is great because you can ruin someone from scratch.” – Jon Stewart “Children are a great comfort in your old age. And they help you reach it faster too.”

– Lionel Kauffman “Father’s Day is important because, besides being the day on which we honor Dad, it’s the one day of the year that Brookstone does any business.” — Jimmy Fallon “You can tell what was the best year of your father’s life, because they seem to freeze that clothing style and ride it out.” — Jerry Seinfeld “My father refused to spend money on me as a kid. One time I broke my arm playing football, and my father tried to get a free x-ray by taking me down to the airport and making me lie down with the luggage.” – Glenn Super “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant, I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” — Mark Twain

Riddle me

this?

A man is looking at a picture of a man on the wall and states, “Brothers and sisters I have none, but this man’s father is my father’s son.”

Who is the man in the picture in relation to the man looking at the picture?

See answer below

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Answer to Riddle Me This: The man in the picture is his son. Since he doesn’t have any brothers or sisters, the statement about “my father’s son” is talking about himself.

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Torah Thought

Parshas Korach

By Rabbi Berel Wein

I

n one of his more surprising and controversial statements, Maimonides posits that our great teacher and leader Moshe was subject to becoming angry at certain occasions during his 40-year leadership of the Jewish people. Being a leader, constantly in the public eye and subject to the human inclination to criticize leadership, no matter how able and enlightened it truly is, certainly can bring one to moments of deep frustration, agita-

tion and anger.

In recounting the unwarranted rebellion and complaints of Korach and his followers against Moshe and Aharon, it is apparent that Moshe has become emotionally angry at what is happening. He asks of G-d to create, so to speak, a supernatural punishment for Korach and his followers. Perhaps it is the cumulative effect of the carping and negativity, the rebellions and sins that have marked the Jewish sojourn in Sinai

that has finally sapped the patience and fortitude of Moshe.

There is no question that Korach and his group deserved this punishment, for we see that G-d, so to speak, concurred in bringing about their eventual fate. It is somewhat noteworthy to realize that Moshe who defended the Jewish people and prayed for the mitigation of their punishment when they sinned, though decisions were very severe in this instance, reacts in such a harsh and unforgiving manner.

Even though Maimonides lists anger as being one of the two traits that one should go to an extreme to avoid, this week’s Torah reading is an example of the justifiable anger of Moshe.

Moshe is able to counter and

the entire structure of Jewish life and the eternity of Israel is threatened.

Moshe, in his leadership role, correctly identifies that neither he nor his brother are the real targets of the rebellion of Korach and his followers. It is rather the entire value system and societal arrangement that G-d has ordained for the Jewish people to follow that is being attacked and undermined. If the basic structure of Jewish society crumbles, then there will be no chance of survival as a holy people and a kingdom of priests.

It is this realization, subtle as it may be and unpopular in the eyes of the masses, that kindles the frustration and anger of Moshe and forces him to ask that Korach and

When G-d’s will is reduced to political machinations and personal ambition, then the entire structure of Jewish life and the eternity of Israel is threatened.

even tolerate the sins of the Jewish people that stem from human weaknesses and desires. Most of the rebellions that appear in the Torah are of this nature. People complain and chafe under rules of diet, probity and internal discipline. However, when there is a rebellion against G-dly order in society, when G-d’s will is reduced to political machinations and personal ambition, then

his followers become an example for all generations, for substituting G-d’s will and wisdom with human political correctness and ambition.

It is a painful lesson that this week’s Torah reading teaches us, about the dangers of altering Jewish societal norms and leadership qualifications, but it is an important lesson for our times as well.

Shabbat shalom.

DESIGN&CONQUER: 516.987.8853

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

days left to go!

MRS. LEEBA BRISK

MRS .SURI WEINGOT

MRS.ELLEN SHAIMAN

MRS. RUCHI DUNN

PHONE: 718.324.6724(ORAH) EMAIL: ORAHDAYCAMP@GMAIL.COM WEBSITE: WWW.ORAHDAYCAMP.COM

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From the Fire

Parshas Korach Turning Toward the Source of Life

By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

E

very year, when we approach Parshas Korach, we attempt to understand the nature of Korach’s rebellion against Moshe and Hashem. The parsha begins (Bamidbar 16:3), “And they gathered against Moshe and Aharon and they said to them, ‘You have more than enough!

The entire congregation is holy and Hashem is among them. Why do you exalt yourselves over the congregation of Hashem?’” Rashi there explains that Korach’s complaint was that “they all heard the words from Hashem’s mouth.” In other words, the entire Jewish people are prophets because they heard “I am the Hashem your G-d” and “You shall have no other gods before Me” from G-d’s mouth, so why do they need Moshe Rabbeinu?

The Yismach Moshe said that he remembered three of his previous lives. He remembered that one of those lives was during the generation of the desert. He remembered that Korach was a very big person, and not simply an honor seeker. Korach spoke of very exalted concepts and he remembers that it was a very difficult test to avoid following Korach.

The Yismach Moshe remembered that, with much difficulty, he avoided taking sides in the dispute between Korach and Moshe. Although it was extremely tempting, he did not follow Korach, though he did not support Moshe either.

A simple reading of the pesukim yields the impression that Moshe was

all alone with no supporters. The Gemara, however, tells us that the sun and moon came to defend Moshe Rabbeinu. According to the Gemara (Nedarim 39b), “The sun and the moon ascended from the heavens and said before [Hashem], ‘Master of the World, if you justify [Moshe] ben Amram, we will illuminate, and if not we will not illuminate” and the world will be plunged into darkness.

We must understand why it was the sun and moon in particular that came to Moshe’s defense. In addition, we see that Moshe’s challenge to Korach was set for the following morning, the intersection between day and night, during the transition between the time of the sun and the time of the moon, as it says (Bamidbar 16:5), “In the morning Hashem will make it known who He has chosen.”

In order to understand how the sun and the moon connect to the dispute between Korach and Moshe, we must first understand how the Jewish people received the Torah on Sinai.

The Gemara (Shabbos 82b) tells us, “When Moshe ascended to the higher world, the ministering angels said before Hashem, ‘What is this child of a woman doing among us?’ Hashem said to them, ‘He has come to receive the Torah.’ They said, ‘You seek to give this treasure which has been hidden for nine hundred and seventy-four generations to flesh and blood!’” We see from this episode that the Torah is so lofty and exalted that it is completely unfathomable that a human

being can have any connection to the Divine wisdom of the Torah.

The biggest miracle in history, bigger than the splitting of the Red Sea and the plagues in Egypt, is the fact that Moshe brought Divine wisdom down to earth and that we still have it today. The angels’ claim sounds true. How is it possible that Hashem’s thoughts, as embodied in the Torah, can be understood or remembered by man? Although it seems as if such a thing is not possible, we know that this is indeed what transpires when a Jew studies Torah. And this only happens through the process outlined in the introduction to Pirkei Avos, “Moshe received the Torah from Sinai and gave it over to Yehoshua...”

The miracle of our connection to the Torah only exists because of the unbroken chain of the mesorah, the tradition, from Moshe Rabbeinu who brought the Torah from the heavens until today.

Therefore, if a person separates himself from his rebbeim, teachers, the gedolei Yisroel, and the tzaddikim, who serve as his link to Moshe and Har Sinai, then he has no way to affect the miracle of the Torah’s connection with his mind. Without a connection to the unbroken chain reaching back to Moshe Rabbeinu, the miraculous link between heaven and earth, his mind once again becomes a piece of flesh and blood that can no longer contain the Divine wisdom of the Torah.

When we nullify ourselves to

our teachers and the tzaddikim, the masters of the mesorah, the tradition leading back to Har Sinai, we connect to the unbroken chain connecting us to Moshe Rabbeinu and the giver of the Torah Himself.

It is said that the Divrei Chaim of Zanz, zy”a, had a chavrusa with the author of the Minchas Chinuch.

Although both men were giants in Torah, their study sessions were “not going.” After discussing the issue, they decided that their chavrusa was not succeeding because there was no “giver/receiver” relationship between them. As we said above, the Torah was meant to be transmitted from rebbe to student throughout the generations. Because both giants in Torah were on equal footing, there was no “giver/receiver” dynamic in their chavrusa and it was not working out.

They therefore decided that every day they would switch off so that one day the Divrei Chaim would be the “rebbe” and the Minchas Chinuch would be the “student,” and the next day it would be the opposite. Only then was their chavrusa successful.

We can now understand the problem with Korach. Because he said, “We are all neviim, prophets, so we no longer need Moshe Rabbeinu,” he severed his connection to Har Sinai and the Giver of the Torah. He lost everything. The Jewish people are compared to the moon (See Sukkah 29a, Bereishis Raba 6:3), which can only give over the light it receives

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from the sun. It has no light of its own. If the moon were to consider itself self-sufficient and say that it does not need the light of the sun, it would no longer have any light at all. Every month on Rosh Chodesh, the moon “runs out” of light and once again turns to the sun to receive its light and then begins to shine again till it reaches its fullness in the middle of the month. Similarly, when Korach said that the Jewish people no longer needed Moshe, his claim threatened to sever the link between the Divine and mankind, which would have had cataclysmic consequences.

That is why the sun and moon told Hashem that they would not shine if Hashem failed to justify Moshe in his dispute with Korach. If the Jewish people lost the giver/receiver relationship connecting them to the source of Divine light, the sun and moon would also cease their giver/ receiver relationship and the world would be deprived of physical light as well. If the giver/receiver, rebbe/student, or parent/child relationship is broken down, we no longer have any true existence. The sun would never rise and the moon would disappear.

The Gemara in Bava Basra 74a relates a story in connection with this point in one of the wondrous tales told by Raba bar Bar Chana: [The Arab Merchant] said to me, “Come, I will show you the hole in the ground which swallowed up Korach.” I went and I saw two cracks which were emitting smoke. He took a few pieces of wool, soaked them in water, put them on the tip of a spear and inserted them into the cracks.

When he took them out, they were singed. He said to me, “Tell me what you hear.” [I put my ear near the cracks in the ground] and I heard them saying, “Moshe and his Torah are true and we are the liars!” The Arab said to me that every thirty days, they are shaken up in Gehenom and brought to this place like meat that is being stirred in a pot and they say, “Moshe and his Torah are true and we are the liars!”

According to the Rashbam, when the Gemara says that every thirty days Korach and his followers call out, “Moshe and his Torah are true,”

it means they make this proclamation every Rosh Chodesh. Just like the moon recognizes on Rosh Chodesh that it needs the sun in order to have light, Korach now recognizes every Rosh Chodesh that the Jewish people are nothing without Moshe Rabbeinu, who serves as the link to Har Sinai and Divine wisdom. Korach now realizes his mistake. Just like it is obvious that the moon has no light if it does not turn to the sun, if a Jew turns away from his rebbeim, teachers, and the tzaddikim like Korach did to Moshe, that Jew has no existence.

The third of Tammuz is the yahrtzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, zy”a.

Recently, I asked a talmid of mine who is a Lubavitcher for a story about the Rebbe that I had not heard before and he told me the following:

that she should follow in her parents’ ways. Judaism does not seek converts and she could live a righteous life as a gentile following the seven Noachide laws. If she wanted to consider conversion as an adult, that was another matter, but she should follow her parents as long as she was living in their home. She compliantly agreed and he thought that was the end of it.

But a couple of weeks later, the man called Rav Gutnik again complaining that his daughter was crying every day that she had to become Jewish. He asked if the rav could speak with her one more time. He agreed and met with the girl. After trying to convince her once again to listen to her parents, she refused to listen, saying that she simply had to become Jewish. Rav Gutnik then made the following proposal. He told

The miracle of our connection to the Torah only exists because of the unbroken chain of the mesorah.

The well-known philanthropist and businessman R’ Yosef Gutnik of Melbourne, Australia, is the son of an important rav and talmid chochom in Melbourne, Rav Chaim Gutnik. Approximately 45 years ago, a non-Jewish man called Rav Gutnik asking for help. He explained that his fourteenyear-old daughter learned about the Holocaust in school and became obsessed with it. She began reading books about the Holocaust and Judaism and now insisted that she wanted to become a Jew. He asked if Rav Gutnik could please “talk some sense into her” and convince her not to abandon her family’s ways. Although he was reluctant to get involved in the affairs of a non-Jewish family, he agreed in order to simply do someone a favor.

When he met with the girl, she insisted that she wanted to convert.

He tried to explain to her that everyone grows up in a certain way and

her about the Lubavitcher Rebbe in New York. He told her that the Rebbe speaks English and that she should write about her predicament to the Rebbe and that Rav Gutnik would support whatever the Rebbe advised her to do. He gave her the address, she agreed, went home, and wrote the letter.

A couple of weeks after his last meeting with the daughter, the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s secretary called Rav Gutnik with a message from the Rebbe. The Rebbe told Rav Gutnik that he should stop speaking with the girl’s father and should instead speak with her mother. Because the Rebbe had said so, he dutifully called the family, explaining that although he did not know why, the Rebbe in New York told him that he should meet with the girl’s mother. A few minutes after the mother sat down to meet with him, she began crying and

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confessed that she was really Jewish, that she had survived the Holocaust, and that because of her horrific experiences, she wanted to run away from everything Jewish, fled to Melbourne, and hid the fact that she was Jewish.

She told him that even her husband did not know she was really Jewish.

Rav Gutnik now understood the girl’s connection with Yiddishkeit.

The irony of the fact that it was the Holocaust which caused the girl’s mother to run away from Yiddishkeit and which caused her daughter to become interested in Yiddishkeit was not lost on Rav Gutnik. Amazed that the Rebbe knew to tell him to speak with the girl’s mother, the next time he was in New York, he asked the Rebbe how he knew that he should talk to the girl’s mother. The Rebbe told him that it was not ruach hakodesh, Divine inspiration (although no Lubavitcher would believe that).

Instead, after reading the passionate letter written by this girl, the Rebbe felt that it simply could not be that such a letter was written by a nonJew. He therefore assumed that she must already be Jewish. That is why he said that Rav Gutnik should speak to the girl’s mother.

A Jew can try to sever the giver/ receiver relationship, like this girl’s mother did. But such a life is not a life at all. Only two things can happen if someone severs the connection.

The person must either reestablish the connection and once again draw from the Divine light (as the woman’s daughter did) or the person’s existence will be completely negated and will fade away from any connection with the Jewish people.

May it be Hashem’s will that we all renew our connection to the baalei ha’mesorah, those that connect us to Moshe Rabbeinu and the Giver of the Torah so that we will renew ourselves by turning to the Source of the Divine light, so that we will be “renewed in the future like the moon” with the coming of Moshiach, may he come soon in our days.

Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, is the founding Morah d’Asrah of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, NY, and has served as Mashpia in Yeshiva University since 2013.

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JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Between the Lines

Korach Island

By Eytan Kobre

Isolation is the sum total of wretchedness to a man.

-Thomas Carlyle

T

he joke is told of a priest who encountered a suicidal man on a bridge.

“Nobody loves me,” the man lamented.

“Well, G-d loves you,” said the priest. “You do believe in G-d, don’t you?”

The man nodded in the affirmative.

“Are you a Christian?”

“I am,” the man said.

“Me too! Protestant or Catholic?”

“Protestant,” the man said.

“Me too! What denomination?”

“Baptist,” the man said.

“Me too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?”

“Northern Baptist,” the man said.

“Me too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Bap-

tist?”

“Northern Conservative Baptist,” the man said.

“Me too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?”

“Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region,” the man said.

“Me too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879 or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?”

“Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912,” the man said.

“Heretic!” the priest yelled with utter contempt as he shoved the man off the bridge.

Korach obsessed over relatively small doctrinal differences and thus isolated himself from the Jewish community at-large.

Korach was hardly your ordinary rabble-rouser: he was a leading member of the most prestigious Levite family, he was eminently wise, and he was honored with carrying the Aron (Tanchuma, Korach

2). But his social ideology was confused. Korach “took himself to one side to be separate from the congregation” (Rashi and Onkelos, Bamidbar 16:1; Da’as Torah, Bamidbar 16:1). He isolated himself from the community in favor of total autonomy.

And that was his undoing. In the end, he was “lost from the congregation” (Bamidbar 16:33), a fitting demise for one who cut himself out of the fabric of Jewish communal life.

He and his possessions were swallowed by the earth, and he would have no portion in the nation’s destiny. Ironically, Korach achieved in death what he sought in life: complete isolation.

It is no surprise that Korach became a heretic (Yerushalmi, Sanhedrin 10:1), the fate of all those who isolate themselves from the community (Rambam, Teshuva 3:24). This is the reason the Wicked Son of the Pesach Haggada was deemed heretical – “because he removed himself from the general [populace]” (Mechilta, Shemos 13:8; see also Berachos 8a [Grace Over Meals begins with “Let us bless…”]; Medrash Shmuel, Avos 2:5). With no link to

the community, there is no link to the Torah and no link to G-d.

The community is the conduit through which we foster a relationship with G-d. The Torah was not given to any one individual, nor can it be fulfilled entirely by any one individual. As R’ Samson Raphael Hirsch put it: “It is not to the individual, but to the community, ‘an inheritance for the congregation of Yaakov,’ that G-d entrusted His Torah…every individual is duty-bound to join forces with his community in thought, in word and in deed…it is essential in the discharge of his own life’s task that the individual be part of a larger community” (R’ Samson Raphael Hirsch, Avos 2:5).

We have stuck to this principle – and to each other – through the good times and the bad (Ta’anis 11a). When Elie Wiesel’s family was thrown into a Romanian ghetto during World War II, their former cleaning lady, an elderly Christian woman, brought them food each day. Upon learning that the ghetto would be liquidated and the Jews sent to Auschwitz, she implored the Wiesel family to flee to her home in the mountains. But Weisel’s fa-

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ther was adamant. “Al tifrosh min ha’tzibbur. Do not separate from the community. This is a Jewish principle.” It is a cornerstone of our faith.

Indeed, we are cautioned repeatedly against social isolation. “Do not separate yourself from the community” (Avos 2:5; Berachos 49b).

“Those who separate from the community…descend to Gehinnom and are judged there for generations” (Rosh Hashana 17a; Tosefta, Sanhedrin 13; Rambam, Teshuva 3:6, 20), and we dissociate from them (Semachos 2:10; Pesachim 70b).

Conversely, “one should always join with the community” (Berachos 30a; Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 410:4), and the final decree against a community is never sealed (Rosh Hashana 18a).

Some philosophies preach seclusion, which, once upon a time, resulted in a proliferation of religious cloisters. But the Torah life dictates otherwise – we are directed to keep the Torah “in the midst of the land” (Arvei Nachal, Devarim 4:5). We regard isolation as a form of punishment (Vayikra 13:46; Erchin 16b).

By clinging to the community we bootstrap ourselves to its “significant merit” (Avoda Zara 4b). We shed our individual shortcomings and channel the power of the collective good. So while “[one] soul may be cut off, the public is not cut off” – i.e., G-d punishes the sins of the public only if they destroy the fabric of society (Meshech Chochma, Shemos 14:29). The good of the community always trumps scrutiny of the individual (Kovetz Ma’amarim, pg. 37-39). Because the community is greater than the sum of its parts.

R’ Simcha Bunim of P’shischa likened it to a person using a wornout coin. If the coin is one of a hundred being used to purchase an item, the seller will not reject the deal over one worn-out coin. But if a worn-out coin is all that’s being used to complete the purchase, the seller might well nix the entire deal.

As the Ibn Ezra put it, “The wolf grabs the sheep that strays from the flock” (Shiras Yisrael).

Community also engenders a powerful social effect. In her study of wayward Jewish youth, Faranak Margolese posits (correctly) that,

“[r]emoved from the community, observance is destined to wane over time…[community] creates the context for our observance…[it] provides an important tool for implementing Judaism…[o]bservance

pg. 240).

After his wife passed away, R’ Yosef Yoizel Hurwitz (the Alter of Novardok) retreated from the world completely: he divided his children among relatives and secluded him-

Ironically, Korach achieved in death what he sought in life: complete isolation.

thrives and comes to life with connection to community” (Faranak Margolese, Off the Derech, pg. 274).

Yet nothing underscores the need to cling to the community as much as prayer (Berachos 8a; Rashi, Berachos 30a; Pele Yo’etz, Tzibur; Devarim Rabba 2:12; Rambam, Tefilla 8:1). When R’ Meir Simcha HaKohen of D’vinsk became ill, someone suggested that the public be asked to pray for his recovery.

But R’ Meir Simcha rejected the idea, arguing that so long as he was being treated like any other person, he was still part of the community and could bootstrap onto its merits; if the public was asked to pray for him specifically, he would have to stand on his own merits (see Shabbos 12b [we pray for the sick “among the other Jewish sick”]; Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Dei’ah 335:6; II Melachim 4:13; Sichos Mussar Nos. 54 and 71). R’ Moshe Leib of Sassov often observed, “Nine Moshe Leibs cannot make a minyan, but ten simple and unlearned Jews can.”

To be sure, some temporary isolation – hisbodedus – can be of value (Pele Yo’etz, Hisbodedus).

But even that has its limitations.

The Chazon Ish rejected emphatically the notion of isolating oneself to study Torah without distraction: “My heart cannot believe that by being isolated from everyone you can acquire a true acquisition of Torah. It is quite obvious that society and friends will assist you” (Zelig Pliskin, Love Your Neighbor,

self in a barn-house in Kovno. He remained in the barn for over a year without emerging even once. To ensure his solitude, he blocked the entrance to the barn with a brick wall containing only two small windows through which he conducted only necessary affairs with his landlord.

Many were opposed to R’ Yosef Yoizel’s seclusion; indeed, even he did not believe in permanent detachment. His seclusion was merely one stage in a longer process, and it ended when “enlightened” youth antithetical to Torah observance threw a bundle of forged bank notes into his yard and informed the police that the house was the headquarters of a counterfeiting ring. As it happens, R’ Yosef Yoizel’s mother came to visit him that day and burned the suspicious-looking bundle in the yard. So when the police stormed R’ Yosef Yoizel’s room, they found nothing suspicious but they ordered him out of seclusion.

Ironically, it was his mother’s visit that spared R’ Yosef Yoizal a calamitous fate – further proof that, Korach’s ideologies notwithstanding, no man is an island.

Eytan Kobre is a writer, speaker, and attorney living in Kew Gardens Hills.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions?

E-mail eakobre@outlook.com.

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Israel Today

Family Matters

By Rafi Sackville

Rafi with his family at Eretz Ayalim in Gush Etzion on Chol Hamoed Pesach

I

n his seminal novel Only Yesterday, the Israeli Nobel Laureate Shay Agnon described the burgeoning yishuv during the Second Aliyah. He wrote of the difficulty

new arrivals faced upon landing in Jaffa by the sea or in dusty Yerushalayim. One hundred years ago those making aliyah from Europe underwent the strain of extended travel to

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live in Israel. Even traveling to Safed from Yerushalayim was akin to being cast into wilderness, where communication was intermittent at best.

Agnon’s descriptions of the burden of distance have been bridged by modern communication. The phone and our ability to take videos have turned that pain of distance into a bearable burden. Despite having lived outside of Australia for almost forty years, my computer allows me to Skype my parents six days a week. Skyping doesn’t substitute for being in their presence, but it is far better than waiting for mail that might take months to arrive, if at all, as it did in the years before World War I. We came back home to Israel five years ago. Re-assimilating ourselves back into Israeli society took persistence, optimism and the need to overcome many obstacles on the way.

Despite our success there still lingers the harsh reality of having separated ourselves from our daughter and her beautiful family living in Far Rockaway. I recall the year before leaving when I would ride my bike to her apartment and spend time on the carpet playing with my grandchildren.

The memory of those days are tinged with the sadness we felt on the day of our departure. I remember my grandson Elimelech sitting

in the back of the container after it had been packed with our belongings. I took him down from the truck. It drove off and moments later we were on our way to JFK. This last Pesach Elisheva, Levi and their kids came to visit. Within half an hour of our arrival we were at the park doing things grandparents do: pushing swings and climbing up sliding tubes with Mimi, Elimelech, Avraham Ze’ev and Riki.

During a time-out I sat alone on a bench soaked in a momentary lapse of sadness while watching our daughter, Batya, and our sons Laizer and Yonatan chase the kids around. I felt like my grandparents must have felt when they left their families behind in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. The distance between us may not be insurmountable, but the constancy of visiting is.

On one of the days we made our way to Eretz Ayalim (Deer Land Park) in Gush Etzion. The first thing I did was put the kids on the tractor and rode every bump as we made our way around the perimeter of the park at a breakneck speed of 5 miles per hour. There were ices and drinks to cool us off and rip lines that Levi and Mimi took across the valley to finish where I had once worked in the turkey coops some 40 years earlier. I can still hear Mimi scream as she went flying above me.

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I later asked her if she had screamed because she was scared. “No,” she answered, “I screamed because I could.” We spent time in the petting zoo, carousel and train rides, and on a bench (where we were photographed).

We made our way down the road where we had lunch before parting from them until the following day.

Playing with grandchildren... man, was I tuckered out! Looking at Keren I could see she felt the same.

I thought of Elisheva and Levi and all the work they put into their children, which was exactly what we went through a generation earlier.

I thanked G-d we’re over the parenting stage in life: diapers, changes of clothes, wipes, snacks, whining, crying, typical sibling interactions, bathroom breaks, and coordination, coordination, coordination. Whew!

I’m as past that as hair on my head.

I cannot praise Elisheva and Levi enough for the remarkable job they are doing. I apologize for

having moved away from New York where family life was so much simpler: when they were no further than a 10 minute drive away.

The sacrifices of aliyah are too manifold to enumerate. At the top of the list sits family. I oftentimes wonder just what kind of relationship I

Although I allow myself to be upset, I remain fully cognizant of the irrepressible and undying fact that the spiritual and physical joy of living in Israel supersedes all else.

It is comforting to spend time with our sons who live in Jezreel Valley. It is hard, however, when

We have chosen Israel. We have chosen wisely and happily, contentedly, and yet a little sadly.

might have had with my siblings had I not moved away from Australia all those years ago. Seeing and speaking to my parents can never be a substitute for sitting with them in their living room.

we think about our daughters: our youngest, Batya, is traveling in the subcontinent, and Elisheva, who doesn’t have the simple luxury of calling us to come over to play with the kids.

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When I think in these simple terms, it is easy to fall prey to selfpity. Yet if watching our kids grow up and away from us is a natural transition in life, so too must be a grandparents’ freedom to move away – in our case, to Israel.

As I sit here at my kitchen table typing these words I ponder the chances of our seeing Elisheva and her family anytime in the near future. We can call and Skype, but it will never fill the need to be with them whenever we wish.

We have chosen Israel. We have chosen wisely and happily, contentedly, and yet a little sadly.

We will never lose touch with the souls we wish this same kind of contentment. That sadness weighs upon us daily when we think of Elisheva and the life she and Levi have breathed into being in their modest little house in Far Rockaway.

Rafi Sackville, formerly of Cedarhurst, teaches in Ort Maalot in Western Galil.

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POOL DA No wo6/24-8/1T9ES: ens 8/16m ,8/17,swim on 8/18

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V I L L AG E O F L AW R E N C E E L E C T I O N S

TJH Speaks with Deputy Mayor Michael Fragin

By Naftali Halpern

Why do you want this job?

A lot of people ask me that and it’s really the same reason I joined Hatzalah in 1997. It takes a tremendous amount of your time, but you also get a tremendous satisfaction from helping people. I spoke to numerous rabbonim in the community who were very encouraging – they know the numerous things I’ve done and I have a lot of connections, up and down the line in government.

I am a Republican and people know where I stand with things but I get along with Democrats and Republicans. In the end, it’s all about govern-

ing. We want to help people. It’s like any game. You can fight against the other team on the football field but when the game is over you can also get together with that person to have a hot dog.

What’s your plan for the sewage plant?

I don’t have a plan yet because we really haven’t studied the issue. We haven’t done a survey and we don’t know what the soil situation is. There’s a lot of issues. The idea that we are just going to say, “OK, seven houses; I know that there are going to be seven houses there…” There is no survey! How do

you know it’s supposed to be seven, not three, not 12 houses? Personally, I’d love to see a park, but a park might not work.

Wouldn’t a park just be another place for people to make barbeques?

Most parks do not allow barbeques or fires of any kind. You can’t make barbeques at Zion Park or the golf course.

So what type of park are you talking about?

Maybe something like Cedarhurst Park with some walking paths and

sitting areas. You could definitely put a playground there. Maybe basketball courts, if it’s away from the houses.

We can make it residents-only if that’s what the residents want. The truth is, right now, if you play tennis, we have something for you; if you play golf, we have something for you; if you have a boat, we have something for you. But we don’t have a lot of amenities for regular people because we kind of assume that everybody has a huge backyard and everybody has a pool in this village, but that’s not always the case.

Especially on Shabbos. People are always looking for a place to go with their

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V I L L AG E O F L AW R E N C E E L E C T I O N S IN T ERV IEW W I T H M ICH A EL FR AGIN kids. And it doesn’t really bother me if occasionally we can offer a benefit to somebody from outside of the Village…

That same argument was made when we put a playground at Zion Park and we did it and it has been a huge success.

It doesn’t bother me if people from outside the Village come.

What about a pool?

The pool is an idea that can be done together with a park at the sewage plant. And I actually think that we should look at the idea of a pool-slashhealth club with a membership component to it that will serve members and residents. But again, you have to look at it. You have to have a proposal and get somebody to say, “OK, this might work.” This rush ahead to say there’s going to be seven houses and then to market them to people that are contacting you is just a mistake. It’s not the way to do things. And some may say, “The government is bureaucratic, you just want to take time and we have to move quickly…” Personally, I don’t know what the rush is. So rarely do you come up with 4 ½ acres of public land that you can actually do something with which will benefit a whole lot of people. As far as building houses? Everybody feels like we are too congested as it is. I’m not saying seven houses are going to make a difference but I see the arguments.

Where does the hotel idea stand?

I was open initially to the idea of a hotel. The people there don’t want a hotel and I don’t know if it’s going to be viable. And, truthfully, I never wanted it. It’s just that I’m willing to listen. I think that’s a big part of being mayor – that you have to listen. You have to listen to people on the Board. You have to listen to the people in the public.

Who does want a hotel?

A lot of municipalities want hotels.

The only reason is that economically it’s very beneficial – hotels are the one thing in New York State where the local municipalities, as opposed to the county, keep most of the revenue. You don’t pay a sales tax; you pay a hotel tax and that actually goes to the village as opposed to going to the county. When you pay the 8 ½ percent sales tax in Lawrence, 4 percent or so goes to the State and the rest goes to Nassau County;

we get nothing. With a hotel, we keep everything. But to me that’s actually not the issue –I don’t want to sacrifice quality of life for money.

We made a deal to sell the library for $3 million so if that’s the case, we are not desperate for money right now.

Where is the library going?

Part of the parking lot of the train station will go to the library. The library will be submitting plans and that will go to the public with a referendum for a new library which will include both the purchase of the land and construction of the new library.

That’s a separate budget, correct?

Yes. It’s a separate library tax.

When you vote on the school you also

don’t understand. I told him it doesn’t work. We didn’t have a professional design company.

The pool will also be a half-Olympic size pool, which doesn’t make sense. The pool is too small. So, I think it would have the effect of ruining the driving range and not being feasible as a pool.

So are you in favor of a pool at all?

The country club really should have had a health club component for a long time, we just never did it.

You want to have a good mix, in order to compete with other clubs. Having a year-round pool potentially is a huge opportunity which a lot of places can’t offer. We are a year-round facility.

We have a catering facility. But, look, a

I am very passionate about the opportunity to serve the public.

vote on the library. It’s a separate library board.

Does the Village have to put in any money?

No, we will be getting money because the parking lot is owned by the Village.

Mayor Alex Edelman has a plan to build a pool and health club at the golf course. What are your thoughts on that?

He wants to put a pool on the driving range – it doesn’t work.

Why not?

Because it’s a driving range. We don’t have room over there. There is no space that is not being used. We have a practice green; we have a chipping green; we have a driving range.

He wants to put it next to the building.

I don’t think there is any room there for it.

It’s either/or: either you have a pool or a driving range. You can’t have a golf course without a driving range. So I

lot of it is going to take study and time.

You can’t rush ahead with this kind of stuff because the worse thing you can do is go ahead and make a mistake with the public’s money. It’s one thing if I, as an investor, go ahead and invest in something that doesn’t work out because it’s my money. But it’s another thing to go ahead with tax funds from hardworking people and lose their money. So I’m not willing to entertain ideas just because “we have to do it.”

Obviously, the Lawrence golf course is a Village-owned course and is different than the Woodmere situation, but what guarantees can you give the voters that it won’t eventually meet the same fate as the Woodmere Golf Course?

It will never be sold for housing.

By the way, another idea regarding the golf course is to do a redesign of the club house, and this is a possibility: we expand the ballroom and make it more suitable for weddings. It’s a great idea.

It’s something we should have done

after Sandy. Irving Langer was then on the board and he brought forward a plan but I think Mayor Oliner at the time felt that recovery was more important – to get things back together in time for the next golf season. I understand where he was coming with that.

Is it feasible to make a fairsized wedding hall there for, say, 700 people?

Yes. It is definitely feasible. It’s difficult to fit it in, but the service area in the back is a possibility. Another idea is to bust out the top and put some hotel rooms there.

For Shabbosim?

It could be boutique but beautiful…

It’s on a golf course. Look, it’s not the Hamptons, but once you get back there in the summer, it’s pretty nice.

Quite buggy though.

Look, you have to deal with friends of all kinds and sizes.

That’s true. What’s the most pressing issue for the Village?

The roads. The state of our infrastructure is bad. I don’t know if there’s another Village of our caliber that has roads which are in such bad shape.

Why is that?

A lot of it is the county. We have county roads like Broadway which are not constructed well, with patches, etc.

But Broadway is a main artery running through the Village. I mean, look at the difference between the quality of Broadway and Central Avenue, which was done properly. We have a lot of roads which were done as a patchwork and we really need to start investing significantly in those roads.

So what would be your plan?

I would like to take Broadway from the county and make it our responsibility. There would be a comparable decrease in tax revenue that goes to the county. Even when the county comes to fill the potholes, they fill it with whatever and then it’s back. I don’t want to continue to rely on them to fix things.

The difference in quality of snow plowing on Broadway and a Village street is night and day. This winter, on Rock Hall Road [a county road], inexplicitly they only plowed one lane in

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We rely on the county for a lot of things, including the police. But in the end, I want to control our own destiny as much as possible.

Where are we with hurricane preparedness?

I’m concerned. I was on the board during Hurricane Sandy and it was tough. We were in the dark about everything. Since then we have a real command emergency center with full backup capabilities. But our plans for preparedness is not where it should be. We need a full plan for what should happen during natural disasters. Residents were in the dark literally and figuratively. That can’t happen again.

Why don’t we have a plan?

It just hasn’t been a priority.

By the way, why is Lawrence the only place that I know of that you only have 14 days to pay a ticket before it doubles?

I hear that. I don’t look at ticketing as a revenue stream. I look at it as necessary to maintain the flow of traffic.

You can’t just let people sit in front of stores all day.

done well as mayor?

Changed the street signs. They were all falling apart. We were doing them inhouse. They went from green to black, which is more reflective. It was good.

If it’s not revenue-focused, why only 14 days to pay?

It’s not only that. You also have to go into Village Hall to pay them. By the way, another thing that I want to do is stagger the hours in Village Hall so that there is a late day. There are people that can’t make it from 9-4. It will take cooperation from the employees because there is a contract, but I think that it’s something that they will work with us on because it’s reasonable. We have employees who stay late at the golf course

What qualities do you have?

I am a consensus builder.

I have a long track record of community service for years and years. I am very passionate about the opportunity to serve the public.

What qualities does he have?

He is very decisive.

This is the first contested mayoral election. How did this come about?

Well, two years ago I was planning to run and Alex came to me and said that he was going to run. He said that

Whose responsibility is it?

I don’t know that the mayor has the background in emergency management and services that I do.

Is that ultimately the mayor’s responsibility?

Ultimately, yes. The Village has to have a plan.

Has there been discussions about that?

Not enough. It just hasn’t happened.

Do you have anything specific in mind regarding the plan?

We don’t have a system to get the information out to people.

What about the robocalls?

Well, there are people that don’t have landlines.

I get them on my cell.

I agree we should do the robocalls.

But we should also be using social media and twitter. There are all types of things that we can do to make things better. For example, we should have a Lawrence Village app. Every resident should have the app on their phone.

I like that. What would it include?

Paying tickets online is a huge one. I can’t believe that it’s 2018 and you can’t pay a ticket online.

I think that’s a big part of being a mayor that you have to listen.

because people play golf late.

Also, as a mayor, I will have office hours for people to come. And I would encourage the trustees to do the same thing, to have office hours at Village Hall and a time when people know that they can meet somebody and reach somebody. People have legitimate concerns. I want the trustees to have offices too because it creates a sense of presence.

What is one thing that you are definitely planning on doing if you win? It could be something fun or taking care of a need…

Fireworks on the 4th of July.

Where would you do it?

We would do it off of a boat or a barge at the country club. That’s the safest way to do it.

That’s a nice idea. What is one thing that Alex Edelman has

he will only serve one term. It’s no secret, my mother passed away Election Day, two years ago, so it would not have been the best time for me personally.

Although it was my turn, if you will— the way things work in the Village, it was my turn to run uncontested – but okay, one term, etc. it sounded reasonable. We went in front of a rabbi in the community and we made the agreement.

Look, I feel bad. I’m not a guy that runs after machlokes. We are all part of the same community.

How many people do you think will come out to vote?

Usually it’s less than 500. But I’m hoping a lot of people will come out to vote. People should care. This is actually the most personal form of government—people call me and oftentimes they get things done in the same day.

Sometimes people call me up and say, “I didn’t want to bother you…” Bother

me! Send me an email, I’ll forward the email, we will do what has to get done.

If you had a debate with Alex, what would be your first question?

Who do you support for trustee?

Why? I think it’s indicative that he is not supporting the people who are currently on the board. I’m supporting Uri Kaufman and Syma Diamond for reelection. I am definitely not supporting Stanley Kapilow. I don’t know who Alex is supporting. Look, he is a successful guy, but the problem is that if you are the mayor you need to build consensus. You can’t get anything done without the board. So you could take the attitude that “I don’t care about two of the trustees,” but you will have to care about the others, in order to get to the majority of three. I can’t speak for him, but that might be frustrating for him.

If there was a debate, what question do you think would be the hardest for you to answer?

Why are you running against an incumbent – it hasn’t been done, why are you doing it?

And what would you answer?

I would give you the answer we discussed. I wouldn’t go with the deal – a deal is a personal thing that we had, politicians don’t keep their word – I would say that I think the mayor no longer cares about building consensus. I think that is indicative with the sewage plant – he kind of ran ahead with this plan without the support. He can’t get it done but he is so far ahead of himself that he is already talking to people about the lots and what the price should be. Why are you discussing prices with people if you don’t even know if you could sell it? And why seven houses? It’s not a pizza where you could just say, OK, let’s divide it up.

I always thought that pizza pies should have seven slices anyways.

Ha ha…I was thinking you would say that.

I call the larger slice. Good luck, Michael!

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TJH Speaks with Mayor Alex Edelman

By Naftali Halpern

Mr. Mayor, thank you for meeting with me. Let me get right to it—what’s the plan for the sewage plant on Rock Hall Road?

Let me tell you about the sewage plant. What happened was, just about a year and a half ago, Nassau County had no plans about when they were going to demolish the sewage plant. We kept calling them and saying, “The sewage plant is sitting here collecting garbage and there’s nothing going on. What’s happening?” We pushed and pushed and finally they came to the decision that they were going to knock it down and

give us the property. So about a year or so ago they started demolishing.

They finished about 5-6 months ago.

They are still not totally finished;

give it to us.

But all preliminary soil testing is fine and there are no issues. We are going to do our own testing on top

The driving range will remain there as it is.

they have to put a row of topsoil on it now and they have to do some soil testing and then they are going to

of their testing because I want to be 100 percent sure that we don’t have any issues whatsoever. The sewage

plant, by the way, never had any sewage going into the ground. It was all done through piping and there were no issues regarding the cleanliness of the plant.

So there were discussions about what would be the best use for the sewage plant. I said that the best thing would probably be single family homes because that’s what the community needs. Secondly, it’s in a residential neighborhood, zoned for one family homes, so why would we think of anything else?

We had our engineer department figure out how many homes can be

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V I L L AG E O F L AW R E N C E E L E C T I O N S I N T E RV I E W W I T H M AYOR A L E X E DE L M A N built on the lot and they said seven comfortable large houses. No zoning issues, and everything is fine and wonderful. I thought it was a great idea. We let the word out that there may be some property for sale and I must have gotten more than 10 calls.

And I said to whoever called me, “Call the Village and put your name on a list and when we get to the finalization of this we will notify you and let you know what is happening.”

Is there going to be an auction?

There has to be an auction because we have seven parcels and 21 people who are interested so far, so it has to be auctioned, legally and morally.

How much do you think the Village will make off of the sale?

The bidding price will probably start at $850,000 per lot. We estimate that it will end up going for between $900K and $1 million per lot. With that $6.5 to $7 million, I would like to build an aquatic center and health club at the country club.

It would have a pool, a gym, a woman’s yoga room and would also have virtual reality golf rooms, etc.

Where on the country club would you build it?

To the left of the driving range.

Right now, there is a green and bunker there. That green and bunker would be moved to the other side of the sprinkler.

Would any portion of it be on the driving range?

No. The driving range will remain there as it is. On the left-hand side of the driving range I need a property the size of 150 x 100 for the health club; we have it. The architect who gave us a preliminary plan measured it out.

Would there be an Olympic-size pool?

No. An Olympic-size pool would require more space. And it’s best not to have an Olympic-size pool because what would happen is that many schools would demand that you give them the pool for swimming races and all that and I strictly want to keep it for people living in the Village

of Lawrence.

Will the pool be a decent size?

It will be 82-feet long and 36-feet wide with 5 lanes, which is very sufficient. If we want to make it larger, we can add another 10 feet, I suppose, but this is all preliminary.

Will the structure have a glass top?

No glass top because it is very expensive to heat and cool. The space facing the driving range will be glass.

Will there be separate hours?

My intention is to make men’s

wedding hall? The average wedding now, kein ayin hara, is 700-800 people. You are talking about hundreds of parking spots. It would cause a disaster in the community and I don’t think we should do that. It’s not fair to the people across the street, the people living on the other side.

The music is going to be blasting until 2AM. It’s not something that we want to do. It will greatly annoy the people in the neighborhood who live there. Besides, I don’t think it is necessary. Rabbi Dovid Greenblatt is building a wedding hall in Inwood by the train station. I don’t think there is a shortage of halls to the extent

I sat down with one of the finance people of the Village and we went through the bills and we revamped the whole thing.

hours, women’s hours and mixed hours as well.

that we have to make one within the community.

Are the other trustees supporting this pool idea?

Yes. Everybody likes the pool idea.

Is the golf course solvent?

It used to be a loss to the Village.

At one point, it owed $6 million to the Village over many years. Since a year before Sandy it started losing money. For the past two years, since I’m mayor, we redid the whole country club. We let some personnel go who were heavy on the payroll. I brought in new people, a lot of parttime people. I sat down with one of the finance people of the Village and we went through the bills and we revamped the whole thing.

We had a manager there for around 10 years who was getting an exorbitant salary and then he gave us notice about 8 months ago that he is retiring and moving to Florida. “G-d bless you,” I said. I found a new guy for a much more reasonable salary. The new guy is a young guy, eager and energetic – he went to golf school. He has terrific credentials.

The members love him.

I go to the country club once or twice a week to make sure that ev-

What about the idea of expanding the ballroom at the golf course to make a full-sized wedding hall?

It can’t be expanded right now because it’s right on top of the first hole. We looked at it and I don’t think that it is something we should do in the future.

Why not?

Because I don’t think there’s a need for it.

You don’t think there’s a need for a local wedding hall?

It would require hundreds of parking spots and we don’t have it.

When we have a simcha in the country club on a weeknight, people are parking all over the streets and the parking lot. Could you imagine a

erything is spick and span because I trained some of the guys that work there.

The way it stands right now, the country club is earning money. Last year it earned $160K and this year it earned $200K. By bringing in the specialized company that can assist us in the marketing and management and by retraining some of the staff so people are happy with it, all of that stuff will be self-serving for us and make us money in the long run.

What is with the pothole situation on Broadway?

It’s very simple. As you know, the Village is going through a major update— water pipes, gas pipes, etc. Everything is being done. Nothing has been done over the past 50 years! All of a sudden, over the past 1-2 years, everything had to be redone.

How did this come about?

We received complaints. People found that the generators that they got after Sandy don’t go on because there is no gas pressure. So we called PSEG and said what’s going on with the gas pressure? They did testing and told us that we are going to have to replace the piping with new high-intensity gas pressure pipes.

Those yellow pipes that you see all over the place—they are doing it in the whole area.

The water company has a situation as well, where there was a lot of brown water coming out for residents. Many people complained about brown water for the past year and a half.

I had that in my house. I thought it was just by me.

You don’t have it anymore?

We still sometimes get it.

The brown water comes because there are very old metal pipes which are corroded inside and the corrosion sits and sits and sometimes when they flush the system out to get rid of the iron, it turns the water brown for 3-4 days. After 3-4 days, it’s gone.

Now, there was a water leak on Central Avenue around four months ago and they had to redo the piping there and they had to cut out and re-

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V I L L AG E O F L AW R E N C E E L E C T I O N S I N T E RV I E W W I T H M AYOR A L E X E DE L M A N place a piece of pipe which was about 2½ blocks long. So now they are flushing the pipes again and brown water started coming out again. I got calls from the Regency, Harborview, and some other streets throughout the Village.

What about the potholes?

The potholes were created because of the digging up of all the infrastructure by PSEG, the water company and the gas company.

Right now, as you notice, on Broadway, they started doing work. So they used blacktop and they can’t put on the concrete right away when they finish the work because what would happen is that the blacktop would then sink if the concrete is put on right away. So they put blacktop on top and they let it sit there for a while and then they come back 2-3 weeks later and put two inches of concrete on top and then it will be level all around.

What’s your position on taking Broadway over from the county?

The county will never give up Broadway.

Why not?

Because the county payroll and the allocation of funds from the state to the county is based on how many meters the county has in the highway department. They are not going to give us Broadway, which is a long piece of roadway from the 878 to Sunrise Highway – they would simply never give it to us.

So what can be done about the county not doing what they are supposed to do on county roads?

We are applying pressure. With Laura Curran coming into the county as the new Nassau County Executive, we have more direct contact with her.

I spoke to her several times about the issue and she said to give her a couple of months to settle the situation and she promised that sometime in the summer she will come out to look at the situation.

But we keep applying pressure – they don’t cut the grass when they are supposed to and we threaten them

that we are going to cut the grass and send them the bill and then the next day they show up and cut the grass.

And what happened then? They didn’t edge it. We called them again and said the same thing, “If you don’t edge it, we are going to edge it and send you the bill.” Recently they cut the grass and left all of the garbage there. We took pictures and sent it to the county. The next day they sent a crew and they cleaned it up. We have been really on top of them.

What would you say was your biggest accomplishment in your first term?

I think there have been a number of big accomplishments over my past year and three quarters as mayor and my four years as a trustee before that. Number one: Harborview

used to slip constantly; in the summer time, there was a foot and a half of water which was a mosquito trap.

It stunk, it was black, and there were all kinds of problems What I did was, I took those pipes that were coming out of each home that ran into the open public area and connected them to a piece of pipe which was lowered a foot and a half underground and we put in a grate in front of every house. I checked it with the engineering department and they said that it would work because the water would never come aboveground. Now, if you look in front of every house, there’s a grate. The pipe is underground so the water is coming out straight into the sewer. I made a sewer bed bend all the way down to Lawrence Avenue, from every house on both

The residents on Harborview North had been suffering for many years and they complained and nothing happened... I took care of it, and it was done.

North had a flooding situation for around eight years before I joined the Board and I fixed the problem.

How? Harborview North is one of the lowest lying parts of the Village.

What happened was that most of the homes on Harborview North had pumps in the basement and they would have a tube that would come out from every home and the water would come out and run down to the sewer on Lawrence Avenue. So on both sides of the streets there would be puddles during high tide or whenever there was a heavy duty rain. In the winter time, there used to be ice on everyone’s driveways and people

sides of the street, and connected it to the main line sewer on Lawrence Avenue. So all that water that used to be aboveground is now belowground and you don’t see it.

The residents of Harborview North had been suffering for many years and they complained and nothing happened. The whole thing cost the Village $47,000 to fix the problem. I took care of it, and it was done.

That is a specific accomplishment for a few residents. What about overall accomplishments for the whole Village?

As trustee for four years I had two functions. I was the Village supervisor for finances and the supervisor

for the sanitation. These are the two most difficult jobs you can get. When I became trustee, Mayor Oliner said, “Alex, nobody wants to do the financials and nobody wants to do the sanitation” because that’s where you get the constant complaints. I said, “Marty, I’ll do it.”

I saw what was going on with the finances. The person who was running the finances was not exactly competent. We had disasters; stuff was backed up. Eventually the person left and when I became mayor instead of hiring a separate treasurer I took Lina, who is in charge of the tax assessments, and said to her, “I would like to make you Village Treasurer.” I knew her for a couple of years—she is bright, smart, capable and enthusiastic. She said, “I can do it. No problem.” I hired a part-time person for $20 per hour, 19 hours a week – no salary, no benefits, nothing – to assist her. So we saved money because now we have one person— with an assistant— doing both jobs, and it is working out beautifully. She is doing a phenomenal job.

It’s also about cutting out waste. I fired the accounting services, which charged us $80K a year, and hired a new company which only charges us $35K a year and they are doing the same work.

The union contract was up and I renegotiated it. Civil service, which is a big controlling factor for employees, we had problems to no end with them. I went down and met with them and had a nice conversation…

They hated us; now they love us. We fixed all of that.

Until I became mayor we were labeled by the state to be in “fiscal distress” because the finances were not sent to the state in an orderly fashion. That label was removed a year ago, which is a big deal.

How are the Village’s finances now?

The Village budget went down in the operations about 3.8 percent from last year to this year, saving us $221K. The previous year it was flat, there was no increase.

Which of the trustees that are running do you support?

Syma Diamond. She is doing a

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Are you supporting Stanley Kopilow?

No, I am not. I am only supporting Syma Diamond.

From what I understand, you made a pledge to Michael Fragin that you would only run for one term as mayor.

When I ran for mayor, I said to Michael, “I know what’s going on in the Village business.” The sanitation department gets the most complaints and that was my responsibility. I took care of it—I went to Sanitation Department meetings and I told them what’s happening.

Just to go off-track for a moment, the sanitation guys have to work a route and when they finish a route they can go home. So they used to go up one way streets the wrong way; one guy would go ahead and dump the garbage out and that’s how it used to work. Garbage was all over the Village and grass and it would drag. I took pictures and I went to their meetings and spoke to the union guy. I said, “Look, we have no jurisdiction over the Sanitation Department – they have their own jurisdiction – but let me tell you something, I took films and pictures and if you’re not going to do something about it, if you’re not going to make things right, I’m going to make such a ruckus over here and you are going to be totally embarrassed.” And they listened to me. Right now, if someone calls me with a complaint, I contact the Sanitation Department. Now the Sanitation Department is dismissing workers for three days with no pay when they do things wrong in the Village, which is a big deal, and the workers know that. So it’s been much better. It’s not perfect but it’s 75% better.

That’s a huge improvement.

But let’s go back to the pledge we were discussing.

Yes. I was a trustee and when Marty Oliner’s term was going to be up I was more familiar with the Village operations than anybody there because I am in charge of the finances; the heart of the Village is the money. If the money is not right,

we are going to be in trouble. Look at some other Villages and what types of money problems they have. So I said to Michael, “I’m going to run as mayor and you will run whenever I get done, next time.”

He came back to me a week later and said, “For peace sake, I won’t make an issue of it as long as you only run for one term.” So back and forth, and I eventually said, “No problem – I’m not really interested in being mayor. I’m interested in getting things done, in bringing the fiscal situation back to what it should

“We are going to make a million dollars a year and we will reduce all of your taxes.” I kept saying, “Uri, show me the math.” There was no math, nothing. Fragin was siding with Uri. So, I said to Michael, “How do you agree to a hotel; do you want a hotel in the community?” He said, “Let’s see what the numbers are.” I said, “I’ve been begging for the numbers.”

Then they dropped the hotel idea and Uri came up with an assisted living facility idea.

Now, a 200-bed assisted living business has to have 135 employ-

The brown water comes because there are very old metal pipes which are corroded inside. The corrosion sits and sits and sometimes when they flush the system out to get rid of the iron, it turns the water brown for 3-4 days.

have been all along,” and I agreed to make that deal.

That you’d be mayor for one term?

Yes. So why are you running again?

I became mayor and turned around the fiscal situation in the Village. And I saw that there’s a lot that we still have to do. Then the sewage plant was given to us by Nassau County, and Uri Kaufman came up with this hotel idea. In order for his numbers to work, we would have to have a hotel with 325 rooms with 100 percent occupancy every day of the year. I do assisted living, which is similar to the hotel business. I know the business. I said, “You tell me how this can be done.”

For three months this was going on…. hotel…hotel…hotel. There was a public meeting with 70 residents from that area and he said publicly,

ees. Where are we going to park 135 employees? What about garbage… linen…deliveries…people visiting, etc. It’s a bad idea. And all this time, Michael is agreeing with him and I said, “Michael, I don’t understand your thinking.”

So, a few months ago I said to Michael, “If you guys keep this up, I’m going to change my mind about running. I told you and I gave you my word, and I’ll say publicly that I gave you my word. But if you keep agreeing with Kaufman about issues which make no sense whatsoever, how can I trust you with operations of the Village? The Village is in good standing fiscally, etc. You know that these ideas are crazy. What are you doing?”

They want to do a study for $25,000 about what is the best land use for that property. I said, “What could be the best land use for that property – if you are going away from residential, it’s going to be com-

mercial. Right? I mean, you can’t put an airplane hangar there! You want to make it commercial? What are you studying?” They said, “Well, we have to get a referendum of information.”

So at that point they voted in favor of a study. So Syma and I said no to a study and Fragin and Kaufman said yes and they got Goldstein to vote with them.

Now that they voted for that we have to legally make a Request for Information which means that we have to put a notice in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times or a similar paper with a large circulation in order to make it official. So now we have to let the whole world know that Lawrence has a 4 ½ acre piece of land in Lawrence and people can give us their suggestions what to do.

So now, because of their vote, I need to publicly advertise that there is a piece of property available in Lawrence! The whole world will see it and know that Lawrence has 4 ½ acres available. And what can they come up with — a McDonalds? An assisted living facility? A charter school? That’s all I need, for them to come in here and put in a charter school. And not only that, by the way, the state has a right to do that by eminent domain!

So I see the situation in front of me and for the good of the Village I am going to break my word. I’m not interested in kavod and that garbage, I can do without it. I’ve done enough in the community that I don’t need this kavod. But I see what’s going on.

I see the direction that the Village is going. I am petrified of what will happen at the sewage plant and with the fiscal gains that we have made so I cannot in good conscience walk away from this.

If you had a debate with Michael, what would be the hardest question for you to answer?

I can’t think of any. I would love a debate – I can talk about my accomplishments. I can answer about the morale of the Village employees.

Ask any employee of the Village how it’s going… I can talk about the fiscal situation, my plans, anything.

I’ll sponsor the popcorn – good luck Mr. Mayor!

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2018

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t n e m o M l a c i r o t s i H r o e Holds r u t p u F O e h Photo ppened in Singapore and What t What Ha

By Susan

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or three days this week Singapore stood at the center of the diplomatic universe as President Donald Trump engaged in oneon-one high-stakes diplomacy with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. The summit started with President Trump using an iPad to show Kim a short video made on his behalf, laying out the opportunities that could come with an agreement to eliminate North Korea’s nuclear arsenal. It ended with a signed agreement by both countries which will serve as a framework for denuclearization and normalized relations. In time this summit will be seen as either an elaborate photo-op, rivaling President George W. Bush posing in front of a “Mission Accomplished” banner in the early days of the Iraq

Schwamm

War, or an historic moment, which may one day be spoken about in the same sentence as the Yalta Conference at the end of World War II.

Kim Jong Un Arrives The North Korean leader touched down in Singapore on Sunday afternoon in an Air China 747 plane, provided by Beijing, and was greeted

by Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. Two other aircraft arrived carrying other officials and supplies for Kim, including food and his own toilet. One of those planes was North Korea’s official government aircraft, an old Russian jet, jokingly referred to as “Air Force Un.” Kim’s delegation included Kim Yong Chol, who

recently met Trump in Washington, D.C., to deliver a letter from the North Korean leader, Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, and Kim’s younger sister Kim Yo Jong, who attended the Winter Olympics and accompanied Kim to South Korea in April.

Kim’s escort of 35 vehicles, including an unmarked Mercedes Benz with North Korean flags in which he rode, brought him to the swanky St. Regis hotel where he stayed in the Presidential Suite, which normally fetches $9,000 a night. The cash-poor Kim, however, did not have to swipe his credit card or use Starwood miles to pay for his stay – he was comp-ed by Singapore, which spent $20 million to host the summit.

Kim took it all in before the summit. On Sun-

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day evening he greeted tourists and visited local sights. He was accompanied by numerous Singaporean officials, some of whom posted selfies on Facebook. The following day, Kim visited Singapore’s most luxurious tourist attractions — including the extravagant Marina Bay Sands resort and hotel, which is Sheldon Adelson’s $6.6 billion tourist attraction featuring a mammoth casino and a luxury 5-star hotel with two floating pavilions as well as the world’s largest rooftop infinity pool, gazing down on the glittering city-skyline from 57 stories high.

President Trump landed in Singapore later in the evening, having flown from the G7 meeting in Canada. He traveled in “the Beast” to the posh Shangri-La Hotel in downtown Singapore.

Meeting – Finally The summit got underway on Tuesday morning at the Capella Hotel on Singapore’s Sentosa Island when Trump and Kim greeted each other and shook hands against a backdrop of U.S. and North Korean flags. Trump, who last week said that he would be able to tell within one minute if Kim is serious about making a deal, then held a private 40-minute meeting with Kim. Only their interpreters were in the room.

The two then walked together along a balcony as they headed to a larger meeting with aides which continued with a working lunch featuring several Korean foods as well as Trump’s favorites, such as beef short ribs and Haagen-Dazs ice cream.

The summit ended less than five hours later with Trump and Kim sitting alongside each other at a table where they each signed a joint statement.

As it was through the rest of the day, Trump did most of the talking. Kim, though, did say, “Today we had a historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind and we are about to sign a historic document. The world will see a major change.”

Throughout their interactions, Trump and Kim staged frequent photo opportunities that showed them getting along. During a post-lunch stroll on the hotel grounds, Trump showed Kim the interior of the presidential limousine known as “The Beast.”

At one point, a translator, apparently interpreting Kim’s words, noted, “Many people in the world will think of this as a form of fantasy from a science fiction movie.”

And of course, Trump was Trump – as reporters yelled questions during the photo op, Trump told Kim, “The press, they never stop.” Later, during a working lunch, Trump asked photographers for good pictures “so we look nice and handsome and thin.”

Joint Statement The signed joint statement was aspirational in tone and noted that “President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK,

Nothing says to Kim “you can trust me, I call the shots,” like spontaneously changing the fiftyyear military status quo in the region. and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” Although the statement is light on details, it noted that “the United States and the DPRK commit to hold follow-on negotiations, led by the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and a relevant high-level DPRK official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the U.S.-DPRK summit.”

In his press conference, President Trump disclosed that even though it is not documented in the signed document, Kim told him that North Korea will destroy a major missile engine testing

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site. “We agreed to that after the agreement was signed,” he explained. “That’s a big thing,” he added.

Denuclearization The timeline for denuclearization has not been disclosed. At his press conference, Trump declared, “Chairman Kim is on his way back to North Korea and I know for a fact that as soon as he arrives he will start a process that will make a lot of people very happy and very safe.”

In an interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity, Mr. Trump stated that Kim will start the denuclearization process “virtually immediately.”

Suspension of Military Exercises President Trump surprised many when he announced at his press conference that the U.S. agreed to suspend military exercises with South Korea in return for a commitment to denuclearization from North Korea. Mr. Trump called the war games “expensive” and “very provocative.” Stopping them is a major concession, something that the U.S. had previously rejected as non-negotiable on the grounds that the exercises are a key element of its military alliance with South Korea and are a deterrent against North Korea.

The South Korean government seemed broadsided by this pledge and in a statement said that it needs to “to find out the precise meaning or intentions” of Trump’s statement, while adding that it was willing to “explore various measures to help the talks move forward more smoothly.”

It has long been the Pentagon’s position that joint military exercises with South Korea are not provocative. U.S. forces in South Korea seemed caught off-guard by the president’s recent statement halting the exercises and a spokeswoman for U.S. military forces in Korea said it had not received any direction to cease joint military drills.

“USFK has received no updated guidance on execution or cessation of training exercises – to include this fall’s schedule Ulchi Freedom Guardian.”

She noted that for now the joint military exercises will continue. “In coordination with our (South Korean) partners, we will continue with our cur-

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rent military posture until we receive updated guidance from the Department of Defense (DoD) and/or Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM).”

Although President Trump is known for making off-the-cuff statements, the agreement to suspend military exercises is unlikely to be another “covefe moment.” To the extent it appears that the U.S military and Seoul were unaware of that concession by the president, that optic may be by design. Nothing says to Kim “you can trust me, I call the shots,” like spontaneously changing a fifty-year military status quo in the region.

Trump: Kim is Talented The summit came nearly a year after Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old college student, died as a result of his imprisonment in North Korea. While on a tour of North Korea in January 2016, Warmbier was arrested and detained for allegedly attempting to steal a propaganda poster. He was sentenced to 15 months of hard labor. While incarcerated, he fell into a coma. The U.S. government obtained his release last year, but he died of a severe neurological disease within days of his arrival home.

Trump paid tribute to Otto Warmbier at his post-summit press conference and said, “He had a lot to do with us being here today.” He disclosed that he spoke to Otto’s parents and told them that Otto did not die in vain. “Otto Warmbier is a very special person and he will be for a long time in my life. His parents are good friends of mine. I think without Otto, this would not have happened,” the president noted.

With the tragedy of Otto and other atrocities perpetrated by the North Korean regime on people’s minds, many were taken aback by Trump categorizing Kim as “talented.” When pressed about it, Trump drew a distinction between talented and nice. “Well, he is very talented. Anybody that takes over a situation like he did at 26 years of age and is able to run it, and run it tough… I don’t say he was nice or say anything about it.”

Trump’s overall tone about Kim was generous.

“Really, he’s got a great personality,” Trump told Greta Van Susteren after the summit. “He’s a funny guy, he’s very smart, he’s a great negotiator.”

terms of the agreement must be permanent without a sunset provision.

Another way to phrase these six requirements from Senate Democrats would be: everything that we didn’t do in our Iran deal, you better do in your deal with North Korea.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi – who

Optimism & Skepticism

in 2015 called the Iran deal a “diplomatic masterpiece” and who traveled to Syria for a meeting with dictator Bashar al-Assad, who later slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Syrians – released a statement immediately after the summit criticizing President Trump. “In his haste to reach an agreement, President Trump elevated North Korea to the level of the United States while preserving the regime’s status quo.” Just for good measure, perhaps, she added, “The president’s marginalization of the State Department and his habitual disparaging of our allies as demonstrated at the G7 Forum hinders a lasting, stable pathway to peace.”

Schumer, who stood by idly when Obama and

In a letter to President Trump by top Senate Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Schumer (D-NY), the group outlined the criteria that they will apply to determine whether an eventual deal with North Korea is acceptable to them in order for them to vote for lifting sanctions against the regime. The conditions, laid out and numbered in a clear and concise fashion, are that North Korea must dismantle every single nuclear, chemical and biological weapon; it must end the enrichment of uranium and dismantle its enrichment facilities; it must suspend all ballistic Middle testing; it must allow “anywhere, anytime” inspections; and the

Another way to phrase these six requirements from Senate Democrats would be: everything that we didn’t do in our Iran deal, you better do in your deal with North Korea.

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Kerry entered a dangerous agreement with the radical Iranian regime in 2015, criticized Trump for meeting with Kim and said that Trump has given “a brutal and repressive dictatorship the international legitimacy it has long craved.” Schumer argued that Kim scored a public relations coup by getting Trump to meet with him and that that may have been his only objective all along.

Those beyond the hyper-partisan Washington Beltway were more measured in their assessment of the summit.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe welcomed the agreement as a “first step” towards denuclearization but said more needed to be done. “I want to hear the details by phone [from Trump]. I will continue aiming to resolve concerns such as the abduction, nuclear and missile issues,” he said.

United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement, “Implementing today’s and previous agreements reached, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions, will require patience and support from the global community.”

Britian’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson described the summit as “constructive,” while noting, “There is much work still to be done and we hope Kim continues to negotiate in good faith towards complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization.”

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in, who led the effort on the international front to make the summit happen, praised the “historic” summit and declared, “Building on the agreement reached today, we will take a new path going forward.” He acknowledged that the summit is just the beginning of the process, but promised that “we will never go back to the past again and never give up on this bold journey.”

Where We Go from Here Despite the pleasantries, President Trump declared that U.S. economic sanctions against North Korea will remain in place until North Korea eliminates its nuclear weapons capability. In fact, Mr. Trump declared that there are 300 additional sanctions that he is preparing to put into place but he wants to first see what the outcome is of the summit.

Trump disclosed that at some time in the future he may visit Pyongyang and that Kim accepted an invitation to the White House, but when that takes place depends on the progress that is made towards the goal of denuclearization.

At this point, it is anyone’s guess whether this summit will lead to North Korea’s denuclearization and a stabilization of the region. President Trump, for one, is confident that it will lead to that. He mused, “I think he will do these things. I may be wrong. I may stand before you in six months and say, ‘Hey, I was wrong.’” Then he quickly added, “I don’t know if I’ll ever admit that. I’ll find some excuse.”

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Dating Dialogue

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

Dear Navidaters,

I’m dating an interesting guy right now. I haven’t had much luck in meeting too many “home runs,” but this particular guy, Yossie, seems to be way ahead of the curve. I find him to be much more considerate and polite than other men I’ve dated. I also love the fact that he seems truly interested in me. He asks questions and seem to care about my answers, which unfortunately is a new experience for me. I finally feel as though I actually matter and my thoughts are as relevant as his. So this is all great stuff.

The big issue, or as they say, the elephant in the room, is that as caring and invested as Yossie is in me and my ideas, he seems to be equally invested in his mother! For instance, if I make a comment like, “Someday I’d love to travel and see much of the world,” a typical answer from Yossie would be something like, “My mother is the same way. She loves to travel…” And then he’ll go on to tell me all the places his mother has visited. I know that on the surface that doesn’t sound like anything, but when two out of five comments end up with a conversation about his mother, I start getting suspicious that maybe he is too connected to her.

My mother likes Yossie a lot and though I’ve discussed this concern with her, she thinks I’m looking for problems and that I should get over it. That it just proves what a thoughtful person he is and that he’ll make a great husband to someone someday and why shouldn’t that someone be me?!

I’m curious to get your reactions to his personality and whether I’m overreacting or whether there is something kind of weird about his close connection to his mother that she pops up way too often in so many conversations?

Disclaimer: This column is not intended to diagnose or otherwise conclude resolutions to any questions.

Our intention is not to offer any definitive

conclusions to any particular question, rather offer areas of exploration for the author and reader. Due to the nature of the column receiving only a short snapshot of an issue, without the benefit of an actual discussion, the panel’s role is to offer a range of possibilities. We hope to open up meaningful dialogue and individual exploration.

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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The Panel The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S. t’s smart to address the elephant in the room directly. That makes for good communication as well as a healthy way of exploring what is the primacy of this topic in conversation.

But be careful about how you broach it and be respectful of the relationship. Give Yossie the opportunity to share without being defensive. Prepare some words that you can bring out when it’s appropriate. You can say something like: “I am hearing so much about your mother. It’s refreshing to meet someone who shares his mother’s interests, etc.” My strategy is open but with positive framing.

You sound smart enough to take it

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from there. You can offer to meet her and observe the interplay between the two of them. If things progress and this is still an issue, you should bring up your concerns more specifically.

You want to be sure he has healthy relationships with other adults in his life like friends, mentors, teachers, colleagues, etc.

It’s good that you noticed this orange flag. See if there are other orange flags. That’s when you want to stay away from danger and get out.

Without exploring the context and other relationships with time and openness, you will not know. It’s the mature thing to do. It’s easy and unwise to talk to others before you discuss this safely between the two of you.

Pay attention, ask questions and continue to be smart.

The Mother Sarah Schwartz Schreiber, P.A. ewish mothers of the world unite!

If we do our job right, our sons will grow up to respect and value women. In time, they will become attentive and caring husbands.

If you are so concerned whether Yossie is a Mommy’s Boy, I offer two suggestions: 1) Meet Yossie’s mother. A short, informal visit (tea optional) could help you determine how she fares on the Shvigger Richter Scale. Does she come up as warm? Welcoming? Overbearing?

Domineering? Clingy?

2) Have a conversation in which you deftly insert, “I notice you quote your mother a lot. What’s she like?” His re-

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There is a natural order of things when one marries and the priorities look like this: spouse, children, and then parents. sponse may indicate whether their relationship is weird or appropriate.

Unless these suggestions tell you otherwise, I have to side with your mother; Yossi may, in fact, be THE ONE, especially because he fulfills your other shidduch criteria.

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And if, down the line, Mom does not turn out to be the MIL of your dreams, the two of you can always move far, far away.

The Shadchan Michelle Mond o summarize the overall picture: Yossi is a socially stable, solidly independent young man with whom you feel comfortable. He has great middos and treats you well – he is Good Husband material. After many experiences with relationships which didn’t click, you seem to be a seasoned “dater” with a good sense of what you need, and he certainly fits those criteria in your eyes! But…he mentions his mother in conversation more often than you are comfortable. Is this an automatic red flag?

Reading through the pages of contemporary magazines and books, it is not uncommon to read about the single

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young man who, when it came to every decision, valued his mother’s opinion above all and sought her advice in a glaringly unhealthy manner. These stories never end well and the message for the girls is thus: beware of Mommy’s Boys. Consequently, young women may tend to be a bit hypervigilant regarding this issue. Therefore, I don’t blame you for those proverbial antennae which tingle every time Yossie mentions his mother.

In this case, however, there doesn’t seem to be cause for great concern. In absence of other true red flags (consistently seeking his mother’s approval, etc.), he is probably just making conversation and acting as a sounding board, bouncing off conversational factoids that show that he relates to your own stories. He likely has a close and healthy bond with his family and is sharing that part of himself with you. He sounds like a sentimental person who is reserving a special, warm and cherished place in his heart for his wife.

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

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ossie sounds like a great guy, and yet I understand where your concern lies. Ultimately, every woman should be her husband’s number one priority; and with all this talk of Mom, it may be leaving you wondering if Yossie will be able or want to prioritize you as the leading lady on the stage of his life. Another concern you may be having is whether or not Yossie’s mother would be inappropriately involved in your lives, with a personal invitation from Yossie (or without.)

I work with people dating, and married people as well, and this issue comes up regularly. Yossie mentioning his mother either reflects a close and healthy relationship – or the opposite.

A young man who speaks highly of his

mother and her decisions may be indicating his healthy respect for women. It also may be a sign of an unhealthy relationship with his mother.

I think what you need to figure out is if Yossie is mentioning his mom because he respects her, or if he is mentioning his mom because he needs her/ has allowed her to have some element of control over him. For example, you mention to him that your brother shops in a certain men’s clothing store and Yossie says, “My mother would never let me shop there. She told me to go to…” That is a red flag. In general, men who need or allow their mothers

Now it is your turn to let down your guard, exercise your ayin tovah, and focus on his amazing qualities. Communicate this issue to him gently, so he can ease your worries himself or curb this habit. Hatzlacha!

The Single Tova Wein ossie sounds like a man who has a healthy respect for women – which is a very good thing. Obviously, for now, it is his mother who has captured his attention and she plays an important role in his life. Normally, when such a person marries, the wife takes over a good part of that role and a healthy balance is reached.

I would be wary, however, if within his conversations about his mother, rather than just sharing tidbits about her, he starts conversations with sentences like, “Well, my mother told me I should….” Or, “When I asked my mother what I should do….” Or maybe, “My mother always knows best….”

In other words, it’s one thing to tell you where his moth-

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to play center stage in their lives often unintentionally bring pain and suffering to their spouses. There is a natural order of things when one marries and the priorities look like this: spouse, children, and then parents. When a parent is the first priority, generally the marriage suffers because nature has been disrupted.

How do you figure this out? It begins with seeing Yossie in his natural element. At some point, you will need to see how he and his mother interact.

Figure out a way to spend some casual time with them. If it becomes The Yossie and Mom Show, and they don’t include you much in the conversation, or the dynamic seems odd or off, that may be indicative of the role you would play should you marry. Should Yossie’s mother be inappropriate, but Yossie seems to have healthy boundaries with her, then you will know that it is not a Yossie issue, but a Mom issue.

Enjoy your time together, and set up opportunities to meet with Yossie and his mother. Also, talk about it

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No marriage should look like a triangle. er went on vacation. Quite another to give you the impression that he doesn’t make a move in life without first getting his mother’s advice and approval. Now that would be a red flag, and I would suggest you run for your life.

Marriages like that tend to have three partners – the husband, the wife and the mother. No marriage should look like a triangle.

So listen carefully to what Yossie has to say when it relates to his mother and make sure you can discern the scope of his message. If in doubt, and frankly, it wouldn’t hurt altogether, it might be a good idea for you to suggest meeting her. This way you can really observe the interplay between the two of them. Body language says a lot and my guess is that you’ll walk away from such an encounter with a better sense of how Yossie and his mother truly relate to each other.

with him. The next time he brings her up, you can casually make a friendly statement or ask a question about their relationship. “You and your Mom seem pretty tight. What’s your relationship like?” Or, “Tell me more about your Mom.” And don’t be afraid to “go there,” so to speak. Do it in a no big deal kind of way. Once you’ve done the “research,” (meetings and talking), you will be able to make a more informed decision.

Sincerely, Jennifer Esther Mann, LCSW and Jennifer Mann, LCSW are licensed psychotherapists and dating and relationship coaches working with individuals, couples and families in private practice in Hewlett, NY. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 516.224.7779. Press 1 for Esther, 2 for Jennifer. Visit www.thenavidaters.com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email thenavidaters@gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.

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Dr. Deb

The Line Between Addictions and Self-Soothing

By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

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tell people all the time to take care of themselves. Im ayn ani li mi li.

It’s necessary to build in time for oneself to regroup after a long, hard, or stressful day. Personally, I enjoy my chocolate chip peanut butter muffins every morning with my coffee.

I had serious withdrawal symptoms on Pesach. The gym, which I used to passionately hate in my earlier years, has become fun, too. I don’t know why. And there is not much that beats Esther Wein’s shiur for women or the Mishlei shiur that Rabbi Feiner gives.

Those are my little joys, my self-indulgences that put a smile on my face.

And that is only weekdays. Shabbos is a different matter. There is no joy to match the exquisite sweetness of my grandchildren curling up in my lap for stories. Or watching them pump on the swings. Or listening to the older ones learn Gemara.

But I need to be really careful when I tell overwhelmed and worn-out clients to do something nice for themselves. One time someone told me that she likes to go on reading mara-

thons. I’m talking marathons – sitting in a chair and not getting up for eight hours except to use the potty.

Others cannot disconnect from their YouTube videos, excessive shopping, or compulsively micromanaging their employees and then closing up the building four hours after the last person left.

Someone just asked me what to tell a client who cuts her skin to get relief from stress. Actually, there are many unhealthy ways people get relief from stress. Take anger. Anger is known as a “cover emotion.” This means that it is a front for feelings that are too painful to face such as hopelessness, helplessness, fear, guilt and shame. These are toxic emotions. They have no place in the human psyche. Yes, they serve us well sometimes if they just last briefly.

For example, fear is good if you need to run to get away from someone trying to hurt you. But it’s no good when you are just afraid of everything. That’s what happens when fear becomes a conditioned response so that you’ve generalized that fear of one

thing to most things. (In fact, in the clinical literature, that’s got a name: Generalized Anxiety Disorder.) Anyone suffering from this will tell you it’s no good.

So, getting back to Anger: Anger got developed in the childhood of those who resort to it as a wonderful coping mechanism to hide the unbearable feelings of helplessness, guilt, or shame that a person might have.

Notice what’s bad about these toxic emotions? What is it that unites all of them? The answer is that they lack energy. When a person is in one of these moods, they freeze; they can’t take action. This is what’s bad about them.

Way back when I was first getting my hours for my license back in Florida, I set up a counseling program in the Chabad of Aventura. In exchange, Rabbi Brusowankin very generously taught me Tanya. There, I learned that any of these toxic emotions are the work of the yetzer hara precisely because they incapacitate a person.

This is good from the perspective of the yetzer hara because being in these

moods keeps a person from taking positive steps to fix the problem.

So along came Anger as a wonderful way of regaining one’s direction, one’s energy, one’s fire! Anger provides that feeling of taking action that the soul so badly needs. That’s why it works. That’s why hundreds of thousands of people – mistakenly – adopt it as their go-to emotion when they’re otherwise feeling stuck and frozen.

So the energy dissipated by a temper outburst revs up the soul. It’s soothing and calming. Do you notice (if you’re someone with a tendency to anger) how much better you feel right after an outburst? Well, that’s why. All that pent up pain that had no outlet – because the toxic emotions do not have a channel with which to be released – now gets released through the Anger.

So we can actually say that Anger is a way of self-soothing. Obviously, it’s nothing of the kind for everyone else, and it doesn’t even feel good to the person expressing it later on after he/she regains their rational mind. But for the moment, it soothes. It’s not at

The Jewish Home | JUNE 29, 14, 2015 2018 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER

all different from the cutting that people may do who have learned that that works for them.

Any compulsion works the same way. It’s a way to release pent up energy that had nowhere to go when one is feeling anxious. In one way or another all these are methods of self-soothing.

And this doesn’t even include the addictions, both chemical and not.

(The “nots” include gambling, TV watching, or internet addiction – and shopping and work as I’ve mentioned.)

So when you add those in, you have a huge number of things that people can do to soothe themselves when they’re stressed or miserable or suffering from one of the toxic emotions.

Unfortunately, they’re worse for you than the problem they came to solve.

1. It must be something you like and enjoy. You can’t say you’re going to go to the gym to exercise as a healthy way to burn off energy when you hate the gym.

2. It must be powerful. It must be

So What’s the Criteria for What to Do to Soothe Yourself?

something that is strong enough to get you away from the stress of everyday life. If, when you go to the gym, for instance (and you do love the gym) you’re still thinking about the pain in

The criteria of what to do must accomplish these things:

your life and feeling rotten, then it’s not the correct answer.

3. It must not be a form of disconnect like going numb. We’re not looking for you to disconnect from reality.

We’re looking for you to be very much

We’re looking for you to be very much connected to what’s going on and how you feel about it. But somehow, in that process, you must come out feeling better.

connected to what’s going on and how you feel about it. But somehow, in that process, you must come out feeling better.

4. It must recharge you to return to

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your life in a way that gives you energy and hope.

5. There’s one more thing that makes all the difference in the world: It must appeal to your soul.

If painting, music, gardening, knitting, volunteering, going to shiurim, learning, saying Tehillim, davening, reading poetry, going to the gym, baking fancy cakes, taking pictures, babysitting your grandchildren, traveling in unfamiliar places, reading engrossing books that educate and uplift, or anything along those lines will accomplish numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4, then they qualify as number 5, too. In fact, #4 is pretty much the equivalent of #5.

That’s the bottom line to tell the difference between what’s mere escapism and what is a healthy way to get away from your stresses for a little bit.

Dr. Deb Hirschhorn is a Marriage and Family Therapist. She can be reached at 646-54-DRDEB or by writing drdeb@ drdeb.com.

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Health & F tness

Snacking Isn’t All That Bad

By Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

E

veryone is always rummaging through the cabinets looking for a good snack. The problem is that the more you eat, the more weight you gain. Truthfully, when you snack on the right foods, snacks are beneficial for weight management. Healthy snacking has been shown to improve overall health, curb cravings, fight weight gain, boost brain power, and give you the energy you need to keep going all day.

Avoiding extreme hunger increases the likelihood that you’ll pick a healthy snack rather than raiding the fridge or overeating at meals. I recommend not going more than three hours without eating something. Blood sugar drops 3-5 hours after you eat. Eating small, frequent snacks keeps your metabolism in check and helps normalize blood sugar. Hunger can throw your body into starvation mode which slows down your metabolism and makes it easier to pack on the pounds.

The next question is what should you be snacking on? I always recommend a snack high in protein, ideally together with a fruit or a vegetable. Clients often ask if it’s better to consume a protein shake or a protein supplement rather than an actual high protein snack. Protein supplements are available in ready-to-drink, powdered and solid forms and often contain whey, ca-

sein or soy proteins. Research was conducted to test if taking protein supplements as a snack will be conducive to weight management.

“It may matter when you take your supplements in relation to when you eat meals, so people who consume protein supplements in between meals as snacks may be less likely to be successful in managing their body weight,” says Wayne Campbell, professor of nutrition science and senior author on the study.

He adds, “Such dietary compensation is likely missing when protein supplements are consumed as snacks. Calories at mealtimes may not be adjusted to offset the supplement’s calories, thus leading to a higher calorie intake for that day. If the goal is to manage weight, then snacking on protein supplements may be less effective. People who are trying to gain weight may consider consuming protein supplements between meals.”

I am strongly against protein supplements since they often provide too much protein and very little other nutritional value. If you want a protein shake, make yourself a smoothie. A milk-based smoothie provides 8 grams of protein plus other essential vitamins and minerals from the fruits you add. Eight grams of protein is enough protein for a snack. Otherwise, like the study shows, all the added protein will cause weight gain.

Here are some examples of appropriate snacks: • Nonfat Greek yogurt or any lowfat yogurt with granola • Cottage cheese and berries • Cereal with skim milk • Whole wheat English muffin/ bread with turkey or hummus • Whole wheat crackers or rice cakes with cheese • Dried fruit • Banana with almond or nut butter • Apple with peanut butter • Fresh fruit • Eggs – 3 egg whites and 1 yolk • Tuna on whole wheat bread • Hummus with baby carrots • Fruit smoothie made with lowfat yogurt or skim milk • Nuts • Fiber One 90 calorie bar • Kind Bar • Quaker Chewy Granola Bar • Nabisco 100 calorie pack • Pringle 100 calorie pack • 3 cups popcorn • pretzels Remember, snacks should be set up and eaten at a scheduled time.

You should not be snacking all day.

The same goes for your kids. When it comes to giving snacks to your kids, it is important to set up a snack schedule. Letting kids nibble all day ruins mealtime appetites and creates unhealthy habits. Over-snacking can lead to a pattern of overeating. Most toddlers and children can

last 2 hours in between meals and snacks. Many parents tend to give their children snacks to occupy or distract them when they are on the go, but the kids don’t actually need food then. This can tamper with their feelings of hunger. Rather, try distracting your child with a small toy or a book.

It’s also important to serve healthy snacks to your children on a daily basis. Save the added sugar and salt and refined flour snacks for special occasions. Stock your pantries with canned fruits, applesauce, and granola bars. Either don’t buy or hide the unhealthier snacks. This way, when your kids are old enough to grab a snack on their own, they won’t be tempted to go for the chips.

Snacking is very beneficial for your weight when done appropriately. Make your snacks like a mini meal: sit down and snack properly.

Don’t snack while picking out of the fridge, don’t snack while watching TV or answering emails. Sit down and enjoy a healthy snack!

Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN, is a Master’s level Registered Dietitian and Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist.

She graduated CUNY Brooklyn College receiving a Bachelor’s in Science and Master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Sciences. She is currently a dietitian at Boro Park Center and a private nutrition consultant. She can be reached at CindyWeinberger1@gmail.com.

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

In The K

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tchen

White Pizza

By Naomi Nachman

My family loves pizza! Then again, what’s not to love, especially when you make it yourself? This dough recipe is quick and easy to make so you can throw together homemade pizza at the drop of a hat. I try to come up with interesting toppings. I recently made this one for my family, even though I wasn’t sure if they would like a tomato-less pizza. Amazingly, it was a huge hit and now I have gotten them to try all kinds of assorted topping, sauces and vegetables on their pizza.

Ingredients Quick and Easy Dough 2 tsp dry yeast 1 tsp sugar 3/4 cup very warm water 2 cups flour 1 tsp salt

Toppings 1 cup ricotta cheese ¼ cup parmesan cheese 1 TBS olive oil 1 TBS milk ½ tsp garlic powder ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp oregano 8 oz. can pineapple chunks ½ small onion, sliced

Preparation Preheat oven to 450°F. Make the dough: Combine yeast, water and sugar in a bowl and let proof for 5 minutes, until bubbling.

Add flour and salt and knead for 2-3 minutes until flour is well blended and a dough ball forms.

Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Roll dough to fit a 12-inch disposable pizza pan or pizza stone.

Prepare the toppings: Mix cheeses, oil, milk, garlic powder and salt together in a bowl until smooth.

Spread all over pizza dough, leaving a crust. Top with pineapple and onion and sprinkle with oregano.

Bake for 20 minutes.

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

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JUNE 14, 2018 | The| Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home

Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

They have great beaches. You see that whenever they are exploding the cannons in the ocean. I said, “Look at that view. That would make a great condo.” I explained it. I said, “Instead of doing that, you could have the best hotels in the world.” Think of it from the real estate perspective. South Korea and China and they own the land in the middle. Great. I told them, “You may not want to do what’s there.

You may want to do a smaller version of it. That could be.”

- President Trump, at his Singapore summit press conference

Let me see, who has better hair?

- Ibid., when two reporters tried asking him a question at the same time

Trump should invite JUSTIFY to the White House lawn for winning the Triple Crown. Justify is a WINNER like Trump who could care less about leftist identity politics.

– Tweet by former Milwaukee Sheriff David A. Clarke, Jr.

It just shows how much fake news is out there.

How’s the Staten Island Ferry doing?

OK? He wrote the best story about me with the Staten Island Ferry. And after that, he’s never written a good story.

- Ibid., when he called on a reporter

- New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski when asked about recent trade rumors

I feel like the bottom has to fall out at some point. And by the way, I’m hoping for it. Because I think once you get rid of Trump it’s a crashing economy. So please, bring on the recession. Sorry if that hurts people, but it’s either root for a recession or you lose your democracy.

- Bill Maher, HBO

You go in, you start negotiating. And if you don’t stop them from doing it, will have to take rather drastic actions, because if you don’t talk them now, you are going to be in awfully big trouble in five years from now, when they have more missiles than we do.

- Donald Trump, in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, in 1999

Getting a good picture, everybody? So we look nice and handsome and thin and perfect?

- Ibid., to photographers, as he and Kim were set to sit down for lunch

Right now, there’s no question: It’s feeling strong. I mean, if we’re in the sixth inning, we have our sluggers coming to bat right now.

- Warren Buffett talking about the state of the economy on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” last Thursday

MORE QUOTES

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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27

We’re in a dangerous situation… You know with Hitler, with other despots, people didn’t take them seriously, they laughed at them. And then what happened, they turned around and it was too late. We can’t let that happen in this country and you guys are the ones to do it.

- Actor Robert De Niro unloading on President Donald Trump while addressing high school students at an awards ceremony for recipients of the Rosemary Breslin American Writer Award in New York this week

Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.

-Leftist billionaire George Soros in an interview with the Washington Post, discussing the past couple of years since President Trump was elected in a statement that some would use as proof that the president is doing a great job

Bill Clinton called me the “preferred Russian alternative.” He knows Russian preferences, having made $500K for a single speech from the Russian bank promoting the Uranium One deal that awaited HRC’s approval.

– Jill Stein, the Green Party’s 2016 nominee, tweeting her response to Bill Clinton’s recent assertion that the Russians preferred her over Hillary

No doubt if you are a self-regarding elite globalist enthralled with being loved by European leaders, then, sure, you will be shredded with rage over this picture showing an obdurate U.S. president — sitting arms crossed, uncaring — as the entire cabal of global leaders tries in vain to curb him, force him into line.

How dare the president of the United States shirk the august authority of the global puppet masters!

But, then again, you already hated the guy.

The Broadway show “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” won best play at last night’s Tony Awards — while the worst play was still that one by J.R. Smith.

– Seth Myers

That sounds very yummy and really expensive by the way.

– CNN’s Don Lemon, after reading the lunch menu at the Singapore summit

By releasing the details of the menu, this is again legitimizing Kim Jong Un and puts him on equal footing with other world leaders.

What Mr. Trump’s detractors are too dumb to understand is that it is precisely for these reasons that this picture brings Mr. Trump’s supporters to their feet cheering the president’s defiance in the face of such pearl-clutching wrath and fury.

- Charles Hurt, Washington Times

In fact, the picture with Angela Merkel, whom I get along very well with, where I am sitting here like this. I’m waiting for the document because I wanted to see the final document with the changes I requested. That was a friendly meeting. I know it did not look friendly. I know it was reported [to be] nasty – “I was angry.” Actually we were talking, the whole group, about something unrelated to everything, very friendly. Waiting for the document to come back.

– President Trump, explaining the now infamous picture

- CNN analyst Samantha Vinograd

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I leave this life with no regrets. It was a wonderful life full and complete with the great loves and great endeavors that make it worth living. I am sad to leave, but I leave with the knowledge that I lived the life that I intended.

- Fox News conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer, in a letter he released, revealing that he is terminally ill and has only “a few weeks to live”

I was mad at me.

- Former President Clinton, on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” discussing an interview that he did last week in which he defended his behavior in the 1990s

There’s big talk about inclusion and diversity at Google so if you need any evidence of Google making this priority, may I direct your attention to the [salad] emoji — we’ve removed the egg in Android P beta 2, making this a more inclusive vegan salad.

Facebook has announced a new page called “Memories” that will show users photos from the past. It’s better than the original title for the page, “When You Were Thinner.”

– Seth Myers

- Tweet by Google UX Manager at Expression design team Jennifer Daniel

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The one thing the Palestinian Authority has done well, that we haven’t done as well, I mean Israel and the United States now – they’ve made themselves sympathetic.

They’re a bunch of sympathetic murderers.

And I see in the United States how that happens. You have a man who kills a police officer and everybody becomes sympathetic. And they find all kinds of excuses for why he’s really innocent or why he couldn’t help himself. I don’t know what it is in the human personality but there is this fascination with criminality that allows people to become extremely sympathetic to them and turn the whole thing opposite.

- Trump attorney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, speaking Wednesday night at the event for the One Family Foundation, which helps Israeli bereaved families and victims of terrorism

NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman arrived in Singapore today ahead of President Trump’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. So at least if Kim launches a nuclear missile, Rodman will be there to grab the rebound.

– Seth Myers

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JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Political Crossfire

Obama Took Lying to New Heights with the Iran Deal

By Marc A. Thiessen

W

hen it comes to the Iran nuclear deal, the Obama administration increasingly appears to have been a bottomless pit of deception.

First, President Barack Obama failed to disclose to Congress the existence of secret side deals on inspections when he transmitted the nuclear accord to Capitol Hill. (They were only uncovered by chance when thenRep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., learned about them during a meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency officials in Vienna.) Then, we learned that the Obama administration had secretly sent a plane to Tehran loaded with $400 million in Swiss francs, euros and other currencies on the same day Iran released four American hostages, which was followed by two more secret flights carrying another $1.3 billion in cash.

Now, in a bombshell revelation, Republicans on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, led

by Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, have revealed in a new report that the Obama administration secretly tried to help Iran use U.S. banks to convert $5.7 billion in Iranian assets, after promising Congress that Iran would not get access to the U.S. financial system – and then lied to Congress about what it had done. (Full disclosure: My wife works for Portman).

In July 2015, Obama Treasury

Secretary Jack Lew assured the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that, under the nuclear accord, Iran “will continue to be denied access to the [U.S.] financial and commercial market” and that “Iranian banks will not be able to clear U.S. dollars through New York, hold correspondent account relationships with U.S. financial institutions, or enter into financing arrangements with U.S. banks.” A few weeks later, one of Lew’s top deputies, Adam Szubin, used the exact same words in testimony to the Senate banking committee.

But Senate investigators found that on February 24, 2016, the Obama Treasury Department “granted a specific license that authorized a conversion of Iranian assets worth billions of U.S. dollars using the U.S. financial system” – exactly what Lew and Szubin said would not happen – including unlimited future Iranian deposits at Bank Muscat in Oman until the license expired.

Not only that, Senate investigators found that officials from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which regulates U.S. banks’ compliance with U.S. sanctions law, “encouraged two U.S. correspondent banks to convert the funds.” The report says, “Both banks declined to complete the transaction due to compliance, reputational, and legal risks associated with doing business with Iran.”

Then, after issuing the license,

the Obama administration explicitly denied to Congress that it had done so. Lew and Szubin both failed to disclose the license in congressional testimony while continuing to assert that the Obama administration would not give Iran access to U.S. financial institutions – when they had just tried to do so. And in a June 2016 letter to Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., Treasury officials declared, “The U.S. Department of Treasury is not working on behalf of Iran to enable Iranian access to U.S. dollars elsewhere in the international financial system, nor are we assisting Iran in gaining access to dollar payment systems outside the U.S. financial system. The Administration has not been and is not planning to grant Iran access to the U.S. financial system.” This was patently false.

Investigators also found internal State Department emails, in which officials admitted that the Obama administration had “exceeded our JCPOA commitments” by authorizing Iranian access to U.S. banks. Furthermore, the report reveals that the Obama administration put on more than 200 “roadshows” across the world where they encouraged foreign financial institutions to do business with Iran “as long as the rest of the world left the United States out of it.” According to the report, during a roadshow in London, OFAC Director John Smith “downplayed the likeli-

hood of any future penalties or fines,” telling the audience “that 95 percent of the time OFAC sees an apparent violation it results in a simple warning letter or no enforcement action.”

In other words, the Obama administration: (1) told Congress it would not allow Iran access to U.S. financial institutions; (2) issued a special license allowing Iran to do exactly that; (3) unsuccessfully pressured U.S. banks to help Iran; (4) lied to Congress and the American people about what it had done; (5) admitted in internal emails that these efforts “exceeded” U.S. obligations under the nuclear deal; (6) sent officials, including bank regulators, around the world to urge foreign financial institutions to do business with Iran; and (7) promised that they would get nothing more than a slap on the wrist for violating U.S. sanctions.

How bad is this? Remove the words “Obama” and “Iran” and replace them with “Trump” and “Russia” and imagine the outrage that would ensue over the same revelations. Democrats would be holding news conferences, and the story would be front-page news.

We hear a lot these days from the media about the danger of presidential lies. Well, when it comes to the Iran deal, the Obama administration took lying to new heights. And no, that’s not Fake News. (c) 2018, Washington Post Writers Group

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Political Crossfire

In the Name of Diversity, New York’s Mayor Wants to Destroy the American Dream

By Richard Cohen

I

t is amazing to me that President Trump has not, on a rare day when he’s in New York, exited Trump Tower, made a sharp left, and limoed down to Stuyvesant High School. It is New York City’s crown jewel, where – like in the fictional Lake Wobegon – all the students really are “above average.”

And just to make matters more intriguing and complicated, Stuyvesant’s student body is majority Asian. The mayor thinks this is a “monumental injustice” and that more of them should be Hispanic and black. For that, he recently asked a black church for an “amen.”

Instead, from certain critics, he got a groan of opposition and disbelief. In the name of racial equity, fairness and that most deceptive of all words, diversity, he would demolish a system that at Stuyvesant and seven other elite city high schools has, without a doubt, propelled countless poor kids right into the middle class – and beyond.

The reason I mentioned Trump in the first paragraph – besides enticing you to read what I’ve written – is that his base consists, in no small part, of white males who think the deck is stacked against them; that the liberal policies of the Obama years, person-

ified by Hillary Clinton, unfairly favored other groups or, when it came to trade, other nations. You and I may quibble with this view, but then along comes Bill de Blasio to demand an “amen” to his efforts to tilt a color-blind admissions system to get a different blend.

Blacks and Hispanics comprise 67 percent of New York’s public school students. Yet Stuyvesant’s incoming freshman class contains only 10 blacks, 27 Hispanics, 151 whites – and 613 Asians. A similar imbalance applies to the city’s seven other elite schools, including Brooklyn Tech, where the mayor’s son just graduated.

Clearly, something is off. In the best of all possible worlds, these schools should have student bodies that reflect the city’s demographics. This, though, is not the best of all worlds. It’s the one we have.

And in this world, the children of Asian immigrants walk away with the lion’s share of admissions. Why? Simple. They study. They study hard. Admissions to New York’s academically elite schools is based solely on an entrance exam. That’s it. No alumni recommendations. No offer of a contribu-

tion. No athletic ability or anything of the sort. Take the test. Score high. Get in. That’s it. Nothing could be fairer.

Yet, de Blasio wants to do away with the exam altogether.

In an exhaustive piece for the City Journal about Brooklyn’s Chinese-American community – one of New York’s several “Chinatowns” – Kay S. Hymowitz writes that “if, as sometimes appears the case, ‘Harvard’ is the first English word that immigrant Chinese mothers learn, the second is probably ‘Stuyvesant.’”

Just reading Hymowitz’s description of how these parents work around the clock for their children – rising before dawn to ensure that the homework is done – is exhausting in itself. Often, they put aside money to have their kids prepped for the Stuyvesant admissions test. This is not a perk of the rich. This is yet another sacrifice these parents make for their children.

My limited tolerance for affirmative action – possibly permissible when the poor are advantaged at the expense of the rich – hits a wall in this case.

By and large, the Asian-Americans of Stuyvesant are not rich. Many of them are poor, so-called Title I kids, entitled

to all sorts of aid. They and their parents played by the rules and studied hard. Why should they be deprived of what they earned on the basis of race or ethnicity? That’s what the mayor wants to happen. Asian kids have to make way for black or Hispanic ones.

The figures are both stark and tragic. But they prove, to the obstinate blindness of the doctrinaire, that poverty is not always the determinant.

You can hardly get poorer than many of the Asian immigrants. They come to America with little. They often can’t even speak the language. In her article, Hymowitz says that Chinese families often “maintain that they have been discriminated against, and they tell their children to expect discrimination as well.” It’s a hard, hard life.

Already, the mayor has reserved some slots for students who almost pass the exam so that more black and Hispanic kids will be admitted to the special schools. For him, it is only a beginning. In the name of diversity, he wants to scrap the test and, thereby, destroy a system that epitomized the American dream and – as Trump might say – made America great. (c) 2018, Washington Post Writers Group

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JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Forgotten Her es

Jules Herman Sitrick, Wartime Hero

By Avi Heiligman

D

uring wartime, the press and media love to “hunt” for stories of dangerous and exciting exploits of service members. Frequently, battlefield interviews are conducted and the stories are sent to news agencies for publication. The awards ceremonies for these war heroes can also be elaborate affairs, especially when a country is bestowing an honor on a foreign soldier. Some service members, however, like to stay out of the spotlight and for one reason or another their exploits are forgotten for decades. This was the case for Davenport native Herman Sitrick who was a Jewish World War II soldier who finally received foreign recognition in 2017.

Jules Herman Sitrick was born in Davenport, Iowa, in 1925. Growing up during the Great Depression to parents who had emigrated from Russia was certainly difficult on the young man. When he turned 18 in 1943 he became eligible for the draft and was soon wearing the uniform of the 83rd Infantry Division.

Known as the Thunderbolt Division, the 83rd had roots during the previous World War. In 1917 it began as a unit to supply replacements for other divisions fighting in Europe. Close to 200,000 men had worn the patches of the division during World War I. The division itself did not see action and was disbanded in 1919 after two years of existence. Revived in 1942 it was destined for fighting in the largest invasion in history. In April 1944 the 83rd was sent to England to prepare for

the Normandy landings.

Sitrick was with the division as a member of Company C of the 331st Infantry Regiment when they stepped onto Omaha Beach on June 18. Less than two weeks earlier the beach in Normandy, France, had been the scene of the bloodiest battle during the Allied landings on D-Day. The fighting continued off the beaches and into the Norman hedgerows. Sitrick had dug a foxhole in the hedgerows when the Germans started pouring mortar and artillery fire on his unit’s position.

Shrapnel hit him in the leg, and he was evacuated. However, due to the high casualty rates and Sitrick’s skill with the rifle, he was allowed to return to his company. Along with the rest of the division, he continued fighting through France and Luxembourg and in November took part in the bloody and some say needless Battle of the Hurtgen Forest.

By late December, the division was prepared to enter the Battle of the Bulge that had given the Allied commanders a true scare. It was Hitler’s, ym”sh, last push to try and defeat the Allies. Within a week of the initial attack on December 16, 1944 the Nazis had made a large bulge in the Allied lines. Several divisions that had been held in reserve or had been recouping their losses from earlier battles like the 83rd were strategically placed to counter the German attack. The attack had stalled but there was still a lot of fight left in the German army.

Over 600,000 Allied soldiers were

in action by the end of December, and Sitrick with the 83rd was in Belgium.

One night, in January 1945, there was a major snowstorm with the wind chill well below zero. Sitrick came upon a German soldier who begged him, “Don’t shoot.” Understanding a little of his adversary’s language, Sitrick comprehended what he was saying and quickly surmised that he wasn’t part of the SS. The wounded German was a regular Wehrmacht (the term for anyone part of the German military) draftee. Sitrick was looking for other Americans to help him with his prisoner but they were cut off due to the heavy German fire. Sitrick found a bombed out farmhouse and placed the German inside. Soon other Germans were looking for shelter and found themselves captives of the lone American who had hid by the stairs ready to shoot anyone that tried to fight. They didn’t realize he was alone and by the morning Sitrick had captured an astounding 21 Germans singlehandedly.

He disarmed all of them and made it clear that if they tried any funny business he would shoot. Tanks from the U.S. 3rd Armored Division happened to be rolling by the next morning and took the Germans off his hands and into POW camps.

Sitrick himself suffered from what he called “frozen feet” and spent a week recovering in the hospital. It was during that week that the reporters heard of his exploits but couldn’t find him for an interview. They had heard of the private who had captured many

Germans and wanted to make him the Sergeant York of World War II. By the time he was released from the army in late 1945 as a corporal, Sitrick had earned the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart with four clusters – one for each of the times he was wounded. However, he really didn’t get public attention for his heroism until many years later.

After the war he married and settled in Chicago. Sitrick worked in broadcasting and started his own advertising business in Skokie. He was living a relatively quiet life until he got a phone call in 2017 that informed him that France wanted to give him the prestigious Legion d’Honneur. The Legion d’Honneur had been established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte. Since 2004 France had given the medal to American recipients including General Dwight D. Eisenhower and General Douglas MacArthur.

At a ceremony in Chicago, Sitrick accepted the Legion d’Honneur from the consul general of France.

Sometimes it could take decades to recognize heroes and in Sitrick’s case he was still living when the French decided to bestow upon him the great honor. Sadly, that it not the case for many forgotten heroes – many of them end up being truly forgotten.

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.

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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‫בס"ד‬

Camp Matov S u m m e r Y e sh iv a

is gearing up for summer ‘18…

…are you?

Reserve your spot before it ’s too late!

718-327-2567

126 34

JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Tech Talk

Take Control over Your Home with Disney Circle

By Adiel Lejbovitz

I

nternet filtering is a hyper-complex topic. Everyone’s tech and internet needs are unique and differ from home to home. Luckily, Disney has teamed with Circle to create a device that increases internet security and allows for monitoring a home network.

The Circle is a device that plugs into one’s home router in which all the settings are managed via an app (available on both Android and iOS devices) from your phone. This gives a parent (or both parents) the ability to control the internet access for all the tech on the network – each home according to their individual needs.

This device has been trending in our community since it functions as a “safety net” filter. If a device on the Wi-Fi does not have a filter, or even if it is filtered but somehow been circumvented, the Circle will still filter the device’s internet traffic.

SETUP Made with parents in mind, the setup is largely plug and play. One wire plugs into a power source and another wire plugs into the router (it can also be connected wirelessly).

Download the Circle: Smart Family Controls app from Google Play or the App store. When you run it, it will ask to link to your Wi-Fi and attempt to connect the Circle device

on the network. Once connections are established, you can create a free account to manage it and begin creating profiles and start filtering!

One drawback of the Circle is identifying the myriad of devices in a home. Many gadgets appear as “Android-device” or “iPad” without making it clear which device it may be.

FILTERING Circle allows the creation of “profiles” for each household member,

Controls offer the ability to limit websites based on their category content. Switches exist to disable the ability to connect to social media either via a website or app.

Circle is a partner with Common Sense Media (commonsensemedia. org) for guidance on movies, video games, and much more.

COST Price: $99, Amazon.com and no subscription is needed. Premium options exist for an additional $4.99/

It’s a way to establish boundaries and safety for everyone on your network.

and a wide range of options for what types of content they can access. If your child has 3 devices (a phone, PC, and gaming system), they can all be managed under that single profile with flat settings across.

Circle also offers settings to block ads, pause the internet (for an individual profile or for the whole house), forcing “safe searches” and even restricting YouTube.

month if you’d like to set bedtime hours, time limits, or a reward system for completing household (or homework) errands.

• Text alert when it’s unplugged • No need to replace existing equipment • Circle can control and monitor Alexa devices

CONS • Identifying devices can be a daunting task during setup • The commercially-made product doesn’t offer image blocking as some of the new frum filters include in their product.

• It doesn’t filter devices when they’re off the network. Some devices can be controlled even when they’re off the network via an app called Circle Go.

OVERALL The Circle is great for parents who are lazy over limiting screentime and want a set-and-forget filter for their home. It’s not 100% fail-safe, and not a substitute for talking to family about internet use, but it’s a way to establish boundaries and safety for everyone on your network.

PROS

For more information: meetcircle. com.

• Create individualized filter profiles for each household member • Pause internet • View general internet history for any device

Adiel Lejbovitz is a filter technician at Smart Connections and can be reached at adiel@smartconnectionsny.com or at 516-247-1907.

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Classifieds

classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com / text 443-929-4003 SERVICES

SERVICES

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

SHALOM HANDYMAN Plumbing, heating, boiler, installation, sewer, locks, dryer vent cleaning and more…

CALL 917-217-3676

Yoga & Licensed Massage Therapy Peaceful Presence Studio 436 Central Avenue, Cedarhurst Separate men/women Group/private sessions Gift Cards Available www. Peacefulpresence.com 516 -371 -3715

Small Ads at Work

Classifieds

HOUSES FOR SALE

GERBER MOVING FULL SERVICE MOVING Packing Moving Supplies Local Long Distance Licensed Insured 1000’S Of Happy Customers Call Shalom 347-276-7422 HAIR COURSE Learn how to wash & style hair & wigs Hair and wig cutting, wedding styling Private lessons or in a group Call Chaya 718-715-9009

HOUSE FOR SALE PROPERTY IN MINT CONDITION, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, Kosher eatin/kitchen, Dining room/living room, Closets, Patio, 2 Car garage, Driveway, Beautiful fenced backyard, Within the Eruv and Parks, Call or text for a private showing 516-206-2005 www.AllGoingRealty.Com GoingRealty@gmail.com EAST ROCKAWAY PRICE REDUCED Lovely 4BR, 2.5BA Colonial, Eik, Formal DR, Lg Master BR W/Lots Of Closets, 2 Car Garage W/Attic & Storage Rm Plus Large Shed, Close To Train & Schools… $499K Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com WOODSBURGH: NEW LISTING “One Of A Kind” Historic Stone Manor Home, 5 Bedrooms, Updated Eik & Full Summer Kitchen, Lush Property W/IG-Pool, Patio & Waterfall + Cabana…$P.O.R Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

HOME CLEANOUT, RUBBISH REMOVAL & SHAIMOS SERVING NY, NJ TRISTATE AREA & FL. CALL: 201-578-4153

Carol Braunstein Call or Text

(516) 592-2206

cbraunstein@pugatch.com

www.pugatch.com

HOUSES FOR SALE Can’t afford your property taxes?

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Call for FREE Consultation.

Call now 212-470-3856 Cash buyers available!

NORTH WOODMERE: NEW LISTING - Lovely, Spacious & Immaculate 4BR Splanch Located On Quiet Street In SD#14, Beautiful New Wood/Granite Eat-In-Kitchen W/SS Appliances, Formal DR W/Bay Windows, Great Yard, Finished Basement, Near All…$949K Call Carol Braunstein - (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com VALLEY STREAM: PRICE REDUCED 10 Room Property With A 4 Room Office Including A Reception Area, Waiting Rm, Doctors Office & 2 Examining Rooms, Attached Is A 3 Bedroom Apartment, Also Perfect If The Professional Office Is Converted To More Bedrooms, Many Possibilities…$529K Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

Susan Pugatch (516) 295-3000 spugatch@pugatch.com

WOODMERE

Totally Renovated Apartments

NO FEE & ONE MONTH FREE

1BR, Quartz Countertops, Stainless Steel Appliances, Hardwood Floors, Heat & Water Included, Near All,

From…$1,895/mo.

Lovely & Spacious 4BR Splanch In SD#14, Eik, Formal DR, Finished Basement, Near All..$949K

Legal 3 Family, 5BR, 5BR Historic Stone Manor Great Investment..$679K Home W/IG-Pool..$P.O.R

HEWLETT: 56 Raymond Pl (11:30-1)$699K LAWRENCE: 360 Central #312 (12-1:30)$429K

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

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Classifieds HOUSES FOR SALE

COMMERCIAL RE

Don’t Get Stuck With a Two Story House Ya Know, It’s One Story Before You Buy It But a Second Story After You Own It! Call Dov Herman For An Accurate Unbiased Home Inspection Infrared - Termite Inspection Full Report All Included NYC 718-INSPECT Long Island 516-INSPECT www.nyinspect.com

INWOOD OFFICE SPACE LOWEST PRICES IN TOWN! 500-7000 Square feet gorgeous office space with WATERVIEW in Inwood!

Lots of options. Tons of parking.

Will divide and customize space for your needs!

Call 516-567-0100

WOODSBURGH: BEST PRICE IN TOWN PRICE REDUCED: Sprawling 4BR, 4BA Exp-Ranch, Oversized Rooms, LR W/ Fplc, Formal Dining Rm, Large Den, Master Suite, Full Finished Basement, Storage Room & Office, Deck, Fabulous Property…$1.078M Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

INWOOD 10,000 sq ft brick building.

Offices and warehouse. High ceilings.

Asking $16/foot.

Owner: 516-206-1100 mark@mbequitygroup.com 5 TOWNS: LOOKING FOR: Orthotist, Podiatrist, Chiropractor, Physical Therapist, Dentist, or Obstetrician, Gynecologist. Professional Spaces Available in Hewlett, Lynbrook, Valley Stream area. For Lease... Call for More Details Broker (516) 792-6698

COMMERCIAL RE CEDARHURST 500-3,500 +/- SF Beautiful, newly renovated space for rent. Ideal for Retail or Executive offices. Prime location. Convenient Parking.

Sam @516-612-2433 or 718-747-8080

CEDARHURST

CEDARHURST

Mag new constr in heart of Cedarhurst! 4brms upstairs, full attic, Kosher gourmet EIK, 4.5baths, lg yd, ready late fall 2018. $1.29M

New constr on o/s lot. 6dbrms, 3fl bths 2nd flr, office, den, gourmet K-EIK, lg bsmnt, 9ft ceilings, much more. Bryna 516-322-4831 $1.395M

FAR ROCKAWAY

Updated legal 2 family in the heart of Far Rockaway.

Call Malka (516)967-1967 $649K

WOODMERE

LAWRENCE

Spacious C/H col w/ lrg LR, DR, den, EIK, 5 lg bdrms & 4 baths on 2nd floor, huge fin basement. $1.365M Call Bryna (516)322-4831

WOODMERE

New exclusive! Legal 2 family on large property! Great investment opportunity. Needs work. Call Tamar (917)902-0613 $699K

New Exclusive! Spacious side hall colonial. eik, den, 4 large bedrooms, big master suite. $729K Call Miri (646)515-8813

WOODMERE

WOODMERE

Open contemp col w/ lg spacious rms. Lots of windows. All systms, 4brms 1 lvl. Ea bdrm duplex w/ loft area. Chana 516-449-9692 $829K

Reno exp ranch in desirable Wdmre park on oversized property w/ 5 brms, 3 bth, den, CAC and more. Call Raizie (917)903-1778 $1.35M

Various Sized Suites W/On-Site Private Parking

www.pugatch.com

Call Ian Leigh For Details (516) 295-3000

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JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Classifieds

classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com text 443-929-4003

COMMERCIAL RE

COMMERCIAL RE

EAST ROCKAWAY: 1,500+/-SF Office Space in Professional Elevator Bldg W/Full Bsmt & Ample Parking, 3 Private Offices, Conference Rm, Bullpen & Reception Area, For Lease… Call for More Details Broker (516) 792-6698

HEWLETT: Various Sized Office Space In Beautiful Suites With Plenty Of On-Site Parking In The Rear Of Building. Available Immediately. Tenant Pays Own Utilities Directly. Can Be Combined For Up To A Total Of 6050SF, For Lease…

Call for More Details.

Broker (516) 792-6698

FRANKLIN SQUARE: 2,185+/-SF Medical Office Space in Professional Strip W/On-Site Parking in Great Location, For Lease…

Call Alan for More Details (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

ROCKVILLE CENTRE: 650+/-Sf Office Space In Historic Building, Steps From RVC LIRR, Municipal Parking, Great Location, Near All, For Lease …Call Ian for More Details - (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

FREEPORT: INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY!!!

12,000SF Multi Tenanted Professional Building with 21 Car On-Site Parking, Good Upside Potential, Lot Size 24,570SF, For Sale …

Call for More Details Broker (516) 792-6698

VALLEY STREAM: INVESTOR’S DELIGHT!!! 6,500+/-SF Two-Story Building W/18 Car On-Site Private Parking, Great Location, For Sale… Call for More Details Broker (516) 792-6698

EAST ROCKAWAY: Retail Stores on Busy Corner, 1000SF& Up Available, Great High Visibility Location, For Lease…

Call for More Details Broker (516) 792-6698

ROCKVILLE CENTRE 2300s/f -Light Warehousing/Office Large Windows / Loading Dock Ideal Location: Walk To LIRR - Bank - Shops - Daily Mincha 917-822-0499

$729,000 Featuring 2 large bedrooms on 1st floor HIRING AGENTS: Highest Commissions Paid.

Contact me for more info.

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018

COMMERCIAL RE ROCKVILLE CENTRE 5700 s/f -Warehouse/ Office Built to suite - Loading Dock Ideal Location: Walk To LIRR - Bank - Shops - Daily Mincha - 917-822-0499

CO-OP/CONDO SALE WOODMERE: BEST BUY Spacious 2BR Apartment, Washer/Dryer In Bldg, Elevator Bldg, Open Floor Plan, 1st Floor, Close To All...$199K Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com FAR ROCKAWAY: NEW LISTING Spacious & Updated 2BR, 2 Bathroom Apt on 1st Floor W/Terrace In Elevator Bldg, Parking, Doorman & Laundry Room On Premise...$350K Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com VALLEY STREAM: New Listing – All Redone Condo/ Townhouse, 3 Bedrooms, 1.5 Updated Baths, Fully Finished Basement, New Kitchen Appliances, Hardwood Floors, Close To All...$479K Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

APT FOR RENT FAR ROCK/INWOOD BOARDER HOME FOR RENT Newly built home in Inwood for rent beginning August 1st.

Frum neighbors, 1 block from LIRR (border of Far Rockaway IN Inwood), 5 bedrooms, 3 full baths, fully kosher kitchen (2 sinks, 2 dishwashers), living room, dining room, family room, nice backyard.

Asking $3500 monthly.

Call 917-975-1800 for more information FOR RENT BY OWNER. NO BROKERAGE INVOLVED. 3 BEDROOM APARTMENT IN FAR ROCKAWAY (Dinsmore Avenue near Nielsen), Two full bathrooms, Two balconies, In a 3 story 3 family house, Kosher kitchen with 2 sinks. Washer and dryer in basement. Available immediately, Asking 2050 per month, please call 516-225-4558 CEDARHURST: NEW LISTING, 2BR, 2BA In 2 Family House, Eik, LR, DR, Washer/Dryer, Very Close To All, Great Location...$2,500/mo Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

New! Exclusive W. Broadway Woodmere 4000sf office space for 2 year lease 3 full bathrooms 14+ parking spots Call Raizie 917 903 1778

Life CAPTURE

I M A G E S LTD PHOTOGRAPHY I VIDEO

GABRIEL SOLOMON

GABE@LIFECAPTUREIMAGES.COM 516.499.9620 WWW.LIFECAPTUREIMAGES.COM

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APT FOR RENT

HELP WANTED

WOODMERE: NO FEE & ONE MONTH FREE Brand New Renovated 1BR Apt, Quartz Countertops, SS Appliances, New Cabinetry, Double Sink, Dishwasher, HW Floors, New Windows, Marble & Stone Bathroom, W/D In Bldg, Close To Railroad, Heat & Water Included…

1 Or 2YR Lease…$1,895/mo Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

Real Estate Salesperson Wanted Must be super organized, aggressive, and 2 years of experience working in real estate industry.

This is a salaried paid position plus possible commissions. Located in the Far Rockaway/5 Towns area. Part-time/ Full-Time option.

Please send your resume to: HomeLandNYC@Gmail.com

HELP WANTED HEBREW ACADEMY OF LONG BEACH Woodmere, NY is seeking the following Middle School positions for 2018-2019: Limudei Kodesh Morah PT; STEM, Coding, Robotics Instructor.

Email resumes to Ulubetski@halb.org.

Small, growing special education school in Five Towns seeks F/T Program Director.

Psychologist/Social Work license a plus. Unique leadership opportunity in an established school.

Email resume to spedpositions@gmail.com NEEDED Part Time Graphic Lay Out For Book Call 516-810.5500

SEEKING FULL TIME PHYSICAL THERAPIST for Special Education school located in Brooklyn. Experienced preferred.

Competitive salary. Room for growth. resumes@yadyisroelschool.org SEEKING FULL TIME OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST for Special Education school located in Brooklyn. Experienced preferred.

Competitive salary. Room for growth. resumes@yadyisroelschool.org

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JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Classifieds

classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com text 443-929-4003

APT FOR RENT

HELP WANTED

SEEKING A CLASSROOM REBBI FOR A SPECIAL ED SCHOOL IN BROOKLYN. 8:45-3:45. Excellent pay. specialedjobs123@gmail.com

Office Manager (P/T) Forest Hills shul.

Duties include bookkeeping, monitoring building status: supervision of custodians, arranging for repairs. Excellent computer skills; familiarity with ShulCloud a plus.

24 hrs/wk.

Send resume to fhshuljobs@gmail.com

F/T LOW VOLTAGE TECHNICIAN Installation and troubleshooting of cabling in new construction projects or existing buildings; Cable Terminations – RJ45, Coax, 66 block and 110 JOB punch-down; Testing and troubleshooting of existing and new Data networks, CCTV, Analog and Voip phone and phone systems Must have a valid driver’s license and a clean driving record APPLICATION: Email resume and contact information to sales@ communicationsteam. net 718-451-8344 Pugatch Realty Corp., in Woodmere, is looking to hire and train a select group of motivated Realtors. If you are looking to build a career in real estate, or looking to take your existing career to the next level, there is no better place to start that the #1 Real Estate Brokerage in the Five Towns…Call Today (516) 295-3000 x 128.

All calls kept confidential.

F/T & P/T REGISTERED NURSE openings to work with adults who have developmental disabilities within residential settings in Brooklyn, Manhattan, or Long Island. Current NYS RN, min 2 years hospital experience. OHEL: 855-OHEL JOB, www.ohelfamily.org/careers BAIS YAAKOV ATERES MIRIAM IS SEEKING ASSISTANT TEACHERS interested in working in a growth oriented and warm atmosphere for the coming school year.

Please email resume to teachingpositions1@gmail.com The Shulamith School for Girls, Long Island, is seeking an Early Childhood assistant teacher. warm and organized.

Hebrew Language speaker preferred. excellent opportunity for individual working towards a degree in education.

Please email resume to earlychildhood@shulamith.org The Shulamith School for Girls, LI is seeking an innovated Pre -K Teacher.

Enthusiastic and warm with excellent subject knowledge and sound understanding in early childhood.

BA/ Masters Degree in Education. classroom experience preferred.

Please email resume to earlychildhood@shulamith.org

HAMASPIK IS SEEKING COMMUNITY HABILITATION STAFF to work day hours, evenings and weekends in the Five Towns, Queens, Far Rockaway & long Island, with high functioning developmentally disabled adults, children and teens.

Shabbos staff also needed for Cedarhurst, Far Rockaway & Lawrence.

Drivers’ license a plus.

Mileage will be reimbursed.

Please call Yehudis: 718-408-5417 for more details Lev Chana Early Childhood Center, Hewlett, NY is looking to hire ASSISTANT TEACHERS FOR THE 2018-2019 SCHOOL YEAR. Candidates should have experience working with young children and be pursuing a degree in education or a related field.

Resumes to rgreen@halb.org Teachers needed for the coming school year. Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam is seeking experienced, professional teachers interested in working in a growth oriented and warm atmosphere. Please email resume to teachingpositions1@gmail.com Seeking full time PHYSICAL THERAPIST for Special Education school located in Brooklyn. Experienced preferred.

Competitive salary. Room for growth. resumes@yadyisroelschool.org Seeking full time OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST for Special Education school located in Brooklyn. Experienced preferred.

Competitive salary. Room for growth. resumes@yadyisroelschool.org MATH & ELA TEACHER Seeking Math &/or ELA Junior High teacher for boys in Far Rockaway,NY. M-TH, PM. Warm, supportive environment.

Excellent salary.

Please send resume to rbzungar@siachyitzchok.org Due to continued growth, THE YESHIVA OF SOUTH SHORE IS SEEKING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS. Cert/Exp required.

Please forward resume to monika@yoss.org

HELP WANTED LOOKING TO HIRE DELIVERY DRIVER FOR 5 TOWNS DRY CLEANING ROUTE. PU on Tuesday AM in Far Rockaway and 5 Towns and Delivery Thurs Aft/Eve back to 5 towns.

Must have own car/SUV/Minivan.

Will use company van for deliveries. Must have clean driving license. Great opportunity for retired/semi retired person.

If Interested please contact Marc at 917-612-2300

CATAPULT LEARNING Teachers, Title I Boro Park, Williamsburg and Flatbush Schools *College/Yeshiva Degree *Teaching experience required *Strong desire to help children learn *Small group instruction *Excellent organization skills Competitive salary Send resume to: Fax: (212) 480-3691 ~ Email: nyteachers@catapultlearning.com SHULAMITH EARLY CHILDHOOD is looking to hire a full time teacher assistant for the current school year.

Please email resume to earlychildhood@shulamith.org Seeking a dynamic SPEECH THERAPIST for special education school in Brooklyn. Collaborative environment and room for growth. resumes@yadyisroelschool.org SECRETARY 5 Towns Boys Yeshiva seeking Elem Gen Ed Teachers. Excellent working environment and pay. Only lic/ exp need apply. Email resume to yeshivalooking@gmail.com

HELP WANTED 5 TOWNS BOYS YESHIVA SEEKING Elem Gen Ed Teachers.

Excellent working environment and pay. Only lic/exp need apply.

Email resume to yeshivalooking@gmail.com

MISC CAMP SAFETY INFOLINE FOR ABUSE FREE CAMPING SENIOR RABBANIM AND PROFESSIONALS 641 715 3800 CODE 424536# DISCOUNTED SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE TIX AND SAFARI for sale valid any operating day. 42 Parking passes 20 Hershey Park Tix 44 Call or Text Yehoshua Singer 917-923-0011 Tours to Kivrei Tzaddikim, Queens, Bkln, LI. Rav Pam, Rav Yaakov Joseph, many more. Learn about rabbanim who built Yiddishkeit in America. Fascinating workshops also available on Gedolim in America. Ideal for schools, shuls, organizations. Led by Rabbi Yosef Gesser, author of “Monuments to Nobility” in Hamodia. Call 718-6901534 or email ygesser@gmail.com.

GIFT IT FORWARD is located at 527 Central Ave, inside Prestigio Wigs.

We are a non profit gift shop whose proceeds are used to help others in need through donations to local charities. Every purchase benefits the community.

Donations of new gift items appreciated. fb/insta/whatsapp @giftitforwardcedarhurst info.giftitforward@yahoo.com

TJH Classifieds

Post your Real Estate, Help Wanted, Services, Miscellaneous Ads here.

Weekly Classifed Ads Up to 5 lines and/or 25 words 1 week ................ $20 2 weeks .............. $35 4 weeks .............. $60 Email ads to: classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com Include valid credit card info

Deadline Monday 5:00pm

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Your

133 15

Money

IRS Scuttles Tax Breaks for Pirate Victims

By Allan Rolnick, CPA

I

t’s 1715 in the Caribbean and the Golden Age of Piracy is at its peak. The War of Spanish Succession is over, and thousands of privateers are left without gainful employment. From bases hidden away in the Bahamas, buccaneers like “Calico” Jack Rackham, “Black Sam” Bellamy, and “Black Bart” Roberts gather those sailors under new commands to terrorize the seas. (Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, ties burning fuses into his hair to look more fearsome.) While there are never more than a few thousand pirates active at any given time, their legend will live on for centuries.

What do you call a pirate with two arms, two legs, and two eyes?

Rookie!

Historians generally agree that the Golden Age of piracy “walked the plank” by 1730. At that point, European nations could deploy their navies to protect merchants, rather than fight each other. But pirates never fully disappeared. And our federal tax code — which some foes attack as its own form of piracy — may be making recovery even harder for the

victims. (We all know auditors wear suits and skirts to the office. But don’t you think at least a few of them would rather raise revenue by donning a pirate sash, grabbing a cutlass, and

involved robberies on yachts, while the rest involved commercial vessels.

There were 40 robberies, 17 failed attacks, 13 armed robberies, and 1 hijacking attempt. The pirates made off

Don’t you think at least a few of them would rather raise revenue by donning a pirate sash, grabbing a cutlass, and swinging from the nearest yardarm?

swinging from the nearest yardarm?)

Does it strike you as odd that the “Pirates of the Caribbean” DVD comes with anti-piracy warnings?

Last month, the nonprofit group Oceans Beyond Piracy released their 2017 State of Maritime Piracy report.

They found 71 pirate attacks in the Caribbean — a staggering %163 increase over 2016. Fifty-nine percent

with $692,000 worth of ship stores and equipment and $257,000 worth of personal effects. Sadly, the report doesn’t tell us how much of that loot wound up buried in wooden chests or identified on maps with “X” marking the spot.

The tax code has always allowed itemized deductions for personal casualty losses, including shipwrecks.

However, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 limits those losses to casualties resulting from federally-declared disasters. The new law doesn’t change the theft-loss rules. But it essentially doubled the standard deductions, which should cut the percentage of taxpayers who itemize from about a third to about a tenth. (Of course, taxpayers who can afford a yacht large enough to attract a pirate’s attention probably aren’t suffering from a shortage of tax breaks!)

How do pirates talk to each other?

With an Aye Phone!

Here’s the good news, matey. You don’t have to settle for letting the scallywags at the IRS take more of your doubloons than the law allows.

And you don’t need a man-of-war to stop them. You just need a plan! Make sure you have one when you’re ready to pay less, and watch your treasure grow!

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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JUNE 14, 2018 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Life C ach

Who is Messing with the Roads?

By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., MFT, CLC

I

am convinced someone moved New Jersey and the five boroughs farther apart. Does this resonate with you? Is it taking you longer to get everywhere, even with the super duper, extra brilliant, highly informed navigating systems?

For instance, you set out from Manhattan to the Five Towns and you might as well have taken a flight to Boston – and back again! A good deal of the time a 45-minute drive is over a 2-hour journey, at best!

Some people want to claim it’s all that traffic these days. But come on, it’s every time! Isn’t there ever a time of the day that cars are actually parked and remaining stationary somewhere?

Alternatively, people say there are just so many more cars on the road. What did they do? Give birth?

No, I’m convinced that some bored group of people went out in the middle of the night and started stretching bridges and roads and making the distances greater. It is the only plausible theory.

Now, before you start thinking that this is a completely ridiculously thought, stop and think. When was the last time anyone went out with a tape measure and verified that the distances are the same as they used to be?

We know computers and technolo-

gy can make errors. We cannot depend on our speedometers or odometers, cellphones or laptops. These are all being controlled from some remote location. What do they know of the real here and now? They are often stuck in some virtual processing space or binary calculating system.

I’m just saying, you can’t be positive things haven’t been changed, just

working for you? Sometimes making all those twists and turns is more anxiety-provoking than just sitting in traffic.

And sometimes the guiding voice goes into a delay mode and you find yourself flipping out, as the road ahead shows that you are approaching an exit. And you’re wondering if the one you just passed was yours.

When was the last time anyone went around with a tape measure and verified that the distances are the same as they used to be?

when we least expected it.

Does it sound like all the extra time on the road is getting to me? Well, I think it’s kind of getting to everyone!

And what is there to do about it?

Sure, we plug in our Waze or Google Maps and hope that traveling over some random hills and dales, or through some funky neighborhoods, will get us to our destination a lot quicker. But honestly, is that always

Other times, that voice hunkers down and repeats an instruction so incessantly that you feel like throwing her right out of the car window. And then there’s the most dreaded experience.

That voice that suddenly decides to turn off completely, just when you were totally depending on it. And you think, for this kind of silent treatment I might as well have had my sullen teenager sitting right here next to me

as my navigator.

Sure, I know there is that little gadget that can hold your cellphone up and display the directions so you are less dependent on the voice. But, who actually has one of those? Especially one that doesn’t do a constant nose dive off the front window. Anyway, even when you do have the gadget attached, who can understand those contorted fine lines that are directing you? After all, there you are driving on a giant five lane highway, not the tiny little snake path displayed on the screen.

So, all I’m asking is that whoever decided to stretch the road out please go out there and roll it up a bit, especially now that the summer is here.

I’d much rather spend more time stretched out in the sunshine than sitting in the squishy little seat behind the sun visor!

There’s, of course, always accepting the trusty alternative and we tell this to our kids all the time: you get what you get and you don’t get upset.

Doesn’t sound too much fun, though.

Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and career and life coach. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com.

The Jewish Home | JUNE 14, 2018 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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