August 13, 2020
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LESSONS IN EMUNAH AND ACHRAYUS
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Around the
Community
38 Mayor Edelman Welcomes New NCPD Program
Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky on Schools Reopening
48 TJ Sp e ak H sw C a m p ith Funsh in e
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RABBI PESACH LERNER ON GUSH KATIF – BEFORE AND AFTER THE DISENGAGEMENT
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The People of Israel Before the Land of Israel
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Eli Levin’s Soulful Songs
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AUGUST 13, 2020 | The Jewish Home
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
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The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
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AUGUST 13, 2020 | The Jewish Home
Dear Readers,
T
fierce leader. He was a warrior and was one of the biggest champions of the settlements. He helped to build a wall around the West Bank and worked to ensure Israel’s security. And then, he turned on them and issued a slap in the face to those who thought that he was there for the Jews who had helped settle Israel’s lands. Through him, almost 10,000 people lost their homes, and Gaza eventually fell into Hamas’s hands. Rabbi Lerner in his interview with TJH this week spoke about a few lessons that have been learned from the expulsions. But I’ve learned another lesson from this experience as well. Sometimes, we view leaders in Israel or in the U.S. or anywhere in the world as our “saviors.” We see them as people who were put into positions in order to effect change and protect us. And perhaps they were. But in our jubilation in having powerful people on “our side,” we sometimes forget Who put them into office and Who really is pulling the strings. And there is no one we can rely on aside from Him. If we can keep that in mind, always, we’ll have learned our lesson.
his week, as I read the interview with Rabbi Pesach Lerner about the Gush Katif expulsion, my heart went out to the families and individuals who had to endure their own personal galus 15 years ago. I remember the solidarity of Jews around the world when we heard of the planned socalled Disengagement. The feelings of outrage and disbelief were widespread. Even when we weren’t raising our voices, we defiantly wore bright orange as banners of shared pain with our brothers and sisters. But when the day came in August of that year, we couldn’t believe that it was really happening. We watched with horror as Jews ripped their brethren from their homes; we were shocked when we saw families forced to evacuate the houses that they had built from scratch a mere few years before. Rabbi Lerner recalled the challenges and struggles the families had to endure. And still, he says, these families have not recovered from the hardships they suffered. Still, many of them aren’t living in real homes. Still, many of them never were able to find stable employment. Still, many of the families are no longer intact, shattered by the stresses brought on by the expulsion. Speaking about the events with someone recently, he spoke of the irony – of how the expulsion came about through Ariel Sharon’s hands. Sharon, at one time, was a
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AUGUST 13, 2020 | The Jewish Home
Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll
8
Community Happenings
36
TJH Speaks with…Camp Funshine
50
NEWS
88
Global
12
National
24
Odd-but-True Stories
33
ISRAEL
Israel News
18
World Builders
64
Lessons in Emunah and Achrayus
66
The People of Israel Before the Land of Israel
70
JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Wein on the Parsha
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Search Required by Rav Moshe Weinberger
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PEOPLE The Wandering Jew
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Learning from Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
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Eli Levin: Musical Prayers from the Heart
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Lt. Col. Emmanuel Moreno by Avi Heiligman
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HEALTH & FITNESS Making the Uncertain, Certain by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn 84 Watermelon Day by Cindy Weinberger MS, RD 86
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Corona Positive Until Proven Otherwise by Dr. Hylton I. Lightman 88 FOOD & LEISURE
The Aussie Gourmet: Watermelon Gazpacho
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Dear Editor, This letter is for Nate Davis: I’m glad to find a likeminded political analyst. I have always thought that the Obamas want to follow the Clintons into the ranks of the uberrich. When they bought a pricey D.C. mansion and people expected weekly opinions from 44, I always thought it wouldn’t happen. I disagree that the Pistons had to foul Jordan to beat them. They were superior in 90, Detroit had the best 2nd unit game. One amazing fact ignored by almost everyone: nobody on the Dem side pays attention to winning the Green Party vote, a fatal Hillary error. Another inconvenient fact is that Gore’s choice of Lieberman cost him Arkansas, Tennessee, and West Virginia. We in America no longer ask the difficult questions fearing the answers. Jay Taikeff Brooklyn, NY Dear Editor, I would like to take this opportunity to respond to Charna who wrote to Dear Navidaters. Firstly, even I have to admit that one can’t judge why what one might think is a “little thing” when to another single it’s a huge big deal, so we do have to be careful how we look at singles and do our best not to judge them. It might be something that they have been hurt about before or might be something internally personal having to do with a family member.
Unless you know a particular single very well and you are helping them personally, then please be careful with advice and/or judgment. I agree that one should always look at the bigger picture in the general sense, and as a shadchan and a dating coach I often tell people to go take a walk on the avenue and see who Hashem has put together – you would never ever have thought of making those matches, but Hashem is the ultimate Shadchan and He did. Many times, we are caught up with a foolish list someone advised that we prepare and in most cases no one gets even half the things or most of the things on that list. If you don’t believe me, ask your married friends and relatives. These are the most essential things that I promote: • Knowing who you are • Understanding your needs • How you need to be respected • What your values are • What your goals are • How you want to raise your future children It is about where you hope to be in a year, in 3 years, in 5 years. The most important thing is that you and the person you marry are on the same page where these things are concerned, that you share the same values, and that you can each respect the other and support each other’s hopes, dreams and goals. Understand that you can’t control anyone but yourself nor can you change anyone but yourself so what Continued on page 10
LIFESTYLES Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW
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Your Money
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Hang in There by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS
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HUMOR Centerfold 54 POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes
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Mail-in Voting by Marc A. Thiessen
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Obstinate Democrats Handed Trump a Big Political Win by Marc A. Thiessen 95 CLASSIFIEDS
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Continued from page 8
you see is what you get. However, if, for instance, the young man does not open the door for you, that is an easy conversation to have. “My father always opens the door for my mother; I was wondering if there was a reason you didn’t open the car door for me.” You would be surprised how many young men were told by their roshei yeshiva not to, because Bais Yaakov girls say it’s not tzinius because you might see their skirt go up entering the car, or you shouldn’t walk behind them opening a door to the restaurant. So these can be simple and basic miscommunications. You can easily find out if there is more to it than that. We all judge way too quickly without first asking an innocent question that could lead to more conversation and clear up what might lead to anger. You can definitely make a joke of someone coming late and say, “Is it your normal personality to come late? Would I always have to give you a 15-minute advance warning?” If you find a way to say it lightly and let him explain himself, you can easily work it out without getting angry or getting the shadchanim involved. It could
have been as honest as “when I got two blocks away from home, I realized that my tie had a stain on it and went back to change.” Would you fault him then or would you continue and say he should have double checked his tie twice before he got dressed? Really, like you never notice a hole in your stockings after you put it on, or a small stain on the side of a skirt after you left the house? These things do happen and they are molehills that shouldn’t be made into mountains. If his response, however, is unacceptable then your shadchan will not argue with you. I wish every single much hatzlacha in finding their bashert and encourage all to visit Partnersinshidduchim. com, a non-profit, no-fee database for frum singles, their friends and advocates to submit a profile and then have the ability and resources to search through hundreds of other profiles to be your own shadchan or have your advocates be that for you. Please check us out and see all the amazing rabbanim and speakers who support this concept. Mrs. Sherree Belsky Shadchan Partners In Shidduchim
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The Week In News
Lebanese Riots
Tens of thousands of furious Lebanese citizens hung an effigy of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during an anti-government protest on Saturday. The protesters had taken to the streets to call on the government to step down following a massive explosion last week in Beirut that decimated its port and killed 200 people, while wounding over 3,000 others.
During the demonstration, Beirut residents brandished effigies of Nasrallah and blamed Hezbollah for being behind the blast. Thousands chanted, “Hezbollah is a terror group” while a massive banner showed Nasrallah and President Michel Aoun with nooses around their necks. “Resign or hang,” read the poster. The rallies later deteriorated into violence, with widespread clashes between demonstrators and police throughout Beirut. A group of Lebanese Army veterans stormed the Foreign Ministry and took it over, calling it the “headquarters of the revolution.” They later faced off with heavily armed riot police, who dispersed them with tear gas and other riot control means. One Lebanese soldier was killed and another 120 people were injured, with demonstrators warning that the violence was only the beginning. “There is hatred and there is blood between us and our authorities,” said 35-year-old Najib Farah. “The people want revenge.” Millions of Lebanese are said to be furious at the Lebanese government for its corruption and dysfunction after a mysterious blast rocked
Beirut last Tuesday. While the cause of the blast is unclear, many have accused the Hezbollah militia of stockpiling highly explosive ammonium nitrate in Beirut’s port. According to a report by Israel’s Channel 13, Hezbollah had stored the ammonium nitrate as part of a project to produce explosives destined to be used against Israel in the next round of hostilities. The report detailed Hezbollah’s record of using the chemical in its bomb-making activities, including a weapons lab seized by Cyprus police in 2015 and a similar Hezbollah lab London police uncovered a year earlier. Amid the mounting criticism, Nasrallah denied that Hezbollah was involved in any way with the blast. “I would like to absolutely, categorically rule out anything belonging to us at the port. No weapons, no missiles, or bombs or rifles or even a bullet or ammonium nitrate,” Nasrallah asserted. “No cache, no nothing. Not now, not ever.” The terror leader also pushed back against reports that Hezbollah controlled the part of the port that had contained the ammonium nitrate. “We don’t rule the port, or ad-
ministrate it, nor do we interfere in it, nor do we know what’s going on there…our responsibility is resistance [against Israel],” Nasrallah said. “We know more about Haifa port than about Beirut port.”
Lebanon’s Gov’t Resigns
Lebanon’s descent into chaos accelerated after its entire government resigned on Monday over its handling of last week’s blast that devastated Beirut. Following days of public outrage and massive demonstrations, Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced that all of the ministers would step down. In a televised speech, Diab
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
said that he would take “a step back” to help the people “and fight the battle for change alongside them.” “I declare today the resignation of this government. May G-d protect Lebanon,” Diab continued. Almost half of the government ministers had already tendered their resignation in the preceding hours by the time Diab addressed the nation. Justice Minister Marie Claude Najem tendered her resignation on Monday, along with Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni. “Resignation is a responsibility,” said Health Minister Hamad Hassan. “We resigned as a responsibility and not an escape from it.” On Sunday, Information Minster Manal Abdel Samad and Environment and Administrative Development Minister Damianos Kattar also stepped down, citing the government’s ineptitude and corruption. Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti had already resigned the day before the blast. The explosion, which killed over 200 people and wounded thousands, has resulted in massive public anger against the government, which is blamed for being ineffective and out of touch. On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese took to the streets to demand that the government step down.
Putin: We Have a Vaccine
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared his country to be the first in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine. Still, scientists worldwide and the World Health Organization are skeptical and say that it still needs a rigorous safety review. Putin declared that the vaccine was safe and that one of his own daughters had been inoculated, though clinical trials were not yet complete and final stage testing in-
volving more than 2,000 people was to start only on Wednesday. Putin has pushed hard for Russia to be the first to announce a vaccine. Officials dubbed it “Sputnik V” after the Soviet-era satellite that was the first launched into space. “This morning, for the first time in the world, a vaccine against the new coronavirus was registered” with Russia’s health regulator, Putin told a televised video conference call with government ministers. “I know that it is quite effective, that it gives sustainable immunity,” he said, adding that one of his two daughters had received the vaccine developed by the Gamaleya research institute in coordination with the Russian defense ministry. “In this sense she took part in the experiment,” Putin said, adding that she had a slight temperature after a second injection and “that’s all.” The WHO last week urged Russia to follow established guidelines and go “through all the stages” necessary to develop a safe vaccine. Sputnik V is a so-called viral vector vaccine, meaning it employs another virus to carry the DNA encoding of the needed immune response into cells. Gamaleya’s vaccine is based on the adenovirus, a similar technology to the coronavirus vaccine prototype developed by China’s CanSino. The state-run institute came under fire after researchers and its director injected themselves with the prototype several months ago, with specialists criticizing the move as an unorthodox and rushed way of starting human trials. With more than 897,000 confirmed infections, Russia’s coronavirus caseload is currently fourth in the world after the United States, Brazil, and India.
MBS Targets Saudi Official
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, or MBS, is accused of
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sending trained killers to assassinate the kingdom’s former intelligence chief in Canada. A lawsuit was filed by Saad AlJabri, a senior Saudi official who has resided in Canada ever since having a falling out with MBS three years ago. Al-Jabri had overseen ties between Saudi intelligence and the CIA and MI6 but fled the country after backing MBS’s chief rival for the crown. In the filings, Al-Jabri accuses Bin Salman of dispatching a hit squad to assassinate him in his Toronto home. The crown prince, who is Saudi Arabia’s de-facto ruler, is said to have ordered the operation after earlier attempts to lure Al-Jabri out of Canada failed. The assassins were reportedly sent only two weeks after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul. According to court documents, MBS sent Al-Jabri a steady stream of WhatsApp messages imploring him to return to his native Saudi Arabia. After he answered in the negative, the crown prince threatened to “use all possible means” and said that he would not hesitate “to take measures that would be harmful to you.” The murder plot failed when the assassins aroused the suspicions of Canadian border police while attempting to enter the country at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. The lawsuit names several members of the alleged hit squad, which Al-Jabri claimed to be part of the prince’s private mercenary force named the “Tiger Squad.” The Canadian government has refused to comment on the lawsuit but does not deny the claims. “We are aware of incidents in which foreign actors have attempted to monitor, intimidate, or threaten Canadians and those living in Canada,” said the government. “It is completely unacceptable and we will never tolerate foreign actors threatening Canada’s national security or the safety of our citizens and residents,” it added. “Canadians can be confident that our security agencies have the skills and resources necessary to detect, investigate, and respond to such threats. We will always take the necessary action to keep Canadians and those on Canadian soil safe, and we invite people to report any such threats to law enforcement authorities.” The lawsuit is just the latest allegation of problematic behaviors
by Mohammed Bin Salman. Since being named successor to the crown in 2015, MBS is said to be behind the assassination of Khashoggi in Istanbul and to have hacked the personal cellphone of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos after the two had a falling-out.
Fatal Jet Crash in India
Eighteen people were killed, including the pilot and co-pilot, after an Air India jet crashed in the city of Kerala last Friday. The jet skidded off the runway and then broke into two while attempting to land at Kozhikode Calicut International Airport. Pictures from the crash site showed a shattered fuselage with pieces of the jet scattered across a field. The flight had taken off from Dubai and had 190 people on board, including the crew. It had been part of a series of flights the Indian government operated in order to repatriate its citizens stranded overseas due to the coronavirus. “There are 174 passengers, 10 infants, 2 pilots, 4 cabin crew on board the aircraft,” confirmed the airline. “Around 100 ambulance services were deployed to take the injured passengers to hospitals. The injured have been admitted to hospitals in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts.” The flight “overshot the runway in rainy conditions and went down” the slope, said India’s Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep S. Puri in a statement. The runway is on a hilltop with deep gorges on either side, making it difficult to land, noted Amitabh Kant, who heads the government’s planning commission. “The incident happened because of heavy rains and poor visibility. This is truly devastating,” he said. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar both expressed their condolences. “Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest,” Modi tweeted.
China Critic Arrested
The paper has recently emerged as one of the fiercest critics of the local government and Beijing. It has openly supported the pro-democracy movement and anti-government protests, printing flyers and posters in its pages that people can cut out and take to marches.
Contested Vote in Belarus
Jimmy Lai, a media tycoon living in Hong Kong who had been vocal in his support of the city’s pro-democracy movement and in his criticism of China, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of “colluding” with foreign forces, according to local police. The offense was created by a new national security law imposed on the city by Beijing last month. On Monday, Hong Kong police arrested at least 10 people for colluding with foreign forces and conspiracy to defraud, among other offences. Under the new security law, which was imposed on the city by Beijing last month, the offense of colluding with foreign powers carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Lai has strong ties to Washington and has lobbied for the United States to take a harder line on China. The Hong Kong government has said that the national security law is necessary to protect national security. It has been denounced by human rights groups, the European Union, and the United States as overly broad and restrictive of the city’s civil liberties. This isn’t Lai’s first clash with Hong Kong authorities. He was arrested and faced charges earlier this year in connection with a protest march in August 2019. In June, Lai was charged with inciting people to take part in an unauthorized assembly over an annual candlelight vigil in remembrance of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. The vigil was banned by police this year. Lai founded Hong Kong’s Apple Daily newspaper in 1995 – two years before Hong Kong was handed over from British to Chinese control.
Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya fled to Lithuania after losing a disputed election to President Alexander Lukashenko this week in Belarus. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said in a statement that Tikhanovskaya is “safe.” He did not mention her location. Tikhanovskaya, a former teacher and homemaker, was beaten by long-serving President Lukashenko in a hotly disputed election on Sunday evening. After Lukashenko declared victory with 80% of the vote, Tikhanovskaya alleged that the results “did not correspond to reality” and vowed to challenge “numerous falsifications.” “I consider myself the winner of this election,” Tikhanovskaya proclaimed. Large protests broke out on Monday, with supporters of Tikhanovskaya battling police officers in the capital of Minsk. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, while one protester was killed when a bomb he hurled at officers exploded prematurely. Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 but faced his strongest challenge to date ahead of the election earlier this week. Tens of thousands of citizens packed Tikhanovskaya campaign rallies and called on the incumbent to resign amid a worsening economy and an ineffective response to the coronavirus.
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Macron: Don’t Sanction Hezbollah
money does not go to Hezbollah. “Assistance should be timely, sufficient and consistent with the needs of the Lebanese people,” the countries recommended in a joint statement, “directly delivered to the Lebanese population, with utmost efficiency and transparency.”
Egypt on the Offense France’s President Emmanuel Macron is pressuring U.S. President Donald Trump not to slap sanctions on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. Based in Lebanon, Hezbollah is one of the world’s most powerful terror groups and is commonly presumed to be the country’s de-facto ruler. Trump has frequently targeted the group’s leader with sanctions and international arrest warrants, including blacklisting a major Lebanon bank last year for its ties to Hezbollah. But with Lebanon on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe following the explosion of the Beirut port, Macron told Trump ahead of a donor conference in Paris that sanctioning Hezbollah would be “playing into the hands of those they are supposed to weaken, including Iran.” “He told him that, in the case of Lebanon, the fact is that the policy of pressure or abstention from the United States and some Gulf countries could actually play into the hands of those they are targeting – Iran and Hezbollah,” a senior French official told Reuters. He added, “We should not abandon Lebanon to those the United States are meant to target through their sanction policy,” he added. Macron has taken the lead in the international effort to rehabilitate Lebanon following the explosion in Beirut last week that killed almost 200 people and left 300,000 homeless. Less than 24 hours after the incident on August 4, Macron visited Beirut and promised, “Never to forget the Lebanese people.” In a donor conference in Paris on Sunday, 15 countries pledged more than a quarter of a million dollars for Lebanon but conditioned the funds on major reforms, including fighting corruption and ensuring that the
Egypt recently deployed Russian air defense systems in Libya for the first time, the latest in a rapidly escalating conflict with Turkey. Pictures obtained by Radio France Internationale (RFI) showed parts of the Russian-made S-300 anti-aircraft system in the Libyan city of Ras Lanuf. The components included radars, missiles, and command and control centers. The S-300 is considered one of the world’s most advanced air defense systems and was likely deployed by Egypt to defend against Turkish warplanes in the area. Cairo and Ankara are at loggerheads regarding the civil war in Libya, with Turkey supporting the Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) and Egypt aligned with rival forces allied with General Halil Haftar. Egypt fears an influx of Islamist proxy groups on its 1,200-kilometer long western border with Libya and has warned Turkey that it would intervene militarily should its proxy forces move eastward of the Libya city of Sirte. On July 20, Egypt’s parliament authorized the government to deploy military forces in Libya “to defend Egyptian national security ... against criminal armed militias and foreign terrorist elements.” The authorization came only a few days after the parliament loyal to General Khalifa Haftar formally requested “Egyptian armed forces to intervene to protect the national security of Libya and Egypt if they see an imminent danger to both our countries.” In late July, unidentified warplanes attacked the Al-Watiya airbase in western Libya, only a few
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Teachers
days after Turkey began deploying MIM-23 Hawk air defense missiles there. The air assault was carried out by French-made Rafale jets, suggesting that it was carried out by Egypt as it is the only country in the region that possesses such planes.
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Rabbi Adin Even Yisrael Steinsaltz, world-famous Talmudist, religious leader, and writer, passed away on Friday at the age of 83. Steinsaltz had been battling a slew of different ailments ever since suffering a stroke in 2016. He was buried shortly before Shabbat on Har Hazeisim in Jerusalem. Born in 1937 to a secular communist family in Jerusalem, Rabbi Steinsaltz became frum while in high school. Later, he went on to become a noted educator and social critic, authoring more than 60 books on an assortment of different topics. Rabbi Steinsaltz is famous for becoming Israel’s youngest-ever principal at the age of 24 and later founded the Religious Zionist Makor Hayim high school along with the first yeshiva in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. However, his lifetime work was indisputably the 41-volume translation of the Talmud into modern Hebrew, a project that he dedicated four decades to before completing it in 2010. The feat made him a household name in yeshivot across the world and led Time magazine to crown him “a once in a lifetime scholar.” Rabbi Steinsaltz later said that he began the effort to translate the Jewish text from its original Aramaic into easy-to-read Hebrew in order to make it more accessible to the Jewish people. He had received
immense opposition from the charedi world for bucking tradition, with Rav Shach, zt”l, banning his work completely. However, his translation was endorsed by other leading scholars of the day, including Reb Moshe Feinstein, Hacham Ovadiah Yosef, and the Grand Rebbe of Gur. Despite the pushback, Rabbi Steinsaltz maintained that budding Torah scholars wasted years attempting to simply read the Talmud instead of understanding what it said. “My translation not only doesn’t reduce the Gemara, but rather in a certain sense it allows for greater in-depth [study] and advancement,” Rabbi Steinsaltz told the Israeli Yediot Aharonot daily in 2010. “In the end, my explanations primarily try to resolve the technical problems: the language difficulties, the associative problems, the problems that stem from the fact that the Talmud is not an organized text with a gradual build-up… Unfortunately, many times the traditional [method of] study dedicates so much time to overcoming the technical problems that, in practice, there is not much time left for in-depth and innovative [study].” Rabbi Steinsaltz was awarded the Israel Prize, Israel’s highest civilian honor, in 2012 for his efforts, along with the President’s Medal the same year and was designated a “Yakir Yerushalayim” in 2017.
Infamous Terrorist Nabbed
The Shin Bet internal security agency announced this week that it had arrested the terrorist responsible for killing Major Eliraz Peretz a decade ago on the Gaza border. The Shin Bet had arrested Abdullah Daghmah, 38, in July after he tried to enter Israel at the Erez Crossing in order to donate bone marrow to his brother. During the interrogation, he revealed that he was the ringleader of the attack that killed
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
Peretz and his radioman, St.-Sgt. Ilan Sviatkovsky, in 2010. Besides taking part in the shooting itself, Daghmah recruited the other two members of the cell on behalf of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. “In addition to his involvement in this attack, the investigation found that Abdullah [Daghmah] also served in a command position in the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades organization, was involved in terrorist activities against IDF soldiers, and served as an operative of the organization until his arrest,” the Shin Bet said. Daghmah was indicted on Sunday on two counts of first degree murder along with charges of operating a terror group and being a member of an illegal organization. During his interrogation, he was kept under house arrest and was allowed to donate marrow to his brother who was hospitalized in Tel Aviv. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended the agency for tracking down the person responsible for the infamous attack. “All those who seek to harm us should know that even as the years pass, the State of Israel will not let up until we settle the score with terrorists,” the prime minister said. Peretz and Sviatkovsky served in the Golani Brigade and were dispatched to the Gaza border fence on March 26, 2010 after spotters witnessed a terror cell planting explosives on a road used by IDF vehicles. Upon their arrival, the two were hit by a fusillade of enemy fire and were killed instantly after a bullet hit a grenade in Peretz’s vest. Peretz was the second member of his family to be killed in combat; his brother, Uriel, fell during a firefight in Lebanon in 1998. Eliraz had begged his mother to sign a waiver permitting him to serve in combat after the IDF barred him from serving in a frontline unit due to Uriel’s death. Peretz’s mother, Miriam, later wrote a bestselling book in which she described how she coped with losing her two oldest sons in battle. She won the Israel Prize, the country’s highest honor, in 2018 and is a popular public speaker. “The Shin Bet will continue to work tirelessly to maintain the security of Israeli citizens against terror and to bring to justice those involved in terrorist activities, even many years after the attack,” the Shin Bet announced.
Charedim to Leave if New Elections
Senior officials in the charedi Shas and UTJ parties informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week that they would end their longstanding alliance with him should he decide on new elections. Shas and UTJ have been part of virtually every Netanyahu government since he was first elected in 1996 to Israel’s top job. Other than 18 months lasting from 2013 to 2014, the two parties have been Netanyahu’s strongest allies and are a bedrock of the governing coalition that has made him Israel’s longest serving premier. All this may be a thing of the past, though, should Netanyahu continue his quest to dissolve the national unity government in favor of new elections. In a series of briefings to a number of media outlets, the parties said that they were not prepared to drag the country into another divisive round of elections amid the coronavirus outbreak and a devastating economic crisis. “The option of finally breaking apart the right-wing bloc is closer than ever,” a senior UTJ official told the Walla news site. “It will leave Likud and Netanyahu alone on the path to elections. “Netanyahu will understand that he’s going for such a move without our support,” he continued. “We won’t back up this step, taken without justification.” Later on Sunday, another charedi lawmaker made similar remarks to Arutz Sheva. “We went to the mat for him again and again and again, over three election campaigns. Whenever he needed us, we were there. More signatures, more bloc discussions, more pointless meetings – everything to ensure he won,” he said. “Now he’s repaying us poorly for our favors by seeking to break everything up due to political considerations.” Only two months since Israel’s first government in a year and a half
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was sworn in, Netanyahu is publicly toying with the idea of sending the country to its fourth election since 2018. According to Israeli law, the Knesset would automatically dissolve itself if the coalition doesn’t pass a budget by August 25, only two weeks away. When hammering out the coalition agreement in April, Netanyahu and Kahol Lavan head Benny Gantz agreed to pass a two-year budget. Netanyahu has since gone back on the promise, contending that it would be irresponsible to pass such a funding bill for such an extensive period of time during a time of economic uncertainty. However, Netanyahu’s claims are widely viewed as nothing more than a ploy to send the country to elections and prevent him from having to vacate his position to Gantz next year. According to an agreement signed by Netanyahu and Gantz, the latter would automatically become prime minister until election day in the event that the government collapses save for an instance where the Knesset fails to pass a budget. New elections would also be particularly damaging to the charedi community, whose yeshivot and oth-
er institutions are going through an unprecedented fiscal crisis. With no budget since 2018, dozens of educational institutions are nearing collapse. The charedi parties have put passing a new budget as their highest priority.
Demolition of Terrorist’s Home Halted
Israel’s High Court of Justice banned the IDF from demolishing the home of the terrorist responsible for killing IDF soldier Amit Ben Yigal in May.
maker Avi Dichter, a former head of the Shin Bet security service, said that the court had “dropped a boulder from above on the forces working to fight terrorism.” Yemina MK Matan Kahane added, “It seems that the High Court has decided to systematically dismantle Israeli deterrence and award a prize to terrorism.” Kahane, a former fighter pilot, added that “the High Court’s decision to protect the home of a terrorist, the killer of an IDF soldier, is an inconceivable scandal.” Ben Yigal, an only child who served in the Golani Brigade’s elite commando battalion, was killed on May 12 after being hit by a heavy cinderblock during an arrest in Yabed. He was evacuated to the hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival. The Shin Bet launched a massive manhunt for the perpetrator of the attack following his death, cordoning off Yabed and detaining hundreds of Palestinians for questioning. Ben Yigal’s death comes after Duvdevan commando Ronen Lubarski was killed after being slammed with a slab of marble that had been dropped on his head during an operation in Ramallah in 2018.
In the ruling on Monday, the High Court of Justice overturned the demolition order for the home belonging to terrorist Nazmi Abu Bakr. The 46-year-old Jenin native had been arrested in June for murdering Golani commando Amit Ben Yigal by dropping a cinderblock on his head during an arrest a month earlier. In a 2-1 decision, Justices Meni Mazuz and George Kara ruled that destroying Abu Bakr’s home “entails a serious violation of a number of basic rights, including a violation of property and a violation of human dignity and a number of rights derived from human dignity.” Israel frequently destroys the homes belonging to terrorists as a deterrent measure and had issued a demolition order last month to Abu Bakr’s family. However, a slew of radical left-wing organizations petitioned the High Court claiming that the policy of home demolitions infringed on the human rights of the terrorist’s family members. The High Court ruling was greeted with anger and incredulity, with a number of prominent politicians accusing the justices of interfering with Israel’s security. Likud law-
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Bomb Material Was Meant for Israel
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The thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate that led to last week’s devastating explosion in Beirut was being stockpiled by Hezbollah to be used against Israel. According to Israel’s Channel 13, Hezbollah had been stockpiling ammonium nitrate to manufacture rockets meant to be used in the next round of hostiles with Israel. The highly explosive substance had been stored in such a sensitive location in the hope that Israel would be deterred from bombing important civilian infrastructure such as the Beirut port to neutralize it. “The material that exploded in the port is not new to Nasrallah and Hezbollah,” said the report, which went on to list the numerous times Hezbollah operatives have been caught using the ammonium nitrate against Israeli targets. In one instance, a Mossad tip-off led to UK police arresting a Hezbollah cell in London with three tons of ammonium nitrate. In another case, German federal agents rounded up a group of Hezbollah commandos who had enough of the substance “to blow up a city.” Ammonium nitrate was also found in a Hezbollah weapons lab uncovered in Cyprus in 2015 following another Mossad tip. “That’s what Nasrallah intended to do in Europe,” noted the report. “Regarding what was stored in Beirut port, the assessment is Nasrallah intended to use it in the Third Lebanon War.” Hezbollah has come under heavy criticism since the blast, with hundreds of thousands of Lebanese taking to the streets to blame it for the country’s worst civilian disaster. Numerous reports attributed the blast to a Hezbollah weapons warehouse; the terror militia is said to control the area of the port that detonated. In his first public appearance
since the blast, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah denied that his organization had anything to do with the disaster. In his address on Friday, Nasrallah contended that “we have never had any ammonium nitrate, not in the past and not in the present,” adding that “we know more about the Haifa port than Beirut port.” “We talk about resistance, we are thinking of a strategy of defending Lebanon, we did not intervene in Lebanese affairs,” said Nasrallah.
UAE Reunites Jewish Family
The United Arab Emirates, a country which does not officially recognize Israel’s right to exist, arranged for a charedi family to be reunited after 15 years apart. The Yemenite Jewish family had not seen each other for 15 years until the UAE arranged for the family members in Yemen and London to be flown to the Gulf State. Pictures of the event show a large charedi family surrounded by a collection of children and an elderly woman in a wheelchair. “My soul felt reborn the moment we were reunited,” said one family member. “We never imagined we would reunite again after all these long, grim years,” added another. “We lived alone in exile in London without family and siblings. I was lost.” The report did not mention why the family was separated and what role, exactly, the UAE played in reuniting them. The gesture was seen as part of Abu Dhabi’s efforts to establish ties with Israel by reaching out to world Jewry. “It was nothing short of a miracle and the realization of an impossible dream,” said the family. “We thank the UAE for their great support in arranging the reunion. This is an example of the UAE’s humanitarian approach, as well as of its noble values of tolerance and coexistence.”
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Your Ears Will be OK
If you were concerned that your ears would become a bit too protruded after wearing a face mask for so long, have no fear. A group of Israeli plastic surgeons have come out to assure the public that wearing masks will not cause any permanent change to a person’s ears, even though there may be some physical, short-term discomfort. According to the doctors, the ear canal stops developing at age six and there is no reason for “its structure to change following the pressure of a
rubber band or lanyard.” In Israel, residents are required to wear masks in public areas. Those flouting the law can face a fine of up to NIS 500. There is no requirement to wear a mask with ear straps, though; a bandana or scarf is still considered OK. Even so, wearing a mask for long periods may not be healthy. In an article published by Technocracy News, Dr. Russell Blaylock wrote that the side effects from prolonged wearing of a face mask “can vary from headaches to increased airway resistance, carbon dioxide accumulation and hypoxia, all the way to serious life-threatening complications.” The side effects vary depending on whether they are cloth or paper surgical masks or N95 respirator masks, because the N95, being a more effective filter, also limits breathing to a greater degree and is therefore more commonly associated with headaches, he reported.
Trump Bans TikTok
President Donald Trump issued two executive orders over the weekend effectively banning the use of the popular social media apps TikTok and WeChat throughout the United States. The order came a week after Trump announced that he would outlaw TikTok due to concerns that the Chinese-owned video app was a
conduit for a Beijing spying operation. Owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, TikTok currently has an estimated 80 million users in the U.S. and is the fastest growing app in the world. The pair of executive orders Trump signed on Friday outlaws any transaction with TikTok, WeChat, and any other app developed by ByteDance for 45 days. The order means that Apple and Google would be prohibited from listing TikTok on their mobile apps store without running afoul of the ban. The ban would likely not apply should TikTok be bought by a non-Chinese firm. ByeDance is said to be in talks to sell parts or all of TikTok to Microsoft. Upon announcing the ban, Trump said that apps such as TikTok that are owned by Chinese firms “threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.” He pledged to further crack down on Chinese spying. The order maintains that the Chi-
Kamala for VP
W
hen Joe Biden announced his pick for vice president on Tuesday of this week, it caught very few people by surprise. Kamala Harris was the safe choice for Biden, who spent many days assuring the U.S. that he would announcing his mate soon. The California senator is now the first black and South Asian American woman to run on a major political party’s presidential ticket. “I’ve decided that Kamala Harris is the best person to help me take this fight to Trump and Mike Pence and then to lead this nation starting in January 2021,” Biden wrote in an email Tuesday. The two are set to appear together for the first time for a speech Wednesday in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden’s campaign has not yet said what time that speech will take place. In selecting Harris, Biden adds to the Democratic ticket a former primary rival who centered her own presidential bid on her readiness to take on Donald Trump and show Americans she would fight for them. Harris rose to national
prominence within the Democratic Party by interrogating Trump nominees during Senate hearings, from former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. She also had the
a vice presidential candidate for a major political party, following Geraldine Ferraro as the Democratic vice presidential pick in 1984 and Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential pick in
Oval Office in her sights just a few months ago during the crowded series of Democratic debates in which she had gone head-to-head with Biden during some debates. Biden had pledged to pick a woman as his VP. Harris, 55, is now the third woman to serve as
2008. Biden, 77, noted that he is “a bridge” to a new slate of Democratic leaders, and by selecting Harris, more than 20 years his junior, he has elevated a leading figure from a younger generation within the party.
Harris is the half-Jamaican, half-Indian-American daughter of immigrants. Her mother is a breast cancer specialist; her father was an economics professor at Stanford. She attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., a place that taught students, she has said, “that we could be anything – that we were young, gifted, and Black, and we shouldn’t let anything get in the way of our success.” Harris eventually became the California attorney general and pursued predatory lenders after the financial crash of 2008. As California’s junior senator, she has championed immigration issues, including the cause of the so-called “Dreamers” who were brought to America as young children. During a recent appearance on NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” Harris said she would do anything to get Biden elected. “We need to save the soul of our country, we really do,” she said. “We need a president who cares about the people and loves the people.”
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
nese firms are exploiting the app’s popularity and illegally collecting user data and transferring it to Beijing’s ruling Communist Party. “The spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People’s Republic of China continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States,” read the executive order. “At this time, action must be taken to address the threat posed by one mobile application in particular, TikTok.” The order added that the two apps “capture vast swaths of information from its users,” noting that “this data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information.” Trump also alleged that the data collected by TikTok was being used to blackmail U.S. government employees and carry out corporate espionage. TikTok denied the allegations and threatened to pursue legal action against the U.S. following the executive orders. In a statement, TikTok vowed to “pursue all remedies available” to “ensure the rule of law is not discarded.”
Jewish U.S. Air Force Head Resigns
Gen. David Goldfein, the Jewish chief of the U.S. Air Force, stepped down on Thursday after being passed over for promotion. Goldfein was slated to become the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff after receiving the endorsement of then-Defense Secretary James Mattis in 2016. However, his quest to become the first Jewish person to become the military’s highest uniformed officer stalled after Mattis resigned in 2017 and the resulting falling-out between him and Trump. Goldfein had commanded the U.S. Air Force since being appointed by President Barack Obama in 2016. The position included overseeing
nearly 700,000 active Guard and Reserve airmen in operations around the world, rebooting America’s nuclear capability by developing the B-21 Raider, and advancing cutting-edge technologies such as hypersonics. In a statement, Defense Secretary Mark Esper thanked Goldfein for “laying the foundation for the creation of the Space Force, the department’s newest service.” In everything he did, “General Goldfein was in the right place at a very important time,” Esper added. Goldfein was born into a military family, with his father reaching the rank of colonel in the Air Force while his brother retired as a major general. He attended the U.S. Air Force Academy and flew some of the world’s most advanced fighter jets, including the F-16 and F-117. In 1999, Goldfein was shot down after his F-16 was hit by a surface-toair missile while flying over western Serbia. Forced to eject, he was rescued by special forces and brought to safety. During a visit to Israel in 2019, Goldfein vowed that the U.S. would always protect the Jewish people in times of need. “If I have one message, it is that
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Trump Extends Benefits
After seeing that things were going nowhere rather quickly in Congress, President Trump took matters into his own hands on Saturday and ordered a deferral of payroll taxes and an extension of unemployment benefits. The president said he was forced to act since lawmakers had been unable to reach an agreement on how best to help Americans during this time. Trump moved to continue paying a supplemental federal unemployment benefit for millions of Americans out
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monthly rent. Trump’s Democratic opponent in the presidential race, Joe Biden, called the orders “a series of halfbaked measures” and accused him of putting at risk Social Security, which is funded by the payroll tax. Trump asserted that the orders “will take care of pretty much this entire situation, as we know it.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., issued a statement saying he supported Trump “exploring his options to get unemployment benefits and other relief to the people who need them the most.” Like Trump, McConnell accused Democrats of using the coronavirus package negotiations to pursue other goals.
Who’s Speaking at the DNC?
of work during the outbreak. However, his order called for up to $400 payments each week, in contrast to the $600 people had been receiving. How many people would receive the benefit and how long it might take to arrive are open questions. The previous unemployment benefit, which expired on August 1, was funded by Washington. Now, states will be required to cover 25%. Trump is seeking to set aside $44 billion in
previously approved disaster aid to help states, but said it would be up to states to determine how much, if any of it, to fund, so the benefits could be smaller still. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer dismissed Trump’s executive actions as “meager” in the face of economic and health crises facing Americans. Democrats initially sought a $3.4 trillion package, but said they
lowered it to $2 trillion. Republicans had proposed a $1 trillion plan. In addition to the extension of some unemployment benefits, Trump’s orders call for a deferral of payroll tax and federal student loan payments and efforts to halt evictions. The evictions executive order directs the Treasury and Housing and Urban Development departments to identify funds to provide financial assistance to those struggling to pay their
If you like the Obamas, you should tune into the Democratic National Convention. Both the former president and the former first lady are set to speak at the convention as two of the four keynote speakers. They will be speaking before former Vice President Joe Biden accepts the nomination next week. On Monday, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York will deliver speeches. Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who sought the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, is also slated to appear. Michelle Obama is set to give the keynote speech on Monday; Barack Obama will close out the convention on Wednesday. “These speakers, some of the most popular leaders and rising stars from across the country, will join a line-up of inspiring Americans announced yesterday, as the coalition uniting behind Joe Biden’s vision for a better America continues to grow,” the DNC statement reads. The convention will be almost entirely virtual. 77-year-old Joe Biden will be accepting the nomination from his home in Delaware on the final night of the convention. All the primetime speakers will also be de-
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
livering their addresses remotely. Lest you think it’s just a few speeches that will fill the days, there are a lot more people vying for the limelight. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic nominee, and former President Bill Clinton will also have key speaking roles at the convention on Tuesday and Wednesday. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts are also set to speak. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is on tap to speak on Monday; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York will be speaking on Tuesday.
BLM: Looting is Reparations
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On Monday, just hours after Chicago was shattered by riots, members of the Black Lives Matter movement in the city held a rally in front of the police station in support of the morethan-100 people who had been arrested during the looting and rioting the
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night before. At least 13 police officers had been injured in the melee, and there was at least $60 million in property damage.
“I don’t care if someone decides to loot a Gucci or a Macy’s or a Nike store, because that makes sure that person eats,” said Ariel Atkins, a BLM organizer, according to NBC Chicago. “That makes sure that person has clothes. “That is reparations,” Atkins added. “Anything they wanted to take, they can take it because these businesses have insurance.” Police had been pursuing a man, Latrell Allen, who had a gun in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago on Sunday afternoon. The 20-yearold then “turned and fired shots” at officers. He was then shot and was taken to a local hospital. A video posted on Facebook falsely claimed that police
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shot and killed a 15-year-old boy. Riots then ensued. Hundreds of people descended on downtown Chicago with vandals smashing the windows of dozens of businesses and making off with merchandise, cash machines and anything else they could carry. “This was not an organized protest. Rather, this was an incident of pure criminality,” Police Superintendent David Brown said. “This was an act of violence against our police officers and against our city.” Black Lives Matter Chicago issued a statement, saying, “The mayor clearly has not learned anything since May, and she would be wise to understand that the people will keep rising up until the [Chicago Police Department] is abolished and our Black communities are fully invested in.”
Born in Utah, Scowcroft enlisted in West Point in 1947 and transferred to the United States Air Force after graduating. His dreams of being a career fighter pilot were dashed when he crashed his P-51 Mustang during a routine training mission in 1949. While the injuries were not life-threatening, they prevented him from getting back in the pilot’s seat for the next two years. Realizing that his career was stalling, Scowcroft transferred to the operations and planning department in the air force.
Nat’l Sec Advisor Scowcroft Dies
There, he excelled as a brilliant and sharp strategist who possesses a laser-sharp focus on details. Getting a Master’s Degree in 1953 from Columbia University in national security and teaching at West Point, he soon made a name for himself as one of America’s brightest defense
Brent Scowcroft, a former national security advisor in the Ford and Bush administrations, died last week on August 6. He was 95.
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Help us to continue to provide critical and essential services to our entire community. The Rina Shkolnik Kosher Food Pantry
located at The S.H.O.P. (Sustenance Hope Opportunities Place) has seen a 40% increase of new families who are suddenly facing hardships.
Our Older Adult Department
is in touch with seniors and Holocaust survivors to check in and perform wellness checks. Activities are being shared so that they can stay healthy and engaged.
The JCC Social Work Team
is conducting remote counseling sessions with vulnerable and isolated community members who are anxious and need support at this time.
Our Special Needs Department
has been running virtual support groups for adults with disabilities and parents of children with special needs to connect, share resources and support each other.
Our Volunteer Department
has mobilized an army of volunteers to deliver food, run errands and shop for groceries to those who can’t get out especially seniors living alone.
We need your help now!
The Gural JCC remains steadfast in our commitment to serving the needs of the Greater Five Towns.
about the coronavirus bill that would help his casino business, which has been devastated by the pandemic. But Trump repeatedly asked why Adelson wasn’t doing more to keep him in power, apparently unaware how much the billionaire had helped him in the past.
After the phone call ended, Trump’s aides rushed to smooth things over between Adelson and Trump. Adelson has given the Trump campaign at least $10 million in the past but is now suffering from significant financial problems due to losses from the coronavirus. Last week, Adelson’s Las Vegas USA disclosed that it had lost over $1 billion since January as the coronavirus shuttered casinos all around the world.
Most Sophisticated Border Tunnel
Ways to Give: Please make your tax deductable contribution today!
• Online: guraljcc.org/donate • Mail checks to: The Marion & Aaron Gural JCC, 207 Grove Ave., Rooted in the Community for Over 40 Years
minds. Scowcroft would go on to become the only national security advisor to work for two different presidents, serving in the administrations of President Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush. He also headed the Tower Commission, which probed the Iran-Contra scandal during the Reagan years. “I don’t have a quick, innovative mind. I don’t automatically think of good, new ideas. What I do better is pick out good ideas from bad ideas,” Scowcroft once said. “It is comfort-
Cedarhurst, NY 11516, Attn: Development Department • By Phone: at 516-569-6733, ext. 201
ing to be doing things that make a difference. In the end, it’s the job that’s more important.”
A Tiff between Trump and Adelson? President Donald Trump may be on the outs with mega donor Sheldon Adelson. According to reports,
a recent phone call between America’s top elected official and the casino mogul dissolved into shouts over Adelson’s declining financial support for Trump. Adelson has given Trump tens of millions of dollars in donations in recent years and is one of the biggest donors to the Republican Party. Yet, in a recent phone call between the two, Trump pressed him why he had stopped giving to his reelection effort, leading to raised voices between both men. Adelson had wanted to speak
Federal officials uncovered a massive tunnel snaking under the Mexican border that is being called “the most sophisticated tunnel in U.S. history.” Beginning in San Luis, Arizona, and ending in San Luis, Mexico, the tunnel is still unfinished and stretches for 1,300 feet. The cavernous passageways are 3 feet long and 4 feet high, and are outfitted with an ultra-modern ventilation system, a rail system for quickly transporting drugs, and electrical wiring. The tunnel was discovered in July by Immigration and Customs
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
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Available at your local Hebrew bookseller or at www.artscroll.com • 1-800-MESORAH (637-6724)
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Mourns the loss of its founding president,
Rabbi Manfred Gans ZT’L Esteemed Rabbi and respected educator who worked heart and soul for his congregation, students and the special needs population.
Enforcement (ICE) together with the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol before it could be completed. The agents had become suspicious after finding an unusually deep sinkhole near the border fence and began drilling down until they found the tunnel. While law enforcement frequently uncovers tunnels dug by drug cartels on the southern border, the tunnel is said to boast unusually fine engineering and is likely the most advanced discovered to-date. Carl Landrum, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official, said the tunnel “appears to be the most sophisticated tunnel in U.S. history, and certainly the most sophisticated I’ve seen in my career.” He assured, “We will continue to work closely with our partners – Homeland Security Investigations and state and local agencies – to provide the best national security possible.” The bust comes after federal agents found the longest tunnel in U.S. history earlier this year. The tunnel stretched from Tijuana to San Diego and was an estimated 4,309 feet long.
May his family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Yerushalayim
Bernard Rosenberg, President Betty Pollack, Executive Director Meir Zev Pick, CFO Board of Directors Eli Greenberg Aaron Kinderlehrer David Nagel Richard Senior David J. Wolkenstein
have behaved egregiously on Hong Kong-related issues,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. Beijing’s sanctions expropriate any assets owned by the aforementioned lawmakers and ban them from doing business and from conducting business in China. Since none of the U.S. officials own any property in China and Hong Kong, the sanctions are largely seen as symbolic. Cruz, Rubio, and Smith had already been sanctioned by Beijing in July for their role in highlighting China’s campaign against the Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. Last Friday, the U.S. Treasury unveiled new sanctions against Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and the territory’s current and former police commissioners. The move came in response to the arrest of a senior Hong Kong media figure who opposed China’s tightening control over the city.
Cuomo: NY Schools Can Open
China Sanctions U.S. Lawmakers
China slapped sanctions on 11 U.S. lawmakers this week, the latest twist in an escalating tit-for-tat fight between the two countries. Those sanctioned included U.S. Senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley and Pat Toomey along with Representative Chris Smith and four individuals working for anti-China NGOs. The move comes after the U.S. blacklisted 11 officials in Hong Kong for their role in enabling China to effectively take over the territory. “In response to that wrong U.S. behavior, China has decided to impose sanctions on individuals who
New York’s Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced last Friday that state schools will be allowed to reopen in the fall provided that they receive approval from state Health and Education departments. “We are probably in the best situation in the country right now,” Cuomo opined. “If anybody can open schools, we can open schools, and that’s true for every region in the state.” The move makes New York one of the few states in the United States that is allowing schools to reopen en masse after being closed since March 18. The decision to restart in-person learning was made possible due to consistently declining infection rates. “Today is the deadline to look at the infection rates and make a determination. By our infection rates, all school districts can open every-
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The Five Towns Premier Rehabilitation and Nursing Center would like to invite the entire community to an
OUTDOOR MOVIE NIGHT under the stars! Featuring:
The Upside When: August 20th 8:30PM Where: 1050 Central Avenue Woodmere, NY 11598 (In the parking lot on Franklin Ave.)
Food truck, giveaways, raffles and more Can't wait to see you there! please RSVP limited space available Adults only!
516- 374- 9300 ex 1060
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
where in the state,” Cuomo said. “Every region is below the threshold that we established.” In order to begin in-person learning, schools must present their reopening plans to New York’s Department of Health and demonstrate how they intend to avoid crowding and maintain social distancing. The guidelines included mandating schools to have between three to five public meetings prior to August 21 with parents along with another conference to train teachers how to implement their reopening plan. Out of the New York’s 749 school districts, 127 have not yet submitted plans as of Sunday, while another 50 were rejected.
demic has grounded international flights in Australia, the Qantas flights are considered domestic flights since they start and end in the same place. The Boeing 787 is the plane that will be making the journey and it’s known for its large windows, enabling passengers to catch rare views. Looking to book your next midwinter adventure? Tickets start at $1,199 AUD (about $860 USD) for economy seats and $6,499 AUD ($4,650 USD) for business class. But you can’t put a price on the experience.
Swimming with the Fishes
Touring Antarctica
Want to visit an exotic locale on your next trip? Luckily for you, Qantas is about to restart one of its most interesting flights: a 12-hour journey where passengers are whisked from Australia and then back again, spending about four hours flying over Antarctica. During the trip, voyagers will be able to view the least-visited continent during the south pole’s summer daylight months – between November and February. Penguins, seals, and whales are bound to be on display. Interestingly, because the pan-
James Savage almost puts Michael Phelps to shame. The 13-yearold swimmer is the youngest person to swim across California’s Lake Tahoe. He completed the 12-mile swim to the Godfather mansion in six hours and 59 minutes. Savage, who started swimming competitively at the age of 5, said the “Godfather” swim was the second part of his plan to complete what’s known as the “Tahoe Triple Crown.” He made the first swim in the series, the 10.5-mile Vikingsholm Swim from Cave Rock to Emerald Bay, in 2019. His sights are now set on a 21.3-mile length swim. Savage would be the youngest person to complete the Tahoe Triple Crown, a title currently held by a 15-year-old swimmer. Savage’s Facebook page aptly notes that he “dehydrates if left out of water too long.” He has been swimming since he was five-years-old. Back then, his older brother was on the recreation club swim team in Los Banos, Cali-
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fornia. Savage’s mom asked the fiveyear-old if he’d like to join too. His answer was no. But his mother persisted, and Savage agreed – only saying that he wouldn’t swim the backstroke or butterfly. Famous last words: Savage ended up trying both those strokes and eventually broke the country record for both of them. Four months later, he joined the Junior Olympics. When he was eight, Savage decided to head for choppier waters. He set his mind on swimming from Alcatraz to San Francisco. “When he said he wanted to do open-water, I freaked out, I’ll be honest,” Jillian Savage, his mom, said. “When your 8-year-old says, ‘I want to swim from Alcatraz,’ how many people say, ‘Yes’?” “I like open water more because you get to explore more places,” James Savage said. “You can explore other pools but all pools are pretty much the same – it’s a blue line you’re looking at at the bottom – but open water you get to explore places like Tahoe and other different kinds of clear waters and oceans.” Whatever floats your boat, James.
Cat-tirement It was the purr-fect job for him. This week, though, it was an-
nounced that Palmerston will be retiring from his post as “Chief Mouser” at the UK’s Foreign Officer’s headquarters in London. The famous feline is going to “spend more time relaxing away from the limelight.”
Out o
co Palmerston definitely deserves time off. He arrived at the office as a rescue in 2016 and quickly became famous for catching mice and appearing in photos with visiting diplomats. He also made headlines for clashes with Larry, the cat charged with catching mice for the prime minister at 10 Downing Street. “Although I am ending my formal role here,” the letter announcing Palmerston’s retirement said. “I will always be an ambassador for the U.K. and the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.” “We’ll all miss him paw-fully, but wish him a purr-fect retirement,” the Foreign Office tweeted in response. And they’re not “kitten.”
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AUGUST 13, 2020 | The Jewish Home
Around the
Community Camp Matov in Action
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
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AUGUST 13, 2020 | The Jewish Home
Around the Community
Lawrence Mayor Edelman Welcomes New NCPD Program
T
he Nassau County Police Department has announced the creation of a new Community Affairs Unit entitled the G.R.E.A.T. (Gang Resistance Education and Training) Program. A part of the Community Affairs division, these bike-riding officers will provide additional protection and supervision to all areas of the County including the Five Towns. Seen here are Detective Sergeant Jo-Ann Distler, police members of the G.R.E.A.T. Program, Village of Lawrence Mayor Alex H. Edelman, and Lawrence Civic Association President Paris Popack.
Sen. Kaminsky Grant Supports U.S. Students & Israeli Start-Ups
A
s the pandemic continues to impact life in the United States and Israel, a grant by
New York State Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Five Towns) is ensuring that high-tech innovation in both coun-
tries remains robust. Funded through a grant from Sen. Todd Kaminsky, Yeshiva University’s Israel Innovation Lab, under the direction of Dr. Maria Blekher, has been providing students virtual internships with Israeli startup companies this summer amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Innovation Lab creates a handson entrepreneurial environment in which Israeli-based startups can grow their U.S. market potential while leveraging YU’s community of students and faculty experts. Amid the ongoing pandemic, this partnership is especially beneficial to Israeli companies and YU students alike. For example, in April 2020, the Innovation Lab formed a strategic partnership with Israel-based Emnotion in the development of artificial intelligence technology to map COVID-19. Founded in 2016, the company develops block-by-block climate forecasting solutions for using mathematical algorithms. Members of the Lab’s team met via Zoom with Emnotion’s CEO and lead data scientist, and since then, the Lab team has focused on developing strategies for reaching key decision makers in public health, government, industry and technology. Their goal is to integrate their advanced AI dataset with other efforts to get in front of the disease’s exponential growth.
“Supporting Israel and Five Towns students amid this pandemic is a win-win,” said Sen. Kaminsky. “I am proud that the grant I procured for Yeshiva University is going to good use to prepare our students to be the leaders of tomorrow, while tapping into the Jewish homeland’s burgeoning start-up economy. I look forward to seeing the continued success of the Innovation Lab and the work our local students produce harnessing the ingenuity of the Israeli economy.” “One of the huge benefits of the Innovation Lab,” said Dr. Blekher, “is the hands-on learning opportunities it offers. Ultimately, it is those experiences that will foster their entrepreneurial spirit and give them the confidence, drive and know-how to start their own companies, something we would not have been able to do without the generosity and support of Sen. Kaminsky.” “Sen. Kaminsky has always been a true friend to both Yeshiva University and to the State of Israel,” said Avi Lauer, Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel. “When I first pitched this idea, Todd was among the first to jump onboard and support it. As we continue to provide a peerless education to our students during this pandemic, the Senator’s commitment to the University and to the YU Innovation Lab means all the more to us.”
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The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
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AUGUST 13, 2020 | The Jewish Home
Around the Community
Local Leaders Demand Accountability from PSEG LI
L
ast Tuesday, August 4, when Tropical Storm Isaias hit the Greater New York Area with winds in excess of 70 miles per hours, the community was left reeling. As the winds subsided on Tuesday afternoon, the magnitude of the damage was evident. Utility poles were cut in half, uprooted trees left our roads inaccessible, and fallen trees destroyed cars and severely damaged powerlines. The loss of power from the storm left thousands of PSEG customers incapacitated. Not only were our residents left in the literal dark, the lack of transparency from the electric company showing a cohesive plan to restore things back to normal was nowhere to be seen. Public Service Electric & Gas (PSEG) LI’s ineptitude was ironic considering what brought them into our neighborhood in the first place. Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) failed miserably in restoring power following Superstorm Sandy. In 2014, PSEG LI took over the reins and currently operates the electric transmission and distribution system to over 1.1 million customers. Their response to Tropical Storm Isaias was not forthcoming nor, frankly, successful. Throughout the course of the past week, over 420,000 of their customers were listed to be without power. At the onset, the local neighborhoods of Lawrence and the Rockaways suffered at a greater clip. The damage incurred by those who lost money compensating for lack of power, suffered medical concerns for loved ones on electrically controlled apparatuses, and experienced an overall feeling of fear and confusion cannot be recouped. The lackluster initial response from PSEG LI is frustrating and troubling. There were instances of businesses losing all their refrigerated and frozen merchandise, and elderly residents who required electricity to power their medical equipment. While manpower is a must for restoration and there are limits to how many people can immediately rush to restore power, their communication via phone and the internet was
dismal. One woman recounts calling PSEG LI ten times to report her outage. When she finally pressed 1 to speak to a representative, after a long pause, the automated response suggested she call back later. Mayor of Lawrence Alex Edelman
ing from companies such as PSEG LI caused more anxiety for people.” Eli Kutner, a Lawrence resident who is running for Lawrence trustee in September, added, “While my family was fortunate, many of our friends and neighbors did not have
“The citizens of Lawrence deserve and demand better than the poor performance of PSEG.”
asserts, “What I find most frustrating when a disaster such as this one occurs is that there should be someone who can give accurate information as to the status of the situation when residents call the utility company. The lack of information com-
their power back on by Shabbos, over four days after it went out. This is inexcusable for any public/private utility. Further confounding was the inability of citizens to access any reliable information from PSEG. Despite Mayor Edelman’s tireless efforts in
liaising with their senior executives to control the crisis, PSEG continued to remain unreliable in managing our expectations. “The citizens of Lawrence deserve and demand better than the poor performance of PSEG,” Eli concluded. “Storms happen and that’s disconcerting but expected,” Chaia Frishman, a Far Rockaway resident and owner of Fruit Platters & More, said. “Not having a clear expectation of restoration left us confused about how much effort we should put into finding places to sleep and salvaging the contents of our refrigerators and freezers. It’s not just the slow response to fix the wires, but the wires of communication were not crossed – they didn’t even exist.” We pay thousands of dollars in utility bills every year to PSEG to service us with the necessary tools needed to function from day to day. It goes without saying that it’s expected that weather difficulties can sometimes impede that goal. But knowing this, PSEG should have had protocols in place, including subcontracting workers from areas not hit and expanding their call center to receive calls and document all those trying to reach them. “Since the storm hit, residents throughout the Rockaways were seeking relevant and up-to-date information from PSEG without avail,” Pesach Osina, a Far Rockaway resident and candidate for New York City Council, District 31, noted. “Every business should have a disaster communication plan should their existing one fail. It is unacceptable that a company of this nature would just leaving their customers in the dark.” It is incumbent on our community to call for an investigation into the lack of response from PSEG LI. PSEG LI continues to leave to its customers, community organizations, and stakeholders in the dark. During any power outage, the residents expect real and timely updates as to when power will be restored. Restoration information is needed to enable those affected to properly prepare for their own next steps. We hope that this initiative will yield answers and prevent future disasters.
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
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AUGUST 13, 2020 | The Jewish Home
Around the Community
Lawrence Civic Association Awards
D
espite the coronavirus, the Lawrence Civic Association presented its 2020 Good Citizen Awards to outstanding high school juniors and seniors who reside in Lawrence and who have displayed a commitment to American ideals and community service. Each received an inscribed plaque personally delivered to their home by Lawrence Civic Association President Paris Popack. Danny Srulowitz, a senior at Davis Renov Stahler Yeshiva High School for Boys, is gifted with a most unusual and giving personality. Popular with peers and teachers alike, Danny has been involved in fundraising, tutoring, and serves as Senior Chizuk (strength and inspiration) Advisor and in any other capacity needed. Benjamin Gettenberg, a creative junior in HAFTR High School, is a leader on several academic teams, including College Bowl, Torah Bowl, and Chess Club, as well as Tomchei Shabbos (community service) and the school’s unique Beit Midrash learning program.
Sara Stein
Benjamin Werner
Shanniek Francis, a diligent 11th grade student of fine character at Lawrence High School, has volunteered at Mona Prep Day Care, Inc. for summer camps, helped students in afterschool programs with schoolwork and counseling needs and chaperoned students on trips at Mona Prep Day Care. Binyamin Werner represents all that is fine and good in a Rambam Mesivta student and epitomizes what it means to be a “Good Citizen.” Co-
Shanniek Francis
ordinating the school’s early morning learning program, he is a top student, a basketball star, and creative force; always asking, “How can I help?” Bailey Weiss (not pictured) is an 11th grader at Shulamith High School for Girls, who exceeds the required chessed hours (acts of kindness hours). She is a Friendship Circle volunteer, consistently the first student to offer to help others, and a major asset to the Director of Student Activities. Her sweet disposition matches
Danny Srulowitz
with her consistent effort in helping those around her. Sara Stein, an 11th grader and editor in chief of Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls weekly Parsha Press, is sensitive to others, as well as an advocate for those unable to speak for themselves. She has worked with individuals with special needs and maintains contact with some of the developmentally disabled adults she met on a grade level trip.
One of The Largest Waves of Aliyah Has Begun • 3,000 Units Sold in 3 months • Over 400,000 Registered for Aliyah
O
ne of the ramifications of the Covid-19 pandemic is that it has accelerated the decision-making process for many who had already been thinking of settling in Israel. But even those who never seriously considered aliyah have now changed their minds due to the rising anti-Semitism across the globe. As a result, the last few months have seen tens of thousands of families registering for aliyah in local offices. One of the leading locations for the English-speaking community in Israel is Ramat Givat Zeev, a unique, warm community that attracts hundreds of families from places like Monsey and the Five Towns. The Kass Group, which established the neighborhood, reports that the demand is so strong that people are
purchasing apartments over the phone and are not willing to wait with purchase. The Kass Group, one of the leading real estate developers in Israel, has sent representatives to the U.S. to help complete the purchases, remarking that the demand is unprecedented. They believe the units in the luxurious Ramat Givat Zeev neighborhood will be sold out within a month. Economic experts are advising buyers to move forward without delay. Israel’s housing shortage, which has reached crisis proportions in the last decade, has become even more severe during the pandemic since the municipal planning institutions have been closed for several months. This shortage, together with soaring demand by foreign residents, means that prices will be skyrocketing.
Corona Positive Until Proven Otherwise Dr. Hylton I. Lightman, page 88
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
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Around the Community
Nageela Limited Edition
By Mordechai N. Shenker, Director, Camp Nageela
T
imes are tough. Times are different. But that hasn’t stopped the JEP/Nageela team from finding ways to inspire Jews from across Long Island and beyond. When the announcement was made that New York sleepaway camps would not be allowed to open, the Camp Nageela staff knew that they must come
up with an alternative option. For so many of our campers, camp is their connection to Judaism. So many of our campers look forward to camp for the friendship and love they receive nowhere else. So many of our campers need Camp Nageela! Our staff got to work planning virtual programs and day trips to keep the Camp Nageela spark alive within our campers. But they wouldn’t just stop there. Our campers needed and deserved
something bigger, something better, something as close as possible to the real Camp Nageela experience. And that is how “Nageela Limited Edition” was born. And it truly was a limited, once-in-a-lifetime experience. We weren’t just going to give the Nageela experience to our campers – we were going to give it to the entire family, parents and siblings included! From Tuesday, August 4 through Sunday August 9, Nageela and JEPLI families had the opportunity to spend an unforgettable week on Camp Nageela’s campus, The David & Suri Schwartz Jewish Experience Center in Fallsburg, NY. The Camp Nageela and JEP-LI staff were on board to deliver a true Nageela summer experience. Although activities were observed with social distancing, the comradery was still there, perhaps even stronger than before. Families were given a variety of activities to choose from each day, spending quality family time together enjoying on-campus activities including boating, archery, paintball, swimming (indoor & outdoor), bubble ball, and arts & crafts to name just a few. Our successful JuLu (Jewish Learning) program was tweaked to give the parents their own taste of Jewish thoughts and values. There were many highlights of the week, too many to count. On Wednesday, we were joined by a group of Nageela boy campers who traveled from Long Island to spend the day at their home-away-fromhome. Thursday, we had the final episode of our WhoDaThunk online interactive gameshow broadcast live from Nageela Limited Edition. WhoDaThunk, launched at the onset of the corona lockdown, has engaged Jewish children online in a fun and interactive platform, imparting to
them valuable Jewish concepts. On Friday, we had a camp-wide challah bake to kick off what would be a most inspirational Shabbos experience. Shabbos started with a week highlight video, candle lighting ceremony and Carlebach-style kabbalas Shabbos. Throughout Shabbos we had games and activities for the kids as the adults had the opportunity to ask questions about Judaism at a Stump-the-Rabbi session and other discussions through-out the day. Shabbos ended with a musical havdalah, followed by a magic show and paint night for the adults. After melava malka, everyone headed to the firepit for a campfire and kumzits. We heard from one of our participants about his unbelievable experience fighting in Iraq for the U.S. army. Sergeant B. told about his many escapes from death, in what ultimately was the start of his journey back to Judaism. The first Rosh Hashana celebrated in Iraq was in Saddam Hussein’s former palace. As the group of 50 Jewish soldiers toured the magnificent edifice, they entered Saddam’s throne room, where above his throne was one line in Arabic reading: “The gates of Jerusalem belong to the Muslims.” The 50 men emotionally and triumphantly sat down on his throne and proclaimed, “No, the gates of Jerusalem belong to the Jews.” Perhaps the most inspiring moment of the week was Sunday morning when a pidyon haben was performed for one of the Nageela Limited Edition adult “campers.” The gentleman was born in the former Soviet Union, where the performance of mitzvos was outlawed. Today, at the age of 45, he stood in Camp Nageela and proudly proclaimed that the Jewish people will forever live on.
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
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AUGUST 13, 2020 | The Jewish Home
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
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Around the Community
COVID-19 Testing: Where & How What’s the difference between having my physician order COVID-19 testing and going to a local Urgent Care center advertising 15-minute results? Dr. David Schechter responds: Nasal swab samples are taken in order to diagnose COVID-19 viral infections. It is undisputed that the optimal location for the sample to be tested and reported is in a licensed laboratory which handles thousands of samples with both highly specialized staff and top of the line equipment. Standard laboratories have been performing both antigen and PCR testing to identify the presence of COVID-19. The PCR technique as of today is the higher standard available for COVID-19 testing as it is a very delicate test which requires specialized equipment and technicians. The PCR test is in no way a rapid test. The Rapid Antigen test is a different method to diagnose COVID-19 and is touted to give results in less than an hour. Unfortunately, the antigen test is not as accurate as it is plagued by both false negatives and positives, meaning that it is very sensitive and can falsely identify cases to be “positive” that actually do not have an active COVID-19 infection and vice versa with the negatives. If I were given the choice of having a laboratory come to my house for swab testing vs. going to an urgent care, I would choose the former. There is no need to expose yourself to people who are potentially sick in a waiting room. Certainly, older people and those who are immunocompromised should have their testing done at home to be processed at a standard laboratory. Although both the urgent care center and traditional labs may possibly have the same nose swab antigen rapid test equipment, the standard laboratory has several important advantages. The first disadvantage of rapid testing in the urgent care environment is the failure to rerun positive samples on the spot. Samples that are found positive through antigen must be rerun for final verification through PCR. You can guess that it is no surprise that this is not typically done at a busy urgent care or private doctor’s office. Reruns, however, are routinely done at standard laboratories, as they are set up to do so with ease. An advantage of the standard laboratory setting is the ability to follow up on a clinically suspicious rapid antigen test result with a more accu-
rate PCR test using the original swab. The second disadvantage for urgent care centers is the lack of quality control systems. Having positive and negative samples sent to other laboratories for results comparison allows for proper needed instrument recalibration. These machines are testing hundreds of samples a day and need to be routinely maintained in the best ways possible. I personally would be very cautious in having any swab test done outside of the traditional laboratory setting where standards of the technicians, swab samples, and the materials required for the actual sample processing are on the highest level. On a personal note, two months ago, I had a routine swab performed using the rapid antigen method which was reported positive. This was upsetting since I was clinically certain that I was virus-free. Fortunately, facing the possibility of closing my office indefinitely, a few hours later I went to a standard laboratory and had a PCR swab done, ultimately proving the rapid as inaccurate as I was found negative for a COVID-19 infection. When an individual is facing the possibilities of an approximately tenday quarantine for a positive swab, chances are that they would prefer having the most accurate test performed. Even if one has no choice but to have the rapid test done, they would certainly want it to be done in a certified laboratory. It is very common today to be tested prior to seeing others, specifically grandparents. It is imperative to have the swab performed in optimal settings in order to get the most accurate results. I recently saw an advertisement for an urgent care center showing fifteen-minute results for COVID-19 nasal testing. It seemed to me to be a strange advertisement. The instrument itself must be prepped prior to each sample run and there must be a line of samples waiting. At the end of the day, I am not fully sure what exactly fifteen-minute testing means in reality. I am very convinced and strongly recommend the COVID-19 swab to be both tested and reported at a standard high flow patient laboratory with the highest quality control and instrumentation.
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AUGUST 13, 2020 | The Jewish Home
Around the Community
Back to School A behind-the-scenes look at opening up school again with Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva of South Shore School. The word conjures productivity, growth – and the safety of an environment focused on students’ benefit. But what happens when that safety is called into question? In this volatile era, what can and must be done to ensure that students can learn under optimal conditions, without compromising their health – or happiness? Join us in conversation with Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva of South Shore, as he expounds on the challenges and specifics of schools reopening for the coming school year. Rabbi Kamenetzky, what are the main challenges facing schools as they plan for their reopening? The challenge here is twofold. We need to be able to educate our children in a safe space – that is the priority. And safe means safe for the children themselves, for their rebbeim and teachers, and for anyone they come in contact with. But there’s another aspect which is arguably just as important. We need to make sure the vigilance, vital as it may be, doesn’t cause unwarranted fear or anxiety in children who have already heard and seen too much. The goal is straightforward, but the workload is staggering. The administrative staff members of our schools have been meeting, discussing, and planning for months. They carefully weigh each variable, determining a plan of action that satisfies both their vision for a safe reopening and the intense standards mandated by the state. What you believe is OK may not be acceptable by government standards. There is strong oversight on public gatherings in Nassau County, and schools are included in those restrictions. We need to abide by the rules of the regulating agencies and reconcile that with the best choices for our yeshiva. What does this entail on a practical level? The first step is a spotless school building. Schools must also install adequate hand sanitizing stations
and enforce their usage. Additionally, students must be divided into cohorts smaller than the regular class sizes, and each “bubble” must remain relatively separate from the others. Physical barriers must be installed in each classroom, at the teacher’s desk as well as each student’s desk. We also are equipping each classroom with video capabilities to accommodate students who are immunocompromised and can’t physically attend school, to prepare for the eventuality of any interruption of regular in-person studies. Any diminishment of regular conditions in school naturally affects the morale. Students the world over have been pining for the attention, social
adults. Many have been impacted by the deaths of relatives or friends, and some of their own teachers have been hospitalized. Hence the aforementioned double charge of schools: open safely, but without fear. How can parents serve as active partners in this crucial period? Firstly, be vigilant – and honest. If a child doesn’t feel well, especially with possible Covid symptoms, keep them home at all costs, and test them. Over the years, we have encountered instances where parents had to get to work and would send somewhat ill children to school, hoping for the best. But in times like this, that’s much riskier.
We need to make sure the vigilance, vital as it may be, doesn’t cause unwarranted fear or anxiety in children who have already heard and seen too much.
interaction, and friendship that only physical proximity can afford, after too many months spent lacking it. But even once we open, there’s a strong chance that a lot of this interaction will be limited. We likely won’t be holding regular assemblies, lab classes may need to be cancelled, and inter-class extra-curricular activities will be curtailed. Yeshiva of South Shore is known for its warmth and positivity, but it’s been a challenge to maintain that in the virtual classroom. One of our rebbeim mentioned that he noticed a student looked bothered during a Zoom class. Whereas he usually would have called the student over to his desk immediately and addressed the issue, during corona he needed to wait until after class and call the student on the telephone. Over time, these hurdles can affect students on so many levels. These students are experiencing an era that’s traumatic even for
The second thing parents can do is to partner with the school on a financial level. Unless you’re in the thick of things, it’s hard to imagine how much such an endeavor can cost a school. We’ve been provided with a certain amount of PPE by FEMA, but that doesn’t cover the barriers, the hand sanitizer stations, and the tremendous amount of additional resources necessary. Schools will also be hiring many new staff members to accommodate the smaller class sizes, as well as other staff to assist in the transition. I’d estimate the Covid-related reopening costs at half a million dollars. Aside from the additional costs, there is the severe decrease in tuition and donations. We have parents who can’t get back to work, or whose businesses suffered to the point that they simply cannot meet their obligations. Everyone understands that schools have an obligation and a desire to educate their children regardless of financial ability, but this places a stronger
onus on community members who do have the ability to help out. Yeshiva of South Shore currently occupies one of the oldest school buildings in the area. When the pandemic broke out, we were in the early stages of a rebuilding campaign that would enable us to function in a pleasant and proper setting. That came to a halt, but our renovations cannot. We need the proper technology installed to be able to educate every single child. Yeshiva of South Shore currently occupies one of the oldest school buildings in the area. When the pandemic broke out, we were in the early stages of a rebuilding campaign that would enable us to function in a spacious and state of the art facility. The campaign slowed during Covid, but the modifications that we need right now cannot. We need the proper technology and safety measures installed to be able to educate every single child safely. What is your closing message to the community at this time? From March through June there was a big worry about our shuls. Now, we need to shift our focus to our schools. People are inclined to assume that schools will somehow step up and be okay, but in truth, it is incumbent upon every community member to step up to the plate and assist in any way he or she can. Every Jewish community is marked by chessed organizations that provide food and other assistance to those in need. Education may be a less tangible need, but no less concrete or vital. Doing our part is no longer optional – it is the essence of our children’s future. Join Yeshiva of South Shore’s $501K Campaign as we join together, investing in a strong future for our children. Together, let’s give our children the best year ever! We need funding in order to provide a safe, successful school, which includes a scholarship fund, health and safety upgrades, technology upgrades, additional staffing and much more. But, most of all, it includes your help. Join YOSS on Aug 18 and 19 at Yoss501k.com.
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
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Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi Speaks Next Week
W
hat better way to start this “Elul season” than with the most inspiring talk of the year? Join Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi, world renowned speaker, in a special Erev Rosh Chodesh Zoom program on Wednesday, August 19 at 8:30 pm. “Love, Laughter & Lessons Learned: Resiliency in Ourselves and Our Relationships” will be an extraordinarily uplifting night that will give strength and insight during these unprecedented times. Words of introduction by Rebbetzin Lisa Septimus will start off the evening as she offers her own unique perspective. This exclusive event is presented by The Jewish Women Leaders Council of the Five Towns (JWLC) which consists of local Orthodox rebbetzins and community leaders. The UJA Federation New York and the Marion and Aaron Gural JCC are coordinating the program with additional sponsorships by Suri Lenore Davis and Cedarhurst Trustee Myrna Zisman. There is no charge for the event but registration is required at www.guraljcc. org/jwlc/ The Jewish Women Leaders Council of the Five Towns was created to help strengthen the Jewish community in the Five Towns by uniting the women leaders to collaborate and address issues, trends and concerns impacting the community. Its inaugural event in February, “Love & Laughter” featuring
Ashley Blaker, Dr. David Pelcovitz and Rachel Pill, attracted nearly 1,000 attendees. This program, on Wednesday, August 19, continues on the year’s theme of strengthening relationships as we confront outside challenges. As never before, each person can benefit from the helpful tips and self-awareness provided by the speakers. Everyone is welcome to join! Members of the JWLC include: Rebbetzin Rookie Billet, Suri Lenore Davis, Rachayle Deutsch, Dr. Deborah Dienstag, Rebbetzin Aviva Feiner, Stacey Feldman, Rebbetzin Malki Feigenbaum, Rebbetzin Margie Glatt, Rebbetzin Debbie Greenblatt, Rebbetzin Nancy Hain, Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, Elisheva Kaminetsky, Rebbetzin Shani Lefkowitz, Rebbetzin Nava Orlian, Rachel Pill, Rebbetzin Tova Polakoff, Rebbetzin Paghit Ralbag, Rebbetzin Lisa Septimus, Shoshana Soroka Halpern, Leanne Taylor, Rebbetzin Sori Teitelbaum, Rebbetzin Malka Trump, Mindi Werblowski, Rebbetzin Myrna Weinberger, Debra Weinrib, Rebbetzin Chanie Wolowik, Myrna Zisman, and Rebbetzin Tzipporah Weinberger, along with Sepi Djavaheri, community mobilizer at the UJA-Federation of New York.
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AUGUST 13, 2020 OCTOBER 29, 2015| The | TheJewish JewishHome Home
THIS WEEK, WE’RE TALKING TO…
Camp Funshine
By Susan Schwamm
1, 2, 3…8 weeks of amazing summer fun! For the last few weeks, our children have been basking in the sun, swimming, singing, and soaking up the fun every day. How are they spending their time away from their Zoom tablets and desks? In this series, we are speaking with camp directors and head counselors to learn more about our community’s amazing, spectacular, incredible, marvelous, unbelievable (you get the point!) camps. GOING TO CAMP WHEN YOU’RE YOUNG IS NONSTOP FUN IF YOU’RE IN CAMP FUNSHINE. LOCATED IN NORTH WOODMERE, CAMP FUNSHINE PROVIDES MILES OF SMILES FOR MORE THAN 125 CHILDREN IN OUR COMMUNITY. WHETHER IT’S SINGING, SWIMMING OR DANCING TO THE BEAT, THESE YOUNGSTERS CAN’T STOP GIGGLING THE WHOLE SUMMER THROUGH. THIS WEEK WE SPOKE WITH MRS. MIRIAM GRUENSTEIN, CAMP FUNSHINE’S DIRECTOR, TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ALL THE FUN.
Mrs. Gruenstein, we hear such wonderful things about Camp Funshine. Tell us more about the camp. Funshine is an adorable camp for 3-5-year-olds based out of Ohr Torah in North Woodmere. We attract campers from North Woodmere and the Five Towns and as far away as Far Rockaway. Everyone loves Camp Funshine for its warmth and how happy everyone is here every day! Camp Funshine has been around for a while. What’s different this year? Well, we were fully enrolled for 2020 way back in January, and we already had an amazing summer calendar planned by February. The world went on pause but when things settled down and the governor finally came out with camp rules, we
were ready to adapt very quickly. We prepared a safety plan, adjusted our program accordingly, and notified parents of our commitment to opening for this summer for the sake of the community. We serve little children and both they and their parents really needed camp this summer! B”H, we have been able to provide a really safe, smooth summer for the campers – the hundreds of daily smiles make all the sleepless nights of camp prep worth it! How many campers enjoy Camp Funshine? How do you structure the camp so every camper is involved? Every summer we serve between 125-150 campers. Because our spots are so limited, we fill up very quickly every summer. The beauty of that number of campers is that we are able
to provide big camp perks and professionalism but small camp attention and love for every child! How do you make them feel at home and excited to come to camp every day? Our morahs and teen counselors are very warm and loving. We are always playing music, singing songs, or interacting with the kids. Every day feels fresh and exciting, and they are genuinely happy to be here having fun! You’re dealing with little ones. Do you have nap time or time during the day for a little “downtime”? It depends on the age and on the mother’s preference! Some of our youngest bunks do real naptimes, while other bunks just have a story
TheJewish JewishHome Home| OCTOBER | AUGUST 13, The 29, 2020 2015
time break to calm them down and provide a midday rest. Sandwiched around that “downtime” is nonstop action and fun! Tell us about your amazing staff. We get a lot of wonderful applicants every summer so we are able to handpick a truly wonderful staff. Everyone applying to Camp Funshine is doing so because they want to work with young children. Our staff love their campers, and the campers love them right back! How is the day structured? We have a well-rounded schedule for every bunk that has a good mix of activities. A bunk might have a specialty, then bounce houses, then a craft, then water play, and then lunch. We have short periods because these are young children and we want them to enjoy each period fully and have it really engage them.
Sounds like the perfect balance between excitement and downtime for these youngsters. Is there a theme this year? This summer’s adorable theme is the Days of Creation. Each week represented another day. The shows and projects then tied in to the corresponding day. For example, for “Yom Sheini” Week (when Hashem created birds in the sky), we had an awesome Parrot Show! We also flew kites in the “sky.” For Yom Shishi (when Hashem created people), it was all about our campers! We had a talent show featuring our bunks, had very creative face painting, and had a lifelike Puppet Show. Do you bring in special performers or special acts for the kids to enjoy? Every summer we have weekly shows and several trips each half. This summer we nixed the trips for safety reasons and instead brought in extra shows. The boys and girls enjoyed a bubble show, magic show,
wacky science show, pony rides, a puppet show, and so much more. It felt like every other day another amazing performer was here entertaining them! As you walk around camp, what are three things that you hear the most throughout the day? The kids laughing! As you walk around our campus, you hear sounds of delight and laughter as all the kids are immensely enjoying their activities of the day. And, of course, you hear lots of music and cheers! We always have music playing, which creates a happy environment throughout the camp day. Kids say the cutest things. Anything cute today that you’ve overheard between the little ones? We love to overhear the kids talk! Two of the adorable things we heard them say today is, “This camp is the best” and “I wake my mommy up so
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early, so I can come to camp!” Are there special songs that they love to sing? We actually have a Camp Funshine song that we produced and recorded. It is really adorable and we get to hear them sing the chorus of “We love Camp Funshine!” It is super cute. Many of them know all the words and sing it at home all the time, too! Give us the top five activities at Camp Funshine. • Water Play • Food Art • Bounce Houses • Yoga • Challah Baking Were there any “surprises” this summer at Camp Funshine? Little kids like stability. Instead of surprising them, we just make sure that every single day is awesome! Parents get a calendar at the beginning of the summer, and it is jam-packed with adorable shows and activities. Perhaps the nicest surprise was one we added for parents – a bonus week of camp! There are very few safe places to travel this summer, and some schools are starting their preschools pretty late. Therefore, we added a program for August 24th – 28th and that is filling up fast. Parents appreciate that we have their backs in these trying times!
By the Numbers...
3 Inflatables 6 Specialty morahs 10 Bunks 15 Shows 150 Smiling faces daily
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AUGUST 13, 2020 | The Jewish Home
New Releases from DANIELLE RENOV’S COOKBOOK
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Meet Sarah Dreamer, a little girl with a big imagination, who dreams of… … flying like a bird …running like a cheetah …growing like a tree. Sarah Dreamer is a charming book about unconditional love that will delight young readers, as it gently gives over the vital message of being happy with who they are.
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The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
INSPIRING JEWS ... ONE BOOK AT A TIME
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SHALOM. PEACE. IT’S THE KEY TO ALL OF OUR BLESSINGS.
WANT TO BUILD THE BEST LIFE YOU CAN? START WITH GREAT BLUEPRINTS!
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Blueprints
by Yisroel Besser
from The Chofetz Chaim
The life and legacy of Rabbi Dovid Trenk
Daily wisdom on how to live in peace with family, friends, and yourself
Rabbi Dovid Trenk, the legendary mechanech, showed people just how great they could be. Now, he’ll show you the greatness inside others – and you. Yisroel Besser captures the exuberance, the excitement, and the vast power of Rabbi Trenk’s love in a book that will change your life.
Live the Blessing is a daily reader that combines Torah-based wisdom with practical, down-toearth techniques to guide us in making, and keeping, peace. The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation’s books on shemiras halashon changed the way we speak. This book will change the way we live.
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by Rabbi Yaakov Feitman The Torah is the blueprint of our world. When we face challenges, questions or dilemmas, or we want to find the right answers and the best solutions, we look at the blueprints — the Torah. In Blueprints, Rabbi Yaakov Feitman, a respected and beloved rav, author, and speaker, shares a Torah perspective — and Torah solutions — to a host of contemporary issues. Rabbi Feitman’s vast familiarity with Torah sources, combined with his knowledge of current thought — and a generous dose of humor — make these essays stimulating, thought-provoking, and yes, even life-changing.
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TJH
Centerfold
You gotta be
kidding
Riddle me this? A vacationing family sitting around the campfire has the following conversation: Father: What day is it? I am sure it isn’t Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Mother: Well, that’s not very helpful. Besides yesterday was Friday.
Yankel and Mindel bought a fishing boat and started using it at their summer home. Yankel did most of the driving of the boat, but wanted Mindel to learn how to drive the boat. One day, while on the lake, Yankel turned to Mindel and said, “Take the wheel, dear. Pretend that I am sick and you have to get the boat safely to shore and dock it.” Mindel took the wheel and drove the boat to shore and safely docked it.
Father: No, now that I think about it, yesterday wasn’t Friday; tomorrow is Friday. Dave: The day after tomorrow is Thursday. Sarah: You are funny. Tomorrow is Thursday. Mother: Actually, it’s probably Thursday today. Danny: All we know for sure is that it wasn’t Sunday yesterday. If only one statement above is true, what day of the week is it?
Later that evening, Mindel walked into the living room where Yankel was watching television. She sat down next to him, switched the TV channel, and said to him, “Yankel, please go into the kitchen, dear. Pretend that I’m sick and clean the kitchen, cook dinner and wash the dishes.”
1. Monday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 2. Saturday 3. Thursday 4. Tuesday 5. Wednesday 6. Thursday
7. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday The only day mentioned one time is Monday. Therefore, it must be Monday; otherwise one of the other statements would be true.
1.
AUGUST 13, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
See answer below
Answer to Riddle: Monday. How to get to the answer: Number each statement and write down the list of days that it could be according to each statement.
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The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
Being A Lefty Is Al-Right y. Here are some facts August 13 was Left-Hander’s Da u feel that they’re more about lefties that may make yo than just in their “right mind.”
th are “lefties.” Between 10-12% of people on ear
1. 2.
womb, 90% of baUltrasounds show that, in the mb, which corbies appear to favor the right thu owns of right-handers and responds to population breakd left-handers
ple are forbidden In many Islamic countries, peo with their left hand.
12. 13.
ily chain of succession Those in the British royal fam th II, Prince Charles, are all lefties – Queen Elizabe rge are all lefties. Prince William and Prince Geo
3.
y left hand indicates According to tradition, an itch y right hand indicates you will lose money. An itch you will receive money. vous and Mental DisAccording to the Journal of Ner tible to negative emoease, lefties are more suscep the right side of their brains tions because they engage in c experiment, lefties who were more aggressively. In a scientifi showed more fear. shown a clip from a scary film
14.
por tion of left-handers Researchers believe that the pro out history. has remained constant through
4. 5.
time of a child’s birth Mothers who are over 40 at the left-handed baby than a are 128% more likely to have a woman in her 20s.
s, right-handed babies When placed on their stomach right. Left-handed babies tend to turn their heads to the left or don’t show any preferusually turn their heads to the ence.
6.
w handedness seem to be Cats, rats, and mice that sho left-pawedness. equally split between right- and
7. 8.
-handedness has been At various times in history, left a sign of neurosis, rebelseen as many things including lion, and criminality. es from the Anglo-Saxon The word left in English com or broken. word lyft, which means weak
9. 10.
mancino, which is deIn Italian, the word for lefty is d” (mancus) and is also rived from “crooked” or “maime est. In Russian, to be called a used to mean deceitful or dishon insult. left-hander (lev ja) is a term of gest a negative view of Cer tain phrases in English sug a “left-handed complileft-handedness. For example, ment” is actually an insult.
11.
to eat
typed using only the The longest words that can be hand placement are left hand with conventional ades. sweaterdresses and tesseradec
15.
spiral notebooks, beLefties are more likely to loathe to smudge what you cause it’s nearly impossible not current hyper-tech era, notehave just written. (Before the tion which held numerous pabooks were a common contrap a device called a “pen,” which pers together. People would use ide, to write things down.) was a narrow tube with ink ins
16.
with creativity and Left-handedness is associated Rachmaninoff, Michelangelo, musical abilities. Beethoven are among exLeonardo da Vinci, Mozar t and traordinary talented lefties.
17.
-handers are more Studies have suggested that left math, and architectalented in spatial awareness, more talented verbally. ture. Right-handers tend to be
18.
ociated with being Left-handedness is also ass llectuals include smart. Famous left-handed inte , Charles Dar win, Benjamin Albert Einstein, Isaac New ton old Commissioner). Franklin (and the TJH Centerf
19.
you may be more Being left-handed also means ough only a small likely to become president. Alth lefty, five out of the last eight percentage of the population is nts Ford, Reagan, Bush #41, presidents were lefties: Preside Clinton and Obama.
20.
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AUGUST 13, 2020 | The Jewish Home The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
3
Torah Thought
Parshas Re’eh By Rabbi Berel Wein
T
o Moshe, life choices are clear and self-evident. He tells the Jewish people to merely look, and they will see the difference between life and death, good and evil, eternity and time-burdened irrelevance. He implores the Jewish people to use their common sense, to pay attention to the experiences over the past 40 years in the desert, and their story. Then, they will be able to clearly see their choices in life and what basic decisions they must make regarding what should be visible and obvious to them.
Yet, we know that even when people are aware of the consequences of their behavior, when, so to speak,
the wrong turn in life. People know that all addictive drugs and immoral behavior inevitably lead to personal
We always see what we want to see.
they actually do see the differences and choices that lie before them, they will often choose to sin and take
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disaster. The evidence for this is so abundant that all of us know cases and people who somehow willingly and even voluntarily choose this path of self-destruction. None of this holds people back from themselves. The stor y is told about a man who was becoming an alcoholic, who was taken by his children to visit skid row where the victims of alcoholism reside on the street in their drunken stupor. One of the drunks was wallowing in the gutter amidst the filth that permeated the area. His children – those of the potential alcoholic – said to him: “Father don’t you see where excessive drinking will lead you?” However, the man went over to the drunk in the gutter and whispered to him: “Where did you get such good and powerful whiskey?” We always see what we want to see. What is perfectly obvious to the sane and rational mind, is not seen by one captured by the evil instinct, affected by social pressure, and suffering from a lack of self-discipline
All parents and educators know you may lead someone to a fountain of fresh water but you cannot make that person drink from it, unless the person wishes to do so. It is hard to convince people to see what they do not want to see and to believe what they do not wish to believe. All the exhortations of the prophets of Israel were of little avail in the times of the first Temple, simply because the people refused to see the obvious consequences of idol worship and the abandonment of Torah and its teachings. The only hope for parents and educators is to improve the eyesight, so to speak, of their children and
students, so that those individuals themselves will be able to perceive the clear difference between life and death, right and wrong. This is a slow and painful process, but with persistence it can be successful and lifesaving. Good eyesight requires tenacity of focus as well as excellent peripheral vision. Jewish tradition and Torah values within both the family and society help provide the good vision which enables productive choices, that will lead to eternal life and goodness. Shabbat shalom.
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From the Fire
Parshas Re’eh Search Required By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf
T
he search for the Beis Hamikdash is one of the central points in this week’s parsha. Without specifically identifying its location, the pasuk (Devarim 12:5) says, “The place Hashem your G-d will choose from all of your tribes to affix His name there, you shall seek Him there at His dwelling and come there.” The Torah is telling us that an integral part of the building of the Beis Hamikdash is that we must “seek Him there…” The Location of the Beis Hamikdash Instead of specifying the place where the Beis Hamikdash would be built, the Torah repeatedly says that the Beis Hamikdash shall be in “the place Hashem your G-d will choose.” This phrase is used no less than sixteen times in this week’s parsha alone. According to our Sages, this is why the Beis Hamikdash is called Beis Ha’bechira, The House of Choice. But why is the location of the Beis Hamikdash treated by the Torah as such a mystery? Why must the Torah repeatedly say that it is in “the place Hashem your G-d will choose”? It is clear from Chazal that Hashem designated the future location of the Beis Hamikdash from the beginning of time, even carving out the site of the altar and canals for the wine libations at the time of the six days of creation (Sukkah 49a). The Rambam (Beis Habechira 2:2) teaches that: There is a tradition maintained by everyone that the place where Dovid and Shlomo built the altar is the same place where Avraham built an altar and bound Yitzchak,
the same place where Noach built [an altar] when he left the Ark. It is the [location of] the altar on which Kayin and Hevel offered sacrifices, and on which Adam sacrificed an offering when he was created, and Adam was created from that place. The sages say, “Man was formed from the place of his atonement.” It is clear that we have known from the time of creation that the Beis Hamikdash would be built on a certain mountain in Yerushalayim. According to the Midrash (Pirkei D’Rebbe Eliezer 28), Avraham circumcised himself at the future location of the Beis Hamikdash and his blood flowed into the earth that would eventually fill the altar. If this was known long before Hashem gave us the Torah, why does He conceal the location? Rav Shlomo Hakohein Rabinowicz of Radomsk, zt”l, the Tiferes Shlomo, expressed the question clearly: Why did the pasuk not explicitly say, “The place that Hashem will choose, the holy mountain in Yerushalayim”? It would have been much clearer. Why the mystery? The answer to our question lies in the very same pasuk we started with. In order to find the location of the Beis Hamikdash, “you shall seek Him there at His dwelling.” We must seek it out. As the Midrash (Sifri) says, commenting on the pasuk, “Seek and you shall find it. And afterward, the prophet will tell you [that it is the correct spot].” Expanding on the Ramban, zt”l, on the same pasuk, the Malbim, zt”l, says: “This teaches them that Hashem will not reveal the chosen place through His prophets until they make an effort and seek it out. Then, [Hashem] will pour a spirit from
above upon them after the appropriate preparation…” Along these lines, the Chasam Sofer, zt”l (Resp. Yoreh Deah 234), teaches that the location of the Beis Hamikdash was “hidden until [Hashem] illuminated their eyes in the days of Dovid Hamelech.” In other words, Hashem is telling us that it is not enough that He chose the location of the Beis Hamikdash. We must choose it, seek it out, long for it, and do everything we can to find it. And who finally revealed Hashem’s choice as the actual location of the Beis Hamikdash? The man who felt more “unchosen” than anyone else in the world: Dovid Hamelech. Dovid wrote about himself (Tehillim 118:22), “The stone despised by the builders became the cornerstone.” It became the very foundation of the entire Beis Hamikdash. Even after Shmuel Hanavi told Yishai that one of his sons would be the next anointed king and excluded all of Dovid’s other brothers, it still never even occurred to his father and brothers that Dovid could possibly be the anointed one (Shmuel I 16:6-11). Yet Dovid, the “stone despised by the builders,” became the cornerstone, the beginning of a new dynasty to which Moshiach himself would eventually trace his lineage. Dovid said (Tehillim 42:8), “All of Your breakers and waves passed over me.” He went through so much suffering. Chazal even discuss (see Yevamos 77a-b) whether Dovid was allowed to marry into the Jewish people! Dovid certainly knew what it meant to feel “unchosen” and what it mean to seek, work, long, pray, and toil until he found his place in the Jewish people. Hashem therefore chose him to clearly
reveal the location of the Beis Hamikdash and build its foundation. Dovid Hamelech represented the pinnacle of choice, the highest fulfillment of our obligation to “seek Him there at His dwelling and come there.” In verses that Chazal say refer to Dovid, Shlomo Hamelech described this attribute of his father as follows (Shir Hashirim 3:1-2): “In my bed at night I sought that which my soul loves; I sought but I did not find. I will arise and walk around the city, in the market places and city squares. I will seek that which my soul loves. I sought but I did not find.” What was it that he sought out so deeply? What was it that robbed him of sleep? Dovid wrote in Tehillim (132:1, 3-5), “A song of ascents: Remember, Hashem, Dovid, all of his affliction [in his toil to find a place for Hashem’s presence to rest – Rashi]… I shall not come into the tent of my house; I shall not go upon the bed that was prepared for me. Nor shall I give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my pupils until I find a place for Hashem, dwelling-places for the Mighty One of Yaakov.” All Dovid Hamelech sought was the place where Hashem’s presence could be felt on a permanent basis in this world. He conducted his investigation by indefatigably searching through the streets and markets of Yerushalayim, looking for clues, comparing each location to maps and psukim, trying to find the exact location of the alter and the Holy of Holies. That is why Hashem answered his prayers and rewarded his search with success. Hashem chose the place where we chose Him (ibid. at 13-14), “For Hashem has chosen Zion, He desired it for a dwelling-place. This is
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Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, is the founding Morah d’Asrah of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, NY, and serves as leader of the new mechina Emek HaMelech.
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made us and we are His.” It is not enough to look to Hashem alone and not give ourselves credit for anything we have. We must also realize that we are His, we have a unique and special relationship with Him. In fact, if we put the two ways of reading that word together, it contains the same letters as the month of Elul. Whether it is an intimate human relationship, our relationship with
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when “I am my beloved’s,” when I search out the one I love, will I merit to attain the level called “and my beloved is mine.” Anyone in a successful relationship knows this to be true. It is so sad to have a wife and to give up searching for her, to have a child and to no longer seek him out. This two-stage process is also reflected in the double meaning of the Hebrew word for “betrothed, me’kudeshes.” The chosson says to his bride, “Harei at me’kudeshes li, Behold you are betrothed to me.” On one hand, the word implies that she is forbidden to every other man in the world. Betrothed here is a word signifying exclusion. This meaning of the word is related to the word hekdesh, sanctified to the Beis Hamikdash, i.e., forbidden to everyone such that no one may use the sanctified object for anything other than its designated purpose. So too, the bride and groom agree, through their betrothal, not to look anywhere else in the world. But the word “betrothed, me’kudeshes,” also means that the two are dedicated to one another. This usage implies inclusion, a positive, proactive dedication to one another. They are saying that they one have eyes for one another. These two aspects of the relationship between a husband and wife are also apparent in our relationship with Hashem, as hinted at in the pasuk (Tehillim 100:3), “He made us and we are His.” The word for “His,” however, is read one way and written another way. It is written as if says “lo,” meaning “no/not.” According to this reading, the pasuk says “He made us and not us,” i.e., we did not make ourselves. We must know that our relationship
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Hashem chose the place where we chose Him.
Hashem, or meriting the fulfillment of Hashem’s dwelling place on earth, where the intimacy of the relationship between the Jewish nation and G-d is most revealed, there is always a duel nature. On one hand, there is the exclusion of all else which is personified by searching and longing. And there is the dedication to one another, the intimacy personified by Hashem’s revelation of the location of the Beis Hamikdash after our search and by the way a husband and wife find each other. May Hashem put all of our difficulties behind us, may He reveal the way forward toward the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash soon in our days, and may every husband and wife merit finding one another and never looking at anyone else but their beloved.
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with Hashem must exclude the perception that we take credit for any aspect of attainments, skills, or accomplishments. It is a word of exclusion. But the word is also read as if it says “lo,” meaning “His.” According to this reading, the pasuk says, “He
WE
Marriage Partners Just like one must seek out Hashem, the One without Whom we are incomplete, we also seek out a marriage partner, the one with whom we will build a home that serves as a microcosm of the Beis Hamikdash. Why is there so much searching involved in finding one’s mate? We know Chazal say (Sota 2a), “Forty days before a fetus is formed, a Heavenly Voice goes out and says, ‘The daughter of so-and-so to so-and-so!’” If the right person is predetermined, why is it so hard to find one’s destined soulmate? First, one cannot find his mate without first feeling a profound sense of loneliness. One must feel he is missing an essential part of himself, that “it is not good for man to be alone,” Bereishis 2:18. One must first experience that existential loneliness before he is reunited with his other half and can say (ibid. at 23), “This time it is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.” The pasuk which personifies the connection between marriage and our loving relationship with Hashem is (Shir Hashirim 6:3), “Ani l’dodi v’dodi li, I am my beloved’s and my beloved
is mine.” We know that Chazal teach that the first letters of those words spell Elul, the month in the Hebrew calendar which starts this week and marks the beginning of the teshuva process. This pasuk shows that we must first seek out our beloved. Only
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My resting place forever, here I shall dwell, for I desired it.” It is the same now. We may know the location of the Beis Hamikdash but strangers defile it every single day and we cannot rebuild. Vile terrorists fire rockets at Yerushalayim and Jews all over Eretz Yisroel. So we continue to daven for the Beis Hamikdash, to seek it out. As the Tiferes Shlomo says, “Even if we know this place, that it is in Yerushalayim, and that no other place will be chosen, nevertheless, it is still impossible to build [the Beis Hamikdash] there until Hashem chooses our prayers and desires ‘from all of your tribes,’ that they are worthy that it should be built for them and that Hashem should cause His presence to dwell among them.” We may know where the Beis Hamikdash will be rebuilt, but there is so much impurity standing in the way and the right time has not yet arrived. In fulfillment of the pasuk, “you shall seek Him there at His dwelling,” we must daven and hope for the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash constantly.
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The Wandering
Jew
A Tale of Two Cities Kishinev & Lugano By Hershel Lieber
B
y 1999, it had already been four years since I was involved with the Yeshiva of Kishinev. Under the stewardship of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel, the yeshiva, which included both a boys and girls division, introduced Jewish education to high school-age children in this city of the former Soviet Union. In 1995, Rabbi Moshe Eisemann, together with myself, took over the day-to-day operations of the schools through daily interactions with the staff by phone and by making numerous trips to Kishinev each year to supervise its progress. In addition, we carried the entire burden of raising the budget, which ranged between $250,000 to $300,000 annually. To achieve this goal, we would organize from time to time “Leadership Tours” to Kishinev under the leadership of well-known rabbanim and we would attempt to entice other participants, especially wealthier ones, to join. We felt that once the vis-
The girls’ school of Kishinev
At the banquet in honor of the eight brisos (left to right: Rabbis Eisemann & Fischer)
itors would see our accomplishments, they would help us financially to cover our budget. Our goals were effective
most of the time, but not always were those trips successful. Kishinev was a backwater destina-
A warm welcome from Kishinev Yeshiva
tion whose lackluster sights provided little interest to the average traveler. It did not possess the charisma of Paris, the grandeur of Madrid, the oldworld charm of Prague, the antiquity of Rome, nor the mystery of Moscow. In order to persuade potential donors to join on this journey, we would add a city which had a rich Jewish history to our itinerary as an additional attraction. Moscow, Prague, Warsaw, and Amsterdam were some of the destinations that our visitors stopped at en route to Kishinev. We put up our guests in the best hotel in Kishinev, which was still a far cry from what they were used to when they traveled on vacation. But, as I said earlier, we were generally able to sell our project when our visitors encountered our students and recognized their achievements. Back to 1999. I had convinced two of my closest friends to join me for a trip I was organizing on behalf
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020 The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
Mount Brie overlooking Lake Lugano
of the Vaad to Kishinev. They agreed on condition that we would include other destinations in our itinerary, which would turn the trip into a vacation as well. We knew beforehand that Kishinev was not listed among the 500 best known vacation spots in the world. I readily agreed, since I felt that their visit to Kishinev would yield financial help to our project. I was also excited to spend some vacation time with them. And so, on November 9, 1999, Pesi and I met our friends Beryl and Esther Jachimowitz together with Shlomo and Miriam Stern, as well as other six other couples, at JFK Airport. Joining us was Rabbi Moshe Eisemann and Rabbi Yitzchok Aron Fischer on behalf of the Vaad. We made a two-day stop in Budapest where we were able to take in most major attractions, as well as Jewish sights of interest. The next afternoon we were back at the airport en route to Kishinev, the capital of the Republic of Moldova. From Thursday afternoon through Shabbos and on Sunday as well, we had the opportunity to showcase our yeshiva and its beautiful products, our students. We davened with our boys
With the American ambassador to Moldova
On the Grand Canal of Venice
and sat and studied with them. The women lectured at the girls’ school and connected with them on a personal level. Rabbi Fischer performed eight brisos for boys who had just entered our yeshiva. We toured the city with a historian who detailed the rich Jewish history associated with this town including the infamous Kishinev pogroms. All our students joined us for the Shabbos davening, the hearty meals, and the delightful singing. The Melava Malka included singing, speeches, and gifts to all the students. Sunday was the official opening of our girls’ school building which
In Venice’s San Marco Square
financially helping our yeshiva. We were rewarded with generous pledges of support as well as compliments on our successes. All in all, this segment of our trip was a major triumph. The final segment of this trip began on Monday, November 15. I organized a week’s vacation together with the Sterns and Jachimowitzs in Lugano, Switzerland, near the Italian border. Beryl and Esther would remain with Pesi and me through next Sunday, while Shlomo and Miriam had to get back to New York before Shabbos. We arrived in Lugano late
We had the opportunity to showcase our yeshiva and its beautiful products, our students.
we bought a year before and had completely renovated. A large crowd joined the festivities including our visitors and the students. Rabbi Zalman Abelsky, the Chabad rabbi, opened the program with Tehillim, which was followed by the American ambassador and others. Rabbi Shlomo Stern spoke, and Rabbi Fischer was the M.C. The program was followed by bringing in a Sefer Torah to the boys’ school. The spirited dancing and the lively music on the streets of Kishinev were probably a first in fifty years since before World War II. On Sunday, we approached our participants about
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Monday afternoon after taking a train from Zurich through the scenic Alps. There was a kosher establishment in Lugano called “Hotel Dan” run by the Gefen family where we stayed. The rooms were comfortable if not luxurious. The main attraction was that we would have daily meals and a place to daven and have our Shabbos seudos. During the week, we would daven at the town’s shul which was under the leadership of the Biala Rebbe. The hotel was already closed this time of the year, but opened up for a week to accommodate the Boyaner Rebbe who was vacationing in
Switzerland at that time. Lugano is not known for any special sights, rather vacationing there takes the form of relaxation and winding down, which was exactly what we did. We walked along Lake Lugano and went up by funicular to Mount Brie’s beautiful vantage point overlooking the town and lake. We strolled around the rather quiet downtown area, mostly window shopping. We took a one hour walk along the mountainside bordering the lake to the town of Gandria, which is only accessible by boat or foot. In the evening, we went to a mostly Mozart and Schubert concert at the Conservatorium. We had long brunches and delicious dinners. In short, we were enjoying the laid-back atmosphere after our hectic week in Kishinev. Still, we could not miss the opportunity to visit Venice which was about a three-hour drive across the border in Italy. We rented a car, and Beryl, who knew how to drive using a stick shift, drove us at record speeds to our destination. We managed to see the highlights of this romantic city by taking a two-hour guided boat tour, even though the weather was quite cold. Then we went to the ghetto area where we visited a number of the century-old synagogues and the Jewish museum, where we ate at their café. We also davened Mincha at Chabad together with bochurim from their yeshiva. This short trip to Venice was only a teaser for me, and it tempted me to return for a longer stay many years later. On Thursday evening, during Mincha-Maariv at the main shul, we had the opportunity to meet and greet the Boyaner Rebbe. He was extremely
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that we would love to have him join us. I was a bit surprised that his gabbai actually acceded to my demand but was not surprised that the Rebbe accepted my invitation. That seudah was so special, in that we all sat together, talking, eating, singing, and sharing divrei Torah in a completely relaxed atmosphere – almost like with friends.
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The Boyaner Rebbe
warm, and we were privy to observe his humility. Although the Rebbe has thousands of chassidim throughout the world, he sat amongst the small group of mispallelim and listened attentively as the Biala Rebbe gave a Mishna Brura shiur between Mincha and Maariv. On Shabbos, we did not walk to the shul and spent the entire time at the hotel. We had an exact minyan of men, including the Boyaner Rebbe. On Friday night, I davened Kabbolas Shabbos at the amud. When the Rebbe thanked me, I mentioned that my son, Mechel, had just asked me to inquire from the Rebbe about a story concerning the Rebbe’s ancestor, the Rizhiner Rebbe. The Rebbe told me to meet him the next day a half an hour before Mincha and we could discuss that story. I am still in awe of the experience of spending about twenty minutes sitting alone in discussion with the Rebbe. After Mincha, I asked the Rebbe’s gabbai if the Rebbe would join the other nine men for Shalosh Seudos. The gabbai said that the Rebbe was here for a rest and would prefer to eat privately with his family. I persisted and insisted that he tell Rebbe
Epilogue: Two years later, I was with my family is Israel for Sukkos. On Shemini Atzeres evening, I went to see the Hakofos by the Boyaner Rebbe. I was standing high on the bleachers facing the Rebbe’s amud. When the Rebbe returned from dancing a hakafa, I managed to get his attention and stuck out my hand to give the Rebbe shalom aleichem. I asked the Rebbe if he remembered me. Without any hesitation, and with a twinkle and smile, he retorted, “A vadai – Lugano.” Hershel Lieber has been involved in kiruv activities for over 30 years. As a founding member of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel he has traveled with his wife, Pesi, to the Soviet Union during the harsh years of the Communist regimes to advance Yiddishkeit. He has spearheaded a yeshiva in the city of Kishinev that had 12 successful years with many students making Torah their way of life. In Poland, he lectured in the summers at the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation camp for nearly 30 years. He still travels to Warsaw every year – since 1979 – to be the chazzan for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for the Jews there. Together with Pesi, he organized and led trips to Europe on behalf of Gateways and Aish Hatorah for college students finding their paths to Jewish identity. His passion for travel has taken them to many interesting places and afforded them unique experiences. Their open home gave them opportunities to meet and develop relationships with a variety of people. Hershel’s column will appear in The Jewish Home on a bi-weekly basis.
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Dining at Hotel Dan with the Jachimowitzs and Sterns
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
Countering Te r r o r , Encountering Jihad Remove the bl inders and illu fascinating co sions. Join us f nversation ab or a out Reality in the Middle Eas t.
Eve Harow in conversation with Dr. Harold Rhode & Marc Provisor
Date: Tuesday August 18th / Av 28 Time: 1:30pm EDT / 8:30pm Israel
Dr. Harold Rhode
Dr. Harold Rhode is widely recognized as one of the world’s foremost experts on Islamic culture. He worked in the Office of the US Dept of Defense for 28 years as an Advisor of Islamic (Iranian, Turkish and Arab) Affairs and travelled and studied extensively throughout the Islamic world. Since retiring in 2010 he devotes his time to educating Westerners on how Muslims see the non-Muslim world and why war will continue until we all convert, willingly or not, by any means possible, to Islam. But we can prevail.
Marc Provisor
Marc Provisor is an Israeli internationally recognized security consultant on Counter Terror Mitigation. He coordinated all military and civilian security related matters at "ground level" as the Chief Army Security Coordinator in the greater Shilo region from 1996 to 2006, earning the Award of Excellence and Valor from the IDF Central Command General. Provisor has provided counsel to the United States Department of Homeland Security, among others, and lectures widely. As One Israel Fund’s Director of Security Projects, his extensive involvement protecting Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza region has been credited with saving countless lives.
register at Oneisraelfund.org
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World
Builders
Rescue in a Yarkon Hotel By Raphael Poch
A
few weeks ago, on Tuesday, at 12:30 p.m., United Hatzalah’s Dispatch and Command Center received a phone call regarding a serious injury that had just taken place in a Tel Aviv hotel on HaYarkon Street. The dispatching system automatically alerted the five closest volunteers to the emergency. United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Lior Ashkenazi was one of those volunteers. Upon receiving the alert, Lior ran to his ambucycle, turned the switch, and rushed off to the hotel,
cutting through the busy afternoon traffic and arriving in less than three minutes. He dismounted from his ambucycle, grabbed his medical kit, and rushed inside to the lobby where he was met by the hotel manager. The manager ushered Lior upstairs to the hotel room where the incident had occurred. Lior tried opening the hotel room door but it was locked from the inside. The manager directed Lior to an alternative door from an adjacent room. That door wouldn’t budge ei-
ther. The determined EMT knew that it was imperative to get inside the room as a life may be dependent on it. He put his shoulder to the door and pushed as hard as he could until he finally managed to move the closet that had been blocking the door, gaining entry to the room. “When I got inside, at first glance, I thought that it was all over. It had looked like a murder scene straight from the TV,” said Lior. “The entire floor was covered with blood. I found
volunteers with United Hatzalah and often does ambulance shifts, arrived and assisted together with a third volunteer, also an ambucycle driver. Together, the three first responders took the sheets and covered the neck wound to stem the hemorrhaging while Lior set up an IV line and began to administer fluids to help raise the man’s blood pressure. They then bandaged the wrist wounds, and Dr. Sagiv administered oxygen. The three volunteers fought to stabilize
“It seemed impossible to me that he could still be alive.”
a man lying motionless on the hotel bed, and it seemed impossible to me that he could still be alive.” Lior ran over to the patient, moved the blood-soaked quilt, and checked the man’s pulse. He looked at the man’s chest to assess his breathing and surprisingly saw that it was rising and falling. Despite losing a lot of blood, the man still had a heartbeat and was still breathing. Lior saw deep lacerations on the man’s wrists and neck. As there was no one else in the room and the doors had been blocked from the inside, it appeared that the man had attempted to take his own life. Another United Hatzalah volunteer, Dr. Oren Sagiv, a physician who
the man and then transferred him onto a backboard and rushed him out to the ambulance that had just arrived and was waiting to transport the man to the nearest trauma center. “I’m glad that I arrived soon enough to help save the man,” Lior said. “Had I been even a few moments later or had I waited to open the room, the outcome may have been very different. Thankfully, the man is now receiving the physical and psychological care he needs and is on his way to recovery.”
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Lessons in Emunah and Achrayus Rabbi Pesach Lerner on Gush Katif – Before and After the Disengagement BY SUSAN SCHWAMM Rabbi Lerner, it’s been 15 years since the expulsion at Gush Katif. Tell us what happened when you heard about it. When the word came down that they were kicking the people out of Gush Katif, right away, I said to myself, “We can’t ignore this.” These people had been living there for years – some of them for 30 years. Some of them had been born there. This was tragic. I called Joe Frager and the Moskowitzes and told them that we had to go to the settlements. We went that week – right after they announced it. We ended up taking 50, 60 people there for the weekend – from Thursday to Sunday
At a food distr ib
ut ion site
night. We showed up, and they divided us up between 12 communities for the weekend. I ended up going to a community called Netzer Hazani; it was a beautiful community. When I was there, I noticed that there were so many different minhagim – Sephardim, Ashkenazim, Chabad. I asked them, “How do you daven together? How do you run it all?” And the answer was: minhag ha’chazzan. Whoever the chazzan is, that’s the nusach we follow. In the community that I stayed in, there was da’ati and lo da’ati. But the makolet only sold glatt because everyone agreed that they’re going to adhere to the “maximum” so no one should feel uncomfortable in each other’s homes. No one should have a question about where the food comes from. It was a beautiful experience. No one locked their doors at night; the kids were free, running around. It was so beautiful. Unbeknownst to us, there were three scuds that landed in the community when we were there. When we heard them, we asked them about the noise, and they said that it was this or that… they didn’t tell us what they were because they didn’t want to scare us. We went to give them
chizuk. But what did we know? We were a bunch of Americans. We don’t know how to give chizuk – they were giving us chizuk. They were unbelievable people. You have to understand something: to move into Gush Katif l’chatchila had be a big commitment because they were the frontlines. They were getting all the scuds. Because of them, the whole line was moved back. Ashkelon and Ashdod were out of range of the rockets because of those living in Gush Katif. Eventually, after they emptied out Gush Katif, all of a sudden, the range changed because the frontline was so much closer. The people living there were wonderful, wonderful people. They were farmers, working the greenhouses. They were providing a serious amount of the food, the vegetables and fruits, to the rest of the country, and they also were busy with export. They employed Arabs, and they shopped in the Arab shuks, because the typical Arab there, at the time, said, “We love you here. You’re giving us parnassa.” Chessed organizations used to bring in their trucks on a daily basis to Gush Katif. Gush Katif farmers would fill them up with fruits and vegetables. Not for sale – just to give because they cared and they loved Jews. What happened on that fateful day? It was Tisha B’Av. When the expulsion came, they were not fighting. They said, “You want to take me? I’m going peacefully. Let’s cry together. Open my door, and I welcome you for a meal. Sit. Before you throw me out, let me tell you about
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
Gush Katif.” These soldiers were not trained. They had no idea. They were expecting revolutionaries. They were not trained to know what they were coming into. And they met wonderful individuals and families. The government talked to soldiers before the expulsion and told them, “You’re going to run into fanatics. Be careful. You’re going to run into friction and challenges.” But the people of Gush Katif, when they saw these 18-, 19-year-old kids coming, they told them, “Before you throw me out, come have something to eat. Let me tell you about my house. Let me tell you about Gush Katif.” By the way, after the fact, the trauma that some of these young soldiers had for dragging these people out? 99% of the people they dragged out, they were passive. They were not responding and not reacting. These soldiers came in and listened to them and even cried with the people of Gush Katif. But they had their orders. The people of Gush Katif had amazing hashkafos and deep emunah and sensitivities. These were people who had died in rockets and terrorist attacks. They’d all been to the army. They were the best of the best. And then came the expulsion. If the Israeli government would’ve spent a tenth of the time figuring out what to do with them as they had spent on how to get rid of them… They had no plan. They had no plan on what to do with them after they threw them out of their homes. The bus drivers didn’t know where to take them. So where did they go? They went to the Kotel. My heart hurts hearing about this. Where did they go from there? Only after they went to the Kotel, with nowhere to go, the Israelis said, “Oh, oh, we have to put them somewhere.” So then they decid-
A happy boy
ed on hotels. They took over hotels for months and months at a time. You know what? You and I want to go on vacation, we go to hotels. It’s wonderful. But go there for five, six months where you have no schedule, no place to go, no place to do laundry – it’s a prison. Forget about laundry. They didn’t take any clothing with them. They didn’t pack. Most of these people said, “We’re coming back.” Many of them weren’t prepared. They left at the last second. distr ibuted Bags of food to be They were hoping, many of them, them used clothing, and you charge that it wouldn’t be happening or meches?” I remember Ehud Olmert’s answer even that they’ll be back. So they left with the was, “Everybody pays meches.” They had no clothing on their backs. heart. They sat there for months in the hotels – six, By Purim time, I got a call from somebody in seven, eight people per room. Efrat. A lot of the good people in Israel adopted You can’t wash your own clothing. You communities. So the people in Efrat adopted a can’t cook your own meals. The kids, there’s no certain community. And they tried to help them school. No nothing.
“If the Israeli government would’ve spent a tenth of the time figuring out what to do with them as they had spent on how to get rid of them…” I have a niece, who was a teenager at the time living in Israel. She and her friends from Bnei Akiva used to go every day to the hotels to make groups for the kids, to take them out away from their parents for a little bit, to give them activities – something! The government didn’t provide schools for their children? Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nobody thought about the day after; they were busy planning for the day of. You were involved in helping them. Right away, we put together tens and tens of thousands of boxes of clothing. I think we collected 150,000 boxes of clothing to send to them. I was at the National Council of Young Israel at the time. People were sending clothing from Brooklyn, Queens, the Five Towns, California – we shipped it all. At the time, Ehud Olmert was prime minister. And they were charging us meches [a customs tax] for the shipments coming in. Can you believe it? Shlomo Mostofsky, who was the president of the National Council of Young Israel then, asked Olmert publicly, “How could you charge them meches? You guys kicked them out. People in America are sending
out with clothing and other things. This woman called me and she said that she had gone to visit people in a hotel community. They told her, “You know, Purim is five, six weeks away. My kids’ costumes are in storage somewhere. I don’t even know where they’re stored.” This woman heard this and called me up. She asked me if I could help. I asked her what she needed. She said she needed 100 costumes. I asked her, “That’s all the kids in Gush Katif? 100?” “No,” she answered. “Those are only the kids in this particular community.” I told her, “You don’t know me. I’m crazy. If we do this, we’re going to do it right. I need you to tell me how many kids in all, their ages, if they’re male or female, what sizes…and we’re going to buy a costume for every child in the Gush Katif communities.” And that’s what we did. We started small. People would buy costumes and we’d send them with people to Israel. We had pick-up points and drop-off points. We were sending free costumes, five costumes here, six costumes here. At one point, someone made a connection with Phil Rosenblatt of Amazing Savings, and he got involved. But he realized this wasn’t practical – to buy the costumes in America and ship them to Israel. He started using his connections in Israel to find out where he could get costumes in Israel.
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He found a woman in Haifa who had a warehouse full of costumes, and she was selling them for cheap. She was not da’ati. We had to pay her before she would commit to send us the costumes. She heard of what we were doing, and she delivered them herself. She came with a truck, and she told the people: “I’ve never been to Gush Katif. I’ve never been amongst you religious people. You’re not my cup of tea. But I heard what you’ve been doing. I had to see it.” She drove into Efrat in shorts, a tank top, with an earring coming out of her belly button. And she came in and she said, “I’ve never seen something like this in all of my life.” In the end, they distributed 2,500 costumes. They designated houses for the costumes for different communities and then went around a week or two before Purim to deliver them. The joy that it gave these kids… I remember someone telling me that when they gave the child their costume, the child couldn’t believe he could keep it. He couldn’t believe that it was really his. A few months later, around Shavuos time, I was in Israel and I was staying in Jerusalem Gold, which is near the Tachana HaMerkazit. Some people from Gush Katif were being housed there, and they recognized me. A mother and child came over to me and said, “Thanks.” (I still get emotional when I remember what happened.) I said, “Thank you.” She said, “No, you don’t know what you did to us. We walked into the Purim seudah. It was the same room we’ve been for the last six months. Again, the same fancy food. But I don’t want fancy food. I want my food; I want to cook for my family. But we walked in, and every kid had a costume. “You took us out of our misery for an afternoon because we were able to forget about Gush Katif for a short while.”
Nitzan who are still in caravans – the same caravans they were put in temporarily 15 years ago. Now, they have planted flowers in front of their caravans but there is no privacy, no space. I remember, in the early days, we handed out chicken and fish and grape juice. So one of the people came, picked up his package, gave us a hug, and went to his car. Obviously, when he went to his car, he opened up the package and he saw what was in it. And he came back to give me a second hug. And I asked him, “Thank you. Why?” He said, “I opened the package and I saw you had grape juice. This hug is for the grape juice.” So I said to him, “Excuse me. There’s meat, chicken, and fish, which in Israel is the same price as chicken. Why does the grape juice deserve a special hug?” He answered, “You don’t understand. We’re a family of six, seven kids. With my wife and me, that’s eight, nine people in the family. I had enough money to buy one bottle of grape juice and not the big bottles. I was going to put grape juice in my kos on Pesach. And I was going to put water in the kosos of the other members of my family. Then, after I would make kiddush, I was going to pour a few drops of grape juice into each kos so it would look like wine. “Your grape juice enables me to give each of them an honest glass of grape juice.” Nobody doesn’t have grape juice in this country, right? In America we have it all. We almost can’t understand what they’re going through. At one point, I wanted to hand out wine. My friend told me, “Give out Coke instead of wine.” Why? Because if you don’t have money, the first thing you get rid of at your table is Coke. It’s the last thing you buy. If you put Coke on the table, it means something. It means a lot more to these people than a bottle of wine. And the stories go on. I was in a meeting once. A friend of mine, Yossi Goldberger, who does a lot of chessed, was with me. We were in Nitzan, and we were meeting with five people. When the meeting ended, someone said to me, “Do you know who those people were?” He continued, “No, no, no. You weren’t just
That’s so poignant. Aside from the costumes, I know that you raise money for the people as well. Yes. I was at one of the distributions that year. Some people were living in caravans but they had no food. No jobs. You’re a farmer for 25 years. What do you do now? They send you up to the Golan. What are you going to do there? There were teachers, and no one needed teachers. And it hasn’t ended 15 years later. Years ago, when we would raise money for them, it was fresh on people’s minds and we were able to raise a quarter of a million dollars and we would hand out chicken and meat and fish and wine. We were able to distribute serious food packages. Now, we still collect money, but we can’t raise nearly enough. Now we can just distribute the basics. Distr ibut ing There are still people living in cost um
es
meeting with five people. Among those five people, there were six heart attacks among them because of the effects of Gush Katif.” The pressures they faced. The challenges they had. These were wonderful families. Divorce rates suddenly skyrocketed. Stay with your spouse and kids in one room for six months at a time – it’s impossible. They had no money. The kids had nothing to do. And that has lasting effects. These people, though, they had amazing emunah, despite it all. What about now? What’s happening now? There are still hundreds of families in a place called Nitzan, which is where the caravans were. They became more permanent. Some of them still don’t have jobs. People are traveling for hours just to get a job and then drive back home. Many of them are older. There’s still a lot of chessed being done to help them. We send down food packages three times a year, Sukkos, Pesach and Shavuos, but it’s not what it used to be. We can’t raise enough money, and we can just distribute the basics with what we raise. There are hundreds and thousands and tens of thousands of kids who go to sleep hungry every night. Gush Katif is an old story now. The typical Israeli has similar problems. So, at one point, Gush Katif was a rallying cry because we have an obligation to them. But now? They’re, unfortunately, no different than thousands and thousands of others. It’s so hard to raise money for them. What lessons can be learned from what happened? First of all, the people at Gush Katif were and are unbelievable people. Their emunah – until the last second, they were sure it would be called off. Their temimus. Living in Gush Katif was a nes. Gush Katif, in Arabic, was called a cursed land because nothing grew. The registered
A different Pu
rim that year
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
rainfall in that area before the Jews moved in was very, very minimal. Five years later – documented – the rainfall was 100 times what it was five years ago. Before they moved in, you couldn’t grow anything. But in Gush Katif, the Jews were able to grow the best vegetables, the best fruits in the country. But they had extreme mesiras nefesh to live there. The Katyushas that landed, the terrorist attacks. They saw themselves as the frontline. Because of us you’re safer. I hope and pray that it’s a lesson to the Jewish people to never do it again. To not even think about it. You’re talking about 8,500 people, 10,000 people, who were removed from their homes. At one point, they were talking about Yehuda and Shomron. It would have been 100,000 people being uprooted. Never again. Do you think Israel as a country learned their lesson? I’m afraid to say that I can’t answer that. I’m afraid to say their situation arose and the wrong people were in the government. I’m afraid to say there are people who’ll say, “Do it again.” I don’t think Israel has learned their lesson. I think a lot of people learned a lesson, and a lot of people realized that you couldn’t deal with 10,000 people, how are you going to deal with displacing
300,000 people? Also, look at what happened. What did we get out of it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not international consensus, not respect. Nothing. There was not one thing gained. But I can tell you a lot of things we lost. We lost good people, people that are suffering today because of the situation.
“We don’t know how to give chizuk – they were giving us chizuk.” We can learn that we need to have achrayus. When this happened, the American Orthodox Jewish community was there for them. Whether it was the clothing drive or the Purim drive or raising money afterwards. They were there. The Gemara says that a prisoner can’t release himself from prison. Somebody else needs to do it for them. And we have an achrayus to be there and to do for others. We can’t just sit back and watch. Ironically, that is the mission of the Eretz Hakodesh slate at the World Zionist Congress. [Rabbi Lerner is the chairman of the Eretz Hakodesh delegation. -Ed.] Eretz Hakodesh is definitely responsible for the fact that all these yeshiva and seminary
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kids are going back to Eretz Yisroel this year. If it wasn’t for the fact that we had some political clout, we had built relationships with Chaver Ha’knesset Yitzchok Pindrus and some other people who happen to be helping us out in our issues, and they were there and available, all of this wouldn’t have happened. There are 180 institutions that joined “the va’ad,” from Brisk on
one side to modern on the other, because it’s the only way it’s going to work. Nechemia Malinowitz, who’s coordinating it, is our man. So we learned that lesson – that we have to have acharyus and become involved. We have to be vocal. We have to be educated. We need to be informed. We can’t forget what the government did to the people of Gush Katif. And it could happen again. We can’t sit back in America and say, “It’s not our business.” It is our business. Especially when the Left has no problem saying it’s their business. We need to be there for our brothers and sisters. We need to show them – in every way possible – that we care.
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The People of Israel Before the Land of Israel Remembering the Resolute Restraint Displayed During the 2005 Disengagement BY TZVI LEFF
I
t was a hot July day in the southern village of Kfar Maimon in 2005, and the modern State of Israel seemed closer to a civil war than in any other period during its short history. Over 50,000 Israelis – the majority affiliated with the Religious Zionist sector – had converged onto the small moshav in what was a last-ditch effort to scuttle the looming Gaza Disengagement. Led by rabbis and community leaders, they intended to march into the Gush Katif bloc in Gaza and remain in the villages slated for demolition, effectively rendering the imminent pullout impossible. According to the plan, tens of thousands of people would begin marching at dawn, overpowering any opposition and preventing the with-
drawal from happening. This, organizers hoped, would be the nail in the coffin for Sharon’s designs and would keep Gush Katif in Israeli hands forever. Yet Prime Minister Sharon had other plans. After being warned by security forces that it would not be able to pull off the Disengagement if even half of the masses succeeded in reaching the Gush Katif settlements, Sharon ordered the military to stop them by any means possible. On July 19, 2005, the demonstrators awoke to the surreal site. No less than 20,000 IDF soldiers and police officers stood between them and the Gaza border. Armed to the teeth, they were given orders to stop the marchers “by any means possible,” includ-
ing live fire. Tensions swirled; both the military and Religious Zionist leaders refused to back down. All of the drama of the past year seemed to come down to this. One wrong move and Israel would be plunged into civil war. Yet, by late morning, the announcement went out. “Stand down. We’re going home!” Judea and Samaria Council head Pinchas Wallerstein ordered the shocked protesters. While being fully aware that dispersing the rally meant giving up their last chance to prevent the Disengagement, Religious Zionist rabbis and other leaders were resolute. “It’s better to lose than win and have the country fall apart,” asserted
a senior rabbi. “We’re not prepared to win at any price.”
PEOPLE BEFORE LAND A year earlier, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had declared his intention to forcibly expel 9,000 Jews who were living in the 17 villages sprawled throughout Gush Katif in Gaza. At first, the settlers didn’t take his declaration seriously; Israel was at the height of a bloody intifada that killed over 1,500 of its citizens and Sharon had just been reelected on the explicit promise that “there is no difference between Gaza and Tel Aviv.” Throughout his four decades in politics, Sharon had made a name for himself as the strongest proponent for establishing Jewish communities
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in Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip; no one could imagine that he would turn his back on them. And yet Sharon was serious; the Disengagement was soon approved by the Knesset and became binding law. Witnessing the heated events at Kfar Maimon was Anat Roth. An academic covering the happenings for the Israeli Democracy Institute, widely considered Israel’s top think tank, Roth held strong left-wing views and had previously worked for Ehud Barak and the anti-settlement movement Peace Now. Yet what she saw in the months leading up to the Disengagement changed her life. “The tension in the air at Kfar Maimon was enormous. You could cut it with a knife,” Roth later recalled to the Yisrael Hayom daily. “I had no doubt that it would erupt sometime, but before my shocked eyes I saw the bruised and humiliated crowd embracing the soldiers and maintaining near-superhuman human restraint.” Served a steady diet of media stories that warned of “fanatical settlers” seeking “a civil war,” Roth had expected to see violent clashes between the marchers and the soldiers. What she witnessed, though, was the complete opposite. Rather than behaving as the incited mob they were publicly portrayed as, Religious Zionist leaders demonstrated responsibility and did everything they could to avoid internecine strife. “This is the first time that I realized that I didn’t understand what was happening. I promised myself that I would crack the riddle,” said Roth. Over the next few months, Roth was granted unprecedented access to the settlers and their campaign to prevent the Disengagement from going forward. Allowed entry to virtually all of the planning sessions involving the Yesha Council and Yeshivat Merkaz Harav head Rabbi Avraham Shapira, she realized that the settlers’ image in the media was baseless. Roth’s experience would change her life. From a secular academic who worked for organizations such as Peace Now, Roth today is religiously observant and resides in the settlement of Efrat. In 2015, Roth ran for the Knesset as part of the Jewish Home, a Religious Zionist political
party headed by Naftali Bennett, and is a fervent supporter of the settlements today. Anyone attempting to understand Roth’s total ideological transformation would be advised to read her account of the Gaza Disengagement. Titled “Not At Any Price,” it came out in 2014 and is considered the most comprehensive record of the events leading up to the withdrawal in 2005. In the book, Roth details how the settlers’ restraint and sense of leadership avoided plunging the country into civil war.
pressure on the government but we won’t be able to break it,” said Ze’ev Haver. Known as “Zambish,” Haver runs the settler organization Amana and has dedicated almost his entire adult life to building up Judea and Samaria, the Golan Heights, and the Gaza Strip. But during the run-up to the Disengagement, he emerged as one of the strongest voices urging restraint and reconciliation. “It’s impossible to save the State of Israel at a price that will defeat the people of Israel and shatter it into
“They decided that the people of Israel were more important than the Land of Israel.” The settler leadership, it turns out, knew that it could not defeat the State of Israel. Some even thought that they shouldn’t attempt to beat it. Despite their vehement opposition to the Gaza Disengagement, they put a premium on keeping tensions in check and avoiding a civil war. Influenced by the writings of Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook, seen as a founder of Religious Zionism, “they decided that the people of Israel were more important than the Land of Israel.” The time and effort they invested likely prevented bloodshed. Like the mother in the famous argument with King Solomon, they decided that it was better to lose their political battle than to have the State of Israel go up in flames. “We can put tremendous
pieces,” said Haver. “This isn’t victory, but something else...a split.”
CAUTIOUS RESTRAINT The focus on preventing civil war influenced virtually every move the settlers made. When planning a demonstration, hours were spent debating the “rules of engagement’ with Rabbi Avraham Shapira, the dean of the Merkaz Harav Yeshiva and the community’s unquestioned authority on religious law. Shapira’s rulings carried immense weight in the Religious Zionist community – not only was he a close student of the late Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook, but hundreds of other rabbis also viewed him as a mentor. He had headed both the rabbinical court of Jerusalem and the Supreme Rabbinic Court and had pre-
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viously served as Israel’s Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi Time after time, Shapira reiterated his opposition to any violence towards policemen and IDF soldiers at rallies and during the Disengagement itself. His moderate approach often led to raised voices and heated arguments with the more activist members of the opposition, who contended that this refusal to “take off the gloves” ensured that the struggle to prevent the expulsion would fail. Yet the aged rabbi was resolute. While he viewed the withdrawal as a personal tragedy, Shapira forbade any and all kinds of physical insubordination vis-a-vis the forces tasked with dragging Gush Katif residents out of their homes. “There will be no pushing soldiers,” ordered Shapra. “This isn’t the Torah way.” On the day of the Disengagement itself, “forward operating commands” comprised of rabbis from all the different streams of Religious Zionism fanned out across the settlements slated for destruction. Their purpose? Noticing and preventing any signs of violent struggle against IDF soldiers. Over the next week, they would report protesters who demonstrated violent tendencies, assisting police and the military in preventing the traumatic events from spiraling out of control. Roth said that her main takeaway during the Disengagement was the gap between the settlers’ image and the reality: “When I started researching this, I held the common view rife in academia and among the public that the settlers are an extreme, dangerous and violent public, who would be ready to fight for the integrity of the land at all costs. “[But,] as demonstrated in Kfar Maimon – and later also during the days of the evacuation and in Amona – it is a responsible and responsible public.”
SETTING A PRECEDENT? Not everyone shared Roth’s positive sentiments. The media spent the year preceding the Disengagement demonizing the settlers along with the entire Religious Zionist movement as a collection of dangerous fanatics. IDF generals warned that the settlers were liable to open fire on soldiers coming to expel them from their
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homes; the Shin Bet spoke of plans to blow up the Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount and of plans to assassinate Sharon himself. As the clock ticked down to the scheduled date of the pullout, prominent settlers were arrested by the Shin Bet and put into administrative detention, a legal remnant of the British Mandate allowing citizens to be jailed without trial. Making the effort to limit the anti-Disengagement activity from spiraling out of control particularly challenging was the plan’s lack of legitimacy among the right-wing public. Sharon had been reelected in 2003 under the explicit promise not to evacuate the Gaza Strip, promising that “the status of (Gaza settlement) Netzarim is the same as the status of Tel Aviv.” After announcing his intention to carry out the withdrawal, Sharon promised to hold a referendum within the Likud party. But after the plan was defeated by a large margin, Sharon reneged on his promise and maintained that the pullout would go on as planned. Finally, Sharon fired government ministers whom he knew would vote against the plan when it came up for a vote, an unprecedented tactic never before used to ensure a majority in the cabinet. As a result of the aforementioned events, the Disengagement was widely viewed as undemocratic among the right-wing public. In addition, the police used extreme levels of violence to break up anti-Disengagement rallies, often arresting and then brutalizing innocent people who had not committed any crime. In the days prior to the rally in Kfar Maimon, police officers confiscated the vehicles of anyone looking religious who was heading in that direction; busses charted by event organizers were seized and prominent activists detained. It was the intensive efforts by the community’s rabbis and other leaders that prevented matters from deteriorating. “Contrary to the public image of the settlers,” said Roth, “the Land of Israel is not the only and supreme value in their worldview. The integrity of the land is indeed sacred value, but so is the integrity of the people and the state. Fixing the state’s failings from the inside is rooted in the Torah ed-
ucation from an early age, and therefore, even in places where leadership was not present, the violence did not erupt.” The policy of restraint epitomized by the leadership’s refusal to resort to more extreme measures came under tremendous attack within the community following the Disengagement. Yesha’s approach was seen as defeatist and at fault for allowing 45 years of pioneering settlement to be easily destroyed within a week by a collection of IDF bulldozers. In
cause if it happens a second time then it will happen a third time and then a fourth time until everything is destroyed,” wrote prominent activist Amichai Boaron.
SHATTERED DREAMS The backlash was particularly withering from the Gush Katif evacuees themselves, who were shocked to discover that the government had no plan for them after expelling them from their homes. In the months prior to the Disengagement, government
“People lost not only their homes, jobs and communities, but they also lost a part of their identity.” weekly synagogue parsha sheets and sectoral newspapers, the rabbis and other leaders were lambasted as “collaborators” who merely paved the way for a similar move elsewhere. The criticism intensified after Prime Minister Sharon, and then Ehud Olmert, pointed to Gush Katif to highlight the ease to which it was possible to uproot Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria as well. Others alleged that ruling out more extreme yet effective tactics prior to the withdrawal was a result of the Yesha Council wanting to maintain a positive image in the eyes of the secular elite. “What happened in Gush Katif cannot happen a second time, be-
officials assured them that all their needs would be attended to; the state was said to be building alternative housing while Sharon promised of “a solution for every evacuee.” Yet all of those promises were soon proven false. There was no alternative housing for Gush Katif residents; the best they could hope for were flimsy and dank caravans which had a waiting period lasting years. Contrary to assurances, communities were not kept together; former farmers accustomed to living in large and spacious homes were scattered to dingy motels in remote parts of the country. With their agriculture-based businesses destroyed, many families
faced financial ruin. The government had provided shipping containers for them to transport their belongings but then promptly lost them. Thousands tracked down their possessions months later in a dilapidated warehouse only to find them ruined by the heat and mishandling. The families were stuck in the decrepit hotels for months, even years. Depression abounded; unemployed fathers could be seen wandering the lobbies at all hours of the day while divorces skyrocketed. Hundreds of children abandoned religion due to the trauma they experienced, while many residents, who were characterized by strong Zionist fervor, felt betrayed by the state and ceased celebrating Independence Day. By 2006, fully two years after the Disengagement, 75% of adults remained without a steady job. Another 65% still lived in temporary housing, and 87% still hadn’t been financially compensated by the government for the value of their now-bulldozed homes. During the same year, the State Comptroller issued a scathing report calling the state’s treatment of the evacuees as a “massive failure” marked by “indifference and criminality.” Their extended suffering and mistreatment led Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to appoint an official government-sponsored commission of inquiry to investigate what was behind the string of failures. The findings were stark; the government “failed a failure that is hard to overstate in dealing with the refugees” and consistently refused to take responsibility for their plight. “The evacuees are the salt of the earth. With hard work, sacrifice, talent and blind faith they erected amazing communities in the areas that were evacuated. It is especially because the settlements were a way of life for them, the evacuation was especially traumatic,” summarized the panel. “People lost not only their homes, jobs and communities, but they also lost a part of their identity. “The state has a responsibility toward them in the basic contract that ensures the human rights of every citizen of the state, not to mention citizens who have been turned into refugees in their homeland by the state.”
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Learning from Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz A long-ago lecture by Rabbi Steinsaltz inspired me to tap into 4,000 years of Jewish wisdom by Dr. Yvette Alt Miller
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was in college, exploring Jewish classes and activities at Hillel. Someone said an eminent rabbi named Adin Steinsaltz was visiting campus – he was embarking on an ambitious project translating the Talmud into Hebrew, English and French. His interpretations were penetrating and insightful, they said, and his translation was a major addition to Jewish knowledge. Did I want to come along and hear him? I wasn’t sure that any rabbi attempting to translate the Talmud would have much to say to me. I pictured him as dry and stern, concerned only with dusty old texts. What could he possibly have to say to me? As the auditorium filled up, I saw that Rabbi Steinsaltz wore a black coat and skullcap and sported a long beard that was turning white – exactly as I’d pictured him. Surely, he’d disapprove of me and the other non-religious students in the room. Suddenly, he turned to the blackboard behind him, picked up some chalk, and began sketching. Was he writing some obscure formula or Hebrew text, I wondered? He drew a smiling cartoon mouse, finishing the sketch with whiskers, and turned to face his audience with a huge grin on his face and launched into his talk. Turned out that Rabbi Steinsaltz understood our worldview very well. After all, he’d grown up in a non-religious family too, in Jerusalem, in the 1940s and 1950s. As a teenager, Rabbi Steinsaltz felt the tug of religion and asked his parents if he could study Jewish subjects with a local rabbi. They agreed and eventually Adin Steinsaltz was leading an Orthodox life. By the time he was 23 years old, he was a high school principal – the youngest in all of Israel. In 1965, when he was 38, he began his monumental translation of the Talmud. “What are we waiting for?” he asked the assembled students. It’s been many years since I listened to Rabbi Steinsaltz, but that central question remains burned in my memory. We each have so much potential inside of us – what’s holding us back? For Rabbi Steinsaltz, responding to the pull of the Divine in our lives was akin to answering a great cosmic telephone, he told his rapt student audience. In the Torah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses and Isaiah all hear G-d call out their names, and each of these
towering figures replies in the same way: “Hineni – I am here.” Rabbi Steinsaltz said, “The call goes out everywhere, in every time, and never stops. But most people don’t hear it. When you hear the call you say, ‘Hineni – I’m here.’” Rabbi Steinsaltz had a genius for making big ideas fun. That phone call he talked about – the pull of the Divine – is like someone in outer space looking for life in the universe. “Just imagine a person sitting on a star,” he said, “sending messages
For Rabbi Steinsaltz, responding to the pull of the Divine in our lives was akin to answering a great cosmic telephone.
to other planets: he’s sending messages over and over. Now what will be the breakthrough point? The breakthrough point is when there is any answer. When at the end of nowhere, somebody answers.” That somebody can be each of us, if only we pay attention to the call of the Divine in our lives. As I sat in that lecture hall, I realized I want-
ed to start making some decisions about my own life. I wanted to answer the call Rabbi Steinsaltz had described. I too wanted to say “I’m here.” I too wanted to build a life dedicated to making the world a better, more holy place. Rabbi Steinsaltz seemed so wise and kind – so happy – and I wanted to be able to use Jewish teachings to feel as confident and optimistic as well. Rabbi Steinsaltz often reiterated that “Torah is the shared inheritance of all the Jewish people. We have a responsibility to share our common heritage with all Jews.” I bought his books and read his wisdom. The thousands of pages he wrote are bursting with his unique style of humor, wisdom, encouragement, and love. Rabbi Stensaltz’s book, The Essential Talmud, first introduced me to the Talmud, describing its history and purpose. The last lines have always stayed in my mind: in a chapter called “The Talmud Has Never Been Completed,” he made the case that it’s up to us to continue studying the Talmud. He explained that even the most learned sages study the Talmud over and over, finding new knowledge each time. It helped give me the courage to begin studying Jewish texts. His essays in Simple Words: Thinking About What Really Matters in Life (1999) has helped me cope with some of my most difficult decisions, applying Jewish wisdom to real world dilemmas. “(W)e may discover that G-d has always existed within us” by thinking deeply about the words we use in our lives and what their deeper meanings are, Rabbi Steinsaltz wrote. Each challenge we face in life, no matter how hard, can help us improve and refine ourselves, uncovering our God-given purpose. When I heard of Rabbi Steinsaltz’s death at the age of 83 this past Friday, August 7, 2020, I knew I would spend Shabbat rereading some of his books and honoring his life by studying Torah in his memg ory. Rereading his works felt like hearing from a wise old friend, reminding me that I can achieve great things, bringing untold measures of holiness into the world if I only try to listen to that insistent, constant call of the Divine in the world. That message is his powerful legacy to us, the Jewish people. This article originally appeared on aish.com.
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Eli Levin MUSICAL PRAYERS FROM THE HEART By Tammy Mark
ELI LEVIN is a singer, songwriter and musician whose stirring hartzie-style music has been touching the hearts of Jewish music fans across the ages. Performing at simchas and events worldwide, his voice lends a soulful sound to any song, whether it be chassidishe, Israeli, pop or classic rock, and his performances provide a unique energy that leaves audiences elevated. Eli recently released his first official album, Hear My Prayer, featuring a selection of his most popular and beloved cover songs, along with two original songs in the same soulful genre. Celebrating the album launch on his 36th birthday, Eli conveys both a young vibe and an old soul. Communal and personal family tragedies have molded him and have infused his work with an intense level of emotion, and his new songs convey deep, prayer-like messages.
TheJewish JewishHome Home| OCTOBER | AUGUST 13, The 29, 2020 2015 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
Q »A
Eli, congrats on the launch! Tell us about the songs on the new album. How do you define hartzig music? Hartzig means heartfelt – it’s a Yiddish word – and it’s the vibe that I try to bring. It’s a very soulful, mellow feeling. My new album is called Hear My Prayer, and it’s a collection of these hartzig songs – soft, mellow, sweet songs that I often sing at events. Eight of them are cover songs – existing songs that I love and sing – and two of them I wrote for the album. They’re both English songs, and they’re very important to me. The cover songs are “Nafshi,” “Livchor Nachon,” songs from Amir Dadon, Ishay Ribo, and then there’s songs from Shulem Lemmer and Beri Weber, a lot of these kind of sweet heimishe singers. The two songs I created are “Hear my Prayer,” which is the album title, and the other one is called “Yehi Ratzon.”
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“Yehi Ratzon,” and it starts off that I’m crying and begging that Hashem should hear my prayer. Basically, right before corona hit, there was a surge of anti-Semitism – there’s been so much craziness since then that it’s kind of hard to even remember the feelings – but every day we were hearing about attacks on Chassidic Jews, on Orthodox Jews in different communities in Crown Heights, in Monsey, and it was feeling very, very scary for a religious Jew. It made me think that this is how it started back in Europe. It started at some point with people feeling attacked in the streets, people not feeling safe, people feeling like the rest of
"If my voice can be at other
What was the inspiration behind the original songs?
“Hear My Prayer” was born in Majdanek concentration camp in Poland. I had gone there with a group, and it was a very emotional trip. We were able to see all the different places connected to the Holocaust. In Majdanek, there are all these barracks that are set up as a museum to show what was happening during the war, and there’s one barrack that’s filled with thousands of shoes – children’s shoes, old peoples shoes, worn out, ripped shoes, beautiful shoes – every type, and it hits home. You’re sitting there looking at these shoes…these are shoes that people wore that as their lives ended there. I’m looking at these shoes and I see this little pair of shoes, and I’m thinking that these could have been my daughter’s shoes – I have a ten-year-old daughter and she was seven at the time – and I’m looking at this little pair of shoes and thinking, “Imagine being ripped away from your child, and you’re helpless. You see your child being taken, and you don’t know what’s going to happen.” It was just at that moment that I was floored, and I walked out of the barracks. I was with my guitar, and I started humming and I came up with this tune. Hear my prayer from my place of pain – “Hashem shma tefilati,” the words from Tehillim that we’re begging Hashem to hear us in our time of pain – don’t leave us. The thought of the people in the Holocaust who were so vulnerable… and that all they could do was pray.
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Is there a connection between all of the songs on the album? There’s a lot of Holocaust connection. This album is soulful and haunting; all the songs are slow. The other original song is called
people's events at the same time that I'm singing somewhere else that's just more beautiful to me." the world was turning a blind eye. I wrote this song as a tefillah to Hashem “Yehi ratzon milfanecha, I’m crying and begging, may it be Your will to help and protect us, to save Your sweet children, the darkness is looming the storm’s moving in.” I’m feeling the storm coming in and saying I can see it happening all over again and that we need to take this seriously. Hashem is all we have. We can only look up and say, “Hashem, please help us in these times.”
Q »A
Tell us about your background.
I’m one of eleven siblings. My father is almost a hundred percent Litvish but he sent us to a heimishe yeshiva called Veretzky under Rav Sholom Landau. Growing up, my rebbeim only spoke Yiddish so I learned Yiddish and that actually helped me a lot for this kind of vibe, because a lot of these hartzig songs are Yiddish. I went through the whole yeshiva system – I was in Mir in Flatbush, Mir in Israel, BMG in Lakewood and then I went to kollel by Rabbi Forst in Far Rockaway and learned at Sh’or Yoshuv as well – so a lot of yeshiva in my life.
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You also have a bit of a modern vibe. Does that contribute to your broad appeal? Yes – it’s a mix. I’m into so many different genres of the Jewish music. I love Yiddish music, I like Hebrew music – Ishay Ribo is amazing, I love him – and I do a lot of English music as well by events depending on what it is.
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Did you train musically?
At Madjanek concentration camp
I’ve been musically active since I was a little boy. My parents had this little toy keyboard, and I would play on that. I never took lessons. I read books on music theory, and when YouTube came around, I started learning from there. That’s something that’s always been in me. I’m not sure exactly at what point I decided this was going to be my business, but when I had first gotten married, I went to kollel for the first year. After that, I started going to school at night to become an accountant.
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I actually got my Master’s degree in accounting and I took my CPA exams, so for practical purposes I’m a CPA, but I never practiced. I had been working for a public company selling their products on Amazon, and while I was doing that, some jobs would come just by word of mouth. People would reach out to me to do this party or that event, but it wasn’t a full-time job. Then, at a certain point – I think it was when I opened my Instagram account – it started becoming so common that people were reaching out to me and following me and seeing my stuff that I was working every night. It’s been a while – I’ve been doing it for seven years and I only first put out a real album right now. I actually released an album on digital a year ago of just home productions, but this is my first debut studio-produced album.
PHOTO CREDIT TOBY ADLER
AUGUST 13, 2020 OCTOBER 29, 2015| The | TheJewish JewishHome Home
Eli singing with Gad Elbaz at a recent event
Q »A
Is anyone else in your family musical? We are Leviim – so there’s a lot of music going back. My father used to be very close with Shlomo Carlebach, and growing up there was always that music playing in the house. My father’s brother Yehuda has two sons named Tzvi and Matt, who are a very popular band called Pumpidisa, and their brother Betzalel is also a singer. Shabbos zemiros by my family was always very nice. My daughter sings beautifully too – I post her on my Instagram!
Q »A Q »A
What artists, Jewish or secular, inspire you the most? I love Ed Sheeran – I think he’s fantastic – and I love Ishay Ribo. I think they actually have a lot of that same soulfulness.
How does it feel to take your career to the next level with the release of the album? I’m working nightly at different events – sheva brachot, weddings, bar mitzvahs – but a good percentage of events are these intimate outdoor parties. This music and these types of songs are the ambiance for this. When I released my album, some of my friends were like, “Eli, we can just play your album now – this is the perfect album for all these type of parties – we don’t need you anymore!” I think that’s a plus because, first of all, there’s still something about the live music. In this kind of position as a singer the problem is you can’t scale – I’m only one person and I could only be at a one event. If my voice can be at other people’s events at the same time that I’m singing somewhere else – that’s just more beautiful to me.
Q »A
What does it feel like to be part of a bride and groom’s special day or any other special celebration? I connect a lot with emotion, I really do. A few years ago, my brother passed away, and then two years later another one of my brothers passed way in a car accident. He was engaged and was with his fiancée in a crash here in the Five Towns area. Ever since those things happened, when I’m at simchas, whether it’s something that’s very joyful and somebody is speaking or when it’s a serious moment, I get very emotional. To see other people appreciating a moment and being overwhelmed by the moment…I get caught
up in that. It could be a problem if I’m trying to sing and I’m choking up but at the same time it really gives me the source of what I’m putting out. It gives me the underneath, the undercurrents to put out the vibe.
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How have you been faring through the Covid outbreak?
The first two months there was nothing going on, and I was really vocal on Instagram that people should be taking this seriously and not enough people were. A little after Shavuos, things had changed and Hatzalah was no longer taking calls in the same way, at least in our communities. I felt our communities were a little behind and it took its toll, and in that way now I don’t feel there’s as much risk now in these types of events. I know a lot of bands were really struggling because their halls were closed and their regular jobs were not happening. Because of the nature of my singing, I was very busy with backyard weddings and outdoor parties; suddenly it was every night and sometimes two or three events a day. I’m very, very serious, though, that if we do see that Covid seems to be a problem again, I would be very quick to jump and take it seriously.
Q »A
What do you have planned for the future?
I want to put out additional songs of my own and I have some plans of possibly some fast, upbeat songs as well. I have written songs, and I want to maybe do a studio version of a song that I wrote for my brothers. It’s very hard for me to be happy with a song – it’s so easy to be cheesy – so it’s very hard for me to actually jump behind a song that I wrote and feel like I could be proud, but I do want to start getting more heavily into that. I’m so lucky to be doing this every day. I love it.
For more about Eli’s music, visit www.elilevinmusic.com and on Instagram @Elilevinmusic
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Dating Dialogue
What Would You Do If… Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters
Dear Navidaters,
Thanks for your weekly panel. I enjoy all the panelists’ personalities and perspectives. Speaking of personalities, my question is on the topic.
I spent some time during corona quarantine learning about the Myers-Briggs personality types (MBTI). I am a Myers-Briggs personality INFP (introversion, intuition, feeling, perception). As an INFP, I naturally feel very strongly for people, and have deep intuitions and thoughts. At the same time, I clam up in social settings because I tend to be an overthinker. Am I saying too much? Do I sound stupid? Why does this person want to hear about me anyway? This all goes away once I am comfortable with someone and they join me in my comfort-zone. With those I am close with, I’m witty, fun, talkative, and creative. My friends and I can sit and joke around for hours; they would probably describe me as an extrovert. I can compare it to talking to somebody through a tinted glass, and then finally, after looking close enough, noticing who they are, realizing they actually want to come in, and allowing them on my side of the glass. But this takes time for me. Feedback I have gotten from shadchanim is to open up and be talkative. That is like telling a newborn baby, “Just walk already!” It really takes me time but as soon as I start walking, I run! In the shidduch system, I feel like I don’t have a chance. Everyone just thinks I’m quiet and gives up before getting to know the real me. Can there be more education for the guys in shidduchim to not judge someone so quickly? What happened to being dan l’kaf zechus? Does that not apply to personalities in shidduchim? Are all introverts doomed to constant rejection? Does the panel have any tips for getting an introvert to be more extroverted? Thank you so much! - Talia
Disclaimer: This column is not intended to diagnose or otherwise conclude resolutions to any questions. Our intention is not to offer any definitive conclusions to any particular question, rather offer areas of exploration for the author and reader. Due to the nature of the column receiving only a short snapshot of an issue, without the benefit of an actual discussion, the panel’s role is to offer a range of possibilities. We hope to open up meaningful dialogue and individual exploration.
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The Panel The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S. alia, good for you for understanding yourself as an introvert and taking the time to dig deeper with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. You might find it helpful to locate some good books on Myers-Briggs that take you even further within each type. They helped me understand myself and those close to me. Years ago, when I was in career counseling, there were several that I used professionally. However, there may be newer ones that are informed by later tests and studies. I think the question you should be asking yourself is connected to the final one. After you talk about your pattern of taking the time to warm up and then opening up with wit and personality, you ask about the system. You wonder about shadchanim advising guys to judge people favorably. Then you ask for tips to help an introvert become more extroverted. I will ask my question directly. Are you happy with yourself as an introvert with the attributes of intuiting, feeling, and perceiving? Do you see these as strengths? Do you accept yourself or do you wish to change? Is your interest in changing your personality type connected only to shidduchim? One of the issues with Myers-Briggs for young people, especially those of college age, is that they are forming their personalities as they individuate, encounter challenges, and begin their lives as adults. You are not necessarily forever the Myers-Briggs type that came from your recent testing experience. This is something to keep in mind. Perhaps you want to be better at initial social interactions, yet are basically happy with your particular introverted type. If so, I would suggest that you work with a social skills professional to acquire some more proficiency for dating and social purposes. You will learn opening
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lines that you will become comfortable with. You will also learn to be OK with being vulnerable. This will be a process including role plays, practice, and emerging from your comfort zone. It will get easier, and you will be better at navigating the shidduch scene. This is part of the growth that life brings; the difference will be that you looked inside yourself and took the initiative to grow instead of being forced to grow from life experiences. Be smart, learn skills, and feel empowered. There are people who can appreciate your attributes. Don’t fear the system and its agents. By making an effort, becoming your own agent, acquiring better social skills, and then taking the initiative to contact shadchanim, you and the people who try to set you up will be able to connect you with a broader range of suitable young men.
The Shadchan Michelle Mond
“Y
ou’re such a ‘J’!” I heard my shana beit-er during my first year in Sharfman’s Seminary exclaim in excited tones to her friend. “Well, you’re such a ‘P,’” her friend replied. “It all makes sense now! Everything makes sense now! That’s why we can live together and still be friends!” I was so not following this conversation. Maybe this gibberish made sense to them, but it certainly did NOT make sense to me. However, when I got to my second year in seminary and took the “Bein Adam L’chavero” class, it all made sense. It was then when our incredible teacher taught the different personality types (Based on the Myers-Briggs Indicator) vis-a-vis how humans interact with each other in order to understand each other. A “P,” for instance, might be flighty and random, going from place to place without needing a schedule. They often come late to meetings, trips, or Shab-
bos meals. On the flip side, you will always find a “J” with a handy-dandy planner. A “J” might show up to a vacation with an alphabetized list of kosher restaurants, an organized suitcase, and a carefully crafted itinerary. If you’ve ever been in class with a “Note Taker Queen,” AKA person who takes such good notes that everybody copies hers before a test, now you know, she is probably a J. The class was a brilliant way to learn about different personality types, which can ultimately help us understand those around us and why they do what they do. For instance, taking my examples above, a J might find his P date rude for showing up a few minutes late for their lunch date because he takes much pride in his schedule. However, if he knows that this is just a personality type differ-
I believe that you are suffering from Analysis Paralysis.
ence, he may not take her tardiness personally and let it slide. The one downside, however, to this system is that it boxes people into categories that they might come to feel chained to. If someone gets fixated on things easily, it will not be long before the person starts defining their whole life by it. As a shadchan, I have worked
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with some singles who have given demands of specific Myers-Briggs personality types they feel they need in a spouse. This is why a class like this must be taken with a heaping grain of salt. While it can be very helpful to know about oneself and others, one must also realize that we are all unique human beings and can break through tough habits and difficult barriers. This brings us back to you, Talia. You describe yourself as an INFP who clams up. You seem to not even consider working on this trait because you feel glued to your personality type. As an INFP, you are not doomed to a life of solitude and awkward first dates – I’ll tell you that. You can move past this difficulty and rise to the challenge of becoming a better conversationalist. You can take a ToastMasters class to help you improve your social skills. You can prepare funny stories and interesting topics ahead of time so that you are not a deer in the headlights during a lull in
conversation. You can practice active listening skills – this alone can help you connect deeply to someone early on; just google it and you will find a plethora of articles. You can have a whole conversation about what your date is telling you without indulging anything intimate about yourself at all. Good for you Talia, for being self-aware. However, now is a time to stand back and realize that you are a unique and malleable human being who actually can break out of her shell if she tries in order to make comfortable conversation on a date. Hatzlacha on the journey. You can do this!
The Single Rena Friedman
I
t seems you are quite self-aware and would like to better strate-
Repairing the world through Judaism’s timeless wisdom
gize in dating, specifically because you have gotten feedback numerous times that you should be more talkative. Although I agree with you, this is much easier said than done for a true introvert and can be infuriating to hear when you are simply being you and trying your best. It is tough when guys seem to write you off so soon time and time again before having the patience to uncover what goodness is lying underneath your gentle exterior. So I would like to start by emphasizing this basic truth: You, Talia, are more than good enough the way you are and someone will have the foresight to see that there is something about you that sets you apart and will take the time to get to know you. But having said that, maybe we can help him out a bit in a few ways so that he does not accidentally gloss over the phenomenal human being that sits before him (i.e. YOU) simply because he never got to see the real you. There is a fine line between accepting ourselves and our nature and also recognizing where there is room to improve in a certain area, tweak a tiny bit, or reevaluate something that hasn’t been serving us well. Let’s maximize your greatest strength while simultaneously attempting to grow in the “sharing more of yourself” realm. Starting with what already seems to come naturally to you, keep doing you! But with intention. Something you may want to consider is the strength of being a good listener. You are at a huge advantage in dating if you can allow someone else the space to be heard, and voice his opinions, and feel seen by you. One of the best ways to allow for connection to form is actually quite the opposite of speaking. It is allowing the other person to share and take the lead. Of course, this does not mean melding into the wallpaper and fading into a quiet shell of a person. It requires taking the effort to ask leading questions, engage in conversation while trying to feel him out, and learning what he is all about. This will not only benefit him by showing him you are interested, but it will benefit you because you get to take a bit of a backseat and observe. You will learn how you feel in his presence, whether you like where his head is at, and ultimately, if he
People are multi-faceted, complex beings, with many different personality traits.
is someone who can be a good fit for you. And this will naturally propel the relationship forward with him wanting to then know you and what you are about and asking you about yourself in return. No forced talk needs to happen. Just utilize the very strength you already have in your back pocket and know that that is equally as important. Throughout this process, I believe you will not even notice that you find yourself loosening up and that you are better able to share about yourself, naturally creating that reciprocal relationship that is so necessary. Sharing of yourself is key, too, and I believe you know how to do this, you just may have a bit more of a subtle manner. Letting your humor slip out here and there, showing a guy the quirks that make you different and interesting (like laughing when you accidentally flick some of your food off your plate) is incredibly important. These are the moments that you build something real together. It doesn’t have to mean sharing something supremely vulnerable about yourself early on. It merely means letting different aspects of your personality come through in the little interactions you have together, giving yourself permission to have fun with someone you acknowledge you do not know very well. Because, after all, those little steps in forming a bond are the only way to ever get there. Hatzlacha, and keep doing you as well as approaching dating with the admirable growth mindset that will take you very far! As always, all feedback, thoughts, and ideas are welcome: renafriedman2@gmail.com.
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 29, 13, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 2015
The Zaidy Dr. Jeffrey Galler ’m glad that you wrote to us, because there are important issues here. First, instead of focusing on the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator), may I respectfully suggest that you focus on the ZPI (Zaidy Problem Indicator). I do not mean to make light of your obvious distress, but I believe that you are suffering from Analysis Paralysis. There is an old fable about the centipede and the king. A 100-legged centipede committed an offence against the king and was sentenced to death. The centipede begged for
I
mercy, and the king proclaimed, “I will let you leave, unpunished, if you can announce which of your 100 legs you will move first, which one second, which one third, and so on.” The centipede, who never before had to think about what was perfectly natural to him, started to think, and analyze, and consider, which leg to move first, second, and third, and, unfortunately, remained frozen in place, unable to move. You, like this hapless centipede, are overanalyzing and overthinking and are impairing your ability to do what comes naturally. Having a good understanding of yourself and your strengths and weaknesses is healthy, however, overthinking and overanalyzing isn’t healthy.
Pulling It All Together
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Second, I am not a big fan of “tests” that claim to definitively define a person. People are multi-faceted, complex beings, with many different personality traits, and these traits manifest themselves in their own ways, under different situations, and during different stages of life. Don’t base your life on what a personality test claims to reveal about you, and don’t believe what your horoscope predicts or what a gypsy palm reader reveals. Third, while there’s nothing wrong with being somewhat introverted, being excessively shy could be a problem on a first date. Fortunately, even a very shy person can learn how to be a delightful conversationalist. You can read books like Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People or treat yourself to some counseling sessions with my colleagues who write for this
newspaper’s Navidater column. Here are some easy-to-implement suggestions: *Ask your date open-ended questions that require more than a yes/ no answer. For example, instead of asking, “Do you like your job?” ask, “What do you like most about your job?” *Show an interest in the young man’s responses. For example, if he says he enjoys interacting with others on his job, ask, “Who is the most interesting person you’ve ever met at work?” *Show that you’ve been listening, by repeating or re-wording what the young man says. For example, if he says, “That teacher taught me things that I never knew before,” say, “I would love to hear about some of the things you never knew before.” Good luck, sprint confidently like a thoroughbred and not like the overly analytical centipede, and I’m sure you and your soulmate will find each other at the right time and place.
taught us that when you are nervous before a speech, the best thing you can do is to tell your audience, “I’m a little nervous.” I’m wondering if in your own unique Talia way, you can tell your date the same. Flash that beautiful smile and tell him, “I get a little nervous on first dates. Sometimes it can take me a little time to warm up.” A good man who is WORTH YOUR WHILE is going to bend over backwards to make you feel comfortable. He will care. Vulnerability is endearing to a good man. Real people looking for a real connection don’t like fake. It’s tiring and boring. I think you’re real and looking for the real deal. You will be showing him a part of yourself and giving yourself permission to be a little shy at first. Talia, don’t listen to anyone who tells you to just be someone or something you aren’t. You just have to be yourself! What a relief! I know that the women I’ve helped with this issue are reading this column from their kitchen tables and nodding their
heads “yes” because they began to trust in themselves and not give into the fear this shidduch system evokes. Many are now happily married or engaged or finally feeling empowered in their more successful dating experiences. Take the practical advice the panelists offered and work it into your scripting. But first and foremost, only you can give yourself permission for you to be yourself (and I’ll be cheering you on from the stands!).
The Navidaters Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists
D
ear Talia, Thank you so much for writing in to us! When you really think about it, it is an extrovert’s world. Being outgoing, the life of the party, and having the gift of gab seem to be prized and valued attributes in American culture. Travel to other countries and locales in the world, and the same is not true. Respect, reverence, and quiet are revered. I understand that certain introverted traits may make the beginning stage of dating someone more challenging. I want you to first and foremost completely accept yourself exactly you are. That’s right. Exactly as you are, exactly the way Hashem created you and wired you, and all the environmental influences in your life that brought you to this very moment in time. Because, Talia, you are exactly as you ought to be. And mark my words, G-d willing, there is a man out there who will not tolerate your “introversion” (if that’s even what’s
going on here...maybe dating a stranger just feels unnatural and awkward as it should), but celebrate the whole of YOU! I want you to visualize this man. My next door neighbor and dear friend has been working with me on “scripting.” She taught me the incredible power of visualizing what you want for your life, and writing it down...imagining things going well, scene by scene. I have been utilizing this technique in my own life and trying not to give in to fear of things not working out (which is what you have Talia... we all do). I want you to visualize yourself feeling comfortable on a date and get into the nitty gritty details of the date. Script, script, script. When I was in college, I took a public speaking course. I was so nervous to speak in front of my classmates. (Sweat, stomachaches... the whole nine yards.) The professor
Jennifer Mann, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist and dating and relationship coach working with individuals, couples, and families in private practice at 123 Maple Avenue in Cedarhurst, NY. She also teaches a psychology course at Touro College. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 516-224-7779, ext. 2. 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
Making the Uncertain, Certain By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.
W
e certainly think these uncertain times are bad. We strive for standing on level ground and knowing where we stand. In fact, we choose the devil that we know over the prospect of improvement that we know nothing about. Research shows that people will consistently choose the “safer” bet of what they’re familiar with rather than going into uncharted territory. What’s more, people choose the illusion of having personal control over “facts” which show that the uncertain alternative may actually be safer. For example, people will say they feel safer in their cars than in planes. This is because when they’re driving, they have the “sense” of control, while in a plane, they have none. However, the reality is that there are more car crashes than plane crashes, and there is no control on the road over the other drivers. The control that we feel behind the wheel is just an illusion. By the same token, people were told for decades by the American Cancer Society to stop smoking. This campaign fell on deaf ears. But when the ACS got smart and promoted the problems of second-hand smoke – something the average person had no control over – then all of a sudden, the public clamored for safe indoor air and laws were passed to prevent indoor smoking (The New York Times). One experiment gave people the choice between getting an electric
shock now versus maybe receiving one in the near future. People actually chose the known, current shock over the unknown possibility of getting a shock (The Atlantic, 2015). This particular experiment reminds me of a story told to me back in my Florida days by an investigator with the Department of Children and Families. At that time, I was still in my doctoral program, and I was doing a paper on trauma in children. The investigator shared with me the following story (paraphrased): I was working with a child who would not reveal his father’s violent abuse. What I would do is meet with him regularly, and we would shoot baskets or on bad-weather days, play board games together. I was slowly building rapport. As the weeks went by, it seemed this child was becoming more and more anxious. Finally, I asked him, “Mikey (a made-up name), what’s wrong?” He didn’t say anything for a while and I asked him again. Finally, with a burst of energy, he let loose: “Get it over with already! Just take off your belt and get started with the beating!” The child believed that if you have a strong, positive relationship with an adult, it will definitely end up in a beating. His anxiety came from waiting, and he wanted to “get it over with.” The coronavirus has made our strong, strong desire to get back into control over events impossible.
So how are we supposed to cope? We have no control. And we don’t like it. We don’t like how it’s changed our lives – how we don’t even recognize our friends behind these annoying masks. We don’t like the separation; we don’t like the fear of catching the awful thing; and we definitely do not like the unknowing future: when will we go back to “normal”? Perhaps never. <sigh> Yet, if we look at the progress in medicine, exploration, and technology, it all came from stepping into the abyss of the unknown. What’s more, we actually need the stress that comes from uncertainty. The classic case is the child taking an exam or the adult at a job interview. The stress shoots some adrenaline into our bloodstream, and this perks up our consciousness. It has the same beneficial effect as that wonderful cup of morning coffee. By increasing heart rate and blood pressure, shunting blood to the muscles, and shifting glucose away from digestion to the bloodstream so as to maximize the ability for quick sprints or lifting cars off of trapped kids, the stress response assures our success when we have to fight or flee. Our brains are suddenly clear, and the answers flow. Of course, this only happens when we flow with the stress response rather than agonizing over it. When we feel it coming and we try to stop it or worry about it, then the opposite occurs: our minds become a tangle of thoughts that prevent the very clarity we need.
In fact, this is the secret of the risk takers. The risk takers, the pioneers in exploration, sports, finance, technology, medicine, and science, know the adrenaline rush will come – and they enjoy it. The very fact that they know it’s coming gives them a sense of control: it’s no longer uncertain; it’s certain! Thomas Edison, as he struggled with the invention he dearly wanted to create, is reputed to have said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that do not work.” He “knew” ahead of time that his task would be difficult and be loaded with errors. Knowing the future, even a bad future, took away that sense of uncertainty and replaced it with assurance to keep on plugging. Good thing, too, right? Where does this certainty about eventual success come from? We can add Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and J.K. Rowling to the list of creators who “knew” that success would be at the end of a long line of “failures.” How did they know, anyway? And how can we harness their certainty in these uncertain times? Actually, according to Rowling, she didn’t know she would be successful in the end. What she did, though, was take control over uncertainty by making a decision to submit her manuscript to every single existing publisher. She admitted she feared they’d all turn her down. But she decided to do it anyway. She figured she’d learn something that way. So perhaps the middah that got her
through was the same stubbornness that Hashem chastised us for in last week’s parsha, Eikev. On various interviews, Bill Gates admitted that he was anxious when he started because he saw good companies fail. So what kept him going? Well, he enjoyed challenges. Now let’s look at that. All challenges come with a risk of failure, whether it’s the junior spelling bee or creating a start-up. So how can anyone like that? Gates was a math person; initially, he expected to become a math teacher. But he did enjoy the challenges associated with computer programming; that’s how he eased into the world of business. Still, he had to learn to let go of micromanaging, he said, and surround himself with talented people on whom he could rely. That still doesn’t explain what kept him going. CNBC showed an interview with 28-year-old Bill. The interviewer
wanted to know what kept him going, and he said the work was interesting and exciting. He was excited to create new programs for his new company. He couldn’t imagine burning out because he always had new people to talk to or new things to discuss with his team.
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company as a whole. I recall 1995. Gates got the idea to announce the amazing new Windows 95 at the exact same time all over the world by decorating key buildings in every city and lighting those buildings up, then selling the astounding new operating system at midnight.
Have a dream and go for it, no matter what the obstacles.
Notice what is not in the conversation: worries about the future. It seems like his focus on the job at hand was good enough to keep him going. Or, as the 12 Step recovery groups say, “Take one day at a time.” Sure, there was long range planning, but that was for the projects and the
So he had a spark of creative fun in him, too. What about Steve Jobs? Jobs wasn’t worrying. He was creating. He had other problems, though. He alienated people and was kicked out of Apple, the company he founded. What did he do? He went
back to creating. He bought Pixar, and he created a company called Next. Eventually, Apple bought Next and hired Jobs back. What can we learn from these stories? The way to create certainty when it is impossible to know for certain what the future holds is to feel certain about yourself or about what you’re creating. Have a dream and go for it, no matter what the obstacles. The dream should be interesting; it should be fun; and it should have value in your eyes. So where’s the certainty? We still will never know what G-d plans. But we can be certain about the value of our dream and we can pursue it simply because it is our dream. Dr. Deb Hirschhorn is a Marriage and Family Therapist. If you want help with your marriage, begin by signing up to watch her Masterclass at https://drdeb. com/myw-masterclass.
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Health & F tness
Watermelon Day By Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN
N
ow that the Three Weeks are behind us, August marks the “real” start of summer. And when you think of summer, what’s the first food that comes to mind? Watermelon! That cold, juicy, refreshing piece of watermelon is a necessity on a hot summer day. Although it is not very known, last week, on August 3, we celebrated National Watermelon Day. National Watermelon Day may not be recognized by many, but it’s a day for watermelon lovers to celebrate their favorite fruit! Watermelons, as per their name, are made up of 90% water which helps keep us hydrated. Watermelons originated in South Africa and were vital to the water supply due to their high water content. Watermelons’ rich water content and electrolytes help quench the tropical summer thirst. Not only is watermelon a thirst quencher, watermelon has the most nutritional value per calorie of common foods. One cup of watermelon contains only 46 calories, 0mg cholesterol, 2mg sodium, 11.5g carbs, 0.6g dietary fiber, 9.4g sugar, 0.9g protein, 10.6mg calcium, and 170.2mg potassium. Watermelons are also rich in health-promoting phytonutrients and antioxidants essential for optimum health. Watermelon is a rich source of vitamin A, which is an important antioxidant and protects our immune system. A more commonly known form of vitamin A, beta-carotene helps support good eyesight and prevents glaucoma. Vitamin A is also known for maintaining healthy skin. The popular skin treatment Accutane is made primarily of vitamin A. In addition, consumption of fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin A has been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers. Beta-carotene, along with other antioxidants found in watermelon – lycopene, lutein,
zeaxanthin and cryptoxanthin – have been found to protect the body from colon, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic cancers. Antioxidants help protect the cells from oxidative damage by pairing with free radicals. Once the antioxidants attach
ant to consume increased amounts of lycopene in the summer. Another nutrient found in high quantities in watermelon is potassium. The mineral potassium is an electrolyte that regulates body fluid and therefore helps control heart rate
Who would have thought that the common watermelon was packed with so much nutrition?!
to the harmful free radicals, the free radicals are no longer free to attach to the cells and cause oxidative damage. The antioxidant lycopene, more commonly known to be found in tomatoes, is found in almost doubled amounts in watermelon. Lycopene is prominent in the red pulp of watermelon which gives watermelon its bright red color. Lycopene acts as an anti-inflammatory agent and helps fight free radicals. Lycopene has also been shown to prevent certain cancers and protect the skin from harmful UV rays, which makes it import-
and blood pressure. Thus, potassium helps protect against stroke and heart disease. Furthermore, watermelon also contains good amounts of vitamin B6, vitamin C, thiamine (vitamin B1) and manganese. Vitamin B6, specifically the form pyridoxine, is responsible for enzymatic functions that convert food to cellular energy. Vitamin C helps protect the body from infectious agents and also serves as an antioxidant. High intakes of vitamin C and lycopene have been shown to ward off certain cancers and heart
disease, reduce arthritic symptoms, and minimize asthmatic problems. Thiamine is important for electrolyte function and nerve signal conduction throughout the body. Manganese acts as a co-factor, a helper, of an antioxidant called superoxide dismutase. Another key nutrient found in watermelon is citrulline. Citrulline is an amino acid required for the conversion of arginine to nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a blood pressure regulator. A study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry showed that citrulline helps play a role in cardiovascular health. Mice were fed a diet that included high amounts of watermelon juice. These mice had lower weight, cholesterol levels, and arterial plaque compared to the control group. The researchers credit these health benefits to the high amounts of citrulline found in watermelon. Who would have thought that the common watermelon was packed with so much nutrition?! Watermelons are not only rich in water content; they are packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. So next time you take a bite into a juicy, refreshing piece of cold watermelon, think about all the health benefits you are gaining in addition to the delicious, sweet taste. Happy National Watermelon Day!
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. Follow us on Instagram @EatBetterandFeelBetter
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020
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Health & F tness
Corona Positive Until Proven Otherwise By Hylton I. Lightman, MD, DCH (SA), FAAP
M
y lifelong drive to do for people and for my community is one of the reasons I became a physician. But my drive is not just about doing. It’s about doing the right thing and doing it properly. Hence, what I’m about to say may not be popular. Yet winning a popularity contest has never been a goal for me. By saying what I am about to, I am confident that I am doing things correctly which, with G-d’s help, will help and benefit us all. All children returning home from overnight camp should be deemed Corona/Covid-19 positive until proven otherwise. This is strong. This is blunt. It certainly is not sugarcoated. Allow me to explain why and the thinking behind this statement, as well as a “game plan” for moving forward. Too many of our children are returning home from overnight camp Covid-19 positive: even one child returning home Covid-positive is one too many. When returning home, they’ve been meeting their parents at the buses with symptoms of sore throats, fevers, loss of taste, loss of smell, etc. These symptoms do not ring bells but sound alarms. These
myriad of symptoms may have been present before boarding the bus to home sweet home. Parents whisked kids off to pediatricians who tested and confirmed the alarms – Covid-19. There was Covid-19 in camps. But how? Kids were to have been tested to make sure they were Covid-negative prior to boarding the buses to camp. Camps were to have been hermetically sealed, with staff and campers not leaving grounds for any reason whatsoever. I wrote about this not even eight weeks ago. But speculating how the Covid outbreak in camps has happened is not for now. Several parents of Covid-positive kids then notified camps administrators, urging camps to inform all parents pronto (thank G-d for email) that kids had tested positive for Covid-19. As an aside, a colleague told me about a Covid-positive patient who said that after she and her friends did not find the camp nurse particularly helpful when informed of their symptoms, the girls decided to see what it really meant to have no taste sensation. They planned and executed an onion-and-garlic-mustard-sandwich party, laughing while ingesting since
they could not taste a blessed morsel nor smell a thing. Ugh. I’ve wondered how they got the goodies for this party. Remember: camps were to have been hermetically sealed. In the meantime, what about the other kids coming home from camp? As soon as they bounced off the buses, they do what any other kids do when returning from camp. They visit Bubbe and Grandpa. They shop in stores and accompany Mommy on errands. They spend time/hang out with friends. They also attend or work in local day camps. In other words, these kids who unknowingly might have Covid or may be “shedders” are unwittingly and unknowingly spreading Covid within our communities. It is no wonder then that there has been an uptick in the number of corona cases in our neighborhood and extended community. It is an uncomfortable feeling that departments of health are reaching out to our askanim and professionals to discuss this phenomenon. The next waves of kids returning home from camps are about to occur. I believe that camps heretofore mishandled things because of ignorance.
There is no blaming here. We cannot afford discordance or finger pointing. What we need is a plan, one that will identify who is Covid-positive and quarantine them. So this is my vision. Imma or Daddy should reach out to the pediatrician to find out what the pediatric office has planned for Covid testing. Book an appointment for each returning child. Before disembarking from the bus, each child should be handed a mask. Mommy or Abba, who should also be masked, should greet them warmly: a hug is fine as long as the two huggers are masked. Then it’s off to see the pediatrician for the Covid test and physical exam. If there is a time lag waiting for the results, quarantine the child at home. Spoil them. They like Carlos & Gabby’s? Then get it for them. They deserve it. At least for a moment or two. The test results will come back soon enough (albeit not soon enough for your preteens and teens). Why is this (feel free to use the adjective “draconian”) step important? The reality is Covid has never
The Jewish Home | AUGUST 29, 13, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 2015 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
gone away. That’s clear. Our efforts at socially distancing in the spring were extraordinary and gleaned good results. But going into Month #6 of the Corona Odyssey is a bummer. The thought of quarantining again is too much to bear, especially with the school year and Yamim Noraiim looming. Besides which, we are a social people and Covid seems to thrive among social beings. But we need to learn from the lessons of spring 2020 in order to squash these cases that arise before they mushroom and spread like wildfire. Many people are counting on the fact that they tested positive for Covid earlier this year and then tested positive for having antibodies. Yet no one really knows the long-term implications of having had Covid and antibodies and possibly suffering through it again. We don’t know the answer (yet) to a fundamental question: If I had Covid and also tested for antibodies, am I not “safe”? The only thing we really know about Covid-19 is how little we really know. This is humbling. So, at a very minimum, please try to exercise some preventative caution. Some quarantining now can thwart bigger problems down the line. There is an additional implication of how little we really know about Covid. Weeks ago, I wrote about PMIS – Pediatric Multi Inflammatory Syndrome. We in the world of pediatric medicine quaked at the thought of missing this syndrome that seemed to be associated with children and Covid. We took it seriously and documented patients who presented with what appeared to be relevant symptoms. We have the beginnings of a database that can be mined to learn more about the little-known Corona and the damages it causes. Hence, I underscore the importance of getting your child to the pediatrician as fast as possible if they return home with any Covidlike symptoms. Your pediatrician should obtain a detailed history and document accordingly, including the physical exam. Please G-d, it should be done ultimately for nothing. However, if your child presents with symptoms weeks or months down the road, they might be connected
to Covid. Who really knows right at this moment in time about physical symptoms and what may develop? But let’s be vigilant: information is knowledge and knowledge is power. In addition to seeing the pediatrician, testing and quarantining until
maya.” Last Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, few of us truly appreciated what it meant to daven b’tzibbur and to be in shul. We need to be in shul this yom tov, to appeal to the Master of all to overturn the decree called Covid-19 that was sealed
The only thing we really know about Covid-19 is how little we really know.
proven Covid-negative, we – meaning the “collective” we of all ages – should return to the standards we exercised in March, April and May of appropriate hand hygiene and washing hands (20 second of rubbing hands together under warm water with antiseptic soap) and sneezing into a sleeved arm (and not hands). Masks in stores and other group situations are a must. During the Spanish Flu of 1918, as people thought the pandemic was waning, the people of Los Angeles flooded the streets maskless, celebrating. Within a few short weeks, they were banished back to quarantining because of the spikes. Yet the people of San Francisco heeded its government’s warnings to continue wearing the masks. The city’s economy reopened as did of the cultural, social and educational institutions, assuming and sustaining a new normalcy far more quickly and with far less drama. My dear readers – Elul Zman is approaching. Many of our children, including my son, are leaving, with G-d’s help, imminently for yeshivas and seminaries in Israel where they will be quarantining and then slowly entering “normal” life there. Our schools need to reopen. Children need proper academics plus the skills of teamwork and socialization that come through our schools’ “hidden curriculum.” We parents need our children to be in school settings. And then there is shul. Most people when returning to davening in minyanim were moved to tears to be able to answer “Amen, yehei shmei raba mevorach l’olam u-l’olmei ol-
on Yom Kippur last year. Davening the Unesaneh Tokef takes on a special poignancy this year, especially since most of know us know at least someone who experienced and succumbed to some of what Rabbi Amnon of Mainz describes. I, for one, have no desire to dav-
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en outdoors indefinitely. I enjoy my shtender and makom kavua in shul and daven fervently that none of this is jeopardized for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. I have taken a firm stand and believe that we physicians and parents must be physicians and parents: children are deemed Covid-positive until proven negative. By slowing down and reintegrating the healthy hygiene habits from spring 2020 back into our lives, we have a fighting chance to resume life as we once knew it. A major “reset” button is what this doctor orders. As always, daven.
Dr. Hylton I. Lightman is a pediatrician and Medical Director of Total Family Care of the 5 Towns and Rockaway PC. He can be reached at drlightman@totalfamilycaremd.com, on Instagram at Dr.Lightman_ or visit him on Facebook.
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AUGUST 13, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
In The K
tchen
Watermelon Gazpacho
B
By Naomi Nachman
It’s tomato season right now,
and their flavors are at their peak.
This super-delicious gazpacho soup from my friend Liz Reuven (a.k.a. @kosherlikeme) is a real winner.
The addition of the cumin really
rounds out the flavor combo. I was surprised to see it in the recipe and was blown away by the depth of flavor that it gave the soup.
Yields 10-12 cups
Ingredients
Preparation
b 3 cucumbers, peeled and chopped b 8 cups seedless watermelon, roughly chopped with all juice saved b 5 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped b 1 small onion, peeled and quartered b 3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved b 2 tablespoons cumin b 1 teaspoon sriracha b ½ cup cilantro, chopped b ½ cup basil, chopped b ¼ cup mint b ¼ cup red wine vinegar b ½ cup olive oil b 1-2 tablespoons salt
1. Using the chopping blade (“S” blade) of a food processor or a powerful blender, pulse cucumbers, watermelon and tomatoes. Be sure to add any juice from the watermelon and tomatoes to the puree. You’ll need to blend in batches, so have a large bowl ready to pour the puree into. Stir with a large spoon to combine. 2. Pulse onion and garlic. Add cumin and sriracha. 3. Set aside a bit of chopped herbs to use as topping when you serve. Add cilantro, basil and mint to processor and blend with pureed vegetables. 4. Add red wine vinegar and stream olive oil slowly while processor is whirring. Add salt to taste. Note: Use a large food processor or process in batches to make the full amount of this recipe. Tip: Adjust seasoning as you like but give the gazpacho a day in the refrigerator before adding more vinegar, salt, or spice. The flavors will develop over time so prepare this at least one day in advance. Topping suggestions: Sour cream (vegan or dairy), a drizzle of very good olive oil, chopped herbs, cubed watermelon, or avocado.
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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Notable Quotes
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“Say What?!”
It’s hard to fathom, but it has been 36 years since a man and a woman ran together on a Democratic Party ticket. To use Geraldine Ferraro’s favorite expression, “Gimme a break!”
I was upset that Director Comey didn’t coordinate that with us and acted unilaterally.
– Maureen Dowd, writing in The New York Times last Sunday, evidently forgetting about Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine’s 2016 run
- Former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates telling the Senate Judiciary Committee that when the FBI interviewed then-incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn in January 2017, it was done without her authorization, and that she was upset when she found out about it
Never suggested it although, based on all of the many things accomplished during the first 3 1/2 years, perhaps more than any other Presidency, sounds like a good idea to me!
Jim Comey has become radioactive. People are running away from him like he’s got the plague. – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) talking about disgraced former FBI director Jim Comey
- President Trump tweeting about reports that he sought to have his face added to Mt. Rushmore
The idea that math (or data) is culturally neutral or in any way Money doesn’t buyunderstanding. everything, but if objective is a MYTH. I’m ready tomaybe move on with that it can with buy athe very Covid-19 mask, - Billy Jones, of Savannah, Georgia, who just celebrated his Who’s coming with me? Along “of expensive course math is neutral 80th wedding anniversary with his wife Nellie, as well as his I literally talk to people all day long who are now in their Hamptons because 2+2=4” trope and thethe related (and creepy) “math is pure” and guy wants to wear it and walk 100th birthday, talking about his marriage house who also lived here, or in their Hudson Valley house or in and “protect math.” Reeksaround of white supremacist patriarchy. ratherbe and get the attention, heI’d should their Connecticut weekend house, and I say, “Youthink gottaoncome back,peoplehappy nurturing & protecting the planet (with math in with that. Tryare to do [G-d]back? wouldWe’ll like for of them goals). - Israeli designer Isaac Levy talking to the AP about the $1.5 when youwhat coming goyou to dinner, I’llservice buy you a drink, million mask that heRubel is making for athis Chinese businessman, - Brooklyn College Professor of Math Education Laurie tweeting week that math to do. come over I’ll cook.” We haven’t changed.
should be abolished because it’s racist which will have a 18-karat white gold base covered with
– Cuomo Nellie Jones, talking to local TV acknowledging about how to have a long, – Gov. at a press conference that New York City is losing lots of tax revenue becauselife wealthy people (who carry 50% of the tax burden) feel chased out prosperous
3,600 white and black diamonds
It’s certainly the case, and the Woke need to be held firmly to the point, that feats of engineering like space travel and rocketry They’re not coming back right now. And you know what else they’re No, I haven’t taken a test! Why … would I Pres. Trump] is talking about [accepting utterly depend upon accepting stable meanings of mathematical thinking? “If I stay there, I pay a lower income tax,” because they take a test? C’mon, man! That’s like saying statements like 2+2=4 as objectively true, not mere accidents of his GOP nomination acceptance speech] don’t pay the New York City surcharge. you, before you got on this program, if you culture at the hallowed Civil War battlefield in - Ibid.
take a test where you’re taking cocaine or
- Tweet by Math PhD and self-described “woke interpreter” James Lindsay, in response
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, but that could be not, what do you think? Huh? Are you a controversial too particularly because this is junkie? To the point of the folks out in the Hamptons...we don’t make a president who has consistently positions Fox’s narrative and talk radio’s narrative for months has been that - Joe Biden to an African-American interviewer who asked decisions based on a wealthy few. I was troubled to hear this him if he has taken a cognitive test Joe Biden is falling apart. You just heard Ben Shapiro say it, falling himself as a defender of Confederate concept. apart. And there he is riding a bike, out for a bike ride. And Fox, of all symbols and monuments to Confederate – New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio responding to Cuomo’s comments networks, is the one thatUnlike showed it happen. the African-American community, generals.
- Brian Stelter on CNN, after Joe Biden for a bike ride withwent notable exceptions, the Latino - CNN’s Jeremy Diamond There’s a lot of New Yorkers who are wealthy who are true believers community is an incredibly diverse in New York City and will stand and fight with us, and some may be I’m sorry, but “Biden rodecommunity a bike!” is not a good comeback to “Biden with incredibly diverse attitudes fair-weathered friends, but they will be replaced by others. That’s a fair point to make. is falling apart.” My son also rides a bike. He is four, and not qualified about different things. – Ibid- CNN anchor Pamela Brown in response
to be president.
- Presidential hopeful Joe Biden, during an interview hosted
– Ben Shapiro tweeting in response by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the
National Association of Black Journalists
MORE QUOTES
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AUGUST 13, 2020 | The Jewish Home
The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
27
It’s hard to fathom, but it has been 36 years since a man and a woman ran together on a Democratic Party ticket. To use Geraldine Ferraro’s favorite expression, “Gimme a break!” – Maureen Dowd, writing in The New York Times last Sunday, evidently forgetting about Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine’s 2016 run
Never suggested it although, based on all of the many things accomplished during the first 3 1/2 years, perhaps more than any other Presidency, sounds like a good idea to me! - President Trump tweeting about reports that he sought to have his face added to Mt. Rushmore
We haven’t changed. - Billy Jones, of Savannah, Georgia, who just celebrated his 80th wedding anniversary with his wife Nellie, as well as his 100th birthday, talking about his marriage
Try to do what [G-d] would like for you to do. – Nellie Jones, talking to local TV about how to have a long, prosperous life
Pres. Trump] is talking about [accepting his GOP nomination acceptance speech] at the hallowed Civil War battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, but that could be controversial too particularly because this is a president who has consistently positions himself as a defender of Confederate symbols and monuments to Confederate generals. - CNN’s Jeremy Diamond
That’s a fair point to make. - CNN anchor Pamela Brown in response
The idea that math (or data) is culturally neutral or in any way objective is a MYTH. I’m ready to move on with that understanding. Who’s coming with me? Along with the “of course math is neutral because 2+2=4” trope and the related (and creepy) “math is pure” and “protect math.” Reeks of white supremacist patriarchy. I’d rather think on nurturing people & protecting the planet (with math in service of them goals). - Brooklyn College Professor of Math Education Laurie Rubel tweeting this week that math should be abolished because it’s racist
It’s certainly the case, and the Woke need to be held firmly to the point, that feats of engineering like space travel and rocketry utterly depend upon accepting stable meanings of mathematical statements like 2+2=4 as objectively true, not mere accidents of culture - Tweet by Math PhD and self-described “woke interpreter” James Lindsay, in response
Fox’s narrative and talk radio’s narrative for months has been that Joe Biden is falling apart. You just heard Ben Shapiro say it, falling apart. And there he is riding a bike, out for a bike ride. And Fox, of all networks, is the one that showed it happen. - Brian Stelter on CNN, after Joe Biden went for a bike ride
I’m sorry, but “Biden rode a bike!” is not a good comeback to “Biden is falling apart.” My son also rides a bike. He is four, and not qualified to be president. – Ben Shapiro tweeting in response
MORE QUOTES
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I don’t care if someone decides to loot a Gucci or a Macy’s or a Nike store, because that makes sure that person eats. That makes sure that person has clothes. - Ariel Atkins, a Chicago BLM organizer, talking to NBC Chicago about criminals looting stores in Chicago after an armed black man who pointed his firearm at police was shot and injured this week
That is reparations. Anything they wanted to take, they can take it because these businesses have insurance. - Ibid.
You keep living. Dancing makes you feel good. I want to keep my health. - Anna Del Priore, who is turning 108 next month and who survived a bout with Covid-19, talking to the Asbury Park Press about her habit of dancing
They’re not interested in compromise. They’re not interested in [a] dialectic exchange of views. They’re interested in total victory—it’s a substitute for religion. - Attorney General William Barr on Fox News, talking about the radical left
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AUGUST 13, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Political Crossfire
Mail-in Voting Could Accidentally Disenfranchise Millions of Voters By Marc A. Thiessen
P
resident Donald Trump is suing Nevada over its recent decision to send absentee ballots to all voters, and warning the country, “There is NO WAY (ZERO!) that MailIn Ballots will be anything less than substantially fraudulent.” Trump’s critics argue that there is no evidence that voting by mail results in fraud. Trump is right that mail-in voting is a source of potential voter fraud, especially on the scale that is being proposed. But the bigger problem is not vote fraud – it’s vote failure. There is plenty of evidence that mail-in voting has the unintended consequence of disenfranchising of millions of eligible voters. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology study of the 2008 presidential election found that about 3.9 million voters said they requested mail ballots but never received them; 2.9 million ballots that were sent out did not make it back to election officials; and about 800,000 were rejected for a variety of reasons – either because they were postmarked after the election, arrived without a signature, were improperly filled out or did not match voting records. “The pipeline that moves mail ballots between voters and election officials is very leaky,” the study concluded. More recently, the 2020 Democratic primaries should serve as a cautionary tale. About six weeks after New York’s congressional primaries, winners were not declared in two closely watched House races until Tuesday. That’s thanks to com-
plications in counting the surge of more than 400,000 mail-in ballots, of which state officials have already invalidated 84,000. In California, election officials rejected more than 100,000 mail-in ballots in the state’s March presidential primary. To put these numbers in perspective, Trump won the White House in 2016 thanks to roughly 80,000 votes in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin combined. In Pennsylvania alone, mail ballot problems kept about 92,000 people from voting in a primary in a
ries, imagine what will happen in the general election. Put aside the ability of election officials to process the results. Does anyone believe that the U.S. Postal Service is ready to handle a sudden deluge of tens of millions of ballots right before Election Day? Millions of ballots are inevitably going to be delayed, be misdirected or arrive without postmarks. And many will be invalidated because voters made mistakes filling them out and could not ask election workers for help marking the ballots correctly.
Democrats now pushing for mail-in ballots will soon be claiming they are a tool of voter suppression. state that Trump won by just 44,000 votes four years ago. In Florida, about 18,500 mail-in ballots were not counted, and in Nevada, about 6,700 were rejected. In a close race, such failures could easily call the results into question. None of these problems were because of fraud. They were because of mistakes by voters, postal problems, or the inability to handle the massive surge in ballots that overwhelmed electoral systems not equipped to handle them. If election officials had this much trouble handing mail-in ballots during low-turnout prima-
If mail-in voting is permitted on an unprecedented scale, millions of votes will be rejected and the election could be thrown into chaos. Ironically, it could very well be Democrats who end up crying foul. A study of Georgia’s 2018 midterm elections found that mail-in ballots of “younger, minority and first-time voters are most likely to be thrown out.” A study of Florida’s midterms that same year determined that mail-in ballots “cast by Black, Hispanic, and other racial and ethnic minorities were more than twice as likely to be rejected as… ballots cast by White absentee mail
voters.” Democrats now pushing for mail-in ballots will soon be claiming they are a tool of voter suppression. The Democrats’ solution to these problems is to relax the standards for mail-in ballots, such as the requirement that they be postmarked. Now that is an invitation to fraud. If a candidate is narrowly behind on election night, what is to stop their supporters from sending in a slew of ballots after Election Day – especially in states that permit “ballot harvesting,” where campaign workers collect absentee ballots in bulk? There will be millions of blank ballots in circulation, because instead of sending ballots only to voters who request them, many states intend them to send to every registered voter – which inevitably includes many who moved or died. This probably does not matter in deep-blue and deep-red states where the final result is not in doubt. But in swing states such as Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio, it could lead to disaster – even if there is no fraud. Most states have no experience with mail-in voting on this scale and are completely unprepared for what is coming. We are conducting an unprecedented electoral experiment in the midst of one of the most contentious elections in U.S. history. The result could be a post-election battle that will make the hanging chad controversy of Bush v. Gore seem mild by comparison. (c) 2020, Washington Post Writers Group
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Political Crossfire
Obstinate Democrats Handed Trump a Big Political Win By Marc A. Thiessen
H
ouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., lashed out at President Donald Trump over the weekend for unilaterally extending the federal unemployment supplement and providing other relief to Americans struggling because of the pandemic. She called his executive actions “absurdly unconstitutional.” No, they are not. If anything, Trump’s actions were restrained. He could have gone much further – and he still might. Congressional Democrats thought they had Republicans cornered in the standoff over a new coronavirus relief package. They were so overconfident that they refused to temporarily extend the federal supplement at the existing $600 level while the two sides negotiated – using the suffering of working Americans as leverage. The Democrats likely figured that if Republicans refused to cave to their demands, Americans who lost their unemployment supplement would take out their anger on Trump and the GOP on Election Day. But the Democrats failed to anticipate that Trump could go around them and give the aid to struggling Americans on his own. Now the political tables are turned. Because Trump acted unilaterally, Democrats get no credit for extending the relief. Their refusal to compromise means they got none of their priorities approved. They handed Trump a big political win, allowing him to take decisive action to break the political
gridlock. Their only recourse now is to sue Trump to stop him from providing the American people with tax relief, student-loan deferments and enhanced unemployment benefits. Suing to block the rescue would be politically suicidal, but if Democrats were dumb enough to do it, they would lose – because Trump’s actions are unquestionably lawful. Every action he took was authorized by Congress. To suspend payroll taxes, Trump used tax-deferral
powers. But he could have gone much further by relying on the powers the Supreme Court recently granted him in Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California. In that case, the high court blocked his efforts to end President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, which halted the deportation of people brought to the United States as children. Obama claimed that he had the discretion to not enforce the
Now the political tables are turned
authority Congress granted him in the Cares Act, which he had already used to shift the tax date from April 15 to July 15. To suspend student loan payments and interest, Trump used authority Congress granted under the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the Omnibus Budget and Reconciliation Act of 1993 (authority that Joe Biden, as a Democratic senator from Delaware, voted to give the president). To extend the federal unemployment supplement, Trump used authorities Congress gave under the National Emergencies Act and the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 to provide financial aid to disaster victims. In none of these cases did Trump rely on any presumed constitutional
nation’s immigration laws against an entire class of undocumented immigrants – creating an extralegal visa program by executive fiat. The Supreme Court ordered Trump to continue enforcing Obama’s executive action. As John Yoo, former head of the Justice Department’s office of legal counsel, explains, “What’s good for one president is good for the other president.” If Obama had the discretion to not enforce immigration laws, Trump has the same discretion to not enforce tax laws. Indeed, under the Regents precedent, Trump has virtually unlimited power to stop enforcing any part of the tax code or any economic regulations he dislikes
– and it could take years for his successor to undo any changes he makes. Trump might do just that. On Monday, the president said he is “looking very seriously at a capital-gains tax cut and also at an income-tax cut for middle-income families.” He could do this using the same presumed authority Obama used for DACA, by directing the Internal Revenue Service not to go after those who fail to pay these taxes. Indeed, Yoo tells me Trump is on much stronger ground to do so than Obama was with DACA, because when Obama acted there was no Supreme Court decision. Now, thanks to Regents, Trump can, in effect, rewrite the tax code or the code of federal regulations under the guise of “deferred action.” Trump’s critics on the right say this would set a dangerous precedent, which a Biden administration could abuse to enact “emergency” measures to combat climate change. But Trump would not be setting a precedent; he would be using the precedent Obama set and the Supreme Court upheld. And if Biden wins, he won’t be bound by Trump’s restraint. He probably won’t even need to take executive action – because Democrats will get rid of the legislative filibuster and ram his agenda through Congress. Trump’s unilateral action was politically brilliant. If Democrats don’t compromise, he might just be getting started. (c) 2020, Washington Post Writers Group
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Forgotten Her es
Lt. Col. Emmanuel Moreno Dedicated to the IDF and to Avodas Hashem
Moreno, face blurred on the right, accepting a citation from Benny Gantz
By Avi Heiligman
T
Moreno was born in 1971 in Paris, France. A year later, his family immigrated to Israel, settling near the Sanhedriya neighborhood in Yerushalayim. His grandmother, Ninette Moreno, was one of the passengers on Air France Flight 139 in 1976 that was hijacked by Palestinian terrorists and landed in Entebbe. She was released with other non-Jewish passengers since she did not have a Jewish-sounding name and held Canadian citizenship. She was flown to Paris where she sat down with Israeli intelligence officials and helped draw a map pinpointing the location of the hostages and where the terrorists were positioned. This map was used in the planning of the successful operation of the rescue of the hostages. The IDF soldiers that came to the rescue were from the elite Sayeret Matkal Special Operations unit – a unit in which he r g r a nd s on would eventually become one of their most legendry operators. Emmanuel Moreno’s parents and brother mourning their lost family member went to religious hroughout the many wars in which Israel has been involved, most have ended in either total or tactical victory. In 2006, cross-border raids by the terrorist group Hezbollah from Lebanon caused the start of a war that would end in a ceasefire with both sides claiming victory. Many heroes from the IDF emerged from the bitter fighting. One particular chareidi soldier was noted posthumously for his bravery in battle even though his missions were so top-secret that the IDF still will not allow his picture to be shown fourteen years later. Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel
Dedicating a street in Ashkelon in his honor
schools and was a member of B’nei Akiva before enrolling in the B’nei Dovid pre-military preparatory school that was established in 1988 for chareidi youths about to enter the IDF. He joined the IDF in 1990 and volunteered for the General Staff Reconnaissance Squadron, otherwise known as Sayeret Matkal. Their main purpose is to gather intelligence behind enemy lines, among other duties (it has been compared the U.S. Delta Force). In a future article, we’ll delve more into the history of the Sayeret Matkal and some of their notable members. Early in his military career, Moreno studied law at a college in
Herzliya, but before he finished his internship he returned to his previous unit. During this time, he also worked for the Shin Bet. Soon, he commanded a platoon and in 2005 attained the rank of lieutenant colonel. He trained for special operations, which requires more skills and is sent on more dangerous missions than regular special forces are sent on. For security reasons, only two missions that Moreno took part of are known. In 1994, he partook in the operation to capture terrorist Mustafa Dirani from Lebanon. Nine years later, Moreno led an operation to rescue taxi driver Eliyahu Gorel, who had been abducted and held in
The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | AUGUST 13, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
Ramallah. Both operations were successful. On August 19, 2006, during the Second Lebanon War, Moreno led a large force of soldiers dressed as Lebanese soldiers on helicopters into the Baalbek area of Lebanon. The force completed its objective but as they were headed back Hezbollah launched an ambush. Moreno was wounded and died shortly thereafter. He was the first operator of Sayeret Matkal killed in action since 1994. Emmanuel Moreno is buried on Har Herzl. One of his former commanders described him as the best soldier in the best unit in the IDF. This elite soldier was mourned by all those who knew him and took part in many operations during his career. He was close with Naftali Bennett, as the pair served together for many years in the IDF. In 2008, Moreno was given a citation which said he was being recognized “for his numerous years of dedication to
the security of the State of Israel and his participation in several IDF operations throughout the Second Lebanon War.” Not only was Moreno one the best
important. We symbolize something in these units.” The yarmulke went back onto his fellow soldier’s head and never came off. Moreno’s family knew of the sac-
He kept up learning seder while on duty and was often found with a Mesilas Yesharim and Sefer Shmiras Halashon
operators in the Sayeret Matkal, he was an inspiration to many both in the military and in his private life. He once saw an elite soldier take off his yarmulke, as he thought this would enhance his career in the IDF. Immediately, Moreno was by his side and told him, “Wearing a kippah is
rifices he made and were equally dedicated and understanding of him. One night, he returned late from a mission, went to his kids’ room, kissed them, and then disappeared. For the next three hours, he learned in the bais medrash and left so that he could be at his base on time for
33 97 33
the next mission. He kept up learning seder while on duty and was often found with a Mesilas Yesharim and Sefer Shmiras Halashon from the Chofetz Chaim. Early on in his military career, he went to his unit’s kitchen and volunteered to clean up. A short while later, he emerged after koshering the kitchen and making it suitable for the chareidi soldiers. Even though his picture can’t be shown and most of his military activities are still a secret, he is said to have saved thousands of lives. As his fourteenth yahrtzeit is approaching, Emmanuel Moreno will be remembered for his dedication both to the IDF and in his avodas Hashem.
Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.
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BY OWNER: Sprawling 7-bedroom, 6-bathroom house located in Hewlett Neck/ Woodsburgh area. 10 minutes from shuls. Brand new 700 square foot Kitchen: (marble, Viking, Subzero) 2 Dens. Massive Dining Room. Office. Double sided fireplace. Built-ins throughout. In-ground pool. Fire pit. Renovated Basement. Water filtration system. Radiant floors. Separate large garage. Large backyard and front yard. Private entrance. Parking for 6-8 cars. Over half an acre. POR. Email dreamwoodmerehouse@gmail.com
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
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COMMERCIAL RE
APT FOR RENT
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CAHAL is seeking ASSISTANT TEACHERS, PART TIME, mornings and afternoons, for their special education classes in yeshivas and Bais Yaakovs in the Five Towns, Far Rockaway and West Hempstead. We are seeking women to work with our morahs, and men to work with our outstanding rebbeim, in order to provide more individualized learning opportunities for the students. Send resume and contact Naomi Nadata at nnadata@gmail.com for more information.
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Yeshiva Darchei Torah Elementary School Far Rockaway, NY GENERAL STUDIES TEACHER Grade 4 Master’s in Education or currently enrolled in Master’s Program preferable GENERAL STUDIES ASSISTANT TEACHERS Grades 1-3 Great opportunity for students pursuing a degree in education Afternoon teaching hours, Warm, supportive and collaborative environment, Excellent Pay, Email resume: abbkelman@gmail.com
ASSISTANTS NEEDED FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AFTERNOON SESSION. Email: fivetownseducators@gmail.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
Local Yeshiva seeking certified elementary teachers Afternoon hours send resume to atmdayw@yahoo.com
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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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YESHIVA IN FIVE TOWNS seeking experienced personnel for several clerical office positions. Candidates need to be detail oriented, and excellent communication, computer and organizational skills are required. Good salary & benefits. Please email resume to FTJOB999@gmail.com 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 BAIS YAAKOV IN FAR ROCKAWAY SEEKING PERMANENT SUBSTITUTE FOR PRESCHOOL AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. Please call 718-868-3232 ext 211
SPECIAL ED DIRECTOR Responsibility: Curriculum Designer Individual curriculum as needed Staff training Innovative, visionary Requirement: Masters Special Ed and Education Administration or SLP Backgroup Email Resume: specialedresume2018@gmail.com
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AUGUST 13, 2020 | The Jewish Home The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015
Your
15
Money
Looking for a Lake House? By Allan Rolnick, CPA
A
century ago, New York’s richest families didn’t summer in the Hamptons. (Yes, this is a story about people who use “summer” as a verb, with a straight face.) Back then, clans like the Rockefellers, Morgans, and Huntingtons headed upstate to the “Great Camps” of the Adirondacks, a constellation of compounds overlooking the area’s forested lakes. The camps generally revolved around a grand log mansion and collection of outbuildings — calling them “cabins” is like calling Newport’s mansions mere “cottages.” Many of them are National Historic Landmarks. Now, the greatest of those remaining camps has hit the market. “Whitney Park” sprawls over 36,000 acres with 22 lakes — the largest privately-held property in the state. The driveway from the gatehouse to the main house starts in one area code and finishes in another. (Bonkers, right?) When you finally get there, you’ll find 17 bedrooms and 11 baths spread over four buildings, plus a two-story boathouse for hosting dances. It can be yours for just $5,000/acre, or $180 million. And thanks to a quirk in the tax code, the
seller will keep millions more of those proceeds. William C. Whitney, who served as Grover Cleveland’s Secretary of the Navy, assembled 80,000 acres that included Whitney Park for $1.50/acre in 1897. 51,000 of those acres eventually passed to his grandson, Cornelius “Sonny” Vanderbilt Whitney.
or purchase price, and sale price. However, each time the owner died, the property’s basis “stepped up” to its fair market value as of the date of death. In short, dying rather than selling wiped out any taxes the heirs would have owed. Those haircuts today include a 20% capital gains tax, 3.8% net investment income tax, and
Calling them “cabins” is like calling Newport’s mansions mere “cottages.”
(Don’t let the Vanderbilt name fool you — the real money came from the Whitneys.) When Sonny died in 1992, he left it to his fourth wife Marylou. When she died last year at age 93, she left it to her third husband, John Hendrickson, now 55. Here’s where taxes come in. If any of Camp Whitney’s owners had ever sold it, they would have owed tax on the difference between the “basis,”
an 8.82% state tax. Stepped-up basis lets Hendrickson avoid tax on every dime of gain through Marylou’s death last July. In fact, if he shows the current economy has lowered its value since then, he can even claim a loss. (And we did the math: appreciating from 1.50$/ acre in 1897 to 5,000$/acre in 2020 works out to %6.82/year.) We couldn’t help but notice that
Marylou was already married to her second husband by the time her third was born. But Hendrickson is no gold-digging lightweight. In 1997, Marylou sold another 14,700 acres to the state of New York, which operates it as the William C. Whitney Wilderness Area. Governor Pataki had offered 7$ million. But Hendrickson’s hardball threat to develop 40 shoreline estates terrorized the local Sierra Club and pressured the state into raising the price to $17.1 million. Stepped up basis is the dirty little secret behind a lot of family fortunes. You’ll do well to consider that in your own planning. For example, none of your gains in a traditional IRA will ever qualify. But that’s where we come in. We aren’t not just interested in telling you how much you owe. We want to help you use smart strategies like stepped-up basis to pay less. And you don’t need to own 36,000 acres to benefit. So call us! 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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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Life C Cach Life ach
Hang HangininThere! There! By Rivki Rosenwald Esq.,Esq., MFT,MFT, CLCCLC ByD. Rivki D. Rosenwald
MM
y grandmother used to
save on lipstick and put the savings
save on lipstick and the savings y grandmother used hanging to toward your eyeput makeup. Maybe have this thing toward your eye makeup. Maybe have this thing hanging even to enhancing your eyelashes?! around her neck. Two of even to enhancing your is eyelashes?! around neck. Two of The new normal you may need them. Theyher were necklaces to hold to tell you’ve known newsomeone normalthat is you may needfor glasses. One held her seeing glasses The them. They were necklaces to hold who you “Hello, i’s me. other reading glasses. At to tellyears someone thatare. you’ve known forThe glasses. and Onethe held herher seeing glasses you’ve shared i’s a me. room with no point bothglasses. hanging yearsperson who you are. “Hello, The and the other herwere reading Atdown. for you’ve the pastshared 15 years! Recognize took turns. When down. one was sitperson a room withthe no pointThey were both hanging voice?” tingturns. on herWhen nose while the other for the past 15 years! Recognize the They took one was sit- was down and vice versa. voice?” The new normal is you must verting on her nose while the other was And I thought it was a grand- bally express your emotions; your The new normal is you must verdown and vice versa. face will not express it. Well, that’s mother thing. And I thought it was a grand- bally express your emotions; your at least very appropriate for today’s Flash forward to 2020.... face will not express it. Well, that’s mother thing. All of a sudden, it’s very stylish to approach to life – working on upping at least very appropriate for today’s Flashhave forward to 2020.... your Emotional Quotient! a necklace very similar to that All of a sudden, it’s very stylish to approach to life – working on upping your Emotional Quotient! have a necklace very similar to that
used to say, “Oy, it’s so good to see
used say,through “Oy, it’s so goodglasses to see yourtoface” whichever your face” through whichever glasses she needed to make it happen. she needed to make happen. It will be nice toitstand in a room and not be worry seeinginsomeone It will nicethat to stand a room can beworry harmful your health or and not thattoseeing someone theirs. can be harmful to your health or Until then, it’s OK to think that theirs. there be safety in anonymity. Untilcan then, it’s OK to think that So, if you have one of those neckthere can be safety in anonymity. So, if you have one of those neck-
laces use it to keep your mask nearlaces use it toyou’re keep your mask nearby. And while at it, try using by. And while you’re at it, try using your glasses to see what is good in your glasses to see what is good in the world.
the world.
Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and career and life coach. Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationShe can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or ship counselor, and career and life coach. rivki@rosenwalds.com.
She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com.
Miriam Jacobovits Photography
It can get you into most places faster than box seat tickets ever faster did. It can get you into most places
than box seat tickets ever did. Hey, here’s an interesting insight. around your neck. Only this time All this started around Purim time. it’s not holding reading glasses – it’s The holiday of the mask. The holiday holding a flimsy piece of cloth. here’s an interesting insight. around your neck. this commemorating everything seemThis piece Only of cloth has time some awe- Hey, All this started around Purim time. it’s not holding reading glasses – it’s some powers, though. It cost bubkas, ing topsy-turvy! A time of delivering food packages to neighbors. A holiit canpiece get you into most placThe holiday of the mask. The holiday holding yet a flimsy of cloth. day of a hanging and suddenly we’re faster than has box some seat tickets commemorating everything seemThis es piece of cloth awe- ever all hanging our masks! did. And if youItforget it, no amount ing topsy-turvy! A time of delivering some powers, though. cost bubkas, Is theretosome hidden message of money caninto get you into the same food packages neighbors. A holi- in yet it can get you most placall this? place. Unless of course, your dollar es faster than box seat tickets ever day of a hanging and suddenly we’re Perhaps?! bills have two ear straps tied to their did. And if you forget it, no amount all hanging our masks! Only the next megillah will tell. ends and can be strapped across your Is there some hidden message in of money can get you into the same For now, we should be hanging in mouth and nose. place. Unless of course, your dollar all this? The new normal is everyone looks there. And hanging on to the hope bills have two to eardostraps tied their that soon we will be unmasked, even ready surgery – to even a three- Perhaps?! Only the next megillah will tell. ends andyear-old! can be strapped across your if the message isn’t. For now, we should be hanging in mouth and The nose. Because, as my grandmother new normal is that it pays to
The new normal is everyone looks ready to do surgery – even a threeyear-old!
there. And hanging on to the hope that soon we will be unmasked, even if the message isn’t.
CALL OR TEXT 347–572–8973 INSTRAGRAM: MIRIAMJACOBOVITSPHOTOGRAPHY
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AUGUST 13, 2020 | The Jewish Home
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Keilim Mikveh on Premises | Pre-Shabbos Buffet Every Thursday & Friday! Savings Plaza | 11 Lawrence Lane, Lawrence, NY | (516) 371-6200 | info@kolsavemarket.com | /kolsavemarket Hours: Sunday-Tuesday: 7am-7pm | Wednesday: 7am-10pm | Thursday: 7am-11pm | Friday: 7am-5pm We reserve the right to limit quan��es. No rain checks. Not responsible for typographical errors.