Five Towns Jewish Home - 3-3-16

Page 1

March 3 — March 9, 2016

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

A Separate Peace Foreshadows Discord

Pages 9, 10, 11, 13 & 21

Around the

Community

New Kosel Site for Egalitarian Services Portends Larger Battle for Full Religious Control

Community Joins Together at the Gourmet Seasons Reception to Benefit Yeshiva Mercaz HaTorah of Belle Harbor

50

Your Favorite Five Towns Family Newspaper

pg

58

Achiezer: An Evening of Tribute

60

Madraigos Strikes Success at 6th Annual Gourmet Glatt Bowl-A-Thon

Pesach Vacation Section

A Military Mission Beyond Borders Colonel Dr. Tarif Bader, Deputy Surgeon General of the IDF, Speaks about Israel’s Compassion Around the World pg

Starts on Page 122 Page 119

PAGE 26

– See pages 3 & 29

SEASONS LAWRENCE

330 Central Avenue, Lawrence, NY 11559

100

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

‫בס”ד‬

212-444-1900 Listen in while:

A RIGHT HAND FOR THE JEWISH WOMAN

INTRODUCING

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our exciting new section The Heart of the Akeres Habayis Hotline

Doing laundry

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pressing the shirts

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5- To chat with..........................Devorah Kuperman. (home making)

6- For “The Tallest Tale” by............ Toby Tessler/Lisaur. 7- “Laugh about Life” with.........Ayelet the kosher komic. 8- For ..................................................Marions Musings. 9- For ............................... a Serial Story by Chany.

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DON’T DELAY - CALL TODAY! The Akeres Habayis Hotline Designed and Inspired by our Listeners! Local Numbers for: Rockland 845-678-8360 Lakewood 732-806-8533 La


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

We go the extra mile for family. Actually, we go the extra for family.

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

and crunchy!

!‫פורים שמח‬

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Dear Readers, they had special cereal in the morning. At the Crayola Factory the next day, coloring, playing with Play Dough, jumping in the jungle gym … these were simple activities but kept them busy the whole day. And, after a whole day of fun, a treat of ice cream was the literal cherry on top. We kept things simple for them on the trip – we warmed up supper from home in the hotel, we brought along bagels for lunch and some snack bags for the road. And I know that the memories that were made by being together as a family will last for many years. In fact, every one of us can remember the family trips we made together years ago, when we crowded into our cars and headed on adventures. There were no videos on the road and no iPads to play on and yet we bonded together as a family as we took turns deciding which tape – not CD! – we’d listen to next. So, yes, keep giving your children the hugs and kisses that they deserve but when it comes to giving them things, perhaps we’d be smart to Keep It Simple for them too.

I think the most important thing we can do for our children is kiss them. There can never be enough hugs, kisses and smiles every day. But I’m not referring to those tangible acts of love that we shower them with daily. I think that in this day and age when things are so busy and when we’re bombarded with lights and noise and bells and whistles, we would do our children a service to Keep It Simple. A few weeks ago we planned on heading on a day trip as a family to the Crayola Factory in Pennsylvania. We were never there and our children are at the perfect age to enjoy the museum. But a blizzard derailed our plans and we told them we would reschedule. Every week, they asked when we were going. And every week we told them that we’d be going … soon. But Purim is fast approaching and we knew we had to check this promised excursion off our list. This week, we finally headed out on our family adventure. And I saw that kids are so happy with the simple things in life. They were awed by the “five star” suite that we stayed in on Sunday night. They couldn’t stop saying that it was “first class.” They were ecstatic that they were able to swim in the hotel and that

Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

Yitzy Halpern PUBLISHER

publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Yosef Feinerman MANAGING EDITOR

ads@fivetownsjewishhome.com

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Shabbos Zemanim

Weekly Weather | March 4 - March 10

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

8

COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll

8

COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS NEWS

108

Global

13

National

35

Odd-but-True Stories

42

ISRAEL Israel News

24

A Separate Peace Foreshadows Discord: New Kotel Site for Egalitarian Services Portends Larger Battle for Full Religious Control by Judith Ives 94 A Pain in the Neck by Rafi Sackville

98

PEOPLE A Military Mission Beyond Borders: Colonel Dr. Tarif Bader, Deputy Surgeon General of the IDF, Speaks by Tammy Mark

100

To Capture a General by Avi Heiligman

132

PARSHA Rabbi Wein

84

The Shmuz

86

JEWISH THOUGHT Is That a Fact? by Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

88

Hanging by a Thread by Eytan Kobre

90

PARENTING Teasing by Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW

105

JEWISH HISTORY Amulets, Accusations & Controversy: The Devastating Polemic Between Rabbi Yaakov Emden and Rabbi Yonason Eybeschutz, Part VI by Rabbi Pini Dunner 92 HEALTH & FITNESS Permission to Feel by Chanie Delman, LCSW

104

Secrets for a Happy Marriage by Deb Hirschhorn, PhD

106

What is BMI? by Aliza Beer, MS RD

107

Dear Editor, I don’t feel that the case between Apple and the FBI affects me directly. I doubt the FBI will desperately need to unlock my phone in the near future and as a typical American citizen whose most common crime is jaywalking, I trust in my government to ensure my safety and security. In that vein, it is disconcerting that Apple seems to be standing on principle in refusing to allow the FBI access – but business is business and they seem to be good at getting that done. Every time a story like this breaks the news, though, I am reminded at how intertwined our lives have become with technology. We used to have to read papers and listen to the radio to hear the news or the weather or enjoy some music. But now everything is at our fingertips on our phones – and when it’s not near our fingers we begin to panic. “My phone! Does anyone know where my phone is? I’m missing my phone!” Remember a time when we were able to drive together with our spouses to a wedding and the time spent in the car was like a date? There were no distractions, no ringing, no beeping, no people vying for our attention. We spent time together and enjoyed our time alone. How about the time spent with our kids on the

floor with blocks, helping them build towers and Lego castles? We were in the moment – and we weren’t even taking pictures of them as they were concentrating on creating turrets. It was about focusing and connecting. Now, everything that we do is monitored. You book a hotel on your phone, that date is automatically entered into your calendar. You view a photo on a group chat and it’s now in your photo album. You enter a destination into Google Maps and it’ll remember it for your next few trips. It’s like our phones don’t think we’re capable of managing our own lives anymore. I’m not bemoaning our tech-full lives. In actuality, I’m quite enjoying it. But I do think that we may benefit from spending some time away from our Apples – and sometimes seeming them as the forbidden fruit. Nice to look at, maybe even to touch, but make sure you don’t let it consume you. Sincerely, Chaim Leider Dear Editor, Dr. Deb’s article this week on selflove and narcissism was insightful but scary. As parents, our children really are the centers of our universe Continued on page 12

My Journey: A Kidney Donor Remembers Her Transforming Opportunity by Annielynn Miller 108 FOOD & LEISURE The Aussie Gourmet: Pulled Brisket Empanadas 111 LIFESTYLES

105

Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW 112 Being Right isn’t Always the Goal by Rabbi Naphtali Hoff 128

Your Money

141

Inspiration 101 by Rivki Rosenwald, Esq., CLC

142

HUMOR Centerfold Uncle Moishy Fun Page

82 134

POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes

116

Trump’s Destructive Nationalism by Michael Gerson

124

While Obama Fiddles by Charles Krauthammer CLASSIFIEDS

126 136

When you need directions do you use Waze, Google Maps, or another resource?

50 % 28 % 22 % Waze

Google Maps

Something else


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Sale Dates: March 6th - 11th 2016

Weekly Hunt’s Tomatoes

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

5

5/$

...................................................... Post 11oz Cocoa & Fruity Pebbles; 12 oz Alpha Bits; 11.5 oz Waffle Crisp; 14 oz Golden Crisp; 20 oz Raisin Bran; 12 oz Honey Combs

5

2/$

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

Barilla Pasta

Except Plus, Jumbo Shells, Manicotti, Lasagne, Gluten-Free - 12 oz - 16 oz

5

4/$

Poland Spring Water

$

Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Lieber’s Semi-Sweet Sierra Mist, Mug, Crush, Baking Bar 15 oz Brisk 2 Liter $ 99 3/$

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

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

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

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

9 oz

2 Liter

Traditional Only 12 oz

Filippo Berio Olive Oil

Extra Virgin, Extra Light, Pure - 50.7 oz

1199

Nature’s Own Apple Juice 64 oz

4

Simon Fischer Apricot Butter

10.5 oz 17 oz $ 79 $ 49 ...................................................... Duncan Hines Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Cake Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix Mix 15.25 oz 18.3 oz

1

3

¢ 2/$ 99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 ............... Presidor Wafer Rolls 1.25 oz

79¢

Kedem Mini Grape Juice 6.3 oz

Assorted- 59 oz

$

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

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

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

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

8.8 oz

Original Only 8 oz

Regular or Whole Wheat Onion Garlic or Caesar Flavors Only - 15 oz

Assorted - 1 lb

Osem No MSG Chicken Consomme

299

$

5

Folger’s Instant Coffee

499

$

499

Get Ready for Purim! Jolly Rancher Awesom Twosome 6.5 oz

Gefen Premium Dutch Cocoa 16 oz

299

$ 79

$

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

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

1

Paskesz Assorted Fun Time Candy Family Pack

5

2/$

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

Lieber’s Aleph Bais, Animal or Chocolate Chiplet Cookies 6/$

1

Extra Large Eggs Dozen

Happiness Handmade Lollipops 5/$

1

Osem Bamba 1 oz

1

89¢

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

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

Lieber’s Assorted Wafer Rolls

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

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

40 Pack

1 oz

Manamit Wafers

399

$

Elmhurst Dairies Milk

Bloom’s Pop Mmms

1

5/$

3

Norman’s Greek Yogurt

Assorted 4 Pack

Family Pack 55 oz

1

1

$ 79

Jello Pudding

1

$ 99

Except Pro Plus - 5.3 oz

10

10/$

Flaum’s Pickles

3

$

Jelly Fish Kabob, Marshmallow Clown Kabob or Large Marshmallow Clown Face

2/$

All Flavors 64 oz

$ 49

349

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

. . .1 ...................................................

Except Pizza - 8 oz

21 Count

$

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

Miller’s Shredded Cheese

Mike & Ike Snack Pack

99¢

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

$ 99

All Flavors - 4.2 oz

2/

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

Turkey Hill Iced Tea

Kedem Tea Biscuits

2/$

Assorted - 16 oz

3

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

Friendship Cottage Cheese

599

$

399

$

64 oz

5

Gourmet Glatt Chocolate Covered Mini Pretzels

Quality Choice Croutons

2/$

2/$

Ancient Harvest Quinoa

Seagram’s Fanta, Barq’s, Fuze

99¢

89¢

Tree Ripe Orange Juice

Bloom’s Chocolate Chips

499

$

3

3/$

2/$

Purim Super Sales! Simon Fischer Prune Lekvar

4

24 Pack - 16.9 oz

99

Axelrod Sour Cream Assorted - 16 oz

1

$ 49

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

Coffeemate Creamers Assorted 32 oz

299

$

5

2/$

McCain French Fries All Varieties - 20 oz - 32 oz

. . .1 ......................................................

$ 99

Mendelsohn’s Pizza Original Only - 36 oz

6

$

99

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

Fresh & Frozen Gefilte Fish 20 oz

399

$

NY Pasta Authority Tortellini & Ravioli 12 oz/13 oz

3

$

99

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

International Chopped Liver 12 oz

499

$

B’gan Mini Cauliflower Florets 24 oz

Gourmet Glatt Checked Broccoli Florets

$

32 oz

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

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

499

Mazor’s Mini Pastry Squares 28 oz

599

$

6

$

99

Kosher R Us Beef, Chicken or Turkey Pelmeni 16 oz

Merrick Pie Crusts 2 Pack - 15 oz

1

$ 99

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

Luigi’s Italian Ices All Flavors - 6 Pack

299

$

599

$

Call us: (516) 569-2662 • Fax: (516) 569-8376 • 123 Spruce Street, Cedarhurst, NY 11516


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

Sale Dates: March 6th - 11th 2016

Specials

BEEF PATTIES

5

$

49

.

Shoulder Neck & Skirt London $899 lb. Ground $ 79 4 lb. Beef Broil

Neck & Skirt

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

lb.

GROUND CHICKEN

499 lb.

$

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

Family Pack

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

End Cut

12 Pack

Silver Tip $899 lb. Roast

Veal $ 1599 lb. Corned Chops Beef $ 49 Family Pack 9 lb. 1st Cut ................... Brisket Shoulder$ 99 8 lb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steak Family Pack

Untrimmed

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

799 lb.

Breast of Veal

$

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

Boneless Fillet $ 99 8 lb. Steaks Family Pack

All Flavors - 64 oz

5

3/$

...................................................... Chicken of the Sea Solid White Tuna In Water or Oil - 5 oz

5

4/$

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

Chicken $369 lb. Mini Chicken $249 lb. Cutlets Navel $ 99 Legs Super Family Pack Pastrami 8 ea. Super Family Pack

Family Pack

Snapple Iced Teas

...................................................... Wesson Oil Canola, Corn, Vegetable - Gallon

5

$ 99 Gala Apples

Washington Asparagus

Yellow Bananas

All Flavors - 6 oz $

$

49¢ lb.

Cello Carrots 1 lb Bag

1

2/$

189 lb.

199 lb.

99¢ lb.

...................................................... La Yogurt

Persian Cucumbers

Green Scallions

5/$3

5/$2

Sweet Potatoes

69¢ lb.

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

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

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

Jumbo $ 49 Red 1 lb. Peppers

Portabella 2/$5 Cap Mushrooms

English Cucumber

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

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

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

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

Del Monte 2/$ 5 Pineapples

Green Cabbage

Sweet Onions

Fancy Eggplant

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

Bartlett Pears

99¢ lb.

49¢ lb.

79¢ lb.

99¢ ea.

new! hot sandwich special! just $9.99!

1299 $ 99 Spinach Salad with Feta Cheese 6 $

Eggplant Parmesan Large

Hot Sandwich with Cole Slaw & Pickle

11 3 Brown Rice with Vegetables $499lb. Cream of Chicken Soup $ 99 6 ea. Quart

$ 99 Taco Chicken Fingers lb. Aliza Beer Nutritional Meals Oversized Mediterranean $ 99 ea. 24 VARIETIES! Burgers

Salmon Nuggets $ 99 lb.

8

monday only!

Large Black & White Cookie ¢ ea.

11

7” Marble Ring Cake

99

Colorful Bouquets Gerbera Daisies Bunch

SPECIAL OF THE WEEK:

7

$

9

Baby Chicken with Cauliflower $ Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans

Salmon Florentine $ 99 lb.

99 ea.

999& Up $ 1099 $

order@gourmetglatt.com

2

$ 99

order your shabbos platters early! Sweet Potato Roll $

Pepper Tuna Roll

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

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

450

Tuna Salad Roll

Spicy Salmon Avocado $ Roll

550

Sushi Sandwich Roll 95 $

10

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

Orange Dragon Roll 95 $

Crunchy Pickle Dip Pre-Packaged

11

Assorted Club Rolls 9 Grain Bread Plain or Whole Wheat Package of 2

1

$ 29 ea.

1

$ 99 ea.

1499 $ 1999 $

/gourmetglatt

new! $349ea.

399ea. Light Smoky Taco Dip Pre-Packaged $299ea. $ 49 Tomato Salad Pre-Packaged 4 ea. $ 49 Onion Soup Pre-Packaged 4 ea. Low Fat Broccoli Souffle Pre-Packaged $499ea. $ 99 Low Fat Ratatouille At the Counter 5 lb. $ Low Fat Veggie Blintzes 499lb. At the Counter Sesame Dip

Anemones

595

$

all our cabbage is greenhouse grown!

6

Hyacinths

495

$

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

99 ea.

Family Pack Tilapia $ 49 lb.

Bunch

All Flavors - 48 oz

99¢ lb.

Deli & Takeout

/

...................................................... Edy’s Ice Cream

Pre-Packaged

$

We reserve the right to limit quantities. No rain checks. Not responsible for typographical errors.

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Dear Editor, I sit here in the aftermath of an emergency room visit for a completely avoidable injury. I write this letter with the goal of raising awareness and avoiding future injuries. My three-year-old grandson was standing using the bathroom facilities when he let out a loud scream. The toilet seat slammed down and caused a significant injury. There was bleeding, a hematoma, suspicion of a possible fracture, and concern for constriction of structures within. The pediatrician immediately sent him to the hospital for a urologic assessment. He is currently on round-the-clock Motrin and Tylenol to control the pain and requires monitoring to make sure he continues to be able to urinate. The medic from Hatzalah said that just two days ago he brought another child in for the same injury, and at the hospital, the ER staff said this is a very common cause of injury. They advised my daughter to purchase a slow-close toilet seat; they do not slam down. I have attempted to relate this story in as refined manner as possible while getting the message across. Please, take the simple step of switching your toilet seats to the slow-close, slam-free type. They are widely available at Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc. starting as low as $20. Please have a heightened awareness when taking young children to the bathroom, and training them to be alert to the hazard. In the merit of preventing future incidents to other children, may my grandson heal quickly and completely, and be pain free very soon. A Concerned Grandmother

Continued from 8

and we shower them with love and support. Yes, we know that they are not perfect and it is our responsibility to help them embrace and appreciate their shortcomings. We have the responsibility and owe it to our children to put them on the right path and show them the proper middos in life.

I can only point out that because of our enormous and wonderful responsibility, parents have to constantly work on themselves and reach out to others to help maintain our compass in the sea of parenting. Attending classes, reading books, and speaking with others are wonderful ways to ensure that we are being the

best parents that we can be and can hopefully raise wonderful, healthy, whole children who can contribute and help the world around them. May Hashem help us guide our children in the right way and give us strength and encouragement in our monumental role. A Reader

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


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

The Week In News

is also gunning to become a member of the 88-member Assembly of Experts, received a big boost of confidence in his standing in the Iranian government.

Looking for a Quality Life?

If you’re looking to finally settle down and get some quality of life, then it’s time to pull out the lederhosen and head on over to Austria. The country’s capital, Vienna, was recently placed at the top of the 229 city Mercer Quality of Life Survey. In fact, Germany, the Bavarian sister of Austria, had three of its cities proclaimed top ten. Munich, Dusseldorf and Frankfurt ranked at four, six and seven, respectively. It must be all that beer and sauerkraut that tipped the rankings. Nothing in the U.S. made it to the top ten on the list; Vancouver was the only North American city placed there, at fifth. San Francisco was deemed the best place in the U.S., but it was ranked 28th worldwide. The hilly streets must have turned off the judges. And the highest-ranking British city was London, which came in at 39. Must be all that bad pub food. Surprisingly, the romantic city of Paris fell ten spots this year to 37 because of the recent terror attacks there. Tel Aviv was 104. And taking up the rear for quality of life in the world is Baghdad, Iraq. ISIS, anyone?

Rouhani’s Landslide Win In the first parliamentary election since the infamous Iran nuclear deal was signed, reformists and moderates won all 30 seats in Tehran. President Hassan Rouhani, who

Rouhani and former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a moderate, are both likely to be inducted into the assembly. The assembly’s main tasks are supervising, dismissing and electing the Supreme Leader. When Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini, 76, who has been in power since 1989, dies, the assembly will appoint a new supreme leader. “The competition came to an end and now it is time to open a new way through consensus and convergence of the nation and government and by relying on opportunities created from outside, to open a new chapter in the growth and flourishing of national economy,” President Rouhani said. “The people showed their power once again and gave more credibility and strength to their elected government,” he added. The result is significant because lawmakers from the capital generally determine the political direction of the house, experts said. However, they also said that reformists seem to have done less well in smaller towns. Former presidential candidate and former vice president to Mohammad Khatami, Mohammed Reza Aref, led the race for the 30 seats in the 290-seat parliament. Aref was followed by five other reformists. Many see the election as a referendum on the Iran nuclear deal; virtually every vocal critic of the deal was defeated. 12,000 people registered as candidates in the parliamentary election, but only half were allowed to run, including just 200 moderates. There was more than a 60% turnout and voting had to be extended three times.

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Partying Despite His Nation’s Poverty

join us

for a

Renewal

kidneY donatio

awareness shabbos

march 5th parshas vayakhel

Friday night

dvar torah

following Kabbalas Shabbos

Renewal has been involved in over

329

Rabbi Larry Rothwachs

TRANSPLANTS since its inception in 2006

Young Israel of Woodmere

Friday night

There are currently

294

PATIENTS awaiting a kidney on renewal's waiting list

8:30 pm

Founded in 2006, Renewal is an organization dedicated to assisting people suffering from chronic kidney disease and to educating the public on the life-saving benefits of living kidney donations. Renewal facilitates and coordinates live donor kidney transplants while providing guidance and support to patients and their families. Renewal accompanies the donor throughout the entire transplant process, from the very first phone call through the transplant and posttransplant recovery, “holding their hand” and assisting with details such as appointments, transportation, lodging and obstacles that could impede the process.

718.431.9831 INFO@RENEWAL.ORG WWW.RENEWAL.ORG

oneg

at the home of

Anne & Mark Cohen 857 Glen Drive, Woodmere, NY.

shabbos morning

drasha

following musaf

Rabbi Larry Rothwachs Young Israel of Woodmere Joseph K. Miller Main Shul

Shalosh Seudos

speakers

Rabbi Larry Rothwachs

&

Aish Kodesh

rabbi josh sturm Young Israel of Woodmere

featured speakers Rabbi Larry Rothwachs kidney donor, Rav of Cong. Beth Aaron in Teaneck

rabbi josh sturm renewal, director of outreach

Young Israel of Woodmere 859 Peninsula Blvd

Aish Kodesh 894 Woodmere place

He turned 92 and so he made sure to party like it’s 1999 – despite the poverty surrounding his subjects. “Dear father,” “his royal highness,” and “the Moses of Africa” are some ways that Robert Mugabe is referred to by his Zimbabwean subjects. Thousands made their way to Masvingo by bus, truck and on foot wearing the colors of his ruling party to his celebration. Mugabe, who has ruled since 1980, let 92 balloons into the air to start the festivities held at the historical Great Zimbabwe monument, about 15 miles from downtown Masvingo. During the televised event, schoolchildren performed military drills and recited poetry praising the leader and criticizing western nations. The birthday boy spoke for more than an hour, criticizing the political jockeying in his party, and saying younger members who have spoken out against his wife Grace’s growing power must be disciplined. “It is shameful the way Mrs. Mugabe is being criticized,” he chastised, accusing them of leaking scandals to the press. “Who may be the enemy among us?” He added that he wants his birthday to be declared a national holiday. Many who turned out for the festivities wore outfits emblazoned with Mugabe’s portrait and feasted on beef and game meat. Political allies from the ruling parties of neighboring countries took turns to congratulate Mugabe, who led the guerrilla war in the 1970s when this country was white-minority-ruled Rhodesia. The event, dubbed the 21st February Movement after Mugabe’s actual birthday, has been held since

1986. The Zimbabwean president marked his birthday earlier this week in smaller celebrations that included blowing out candles on a multi-tiered cake with gold frosting surrounded by his family and a gala dinner attended by the country’s elite. The opposition has criticized the celebrations as insensitive to the many Zimbabweans facing hunger due to drought and a struggling economy. Masvingo province is one of the areas worst hit by a drought and has been declared a disaster. Last year it was reported that poverty was so rampant in the country that people were digging up graves to resell the gravel and pit located there.

Castro Brother Dies

Ramon Castro, the older brother of Cuban leaders Raul and Fidel, died last week at the age of 91. While he was less involved in his brother’s Communist revolution which overthrew Cuban President Fulgencio Batista in 1959, he was imprisoned alongside the revolutionaries and aided his brothers’ schemes throughout the revolution. His brothers were radicals; he was a farmer. As he told the Washington Post in 1997, “Fidel studies at the university. He became a lawyer. I didn’t study. I lived on the farm.” Ramon was not always on the side of the Communist government. A year after the revolution, it was reported that Fidel’s government appropriated land from Ramon’s 20,000+ acre farm. But he was also a founder of the country’s Communist Party and served as an agricultural official for the government throughout his lifetime. It’s hard to be related to such notorious siblings. Castro’s relationship with his brothers was strained. He said of Fidel, “I prefer to speak of him as my leader rather than my brother.”


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

Fighting for OUR CHILDREN

Long Island families The McGrath plan to help private schools: sending their children to

Fighting for Long Island Families

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

American Student Detained in North Korea

Otto Warmbier was an average adventurous college student when he set out to visit North Korea in late January, but he never returned to U.S. soil. The University of Virginia undergraduate student has been detained in North Korea for committing an “anti-state crime” with “the tacit connivance of the U.S. government and under its manipulation.” Warmbier visited the country with Young Pioneer Tours, an agency specializing in travel to North Korea, which is strongly discouraged by the U.S. State Department. Young Pioneer describes

itself on its website as providing “budget tours to destinations your mother would rather you stayed away from.” The agency, based in China, also runs tours to Iran, Cuba, Turkmenistan, Iraq and other former Soviet countries. After Warmbier’s detention was revealed, the agency insisted in a news release that this is the first of the 7,000 people it has taken to North Korea over the past eight years to face arrest. “Despite what you may hear, North Korea is probably one of the safest places on Earth to visit,” it says on its website. Warmbier had been staying at the Yanggakdo International Hotel, which is located on an island in a river that runs through Pyongyang, the capital. He allegedly tried to steal a political banner from a staff-only section of the hotel. It is not uncommon for parts of tourist hotels to be sectioned off for North Korean staff and off-limits to foreigners. Following his arrest, no specific details of what kind of charges or punishment Warmbier faces were immediately released. But on Monday he appeared on Pyongyang media and tearfully apologized for the incident. According to Warmbier’s statement,

he wanted the banner with a political slogan on it as a trophy for the church member, who was the mother of a friend. Warmbier also claims that he was offered a used car worth $10,000 by a member of the church in exchange for the “trophy.” He said the church member told him the slogan would be hung on its wall. He also revealed that he was promised that if he was detained and didn’t return, $200,000 would be paid to his mother in the form of a charitable donation. Warmbier said he was also encouraged in his act by the “Z Society” at the University of Virginia, which he said he was trying to join. The magazine of the university’s alumni association describes the Z Society as a “semi-secret ring society” that was founded in 1892 and conducts philanthropy, puts on honorary dinners, and grants academic awards. Warmbier said he accepted the offer of money because his family is “suffering from very severe financial difficulties.” “I started to consider this as my only golden opportunity to earn money,” he said, adding that if he ever mentioned the involvement of the church, “no payments would come.” John Kasich, Ohio governor and Republican presidential hopeful,

called the arrest “inexcusable” while campaigning in New Hampshire. Kasich urged President Barack Obama to “make every effort to secure Mr. Warmbier’s immediate release and keep [his] family constantly apprised.” Kasich demanded that North Korea either provide evidence of the alleged anti-state activities or release Warmbier immediately. While travel to North Korea is legal and generally Americans who visit the country return home without incident, visitors – especially those from America – who break the country’s murky and harsh rules risk detention, arrest and possible jail sentences. In previous cases, people who have been detained in North Korea and made public confessions often recanted those statements after their release. It is common for North Korea to accuse Washington and Seoul of sending spies to overthrow its government to enable the U.S.-backed South Korean government to control the Korean Peninsula. If history is any indication, it would not be surprising if North Korea detains Warmbier until senior U.S. officials or statesmen come to personally bail him out.

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Airline Crash Kills 23 in Nepal

The plane ride between Pokhara, a resort town near Kathmandu, Nepal, and Jomsom, a popular hiking destination, is short – only 18 minutes long – but very dangerous. The flight takes place between mountains and can only be completed by aircraft small enough to navigate the terrain. Last week, a Tara airlines aircraft carrying 23 people crashed into a mountain while attempting the flight in bad weather. All passengers, including two foreigners, were confirmed dead within hours of authorities finding the wreckage. The plane had lost contact with air traffic controllers shortly after takeoff. On Friday, another plane was reported to have crashed in the area, this time with two passengers confirmed dead.

recent wave of IPOs in the country’s stock market, which has allowed business owners and entrepreneurs to access vast sums of cash. In the past year, 32 Chinese became billionaires; only four New Yorkers did the same. The Chinese stock market has tumbled over 40% in the past year, but Hurun’s calculations were made based on market values on January 15th, which factor in the decline. The pre-crash billionaire count for Beijing is closer to 150. China’s richest man, Wang Jianlin, is the 21st wealthiest worldwide. Other super wealthy Chinese include Jack Ma, who started Alibaba, and owners of tech companies Xiaomi, Tencent and Baidu. “What we showed today is that at the super-wealth creation level, the Chinese are now leading,” Hoogewerf said. “People will look at China the same way that people looked at Stanford or Silicon Valley in the 1990s.”

Is Syria Truce in Danger of Collapse?

Beijing: City of Billionaires

These days, the term “Made in China” has a new meaning. The Shanghai-based billionaire ranking firm Hurun has declared that Beijing has overtaken New York as the Billionaire Capital of the World, with 100 of the mega-rich residing there, compared to 95 in the Big Apple. For months, speculators have been saying that the Chinese city has blown past New York, despite the woes which plague China’s economy and stock market. According to Rupert Hoogewerf, Hurun’s founder, the Chinese are benefitting from the

Although UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon insists the pause in fighting in Syria is still holding, a senior official from Syria’s main opposition group said on Monday that a fragile international attempt to halt nearly five years of fighting was in danger of collapse because of attacks by government forces. The cessation of hostilities drawn up by Washington and Moscow faced “complete nullification” because Syrian government attacks were violating the agreement, the official of the Saudi-backed opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said. France said there were reports of attacks on opposition forces in breach of the deal, which came into force on Saturday, and countries backing the Syrian peace process met to try to clarify the situation.


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The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Proudly presents An All-Male Performance of

an original musical based on the biblical story of Joseph and his brothers.

Saturday, March 26th 9:30pm Sunday, March 27th 5:00pm Saturday, April 2nd 9:30pm

control of a road to the northern city of Aleppo after making advances against Islamic State fighters. Aid trucks carrying non-food items such as blankets on Monday entered Mouadamiya, a suburb of Damascus under siege by government forces, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent said. The United Nations and other agencies hope to deliver aid to more than 150,000 people in besieged areas over the next five days. Kerry said he was concerned by reports the Syrian government was creating obstacles for the delivery of humanitarian aid and hoped it would stop its officials and troops from taking medicine or other supplies from the shipments. Asaad al-Zoubi, head of the HNC’s delegation to the peace talks, gave a gloomy assessment of the truce. “We are not facing a violation of the truce ... we are facing a complete nullification,” he said on Al Arabiya al Hadath TV. “I believe the international community has totally failed in all its experiments, and must take real, practical measures towards the [Syrian] regime,” Zoubi said, without elaborating. He said there were no signs of any preparations for peace talks, which the United Nations wants to reconvene on March 7. Talks in Geneva in early February collapsed before they started, with rebels saying they could not negotiate while they were being bombed.

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The cessation deal does not include jihadist groups such as Islamic State and the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, and Russia, which is backing the Syrian government with air power, has made clear it intends to keep bombing those groups. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that he agreed that it was important for Russia to ensure that any strikes in Syria

would focus only on those terrorist groups. The cessation of hostilities agreement, the first of its kind since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, is a less formal arrangement than a ceasefire. It is meant to allow peace talks to resume and aid to reach besieged communities. The British-based Syrian Obser-

vatory for Human Rights said the agreement was largely holding, with casualties greatly reduced compared with before the agreement took effect. But Syrian forces made some gains. The Observatory reported they had taken territory near Damascus on Monday after a battle with the Nusra Front and other Islamist rebels. Syrian government forces also regained

An insightful – and disturbing – documentary by a Norwegian filmmaker is attempting to uncover the thoughts of some of the most evil people in the world. “Dugma, the Button,” by Pal Refsdal follows the lives of three members of Al Qaeda’s Al Nusra Front in Syria who are waiting to martyr themselves by suicide bomb and lets the viewers do the judging; the film does not have any outside commentary.


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

Al Nusra usually spaces out its suicide attacks; there are usually a number of weeks in between each bombing. Wannabe martyrs usually have to wait between one and two years until their turn is called, according to Refsdal. “They’re not like IS [the Islamic State group, which they are also fighting] which sends car bombs one after the other with very young drivers dying en masse,” he comments. Terrorists go about their daily lives while waiting for their time to kill. Viewers witness one of the subjects, Abu Basir al-Britani (“the Briton”), who was born Lucas Kinney to a Catholic family, break down when his young wife gets pregnant. “Now I can’t do that to my family,” he emotes. Another makes a humorous comment about reckless driving to his friend, “You’re on your way to martyrdom. Are you really going to worry about speeding?” “I was surprised by the ease of relations with them, by their relaxed side,” said Refsdal, who converted to Islam in 2009. “If I hadn’t known they were Al-Qaeda, I would never have guessed based on my gut feeling alone,” he said. Refsdal has received opposition from people who believe he is giving the terrorist organization a venue to air its beliefs. “I understand that there may be people who disagree with it in principle and argue that Al-Qaeda attacked New York in 2001, Madrid in 2004, London in 2005, Paris and Charlie Hebdo,” Refsdal said. “But the film isn’t trying to tell people what to think – it’s just depicting their daily lives and then it’s up to people to think what they want after having seen it.”

India Attempts to End Selfie Tragedies

Death by selfie? The desire to tell all one’s social media “friends” how awesome someone is can be lethal. Since 2014, there have been 49 selfie-linked deaths worldwide. In India

alone, 19 self-snappers died in the act, and that is causing authorities there to crack down on the deadly practice. A few weeks ago, a college student fell over a dam in the city of Nashik while precariously posing in front of his cellphone atop a rock there. He died along with a friend who jumped in while attempting to save him. At Mumbai’s Bandstand Fort, a popular tourist spot, an 18-year-old woman fell and drowned while taking a picture of herself. In January 2014, three students succumbed to the temptations of the selfie on their way to the Taj Mahal when they posed in front of a speeding train which failed to stop in time. Mumbai police have now declared certain risky areas to be off limits when it comes to selfies. These areas include coastlines without any barriers or railings. Venture there and you risk a 1,200 rupee fine, even if you don’t take any offending photos with yourself. Will selfie-madness end anytime soon in India in light of all the tragedies wrought by it? Keerti Sachdeva, a Mumbai psychologist, does not think so. “You know people have this sort of feeling in adolescent age, especially that they need to get this acceptance from everyone, that I am a smart person, I am a good-looking person,” Sachdeva said. “So for acceptance and recognition they are indulging in taking of selfies.”

Entire Iranian Village Wiped out for Drug Smuggling

Iran is no stranger to cruel and unusual punishment. In fact, Iran is one of the world’s largest users of the death penalty, ranking second behind China in 2014, according to the most recent figures from Amnesty. In the most recent shocking revelation from the Middle Eastern coun-

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Tickets: $8 in advance $10 at the door

police. “If we do not act against these people, crime will return,” Euronews quoted Molaverdi saying. “Society is responsible for the families of those executed. Although the family support program was neglected for several years, it has now been relaunched as part of the sixth national development plan.” Ahmed Shaheed, a special investigator on human rights for the United Nations, warned that executions in Iran have increased at an “exponential rate” since 2005 and could top 1,000 in 2015. According to Shaheed, Iran executes more people per capita than any other country, and many of the killings are of juveniles and non-violent offenders. Shaheed also revealed that 69% of the executions during the first six months of 2015 were reportedly for drug-related offenses.

Osama: $29M to Be Used for Jihad 5 Towns Judaica Frankels Supermarket Gourmet Glatt Judaica Plus Seasons Siach Yitzchok nd rd s a a c p urim ch m an os oa m ishl on sal e! be w ill

try, the entire male population of a village was executed for drug trafficking, a senior Iranian cabinet minister said. Iran’s Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Shahindokht Molaverdi exposed the appalling event on a Persian-language interview with semi-official Mehr news agency on Tuesday. She did not name the village or provide details as to when the exe-

cutions were carried out. “We have a village in Sistan and Baluchistan province where every single man has been executed,” she said, according to a translation of her remarks by The Guardian. She warned that as a result violence there could increase. “Their children are potential drug traffickers as they would want to seek revenge

and provide money for their families. There is no support for these people.” Drug smuggling is a growing epidemic in Iran as it is the bridge from Afghanistan to Europe. Sistan and Baluchistan province, where the alleged executions happened, borders Afghanistan and Pakistan. This region has previously been the scene of fighting between smugglers and

Despite his demise on May 2, 2011, we are still unearthing information about the notorious terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. This week, his will was released along with a batch of more than 100 documents that were seized in the May 2011 raid that killed him in his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. In it, it was revealed that he planned to divide his massive fortune among his relatives, although the bulk of his wealth was set aside to continue to perpetrate terror and promote the terror network he set up to mastermind the 9/11 attacks. The will was undated, but bin Laden said $29 million was in Sudan, where he lived for several years in the 1990s. He left Sudan for Afghanistan in 1996, just before the Taliban seized control of the country and welcomed him.


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

AGUDATH ISRAEL OF AMERICA 6TH ANNUAL COMMUNITY BREAKFAST

This man is one of the most important people in Albany today. Senator John Flanagan, Senate Majority Leader,

will negotiate tens of millions of dollars for our children, our yeshivos and our community in the NYS Budget. Let’s strengthen his ability to stand up for our interests!

OUR INTERESTS ARE SERVED WHEN OUR VOICES ARE HEARD.

Mr. and Mrs. Menash Oratz

invite you to join them at

Agudath Israel of America’s 6th Annual Community Breakfast Reception with

Senator John Flanagan Sunday, March 13 / 3 Adar Sheini

at their home 412 Adelberg Lane, Cedarhurst, NY

beginning at 9:00 AM (Daylight Saving Time) Uri Schlachter, Breakfast Chairman

OPEN TO MEN & WOMEN No solicitation of funds

PRIORITY INITIATIVES FOR 2016

• Education Investment Tax Credit • Monies owed for Mandated Services and CAP Funding • Immunization Reimbursement • Security Funding

• Protecting Patients’ Religious Rights in End of Life Care • Establishment of Office of NYS Non-Public Schools • Infertility Funding

• Funding for Employment Training • Special Education Services • East Ramapo School District and similar districts

AGUDATH ISRAEL ADVOCACY RECENTLY HELPED ACCOMPLISH THE FOLLOWING:

R

$250M in long-overdue reimbursement funds owed to private schools

R

$171M in Mandated Services and CAP reimbursements representimg a $12.6M increase

R

$20M appropriated for security guards in private schools in NYC

R R R R

$4.5M in school safety equipment $6.5M in technology, academic intervention, and bus driver training $90 per pupil for textbook and other materials Half day pre-K offerings

TOTAL: $500M for nonpublic school students in NY State

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

“I hope, for my brothers, sisters, and maternal aunts, to obey my will and to spend all the money that I have left in Sudan on jihad, for the sake of Allah,” bin Laden wrote. Media reports over the years have said that bin Laden was not able to take his fortune with him from Sudan. The will also refers to the Afghan cities of Jalalabad and Kandahar, where bin Laden and al Qaeda operated in the years leading up to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S. It was not clear how much money he had at the time of his death or what happened to it. Bin Laden was aware that the West wanted to have him killed. “If I am to be killed,” he wrote in a 2008 letter to his father, “pray for me a lot and give continuous charities in my name, as I will be in great need for support to reach the permanent home.” The letters were included in a batch of documents released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. They address a range of topics, including fractures between al Qaeda and al Qaeda in Iraq, which eventually splintered off into what is now known as the Islamic State; and bin Laden’s concerns about his organization’s public image and his desire

to depict it as a united network. In another letter, addressed to “The Islamic Community in General,” bin Laden offered an upbeat assessment of progress in his holy war since 9/11 and of U.S. failings in Afghanistan. The letter appears to have been written in 2010. “Here we are in the tenth year of the war, and America and its allies are still chasing a mirage, lost at sea without a beach,” he wrote. “They thought that the war would be easy and that they would accomplish their objectives in a few days or a few weeks, and they did not prepare for it financially, and there is no popular support that would enable it to carry on a war for a decade or more. The sons of Islam have opposed them and stood between them and their plans and objectives.” In an earlier letter, he compared the American combat position to that of the Soviet Union in the final years of its occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. “America appears to be hanging on by a thin thread. Due to the financial difficulties,” he wrote. “We need to be patient a bit longer. With patience, there is victory!” he encouraged.

Israel Welcomes Egypt Ambassador

For the first time since 2012, Egypt has an ambassador stationed in Israel, and it may symbolize the making of a strong bilateral relationship. Egyptian Hazem Khairat has officially been welcomed to the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv by President Reuven Rivlin, who had many warm words to describe the incoming ambassador. “He told me that he is very happy and very proud to be in Israel and that he hopes that his presence here will bring about a situation in which the

friendship between the Jewish people and the Arab people in general, and between the countries of the region, will be such that we can live in peace,” Rivlin said. The remarks followed an uncharacteristic toast behind closed doors between Rivlin and Khairat. In 2011, the Israeli embassy in Cairo was attacked by angry mobs and abandoned by Israeli diplomats. But since current Egyptian president Mohammed Fatah Al Sissi took power, diplomatic relations between the two countries have improved, with Israeli diplomats returning to Cairo this past September. “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, we succeeded in driving away the threats, and we’re working together for the sake of stability and prosperity in the Middle East,” Foreign Ministry Director Dore Gold said at the time. In January, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of Khairat’s installation on Tel Aviv warmly. “I welcome the re-stationing of an Egyptian ambassador to Israel, which will enable us to further strengthen relations with this important and central Arab country,” he said.

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2 NEW D N I K A F O E ON BLENDS

Our exclusive Capri and Prince Edward Island blends bring you the perfect ratio of delightful vegetable combinations with all-new flavors to savor.

Be Healthy. Be Satisfied. B’gan.

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

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150 Days of Intifada On Sunday, Palestinians launched a mass media campaign celebrating the 150th day of the “Al-Quds intifada,” also known as the “knife intifada,” as the current terror wave has come to be called. The media campaign focuses on expressing support for the intifada and its “achievements” in the “struggle” against Israel by distributing explanatory material on the internet and on social networks tagged as “Intifada 150.” The Palestinians called on the public to support the intifada proclaiming, “The media is one of the most important tools in helping the intifada.” According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from September 13, 2015 to February 26, 2016, 33 people were killed and 359 people were injured by Palestinian terrorists. The attacks included 192 stabbings, 75 shootings and 39 vehicular attacks.

Murder or Suicide? Palestinian Terrorist Dead in Bulgaria

Omar Nayef Zayed has been wanted by Israel since 1986 for killing an innocent yeshiva student in Jerusalem. All these years, he has been alive and well in Bulgaria – until last week when he was found dead. The circumstances surrounding his death are rather suspicious and mysterious. In 1986 Zayed was convicted in the murder of Eliyahu Amedi – whom he stabbed to death in Jerusalem’s Old City – along with two other Palestinian assailants. He was sentenced to life in prison. Four years after beginning his sentence, Zayed began a hunger strike and was moved to a Bethlehem hospital facility from

which he escaped. He fled to Bulgaria in 1994 and married a local woman with whom he had three children. According to a Bulgarian news reports, the terrorist fell from the upper floor of the Palestinian embassy building, leading many to believe that Zayed committed suicide or that it was staged to look as such. The circumstances leading up to Zayed’s death are undergoing an investigation but the timing definitely seems suspicious or ironic. At the time of his death the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borissov was visiting Israel. On Sunday he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Some Palestinians are speculating that Israel was involved in the death. Two months ago, Israel was denied Zayed’s extradition from Bulgaria. If Israel is involved, the Mossad, responsible for carrying out such special operations overseas, is the body that executed the mission. This would involve penetrating the Palestinian embassy in Bulgaria where Zayed had sought shelter and which was certainly being guarded. Another theory being posed is that Zayed’s killer came from within the embassy and that he either worked in the embassy or was invited inside. Many are speculating that the operation was the joint work of the Israeli and Bulgarian intelligence services. Israel cooperated with the Bulgarian authorities following the Hezbollah bus bombing in 2012 that killed five Israelis and their local driver. For now, the only thing that is certain is that a terrorist has met his end.

Clashes Ensue as Waze Leads Soldiers to Dangerous Area

Waze: You either love it or you don’t. On Tuesday, two Israeli soldiers mistakenly entered the Qalandia refugee camp in the West Bank when they followed directions from Waze.

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the Hannibal Protocol, which grants troops near complete freedom of operation in order to prevent the capture of fellow soldiers. The rare protocol, considered a measure of last resort, is generally ordered to prevent the possible kidnap of Israeli troops and is considered a major operational undertaking, involving the possible use of massive firepower, even at the risk of endangering the kidnapped soldier’s life. The IDF said it employed the measure after realizing that one soldier was unaccounted for in order to “keep everyone on the same page,” an IDF spokesperson said. “After locating one of the soldiers and [amid] the realization that another was missing, possibly abducted, the procedure was declared in the field in order to raise situation awareness and allocate the necessary military resources to locate the soldier,” the army said. The directive was in effect for approximately half an hour, until the second soldier reached the nearby Kochav Ya’akov settlement and made contact with the army.

Israel Wiped off the Map

There, they were pelted with rocks and firebombs and were forced to flee from their jeep when it caught fire. One soldier escaped to a nearby Jewish neighborhood; another hid in a yard before being rescued by Israeli troops. When troops came to their aid, they were also put under attack, and a Palestinian man was killed in the

clashes. Dozens were wounded. Ten members of Israeli military were wounded as well. Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said the soldiers appeared to go astray by following Waze, the Israeli-developed global traffic app, which showed them the shortest route from Jerusalem to their destination in the West Bank. He said the incident

would be investigated further to make sure such a situation would not repeat itself. “I learned long ago, when the GPS was introduced, you can’t forget how to navigate using a map and you need to know your environment and not follow technology blindly,” Yaalon said. The rescue by the IDF employed

If you’re a third grader in a Palestinian school, you may have heard about Israel but it’s nowhere on a map in your textbook. Some Israeli cities, though, are now in Palestine, killing yourself is lauded, and the Holocaust is never mentioned. Clearly education is crucial when growing up in the West Bank. According to Gal Berger, Israel Radio’s Palestinian affairs correspondent, there is a systematic blurring of Israel’s existence in Palestinian textbooks for grades 1-12. “In the textbooks of the Palestinian Authority,” he pointed out, “there is no education towards two states or a Palestinian state [alongside Israel] within ’67 lines.”


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

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In history books for grades 1012, there are full chapters dedicated to World War II but no mention of the Holocaust. “For a student in this [Palestinian education] system,” said Berger, “it is as if the Holocaust never happened.” In his examination of the Islamic studies textbooks, Berger found excerpts that celebrated martyrdom, including a fourth grade textbook that invites the children to write about a Palestinian martyr of their choice. A page of a ninth grade textbook of Islamic studies, which he said constituted praise for martyrdom, begins with a Koranic verse which instructs Muslims to kill or imprison nonbelievers. If a Muslim should die in the process, the verse says, “G-d will not send away their works…and (will) admit them into paradise.” The textbook’s interpretation of the verse, Berger said, states that the martyrs “will be given the highest place in paradise with the prophets and messengers.” The erasure of Israel’s physical existence begins early, with cartoons in first grade textbooks showing stores in Palestine – among them a pharmacy in Safed, a supermarket in Haifa and a candy store in Beershe-

ba, Berger reported. (All three cities are in Israel.) It “continues like this through the different grades,” Berger noted. The same situation occurs in a seventh grade geography textbook, where Haifa, Beersheba, Jaffa, Safed, Ashdod and Ashkelon are said to be located in Palestine. Ashraf al-Ajami, a political commentator and former Palestinian minister for prisoner affairs, countered that maps in Israel do not designate the borders of the state, or mark a distinction between sovereign Israeli territory and areas captured in the 1967 war. He also said that representatives of the European Union look over the books to ensure there’s no blatant incitement on their pages.

Iran Supports Families of Martyrs Flush with newfound cash, the Iranian government has decided to put it to good use. No, the $100 billion recently unfrozen with the lifting of sanctions on the country is not being used to provide needed social services

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or economic stimuli in the country; it is going to fund even more Palestinian terror and attacks on Israelis.

Mohammad Fateh Ali, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, announced Tehran’s largesse in giving $7,000 to families of “martyrs of the intifada in occupied Jerusalem” and a further “$30,000 to every family whose home the occupation has demolished for the participation of one of its sons.” Israel has long predicted that lifting sanctions on Iran would only allow it to further add to its support of worldwide terror. The Foreign Ministry issued a statement: “This is further proof of Iran’s deep involvement in support for anti-Israeli terrorism. After the [nuclear] agreement with world powers, Iran has allowed itself to continue as a major player in international terrorism.” Israeli TV also reported that Hamas leaders have recently met with

Iranian Al-Quds Force leader Qassem Suleimani, one of the most notorious backers of terror in the world. The report claimed that Suleimani “kissed the foreheads” of the terror group leaders and encouraged them to continue their anti-Israel engagements. A few months ago, Iranian leader Ayatollah Khameini wrote in a letter to Western youth, “The oppressed people of Palestine have experienced the worst kind of terrorism for the last sixty years. If the people of Europe have now taken refuge in their homes for a few days and refrain from being present in busy places it is decades that a Palestinian family is not secure even in its own home from the Zionist regime’s death and destruction machinery.”

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Non-kosher Anatomy of ‘mom’ quits a ceasefire Mother Kelly’s, one of the last remaining treif restaurants in Cedarhurst, is closing following the sale of its building, the Nassau Herald reported this week. Mother Kelly’s will end 45 years of service

By Dmitriy Shapiro, JNS.org Washington Jewish Week After at least 11 failed attempts at achieving a lasting ceasefire between the Hamas terrorist group and Israel, negotia-

The Hebrew Academy of Long Beach (HALB) has filed a tentative plan with the Town of Hempstead’s Zoning Board of Appeals for its use of the Number Six School in Woodmere. HALB is purchasing the 6.67-acre site, which includes a 80,170-square-foot school building, for $8.5 million plus $2.7 million that will be held as a guarantee that Lawrence Board of Education realizes at least $565,000 in annual savings on what the district now spends on transportation and special education for HALB students. “I actually believe that the annual savings will far exceed that estimate — if [HALB’s] student enrollment stays close to what it is today, the numbers will be higher,” said HALB President Lance Hirt. In two years, HALB is expected to move its Long Beach-based elementary school — which houses kindergarten through eighth grade, currently 800 students — from a beachfront building on West Broadway to the Church Avenue site, officials previously said. HALB expects to sell its Long Beach building. “We know that our initial plan will be rejected given the fact that we are making some minor changes to the current layout and use of the site,” Hirt said.

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Having the initial plan rejected is part of the process, he said. The zoning board reviews proposed changes, and then either denies them or grants approval. Previously HALB said that renovations to the building are needed to make better use of classroom space and public areas, install a new roof and windows to improve energy efficiency, put in a state-of-the-art heating and air conditioning system, along with new electrical and plumbing systems that comply with current building codes. Lawrence board president Murray Forman did not return calls for comment. A version of this report by Jeffrey Bessen first appeared in this week’s Nassau Herald.

Judy’s rules of engagement


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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

and Noam on the boys’ list. Shira is number one for girls, after which is Noa and Tamar. What is evident from all this is Israelis’ connection to biblical names, regardless of their secular views. Interior Minister Aryeh Deri remarked, “The list is proof that the public is emotionally tied to tradition and Biblical names,” he said. “Names like Yaakov, Moshe, Rachel, Rivka and Sarah may not always top the list, but they are always present, just as the tradition has been with us for years and years.”

Hamas Leader: Nothing Will Stop Intifada

has been tracking the most popular names given in the country since its founding in 1948. Following the birth of the State, the most popular boys’ name was Moshe, followed by Yosef, Avraham, Dovid and Yitzchak. Popular girls’ names were Esther, followed by Rachel, Sarah, Shoshana and Miriam. In the 1960s, Israelis were still feeling biblical, but by then Yosef

took over the top spot from Moshe for boys and Rachel claimed the prize from Esther. However, girls were being called more “modern” names by then, such as Ronit, Anat, Iris and Orly; Sarah dropped to tenth on the list. By the 1970s, boys’ names were also becoming modernized with Shai, in fourth place, Yaniv, in fifth place, and Oren in ninth place on the list.

Moshe was number one again for boys, but Rachel fell to tenth for girls who by now were being called Keren, Merav, Limor, Liat and Galit. In the 1990s Moshe finally fell from number one on the boys’ list, but only to the third spot; Daniel claimed top prize. Eden was the top girls’ name; number two was Sapir. In the current decade, Itay is reigning on top and is followed by Uri

Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, announced last week that both Israel and the Palestinian Authority are powerless to stop the ongoing surge in violence that he said was an “intifada.” “The intifada will continue and will become the greatest strategic turning point in the history of the Palestinian struggle,” Haniyeh thundered at an anti-Israel rally in the southern Gaza town of Rafah. “Nothing will be able to stop this intifada,” he asserted. “Not the occupying enemy and nor its security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority,” he said referring to long-standing joint defense initiatives between Jerusalem and Ramallah. During the rally, fighters from Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, staged a mock attack on Israeli settlers with assault rifles. Masked Qassam fighters also staged a suicide bombing of an Israeli bus in front of the crowd. The terrorist group Hamas rules Gaza, the Palestinian enclave between Egypt and Israel and separated from the West Bank. Gaza has been the site of three wars between Israel and Hamas since 2008, but it has remained relatively calm amid a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks that began in October in


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

I wasn’t born yesterday.

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suspected operatives in terror organizations, were arrested in a joint Shin Bet, IDF and Israel Police operation over the past few weeks. On November 6, 2015, Nasser and Akram met on the third floor of a building owned by their father located near Ma’arat Hamachpeila in Hebron. From that angle, Nasser, 23, who Shin Bet claims is a member of Hamas, and Akram, 33, fired into a group of Israelis who were praying near the holy site. Two Israelis were injured, one seriously and the other lightly. “After carrying out the attack, the two then went on to their cousin’s wedding celebration,” the Shin Bet said, citing their confession. On January 3, Nasser returned to the same location with the sniper rifle, which has since been confiscated by the Shin Bet, and shot at a group of soldiers, hitting a female cadet in the pelvis and seriously injuring her. Later that day, the two brothers are believed to have traveled to the nearby Kvasim Junction, where Akram again fired at a group of soldiers, lightly wounding one. The Badawi brothers said the sniper attacks were revenge for the killing of an elderly Hebron resident

the West Bank, Jerusalem and across Israel. The rash of violence has raised fears of a third Palestinian intifada. Though Haniyeh, who acts as Gaza’s de facto political leader, in recent weeks has denied Hamas is seeking a fresh round of hostilities with Israel, he has lauded the group’s ramped up efforts in digging underground tunnels designed to be used to attack Israel. Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders have praised the perpetrators of terror attacks in recent months, and have increasingly urged West Bank Palestinians to carry out attacks against Israelis.

Brothers Arrested for Sniper Attacks Two brothers from Hebron have been arrested by Israeli security forces for carrying out multiple sniper attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers over the last few months. The Shin Bet security service announced on Monday that Nasser Faisal Mahmad Badawi and Akram Faisal Mehmed Badawi, along with a number of other

who was shot as she attempted to carry out a car ramming attack at the nearby Halhul Junction earlier that day. Authorities caught up with Nasser on January 9 and questioned him about his involvement in the attacks. Akram, his brother, carried out another shooting on January 16 in an attempt to cover up the suspicion, although no one was injured in the attack. Just a short while later, Akram was arrested as well. The brothers are also suspected of having carried out a number of shootings against groups of Israeli soldiers in Hebron and against nearby military outposts, in which no one was hurt. During their confession, the brothers told their interrogators they’d learned how to silence the sniper rifle using an old oil filter by watching videos on the Internet.

pur War. And despite her age, she keeps up with the political situation in the State. “When you look today, Maniya, at what is happening to us here, are you satisfied or are you critical?” Ben-Ami asked. “No, I’m disappointed in the government,” she answered, “I’m not happy with the government of Netanyahu. I’m not explicitly leftist, but I’m not satisfied.” There are around 9,700 people over 95 living in the Israel. No telling how many of them are only a quarter of a decade old, though.

MK: “Hamas Seaport Would Be Deadly”

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Happy birthday! She’s finally 25 – or maybe she’s 100? Maniya Bergson was born on February 29, 1916 in Poland. Now, she’s living in Israel and because her birthday only rolls around once every 1,461 days, she’s lucky to finally be able to celebrate a quarter of a decade. “What blessing would you like on your 100th birthday?” anchor Oded Ben-Ami of Channel 2 News asked in a televised interview. “Health isn’t important to me anymore, yes?” Bergson quipped. “I’m close to the end, yes? The way I am now, I’m satisfied with that.” Bergson has always been a fighter. “After WWI, we belonged to Poland,” she related. She was enrolled in a private school network that taught Hebrew. “The Polish education minister approved it. So I began my studies in a Hebrew kindergarten.” She moved to Israel after WWII, in 1947. Her son, Amichai, was killed in combat during the 1973 Yom Kip-

Avi Dichter, a Knesset member and former Shin Bet Head of Security, is warning Israel of the potential threat a Gaza Strip seaport would pose. According to Dichter, a seaport in Gaza would be a bigger threat than the tunnel network the terror group now has. “Tunnels may even be preferable,” he argued, “since the merchandise passing through [them] can be monitored more thoroughly than one can check goods coming in through a seaport.” During a ceasefire agreement in the summer of 2014, Hamas demanded the construction of a seaport as a condition to ending the fighting. Israel has avoided committing to the construction of such a port and has maintained a blockade on Gaza designed to prevent weapons importing. As the economic situation in Gaza worsens, the likelihood of an attack becomes higher. It has been reported that some senior IDF officials support the idea of easing the pressure on Hamas to avoid renewed conflict. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

Obamacare Riddled with Fraud All government entitlement programs are vulnerable to fraud and cheating, and Obamacare is no different. The subsidized health insurance program which is eligible only for people of certain income and health criteria is ripe for fraudulent claims, and a

nonpartisan congressional report just released claims that the White House is not doing enough to stop the cheating by taking a “passive” approach to weeding out fraudsters.

The Obamacare website, HealthCare.gov, “is at risk of granting eligibility to, and making subsidy payments on behalf of, individuals who are ineligible to enroll,” said the report, which was composed by the GAO, or Government Accountability Office. Investigators cite numerous instances where the government has failed to verify basic questions revolving the eligibility of people applying for health insurance. The agency administering the health law – the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services – “has assumed a passive approach to identifying and preventing fraud,” the GAO report said. While the Obama administration has agreed with many of the recommendations given in the report,

it still maintains that it has taken a “best practices” approach to dealing with the issues notes. The GAO report “raises many red flags,” said Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich. “Perhaps the most unsettling is that while HHS agrees there are many vulnerabilities, the agency has no urgency or plan to fix these critical errors.” Proponents of the White House insist that the problems contained in the report are not due to fraudulent or malicious applications for insurance coverage; they are rather the product of the confusing amount of paperwork required for verification of coverage, leaving the information of many eligible citizens who receive coverage inadequate. Sounds like government at its finest.

Speaking Out After 10 Years Justice Clarence Thomas is a very quiet man. In fact, he’s spent the last decade on the bench mostly in silence. But on Monday, he finally broke his 10 years of courtroom silence

during a Supreme Court oral argument. The audience reacted with shock as Thomas posed a series of questions in an exchange that continued for several minutes regarding gun rights.

The case was considering the reach of a federal law that bans people convicted of domestic violence from owning guns. The first 50 minutes of the session was business as usual in the court for Voisine v. United States until Thomas showered Justice Department lawyer Ilana Eisenstein with over 10 questions just as she was trying to wind up her argument. “Ms. Eisenstein, one question,” Thomas broke in. “This is a misdemeanor violation. It suspends a constitutional right. Can you give me another area where a misdemeanor violation suspends a constitutional

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both flatly oppose all such ideas. Israel denied Hamas’ claims that the construction of the port was a key element in ongoing negotiations with Turkey to end years of tensions with the once-close ally. Last week, amid some reports that Hamas has rebuilt much of its tunnel network, Netanyahu told leaders of Israeli communities around the Gaza Strip that the army was working to end the threat of attack tunnels emanating from the coastal Palestinian territory.

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right?” Eisenstein noted that violating other laws can, in some cases, limit a person’s free speech rights under the First Amendment. “OK,” Thomas conceded. “So can you think of a First Amendment suspension or a suspension of a First Amendment right that is permanent?” February 22, 2006 marked the last time Thomas asked a question during court. In the past, Thomas’ habits have come under fire with many accusing him of neglecting his duties as a justice. However he has said he relies on the written briefs in a case and doesn’t feel the need to ask questions of the lawyers appearing in court. Thomas returned to his usual demeanor during the court’s second argument and did not speak. This is the second week the Supreme Court has heard arguments since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Scalia was a close friend and fellow conservative of Thomas. They sat side by side for seven years. Scalia, though, was extremely vocal during court sessions. The seat next to Thomas is still draped in black in observance with Scalia’s February 13 passing.

Tipping the Scales

There is one type of immigration that I’m sure everyone would like to see gone – all 582 million of them. That’s the amount of pounds packed on by the USA in 2015, some coming in the form of actual immigrants and newborn babies, but many in the form of Big Macs and Party Size Doritos consumption – or about 57 million pounds of excess abdominal baggage. To put that number in perspective, that would be the equivalent of 1,400 blue whales taking up new residence in the country. While the average American female lost 2 pounds from 2014 to 2015 and now weighs 155 pounds, the average male weighs 196 pounds – 42 percent weigh above 200 pounds – and packed on 3 pounds over the year. Say there are 3,500 calories in a pound; that would come out to an excess of 2

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trillion calories in America last year. The country’s obesity rate also jumped to an all-time high of 28 percent. Somewhere in Kentucky heaven, Colonel Sanders is smiling. Not only is this bad news for our health care costs, research has shown that adding so many pounds to the population can be the equivalent of adding half a billion humans to the earth, straining the world’s food supply. I don’t think this would be something the Founding Fatters – er, Fathers – would be too pleased to hear.

Super Wins for Trump and Clinton The Trump tornado picked up steam on Super Tuesday as the “Make America Great Again” candidate won seven of eleven primaries that were held on March 1st. Instead of a classic victory party, Trump opted for a presidential-like press conference in Florida, where the next big primary will take place and where Trump hopes to clip Rubio’s wings by handing him an embarrassing defeat in his home state. A Quinnipiac poll of Florida Republican voters released last week showed Trump ahead of Senator Marco Rubio 44-28 percent. Although many Republicans have the jitters about Trump’s candidacy, Gov. Chris Christie, who endorsed Trump last week, has quickly become a familiar face on the Trump campaign trail and introduced him at the press conference. “Tonight is the beginning of Donald Trump bringing the Republican Party together for a big victory this November,” said the former 2016 GOP candidate. Trump then declared that he will expand the base of the Republican Party. “I think we’re going to be more inclusive, I think we’re going to be more unified, and I think we’re going to win in November,” he cheered, pointing to the high turnout on the Republican side. Trump congratulated Sen. Ted Cruz for winning his home state of Texas and its neighboring state of Oklahoma, stating, “I know how hard he worked” to get that victory. He had no compliments for Rubio, though, and said, “I always liked Marco until about a week ago when he decided to go hostile. He decided to go Don Rickles. But Don Rickles has a lot more talent.” The real back and forth took place

between Senators Cruz and Rubio, though. Cruz held a victory speech in Texas and argued that the Republican Trump opposition should coalesce behind him as he is the only Republican candidate who to date has defeated Trump in three states. Sen. Rubio retorted that the Super Tuesday states were supposed to be Cruz’s firewall, due to a high concentration of Evangelical voters, whereas Rubio-friendly states have yet to vote. Although Trump has been winning most states, to date the states that have voted are “proportional delegate” states, which means that each candidate gets a proportion of the delegates based on their position in the race – not “winner take all.” As of now, Trump has 285 delegates; Cruz has 161 delegates; and Rubio has 87 delegates. 1,237 delegates are needed to clinch the nomination. On the Democrat side, the Bernie Sanders revolution seemed begin its long and grinding halt after Hillary Clinton defeated the proud socialist in seven of eleven states on Tuesday. Perhaps realizing that his path to the nomination is narrowing, Sen. Bernie Sanders noted to the audience in his home state of Vermont, “This campaign is not just about electing a president. It’s about making a political revolution.” Come November, though, Americans will be choosing a president – not a revolution.

Clinton Wins Big in S. Carolina

Hillary Clinton was watching Bernie Sanders in her rearview mirror in South Carolina this week. The Palmetto State primary results put the former secretary of state on solid footing after a shaky start in the race. Mrs. Clinton beat Mr. Sanders 73 percent to 26 percent. The victory confirmed Clinton’s recovery from an uneven performance in early contests. She barely edged out Sanders in the leadoff Iowa caucus and suffered an embarrassing


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huge loss in New Hampshire. Her security as the Democratic Party’s nominee seemed to be fading. However, by taking South Carolina after a solid win in the Nevada caucuses, Clinton has taken three of the first four contests. “Tomorrow this campaign goes national,” proclaimed Clinton in her victory rally at University of South Carolina. “I am so greatly appreciative because today you send a message that today in America we stand together and there is no barrier too big to break,” she said, referencing her campaign theme of “breaking barriers.” Clinton took a shot at Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. “We don’t have to make America great again. America never stopped being great,” said Clinton. “Instead of building walls we need to be tearing down barriers.” Within minutes of the race being called, Sanders issued a statement congratulating Clinton and vowing to soldier on against her. “Let me be clear on one thing tonight. This campaign is just beginning,” he said. “We won a decisive victory in New Hampshire. She won a decisive victory in South Carolina. Now it’s on to Super Tuesday.”

Living SEAL Member Receives Medal of Honor

Rabbi and Mrs. Eli Fishman

Rabbinical Founders Award

Rabbi Yosef Fishman

Kesser Shem Tov Alumnus Award

Rabbi Yechiel Fishman

Ohev Torah Alumnus Award Mr. Akiva Fishman

Eitz Chaim Alumnus Award

Mr. & Mrs. Shloime (Fishy) Fischer

Alumnus Amud HaChesed Award

Navy Senior Chief Edward C. Byers Jr., 36, will be one of the first living service members to ever receive the Medal of Honor for actions while serving in the highly secretive Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). In a White House ceremony on Monday for his actions on December 8, 2012 he was honored as a hero. But that required a difficult decision for Byers, as he had to face the media, not a usual role for someone in his line of work. “I’ve lived my entire career a very private life,” Byers said on Friday at the Pentagon. “We don’t talk about

what we do, and this honor carries with it some obligations that I need to carry out. You know, you follow those through. But, I plan to continue doing my job as normal and to continue being a SEAL. It’s something I love and grew up wanting to be.” During a hostage rescue mission Byers bravely stormed into a dark room, not knowing who was inside, after a fellow Navy SEAL, Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas D. Checque, 28, had just been shot in the head. He killed a Taliban fighter and then another terrorist while saving a hostage, Dilip Joseph. At the same time, Byers pinned another enemy fighter to the wall with a hand to the throat until another SEAL shot the militant. “I was lucky. I made it out with very few scratches, and Nic Checque didn’t,” Byers said. “He made the ultimate sacrifice. But there have been a lot of our brothers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, and they died like warriors die. I would like to think he would do that all over again. Very few people can say they died doing something they love, and he’ll forever be remembered in the pages of history as being a truly great hero.” Checque posthumously received the Navy Cross, one step down from the Medal of Honor, for his heroism in the mission. Byers, a native of Grand Rapids, Ohio, said his father served in the Navy during World War II and it was a childhood dream of his. “I liked everything about what they represented, or what I thought they represented,” Byers said. “The difficult missions they take on, the secrecy around what they do, the Special Operations aspect, the cool gear, the good equipment.” After high school in 1998 he enlisted, initially becoming a Navy corpsman and serving as a medic. He first served at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, a hospital in Chicago run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and as corpsman with the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He entered the famous Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL school in San Diego, better known as BUD/S, in 2002 a few months after U.S. military operations in Afghanistan began and while the Pentagon was preparing to invade Iraq the following year. He was assigned to his first operational SEAL team in May 2004, and has remained assigned to SEAL teams based in Little Creek, Va., according to biographical information released by the Navy. He has deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan.


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“U.S. Navy SEALs have a reputation as the toughest people on the planet, one they have rightly earned from their training and from the skill they’ve demonstrated in mission after mission,” the hostage, Dilip Joseph, wrote in his book about his experience. “But as I observed the faces of the men gathered around me, I saw more than a few eyes, like mine, filling up. A few of the SEALs had tears running down their cheeks.” When Byers, who has a wife and an 11-year old daughter back at home, was asked about his work since the momentous night in 2012, he responded, “Whatever the nation has asked.”

The Pink Tax Why do razors made for women cost more than those for men? How come female shampoos and conditioners are not only more expensive but come with less product than the male version? Why do shoppers for pink scooters and other girly toys end up paying more than those of blue colored scooters and figurines, which are many times built sturdier and with better quality material?

For years, companies have figured out ways to make more money off of women shoppers by charging a so-called “pink tax.” Many women’s products do not need to be as large as the men’s versions, allowing companies to “shrink it and pink it.” Women will also be many times more willing to buy a product at a price point that men would not be willing to pay. “Yes, sometimes women do need smaller versions of things, and for jeans and other clothing, we want different cuts and different fashions,” says Christine Whelan, director of MORE: Money, Relationships and Equality at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. “But the idea that that equates to somewhere between a 30 to 50 percent price hike is simply playing on the socialized culture that says women need to look a certain way.”

How can women combat this subtle version of gender discrimination? If you are a woman who is willing to forego your Chanel No. 5 in favor of Old Spice aftershave, you may be in luck, but for the other 99.9% of the female population, the solution may not be too simple. Yes, it may be uncomfortable for your daughter to be the only one of her friends riding around on a Hot Wheels-themed bicycle but Whelan says you can frame it as a values decision, not a purely financial one. “Do you really want to support the idea that girls are getting charged more just because they’re girls?” The best way to combat gender-based pricing is to call out the companies that engage in it. Women all around the world are taking to social media to bring awareness to this discriminatory policy, using hashtags like #genderpricing, #pinktax and #gendertax.

“Condolence Money” Not Enough On October 3, 2015, the U.S. military attacked a charity hospital in

the northern Afghan city of Kunduz. There were 42 people killed and many wounded and now the U.S. is paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to survivors and relatives of the deceased. They are offering $6,000 for those killed and $3,000 to the wounded. But Guilhem Molinie, spokesman in Afghanistan for Doctors Without Borders, an international humanitarian-aid group, says the U.S.’s “sorry money” is not enough to compensate for the loss of life. He told AP that his group has discussed the compensation with the U.S. military and called the amount of payments “ridiculous,” arguing that many families had lost their sole breadwinner and the funds would not be enough to support them for the long-term. “These amounts are absolutely not compensation for loss of life,” he insisted. In the past, the U.S. has paid blood money of up to $50,000 per death in some incidents, including the multiple killing of Afghan civilians by a U.S. soldier in 2013. The condolence payments in the hospital bombing case, however, are not seen as blood money or damage payments, but rather condolence payments to help cover basic costs such as funerals.


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yards away from the hospital. An official investigation by the U.S. military produced a 3,000-page report that has yet to be made public. Officials say the public can expect to see the formal report once it has been redacted; no release date has been provided.

U.S. forces in Afghanistan have “expressed their condolences and offered condolence payment to more than 140 families and individuals,” Army Col. Mike Lawhorn, spokesman for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, told AP. All 460 staff working at the hospital at the time of the attack are expected to receive some type of compensation. President Obama has apologized for the attack which the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John F. Campbell, called a mistake. A joint U.S.-NATO assessment says the AC130 gunship fired 211 shells at the compound for a half hour before commanders realized the mistake and halted fire. Initially it was reported that the hospital was overrun by Taliban fighters but that report was referring to another building a few hundred

Cheating Scandal at Police Academy of Pennsylvania

While many kids dream of becoming a police officer, few actually do, and fewer actually make it through the screening tests and weeks of challenging training required to earn the heroic title. Last week, twenty nine hopefuls in the Pennsylvania State Police Acade-

my were dismissed amid an investigation into allegations of cheating. Penn Live reports that 29 cadets, who were part of a class expected to graduate next month, have either been dismissed or have resigned from the academy. Supposedly a “cheat sheet” had been discovered, and it has been noted that at the academy “some of the test materials haven’t changed between classes.” State Police Commissioner Tyree Blocker “gave only a few details about the probe into the academy’s 144th graduating class, saying the investigation is ongoing,” according to AP. Many details of the exact nature of the allegations still seem to be a bit vague. “We won’t tolerate anyone who lies, cheats or steals,” Blocker said. “The public has, and rightfully so, an expectation that members of the State Police have the highest integrity and I am insistent on that.” “We’re working very diligently at bringing some closure to the investigation,” Blocker added. “However, I want to be clear. We will not leave any stone unturned when it comes to the integrity of the Pennsylvania State Police.” A similar cheating scandal was brought to light in 2013. Washington State Patrol recruits were accused of cheating at the academy. It was later determined after an investigation that the recruits weren’t directly cheating but had shared study material. Nonetheless it was decided that they had broken a regulation, according to a Seattle Times report on the preliminary findings. There are about 70 cadets remaining in the Pennsylvania State Police Academy class scheduled to graduate this March. Pennsylvania State Police is one of the nation’s largest law enforcement agencies, with more than 6,000 uniformed and civilian personnel.

The Ortho-DogTist He’s a dentist for the dogs. This week, the Harborfront Hospital for Animals in Spring Lake, Michigan, showed off a happy pooch with a silver smile. Wesley is a six-month-old Golden Retriever and he’s joined the

metal mouth club with a brand new set of braces. “February is National Pet Dental Health month, so we thought this was a good time to let you know about the importance of your best buddy’s dental health,” the veterinary clinic captioned the picture on Facebook, which has been shared more than 270,000 times.

The puppy belongs to Molly Moore, the daughter of the clinic’s veterinarian, Dr. James Moore, who is called a “doggie dentist” in the Facebook post. Why did Molly add so much tinsel to her canine’s canines? “He wasn’t able to fully close his mouth and chew well and he stopped playing with his toys because of the pain and started losing weight because he couldn’t eat,” she related. The braces were put on Wesley on February 19 and should come off this week, according to Moore. “I think the only way he realizes anything is different is because we had to take his toys away so he doesn’t pull the braces off,” Moore said. “He’s still as puppy-ish as ever.” Moore added that her dad sees a lot of “unique cases” in his practice. “He does a lot of oral procedures and different orthodontia for dogs,” she said. Dentistry has gone to the dogs.

The Fake Kid

His parents would be proud. Or maybe they’d be really, truly embarrassed. Asher Potts is a dream kid. He is a member of the National Honor Society at Harrisburg High School, is active in school, works with a student advisory


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

group on a food bank and is a member of the school’s ROTC and Naval Sea Cadet programs. And he’s just months from graduation. But Potts won’t be graduating – high school, that is. His real name is Artur Samarin and he’s a 23-year-old Ukrainian national using a false identity after his visa expired. Now he’s heading to jail and he won’t be bringing any textbooks with him to the slammer. Samarin enrolled in the school as a freshmen and was able to pull off the stunt for almost four years. He lived with people he befriended. Marcel McCaskill knew Samarin from a seven week math and science program the two were selected to participate in at Penn State. He and Samarin were in a group together and did a presentation on cosmic rays and detecting radiation in the summer of 2013. “It’s totally mind-blowing to me,” said McCaskill, a freshman now in college. “Honestly, he was a very respectable guy. He was the perfect role model, someone you would want your son to look up to.” He admitted some other kids in the program would joke that Samarin was a Russian spy, mostly because of his accent, “but nothing was wrong with him from my perspective.” In fact, in January, Samarin participated as a panelist in a forum addressing violence and youth in the greater Harrisburg area. He also received an award from state Rep. Patty Kim in 2014. Seems like a whiz kid. Although, it certainly helps to excel if you’re not really a kid.

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The Bald Bandit He’s bald – and he’s going to do something about it. Police are scratching their heads, searching for a bald man who has been stealing Rogaine. The thief is bold with his burglaries, swiping a whopping $847 worth of hair growth and memory-aid products from various stores. A treatment of Rogaine typically costs around $50. Seems like this guy is serious about growing a new head of hair. “We’re scratching our heads at this, no pun intended, trying to figure out what it is about the Rogaine,” Mount Healthy Det. Chris Jones told WCPO Cincinnati. Perhaps this burglar should invest in hats. Because you know what they say, hair today, gone tomorrow.

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The Pearl Pasta It was a gem of a dish. A few weeks ago, Lindsay Hasz was dining out with her husband in a restaurant near Seattle when she nearly broke a tooth. No, the chick-

en wasn’t overdone. Lindsay nearly swallowed a rare purple Quahog pearl that she found in her shellfish pasta. “It was pretty dark in the restaurant, so it was hard to tell what it was, but when I looked at it closer, it looked totally round and perfect,”

she related. “Too perfect.” Lindsay showed the gem to a gemologist who confirmed that the pearl is worth around $600. Similar pearls are typically native to the New England area, and the chances of finding one are “one in a couple million.”


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The pearl isn’t just precious to Lindsay; the restaurant has seen customers flocking in for the dish in the hopes of finding another gem. Take my word for it: the chef has made sure that every dish is now gemstone-free. This is not the first time someone nibbled on pearls while dining on dinner. Last April, a woman found 50 pearls in one fried oyster in a restaurant in Tennessee. Sounds like the pearl-fect dish.

ter mental clarity and focus,” he said, adding that his joint pain from playing football had also disappeared. “People assume that I am going to be sick and die,” he jokes. “If I feel sick, I’ll just eat something else.” He also said he’s taking vitamins and is under a physician’s care. “Potatoes are a real powerhouse,” he cheers, adding that he was amazed at how his radical eating plan had attracted media interest worldwide. “The biggest surprise of all is that I’m enjoying it.” One potato, two potato, three potato, four... Eating only potatoes? Sounds like Pesach to me.

Goats Get Fired

Nothing but Potatoes

He’s going cold turkey – or should we say hot potato? Andrew Taylor has made a deliberate decision to eat only potatoes for 12 months. The 35-year-old is doing it to break what he calls his “food addiction.” Because man can’t survive without sustenance, Taylor has pledged to make his diet as boring as possible. “The next best thing was to find one thing that sustained me healthily,” he said, adding that besides potatoes, he also considered mangoes, bananas and watermelon. After deciding there were more options with the humble spud, Taylor now eats as many as he wants each day, boiled, mashed and even made into pancakes, occasionally flavoring them with seasonings such as garlic and salt. “I’m not having any fats, no butter, no meat, no dairy...no oil either,” the stay-at-home dad said, adding he was coping well on day 54. Only 311 more days to go. Although he didn’t go on the spud diet to lose weight, Taylor says he’s lost 37 pounds so far. “I’m sleeping better and have bet-

There were pink slips for dinner that night when 75 billy and nanny goats were fired from their jobs at a popular park in Oregon’s state capital, Salem. The group of goats were brought in to landscape and eat Armenian blackberry and English ivy and other plants that were choking vegetation across the 1,200-acre park. The program started last fall and ended after six weeks and now officials are saying it won’t be renewed. Apparently, the goats were eating all the vegetation, cost more than human landscapers, and smelled far worse. According to officials, the animals “had a barnyard aroma” and cost $20,719, including $4,203 for drinking water and a workers’ toilet, and $2,560 for monitoring, city staff said in a report to the city council this week. The cost was nearly five times the $4,245 for a normal parks maintenance man backed by a prison inmate work crew to do the job. This is not the first time goats have been used as gasoline-free lawnmowers. They have been munching grass at Alphabet Inc’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, and at the Historic Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C. Looking for someone to trim your hedges? Perhaps try a goat. Hey, ewe never know!


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

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Around the

Community

At the grand opening of the Buzz on Coney Island in Brooklyn

Children at the Hollander Early Child Center at Yeshiva of South Shore enjoyed their annual Brachos Hunt and Smell Hunt at Brachs

MAY 9th Grade Internet Safety Seminar

L

ast Wednesday evening, the freshmen class at Mesivta Ateres Yaakov joined together with their parents and attended an educational evening seminar on internet safety. What has become an annual mandatory seminar, students and parents participated in informative lectures regarding awareness of the dangers of the internet and how to properly harness its potential. The program was organized by MAY’s school social worker and Program Director of Tova Mentoring, Mr. Yehuda Klinkowitz, L.M.S.W., who as well emceed the evening. The general assembly heard presentations from Mr. Klinkowitz, Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe, Ph.D., Menahel of the Mesivta, and from the keynote speaker, Rabbi Binyamin Tepfer, Ph.D., a local community psychologist who is an expert in the fields of family therapy and ad-

diction. “It is important to us that challenges facing our talmidim are addressed, not ignored,” commented Rabbi Yaffe,

“This is just one example of programs we run at the Mesivta educating students and parents about the social concerns that may affect them.”

The evening concluded with a Q & A panel with the presenters which, in it and of itself, served as an incredibly informative experience.


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Around the Community

Torah Academy For Girls Celebrates Its 53rd Annual Dinner

A

midst much excitement, Dinner Chairmen Dr. Nathan Augenbaum and Mr. Yanky Neuhoff announced that Torah Academy for Girls would be celebrating its 53rd Annual Dinner on Wednesday, March 16 at the Sands in Atlantic Beach. Mr. Dudi Gross and Mr. Yussi Nussbaum are busy working as Journal Chairmen to ensure that the community has an opportunity to express their best wishes to TAG and its most worthy honorees. The honorees include: Guests of Honor Mr. Yossi & Mrs. Miriam Lichtman; Parents of the Year, Mr. David & Mrs. Channah Bugayer; the Rabbi Moshe Weitman z”l Memorial Awardees, Dr. Yashar & Mrs. Perie K. Hirshaut; and the Leadership in Chinuch Awardee, Mrs. Miriam Tropper. Guests of Honor: Yossi & Miriam (Gefen) Lichtman It always is a profound pleasure when we are able to recognize parents in our school who represent the past, present and the future. This certainly applies to our Guests of Honor this year, Yossi & Miriam Lichtman. When Miriam Gefen graduated Torah Academy for Girls in 1990, the school may not have looked the same but the very same chinuch curriculum, along with emphasis on character development, are now being taught to her own daughters. Miriam was a lively member of her grade and was actively involved in many of TAG High School’s extracurricular activities. It came as no surprise that Miriam was featured in dance performances in concert years, since her mother, Mrs. Sima Gefen, is a beloved dance and gym teacher who continues to provide our students with a wonderful outlet for their talents and exuberant energy. After graduating TAG High School, Miriam spent a year in Machon Rivkin Seminary in Eretz Yisroel and subsequently earned a degree in psychology from Queens College. Yossi, who grew up in Kew Gardens Hills, learned in Yeshiva Ohr Yisroel and later in Bais Hatalmud. He attended Touro College where he majored in business and Cardozo School of Law. As hectic as his business day is at Sentry Elevator Corp., Yossi makes sure to be home early enough to have quality family time

each day, and attends shiurim and learns regularly with his chavrusas. The Lichtmans married in 1993 and are the proud parents of five children, bli eyin hara. Their oldest daughter, Esti, recently married Yaakov Katlowitz. As true of so many or our alumnae, Esti is giving back to her alma mater and volunteers every week to review parshah with the 11th grade classes in Machon Sarah High School. Elisheva Lichtman, who graduated from Machon Sarah High School this past June, is currently studying at Michlalah in Eretz Yisroel. Chana is currently a student in our Junior High School division in sixth grade. Their son, Shaya, is a 9th grade student in Yeshiva of Far Rockaway, while Mayer attends the third grade in Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island. The Lichtmans daven in Bais Medrash of Harborview and their home reflects their commitment to Torah and chessed. Miriam drives for the Bikur Cholim and delivers food packages to the local hospitals. The Lichtmans often host the RCCS Pre-Auction Parties in their beautiful home. As Yossi Lichtman so beautifully expresses, “We believe that a successful chinuch is a partnership between family and school. We can proudly say that we are the beneficiaries of 50 student years – and counting – of TAG’s commitment to delivering an outstanding education. It is with a sense of hakaras hatov and an effort to ensure that TAG can continue to offer this exemplary chinuch that we have agreed to be honored at this dinner.” With partners such as Yossi and Miriam Lichtman, we feel confident that TAG will be able to continue to inspire talmidos for generations to come. Rabbi Moshe Weitman z”l Memorial Award: Dr. Yashar & Mrs. Perie K. Hirshaut At its annual dinner in 2010, Torah Academy for Girls established the Rabbi Moshe Weitman z”l Memorial Award. This award was to be presented to individuals who shared Rabbi Weitman’s ideals and hashkafos which served as the foundation for his many years of leadership in the area of chinuch habonos. While this year’s recipients of the Rabbi

Dr. Yashar Hirshaut, Rabbi Yossi Licthman, Moshe Weitman z’l Memorial Award Guest of Honor

Moshe Weitman z”l Award certainly fill that criteria, their connection to both TAG and Rabbi Weitman spans decades. Torah Academy for Girls will proudly present this award to Dr. Yashar & Mrs. Perie Hirshaut. Mrs. Hirshaut’s association with Rabbi Moshe Weitman began with his role as the Rav in Monticello, New York. Perie Katz Hirshaut was raised in Mountaindale, New York, where her father, Mr. Louis Katz a”h served as the first shomer Shabbos Postmaster. She explains that all the rabbonim from the area banded together to promote authentic Yiddishkeit. This was especially crucial since there were no yeshivos, and Perie, like her friends, attended the Fallsburg public school. It was due to her devoted mother, Mrs.Tillye Katz, a”h, that the young people received a Jewish education through her opening and running of a Talmud Torah in Fallsburg. While her brothers were sent to Yeshiva Torah Va’daath, Perie was sent to Stern College. It was there that she met her future husband, Yashar Hirshaut, who was attending Einstein Medical College. The couple married in June of 1964 and resided for one year in the Bronx, but later moved to Silver Springs, Maryland, where Dr. Hirshuat joined the U.S Navy working in the National Institute of Cancer in Washington, D.C. Commander Hirshaut served for three years and remained in the reserves for close to thirty years. The new Yeshiva of Greater Washington was founded the same year as the Hirshauts welcomed their first son, Tzvi. Perie served as the first P.T.A. President of the school even though Tzvi was not ready to attend! She did gain valuable experience in running P.T.A.s which she put to good use when she held that post, both in Yeshiva of South Shore as well as in

Yeshiva of Far Rockaway. The Hirshauts then moved to Nameoke Street in Far Rockaway where Tzvi attended the new school, Torah Academy for Girls, and joined Morah Soffer’s nursery class. The Hirshaut family, Boruch Hashem grew, and the girls, Aviva, Shira, Leah, Tamar and Aliza, all attended TAG, without their brothers, Navon and Dovid. Presently, TAG is proud to welcome Rachel Hirshaut, daughter of Navon and Raizy, who is enjoying being in Morah Chaya’s Kindergarten class. Waiting in the wings is her sister Elisheva, who hopes to join Rachel next year. Dr. Yashar Hirshaut was born and bred in Berlin, Germany, and escaped with his family to Manila in the Philippines. The Hirshauts came to America in 1947 and settled in Boro Park. Yashar attended RJJ, Yeshiva University and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is a much sought after oncologist and is an attending in Mt. Sinai, Lenox Hill, Cornell and Beth Israel hospitals. Dr. Hirshuat has earned an enviable reputation as a Professor of Medicine, scientist, instructor and author. Dr. Hirshaut not only uses his vast medical knowledge on behalf of his patients, but his care and concern for each of them is evident. The Hirshauts are members of Congregation Kneseth Israel and Bais Medrash of Harborview where they actively participate in many of their programs and shiurim. They are involved in supporting many mosdos in our community and beyond and have truly earned the title of “oskei b’tzorchei tzibbur.” The Hirshauts have always demonstrated their connection to TAG, the school that educated their daughters and now is educating the next generation. The Hirshaut Family Library in the High School is a tangible reminder of their commitment to chinuch habonos and to Torah Academy for Girls. It is indeed be an honor to present Dr. Yashar and Perie Hirshaut with the coveted Rabbi Moshe Weitman z”l, Memorial Award. We will feature our Parents of the Year and the Chinuch Leadership Awardee in the next issue. For reservations and ads, please visit our website www.tagdinner.org or email us at dinner@tagschools.org.


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The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community At the Gourmet Seasons Reception, hosted by Yoeli Steinberg and Mayer Gold this past Monday to benefit Yeshiva Mercaz HaTorah of Belle Harbor. For more information about the yeshiva, please call 718-474-3064 or email office@ymhbh.com.

Rav Yaakov Bender speaking

Rav Yaakov Horowitz with the Rosh Yeshiva and Yoeli Steinberg

Rav Shmuel Zev Dicker speaking

The Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Shmuel Zev Dicker, with Rav Yaakov Bender and Yoeli Steinberg On Sunday morning, Yeshiva of Far Rockaway held a hesped for the shloshim of Harav Hagaon Rabbi Chaim Yisroel Belsky zt”l. The speakers were Rabbi Yechiel Perr, Rosh Hayeshiva; Rabbi Aaron Mordechai Brafman, Menahel; Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Perr and Rabbi Dovid Frischman. A CD of each speaker is available from Ivan H. Norman at 212-461-0087. PHOTO CREDIT IVAN H NORMAN

Young Israel of West Hempstead’s #GiveBack Sunday

W

hen Kari Levine, Malkie Merrill, Jen Toplan and Rachel Sacknovitz volunteered to be part of a Young Israel of West Hempstead Sisterhood committee, they wanted to come up with a parent-child activity that would bring together the community of West Hempstead. Their first meeting was held in December, with the goal of trying to come up with a fun family event. Should it be a mother-daughter event? Or maybe father-son? Or some other iteration thereof. Should it involve a craft, such as jewelry making, or a physical activity, such as Zumba? What would actually get you and your kids to want to leave the comfort of your toasty house on a cold Sunday winter morning? Well, why not merge the parent-child event idea with some type of chesed project? Four meetings and scores of emails later, they made a plan for their #Giveback Sunday Event.

Kari reached out to Rabbi Coleman, the chaplain at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, and asked if there was something the community could contribute to the hospital. With his very insightful guidance, they developed their very own Shabbat themed gift box to be given to hospitalized adults at NSUH as well as to homebound seniors within the neighborhood. With the help of their very own talented graphic designer, Tova Kupchik, who created an eye-catching flier announcing their #Giveback Sunday event, they were able to proudly publicize the event. They purchased clear plastic shoeboxes, tissue paper, adult coloring books with a Jewish theme, colored pencils, electric tea lights, cloves, tulle bags, disposable Kiddush cups and saucers, white fabric napkins, origami paper, permanent markers, and self-sticking gems. They devel-

oped a detailed instruction sheet so that each family could work on putting together their beautiful, original package. Each box included a note, signed by the creator, telling the recipient that these packages were made with love at the Young Israel of West Hempstead’s #Giveback Sunday event. This past Sunday morning, February 21, more than 150 community members, parents with children grades K-8, filled the Young Israel of West Hempstead Kiddush Room. There was Shabbat music playing in the background, along with the hum of children and adults and the scent of fresh coffee. At that moment they realized how much people love to #Giveback and want to be a partner with Hashem in bringing about small, daily miracles. When addressing the crowd, Kari made sure to tell them, when you receive something from someone, you don’t need to reciprocate right away –

you may not know how to reciprocate or you may not be in the position at that time – but to remember that it is never too late to #Giveback. Because when you are on the giving end, you are a partner with Hashem in creating miracles.


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Kaminsky, Goldfeder Sponsor Legislation to Combat BDS

A

ssemblymembers Todd Kaminsky and Phil Goldfeder recently continued their ongoing support for Israel, as they sponsored legislation to nip the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (“BDS”) movement — which seeks to cause harm and isolation to Israel — in the bud while protecting America’s allies. The bill (A.9036), prevents New York state from contracting with any business, individual or entity which promotes or engages in activities to boycott Israel and other U.S. allies. “Recently, I went to Sderot, and stood on the front lines of terror,” said Assemblyman Kaminsky. “I saw firsthand the extreme threat Israel is under and rededicated my resolve to stand with them. It is unconscionable that our tax dollars should go to companies which participate in efforts to delegitimize Israel and other American allies. Israel is one of our nation’s closest allies and it is incumbent upon us to do all we can to defend and protect the Jewish homeland.” The BDS movement is an orchestrated attempt to delegitimize the

Jewish state by causing social, political and economic isolation and harm to Israel and its citizens. The movement has grown on college campuses throughout America and New York state in recent years, as Jewish students and individuals who support Israel face harassment, intimidation and violence on a daily basis from BDS activists. Collectively, the movement propagates an extremely inflammatory and biased political agenda designed to undermine the legitimacy of the State of Israel and its citizens. “The hateful and destructive BDS movement is a blatant attempt to undermine the nation of Israel and its people,” said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder. “Sending our hard-earned tax dollars to companies that aid this fringe hate group is simply unacceptable. I am proud to stand with my colleagues in the Assembly to support this bill defending Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish, Democratic state, and stand up against hateful and divisive tactics.” If passed, the measure would prohibit New York state from entering

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into contracts with companies, individuals and organizations that actively engage in boycotts against Israel and other American allies by amending state finance law with regards to purchasing restrictions. This legislation would also prevent the state from investing public funds in companies that boycott Israel. Assemblymen Kaminsky and Goldfeder are staunch supporters of Israel, the only democracy in the volatile Middle East. Kaminsky was one of the original co-sponsors of a similar bill introduced in the Assembly last year to prevent New York state from contracting with companies that boycott Israel (A.8220). In addition, Kaminsky and Goldfeder sponsored Resolution No. 705, condemning the BDS movement and reaffirming New York state’s support for Israel, and spoke on the Assembly floor to encourage their fellow lawmakers to do the same. Assemblyman Kaminsky also recently introduced a bill last session to ban the public display of swastikas (A.8374). “In November, I led a delegation of my Assembly colleagues to Israel on a

solidarity mission and saw firsthand what Israelis go through on a daily basis in the face of constant terror, and resolved to do all I can to support and defend Israel,” concluded Kaminsky. “The BDS movement is a thinly-veiled attempt to harm the Jewish homeland. This legislation sends a resounding message that New York will not support those who wish to boycott Israel. Such anti-Semitism is unacceptable, and this bill says that loudly and clearly.” “Few issues are more important than standing up for the State of Israel, and I’m glad the Senate Republicans have joined my call to stop doing business with companies who participate in the BDS movement,” said Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky. “I have been a sponsor of similar legislation since I entered the Assembly last year, and renewed my call to protect Israel from this dangerous movement just this past week. It’s heartwarming when leaders of the other party reach across the aisle to join with me on such a critical issue.”


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

SH

IP

Harav Hagoan Yeruchim Olshin was hosted on Shabbos by Mr. and Mrs. Nachum Futersak in Lawrence. The oneg was a tremendous success for the Lakewood Yeshiva.

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100 Days Celebration: Gesher Style

“M

ommy, can we not go away this Shabbos. I don’t want to miss the 100 day party in school!” What is this 100 day celebration that could so motivate a child to make sure to not miss that day at school? The Gesher administration and parent body have to thank their incredible Pre1A teacher, Morah Shoshy Shmuckler, for putting together a multi-faceted, multi-sensory, and exciting celebration of 100 days in the 2015-16 school year. Morah Shoshy planned ahead, using the upcoming 100th day as a way to reinforce many concepts and lessons that the children had experienced thus far in the year. The most obvious lesson was the mathematic one. The number 100 is very important in many areas of our life. Activities were introduced that gave the children an appreciation of the sheer volume of such a large number, as well as the opportunity to see how large numbers can be made up of smaller groups. Using hands on creative projects the students were able to experience counting principles in a multi-sensory way, forming a strong basis for their future math education. In true Gesher form, Morah Shoshy, used the opportunity to bridge other areas of learning with the theme of 100. Creative writing and applied reasoning was the underlying goal of the “If I had $100 I would…” activity. Vocabulary was reinforced as the children excitedly reviewed groups of words that they had learned this year, amassing a remarkable list of 100 new words. Collaboration at Gesher was taken to a new level with the schoolwide heart project. Every child in Gesher,

from nursery thru first grade, was given the opportunity to express what they love about Gesher. Each student was given a small heart shape to convey their thought. The individual pieces were collaged into a large heart shape that now adorns the wall near the main entrance. This activity was a great way to help the children see the different means that they can use to communicate enjoyment. It also gave them the experience of positive bonding on a group level. The collective “100 reasons why we love Gesher” display is a wonderful addition to Gesher’s warm and happy atmosphere. The week of 100 days activities culminated with the grand celebration on Friday morning. Using papers that had been prepared with 100 small boxes, the children eagerly counted to 100 by filling each box with a small treat. Gesher would like to thank all of the Morahs and assistant Morahs for their hard work in making the 100 days project so successful.


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

‫ו‬

f r o M

‫תלי בית המדרש‬ ‫ו‬

‫כ‬

‫יוכ‬ ‫יח‬

Mir poland

t o

Mir YerushalaYiM

Y E S h I vA S M I R Y E R U S h A l AY I M

leGacY dinner

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i f t h e wa l l s

could speak Yeshivas Mir Yerushalayim.

Mr. & Mrs.

leon Melohn Guests of honor Mr.

harav refoel shMuelevitz zt''l

harav nosson tzvi finkel MeMorial award

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dov fishoff

to be accepted bY his talMid

harav sosson GellerMan shlita

Mr. & Mrs.

Mr. & Mrs.

Yaakov rosenblatt

Yanki herzka

kesser sheM tov award

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ralph herzka

ali scharf

campaign chairman

dinner chairman

shloMo Yehuda rechnitz a. Joseph stern

legacy chairmen

avrohoM david srulY edelstein GreG fraGin adaM Mirzoeff uri rosenwasser dovi safier dovid scharf Yitzchok waGner

alumni chairmen

zevi brodt Moshe caller ezra david dovid GanGer eli schron arYeh weiss refoel weiss

campaign co-chairmen zevi schick Yehuda wisotskY

Journal chairmen

Talmidei Chachomim from all over the world unite in an unending, riveting song not heard anywhere else. The sweet voices of the young meld with deep, older ones, punctuated by the pounding on the shtenders. The Tana’im and Amora’im, the Rishonim and Acharonim are alive here. The Mir continues to serve as a home to Talmidei Chachomim of all ages. In the past, they came from Warsaw and Kovno, from Minsk and Keidan. Today, they come from the United States and Eretz Yisroel, Spain and Germany, Ireland and Panama, all joining together to create a most magnificent kol Torah, day and night.

if the walls of the Mir could speak, they would bear a most eloquent testimony to the eternity of torah.

a livinG

torah leGacY

s u n daY e v e n i n G

‫תשע‘‘ו‬

‫ניסן‬

‘‫ב‬

april 10, 2016 new York brooklYn Marriott

dinner sponsored bY:

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Yeshiva of South Shore to Honor the Legacy of Rebbetzin Tzirel Kamenetzky, a”h, and Celebrate 59 Years of Torah Education

I

n celebration of 59 years of Torah education, the Yeshiva of South Shore will be having a Legacy Dinner and will be establishing a Scholarship Fund in tribute to the life and ideals of Rebbetzin Tzirel Kamenetzky, a”h, on Sunday evening, March 13 at The Sands Atlantic Beach, 1395 Beech Street, Atlantic Beach, NY 11509, according to dinner chairman, Ken Schuckman and Joseph Zelefsky. Rebbetzin Tzirel Kamenetzky moved to the Five Towns together with her husband Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky (he should live and be well), 60 years ago. She was an iconic force in developing the great institutions that define the community – first and foremost, Yeshiva of South Shore, Young Israel of Woodmere, Torah Academy for Girls, Young Israel of Lawrence Cedarhurst and the Shteeble, founded and led by her

Parents of the Year Dr. Dovid and Batsheva Friedman

youngest brother, Rabbi Dovid Spiegel. Her passing this fall has left an enormous void in our community. But her legacy of love for Torah, avodah and gemilas chasadim lives on. The Rosh Yeshiva asked that we ensure her legacy of helping others by establishing the Rebbetzin Tzirel Kamenetzky Memorial Scholarship Fund to ensure that no Jewish child is deprived of an education. What better vehicle than the Yeshiva she helped create with love and self-sacrifice? We are acknowledging her legacy through the work of her three daughters, Rebbetzin Surrie Knobel, Reb-

Rebbetzin Tzirel Kamenetzky, a”h

Honoring the Legacy Joseph and Roslyn Jaspan

betzin Esther Wilhelm and Rebbetzin Shani Lefkowitz, each who personify her legacy as leaders in their respective communities. They will be accepting The Rebbetzin Tzirel Kamenetzky Legacy Award. The Yeshiva will also be honoring Guests of Honor, Mr. & Mrs. Dovid & Faygie Meisels, who are dedicated

Leadership in Government AwardCongresswoman Kathleen Rice

parents of five children including two alumni, Yitzchok (2009) and Yehuda (2015); current students, Yoni (6th) and Yaakov (3rd); and Devorah who is studying in Israel. Dovid, a YOSS alumnus (1986), is a CPA in practice with his father and a member of both our Board of Directors and Board of Education. Faygie holds a Master’s in Special Education and leads the Learning Center at the HALB ECC. She has been an active force in our PTA for many years. The Meisels family are a paradigm of Torah and chesed in their participation in learning and activities at Congregation Anshei Chesed and their unwavering

Honoring the Legacy Joseph and Faye Tannenbaum

support of Israel. Dr. & Mrs. Dovid & Batsheva Friedman, our Parents of the Year, are the devoted parents of our talmidim, Eliyahu (4th), Ezra (2nd) and Hillel (1st); and Shalva, a TAG preschooler. Dovid, a member of our Yeshiva’s Board of Education, is a neurologist at Winthrop University Hospital and

Guests of Honor Dovid and Faygie Meisels

vice president of Congregation Bais Ephraim Yitzchok. Batsheva, a CPA at a Baltimore firm, uses her fiduciary acumen beyond the scope of business as the treasurer of our PTA. Dovid’s greatest pride is the time he sets aside each week to learn with his sons and his father, as well as attending Rabbi Ralbag’s shiurim. We are also honoring the legacy of our very dear supporters and renowned philanthropists, Joseph and Faye Tannenbaum, of blessed memory, whose generosity has been perpetuated by their grandchildren, Mr. and Mrs. Yaakov Kaplan of Toronto. Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Jaspan of Milwau-

kee will be honored for sustaining the legacy of their parents, Joseph and Roslyn Jaspan, of blessed memory, founders of our Yeshiva, with their continued support for our Yeshiva. As a gesture of gratitude, Congresswoman Kathleen Rice, the United States Representative for New York’s 4th Congressional District, will be awarded the Leadership in Government Award. Ms. Rice has shown strong support for our brethren in Israel and we recognize her efforts. From its founding in East New York 89 years ago, in 1927, and for 59 years on Long Island, Yeshiva Toras Chaim of South Shore has inculcated thousands of children and young men with Torah values and the leadership skills to enable the torch of Jewish leadership to pass to future generations. Today the yeshiva is proud of its largest enrollment in history with expanded facilities, programs and individualized education on every level. By attending our 59th Annual Banquet, on Sunday, March 13, 2016 you will assure the continuity of our pioneering Yeshiva as a vibrant Torah center for our community, our families and our children. For more information, please contact the Yeshiva at 516-374-7363 x 212 or banquet@ yoss.org, or simply click on the Yeshiva’s website www.yoss.org.

A Pain in the Neck Rafi Sackville on page 98


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Evening of Tribute: We are All Achiezer

T

his past Sunday night, February 28, an unprecedented and incredible evening of tribute took place at the Sands Atlantic Beach. Glancing around, the cross section gathered in the packed room was an inspiring sight to behold. 1,500 people young and old, rabbonim,

elected officials, community members, friends and family – from all walks of life – joined together in unity. Bob, who has been working at the Sands for the past thirty years, noted, “In all my years, I’ve never seen this many people, or such a diverse crowd, come together to support one organization. I can tell

PHOTO CREDITS: MOSHE GERSHBAUM & TSEMACH GLENN

it must be something really special.” All in attendance came bearing the very same testimony: “Achiezer is there for our community, guiding everyone who needs assistance throughout every step of the way.” Whether matching people with the proper referrals, directing community members to

the proper doctors for the treatment they so desperately need, coordinating meals and driving assistance, crisis management, emotional and financial support, and so many other fronts, Achiezer is truly the one-stop resource for all things community-related. And so, in a thrilling and stirring program that lasted just under an hour, all those gathered joined together to honor the Honorable Ben Weinstock, Shlomo and Raizy Hackel, Dr. Deborah Dienstag, and Eliahu and Chaia Frishman, and to celebrate the success and efforts of all those involved with Achiezer. With its dinner theme of We Are All Achiezer, Achiezer featured a premier of the Drama in Real Life film that left the crowd spellbound. The video was filled with heartfelt accounts of real members of our community whose lives have been touched by Achiezer. “Any time I need Achiezer, they’re only a phone call away,” and “We’re all in this together” were the underlying factors behind all of these chronicles. One of the most emotional highlights of the evening was the heartfelt and meaningful tribute to Mr.


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

59

Around the Community and Mrs. Howard and Susan Zemser, the parents of Justin Zemser, a”h, a Navy Midshipman whose life was cut short at the young age of twenty years old in the Amtrak Train #188 crash of May 2015. Rabbi Boruch Ber Bender, the president and founder of Achiezer, presented a beautiful painting of Justin to his parents. In this moving tribute, Rabbi Bender related how it’s special and remarkable people like the Zemsers that give the Achiezer team the chizuk to make it through the difficult days. “A

couple like the Zemsers,” he explained, “who experienced the indescribable pain of losing their only child, yet remained strong and, despite the horrific pain they endured remained focused on kavod ha’meis and prompt burial, and now spend their days connecting with G-d show us all how tragedy will not overtake us.” A painting was given to the Zemsers as a token of gratitude on behalf of the community thanking them for teaching this invaluable lesson. Throughout the program, the din-

ner attendees were honored to be addressed by several notable politicians. New York State Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder addressed the crowd on behalf of the elected officials and Anthony (Tony) J. Santino, Hempstead Town Supervisor, spoke in honor of his good friend, the Honorable Mayor Ben Weinstock. By the end of the evening, the captivated and engaged audience could not get enough. Achiezer received an email shortly after the dinner that stated it all, “Wow! That’s all I can say! The dinner

was perfect! You didn’t miss a detail – down to the personalized mints! The proof was in how many people stayed for dessert!” Because when you pair the greatest community with the most dedicated volunteers, you get Achiezer. In the words of another attendee, “Despite not being a yeshiva with a natural constituent parent body, a crowd like this was evidence of how seriously our community embraces chesed.” To view additional photos and videos from the dinner or to make a donation, visit achiezer.org.


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Around the Community

Madraigos Strikes Success at 6th Annual Gourmet Glatt Bowl-A-Thon

T

he 6th Annual Gourmet Glatt Bowl-A-Thon to benefit Madraigos at Woodmere Lanes was a resounding success. This signature event has become an annual Madraigos tradition among Five Towns residents, local businesses, friends, and supporters. Participants, sponsors, and Madraigos staff came together in a festive evening filled with fun, entertainment, and support for Madraigos’ life-saving services to the community. The Bowl-A-Thon participants were thrilled when they were registering for the event at Madraigos and they saw the new equipment enjoyed regularly by all the teenagers who participate in the Lounge program. They saw firsthand how Madraigos invests in the community’s teenagers to ensure that Madraigos is a place for them to come and enjoy a safe and fun environment. Over 50 prizes were distributed for winners of the popular Red Pin Contest. David Jaison, mentalist, wowed the crowd throughout the evening.

Adding to the night’s festivities were the raffle drawings for prizes including a vacation at Casa De Campo resort, a custom suit from Andrew Lock, golf foursome at a Trump National Golf Club and portraits by Rachel Renov Photography. The Premium giveaway distributed to all bowlers was the Fitbit sponsored by Omru. Bowlers also received complimentary T-shirts and a swag bag full of other attractive items. The biggest barometer of the event’s success was the high level of energy in the room coupled with enthusiasm for Madraigos’ mission. There were smiles on everyone’s faces, as friends cheered on each other’s bowling prowess and enjoyed delicious food by Graze Smokehouse. Others joined the fun to buy raffle tickets and show support for their favorite team, even after the event was sold out. People felt the electricity in the air all night, even staying beyond midnight. Madraigos expresses its deep gratitude to the over 120 corporate sponsors. Special appreciation is extended

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to our Title Sponsor Gourmet Glatt, Omru the Premium Giveaway Sponsor, and Graze Smokehouse for donating delectable goodies from their hallmark cuisine. Our generous insert sponsors include, Mark David Hospitality, Miller Realty, Studio Inna, Traditions Eatery, Wisnicki and Associ-

website created by Moshe provided easy sponsor and team registration, listed the team names and members and beautifully displayed the names and logos of our corporate sponsors. “We are thrilled with the outcome

ates, Westwood Realty Associates, and Prime Supply. A full listing of all sponsors can be found on bowlforthem.org. “We are thrilled to have once again partnered with Madraigos in organizing a fabulous and fun-filled community event,” said Yoeli Steinberg of Gourmet Glatt, a state-of-the art kosher supermarket with stores in Cedarhurst, Woodmere, Borough Park and Lakewood. Rabbi Dov Silver, Madraigos Founder and Executive V.P., commented, “I thank our sponsors for their support of our life saving work. I very much appreciate the participants of the Bowl-A-Thon for taking out time of their busy schedule to help out our community’s teens and young adults.” Madraigos acknowledges Moshe Klein of MK Creative Group for his outstanding work and expertise in marketing, graphic design, printing and web services. The “bowlforthem”

of our Annual Bowl-A-Thon,” said Rabbi Josh Zern, Executive Director. “The continued support of our community has allowed Madraigos to be an innovative and highly regarded youth service provider in the Five Towns/ Queens community. The nightly ‘Lounge’ activities, support groups and School Based Services program continue to grow and gain stronger momentum as more and more schools partner with us. We have to make sure this expansion moves forward.” Funds raised at the event will assist Madraigos, a 501c-3 not-for-profit organization, in providing a wide array of valuable mental health, social and spiritual services geared towards helping teens and young adults overcome life’s everyday challenges one step at a time. For more information about Madraigos, please call (516)371-3250 or visit www.madraigos.org.


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

Mr. & Mrs. Yossi Lichtman Guests of Honor

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Getting into the Adar (Rishon) spirit at the Harriet Keilson Early Childhood Center of Yeshiva Darchei Torah

CAHAL Kindergarten Celebrates 100 Days of School

M

onday, February 29 was a very special day for our kindergartners in the CAHAL program at HANC. No, it was not because of the leap year date, but rather the 100th day of school. Since school started on September 8, the children have been counting every one of the school days on which they have enjoyed learning and playing together. Each morning they added an orange one unit square to their place value chart, then traded in a group of ten orange ones for a tall green ten stick. Building week by week, month by month, the numbers increased…until they could hardly contain their excitement when the numbers reached into the nineties with 9 ten sticks, approaching the long awaited trade-in for the big blue one hundred block. The children eagerly came to school for the special activities of the day. When they arrived in the morn-

ing, the children were asked to pair up with a classmate and take a plastic bag that was filled with 100 Lego blocks of different shapes and sizes. They had to build something together by sharing the blocks and their ideas. While they were limited to 100 blocks, they were not limited in their creativity, making a spaceship, a jet boat, a Lego factory, an RV traveling home on wheels,

and a lovely house and garden. After their building time, the children wrote about what they made with their partner and illustrated the page with a picture of their creation; each group then presented their creation to the class and described its parts and functions. The children decorated and cut out funny 100 shaped eyeglasses which they happily wore around the room.

They were also proud to count out 100 pennies which they put into the class tzedaka box to help the needy. The day was truly 100% -- integrating excitement with learning, math with art and imagination, writing with creativity, and mitzvot with all that we do! A big yasher koach to our kindergarten children for all they have accomplished in just 100 days.

At this week’s Learn & Live Program: Just when the boys thought we reached the end of sidurei d’ pas, we went back and did lush again. R’ Feivish Rotbard showed the boys how to feed their baby siblings their cereal and of course how to make it the proper way on Shabbos. This week was definitely the messiest as the boys made their very own Play Dough (with color).

This coming Sunday is our Annual Pre-Purim Extravaganza at Yeshiva of Far Rockaway. See our ad in this week’s paper for more information or email learnandlivefr@gmail.com.


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

Around the Community

TIRED OF THE "SAME OLD" WHEN IT COMES TO MISHLOACH MANOS?

At the anti-BDS rally held in Cedarhurst on Sunday

L-R: Senator Phil Boyle, Senator Tom Croci, Senator Carl Marcellino, Republican candidate for Senate Chris McGrath, County Legislator Howard Kopel, Senator Jack Martins, Senator Kemp Hannon, Senator Michael Venditto and Assemblyman Brian Curran. Jeff Ballabon, American Center for Law and Justice, and Town of Hempstead Councilman Bruce Blakeman attended the rally as well Efraim Shalom Frishman with his rabbeim and rosh yeshiva at his fiftieth (!) siyum on Gemara Maseches Megillah. L-R: Rav Aaron Goldman, Rav Yitzchok Hauer, Efraim Shalom Frishman and Rav Yaakov Bender

Happiness is Brewing at the Levi Yitzchak Library

W

ith Purim just around the corner, the library hosted second and third grade girls from Yeshivah Shaarei Tzion. The students were captivated by an interactive HAPPINESS storytime, wrote and illustrated a HAPPINESS book for their class library, and were sent on a special Emoji HAPPINESS hunt to find all the happy faces around the library. We are excited to announce that this Monday, March 7, at 5:30PM6:30PM the Library invites all children ages 5+ to join our Rosh Chodesh Adar

II Birthday Party. Zumba instructor Lauren Balsam will be there bringing HAPPY smiles and energy to all the children! Special treat for all those with birthdays in the month of Adar! This past week, the library launched a purim contest. Design and create the funniest looking Purim hat, mask or gragger. Writers can send in their funniest story or joke which may be publicized on our social media. The winning project will be displayed in our Mitzvah Express Train show case. Projects are due by Tuesday, March 15.

This year make your friends' and family's Purim memorable with a www.CraftedKosher.com Mishloach Manos brimming with trendy gourmet foods culled from our curated collection. Save 10% on orders from our Purim Collection with coupon code 5TOWNSPURIM10 when you order before March 7.

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Far Rockaway Families Honor Special Delivery Man

L

ocal Far Rockaway families joined together to honor and thank a special man named Mr. Donald Benjamin who’s been delivering UPS packages to the Far Rockaway area for 18 years and has formed special friendships with many, many of the families and local institutions. They compiled a book of thank you messages from close to 100 families as a goodbye present as he’s moves on to a new position in UPS. Donald sent this beautiful thank you letter to everyone: Twenty six years after I returned home from active duty, I knew that I wanted to work for UPS. I began working in borough of Brooklyn, but was then relocated to Far Rockaway – where I resided at the time. Eight years later I was given the opportunity to bid on

this route – one I was told would be the perfect retirement route, which made it more desirable to me. From day one I realized I was somewhere special. After so many friend-filled years, it was revealed to me that you all have created such a tight knit community centered on kindness and deep reverence for religion, which has impacted me greatly. Every day that I have come to work, you all have made my arduous load seem less so because of your gracious generosity and kind nature. I would like to thank all the children for all the warming coffee on the cold wintry days and cool water in the blazing summer heat. I would also like to extend my gratitude to their parents who reared such caring children. Rabbi Perr, whom I would encounter during the work day, was

very humble and approachable and we would often reminisce about the good old days. One particular day we got into a discussion about marriage and we talked about the high divorce rate in America. He asked me what make a marriage successful. I thought I knew the answer so I hastily declared “compromise.” Rabbi Perr told me I was incorrect, but proceeded with the great secret – to have to learn how to lose humbly and with humility. I remember also one day I was on Plainview making a delivery and a school bus was approaching. Both our vehicles were at a stand off because there was not enough space for either of us to get by. Sagacious Mr. Benson Altman came out and told me to “Take the High Road” and reverse into his driveway so the traffic could continue moving. I then real-

ize he meant for me to be rational and not emotional. Those simple words, “Take the High Road,” were a true eye-opener for me that I have extended to other parts of my life. Those meaningful words I have passed on to my daughters and son so they too can escape the tethers of emotional thinking and actions. I’ve come to see these and other encounters with you all as blessing – everyday experiences manifesting themselves to me as lessons to be learned have shaped me as a person for the better. I would like to thank everyone for their overwhelming kindness and generosity that I will forever be imprinted in my mind. Thank You Friends, Donald A Benjamin & Family We thank you Donald from the bottom of our hearts.

Lakewood’s Ralph Zucker and Yisroel Weisberger Join as Signatories for Orlando Campaign

T

he revolutionary campaign to save Orlando Torah Academy’s building has seen incredible success in the past few weeks. Close to $1.3 million has been raised through loans and donations with only a little over $500k remaining to hit the goal of $1.8 million necessary to secure the facility. With the deadline of March 15th looming, the campaign is moving into the homestretch. Lakewood’s Mr. Ira Zlotowitz, President of Eastern Union Funding and the creative genius behind the innovative campaign that originated from just one Shabbos in Orlando,

says, “This is the first time Klal Yisroel got together – in small amounts from $1,200-$40,000 – to lend money to help save a school and buy their building.” While the majority of the funds collected already are from individuals who have loaned or donated $1,200 or less, nineteen ambassadors (people committed to lending $40,000 or more) have made the commitment to keep this vital institution alive along with numerous other loans and donations from across the globe and spectrum of Judaism who have brought the campaign to this point.

Security for this loan is of critical importance. When dealing with Klal Yisroel’s money every “i” must be dotted and every “t” must be crossed. To that end, this loan has been arranged with all of the regular structures of any other loan. Legal documents have been prepared by prominent attorney Jeffrey Zwick; title insurance is in place; the appraisal process is almost complete; environmental and engineering reports have been completed and the loan is being administered by Cross River Savings Bank. What makes this loan really unique is that the building, and not the school, is the collateral.

The building is cash-flowing from the school and from other tenants as well. Says Rabbi Zvi Bloom of Torah Umesorah, “Every tzedaka project involving klal money needs two people to oversee each and every dollar. We are thrilled that Ralph and Yisroel have agreed to oversee every payment.” The pieces are now in place and with your help we will bridge the last $500k! History is being made; seize your part today and visit www. orlandotorah.com or call Rabbi Avrohom Wachsman at 407-864-3375.


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

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Around the Community

Lakewood Rosh HaYeshiva Rav Yeruchem Olshin at the Sulitzer Avos U’banim grand finale.

Tips and Tools for Turbulent Times

O

n Wednesday, March 9, 2016 the White Shul will be hosting the entire Far Rockaway, Five Towns, and Queens community for an evening of inspiration and chizuk. This major event, entitled Tips and Tools for Turbulent Times, is an opportunity to gain insights and inspiration as we face personal obstacles, family challenges, community tragedies, and devastating world events. Twelve local social service agencies have joined together to provide this once in a lifetime opportunity to the community at large. The organizations sponsoring this event include Achiezer, Amudim, Bikur Cholim, Chai Lifeline, Hatzalah, Madraigos, Magen, MASK, New Horizon, OHEL, Project Extreme, TOVA, and has been made possible by Chazaq, Gourmet Glatt, the While Shul, and Councilman Bruce A. Blakeman. When planning this event and deciding which challenges are currently facing our community, each organization brought a different issue to the forefront. As the topics of abuse, molestation, addictions, divorce, bullying, technology and off the derech children were discussed, we understood that to only address one topic would not be doing justice to the broader challenges the Jewish people are currently facing. Therefore, we are partnering together to bring to this community one major event which will address and discuss every challenge we are currently facing. Unfortunately there are

no longer any families that have not been touched by tragedy in one form or another. Every person can benefit from this night of chizuk, inspiration, insight and take home tools for facing the world at large. The event will feature two highly acclaimed speakers. Rabbi Ephraim Shapiro, who will be flying in from Florida to address our community, and Yitzy Horowitz, a clinical social worker and psychotherapist who works closely with families and schools in our community. Rabbi Shapiro is a noted lecturer and author and will provide tremendous insight and chizuk into the increasingly challenging times we are facing both on a communal and personal level. Yitzy Horowitz will be speaking to us as parents, educators and mental health professionals. He will be providing further tools on how to face these troubling times and insights on how to help our children. As a member of our community, you, your family members and your friends have benefitted countless times from the amazing organizations sponsoring this event. We therefore are looking forward to your support in attending this event which is being provided completely free of charge. We look forward to your presence and know that each and every single person who attends will be further strengthening and unifying our community as we face a very troubling and scary world.

What has become a highlight of the year, the talmidim of Mesivta Ateres Yaakov were once again visited by Rav Gavriel Friedman, senior lecturer at Aish HaTorah Jerusalem. Fondly referred to as “Rav Gav,” talmidim were enthralled from start to finish by Rav Gav’s unique, comical presentation and delivery of lofty concepts in avodas Hashem. The Mesivta would like to thank the Mermelstein family for making all the arrangements and for sponsoring the shiur.

HAFTR-Shaare Zedek Bowl-a-Thon By Moshe Weiner, HAFTR Junior

O

n Thursday night, February 25, over 80 students from HAFTR High School participated in the second annual BowlA-Thon, raising over $14,700 for Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. Each student raised at least $100; this money will go to benefit the 850,000 patients that Shaare Zedek treats every year. Specifically, this money will be used for the medical center’s trauma unit. With the recent rise in terrorism in Israel, a majority of the victims of these attacks have been treated in Shaare Zedek. Many HAFTR students related that they felt that they were doing something special by helping to provide aid to these victims. Even though Israel may seem far away, HAFTR students feel a true connection to our homeland, especially in times of distress. The team that had the honor of raising the most money was “Team Friends,” whose captain was

Emma Alpert. Placing second for most money raised was captain Tami Noskow’s team, “Bowling Vibes.” By emailing family and friends to ask them to contribute to a worthwhile cause, HAFTR students managed to accomplish something truly amazing. The Bowl-A-Thon itself was held at Woodmere Lanes and was organized by HAFTR senior Gabe Shore. Hopefully next year’s Bowl-A-Thon will be as successful as this year’s event, allowing students to have fun while contributing to a great cause.


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

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Around the Community

Art Night at Madraigos GNO Program

A

rt can be used as a tool for introspection, emotional exploration and personal growth. The creative process is both therapeutic and uplifting. A person can be transported to a state of relaxation while engaging in the art process. The girls who attended the Madraigos GNO program on Tuesday night were able to experience this firsthand. Cirri Shafran, a licensed Creative Arts Therapist, conducted an art group with the girls at Madraigos. The directive was for them to create a paper quilt. There was a discussion about the concept of a quilt being made up of many small parts to create a whole unit. This was compared to the idea that each girl has many contributing factors in her life that make her who she is. Some examples that were provided to the girls were the various relationships they have, as well as their

different feelings and emotions at various stages in life. The girls were given an array of colored and printed papers, scissors and glue. They were encouraged to utilize the materials and make a personal quilt collage that was representative of something in their lives. Cirri made sure to let the girls know that it was also OK to just have fun with the paper if they wanted. After the work was completed, they were given the opportunity to

discuss their finished product. The girls were interested in each other’s quilts and were supportive of each other throughout the process. Cirri then directed the girls to put their papers together on the table to form a single unit. She explained to them that the larger quilt was formed by their individual work, symbolizing their personal value and significance within the larger family, community and world. This is a message that Madraigos

continues to instill in the youth of our community. The staff strives to help children and teenagers overcome challenges and provide them with a safe and caring atmosphere.

student took turns in the roles of interviewer, sound, video, and observer. The students were trained and directed by the Names, Not Numbers© production crew. We thank Daniella, Jay, and Marly for all of their hard work with the project. The interviews themselves were most memorable. There were so many poignant moments. I do not want to play the role of spoiler so everyone will have to wait until the movie comes out with the interviews. Suffice it to say that there were tears and even some laughter. Other components of the three days included a session on emunah and a session on editing. The session on emunah was given by Rabbi Selengut who is a Rebbe in the HANC high school. The girls were mesmerized by his stories. One such story described the Bluzhever Rebbe who was walking with another man. They came to a very wide hole and the SS guard told them

they had to jump over it. It seemed impossible but they both jumped and made it. After they got over the hole the man asked the Rebbe what the Rebbe was thinking that helped him have the strength to jump over the hole. The Rebbe said that he thought of his father and grandfather and he “held onto their coattails” and jumped over. The Rebbe then asked the man what the man was thinking when he jumped over the hole and the man said that he was thinking that he was holding onto the coattails of the Rebbe. The final piece of the week was a session given by Mrs. Tova Rosenberg, the creator of the program, who taught the students how to edit their interviews. The students were very moved and look forward to working on their edits. Special hakarat hatov to Mr. Dov Rosenberg and Mrs. Tova Rosenberg for all of their help in making this week so special for the students.

For more information about GNO and other adolescent programs, please contact Mindi Werblowsky, LMSW, Director of Adolescent Programming, at 516-371-3250 ext 113 or at mwerblowsky@madraigos. org.

Names, Not Numbers at HANC

T

he eighth grade girls at HANC had an amazing experience this February 22-24. The girls were divided up into groups and had the opportunity to interview survivors. The girls (under the direction of Morah Eisenberg) prepared extensively for these interviews. The girls studied their survivor’s bio and used it to prepare questions which would discuss the survivors’ memories from before, during, and after the war. The experience was one the girls will never forget. As each survivor entered the building, he/she was greeted by our girls. The interactions were wonderful. One of the highlights of the program was the intergenerational component. Seeing the faces of the survivors light up and

seeing the girls’ faces respond in kind was nothing short of magical. The survivor was escorted upstairs to the library where the actual interviews were conducted. Our library was turned into a real set complete with video, sound, and light equipment. Each


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The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

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$

$

Family Pack

Agristar

Whole Or Cut Up Wiesmandel

Wiesmandel

Chicken Cutlets $

Alle

Minute Steaks

Baby Chicken

5lb

$

Family Pack

New Square

5.49

Lb

New Square

3.85

$

Lb

Family Pack

Family Pack

New Square

Nirbater

5.99

$

5.49Lb

Lb

$

Solomans

Alle

Solomans

New Square

Bone-In Rib Steaks

London Broil

Whole Minute Roast

1.99

3.69Lb

Lb

Solomans

Red - Gourmet Roust 7oz

$

$

Ground Beef

Gal

5.99

Wiesmnadel

1.99

Lb

Solomans

38oz

$

Family Pack

Solomans

Silver Tip

Flour

Chicken Bottoms

1.79

$

Heckers

Coffee

Agristar

Large Chickens

200ft

Tasters Choice

5.99

Free Parking

We now accept

1.69lb

$

Silver Foil

Wesson

$

By purchase of $25

Free coffee in store

Fresh Green Beans

$

Heinz

1.79

Avis Pizza

1.99

$

Macintosh Apple

Roast Beef

$

Brick oven

$19.99 by

Pandora

Napkins

Tissue

Canola Oil

Frankel's costumer offer:

2 LARGE PIZZA PIES

Meat

Major Deals Ketchup

2.29

ChocoBliss

$

Fresh Chestnuts

Crisp Rice

1.59

Household Foil

1.19

Kolgat

1.99

2.99

6oz

Meal Mart

$

$

Pie Crust

0.99

Produce 2.99

1.69

$

$

Egg Roll Wrap

$

All Flavors 6pk

Pink Salmon

$

16oz

$

Gefen

0.99

0.59

3.69

Topping

Mondo

$

Chopped Liver

4.79

Fish Sticks

WOW

2/$5.00

$

Couscous

$

$

Fruit Squeeze

2/$3.00

XL

All Kinds 6.5oz

Hamantashen

3.99Lb

BBQ- Original 20oz

0.89

Herring

10oz

Pringels

All Flavors 5.3oz

$

$

Pollaks

All Flavors

Hamantashen

2/$5.00

Greek Yogurt

Chocolate 6 Oz

Greens

All Flavors 25.4oz

Sparkling

2.99

$

Kedem

5.49Lb

$

Family Pack

Nirbater

8.99Lb

$

Shoulder

New Square

5.49Lb

$

03/06/16 - 03/13/16 Sunday - Friday NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

Fridge -Freezer

Kosher Market


72

MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Welcom to Frankel's

SHALACH MANOS Headquarters T. 718.471.7555 F. 718.471.9102 E. ordersfrankels@gmail.com A. 1913 Cornaga Avenue, Far Rockaway

Gold Confection

Gift Box

$1.00 - $2.00

Le Choc

Le Choc

2pc

4pc

Gift Box Pretzel

4 Pc

1.69

Jolly Rancher Twosome Chews

Gift Box Pretzel

1.99

2.59

$

$

$

Le Choc

Gold Confection

Gold Confection

9 Pc

Mint Cream - Double Chocolate 12 Pc

Gift Box Pretzel

Gift Box

Gift Box

8pc

2.99

3.99

2.99

$

$

$

Paskesz

Paskesz

Presidor

Choc. Covered Mint Rounds

Chocolate Thins Mint /Raspberry 7 Oz

5 Oz

1.59

1.25 Oz

2.99

$

Chocolate Lined Wafer rolls

.59

$

1.8 OZ

1.00

Gefen

Tirosh

Zours Sour Fruits Fruits Surs 102 GRM

1.00

Choc/Hazelnut 50 GRM

$

Shwartz

Elite

Liebers

Wafer Rolls

Shtix 4pc 1.7 OZ

Wafer

Choc/Hazelnut 50 GRM

Choc/Lemon /Hazelnut 7.05 OZ

$

$

$

Liebers

Paskesz

Paskesz

0.65

0.69

Wafer Rolls

0.69

Apple Chips

All 2.6 OZ

Cherry-Raspberry -Strawberry 2.29 OZ

Original - Cinnamon 330 GR

0.69

0.69

0.69

$

$

$

Paskesz

Twizzlers

Twizzlers

Fruit Buds

Pull N Peel Cherry

Raspberry-Strawberry 0.07 OZ

2 OZ

0.69

0.75

Filled Twists Strawberry

0.75

$

$

Klik Small

Klik

Klik

Caramel-Chocolate 1.23 OZ

All Flavors 1.06 OZ

0.75

Klik

Choko Kid 1.34 OZ

0.75

$

$ Kedem

Grape Juice Mini 6.3 OZ

0.79

$

Klik In Milk Truffle-Cream 1.34 OZ

0.75

$

0.75

$ Jaxx

Chocolate Bags

Zweet

All 1.76 OZ

Soft Fruit Candy

$

$

0.79

1.00

1.00

Elite

Shneiders

Man

W/Strawberry- W/Popping 3.5 OZ

1.9 OZ

Vanilla -Lemon Coffee-Cocoa 7 OZ

Chocolate Bar

1.00

Dellinut Dip

Wafers

1.00

1.00

$

$

$

Man

Paskesz

Paskesz

7 PK

All 5 Flavors 3.5 OZ

3.5 OZ

Sour Sticks

Eats N' Crafts Licorice

1.00

1.00

$

$

Shneiders

Liebers

Galil

2.3 OZ

All 2 Flavors 5 OZ

All Flavors 1 OZ

Mini Marshmallows

You Love Fruit

1.25

1.29

$

$

$

Gefen

Manamim

Carmit

Hazelnut/Choc 7.05 OZ

All 5 Flavors 1.9 OZ

Gefen Chocolate Wafer 14.1 OZ

1.29

$

Wafer rolls All 5 Flavors 2.5 OZ

1.29

$

Klik

Xl Choc.

Crisp Bar-Heavenly Crunch 3 OZ

Wafer Cubes

Mixim

1.29

1.29

$

$

Paskesz

Paskesz

4x4 Multi Mini Strawberry 4 OZ

All 3 Flavors 4.41 OZ.

Sour Belt

Breadsticks

1.29

1.39

$

$

Paskesz

Twizzlers

Choc. Covered

10 OZ

Mint Rounds

Cherry Bites

1.9 OZ

$

La-Hit Choco Crisp

7 OZ

$

Presidor

Oodles

Sandwich Cookies

Fruit Punch-Kiwi Strawberr 4pk 6.75 OZ

$

1.19

0.69

0.59

$

Box Drink

$

Delinut Dip W/ Sprinkles

Chocolate/Bittersweet 3 OZ

1.00

Mike N Ike

1.00

Milk Bar

Wafer Rolls

1.00

$

$

Elite

5 OZ

Passion Mix

$

Chocolate Wafers

Liebers

Mike N Ike

Blubbery/Banana 5 OZ

Minions

$

$

$.00 - $1.00

Mike N Ike

5.3 OZ

0.99

1.49

1.59

1.69

$

$

$

Paskesz

Twizzlers

Twizzlers

Fruit Chew Taffy-Sour Chews 1 LB

1.79

$

Pull N Peel Fruit Punch

Pull N Peel

Raspberry/Wild Berry/Lemon 12 OZ

12 OZ

1.99

1.99

$

$

Twizzlers

Manamit

16 OZ

Chocolate Covered 14 OZ

Strawberry Twist Licorice

1.99

$

Wafers

1.99

$

03/06/16 - 03/13/16 Sunday - Friday NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

Gift Boxes

Kosher Market


73

The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

Welcom to Frankel's

SHALACH MANOS Headquarters T. 718.471.7555 F. 718.471.9102 E. ordersfrankels@gmail.com A. 1913 Cornaga Avenue, Far Rockaway

$2.00 - $3.00

Twizzlers

Man

Filled Twists Straw Lemon

Coated Wafers 10pk

11 OZ

2.00

$ Shefa

Fruit Bites All Flavors 4.8 OZ

Torino

Mousse Milk Chocolate -Dark Choco 3.5 OZ

2.29

2.29

$

Torino

Milk 3.5 OZ

2.29

$

$3.00 - $4.00 Gefen

Emzee

Chocolate Coated Wafers

14 OZ

10 OZ

Zweet

Torino

2.69

Wafers

Le Chocolate

15.2 OZ

3pk 4.8 OZ

2.29

$

Paskesz

Paskesz

Mini Milk Munch

3.00

Mini Encore Bag

3.99

3.00

$

$

Paskesz

Paskesz

Torino

All Flvrs Box 0.45 OZ

Strawberry -Raspberry 5pk (Bags) 0.07 OZ

5 Pk 4 OZ

Taffy Pops

3.00

$

9.1 OZ

3.00

$

10oz

3.69

Filled Bites Fruit Punch

8.8 OZ

Pretzel Bites

$

2.19

$

Mini Smirk

3.00

Chocolate

Pull & Peel Cherry Licorice

$

10.5 OZ

$

24/ $3.59

All Flavors 10 OZ

Paskesz

$

Marshmallow

All Flavors 5 OZ

All Flavors 40 CT

$

3.00

Twizzlers

Super Dooperz

Manamit

(40 Pack) 28.8 OZ

40 PK

Twizzlers

$

Chocolate Cream Filled Wafers

3.00

De Best

2.59

$

2.29

$

Shefa

Fruit Sticks

Kosher Market

Fruit Buds

3.29

$

$

Torino Dark

3.49

$

For $1.00 Liebers

Paskesz

Paskesz

1.75 OZ

0.8 OZ

1 OZ

2/$1.00

2/$1.00

All 5 Flavor 1.75 OZ

Elite

Paskesz

Kedem 4.5 OZ

Marshmallow White/Twist

Cotton Candy

2/$1.00 Glick

Mints

Mini Marshmallows

2/$1.00

2/$1.00

Elite

Liebers

1.58 OZ.

20 GRM

Pesek Zman Classic - Big Bite 1.59 OZ

Sea Salt Kettle Sweet/Salty 0.75 OZ

2/$1.00

2/$1.49

3/$1.00

3/$1.00

3/$1.00

Liebers

Paskesz

Liebers

Liebers

1.5 OZ.

Reg /Honey /BBQ 0.75 OZ

BBQ Crispy Goodies

Liebers

All Flavor 1 OZ

1 OZ

5/$1.00

4/$1.00

Triple Dippers

Potato Chips

4/$1.00

Tea Biscuits

0.52 OZ

Strawberry - Peppermint 0.5 OZ

Corn Chips

Pop Corn Crisps

Chocolate Umbrellas

Sour Sticks

1 OZ

All Flavor 1.4 OZ

5/$1.00

5/$1.00

5/$1.00

Dragees

Liebers

All Flavor 1.16 OZ

1 OZ

Paskesz

Galil

0.51 OZ

5 Flavor 1.76 OZ

0.28 OZ

All Flavor 0.7 OZ

5/$1.00 Liebers

Alef Beis ABC Cookies 1 OZ

7/$1.00

Fizzy Fruit

5/$1.00 Paskesz

Bunny Pops Blue-Pink 0.45 OZ

9/$1.00

Zweet Sour Stick

6/$1.00 Paskesz

Bitz Candies 0.4 OZ

11/$1.00

4/$1.00 Paskesz

Galil

Zweet Bags

Marshmallows Twisted

Mini Wows

Paskesz

Zum Zum Peanut

Hazelnut Bar

Big Dipper 0.42 OZ

14/$1.00

Candy Roll

6/$1.00- 24/$3.59

6/$1.00 Paskesz

Noshkes

Paskesz

Tinglers Fruit Punch 0.9 OZ

14/$1.00

Pretzels

7/$1.00

Taffy Pops All Flavors 0.45 OZ

Laff Taffy Tub

16/$1.00

16/$1.00

Paskesz

03/06/16 - 03/13/16 Sunday - Friday NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

Liebers


74

MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Welcom to Frankel's

SHALACH MANOS Headquarters T. 718.471.7555 F. 718.471.9102 E. ordersfrankels@gmail.com A. 1913 Cornaga Avenue, Far Rockaway

For $2.00 Paskesz

Lasso Strawberry Laces

Machaya

2/ 2.00

2/ 2.00

3/$2.00

Paskesz

Paskesz

Paskesz

Rice Checkers -Corn Checkers Chocolate 1.4 OZ.

Picture Wafers 6 PK

3.5 OZ

$

$

Rolled Wafers Mini

Skittles Fruit

Choc. Lined-French Truffle 1.25 OZ

3/$2.00

3/$2.00

Paskesz

Paskesz

Milk Munch Chocolate

Strawberry/Raspberry 0.7 OZ

3/$2.00 Paskesz

Encore Bar

Smirk Bar Chocolate

2.14 OZ

1.75 OZ

2.14 OZ

3/$2.00

3/$2.00

3/$2.00

Twizzlers

Tenli

Liebers

Pull N Peel

Jawbreaker

Cherry/Apple/Lemon 4.2 OZ

2 OZ

3/ 2.00

3/ 2.49

5/ 2.00

Paskesz

De Best

Liebers

All Flavor 1 OZ

All Colors 0.7 OZ

Animal Jellies / Fruit Jellies

Liebers

Paskesz

Paskesz

BBQ-Original 1 OZ

Cherry-RaspberryStrawberry 0.56 OZ

0.9 OZ

$

$

Fruit Leather

5/$2.00

Fizzy Bottle 0.63 OZ

12/ 2.00 $

0.7 OZ

Choc. Chiplets Cookies

1 OZ

1 OZ

12/ 2.00

Sour Belt Strawberry /Raspberry/Apple 4 OZ

2 /$3.00 Jack & Jill Cookies 14 OZ

2/$3.00

15/ 2.00

15/$2.00

$

Elite

Mini Mekupelet 300 GR

14.07 OZ

4.99

4.99

$

$

Elite

Tenta

Mini Kif-Kaf Wafers 14 OZ

4.99

$

Marshmallow Twist

24/ 4.99

2 /$3.00

Paskesz

Zweet

All 3 Flavors 5 OZ

10.6 OZ

Fruit Snacks

Soft Fruit Candy

2 /$3.00

2/$3.00

Elite

Carmit

Elite Shtix All Flavors 3.39 OZ

Chocolate Bars

2/$3.00

3 /$ 3.00

All 6 Flavor 3 OZ

Paskesz

3/$3.00

4 /$3.00

B&B

Mega Sesame Sticks

Singles In Tray

3.5 OZ

5.25 OZ

4/$3.00

B&B

B&B

5.25 OZ

5 OZ

Super Long Thin Pretzels

4/$3.00

Sesame Sticks Pretzels

4/$3.00

B&B

Traditional Salt Pretzels

B&B Long Sticks With Sea Salt

9 OZ

5 OZ

4/$3.00

4/$3.00

Pretzels

For $5.00 7 OZ

2 / $5.00 Torino

Torino Tentation 6.3 OZ

7.99

$

Klik

Mini Choco-Kid 7 OZ

15 GRM

$

2 /$3.00

Dunkees

Mini Wafer

$4.00 - $8.00 Mini Pesek Zman Wafers

Rolled Wafers

7 OZ

Rainbow Twists

Man

Elite

Mini Selected

Liebers

Animal Crackers

$

2 /$3.00

11/$2.00 Liebers

Zweet Sour Belts

Choc LinedMousse-Cappuccino Espresso 2.66 OZ

Mini Jelly BeansSour Jelly Beans

10/$2.00 Galil

Wafer

5 OZ

9/$2.00

Oodles

10/$2.00

White/Twist/Colored

25 GRM

5/$2.00

Titos

Paskesz

$

Marshmallow Sticks

Paskesz

Twizzlers

Mini Sandwich Cookies

2.22 OZ.

Man

Marshmallow

Paskesz

Fruit Stripz

1.35 OZ

Liebers

4.99

$

Paskesz

Fruit Snacks All Flavors 8 PK

2 /$5.00 Twizzlers

Laffy Taffy Bag

Pull N Peel

2/$5.00

2/$5.00

Assorted

Straw. & Vanilla 14 OZ

12 OZ

Klik

Paskesz

All Flavors 2.64 OZ

Fruit Stripz 3pk

4 / $5.00

2 /$5.00

Bags

03/06/16 - 03/13/16 Sunday - Friday NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

Paskesz

For $3.00

Kosher Market


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

75

Around the Community

Shulamith Youngsters Support Israel

T

he students of Shulamith Lower Division are proving that you’re never too young to Think Israel, buy Israeli, and fight back against BDS! Recently, the first through fourth graders raised $400 in tzedaka. They sent half of their hard-earned funds to Zaka and the other half to Keren HaShviit, which supports the farmers

Rabbi Walkin Delivers Passionate Speech to YLX

who kept shmittah. The third graders took a trip to Gourmet Glatt to purchase Israeli-made products. They will be making a klee in their art class and filling it with the products from Yehuda and Shomron. The girls are proud of their accomplishments and hope that everyone will join them in supporting Israel!

D

ynamic kiruv powerhouse Rabbi Avraham Walkin addressed YLX last week. Using his uncanny ability to connect with teens, Rabbi Walkin captivated the crowd with personal stories and thoughts. He encouraged everyone to make a real and earnest effort to bring Hashem into their lives. He spoke about heroes of the Holocaust and how we can all do just a little more to become great. Everyone enjoyed his presentation as well as the large assortment of Roll-

Purim Katan At SKA

Mrs. Helen Spirn, Head of School, with SKA students celebrating Purim Katan

E

veryone in school looked a little…different on Tuesday, February 23! In light of the holiday-like status of Purim Katan, administration and faculty members of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls came dressed down in tichels, denim skirts, sweatshirts and sneakers. The seniors declared

it to be “topsy turvy day,” the freshmen celebrated summer, although it was quite cold outside, the juniors all wore jerseys, and the sophomores honored Tzahal. At the break, girls broke into spirited dancing in the auditorium and sampled hamenstachen. Purim at SKA is just around the corner!

Pulled Brisket Empanadas Naomi Nachman on page 111

masters sushi generously donated by long-time YLX supporters, Seasons of Lawrence. YLX – The YID Learning Experience is held every Thursday night at Bais Medrash Heichal Dovid. YLX was started over three years ago by Rabbi Aryeh Dachs and Rabbi Elchonon Kuritsky. The program is open to high school boys and is designed to engage and inspire teens from local yeshivos by exposing them to an enjoyable and inspiring learning experience in an inviting and laid back atmosphere.


76

MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Children from the community are pictured here in Oh Nuts! picking up their prizes from this year’s Brochos Out Loud Program. Each week, children make a minimum of five brachos out loud each day so that others can say amen. At the end of the week, another store in the community gives them a prize for their wonderful work. this is the eleventh year the program is around and it is run in 40 schools with 15,000 children in the Five Towns/Far Rockaways, West Hempstead, Queens, Monsey, LA and Chicago participating.

This Week at YCQ

T

he students at YCQ had a great week of learning and activities. The halls were filled with excitement as the YCQ Torah Bowl team hosted four other schools for a competition based on their knowledge of Torah. All the participants performed beautifully, as they answered question after question about what they have learned in Torah this year. The elementary school began their yearly Bracha Bee showing their understanding of which bracha to say on each food they eat. The JHS boys had the opportunity to participate in an exciting high intensity bracket-basketball tournament pinning Rebbeim vs. their talmidim. In an intense neckin-neck game, the varsity basketball team beat their Rabbeim for the second time in YCQ history. The Varsity Boys’ basketball team won their ninth game this week as well, keeping them at a 9-0 record heading towards the end of an amazing season. The Varsity Girls’ team is headed to the finals as well with a 7-3 record and the Wildcats varsity hockey team head to the playoffs with a 9-1 season. As the teams head into playoff season, they look forward to sharing the excitement with their fans, families and

Enjoying Purim Katan candy at Yeshiva of South Shore

Cooks Rejoice With These New B’gan Blends community. The SET3 Engineering club had a lot of fun as well, watching the reaction they got while separating the extra oxygen atoms in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), leaving only the water molecules (H20). They learned how a catalyst like potassium iodide will speed up the reaction resulting in what is better known as “Elephant Toothpaste.”

Capri Blend ho thought green beans would work in a blend? B’gan does it again! The all-new Capri blend presents the perfect ratio of carrots, green beans, yellow squash and zucchini. This crisp and delightful blend of fresh vegetables will enhance your dinner table as a delicious side dish, a standalone course for any meal, or simply as a nutritious snacking option. The Capri blend is one you’ll savor.

W

Prince Edward Island Blend This exclusive blend of fresh vegetables will transport your taste buds to an exotic island setting. Its unique blend of sweet vegetables consists of an awesome balance of green beans, wax beans and carrots which can be prepared in a variety of ways to suit your palate. Whether as an entree, side-dish or healthy stand-alone snack, the magnificent Prince Edward Island Blend is a delicacy to be enjoyed. Just try it! Starting with the freshest, highest quality ingredients, B’gan’s blends are

frozen fresh to ensure they are as delicious on your table as when they were produced. At B’gan there are never any compromises on freshness, quality or kashrus. B’gan, a family-owned brand, continues to lead the industry with its high standards of innovation and perfection, guaranteeing that consumers everywhere can continue to expect only the best.


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

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78

MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Shuvu’s “Problems” and Problem Solvers By Nini Rubin

R

av Pam, zt”l, started Shuvu 25 years ago with enormous bitochon, undaunted by the hurdles he knew lay ahead. Even more than the logistics of finding space to hold classes, hiring teachers, developing a curriculum and securing the funding to pay for it all, Rav Pam knew the idea of providing a Torah chinuch to children of newly arrived Russian immigrants was a “tough sell.” For many years, Shuvu had to cajole and convince parents to send their children to a school that would teach them to keep Shabbos, eat kosher and daven; all the “old fashioned” mores that were antithetical to their upbringing in Communist Russia. As time went on, however, word got around that Shuvu provided a stellar education. Parents were thrilled with the caliber of the curriculum and the teaching. Moreover, their Shuvu children were refined and respectful, unlike so many of the kids they saw on the street and in shopping malls. Today, parents in cities with no Shuvu school beg for one to open. Parents with 4-year- olds ask for a kindergarten. 8th graders cry when they have to leave their beloved Shuvu elementary school and go to a secular high school. Shuvu has a problem! Thanks to the dedication of Shuvu’s generous supporters, Shuvu’s problems—problems every kiruv organization would wish to have—are well on their way to being to being resolved. The 25th Anniversary Dinner on March 5th will be the framework event for paying tribute to the “problem solvers”—supporters whose generosity and encouragement have made Rav Pam, zt”l’s dream of a Torahdike Eretz Yisroel a reality. AJ Ginsburg, a member of Shuvu’s mission to Eretz Yisroel, will be honored for his dedication of the Shuvu Acco Girls’ High School. Mr. Ginsburg visited the Acco Girls’ school last year and was visibly moved by the children’s enthusiasm and the dedication of the morahs. He was impressed with the level of learning and the students’ desire to learn more. In fact, several students approached him directly and pleaded with him to help start a high school in Acco. They were graduating elementary school and would have to attend a secular high school if Shuvu did not open one. AJ immediately

committed himself, together with a group of friends who were also on the trip, to provide the funding. “What struck me was how easily we could fulfill our mission to be mekarev these girls,” he recalls. “We didn’t have to convince them of anything. They were asking, practically begging us to help them go to the next level of their chinuch. It really inspired me to help in whatever way possible. It also made it easy for me to get my friends onboard when they recognized that positive results were almost guaranteed.” When Yossi Hoch, Shuvu’s co-Chairman, visits Shuvu schools several times a year he holds extensive conversations with administrators, teachers, principals and the students themselves. Mr. Hoch is a reliable and stalwart Shuvu supporter and gives tirelessly of his time and kochos to the organization. His close perspective made the support of the Shabbaton program a priority and a

fitting tribute to his mother’s memory. On a recent visit, Mr. Hoch recalls, a ten- year- old girl told him she spends the entire Shabbos locked in her room so she won’t be tempted to watch TV with her parents. A six- year- old boy described how he gave the cable for his brand new X-box to his Morah on Friday afternoon, so he would not play with it on Shabbos. “I realized that the best gift to give these children is a Shabbos free from the distractions and temptations of their secular homes; to give them the opportunity to sit at a real Shabbos table; to let them experience what we, as religious Jews, take for granted.” Mr. Hoch is dedicating the Shuvu Shabbaton Program l’iluy nishmas Maryam bas Yitzchok Yaakov Hoch at the Dinner. “My mother, an Auschwitz survivor, enjoyed seeing Jewish children thriving and happy.

She cherished and kvelled over every Jewish child. It is a fitting aliya for her neshama to support the Shabbatonim where children can bask in the beauty and warmth of Shabbos and their determination to live a Torah life, is strengthened.” Shuvu’s students try to keep mitzvos in the face of at best, indifference, and at worst, opposition, from their parents. They learn hilchos Shabbos in the classroom. They hear stories about Shabbos from their teachers. But most have never actually experienced a “real” Shabbos. They clamor for an opportunity to spend Shabbos in an environment where everyone is shomer Shabbos and lessons come alive. They consistently ask their teachers to organize more Shabbatonim throughout

the year. Thanks to the Hoch family, this problem is on its way to a solution. A highlight of the dinner on March 5 will be the completion, with the participation of leading Roshei Yeshiva and Rabbonim, of the Elbogen Family Sefer Torah, l’iluy nishmas Rav Pam, zt”l. The Elbogen family has been one of Shuvu’s staunchest supporters over the past decade. Their unstinting generosity has rescued Shuvu more than once from disastrous consequences of the budget shortfall caused by the Israeli government cuts. “There are so many programs that, without the support of the Elbogen family, we would have been forced to curtail or even eliminate,” said Avrohom Biderman, Shuvu’s co-chairman. “They were literally mekayem hatzolas nefoshos time and again.” The completion of the Sefer Torah that bears the family’s name will be given to a Shuvu Bais Medrash in Eretz Yisroel. Appropriately, the Dinner and Journal Chairmen have all contrib-

Rav Pam, zt”l

uted directly and indirectly to Shuvu’s success. From the organization’s inception, Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz, Dinner Chairman and editor of Yated N’eeman, has been, through his influential paper, a champion of Shuvu’s initiatives. His co-chairman, Shloimie Kahn, was a talmid of Rav Pam’s and who has a familial connection to Shuvu through Mrs. Bella Schon, Shuvu’s dedicated Office Manager. Journal Chairman, Yitzy Berger, is a grandson of Max Knopf, a”h, one of Shuvu’s legendary founding patrons, and like his co-chairman Akiva Hershkowitz, developed a personal sense of obligation to Shuvu after participating in the Shuvu missions. Shuvu is looking to broaden their base of “problem solvers.” “This dinner is an opportunity for Klal Yisroel to join us in providing solutions to the children who are asking for our help,” said Mr. Kahn, the Dinner Chairman. “It’s no longer a matter of maintaining the status quo. Shuvu is being asked to expand programs every day. Everyone can and should do their part. We can achieve so much more than we even thought possible 25 years ago with Klal Yisroel’s help.”

Is your Child Being Teased? Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW on page 105


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

Around the Community

Hundreds Attend Annual Breakfast of Tomchei Shabbos of the Five Towns

“A

tzaddik is someone who feeds others,” Rabbi Daniel Glatstein said, pointing out that only two people in tanach are referred to as a “tzaddik”: Noach and Yosef. They received this praise since they provided food for others. Those who are involved in Tomchei Shabbos are engaged in tzidkus. The Annual Breakfast of Tomchei Shabbos of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway was Sunday, February 21st. Ari and Ruthy Jungreis of Lawrence graciously hosted the event, which was attended by approximately 300 friends of Tomchei Shabbos. Rabbi Glatstein, the Mara D’asrah of Kehillas Ahavas Yisroel, was the guest speaker. Tomchei Shabbos Yad Yeshaya, in memory of Yeshaya Alpert z”l, currently provides Shabbos and Yom Tov food to approximately 285 families in the Five Towns and Far Rockaway, with an annual budget of $650,000. Tomchei is run almost entirely by volunteers. Dozens of TAG students package food at the Far Rockaway location. Dozens of community members and children do the same at the

PHOTO CREDIT IVAN H NORMAN

Young Israel of Woodmere. The packages are then delivered by volunteer drivers. Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky and Councilman Bruce Blakeman offered their warm words and good wishes to Tomchei Shabbos. “If I met a stranger, and he had 10 minutes to get a feel of the community and what it represents,” Assembly Kaminsky said, “I would bring that outsider to witness the Tomchei Shabbos Pesach packaging, to see the community coming together to support those in need.” “It is inspiring to see hundreds of people take time from their busy schedules to show their support for Tomchei Shabbos and their care for our neighbors,” said Rabbi Aryeh Borsuk, Administrator of Tomchei Shabbos. “We are very grateful to Ari and Ruthy Jungreis for hosing and making this a wonderful and successful event.” For more information about Tomchei Shabbos of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway, contact 516-262-3003 or visit www.tomchei5tfr.org.

Natural Color and Flavors Allergen Free

tel. 866-727-2483

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Around the Community

Over 1,000 Bochurim Led by Roshei Yeshiva and Rabbonim of Modiin Illit Attend Daf HaYomi B’Halacha Kinnus

By Chaim Gold

“I

t was a hafganah, a massive demonstration of kedushah! Nearly 1,000 bachurim testified by their very presence that bringing daily halacha into their lives was a critically important priority! It was a hafganah, a demonstration where tens of Rabbonim and Roshei Yeshiva came to show their encouragement for this undertaking while urging even more bachurim to join Dirshu’s popular Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program in which every participant learns a daily daf of Mishnah Berurah thereby bringing practical halacha into his life in a real way,” said Rabbi Avigdor Bernstein, a senior member of Hanhalas Dirshu in Eretz Yisrael. Close to 1,000 bachurim from the city of Modiin Illit gathered together at the Pis Auditorium in Modiin Illit on Motzoei Shabbos Parshas Terumah in a remarkable demonstration of achdus and unity of purpose. The event was graced by numerous Roshei Yeshiva and Rabbonim from the city as well as Dirshu’s Nasi, Rav Dovid Hofstedter. HaGaon HaRav Aryeh Finkel, shlita, the senior Rosh Yeshiva in town, was also slated to attend. He enthusiastically endorsed the gathering and assured the hanhala of Dirshu that he would be present. Alas, over Shabbos, his sister, Rebbetzin Shifra Nebenzhal, the wife of HaGaon HaRav Avigdor Nebenzhal, shlita, Rav of the Old City of Yerushalayim, passed away and he was forced to cancel. Established and Encouraged by Gedolei Hador Eight years ago, the impetus to start the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program was done with the guidance and encouragement of the posek hador, HaGaon HaRav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv, zt”l, and is today directed and guided by HaGaon HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman, shlita, and the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha nesius whose members are Roshei Yeshiva, Admorim and Rabbonim who represent the entire cross-section of Torah Jewry.

The Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program is very popular in Modiin Illit, with numerous shiurim held daily around town. In addition, many yeshivos in the town have instituted the learning of Dirshu’s Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program in their daily halacha seder. Despite the gratifying numbers of bachurim already in the program, however, the hanhala of Dirshu together with the hanhalos of numerous local yeshivos felt that even more bachurim could benefit from incorporating Dirshu’s daily halacha program into their lives. Thus, with the enthusiastic support of the hanhalos of numerous yeshivos and the city’s Rabbonim, Dirshu organized this special gathering in honor of the milestone of the program beginning hilchos tefillah. As a result of the chizuk derived at the kinnus, multitudes of bachurim joined their peers, undertaking to join Daf HaYomi B’Halacha by starting to learn hilchos tefillah. “Without Strict Adherence to Halacha, a G-d Fearing Jew Cannot Move!” The first speaker at the event was the Rav of Modiin Illit, HaGaon HaRav Meir Kessler, shlita. Rav Kessler related a fascinating story that transpired with the Brisker Rov. “The Brisker Rov was once traveling and was unexpectedly detained in a certain town. He understood that obviously Divine Providence had orchestrated his unexpected stay in the city but he wondered for what purpose. While there, he met a local bachur who had been engaged for three years but refused to get married because both his and his kallah’s family were too poverty stricken to afford tzitzis for a tallis and the milchig and fleishig utensils that they would need in their new home. The bachur – a very simple bachur who barely knew how to daven – had a temimusdige understanding that without absolute adherence to halacha a person cannot move on in life. The Brisker Rov realized that it was this lesson that Hashem wanted him to absorb. Every

Yid must understand that adherence to halacha is non-negotiable and that without strict adherence to halacha a G-d fearing Jew cannot move! This,” concluded Rav Kessler, “is what Daf HaYomi B’Halacha is all about.” “Intellect and Toil are Insufficient!” Rav Dovid Hofstedter, the Nasi of Dirshu, gave an all-encompassing Torah address wherein he explained that one of the things that we daven for in our daily tefillos is success in Torah learning as we beg Hashem, ‘Vesein chelkeinu b’Sorasecha-grant us a portion in Your Torah.’ Indeed the Gemara asks, “What should a person do to become a chacham?” The Gemara answers that one must learn with great hasmodah. Nevertheless, the Gemara continues, that is not enough. Many have tried to learn but did not succeed. The Gemara ends that, “One must beg for wisdom from the One to whom wisdom belongs.”“From here we see,” said Rav Hofstedter passionately, “that Torah is not l’hevadil like any other chachma. With regard to any other knowledge, if a person is bright and studies he will master it. Torah is different! Torah is Hashem’s words. Torah comes directly from the Ribbono Shel Olam. Understanding Torah is not dependent on one’s brilliance, rather, one must work and toil and even that is not sufficient. One must daven, beg Hashem to endow him with knowledge and only then can one truly succeed in acquiring Torah.” Rav Hofstedter called on the 1,000 bachurim in attendance to invest time and effort into the learning of daily halacha and to daven to Hashem with their hearts and souls to achieve success in Torah and knowledge of Torah. “Performing Mitzvos According to Halacha Endows a Person with Heavenly Kedusha” A very well-received address was given by HaGaon HaRav Avrohom Yitzchok Barzel, shlita, R”M at Yeshivas Mir in Kiryat Brachfeld, a neighborhood in Modiin Illit. Rav Barzel,

citing proofs from Chazal, said that a person who merits to properly observe halacha and perform the mitzvos exactly as prescribed by halacha is endowed with kedusha from heaven, a kedusha that enables him to hear and understand the dvar Hashem. The Rosh Yeshiva concluded, “I look forward to hearing that all of the bachurim here tonight will accept upon themselves to learn hilchos tefillah in the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program!” HaGaon HaRav Shevach Tzvi Rosenblatt, shlita, a prominent Rav and Posek in Modiin Illit, then explained the Gemara that states that from the day that the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed Hashem has nothing in His world other than the four amos of halacha. Learning halacha is the way to connect with Hashem and merit the Shechina’s presence in one’s life. Learning the Halachos of Tefillah to Implement Them The final drasha was delivered by the well-known maggid, Rav Shlomo Levenstein, who in honor of beginning hilchos tefillah, impressed upon the bachurim the importance of investing time and effort into their davening from coming on time to davening, properly preparing oneself for davening and learning the true meaning of the tefillos. In an emotional moment, Rav Levenstein exclaimed, “On a holy night such as this when so many bnei Torah have come together to accept upon themselves to learn the halachos of tefillah there is a special siyatta d’shmaya that one’s tefillos will be heard when asking Hashem for success in davening and learning.” As the bachurim exited the large hall, the gleam in their eyes, the determination and the inspiration that was clearly etched in their countenances attested to their dedication to bringing daily halacha into their lives and the further success of the Dirshu Daf HaYomi B’Halacha revolution!


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

A special thank you to: OUR HOSTS, Ari and Ruthy Jungreis OUR GUEST SPEAKER, Rabbi Daniel Glatstien The following shuls, for enabling our volunteers to accept donations in conjunction with the Breakfast Agudath Israel of Bayswater

Congregation Bais Ephraim Yitzchok

Kehillas Bais Yehuda Tzvi

Agudath Israel of the Five Towns

Congregation Beth Shalom

Kehillas Bnai Hayeshivos

Agudath Israel of West Lawrence

Congregation Shaarei Tefila

Khal Nesiv Hatorah

Bais Medrash of Cedarhurst

Irving Place minyan

White Shul- Knesseth Israel

Chofetz Chaim Torah Center

Ishei Yisroel

Young Israel of Woodmere

Congregation Aish Kodesh

Kehillas Ahavas Yisroel Thank you to our corporate sponsors and partners

CORPORATE SPONSORS CORPORATE PARTNERS

634 Oak Drive Far Rockaway, NY 11691 www.tomchei5tfr.org | tomchei5tfr@gmail.com | 516-262-3003

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Around the Community

This Month at DRS

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he DRS Mock Trial team is on a roll, recently defeating St. Mary’s High School and John F. Kennedy High School is trial-matches. The team will now advance into the 32-team bracket playoffs, which begin March 2. Last Thursday, Rabbi Menachem Penner, the dean of men’s undergraduate Torah study programs and the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) of Yeshiva University, came to speak to seniors in Rabbi Storch’s Machshava classes. Rabbi Penner captivated students as he spoke about the qualities that make an effective leader as well as the essence of leadership. Drawing upon examples from Moshe Rabbeinu’s leadership of the Jewish people, Rabbi Penner offered practical advice for each senior on how to lead in this formative time in their lives. Rabbi Penner also tackled complex questions posed by the students on the halacha, machshava and the future of Modern Orthodoxy as well as what a Yeshiva University education can empower them to do. Chodesh Adar is always an exciting time in DRS. Students have been writing letters to soldiers wishing them a happy Purim, and this past week DRS juniors and seniors enjoyed a special Chodesh Adar kumzitz with famed musician Yosef Karduner. Students are gearing up for the Annual DRS Purim Chagigah and Purim skit which take place on Purim night at DRS!

Congregation Bais Medrash of Cedarhurst, which is under the leadership of Rabbi Spiegel, had its 46th Annual Dinner on February 16 at Congregation Beth Shalom in Lawrence. It was a very successful turnout honoring Janice and Moshe Ryback with the Kesser Shem Tov Award and Michal and Menachem Soffer with the Avodas Hakodesh Award. They were given these awards for their continued commitment to community, congregation and the continued spiritual growth of neighbors. Joined at the dinner was Anthony J. Santino, Councilman Bruce Blakeman, Cedarhurst Trustee Izzy Wasser, and Chris McGrath who is running for State Senate.

HANC BMP Journeys to Higher Heights

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he HANC High School Beit Midrash Program (BMP) is comprised of students who are motivated to achieve the highest level of scholarship in their limudei kodesh classes. Students are guided with the assistance of a Rebbe or a Morah to learn Torah independently and to de-

velop an appreciation for this style of learning. The young men and women who graduate from our Beit Midrash Program attend the highest level yeshivot and seminaries in Israel. On Thursday, February 25, HANC’s BMP program traveled to Washington Heights to visit the SOY Seforim Sale

at Yeshiva University. The students participated in pre-Purim shiurim given by Yeshiva University’s faculty members. The girls learned with Rabbi Jonathan Schacter, while the boys studied with Rabbi Aaron Ciment. The magidei shiurim were very impressed with the students’ high level of under-

standing and involvement in the shiur. After the shiurim the students had the opportunity to browse at the SOY Seforim sale, where they purchased books on Jewish topics and seforim. Many HANC alumni studying at Yeshiva University came to greet the teachers and students on the trip.


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

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Around the Community

It’s O.K.A.Y. at the Marion and Aaron Gural JCC Our Kids Abroad in Yisrael

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arch arrives this week and with it the promise of spring and, inevitably, thoughts of Pesach. For most women the Passover holiday conjures up a myriad of stresses – from getting the house ready to the endless shopping and cooking. Even those who go away and don’t “make” Pesach can find the holiday preparations daunting. But for women with children living in Israel the holiday’s approach frequently brings about additional challenges and emotions. At a time of year when most families come together to celebrate – when siblings slide back into their comfy childhood roles and when cousins who may not live in the same neighborhood, reconnect and enjoy quality time together – those women whose families are divided by thousands of miles and across the Atlantic Ocean are often overwhelmed by feelings of sadness, pain and even abandonment. They dream of having their family under one roof. They miss

their children and grandchildren living abroad. And yet, if they make the decision to take the trip overseas to spend the holiday with these children, invariably other offspring, elderly parents and extended family will be left behind. Moms whose children live abroad are often emotionally drained, frequently juggling – responsibilities, schedules, finances, their attention. These are the women who find camaraderie and strength in a new networking group recently formed at the Marion and Aaron Gural JCC called O.K.A.Y. – Our Kids Abroad in Yisrael. O.K.A.Y. was launched last month at the JCC to meet a growing need in our community. As more of our children discover that the love we as parents instilled in them for Eretz Yisrael is a thirst that can only be quenched by a commitment to living in the land of milk and honey, we are seeing a noticeable trend in newly married cou-

ples, young families and even singles making that bold move to establish a home in the Holy Land. As one mother openly stated at the initial O.K.A.Y. meeting in February, “We gave our children a genuine love of Israel, we prayed that we would raise them to become independent adults, but when they actually pick up and move there we are devastated.” Although each woman who found her way to the O.K.A.Y. meeting had a different “story,” the frustrations and sentiments shared by the group were familiar to all. “Most of us are proud of our children, some of us are even convinced that they are doing the right thing. We are excited for them as they embark on this new chapter in their lives, but it doesn’t mean it’s easy,” said another O.K.A.Y. mom. The purpose of the group is not to complain or feel angry – although who better than another mom in a similar situation to understand those needs? – but to share experiences,

lean on one another, offer advice and exchange practical tips and resources. For example, shipping packages to Israel in a reliable, reasonable method is a subject looking to be explored. If you are a mom whose children live in Israel or know someone who is, mark the date of the next O.K.A.Y. meeting: Monday evening March 7th at 7:00 pm at the Marion and Aaron Gural JCC at 207 Grove Avenue in Cedarhurst. We would love for you to join us in this heartwarming yet heart-wrenching journey we share. Call Rachayle Deutsch to register or for more information or email rachayle.deutsch@guraljcc.org. The Marion and Aaron Gural JCC is a beneficiary agency of UJA-Federation of New York, a member agency of the United Way of Long Island and an affiliate of the Five Towns Community Chest.


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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

TJH

Centerfold kidding Riddle me this? ? ! You gotta be

A man worked for a high-security institution, and one day he went into work only to find that he could not login to his computer terminal. His password no longer worked. Then he remembered that the passwords are reset every month for security purposes. So he went to his boss and said, “Hey boss, my password is out of date.” The boss replied, “Correct the password is different now. Your new password has the same amount of letters as your old password, but only four of the letters are the same.” The employee said, “Thanks” and based on his conversation with his boss figured out what his new password was. Can you figure out what the new password is? See answer on next page

“911, What’s the Emergency?” The following are supposedly real 911 calls: Dispatcher: 9-1-1. What is your emergency? Caller: I heard what sounded like gunshots coming from the brown house on the corner. Dispatcher: Do you have an address? Caller: No, I have on a blouse and slacks, why? *** Dispatcher: 9-1-1. What is your emergency? Caller: Someone broke into my house and took a bite out of my ham and cheese sandwich. Dispatcher: Excuse me? Caller: I made a ham and cheese sandwich and left it on the kitchen table and when I came back from the bathroom, someone had taken a bite out of it. Dispatcher: Was anything else taken? Caller: No, but this has happened to me before and I’m sick and tired of it! ***

Two Florida State football players, Bubba and Tiny, were taking an important exam. If they failed, they would be on academic probation and not allowed to play in the big game the following week. The exam was “fill in the blank” and the last question read, “Old MacDonald had a____.” Bubba was stumped – he had no idea what to answer, but he knew he needed to get this one right to be sure he passed. Making sure the teacher wasn’t watching, he tapped Tiny in the shoulder. “Tiny, what’s the answer to the last question?” Tiny laughed, then looked around to make sure the professor hadn’t noticed. He turned to Bubba and said, “Bubba, you’re really not too bright. Everyone knows that Old MacDonald had a farm.” “Oh yeah,” said Bubba, “I remember now.” He picked up his No. 2 pencil and started to write the answer in the blank. Then he stopped. Tapping Tiny on the shoulder, he whispered, “Tiny, how do you spell farm?” “Bubba, that’s easy,” hissed Tiny. “E-I-E-I-O.”

Dispatcher: 9-1-1. What is the nature of your emergency? Caller: I’m trying to reach nine eleven but my phone doesn’t have an eleven on it. Dispatcher: This is nine eleven. Caller: I thought you just said it was nine-one-one Dispatcher: Yes, ma’am nine-one-one and nine-eleven are the same thing. Caller: Honey, I may be old, but I’m not stupid. *** Dispatcher: 9-1-1. What’s the nature of your emergency? Caller: My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart. Dispatcher: Is this her first child? Caller: No, this is her husband. *** Dispatcher: 9-1-1. Caller: Yeah, I’m having trouble breathing. I’m all out of breath... I think I’m going to pass out. Dispatcher: Sir, where are you calling from? Caller: I’m at a payphone. North and Foster. Dispatcher: Sir, an ambulance is on the way. Are you an asthmatic? Caller: No. Dispatcher: What were you doing before you started having trouble breathing? Caller: Running from the police.


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Weather Trivia

1. Ten inches of snow will melt down to how many inches of rain? a. 10 inches b. 7 inches c. 4 inches d. 1 inch 2. Some clouds produce a kind of halo effect around the sun or the moon. The halo is a result of refraction of light by the ice crystals in the clouds. Cirrostratus clouds produce this effect. Do you know how to identify the cirrostratus cloud? a. Low level and layered b. Mid-level and wispy c. High level and puffy d. Sheet-like and high level 3. What exactly is a jet stream? a. The trail left by an airplane high in the sky b. A narrow and shallow stream of wind which is usually westerly, strong and concentrates in the upper troposphere of the sky c. Precipitation caused by extremely high winds in the upper atmosphere d. Condensation particles that are starting to form clouds 4. Tornado Alley is the name for which area of the United States? a. Brooklyn. Especially on a Sunday while trying to get a parking spot on Avenue J. b. The Midwestern part of the U.S., which includes Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Texas

c. The northeastern part of the U.S. d. The southeastern part of the U.S., which includes Georgia and areas of Tennessee. 5. When sustained winds are immediately expected to be over forty miles per hour for at least one hour in an area, what kind of advisory does the National Weather Service issue for that area? a. Strong Wind Advisory b. High Wind Alert c. High Wind Warning d. Wind Advisory 6. How is a blizzard defined? a. As your bedroom closet. b. Constant wind gusts of 50 mph or more, and visibility below ½ mile, and more than 12 inches of snowfall. c. Constant winds or gusts of 35 mph or more, and visibility below ¼ mile with heavy snow and/or blowing snow, and all of these things must last for at least 3 hours. d. Heavy snow, hurricane force winds, and visibility under 1/8 of a mile Answers: 1. D- 1 inch of rain is equivalent to about 10 inches of snow. The difference comes from the air trapped in snow ice crystals and the density of the snow. This can be seen by simply filling a tall water glass with snow

and watching it melt. The lighter and fluffier the snow, the faster it melts. 2. D-The cirrostratus cloud is a high-level, sheet-like cloud composed of ice crystals. They can cover the entire sky and be thousands of feet thick, but because they are quite transparent, we can easily see the moon or the sun through them. 3. B- A jet stream is a high speed flow of air in the upper troposphere. It is like having rivers of air several hundred miles wide. This air generally moves from west to east, marking the boundary between two global air masses that have differences of temperature that are significant. 4. B 5. C 6. C Weather Report: 5-6 Correct: “Now, with traffic and weather on the eights, we turn to (please insert your name)” 3-4 Correct: You are not that great. Perhaps you could get a job at 1010 WINS. Dingalingadingalingdingalinga…You give us 22 minutes we give you the world. 1-2 Correct: Feeling foggy?

Answer to riddle: The old one was: Out of date. The new one is: Different

*

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Torah Thought

Parshas Vayakhel By Rabbi Berel Wein

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his week’s parsha deals at its onset with the holiness of Shabbat. The Torah also emphasizes that this subject and concept was dealt with b’hakhel – publicly and nationally. We may derive an instructive lesson from this – a lesson that has much current relevance in our present society. There are two aspects of Shabbat – one public and one private. The private Shabbat has a more active, positive nature attached to it. It is more in the nature of zachor – the remembrances of Shabbat: of kiddush wine, sumptuous meals and the leisurely rest combined with Torah study. But there is also a public aspect of Shabbat that the opening words of this week’s parsha represent. It is the concept of a

public day of rest – a day of shamor – a time of restraint and the absence of the everyday hustle and bustle of commercial and daily life. It is meant to mark what is absent on this day from what we are accustomed to seeing and experiencing.

servance and guaranteeing its survival and holiness. It is not for naught that the Talmud states that zachor and shamor were uttered at Sinai, so to speak, simultaneously in one sound breath. The success of Shabbat can only be re-

desecrate the public Shabbat. The result of that error is clear to see today, for where there is no presence of a public Shabbat there will eventually be no private one either. The fact that the stores in Jerusalem are closed on

She persisted in her request until the waiter told her in exasperation: “Madam, this is the holy city!”

The blessings of public quiet, of shuttered shops, and the serenity of Friday nights and Saturday afternoons are the hallmarks of the public Shabbat. The public Shabbat – the shamor Shabbat, if you will – stands guard to protect the private Shabbat, safeguarding its ob-

alized when both the public and private Shabbat are present together. For various reasons and differing causes, the public Shabbat has been drastically weakened in much of the Jewish world over the past century. Even those who claim to wish to preserve the private Shabbat often

Shabbat and that the public busses and trains do not operate on that day is admittedly inconvenient to some or even to many. But the mere absence of these usual everyday factors in our lives creates for us at least the semblance of a public Shabbat and therefore has facilitated the slow but steady

growth and strength of the private Shabbat. The absence of the ordinary always reminds us of the extraordinary. A non-Jewish tourist asked for a freshly brewed cup of coffee at the Jerusalem hotel where she was staying on Shabbat morning. The solicitous Arab waiter explained to her that he could not comply with her wishes since it was Shabbat. She persisted in her request until the waiter told her in exasperation: “Madam, this is the holy city!” It is the Shabbat, both public and private, that reminds us where we are and what type of life we are bidden to follow while being privileged to live here. The Shabbat will continue to protect Jerusalem just as Jerusalem will continue to protect the Shabbat. Shabbat shalom.


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Torah Shmuz

Parshas Vayakhel Laziness or Lack of Motivation? By R’ Ben Tzion Shafier

“The princes brought the shoham stones and the filling stones for the Eiphod and for the Choshen.” — Shemos 35:27

R

ashi: R’ Nassan said: What [is it that] the princes saw that made them contribute first at the inauguration of the Mizbe’ach, while they did not contribute first in the construction of the Mishkan? But the princes had said the following: “Let the public contribute whatever they contrib-

ute and what they leave wanting, we will complete.” Since the public completed everything, as it says, “And the work is sufficient for them,” the princes said, “What is there for us to do?” [Therefore, as the verse states,] “They brought the shoham stones, etc.” Therefore they contributed first at the inauguration of the Mizbe’ach. And because they lagged at the outset a letter was deleted from their name; “princes” is written [without a yud]. The Nesi’im (heads of the tribes) personally donated the precious stones for the breastplate of the Kohen Gadol. Even though this was an enormously valuable contribution, their name is written with a letter missing to denote something lacking in what they did. Rashi explains that in the initial collection of materials for the Mishkan, the Nesi’im didn’t act properly. When Moshe called for donations, the Nesi’im said, “Let the congregation donate as much as it will, and we will fill in the rest.” They underestimated the generosity of the people, so in a short while, more than enough materials were collected to build the Mishkan and its vessels. And the Nesi’im found themselves without anything left to dedicate. They immediately took it upon themselves to donate the full amount needed for the precious stones. So even though this act was very generous, their name is written in a shortened form because of their original laziness. Everything in this Rashi seems to make sense except for the word,

“laziness.” Rashi seems to be saying that initially the Nesi’im were lazy, and because of that, they lost their chance to be part of the building of the Mishkan. Where do we see laziness in their actions? At first, they made a gallant statement: “Let the people give, and whatever is lacking, we will make up for.” They were wealthy men who took full responsibility for the construction. “Whatever is missing, we’ll give.” What they did seems noble. Why are they accused of laziness? The answer to this Rashi can best be understood by focusing on a mashal.

THE WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL DIAMOND

One of the most magnificent diamonds ever shown is the Millennium Star. It is pear-shaped, D color, internally and externally flawless, and weighs in excess of 200 carats. It is insured for approximately $200 million, but by most estimates, that’s only a fraction of its actual value. If you know diamonds, just seeing it takes your breath away. But that’s not how the diamond started out. It was found in a diamond mine in South Africa, and when it first came out of the ground, it was 777 carats — a rough, dirty clump. It was clear that within it was a diamond of extraordinary value, but it was a challenge to cut away the rough in a manner that would leave the largest section of unspoiled diamond. The DeBeers company hired a team of diamond cutters headed by Nir Livnat, an Israeli-born dia-


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mond cutter. Using high-powered microscopes, the team created countless diagrams and more than one hundred computer-generated models of the stone to determine the correct cut. They labored at it for three years. The actual cutting was to be done by laser, under laboratory conditions similar to a sterile operating theater. The temperature and humidity were carefully controlled, and special tongs were designed to hold the rough. Finally, they felt ready, and the procedure was scheduled. On the day of the event, the team gathered, and everyone held their breath. In just a moment, they would either be looking at the world’s most precious gem or a worthless clump of stone. Nir gave the command, and the process began. Out came a near-perfect, magnificent 200-carat diamond. And as the story is told, the gravity of the moment fully hit him, and Nir passed out.

ETERNAL VALUE

This seems to be the answer to Rashi. The Nesi’im had a rationale for what they did, yet, if they would have had a greater appreciation of the opportunity presented to them, they wouldn’t have acted that way. The Nesi’im were offered a chance to be a part of history. They could have had a part in the building of the Mishkan, Hashem’s dwelling place on this earth! Because they didn’t fully appreciate what that meant, they said, “Whatever the congregation doesn’t give, we will give.” Their words implied, “Let others do it; we’ll sit back.” While they may not have intended to be lazy, that was a lackadaisical attitude, and it manifested as laziness in action. This is eye-opening, as it teaches us a fundamental concept. All growth requires change, and change requires energy. I have to move out of the way I have been doing things and learn a new way. Clearly, laziness is the enemy of growth. The Mesillas Yesharim (Chapter 6) explains that man by nature is lazy. Hashem created us out of earth, and the nature of earthiness is to be heavy. Man by his very design is heavy and sluggish. To combat this, a person must learn to move with alacrity, to begin right away and to carry through until the end. In addition, there is a second element that will determine a per-

son’s actions: his value system. Even a lazy man will push himself if the stakes are high enough. If he knows he can make a hundred million dollars in a day, he’ll find a way to get himself moving. The point is that there are two distinct elements that impact a person’s actions: inborn laziness and the value that he places on some-

thing. For a person to reach his potential, he must work on both fronts. He has to work on laziness directly, and he has to work on his value system as well. The more he recognizes the extraordinary value of even a single mitzvah, the more he will be motivated to charge forward and accomplish what he can in his short stay on this world.

Rabbi Shafier is the founder of the Shmuz.com. The Shmuz is an engaging, motivating shiur that deals with real life issues. All of the Shmuzin are available free of chaarge at the www. theShmuz.com or on the Shmuz app for iPhone or Android.


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The Observant Jew

Is That a Fact? By Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

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ne morning I awoke to a message from a friend sharing a bunch of interesting if useless factoids, often explained as brief or trivial items of news or information. He ended by saying, “That’s what happens when you can’t sleep, and you don’t throw away your Snapple caps.” Snapple, the iced tea brand which was so successful at one point when I was in yeshiva that I believed some people could quite possibly need it intravenously, has under its bottle caps these little pieces of information that you probably didn’t need to know but might find interesting. One of the factoids which stayed in my brain was this: “Hitler’s mother considered getting an abortion but was talked out of it by her doctor.” Now, all the research I’ve done points to the fact that this was simply a rumor, or perhaps an offshoot from the short story with this concept by Roald Dahl, but if it were true, could you imagine what the doctor would have felt like? Perhaps at first, watching the charismatic young man rise to power and motivate the masses, he would

have felt pride, but as the terrible hate evolved and the murders eclipsed the world, he would undoubtedly be racked with terrible guilt. He probably would have gone to his grave going over and over that moment and wishing he could change what he said. Now, as we believe everything is orchestrated by Hashem, Hitler, ym”sh, or someone else like him, would have arisen, but that thought would not have assuaged the doctor’s feelings of guilt for his role in the devastation. We know that Chazal say the attributes of goodness are 500 times those of evil. So let’s imagine that the doctor who saved the life of the young woman and her baby instead rescued a child who grew up to help many people. Maybe he cured cancer, or became a world-renowned posek and gadol. Would the doctor not be ecstatic every day and in fact be well-deserving of merit for the share he had in the betterment of all those lives? So maybe you’re not a doctor and you’ll never save the life of an unborn child. But that doesn’t mean you won’t save someone’s life or simply give it a push in a different direction.

We’ve all heard stories of people who were about to take their own lives but stopped because someone was friendly to them. And, sadly, we’ve heard the stories of those who didn’t get that kindness and cut their lives short. Could yours be the voice to give that person’s story a happy ending?

It only takes a moment of your time, and a piece of your heart, to quite possibly help change the world for the better.

It doesn’t even need to be so drastic. Sometimes a smile, a gesture, or a kind word are all it takes to change someone’s life. Of course, ignoring someone, or worse, an unkind word, can do the same thing in a negative way, but if you brighten someone’s day, you could put them on a new path to success. Each positive event built onto your initial one goes into your account as a zechus. Each person impacted in a good way is another person whose life you’ve touched and bettered. But there’s even more. When the doctor allegedly talked the woman out of that decision, he would suffer extreme guilt even though he had no idea at the time that the child would grow up to be a monster. In this case, though, you’d be making a positive difference in peo-

ple’s lives with intent! That would be worth so much more and would give you so much more reason to feel satisfied in your actions. Is it possible that people might be successful yet do evil? Yes, of course. However, since you only acted with intent for good, Hashem would not hold you responsible for their wicked deeds. You’d be credited for the good and nothing would happen for the bad. It’s like an investment that’s guaranteed never to lose money, and it won’t even cost you a cent to invest. It only takes a moment of your time, and a piece of your heart, to quite possibly help change the world for the better, and at the very least, you’d change yourself for the better, which already makes a difference in the world. You never know what effect your actions may have. My friend was making a joke and he became the inspiration for this article. What could he have accomplished if he tried to inspire? The bottom line I’ve learned from this Snapple cap message is that if we all tried to put a new twist on things, we’d be helping to create some of the best stuff on earth – and that’s a fact! Jonathan Gewirtz is an inspirational writer and speaker whose work has appeared in publications around the world. You can find him at www.facebook.com/ RabbiGewirtz and follow him on Twitter @RabbiJGewirtz. He also operates JewishSpeechWriter.com, where you can order a custom-made speech for your next special occasion. Sign up for the Migdal Ohr, his weekly PDF Dvar Torah in English. E-mail info@Jewish SpeechWriter.com and put Subscribe in the subject.


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Between the Lines

Hanging by a Thread By Eytan Kobre

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wo guys have been learning Gemara together for 20 years, when one invites the other to his son’s bar mitzvah. “Sorry, I can’t,” replied the chavrusa. “Why not?” “Because I’m not Jewish.” “Not Jewish? We’ve been learning together for 20 years!” “Oh that? I just enjoy the intellectual stimulation.” “But we learned that a non-Jew who keeps Shabbos is liable for the death penalty!” “Well, I never kept Shabbos fully. Whenever I left my house on Shabbos, I always made sure to carry my keys.” “But we have an eruv in our community!” “Ha! You call that an eruv? I would never hold from such an eruv!” One of the great ironies of modern Jewish life is that the eruv – intended to facilitate and promote Jewish unity – often has been a source of strife, both amongst the Jewish people and between the Jewish people and their non-Jewish neighbors. The 39th and final category of work prohibited on Shabbos is the carrying of objects between public and private domains or

more than four cubits in a public domain (Shemos 36:6; Shabbos 96b). In a nutshell, the Torah prohibits carrying from an enclosed, private domain to an un-enclosed public domain, and vice versa, as well as for a distance of four cubits (about seven feet) in a public domain. A non-enclosed area that does not qualify as public domain is called a karmelis, and it is treated with the stringencies of both a public domain and a private domain.

source of bitter dispute. In the thirteenth century, for instance, R’ Yaakov ben R’ Moshe of Alinsiya wrote a letter to R’ Asher ben R’ Yechiel (the Rosh) explaining why he forbade a certain eruv in his town. The Rosh responded by debunking R’ Yaakov’s concerns and urging him to construct an eruv immediately. When R’ Yaakov still refused, the Rosh threatened to ex-communicate him if his recalcitrance persisted (Teshuvos HaRosh 21:8-9).

As early as the times of the Gaonim (589-1038), local Jewish authorities began to construct eruvin to allow carrying on Shabbos (BaHaG, Vilna ed., pg. 54). An eruv, as used colloquially, actually refers to several different rabbinic conventions, one of which is an eruv that permits carrying between domains that are enclosed but under separate ownership. This eruv is created by making the property owners partners in a loaf of bread or matzah. Before carrying in an area that is not fully enclosed, one must enclose the area with “walls” and “doors,” often comprised of the ubiquitous eruv string.

To be sure, the prohibition against carrying is so grave that, to avoid even a remote possibility of carrying inadvertently, we do not blow shofar on Rosh Hashana (Rosh Hashana 29b), take a lulav on Sukkos (Sukkah 42b), or read the megilla on Purim (Megilla 4b) when these holidays coincide with Shabbos. According to some, the degree to which we obey the laws of carrying on Shabbos speaks volumes about our Torah observance in general (Ma’ayan Bais HaShoeva, Vayakhel). To obey meticulously the laws of carrying on Shabbos is to guard our very souls (Yirmiyahu 17:21-22). Those of us who live in the Queens or Five Towns areas are fortunate: we

The laws of eruvin are complicated and often are the

boast first-class eruvin (with some exceptions), which are well-maintained, regularly inspected, and quickly repaired when necessary. Unlike elsewhere (e.g., Tenafly, New Jersey or Westhampton Beach, New York, or Miami Beach, Florida), there are no legal impediments to the construction and maintenance of our eruvin, nor are our eruvin the subject of discord or communal strife. As the centuries-old roofs of Nikolsburg, Moravia, burned like dry tinder in the blaze, one house remained completely unaffected. That house stood in the Quergasse, where people would pass from the Jewish section of town into the Christian area… Decades earlier, the Jewish community decided to erect an eruv at that house on the Quergasse. But the plan could not be actualized because the owner of the house, the gentile butcher Topolanski, stubbornly refused to allow the strings to be erected – not because he objected but because of the overwhelm-

ing opposition mounted by his neighbors. The two sides ultimately submitted the dispute to the local governor, who – surprise, surprise – sided with Topolanski. The Chief Rabbi of Moravia at the time, R’ Mordechai Benet, was revered by both the Jewish and gentile communities. When R’ Mordechai heard of Topolanski’s bolshiness, he assured the Jewish community elders that he would attend to solving the problem. The next day, R’ Mordechai made his way through the streets of Nikolsburg to the house on Quergasse, where he found Topolanski relaxing after a hard day’s work. When R’ Mordechai explained the purpose of his visit, Topolanski became defensive, with all the usual embellishments – he himself was “no enemy of the Jews,” it was his “wicked neighbors” who opposed the eruv, and he simply “wanted to live in peace with all.” “In any event,” Topolanski reasoned, “the local authorities had decid-


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ed against it, and nothing more could be done.” “The authorities have ruled in your favor,” R’ Mordechai conceded, “and we cannot force you to comply with our request. But listen to the words of a man who has walked eighty years on

quence. If you comply with our request, your house will be protected from fire for posterity, for you, your children, and your children’s children.” Topolanski agreed, begrudgingly, and the eruv was constructed.

told that time and again fires have broken out in and destroyed parts of Nikolsburg, yet Topolanski’s house remained untouched. Few institutions are as central to the sustainability of a present-day Orthodox

To obey meticulously the laws of carrying on Shabbos is to guard our very souls

this earth. The justice of mortals is a comedy. Enthroned above us all there is a supreme judge – a judge to whom these childish games are of no conse-

R’ Mordechai’s promise would come true decades later. When a fire destroyed much of Nikolsburg in the 1830s, Topolanski’s house was spared. Indeed, it is

Jewish community as an eruv. Just consider what your Shabbos would be like without an eruv: families with young children could not go to friends and rela-

tives, the elderly and infirm would be homebound, and you’d have to either hide your house keys under the mat or plant pot (how’d I know?) or wear one of those funny key clips on your tie. But despite the immense benefits we reap from them, most of us do not provide consistent support for our eruvin. This is not a new problem. Indeed, Rabba once asked Abaye, “How can it be that there is no eruv in a community where two great scholars (i.e., Abaye and his teacher) reside?” Abaye replied, “What can we do? It is not respectful for my teacher to have to be involved, I am too busy with my learning, and the rest of the people are not concerned” (Eruvin 68a).

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For many of us, it appears not much has changed. If you have not already done so this year (or for the past several years), consider paying your tax-deductible dues or simply making a donation to your local eruv organization, wherever that may be. I can’t guarantee your house won’t burn down (G-d forbid), but you will reap the rewards of your support in this world and the next.

Eytan Kobre is a writer, speaker, mediator, and attorney living in Kew Gardens Hills. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? E-mail eakobre@outlook.com.


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Jewish History

Amulets, Accusations and Controversy The Devastating Polemic Between Rabbi Yaakov Emden and Rabbi Yonason Eybeschutz By Rabbi Pini Dunner

Part VI R’ Yonason Eybeschutz is appointed chief rabbi amid much celebration. But his past practices of producing amulets for pregnant women is not met with happiness by some, as they see him as a secret Sabbatian.

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ut even as the community celebrated R’ Yonason’s arrival, rumors circulated that he was a Sabbatian, and there were predictions that R’ Yaakov Emden was going to expose him. Local gossips quoted R’ Yaakov’s wife, Batya Tzviya, as having declared before R’ Yonason’s arrival from Frankfurt, “Let the new chief rabbi come – my husband has already sharpened the knife to cut his throat.” It is unlikely she had uttered this statement,

but the fact she was being quoted as having said it clearly indicated that R’ Yonason’s honeymoon was over even before it had begun. Lurid stories about his affinity with Sabbatianism became the staple topic around every Shabbat table across the triple-community. R’ Yonason himself seemed completely unruffled, laughing off the rumors as a recycling of the accusations against him a quarter of a century earlier. He even continued to write amulets for those who requested them, and seemed to be of the view that firm denials would be enough to kill off rumors of his alleged heresy. After all, it had worked twenty-five years earlier! But this time it would not be so simple. In the anti-Sabbatian campaign of 1725, no one had been able to find the ‘smoking gun’ to positively identify R’ Yonason as a Sabbatian. Even though there had been numerous Sabbatians willing to take an oath confirming R’ Yonason’s commitment to their cause and his authorship of the heretical tract “Ya’avo Hayom El Ha’ayin,” it was entirely possible that they had been fantasizing a scenario in which a completely innocent rabbi was somehow their leader. Alterna-

tively, their assertions about R’ Yonason’s Sabbatianism could easily have been contrived, a web of lies deliberately disseminated as part of a dastardly conspiracy to besmirch a rising star of the rabbinate. Perhaps they hoped to sow confusion in the mainstream Jewish world. Whatever the truth actually was, R’

new accusations of heresy began to surface, his detractors started tracking them down and opening them up. They discovered that the amulets were undecipherable unless you were a Kabbalistic expert. The resident expert on Kabbalah in the triple-community was none other than R’ Yaakov Emden. Con-

Suddenly his face creased into a frown, and he gazed intently at one of the words on the amulet.

Moshe Hagiz had never been able to prove anything against R’ Yonason, and this lack of evidence coupled with R’ Yonason’s convincing denials had resulted in his complete exoneration. Things were very different twenty-five years later. This time around there was physical evidence –the amulets. R’ Yonason had been writing and distributing amulets for years before he came to the triple-community, and now, as the

sequently, at some point during the winter of 1750, a group of concerned triple-community members brought one of the amulets to R’ Yaakov for an evaluation. It was this fateful meeting that would be the genesis of the raging controversy that ultimately engulfed the entire Jewish world, although at this stage no one would have dreamt that R’ Yaakov would emerge as R’ Yonason’s principle critic. As a matter of fact, although


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R’ Yaakov later became the person most identified with the anti-R’ Yonason campaign, during the early stages of the controversy, he was not the principal player. And while he may have had a reputation as a tough and demanding rabbi, R’ Yaakov had no history of battling those with whom he disagreed, nor had he ever played any role in an anti-Sabbatian crusade or previously tangled publicly or privately with R’ Yonason Eybeschutz. That fateful winter day the small group arrived at R’ Yaakov’s home and was immediately shown into

sideration. If it is true – as many people are saying – that R’ Yonason is a Sabbatian, how can we allow him to lead our wonderful community, and to guide us all down the wrong path? R’ Yechezkel, may he rest in peace, may not have been an ideal rabbi in every respect, but he was not a heretic. We all know that Sabbatianism is reprehensible heresy, and a grave danger to true Judaism. You must surely agree that as responsible members of our treasured community, we are compelled to either expose R’ Yonason as a Sabbatian, or to confirm his

Everyone gasped in shock as they realized the magnitude of what R’ Yaakov had just told them.

his study. The mood was serious and pensive. One of the group explained the purpose of their visit, and handed R’ Yaakov a small handwritten amulet. R’ Yaakov shook his head and handed it back. They all looked at him, puzzled. He sighed. “My dear friends, I have absolutely no desire to involve myself in this situation. You see, unless I completely exonerate R’ Yonason I will be accused by everybody of harboring sour grapes. They will dismiss my opinion and claim that I hate R’ Yonason for accepting the chief rabbi position I believe should have been mine – even though we all know that I had no interest in the position, and do not want that job under any circumstances. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I simply cannot offer you my help.” After a moment, the leader of the group, Joseph Prager, spoke up softly but with great determination. Prager was a longstanding friend of R’ Yaakov – an upstanding man whose devoutness and sincerity were indisputable. “Honored rabbi,” he began, “while I totally understand your position, please let me present you with another angle, for your con-

claims of innocence. And, honored rabbi, you are the only one in this city who has the knowledge and expertise to guide us in this matter. So we have no choice but to ask you, and, respectfully, surely you have no choice but to honor our request for your guidance.” R’ Yaakov was quiet as he reflected on what Prager had just said. After a few moments he nodded slowly and reached for the amulet – and then stopped. “I have one condition,” he said, “if I do discover that the amulet contains heresy, on no account can you mention that I was the one you consulted. I will show you what I see, and how I see it, and then it will be up to you to take things forward, without ever mentioning my name. Do we have a deal?” They all nodded their consent. R’ Yaakov took the amulet and carefully unfolded it. It contained a roughly drawn Star of David, with Hebrew letters inside and surrounding it. The letters seemed random, forming unintelligible words that only made sense to someone familiar with the craft of writing Kabbalistic formulae. The rabbi was quiet as he turned the

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amulet this way and that. He held it up to the window to examine it in the light. Suddenly his face creased into a frown, and he gazed intently at one of the words on the amulet. He looked up. “Are you absolutely sure this was written by R’ Yonason?” he asked. “We are completely certain,” Prager replied. “It was received directly from the pregnant woman he gave it to.” “That is not good, not good at all. Come over here and let me show you something.” The men shuffled over to the window, and R’ Yaakov held the amulet up to the light, pointing to the handwritten word he had just closely examined. He looked at them, but they all shrugged their shoulders. They did not have a clue what the word meant. R’ Yaakov’s voice was shaking with emotion. “This word is made up of an acrostic using a cryptic code known as “ATBASH,” where an ‘alef ’ is a ‘tav,’ a ‘beit’ is a ‘shin,’ a ‘gimmel’ is a ‘reish,’ and so on. What this word actually says is ‘King Messiah Shabbetai Tzvi.’” Everyone gasped in shock as they realized the magnitude of what R’ Yaakov had just told them. Here was the “smoking gun” R’ Moshe Hagiz had never managed to find. Here was actual proof that R’ Yonason Eybeschutz, one of the greatest and most celebrated rabbis in Europe, was in reality a secret believer in the messianic mission of the charlatan messiah Shabbetai Tzvi. R’ Yaakov seemed lost in thought, and his visitors waited for him to say something. When he finally spoke his words were slow and deliberate. “This amulet is devastating, worse than anything ever produced by those cursed heretics Hayyun, Prossnitz, and Hassid. I’m begging you to please listen very carefully to what I am about to say. Whoever wrote this amulet is an extremely dangerous Sabbatian. Right now I have no idea who wrote it. It’s not that I don’t believe you, but your affirmation of its authorship is only hearsay. My advice to you is to keep this discovery very quiet for the moment. Over the next few

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weeks gather up as many amulets written by R’ Yonason as you can. Make sure to keep them closed and locked away. At some stage they will need to be opened in front of witnesses, or a notary, so that no one can ever claim they have been tampered with. You need to realize something very important – the only way anyone will ever believe R’ Yonason is a Sabbatian is if you produce evidence, hard evidence, that leaves him no room to deny it. My friends, you have a very hard task ahead of you. May G-d be with you.” R’ Yaakov solemnly shook hands with all his visitors and showed them out, totally unaware that he had just launched a process that would dominate the rest of his life.

NEXT TIME: Despite R’ Yaakov Emden’s precautionary instructions, his views concerning this amulet and other similar ones soon became public knowledge. Although R’ Yonason tried desperately to prove his innocence to R’ Yaakov, it was to no avail. Within a matter of days the community board became involved – although not to adjudicate between the rabbis, but rather to prevent any controversy from occurring before it began. Their strategy was to silence R’ Yaakov and his supporters, even as more evidence emerged substantiating the view that R’ Yonason was a Sabbatian. The scene was set for a showdown that neither side could afford to lose. The question was, who would pull the trigger first? Rabbi Pini Dunner is the Rav of Young Israel North Beverly Hills in California.


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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

A Separate Peace Foreshadows Discord New Kotel Site for Egalitarian Services Portends Larger Battle for Full Religious Control by Judith Ives

“I

t’s not the Women of the Wall anymore,” Rabbi Pesach Lerner tells us. “Unfortunately, we’re way past that.” Several weeks ago, the Israeli Knesset designated Robinson’s Arch, an area adjacent to the current Kotel, for Conservative and Reform services. The area has also been designated for the vocal women’s minyan group, Women of the Wall. Robinson’s Arch has always been available for egalitarian services but accessing the area currently requires using a separate entrance and walking up a ramp. The Knesset has now designated funding to double the area’s size to nearly 10,000 square feet; the government will also create a new entrance point to the Kotel, with entrances for men,

women, and mixed gender. This part of the Kotel will be under egalitarian control functioning out of government offices –rather than the ultimate control of the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate. Many see this as a tool for Reform and Conservative groups to try to take control of the Rabbinate itself and religious control of Israel. The bottom line is, according to Rabbi Lerner, Executive Vice President Emeritus of the National Council of Young Israel, “giving away part of the Kotel is unacceptable. This is the first time that we are giving [Reform Judaism] an official standing. They are going for the Chief Rabbinate.” Rabbi Steven Pruzansky of Congregation Bnei Yeshurun in Teaneck, New Jersey, ac-

knowledges the government’s well-meant intentions. This decision, he writes, “defuses a major source of tension between Israel and part of American Jewry, and counteracts the incessant pressure and threats they make against Israel when they feel disrespected. Threats by Jewish secular politicians and the Jewish ‘religious’ politicians to reduce their support for Israel if their demands were not met bore fruit, even if those threats were idle.” While he says that the arrangement “purports to express a ‘live and let live’ philosophy,” in actuality he considers this “one of the most divisive acts in Jewish life … perhaps not since the Reform movement’s patrilineal descent ruling in 1983. One of the greatest expres-

sions of Jewish unity – that all Jews could gather at this sacred space, the remnant of the Holy Temple, and worship precisely as our fathers and mothers did for centuries – has now been shattered.” “If an arrangement had been reached that didn’t involve the government, with them there and us here, it wouldn’t be so bad,” Harav Shlomo Amar, the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem told Hamodia. “But in the current circumstances we have a very serious problem.” Rav Amar sees this decision as the mouth of a slippery slope. To him, this decision means that the Israeli government is recognizing the validity of the Reform and Conservative movements. Rav Amar predicts that the

group controlling Robinson’s Arch will rename themselves something to the effect of “Reform Committee in the Prime Minister’s Office.” After that, “they’ll call themselves the Committee of the Chief Rabbinate of the Progressives,” a nominal shift that will in turn lead to a change in public and legal perspective. This shift would validate Conservative and Reform Jews as a religious body separate from the Chief Rabbinate and with that “they’ll be given jurisdiction in matters of mikveh, weddings, conversions,” he fears. The argument is valid, considering statements from Gilad Kariv, head of Reform Judaism in Israel. He claims the decision is “another significant step on the road to full recognition of Reform and


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Conservatism in Israel.” This, though, is far from the intention of the Original Women of the Wall, a fact well-noted by founder Phyllis Chesler. The Women of the Wall, a largely Orthodox-affiliated group, proclaim that they want women-only services at the Kotel itself. They took their quest to the Israeli Supreme Court and had all but won the right to their women’s tefillah groups, except for a final handicap. The rav of the Kotel passed an ordinance that people could not bring their own sifrei Torah to the Kotel; he would not allow the women to borrow Torahs from the men’s section. The women took this interference to the Court; the Court was supposed to rule on it – predictably in the women’s favor – over these past weeks. But the Knesset intervened before the Court ruling, hastily providing the Women of the Wall with a (non-separate) place for their services at Robinson’s Arch. This, though, is not in line with the women’s intentions or wants,

cated to alerting the public of dangers of the Reform movement, charts the Reform movement’s actions and intentions to take over the Rabbinate. First, he says, the Reform movement worked to take control of the IDF’s Jewish Identity from religious groups. Now, all branches of Judaism are involved in teaching soldiers about Judaism. Next, the cabinet voted to create the Reform and Conservative area near the Kotel, an area autonomous from Rabbinate control. They also won a Supreme Court decision that Reform and Conservative Jews can use the public mikvehs for their conversions. Ironically, Reform conversions do not require a mikveh. Reform Jewry, furthermore, was founded on a case for a reformed Judaism, one that erased mentions of Jerusalem in their prayers. Reform leaders did not want Jews to look Zion-ward. They do not involve themselves with daily prayer; they do not make aliyah. (More than 90 percent

This includes several basics including the fact that a mechitza is not allowed at Robinson’s Arch. This marks the first time that both movements have been officially recognized and will be used as precedent. Yizhar Hess is the Executive Director and CEO of the Masorti Movement [Conservative] in Israel. In an Op-Ed published in Yediot Aharonot last month, he lauded this “historic decision.” “This historical process redefines the relationship with religion and state in Israel… From today,

“One of the greatest expressions of Jewish unity – that all Jews could gather at this sacred space, the remnant of the Holy Temple, and worship precisely as our fathers and mothers did for centuries – has now been shattered.” wants that come from an Orthodox feminist perspective rather than a political one. Women like Chesler say they feel hoodwinked and used by the Reform and Conservative movements, movements that piggybacked onto the Women’s cause for their larger purposes. They will continue to pray, presumably, at the regular Kotel. Oren Henig of Merkaz Liba, an organization dedi-

of Jews who make aliyah are Orthodox, even among lone soldiers.) The newest version of the Reform prayer book has a section for Yom Ha’atzmaut but nothing on Yom Yerushalayim; it still contains no references to karbanot or rebuilding Jerusalem and the Beit Hamikdash itself. But the expanded Robinson’s Arch will follow customs agreed upon by Reform and Conservative leadership.

any solution must recognize the inherent right to freedom of choice…” He adds, “[It] addresses the basic simple fact that there is more than one way to be Jewish.” Rabbi Simcha HaCohen Kook, Chief Rabbi of Rechovot, sees this as not just a road to weakened Orthodox control of the Rabbinate, but as a road to assimilation. He points to the American Jew-

ish community with its dwindling Jewish population due, in large part, to assimilation. Seventy years ago, he says, 7 million Jews lived in the United States. Now, only 3.5 million do, and 65 percent of them are intermarried. This is the course, the Rav fears, that Israeli Jews will follow if the Reform movement takes control. Of course, not all American Jews are Reform. Many opt to be unaffiliated rather than Reform, and Reform Jews have an abysmal retention rate, an abysmal synagogue-attendance rate, and an abysmal “marrying-in” rate. So while the threat of a Reform and Conservative takeover of the Chief Rabbinate is real, a loss of Jews to those movements is less sure. Rabbi Yonasan Rosenblum believes that, even with a designated area, Robinson’s Arch will play a role as a tourist stop rather than a place of regular, crowded attendance. The sheer visual power of the numbers crowding the Kotel versus the sparse, sporadic groups at Robinson’s Arch will demonstrate the energy and potency of traditional Judaism. The Rav of the Kotel, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, mourns the loss of the unity and peace of the Kotel. He is saddened that this is the first time the Kotel has different sites for different factions.

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Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Rav Dovid Lau knows that the construction of an expanded Robinson’s Arch will take at least two years. He hopes to be able to use this time to overturn the decision (a decision that will cost the public 35 million NIS). He sees the decision as a “major breach to erode the power of the Chief Rabbinate since he took office in August 2013.” Rav Lau is a person who has been able to reach out to all factions; he maintains close ties with Chareidim and Sefardim. While he had been hoping that religious MKs would have protested louder at the Knesset while the “Kotel Compromise” was passed, the MKs perhaps felt the compromise would stop the issue from going to court. In court, ostensibly, the judges could have ruled that the whole Kotel would have to become a mixed area. Rav Lau notes that each year hundreds of thousands visit the Kotel from all religions and countries. The visitors respect our customs, much like we would respect theirs. “Just like I come here,” he tells American groups when he visits the United States, “speak in English, and respect your customs, I expect people who come to my home to behave with similar consideration.” He asks people to respect the “real women of the wall,” the women who come to the Kotel three times a day, rain or shine. “They deserve to be respected and their sensitivities considered.” Rabbi Lerner believes that, even if people feel they cannot resolve this issue, they need to recognize its proportions and implications. “We should tear kriah, cry, and scream,” he says. He quotes Rav Matisyahu Salomon, shlita, who spoke at the Agudah of West Lawrence several


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years ago. At that time, Rav Matisyahu spoke of the significance of the Kotel and its role in Judaism: it’s the only place that Hashem has promised will never be destroyed. The Kotel acts as a witness to Hashem’s promises to us. Rabbi Lerner also recounts a key point in history, when the British tried to convince Rav Kook and Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld to allow the Arabs to retain jurisdiction over the Kotel. Both rabbanim spoke to emissaries separately, though their messages were the same: Chas v’shalom. Never. Rabbi Lerner recalls the thousands of Kotel Jews who came closer to Judaism from a tap on the shoulder by Rav Meir Shuster z”l. Perhaps those days are over. The new area will be as large as the traditional Kotel, and those

who once visited the Kotel on a Friday evening backpacking trip may feel compelled to visit the new area rather than the Kotel. Rabbi Lerner feels that action must come from the American Jewish leadership. The Reform Jews that pushed this through were actually American Jews; Reform barely has a presence in Israel. (Five-hundred Orthodox synagogues exist in Tel Aviv; only one Reform one does.) American Jewry must unite, “with a common goal, we can work together.” He believes, “We need to educate members of the Knesset about Reform Judaism – their goals and their numbers. How many of them light candles on Friday night? The bottom line is that Reform and Conservative are imploding in the United States… They cannot

put notches in their belt about numbers of children in day school. So they have turned to Israel.” The Knesset members also do not realize how different secular Israelis are from secular American Jews. Orthodox leaders are not the only people upset by

era. The Waqf, the Palestinian Muslim religious faction, sees the expanded platform as an attempt to “Judaize our holy site.” The Umayyad in Jordan feel similarly, especially since the site will overlook the site of the seventh-century Umayyad Palaces.

to hear further details and outcomes of these meetings. Let us remember that as Orthodox Jews we are the ones who hold onto the links connecting our past to our future. We are the ones who kiss the stones that once sur-

It’s the only place that Hashem has promised will never be destroyed. The Kotel acts as a witness to Hashem’s promises to us. the decision. Archeologists are upset that an expanded platform will ruin a key archeological site; it will overshadow a park with artifacts that serve as testimony to life during the Second Temple

Several meetings have been planned among Jewish rabbinic leadership about this. On Tuesday, the Israeli Moetzet met; the Chief Rabbinate met on Thursday. The Chareidi rabbinate is waiting

rounded the Beis Hamidash as we pour out our souls to the One Above. The Kotel is our connection, it our key to the past. We need keep it nestled in kedusha as our tefillos soar upward.


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Israel Today

A Pain in the Neck By Rafi Sackville

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y neck and shoulders no longer function as they did when I was young. It used to be I could turn my head any which way without incident. Move it left, right, up, down. What talent! I could do it all. Today I’m reminded of the perilously delicate connection between my head and all that comes below it. The pain would be manageable were it not

found him reclining, relaxed in his swivel chair, the crook of his knee resting on the corner of the desk. “What’s this?” he asked as I handed him the x-ray disc. “Where do you live? Ma’alot? You came all this way to give me this? We don’t do x-rays anymore. You need an MRI. I’ll see you once you’ve had it done.” I took a deep, frustrated breath. “You don’t want to

“Did you hear me, sir? I said 2:45 in the morning!”

so constant. Getting older doesn’t help, either. My doctor recommended I see the local orthopedist, who in turn suggested I shouldn’t rely on his opinion to operate. Instead he ordered x-rays and sent me to a surgeon. That’s how I found myself at Assuta Hospital. It is a unique hospital in that it occupies the third floor of Haifa’s Lev Hamifratz shopping mall. Theoretically, one can take a number in the outpatient clinic and slip out for an espresso, buy some kitchenware, and catch the elevator back up to the line in time for your appointment. We traveled there on a Monday evening and waited a while to see the doctor. We

check my neck and shoulders? Make me feel as if this trip wasn’t a waste?” “There’s no point. The MRI has all the answers. See you in a few weeks.” And he dismissed us. I called to make an appointment for an MRI. The machine isn’t housed in any center, rather it’s a mobile unit that goes from city to city in the north. The closest location I could find was Carmiel, a half hour away. The receptionist told me she had a 2:45 opening on a Thursday, which was perfect. “Did you hear me, sir? I said 2:45 in the morning!” We battled back and forth until I found a reasonable hour; 11pm on the Thursday night.

The MRI unit was buzzing and whirring when I arrived. It sounded as though it was about to take off into the night sky. I knocked on the door. It was opened by a balding man with a severe skin condition. His scalp looked like an iodine checkerboard on steroids. He kindly pointed me towards the adjoining health care center. I knocked on the door, which was opened by a guard in his mid-50s. He was reading a collection from Balzac’s A Human Comedy. I might have been inclined to pay less attention to him had he not been wearing tight-fitting, dark brown, leather pants. Don’t men his age understand that such attire is at odds with greying beards? Leather pants are an anachronism to almost forgotten youth. They were on time and at 11 o’clock I was lying on my back with two sets of earplugs and an alarm bell to be used in case I panicked. The noise didn’t bother me a whit. I must have dozed off because before I knew it I was being awoken by a technician who sent me on my merry way with a copy of the MRI. The results didn’t take long in coming. A few days later we once again found ourselves driving towards Lev Hamifratz. It’s a pleasant drive. Turn left at the main junction in Nahariya

and follow Road 4 to Haifa. Haifa is a city of contrasts. The vastness of the industrial refineries and the ports – pollutants to both the air and vision – are at odds with the beauty and coiffured Bahai Gardens that run up the mountainside. Many apartments are gravity defying, seemingly teetering on the face of hills, their entrances a network of passages and steps that challenge one to maintain balance. The mall itself is a mixture of old and new. There’s a theater complex, a pub row, and the hospital on the third floor. The southern entrance to the mall was blocked, which sent us on a 2 mile swing around the northern entrance to the Carmel Tunnels. We got to the waiting room on the dot of 4:30. There were six people in front of me. A gentleman walked in not long after our arrival and asked, “Who’s last on line?” I raised my hand like a schoolchild. “Okay, I’m after you,” he announced. I’ve always wondered what people mean when they make such declarations. “I’m after you!” Does that bestow any special responsibilities upon me? What happens if he wanders off for that espresso downstairs and

when he returns claims he’s after me in line, but others have arrived while he was away? Am I supposed to come to his defense? What would he do if I claimed I’d never seen him before? Why can’t I sit in a waiting room and be absolved of all adjunct responsibility? The doctor allowed me to peek at my MRI. We shared a brain sighting. I looked closely as he pointed to the disputed area between C4 and C5. For all I know I could have been looking at a hieroglyphic. I asked him whether he could or could not justify the pain I was suffering. Yes, he could. He asked me if I’d like to rule out surgery. Yes, I would. I asked him if I should take medication. Yes, I should. I came away thinking about my medicine cabinet at home, which is fast becoming full. Maybe it’s my age and the expected rusting of joints? Maybe. On the way out of the hospital I asked Keren what she made of it all. Her answer was to the point: “We have verified that you have a brain and that you’re still my lovable pain in the neck,” was all she said.

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


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PHOTO CREDIT MITCH GINSBERG-TIMES OF ISRAEL

A Military Mission Beyond Borders Dr. Tarif Bader

Colonel Dr. Tarif Bader, Deputy Surgeon General of the IDF, Speaks about Israel’s Compassion Around the World By Tammy Mark

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olonel Dr. Tarif Bader is a doctor like no other. Like most medical professionals, he is dedicated to helping those in need, yet there is nothing about his life’s work that is routine. As the Deputy Surgeon General of the Israeli Defense Forces, his work has taken him from hostile borders, through natural disasters and even to volatile college campuses. He lives every day in a state of alert. Dr. Bader has spent the most remarkable moments of his career in humanitarian aid, having participated in the IDF’s Medical Corps humanitarian mission to Haiti in 2010 and heading the recent IDF relief mission to Nepal after the earthquake in 2015. He is currently responsible for the treatment of refugees fleeing the Syrian Civil War. Dr. Bader is also a proud member of the Druze community.

A DESIRE TO CARE While Christians and Muslims

are not required to serve in the IDF, the Druze and Jewish populations of Israel are obligated to mandatory army service. Dr. Bader’s father served in the IDF for 25 years and his younger brother finished his service as a Lieutenant Colonel. Dr. Bader was the first physician in his family and he is now married with three children. His son also intends to study medicine before joining the IDF, and his nephew is currently serving as an IDF doctor. Born in 1967 in Horfaish, a small Druze village in the north of Israel, Dr. Bader graduated from Ben Gurion University Medical School in Beer-Sheva in 1993, subsequently joining the Medical Corps of the IDF. In 2001 Dr. Bader was selected as a National Institutes of Health Investigator Fellow at the NIH in Bethesda, MD. He went on to complete pediatrics residency training in 2004 at the Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya, Israel, and received a Master of Health Administration from

Ben-Gurion University in 2006. Dr. Bader has served as the Deputy Surgeon General of the IDF Medical Corps since September 2014, reporting to his commanding officer Dr. Dudu Dagan. As the Deputy Surgeon General, Dr. Bader is in charge of military preparedness of all medical teams in the IDF Medical Corps, ensuring they are ready and able to make strategic decisions at all times. When disaster strikes, Israel looks to send a delegation whenever possible, with many people coming forward to participate from both the military and civilian populations. There were 121 medical personnel sent to Haiti – the number needed for establishing a field hospital – and 100 search and rescue volunteers in addition to that. Israel also sent 126 medical personnel on the mission to Nepal, with a total of 250 volunteers. Upon return from each mission, the medical rescue and service teams review their efforts and discuss how to do better each time.

HEADING TO HAITI Dr. Bader’s first official experience in humanitarian missions was in response to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The earthquake measured 7.0 magnitude and destroyed Haiti’s infrastructure. Israel was first on the ground there. Dr. Bader was responsible for pediatrics in the field hospital that Israel had built in Portau-Prince. It took 89 hours to assure that the hospital was fully functioning and safe, keeping in mind the possibility of aftershocks and the general safety in the region as well. In 2015, Dr. Bader headed up disaster relief efforts in Nepal, in the aftermath of the worst earthquake to hit the country in 80 years. Within 82 hours Israel had established a field hospital in Kathmandu, the first and only Level III medical facility that could function independently. While the majority of the Nepalese patients had suffered injuries from the earthquake, the hospital also treated the ill and women in labor,


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Members of the IDF performing a rescue in Haiti after the earthquake

providing care for a total of 1,600 people in the course of two weeks. The Israeli medical team worked with the military hospital Kathmandu which was still operational. What they accomplished was impressive. The delegation from Israel was able to treat more patients than those from larger countries like China and India, and was the only one capable of performing surgery and providing necessary intensive care in a field hospital. Some of the key elements of running successful medical missions in-

Troops in Nepal waiting to treat the injured

after the earthquake as “an amazing opportunity to be where people are in need and be there to save lives and help suffering people.” Not all missions are the same, and the medical teams have to adapt accordingly to the situation at hand. They have been witnesses to natural disasters, where hundreds of thousands are left without homes within seconds. In some cases they are serving as obstetrics, neonatal and ICU providers. They deliver psychological services for the locals and at times for their own team members,

The delegation from Israel was able to treat more patients than those from larger countries like China and India, and was the only one capable of performing surgery and providing necessary intensive care in a field hospital.

clude effective leadership, decision making, and being able to adjust the solutions to fit the problems, often thinking out-of-the-box to do so. There is collaboration between military and civilian systems and logistic issues to consider. The IDF has participated in more than 15 humanitarian missions and stands ready to collaborate with anyone who wants to save lives. Dr. Bader describes his experience of IDF’s relief mission in Nepal

as paramedics can start at the young age of 18. During the time in Nepal, the team performed six deliveries, including five C-sections, when Nepalese hospitals sent their difficult cases to the Israeli field hospital after learning of its sophisticated capabilities.

TREATING THE ENEMY

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The humanitarian aid to Syria is a totally unique situation. While the field hospital is inside Israel, it is on a

hostile border. The civil war in Syria started five years ago, fortunately far from that border, but it’s been Syria’s greatest disaster. Injured civilian refugees fleeing the war began trickling over to Israel and were being treated by the military stationed near the border. It was 2 years ago that Israel made the decision to set up a proper field hospital in the Golan Heights in efforts to help as many Syrian civilians as possible. One major issue is actually the language barrier. While Dr. Bader’s mother tongue is Arabic, most of the IDF do not speak Arabic nor do the Syrian patients speak Hebrew. Most of the Syrians who come for treatment are from the less hostile villages closer to Israel. Many are afraid at first and do not say tell anyone they are going to Israel, rather saying they are “going to the west to be treated.” The majority of the patients are very grateful to the Israelis for the medical care. When treating Syrian injuries, IDF doctors act only as physicians concentrating on treatment, and are not focused on gathering information. With an average of 100 refugees per month coming to the border, the physicians have to trust the Syrian patients and the patients have to put their trust in the Israeli physicians. It is an ongoing dilemma for the IDF to be in a situation of giving aid while their bases are being bombed, often the same ones providing care. Additionally, when there is a shortage of resources, care to those outside the borders may be provided at the expense of Israelis. Another concern is the security of the patients upon their return to Syria, so they avoid

dispensing medications with visible Hebrew writing or anything else that could potentially endanger them. There is concern for the continuity of care once they leave Israel. Last summer, the IDF also set up a field hospital at the Gaza crossing. While at war, Israel wanted to ensure that innocent Palestinian citizens would have access to treatment. The Palestinian Authority prevented their injured from getting that immediate care, bypassing the military hospital but inevitably transporting them for treatment in major Israeli hospitals further away. Dozens of patients from Gaza were brought to hospitals in Israel, where the resources and technology for advanced treatment are vastly better. News outlets had even reported that the daughter of a Hamas leader had a complex condition and turned to Israel for emergency medical care.

AN ADVOCATE FOR ISRAEL Dr. Bader shares these experiences through Our Soldiers Speak, the organization founded by Sgt. Benjamin Anthony with a mission of bringing the proud truth of Israel’s soldiers to the world. The soldiers of OSS not only feel the responsibility to do the humanitarian work, but also recognize their duty to Israel to tell the world about it. Dr. Bader is pleased to be part of the organization to show how the State of Israel is helping people. “It is very important that I am able to tell the story from my point of view, from people who were there,” says Dr. Bader.


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Speaking with students about Israel's compassion and care

In Israel, Dr. Bader is a known lecturer in the area of Humanitarian Missions and Field Hospitals, and a formal lecturer in the Department of Military Medicine at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Dr. Bader also serves as the Head of the Military Department of Health System Managing and has published articles in local and international medical journals. “Each time I tell a story about Nepal, Haiti and the Syrian missions, I am proud that the IDF medical Corps can be so kind and sensitive for such disasters, giving help and saving lives. Treating Syrian kids injured by their civil war, knowing the only possibility for them is to reach Israel and because of this work their lives are saved – it gives me such satisfaction,” Dr. Bader articulates. Though Sgt. Anthony is dismayed by the realization that no country other than Israel has to advocate for its existence, he does not focus on achieving the OSS goals through PR but rather through education. He believes that Jewish students with Zionist backgrounds, even those with a yeshiva education, can’t stand up against anti-Israel rhetoric. To that end he has created a Jewish history curriculum that has been implemented in yeshiva high schools across America to provide students with the information about Israel that they need as they go off to college and into the world. OSS is the sole organization through which the IDF dispenses uniformed soldiers to speak. They have visited 300 campuses throughout the U.S., Canada and the U.K. to

An IDF field hospital in Syria

date. Through Our Soldiers Speak Elite, high level IDF representatives are brought to address students studying in their particular field. IDF lawyers will visit prestigious law schools and doctors to prominent medical schools, to educate and enlighten the future leaders who will be most likely to affect world policy. While Sgt. Anthony has no political agenda, he understands that Israel depends on the United States for support. He shares a sobering fact that the M-16 reduced size weapons used in the IDF are marked above the chamber “Property of the U.S. Government” and explains that the means and the methods of defense are on loan from others. Yet Sgt. Anthony has spent time talking with many members of Congress to find that they know nothing about Israel and the humanitarian work being done there. Dr. Bader is currently on the OSS Elite media tour, along with other high-ranking IDF officers, culminating with the Annual Regional Conference in New York City at the Paley Center for Media, entitled “Global Compassion, Domestic Courage; The Israel Defense Forces of Today.” The OSS lectures offer the privilege to hear from those directly responsible for safeguarding the people, the country and the good name of Israel, as well as values we all hold dear. Sgt. Anthony and Dr. Bader received a warm welcome on their stop in Long Island at an OSS fundraiser at the Woodsburgh home of Dena and Seth Pilevsky, and amongst supporters at an Israel Bonds event in New Rochelle. A heavy machine gun-

ner who has served on the frontlines in defense of Israel, Sgt. Anthony has just recently returned from his annual IDF reserve duty. A hero in his own right, touring and speaking with two freshly broken ribs, Sgt. Anthony is outspoken in his praise of Dr. Bader, “At the site of seeing another’s blood he runs toward it and makes

2,000 Syrian refugees fleeing the civil war, students continue to tell the fictional story of “Israeli Apartheid” across campus. One of the most disturbing incidences occurred on their visit to the Boston University School of Medicine; as Dr. Bader prepared to talk about the IDF’s commitment to lifesaving work, he was met with

“Treating Syrian kids injured by their civil war, knowing the only possibility for them is to reach Israel and because of this work their lives are saved – it gives me such satisfaction.” no distinction. He’s in the business of bringing life.” Sgt. Anthony insists that there is nobody better suited to tell those stories than Dr. Bader himself. In addition to being a humanitarian hero, Sgt. Anthony calls Dr. Bader out as a dedicated family man. Of the 20 uniformed officers brought here on an OSS mission, Dr. Bader was the first one to request to bring his wife Janin along on his mission to the U.S. Along with the countless supporters at each stop on an OSS tour, the team also encounters disconcerting pushback along the way. A scheduled lecture at New York University’s School of Medicine was cancelled due to the overwhelming anti-Israel protests there. At Columbia University, as Dr. Bader presented on the medical treatment by the IDF of over

protesters who insisted on spreading the blatant slander that the true goal of Israel’s humanitarian efforts is to harvest human organs. These shocking encounters toughen the IDF heroes and reinforce their resolve to help others and to share their truths. Those entering the IDF Medical Corps take a medical oath to always extend a helping hand to sick and injured, to soldiers and civilians. Dr. Bader certainly won’t be shaken from helping those in need of care, wherever and however he can. “We will continue extending a helping hand and saving lives of those who need us,” he vows. For more information about Our Soldiers Speak or to purchase tickets for the upcoming event, visit Our SoldiersSpeak.org.


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Madraigos

Permission to Feel By Chanie Delman, LCSW

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ow do we go on? How do we go to work the next day after watching a child die of an overdose? How do we tell our child it will be okay when he comes home bullied from school? How does a wife continue after watching her husband take his seventh drink while assuring her he is fine? How do parents continue with a smile when they see their child slowly slipping away from them? How does a single mom carry the weight of what should be a two-parent job? How do we watch a young beautiful life be taken by an illness? What do we do after hearing about another terrorist stabbing? It’s not easy. As human beings we are wired to react and feel pain. The amount of pain is sometimes unbearable and so our natural reaction is sadness, despair, hopelessness. This can lead into a scary place, a place of confusion, of questioning, of anger and severe pain. What do we do with all of this? What choice can we make with all that we are feeling? We have a choice to hold the pain. We can give ourselves a wonderful gift: permission to feel. This is the ability to feel in a real way, to process our emotions, to work through them, and to give them permission to run through our being. It is the permission we give ourselves to cry and to feel the pain, anger or fear. It is therapeutic, cathartic. And then we hold it, we let the pain sit and then we can begin to move to a point of understanding and finding meaning. Viktor Frankl, one of the great psychiatrists of the twentieth century, survived four death camps in Nazi Germany. In his book, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” he writes, “In some way, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning.” We have a choice to move forward, to search for meaning, to find the good among the pain. In most recent months we at Madraigos and the many organiza-

tions that service our community have seen pain, suffering, loss, and illness at a rate that we would prefer not to share. Addiction, divorce, death... frightening things. We take action, we support and advise individuals and families step by step how to manage and function. The burden some carry is beyond description. Imagine being a superman/superwoman with pow-

the world we were given as a gift. 2) Even if already in the midst of a difficult situation, we always have the choice to change our reality. Frankl wrote, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” Commit to take care of ourselves, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Commit not to continue the pattern of pain. Find the

We have a choice to move forward, to search for meaning, to find the good among the pain.

ers to be present, hold others pain, advise, and counsel. That’s how it appears. But as the professionals involved, we also go home at night and hold this pain that we have dealt with from the past twelve or twenty-four hours and beyond that. It’s been hard for everyone: the families, the community, and internationally. In interacting with Madraigos clients and my practice I have been on my own to search for meaning. Both colleagues and Rabbanim who are on the front lines shared areas of focus to strengthen myself and as a result the work I do. Three areas of growth emerged: 1) Focus on what we do have. We could become trapped in a world of despair not recognizing anything good. But if we take a look around, we can identify small areas of good in our lives. The child who laughs, kiss that child; the close friend we can count on, share with them what we feel; the success in some area, feel good about the accomplishment. It is there, look for it, find it, feel it and allow it to fill us. We owe this to ourselves so we can function and enjoy and appreciate the beautiful parts of

ways, the people, and the organizations to create a healthy life. We owe it to our spouses and our children to be strong and create a safe home. 3) The third step of Alcoholic Anonymous says: “Made a decision to turn our will and lives over to the care of G-d.” This means faith in a higher being, belief that not all is in our control, and a sincere understanding that although we can’t comprehend it, it must be for the best. Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski explains that this step expresses two Torah concepts. (a) Set aside your own will in favor of the will of Hashem (Ethics of the Fathers 2:4); and (b) “Cast upon G-d your burden, and He will sustain you” (Psalms 55:23). During a difficult time I experienced this past year, my nine-year-old said to me, “We can’t be sad, Imma. Hashem does everything for the good. This must be good.” Children have an emunah peshuta, a simple faith. No questions asked, it just is. Internalizing this, giving our lives over to Hashem, can make what feels to be pain, suffering, and despair in some way bearable. As a result of what we are seeing, we have gathered together with the

community organizations of the Five Towns and Queens and discussed what more else can we do for our communities. What is missing? On Wednesday, March 9, at 7:45pm at The White Shul, we invite you to join an inspiring evening. “Tips and Tools for Turbulent Times” will address the pain, the suffering, the questions we all have. Twelve agencies that on a daily basis are there for us, our community, will be represented and information about the community resources will be given out. There will be two keynote speakers. Rabbi Ephraim Eliyahu Shapiro is a noted, inspirational lecturer and the Rav of Congregation Shaaray Tefilah in North Miami Beach Florida. Rabbi Shapiro is known for his compassion and understanding of the complex issues facing our communities. Yitzi Horowitz, LCSW is a psychotherapist with a practice in Long Island and Brooklyn. He has extensive experience treating different mental health disorders and is involved in some of our community’s complex cases. They have been tasked with giving our community concrete ideas, inspiration and ways to help ourselves. Ideas to take home, to internalize, not just quick fixes. Our hope is that we will all feel connected in the experiences we have. Although each experience is uniquely different, the need for inspiration, ideas and emotional support is the same for all of us. We invite you to come, listen, and give yourself the permission to feel. Chanie Delman, LCSW is the Clinical Director of Madraigos. Madraigos, a 501c-3 not-for-profit organization, offers a wide array of innovative services and programs geared towards helping teens and young adults overcome life’s everyday challenges one step at a time. Our goal is to provide all of our members with the necessary tools and skills to empower them to live a healthy lifestyle and become the leaders of tomorrow.


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Parenting Pearls

Teasing Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW

Our fifth grade son often complains that other boys in his class tease him and he doesn’t know how to handle it. How can we help him deal with it?

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efore I address your important question, I feel that it is significant to use your question as a springboard to discuss another vital issue. I will begin by complimenting you for the manner in which you phrased your question. So many parents today would have written the same question in the following manner: “Our fifth grade son gets bullied by other kids. What should we do?” Recently a student came over to me very upset and said, “Baruch is bullying me. He blew in my face and told me I’m a loser!” Let’s not misunderstand – Baruch is wrong and the situation needs to be dealt with appropriately. But the situation at hand is a far cry from bullying. The questions of how to deal with bullying, the seriousness of it, and how to approach it cannot be ignored. However, it is vital that we not view general childhood bantering and teasing as bullying. Dealing with teasing, however, is part of growing up. Which adult today doesn’t remember getting teased as a child? While it often was annoying, and sometimes even embarrassing, it was part

of learning how to deal with others. Let’s be honest: most of us teased others, even our friends, periodically during our youth as well. Trying to swoop down and save our children from every teasing situation serves to weaken them emotionally and stifles their ability to deal with such annoyances and irritants on their own. I again must interject that this is not true in regards to bullying where we have an obligation to ensure that we are doing our utmost to help the child. Bullying, however, includes humiliation, consistent taunting in the presence of others, and/or taking advantage of another child in any form. Even if one child constantly taunts another that is not necessarily bullying, especially if it’s not done in a public forum. Because of the sternness of the manner in which we deal with bullying, it is absolutely vital to have a clear understanding of what’s transpiring. We then must recognize whether it is indeed bullying or general childhood banter. This does not imply that we should simply allow children to tease each other or hurt each other’s feelings, but we must recognize that, despite our best efforts, “boys will be boys” and that doesn’t make them malicious kids. In addition, you wisely phrased your question to ask how you can help your son deal with the teasing. You apparently recognize that teasing and fielding hurtful comments is an unfortunate part of life. As adults we too have to deal with hurtful and sometimes insulting com-

ments that are said to us – sometimes unwittingly, and sometimes even purposely. As parents our goal is always to help our children learn to navigate their way through challenges so they will be ready to confront the real world. Your approach, which is reflected in the manner in which you phrased your question, is commendable and should be held as an example for other parents to follow. With that said, how indeed do we help a child deal with teasing? The first step is to help a child understand why children (and adults) “rib” each other. I often ask children who get teased a lot if they think the teasers hate them. They invariably reply that they are sure they do. When I then ask the teasers if they hate the peers they tease they almost always reply that they don’t. When I ask them why they do it, the invariable response is “cuz it’s fun!” I ask students why certain children seem to get teased more than others. Many are able to recognize that children who react with greater emotion and display often get teased more. Why? Because when children tease each other they are seeking to elicit a reaction! The stronger and harsher the reaction the more exciting it is and the more they will come back for more. It is a mean and negative manner to have fun, but kids love to have fun. Unfortunately, they will look to have fun even at someone else’s expense, even though they don’t really mean to hurt the “victim.”

In one of the yeshivos I worked in, there was one student – Dovid – who hardly got teased. It wasn’t because there was nothing about him to tease. In fact, he was a bit eccentric and had some unique idiosyncrasies – the type that kids often pick on. The reason he was hardly teased was because his reactions were so bland, almost humorously so. If a classmate would say, “Dovid, you’re so weird,” he would reply, “Thanks! You too!” I often used Dovid as an example for other children to see the benefit of trying not to react harshly to teasing. When we were children and would complain to our parents that a sibling was bothering us, our parents would reply that we should ignore it and it would stop. There is a great deal of truth in that. However, this is only true if we could ignore it enough to have no emotional reaction to it. If inside we were becoming angry and were just trying to hold it in, the teaser would sense it and would keep “pecking away” until they got to us. If a child has a hard time “just ignoring it,” then he may need extra coaching and encouragement, especially at the beginning when he first begins to understand this dynamic. We will iy”H continue this discussion, including ideas to help children “just ignore it” in the next segment. (We also

hope to address the topic of bullying more thoroughly in a future article.)

KEY POINTS • The way we handle teasing is very different than the way we handle bullying. We must clarify the situation before deciding how to proceed. • When children confront teasing and mean comments it can be a way for them to learn social skills and grow from the experience. • Children tease each other because they want a reaction. The best response is not to grant that reaction.

Rabbi Dani Staum, LMSW, is the Rabbi of Kehillat New Hempstead. He is also fifth grade Rebbe and Guidance Counselor in ASHAR in Monsey, and Principal of Mesivta Ohr Naftoli of New Windsor, NY, and a division head at Camp Dora Golding. Rabbi Staum offers parenting classes based on the acclaimed Love & Logic Program. For speaking engagements he can be reached at stamtorah@gmail. com. His website is www.stamtorah.info.


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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Dr. Deb

Secrets for a Happy Marriage By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

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am going to make a shameless plug right here for my upcoming talk at Food For Thought. There will be fewer of those coming up (you might have noticed we took a month off) because we’re all just too busy… helping people in the community. So the next talk is entitled “The Three Secrets For a Happy Marriage.” And, I might add, the three “secrets” are called “secrets” because they are counter-intuitive. It will be at 10 AM at Waffelino on Tuesday March 15. (Next week, March 8, Heidi Krantz will be speaking on “Live a Life That Reflects Your Purpose: Your Specific Plan” and she is excellent.) You think that you know what the components are for a good, solid, friendly, happy, team-like, smooth-running, functional, and happy-in-all-rooms-of-the-house marriage. But you may have missed one or two, maybe three, vital ones. That’s what this talk will be on. Now, one other way of finding out what is on my mind and the information I am sharing with others is to sign up for my newsletter on my website. That newsletter has links to my blog which posts twice a week. In this article, I’m going to give you a little background behind Secret #1. But I have to warn you of something and maybe I haven’t emphasized that enough in previous columns: Just like there is no such thing as a “get rich quick” scheme that actually gets you from rags to riches quickly, the ideas I share with you also take work. That is, the concepts are easy to understand but implementing them does take work. That’s just the reality of how life is. Especially when it

comes to your most important relationships. So without further ado, I’m going to share with you the surprising first “secret”: Love Yourself, Including Your ‘Dark Corners.’” See, people will automatically come to think that Self-Love is the same as Narcissism. If you read last week’s column in The Jewish Home, you will understand the fallacy of that idea. (If you missed it, just sign up for my newsletter on my website and I will share a secularized version of that article soon.) Let’s assume you were just about to close this page with a sigh, thinking, “I do love myself.” Then let me challenge you: What do you say when you make a public mistake? Like, for example, forgetting someone’s first name (which unfortunately happens to me all the time)? Do you say, “Oh, stupid me” to yourself? Or G-d forbid to the other person? How about when you forget an important appointment? Like at your daughter’s school? With the principal? Do you whip yourself from here to eternity? See? Here’s another one: Do you go last? Are your needs “less important”? Oh, really? A clue as to how you really think of yourself is in the words you utter in your own mind about yourself. And, incidentally, that doesn’t even get to the “dark corners.” That’s just random daily mistakes.

SHINING LIGHT ON THE DARK CORNERS

Everyone has elements of their

past that make them feel less than. Perhaps something took place that they are even ashamed of – even though they should not be. Let’s say for example that Malkie is an outgoing, action-taking person. She heads up committees at shul or school and she is very well liked. She knows – because she’s often told – that she is a born leader. She might prefer to forget that as a child she was awkward, shy, and was picked on by other children. She might not want to think about how inadequate she felt as an adolescent, far from the bubbly magnet she is today. At that time, she didn’t even have a single good friend and it took years of work on herself to become what she is now. From your point of view, reading this, you might esteem her more. I would. I’d be thinking, “Wow! Look how she turned her life around!” But Malkie wouldn’t. She’s happy with the persona she is today and would rather not connect to the one she used to be. That’s an example of a dark corner. And, of course, they could get worse. Dark corners could include dysfunctional parents who were emotionally, verbally, or even physically abusive or neglectful or actually criminal, participating in an offthe-derech crowd as a teen, being in trouble, smoking, using drugs or alcohol, wanting to commit suicide, all sorts of things that we prefer to cover up with adult competence and smarts. Many people will say they don’t remember parts of their childhood and this is why. It’s shameful and painful. We don’t want to remember being that person. Even people who handled themselves well, did well in school and didn’t get into trouble might still not want to own a relationship to a dysfunctional parent. Yet, there’s a question to be asked when we are talking about relationships. If you’re not ready to accept your own dark corners can you really accept those in another person? The answer is: You can’t. This is

why you need complete self-love for a happy marriage. I can’t tell you how many times it turns out in therapy sessions that the very thing a person finds most objectionable in their mate is within their own dark corner. You might be thinking, “No, Dr. Deb, just the opposite. What annoys me about the other person is how different from me he/she is. Like, for example, I am neat; he is disorganized. I am punctual; he is always late.” My response is that you just made my point. What you’ve just told me are not dark corners at all. Those are the obvious parts of yourselves. There is a dark corner in you (that you may not be conscious of at this moment) that was attracted to the freedom of throwing things wherever they would go. You quickly rejected that part of you. Were you 5 or 6 when you did? Did someone make you do that? Well, it was there and you enjoyed it. That time you were 8 and defied your parent and went to a part of the neighborhood you weren’t allowed to go to. That time you stayed later at the party than you were supposed to. And had fun doing it. Perhaps a time you got in trouble, big time, for enjoying your dark corner. Naturally, you rejected it. But it’s still in you. One of the secrets of a happy marriage is to first discover, then accept, and finally integrate every dark thing you ever did or ever happened to you. Only then can you accept the human flaws of the other people you love. And those you don’t love, for that matter.

Dr. Deb Hirschhorn is a Marriage & Family Therapist and best-selling author of The Healing Is Mutual: Marriage Empowerment Tools to Rebuild Trust and Respect—Together. Attend the Food For Thought lectures at Waffelino Restaurant at 310 Central Avenue in Cedarhurst on Tuesdays at 9:45 AM. Any questions, call 646-54-DRDEB or check out her website at http:// drdeb.com. All stories in Dr. Deb’s articles are fabricated. See Dr. Deb on TorahAnytime.com.


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Health & F tness

What is Bmi? By Aliza Beer

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ody Mass Index (BMI) is a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. A high BMI can be an indicator of high body fatness. BMI can be used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems, but it is not diagnostic of the body fatness or health of an individual. To determine if a high BMI is a health risk, a healthcare provider would need to perform further assessments. These assessments might include skinfold thickness measurements, evaluations of diet, physical activity, family history, etc. BMI is computed using the same formula for adults 20 years old and older, regardless of age or gender. BMI - WEIGHT STATUS Below 18.5 - Underweight 18.5-24.9 - Normal or Healthy Weight 25.0-29.9 - Overweight 30.0 and Above - Obese BMI is interpreted differently for children and teens, even though it’s calculated

using the same formula as adult BMI. Children and teen’s BMI need to be age and gender specific because the amount of body fat changes

ing they’re perfectly healthy when instead they’re at higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, and premature death. Measuring hips and waists

sity found that 47 percent of people classified as overweight by BMI and 29 percent of those who qualified as obese were considered

It can miss another category of people: Those who are carrying around a few extra pounds and are normal weight according to their BMI, but who have too much fat in a particularly dangerous place.

with age, and the amount of body fat differs between girls and boys. But BMI can go wrong. It can incorrectly flag the athletic or particularly muscular person as overweight. Also, it can miss another category of people: those who are carrying around a few extra pounds and are normal weight according to their BMI, but who have too much fat in a particularly dangerous place. It’s those people that are think-

will do a better job of identifying these people. BMI is a function of a person’s height and weight. Weight includes fat, but it also includes bones, muscle, fluids and everything else in the body. Some people have bigger and heavier bones than others. Some people are very athletic and have bigger muscles than others, and muscle weighs more than fat. An Australian study published this month in the International Journal of Obe-

healthy when measured by five other tools. Meanwhile, 31 percent of normal weight people were unhealthy by 2 or more of the same measures. The authors concluded that using BMI alone as a measure of health would misclassify almost 75 million adults in the United States. BMI is easy to use and for the most part very reliable in large populations, but on an individual basis the greater focus should be

on healthy behaviors, such as physical activity and a healthy diet. These will profoundly reduce risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer – independent of weight and BMI. Even a single exercise session is associated with a reduction in blood pressure and improved glucose tolerance and blood lipids. Additionally, waist circumference and abdominal fat (the most dangerous fat) can be reduced in response to exercise with minimal or no weight loss. At the same time, physical activity will lead to an increase in muscle mass. These changes will not be detected by the bathroom scale or BMI. Use BMI as a guideline and reference, but if you must measure something, check your waistline.

Aliza Beer is a registered dietician with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz show. Aliza can be reached at alizabeer@ gmail.com.


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Health & F tness

My Journey A Kidney Donor Remembers Her Transforming Opportunity By Annielynn Miller

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y eldest sister, Laurie, of blessed memory, was an emergency room physician. Nearly 15 years ago she was murdered, her life cut short at the age of 45. My sister worked tirelessly in medical school so that she would be able to devote her life to the field of emergency medicine, tending to people in dire circumstances with the hope of being able to save their lives. I never imagined that one day I would perpetuate her lifesaving legacy in her stead.

who needed a kidney was a relative or friend of hers. She responded that she did not personally know the family but had done what she could to help the family: post the parents’ e-mail for the community to read. I proceeded to call Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz of Renewal, whose name was listed as the contact name in the e-mail. Rabbi Steinmetz sent me a blood kit. Unfortunately, I was not the right blood type for that particular patient; however, my name was now in Renewal’s database.

her life. Our family was consumed with her suffering. As a result of her accident she is a quadriplegic; she was on a ventilator, unable to communicate other than with the blinking of her eyes, was given a poor prognosis of having any kind of quality to her life and oftentimes had to be revived because her heart would stop beating. Our family was facing incomprehensible realities of my niece’s trauma. At the tender age of 25, my niece was met with a madness that turned her world upside down and

Endless acts of kindness came down from the heavens above and I felt like I was walking through the pages of a storybook fairytale about love and kindness that one only dreams about.

In March of 2015, I received an e-mail from Midreshet Adina in Kew Garden Hills; the subject line read, “Our son is in need of a kidney.” I noticed that my friend, Tova, had posted the e-mail on behalf of the parents, asking someone to donate a kidney to their son. I asked Tova if the young man

In September of 2015, I received a call from Rabbi Steinmetz asking if I was still willing to donate my kidney to someone. The time at which I received the call from Rabbi Steinmetz was a particularly painful time for my family; my niece had recently been in a tragic accident and was fighting for

inside out. Our hearts were reeling with pain for her. If ever there was a time when the fragility of life was placed directly before me every minute of every day, it was when I received the call from Rabbi Steinmetz asking me to donate my kidney shortly after my niece’s accident. He

asked if I wanted to postpone donating to another, less chaotic time. When Rabbi Steinmetz called, I knew that I had been presented with a most valuable gift: to have a chance to thank Hashem for all he has given me by being able, G-d willing, to give my kidney back to Hashem to help another soul. I don’t know if anyone can truly comprehend how I feel when I say that the process of donating my kidney was a gift to my sister. She can no longer use her hands to save lives and tend to her patients; a madman took that away from her in a senseless act of violence. The fact that Hashem gave me a chance to physically help another human being provided me with a deep, tangible connection to my sister; she was truly a precious woman and she would have loved to be a part of this process. It is too easy to succumb to times of despair when life’s hardships seem unbearable. In the dark time when my niece was fighting for her life, amidst the tears and the sorrow, Hashem reached out His hand to say that life must go on and whatever one can do to be a part of helping another soul is a gift that must be embraced at that moment. I believe that Hashem sum-

moned me to give my kidney to remind me to make the most of what we have in our lives, even when faced with great pain and heartache. My niece, baruch Hashem, has wonderful caretakers and countless people continue to pray for her to have a refuah shleima.

THE BUDDY SYSTEM

As a result of the hardships my family was facing, I chose not to tell my family that I was going through the process of being tested to donate my kidney; I didn’t want to add any more stress to what we were all experiencing. Since I chose not to tell my family that I was planning to donate my kidney, I realized it would be hurtful to my family if I told my friends or clients. I decided to go through the process alone – just me and Hashem, I resolved – but, unbeknownst to me, Renewal had other plans for me. I received a phone call from a woman named Esther Friedman on the night before my first series of tests at the organ donation unit. She told me that Rabbi Steinmetz had given her my phone number and she was going to meet me at the hospital the next day to walk me through


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

the process of donating my kidney. That was my warm and welcoming introduction to the “Buddy System” at Renewal. The buddy system is made up of the most extraordinary Yidden who devote themselves to taking care of all of the donors’ needs. From day one of the testing process, my “buddy” Esther has been there with me; we have formed a most exquisite friendship that I will treasure forever. Esther is larger than life: her heart knows no bounds. She donated her kidney several years ago and her awareness of the entire process proved to be invaluable to me throughout my journey. My buddy, my beautiful Esther, is a most precious addition to my life.

could fill volumes of books. Renewal is the definition of chesed. The morning of the surgery, Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz came with another very sweet young man who’d also donated his kidney. So many donors offer endless support; their stories are breathtaking.

MY KIDNEY RECIPIENT

On the morning of my surgery, Rabbi Steinmetz handed me a card that my recipient had written to me. It was a beautiful card; I asked Rabbi Steinmetz and Esther to read the card because it touched my heart deeply and I wanted to share her words of gratitude with them. The morning of my surgery blossomed in a way

that I don’t have another kidney to donate, I wish I could do this over and over again because it is the most surreal gift from Hashem to be able to show Hashem gratitude for all the blessings He has showered upon me in my lifetime. Since I can’t donate another kidney, which is a harsh reality, I hope to be able to spread the word of the beauty of donating a kidney and the gift of being a member of the Renewal family.

DONORS

Donors are ordinary people who embrace the gift of being able to do an extraordinary act through the love of Hashem. We are not princes and princesses, we are not dignitaries of coun-

know they are potential donors ... they just need someone to open the door to walk them through the light of Renewal. My girlfriend Chana Wasserman said, “Renewal is the Hatzalah of Kidneys.” The first Shabbat I was home from the hospital, I stayed with Chana and met a recipient named Orly who received a kidney from someone through Renewal four years ago. She came to bring me a gift of chocolates for Shabbat and was accompanied by her 9-year-old daughter. This child has her mother by her side to celebrate the beauty of Shabbat because a total stranger said here, take my kidney ... such is the beauty of donating one’s kidney. People ask who

THE RENEWAL FAMILY

Esther introduced me to another donor named Perel, a sweet and lovely woman who accompanied Esther to one of my doctor’s appointments. Toby Feder called often to offer services to me and see how I was doing before I entered the hospital, during my hospital stay, and upon my return home. Chaya, another donor, stayed overnight with me for Shabbat and took care of me like only an angel could do; she sat in a chair all night at my bedside and tended to my every need. A young girl came to visit me and shared that she donated her kidney two years prior, at the age of 26 (amazing!). Packages of food were delivered by the organization Chesed 24/7 for Shabbat meals. Endless acts of kindness came down from the heavens above and I felt like I was walking through the pages of a storybook fairytale about love and kindness that one only dreams about. Renewal takes care of their donors in ways that

We are not princes and princesses, we are not dignitaries of countries, we are not Nobel Prize winners.

that was unplanned and unexpected. The recipient and I met each other shortly before our scheduled surgeries. We walked to the surgical unit together with her husband, Rabbi Steinmetz, Esther and another sweet young man (also a donor) who accompanied Rabbi Steinmetz that morning. The recipient and I spoke for a short while, embraced, hugged and kissed one another and went to prepare for our surgeries. Baruch Hashem, the recipient spoke with me on the phone a few days after her surgery and is on her way to recovering her health and wellbeing.

THE HARDEST PART

I struggle with the fact

tries, we are not Nobel Prize winners; we are men and women who are blessed to be a part of the Renewal family. We are individuals who were graced with the blessing of giving the gift of life to another soul. We are individuals who came to know that for a brief period of time, literally fleeting moments in our lives, if we are willing to endure a discomfort that will soon pass, we can give a precious gift to someone whose name sits on a waiting list, hoping to receive a call in which they will hear those magical words – someone is giving you their kidney – and what could possibly be sweeter than that? I believe there are many donors amongst us that have yet to

my recipient is and I smile inside because I don’t feel like a donor who gave to a recipient; I feel like a recipient who has received so much by so many in the Renewal family. Baruch Hashem ... thank you, Hashem, for bringing me to Renewal. G-d bless Mr. and Mrs. Levin who wrote an e-mail that read “our son is in need of a kidney”; their devotion to their son was my introduction to Renewal. G-d bless Tova for posting that e-mail on Midreshet Adina. G-d bless Midreshet Adina for the beautiful service they provide for people to reach out and ask for help when needed. G-d bless my “buddy” and now dear friend, Esther Fried-

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man, and her devoted husband Menachem for tending to me through many doctors’ appointments and tests. G-d bless Perel for sharing her kidney donation story and lighting up my heart with her sweet smile. G-d bless Orly for gracing me with the presence of her young daughter as she came to greet me on my first Shabbat home from the hospital. G-d bless Toby and Chaya for taking care of my needs in the hospital with such tenderness. G-d bless Chesed 24/7 for their generosity to make Shabbat special. G-d bless Yocheved Shanek of the Tzniut Hospital Gown Gemach Zichron Menachem for loaning me hospital gowns that were modest and gave me comfort during my hospital stay. G-d bless the nurses and doctors who took such good care of me. G-d bless my family, my friends, and my clients for understanding why I chose not to tell them of my journey until after I came home from the hospital. G-d bless Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz for the compassion and support he showed me through this entire process and G-d bless the kind young man and previous donor who accompanied Rabbi Steinmetz to the hospital the morning of my surgery. G-d bless my recipient, may she be well and live a sweet life. G-d bless Rabbi Josh Sturm, of Renewal, who gave me one of the most precious gifts through this entire process: the chance to visit a donor in the hospital 13 days after I donated mine. Having been given the gift of tending to another donor gave me the chance to say THANK YOU to all the donors who selflessly supported me through this most precious journey of my life. With gratitude, grace and affection, Annielynn Miller


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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

In The K

The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

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tchen

Pulled Brisket Empanadas By Naomi Nachman

With Purim coming up in a few weeks, it was time to get some ideas for my mishloach manot. I always like the idea of doing practical foods for our gift baskets – something people can use for their seuda or save for Friday night as this year Purim falls on a Thursday. As I love meat, I had to try the new product by Jack’s Gourmet Sausages. They make a ready-made pulled BBQ Brisket in a package. It’s a very convenient way to get some quick brisket without having to cook one for 3 hours first. I use this product to make empanadas. An empanada is a turnover or mold of pastry filled with chopped or ground meat, vegetables, fruit, etc., and usually baked or fried. These empanadas are so cute and delicious. The combination of the beef and horseradish is a marriage of flavors. If you leave them on the counter to cool, do it before the kids come home or there will be nothing left!

Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 yellow onion, diced 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 10 oz. box Jacks Pulled Brisket 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish 1 tablespoon barbeque sauce Kosher salt & pepper 1 package Mazor mini puff pastry squares (36 per pack) 1 egg yolk Preparation Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put aside. Sautee onion in olive oil until soft, then add garlic – sauté for 2 minutes. Add in the brisket and stir through. Season with salt & pepper. Add in the horseradish, and barbeque sauce and mix. Cook for 10 minutes on low. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Roll out each puff pastry square, in each direction, so that it overlays the empanada cutter. Spray empanada maker with a little Pam. Place 1 tablespoon meat filling in the center of the puff pastry square, place in the empanada cutter and close over the pastry, sealing in the meat. Tear off excess dough from the sides of the pastry dough before releasing the empanada from the cutter. Lay evenly on the baking sheet. Whisk the egg yolk with a splash of water, brush tops of empanadas and pierce the top of each one with 2 little holes to let steam escape. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce.

I usually double or triple a recipe and freeze them in advance so I can have them on hand when I need them. I plan to wrap them in some tissue paper, place them in a basket with dipping sauce in a mason jar and incorporate them as part of my mishloach manot.

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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Dating Dialogue

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

Dear Navidaters,

I’m a Modern Orthodox guy in my mid-twenties. I’ve been with my girlfriend for close to two years. I have noticed that everyone writing in seems more to the right than I am. When you and the panel consider my story, please be sensitive that I am not yeshivish and answer accordingly and speak to my values and lifestyle. Thank you.

“Sarah” and I met right after college. A few months into it we knew we were going to get married. The chemistry was unbelievable, we both had plans for a similar future and got along so well. Our comfort with each other is amazing and I can’t imagine my life without her. I am finishing up graduate school and she finished graduate school and has a career. We both agreed that marriage would be off the table until I am working and can contribute to supporting married life. It had always been a given that we would get married, it was just a matter of time. Our families know each other and everyone approves and are basically waiting for me to graduate, which is coming up soon.

Here’s my dilemma: When I met Sarah I was very attracted to her. Over the last year she has been steadily gaining weight. Her parents are obese and she has some siblings who are obese as well. I understand that a person will lose weight when they want to and that I can’t do anything to “make her” lose the weight. However, I am not attracted to her at this weight. Beyond the physical attraction, I am a guy who is drawn to motivated people. The fact that she isn’t doing anything about it is making me crazy. I don’t get it. When she gained her first, I’d say, ten to fifteen pounds, I mentioned it to her and very gently asked her if something was bothering her. She complained about it and would cry to me that she wants to lose the weight. I told her I love her and am completely supportive of her. This was close to a year ago. I would say she has put on another twenty to thirty pounds since then. She is not making the effort to lose the weight. I just know myself and I do not find heaviness attractive. I am also worried about the health consequences and don’t know if I want to deal with that for potentially the rest of my life. I am starting to think of her as a family member and not my girlfriend. I am not a shallow person, but I know what I like and what I don’t like. I don’t know if it is fair for her if we get married and I am not attracted to her. On the other hand, I do love her and I can’t imagine my life without her. I don’t know how to handle this. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Adam

The feedback from our readers has been remarkable. In order to facilitate further discussion, you can now continue the conversation anonymously on our website. Every Sunday, we will upload the weekend’s most recent edition of What Would You Do If to the dating forum at thenavidaters.com. Join The Navidaters and your fellow TJH readers in a comprehensive dialogue with regard to dating, relationships and marriage. The forum will be moderated daily for everyone’s comfort and safety. See you there! Disclaimer: This column is not intended to diagnose or otherwise offer resolutions to any questions. Our intention is not to offer any definitive conclusions to any particular question, but to 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.

A

dam, your concerns are legitimate. You sound sensitive and honest about your girlfriend and the declining attraction that has resulted from her gaining weight. But it sounds like you haven’t really thought about why she is putting on the pounds. Is she under stress because of the professional load she is carrying? Do you think something is worrying her? Being a member of an obese family is very hard because unless you make a constant effort, a lifetime of unhealthy eating habits and unhealthy foods surround you. If your fiancé wants to lose the weight and talks about her frustration, why aren’t you asking her how you can be supportive? Why aren’t you telling her that we are in this together and demonstrate your caring with action? “What can I do to help?” is the pathway to take. If she is O.K. with it, why don’t you offer her a menu of choices of things you can do for her to help her achieve her weight loss goals? Ordering salads for her to be delivered when she gets home so that she doesn’t eat the food her parents serve could be one thing. Driving her to the gym (if she has taken out a membership – if not, don’t suggest it) and offering to research a local nutritionist together are other supportive actions you can take if she is O.K. with them. Showing her you care enough about her to do the work with her is important. Understand also that she is feeling badly about herself. Continue to compliment her on her many achievements and attributes that you admire. Support her small achievements in moving to the weight loss goal. Continue to be sensitive and check in with her about whether your actions and words are O.K. with her. She probably made up her mind years ago not to be like the rest of the family and is feeling very badly about not living up to her decisions, besides the fact that she is feeling unattractive. You have the time to work this out with sensitivity and careful action. Do so.

Before you think about breaking up this beautiful relationship in which you love and care for each other so deeply, try talking to her again.

The Mother Sarah Schwartz Schreiber, P.A.

L

et me start by saying that you may as well prepare some soft tomatoes, because what I’m about to say may generate a lot of hate mail. To my self-described “not-shallow” young man: get ready to break up with the woman who you’ve been stringing along for the past three years. The woman with whom you’ve felt chemistry, the one who makes you feel comfortable, the one who is intelligent, caring and dedicated to you and your academic and career goals. The one who has patiently abided by your marriage timetable. The one you say you “love and can’t imagine life without her.” Prepare your delicately-worded farewell because you’ve decided to trade her for a size 2! Don’t get me wrong. Attraction is imperative in a marriage; it is the fuel that will keep your marriage humming. But attraction is often based and bolstered by the fundamental attributes your friend possesses – not weight or hair color or perfect skin. If her BMI repulses you, the relationship is over. Don’t delude yourself that you can motivate her to lose weight; you’ve tried that and it backfired. Anyone who has dieted successfully will tell you that motivation comes from within (not from external pressure). Even if she musters the self-control to fit into her wedding gown and sheva brochos outfits, her dieting efforts may be undone by cu-

linary experimentation, pregnancy, and life stresses. And then what will you do? Bottom line: whether you marry this young lady or someone slimmer, I hope your love is based on solid attributes and not pounds or inches.

The Dating Mentor Rochel Chafetz, Educator/Mentor

I

think it’s fair to say after reading your letter that you are not a superficial young man and that you truly love your girlfriend. I happen to agree with you that it is worrisome. The issue of health, especially since obesity runs in her family, is a great concern. I also have to agree with you that this would make you feel less attracted to her and it may affect your relationship during your marriage. It’s one thing if you were already married and maybe after a few kids some weight crept on. But you are not married yet, therefore this should be addressed. I think you should open up and tell her how much you love her and value her and it concerns you that this can possibly be stemming from a health issue or even lead to one. I think it’s fair if you suggest she go for a checkup, including thyroid testing, just to make sure. Be willing to offer to go for a physical as well. Maybe suggest that you both work out together in a gym. Tell her that you’d like to work together toward reaching important goals. Perhaps you could both start a nutritional, healthier lifestyle together. If you see find that she agrees and is being proactive, then great. But if not, try your best to help her understand that it’s not just about you, but about the two of you. Hopefully, you are not asking her to be a size zero, but you are asking her to commit to a healthy attitude and better lifestyle, which you are willing to commit to as well. Be sure to let her know that first and foremost you are worried and concerned for her and that’s why you are recommending a physical first. It’s even possible that there is a hormonal issue that needs to be ad-

dressed. If none of this is effective, then it’s time to lay it all on the table and explain to her how it is affecting you. The way she reacts is not something you will be able to predict. But you have to do what you have to do. Good luck.

The Single Irit Moshe dam, I am going to share a story with you which will illustrate my standpoint on your dilemma. I was 20 at the time, Modern Orthodox, a tennis player, petite and athletically slender, but like your “Sarah,” also from a family suffering from obesity. The man I was set up with also active like myself, petite for a man, and also from a family with a few family members suffering from obesity. This man liked me and liked me a lot. The first date went well. He had secured the second date before we parted ways at the end of the first date. One night before our second date, he called me just to chat. The subject he wanted to discuss was weight. We both talked frankly about our families’ weight issues and how we both wished to continue being active in our married lives. Then he asked me a question I wasn’t prepared for: “What will you do about pregnancy weight and the aftermath?” With pure honesty in my voice I said, “I don’t know. I don’t know how my body will react. I don’t know what will be during and after pregnancy.” “You will try and lose the weight afterwards, right?” “If I am happy and healthy, then I want you to leave me alone about it,” is how I responded. “Oh!...But, what if I gained 25 to 30 pounds? Would you be okay with it? David, will you be happy and healthy with the weight?” “Let’s say, I am.” “Then David, I will be happy too. If I love you then I will love you just the way you are, because you are happy and healthy, and the man I have chosen to love.” “Really?”

A


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“Yes, David. If you can’t look pass the weight and love me with the few extra (potential) pounds, then we will be hurtful and damaging for one another…perhaps we

should not go on that second date we had planned.” Adam, “David” and I ended our relationship at that point that night.

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

A

dam, thank you for writing in. This column is intended to be a resource for all its readers, yeshivish, Modern Orthodox and everyone to the left, right and in between. Clearly you are a sensitive and thoughtful person. You care deeply for Sarah, but find your physical attraction dwindling as Sarah has steadily put on weight over the past year or so. I am a firm believer that we cannot help what we find attractive, so beating yourself up or feeling bad in any way is an exercise in futility and unnecessary. Where would it get you? How would it solve the problem? At the forefront is your concern that marrying Sarah right now would be unfair to her. Inherent in that concern is your belief that Sarah deserves to be with someone who finds her attractive. If you could wave a magic wand around your lack of attraction to Sarah’s weight and perceived lack of motivation and somehow forget the whole thing, I’m sure you would. But life doesn’t come with magic wands… The panel has spoken. Both Rebbetzin Horowitz and Rachel Chafetz find you to be a caring and thoughtful man. They wonder if perhaps Sarah is feeling burdened by work and responsibilities and note that the obesity runs in her family and may be something she struggles to manage today and in the future. The Rebbetzin suggests talking more with Sarah about your concern and showing her you care by simplifying the path to a healthier lifestyle in the way of ordering

healthier foods. Rachel Chafetz validates your decreased attraction to Sarah and highlights the possibility of a medical issue that may need attention. Sarah Schwartz Schreiber suggests that you’ve been stringing along your girlfriend for years and that in order to be in a relationship you have to be able to focus on the other fundamentals necessary to maintain attraction and chemistry. And finally, Irit Moshe shares a personal story from her dating past in which she broke up with the guy because of his lack of sensitivity toward the topic at large. Good riddance to that guy! It amazes me how someone can be so callous and clueless. Good thinking, Irit! I don’t get the sense at all from you that you are interested in “trading her in for a size 2.” That is not what this is about. You are a motivated person who is looking at Sarah, watching her gain the weight and realizing how truly helpless you are to fix the situation. You are correct in your belief that ultimately the decision to lose weight and commit to a healthier lifestyle rests in Sarah’s hands and not yours. You can be supportive (as you have been), cut the freshest salads, go on the longest walks together, but at the end of the day it is Sarah who makes the commitment. Some of the panelists were wisely sensitive to the notion that something is happening within Sarah. Generally speaking when someone puts on a significant amount of weight

Eventually, when I did get married and I got pregnant, it did play havoc (25 lbs) on my waistline. I lost half of the pregnancy weight before I went for my second pregnancy, which I only gained a total of 11 pounds for my second pregnancy. My greatest weight

loss, though, was when I lost 50 lbs in 6 months when my marriage went sour, and then lost to pre-marriage weight after my divorce, which is where I am currently, and b”H, I look and feel better than when I was in my 20s. I wish you much luck with your discussion.

within a short period of time, there is something going on. The question is, what is going on with Sarah? Is it medical, emotional, etc.? Right now, you don’t have answers. The second question is, do you want to stick around to the dirty work of finding out? The third question is, once you do find out, will the issue be something you are willing to accept within Sarah? I can’t tell you whether to be with Sarah or break up with her. Anyone you ask for direct advice will be guiding you based on their own experiences, their own likes and dislikes, and their own regrets and misgivings. What I can tell you is that everyone has something. Be it a secret, an addiction, an embarrassing family member … who goes through life with no issues? There are the people who hide their issues and the people who are honest about them. There are no women out there with “nothing.” No one goes through this life of ours unscathed. Perhaps Sarah’s fatal flaw is that she struggles with weight. People invest so much energy into hiding their secrets … unfortunately for Sarah and everyone struggling with their weight, their secret cannot be hidden. Your situation is tricky. Most women are sensitive about their weight. We will ask you if we look good in our outfits and G-d help you if you say no! Tell a woman she needs to lose a few pounds and those elephant brains of ours will store that memory forever! I understand that you spoke with Sarah about her weight gain last year and because you are a sensitive person, you dropped it when you saw her discomfort. Before you think about breaking up this beautiful relationship in which you love and care for each other so deeply, try talking to her again. Focus on your concern, ask her

if there is something you can do. Here is the hard part… if she starts crying or changes the subject, you are entitled to redirect the conversation back to the issue at hand. Let her know that her weight gain concerns you especially because obesity runs in her family. Adam, I want you to understand that even if Sarah loses the weight now, she may gain it back down the road. Marriage brings with it incredible highs and also incredible lows. People deal with losing jobs, aren’t able to pay their children’s yeshiva tuition, sick and aging parents, medical problems, weight gain. These things take a toll on the strongest of relationships. As hard as this is, try not to get ahead of yourself right now. Break this down into more manageable steps with a promise to yourself that you will not engaged until you are feeling more at peace and ready to commit with a full heart. Start talking. If you are having unproductive conversations going nowhere fast, then it will be time to consider speaking to a therapist. Good luck and thanks for being the first Modern Orthodox person to write in! Sincerely, Jennifer If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question anonymously, please email thenavidaters@gmail.com. Esther Mann, LCSW and Jennifer Mann, LCSW are psychotherapists and dating and relationship coaches working with individuals, couples and families in private practice in Lawrence, NY. To set up an appointment, please call 516.224.7779. Press 1 for Esther, 2 for Jennifer. Jennifer is starting a Marriage Support Initiative for Women; an 8 week support group for married women to celebrate the positive aspects of their marriages and delve into the more private corners of marriage. Difficulties in a marriage can feel isolating. Come find support and make friends. For more information, reach her at the above phone number.


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Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

Bernie Sanders is the only Democratic candidate capable of winning the White House in 2016. Please name the last person to win the presidency alongside an ongoing FBI investigation, negative favorability ratings, questions about character linked to continual flip-flops, a dubious money trail of donors, and the genuine contempt of the rival political party. – Editorial on leftwing website Salon

My fiancée is fairly reluctant about marrying a Cheeseburger. That’s something we’re discussing a lot. No girl ever dreams of spending her big day marrying a man called Bacon. - A British man who took a bet and actually legally changed his name to “Bacon Double Cheeseburger”

The way for change and freeing yourselves from the pressure of lobbyists is not through the Republican or the Democratic parties, but through undertaking a great revolution for freedom: not to free Iraq from Saddam Hussein but to free the White House and to free [President Barack Obama] so he can implement the change you seek. It does not only include improvement of your economic situation and ensure your security, but more importantly, helps him in making a rational decision to save humanity from the harmful [greenhouse] gases that threaten its destiny. – A portion of a letter seized in the Osama bin Laden raid in 2011 and written by the terror mastermind that was released by the government this week

No broken bones yet but they’re trying. Running around, pushing things, jumping… Please tell me it gets easier.

President Obama has unveiled his plan to finally shut down Guantanamo Bay. And to make sure no one ever goes in there again, Obama is handing it over to the people who run RadioShack. – Conan O’Brien

Can I say oy vey?... In my rush between songwriting jams and musical recording frenzy, all I saw was the images of people dedicated to disarm us, I made no connection whatsoever to any religious affiliation. Everyone knows deep down that at 67 years of age I didn’t suddenly become antiSemitic. That’s patently ridiculous. - Rocker Ted Nugent apologizing after sending out a post indicating that it is all Jews who want to take away people’s guns

We have to end the game with the lead and that’s going to be important to us. - New Giants’ head coach Ben McAdoo disclosing his “creative” strategy while speaking at the NFL scouting combine about what the Giants strategy will be this year

- Prince William joking at an event about his two rambunctious children

MORE QUOTES


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Do you want to be associated with a fascist? - Chuck Todd questioning Trump about a tweet he sent out stating when he refused to take back a retweet which stated “It is better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep,” after he was informed that, in fact, the line was said by Mussolini

No, I want to be associated with interesting quotes. - Trump in response

Although she herself is an immigrant, Donald Trump’s wife Melania says she is fine with her husband’s tough anti-immigration stance. When asked why, Mrs. Trump said she had about 4.5 billion reasons. - Jimmy Fallon

It’s an election year, and candidates can’t stop speaking about our country’s problems (which, of course, only they can solve). As a result of this negative drumbeat, many Americans now believe that their children will not live as well as they themselves do. That view is dead wrong: The babies being born in America today are the luckiest crop in history. – Warren Buffett in Berkshire’s annual letter

Having your pictures safe wouldn’t really stack up to being killed. – Bill Maher on Apple’s refusal to unlock the Saint Bernardino terrorist’s phone

We were not poor — we had everything we needed — but our parents argued, and what they argued about was money. I think a lot of politicians, if they’ve come from financially secure backgrounds, it doesn’t really resonate what it means to have these arguments and to have this tension. And Bernard, without wanting to have it, has it, and it hasn’t gone away. - Bernie Sanders’ brother, Larry, discussing the origins of his brother’s political philosophy, in an interview with AP

We killed a lot of time talking about basketball. - Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid after a meeting that Congressional leaders had with President Obama about appointing a replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia

I’d like to draw your attention to seat 29E, where you will find Eric, who is traveling with his wife Lisa. While you didn’t strike it rich here in Las Vegas, you did hit the jackpot. Congratulations, you’re about to be a dad. - Announcement made by the pilot on American Airlines Flight 607 from Las Vegas to Pennsylvania informing Eric Sadiwnyk that his wife Lisa (who was sitting near him) is expecting their first child

Ben Carson held a town hall event at a casino in Reno, and despite polling in last place, he said it’s too early to give up. Even the old ladies sitting at the slot machines said, “This is just depressing.”

Last night was the Republican caucus in Nevada, and Donald Trump scored a big victory, bringing him one step closer to the Republican nomination. A Trump presidency is getting so real, Mexico is starting to think a wall is a pretty great idea. – Jimmy Fallon

– Jimmy Fallon

Ms. Eisenstein, one question… - How Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas began when he asked a question during oral arguments for the first time in ten years

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He put out a picture of me having makeup put on me at the debate. Which is amazing me to me, that the guy with the worst spray tan in America is attacking me for putting on makeup. - Marco Rubio attacking Trump

Donald Trump likes to sue people; he should sue whoever did that to his face. - Ibid.

Greed, fraud, dishonesty, arrogance. These are just some of the adjectives we use to describe Wall Street - A tweet the Bernie Sanders campaign took down earlier this week, perhaps because those are not adjectives

One of the things I’m gonna do, and this is only gonna make it tougher for me, and I’ve never said this before, but one of the things I’m gonna do if I win … is I’m gonna open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money. We’re gonna open up those libel laws. - Trump promising to take on the media if he’s elected

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It is a weird election when Spike Lee is endorsing the oldest, whitest man the world has ever seen. Are we sure Spike isn’t confusing Bernie with Deion Sanders? – Jimmy Kimmel

I’m always amazed to be in the sessions where you spend a lot of time with us and your next answer is more brilliant than the last. Thank you so much. - Gov. Peter Shumlin (D-VT) to President Obama at a question and answer session during the National Governors Association meeting

I almost feel obliged to apologize for some of what my political colleagues said. It’s a heated campaign season and I just want you to know, Mr. President, that the most heated rhetoric you’ve heard from competitors for the nomination for president is not who we are as the American people. It is not the view that is the view of the majority of the American people. It’s the exact opposite. It’s the opposite view. – Vice President Joe Biden at a press conference with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto

When asked about Cuba Gooding Jr.’s portrayal of him, O.J. Simpson said he’s “not tall enough and his head is too small.” Simpson then said, “Also, he didn’t kill my wife.” – Conan O’Brien


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Political Crossfire

Trump’s Destructive Nationalism By Michael Gerson

T

he main focus of Donald Trump’s media coverage has been his populist disdain for elites. But his main focus has often been a strident version of American nationalism.

Trump has offered this explanation of his own ambitions: “The reason I’m thinking about [running for office],” he told the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2011, “is that the

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United States has become a whipping post for the rest of the world ... I deal with people from China, I deal with people from Mexico. They cannot believe what they’re getting away with.” It is difficult to discern a foreign policy in Trump’s oeuvre of rambling, extemporaneous speechmaking and Twitter pronouncements. He usually communicates without a hint of actual argument. But there is some consistency to his various statements. Trump believes that American allies in Europe and Asia have become free riders that should defend themselves and pay their own way. He calls the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty unfair. In exchange for the protection of South Korea, he argues, “we get practically nothing.” Mexico is “ripping us off” and purposely sending us criminals. It must be compelled to pay for a continent-wide wall. Trump proposes to “tax China for each bad act” and has raised the possibility of a 45 percent tariff. Vladimir Putin, in contrast, should be given a free hand in the Middle East to go after Sunni radicals and other opponents of the Syrian regime. And America should focus on killing terrorists as well as targeting their families for murder, apparently on the theory that war crimes are a demonstration of super-duper toughness. As Trump’s political prospects have improved, we are required

to give these foreign policy views more serious analysis, which is more than Trump himself has done. When pressed on such issues in debates and interviews, he is utterly incoherent. A man who confuses the Kurds with the Quds (Iran’s expeditionary military force) hasn’t

And it feels like we have, so far, explored only the fringes of his ignorance.

the slightest familiarity with current events in the Middle East. And it feels like we have, so far, explored only the fringes of his ignorance. But it is the theory behind Trump’s threats that is particularly dangerous. He is not an isolationist, in the Rand Paul sense. He is more of a Jacksonian (in Walter Russell Mead’s typology) – preferring a strong America that is occasionally roused to kill its enemies but then returns home and avoids entangling international commitments. America, in this view, should vigorously pursue narrow national in-


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

terests and seek to be feared rather than loved. This conception of America’s international role was common, before America had a serious international role. A Gallup poll from 1937 showed that 70 percent of Americans thought their intervention in World War I had been a mistake. In early 1940, as German intentions of conquest were clear, less than 10 percent thought America should send its military abroad. But this view of America is as relevant to current affairs as political events in ancient Rome. “The great need today isn’t to ‘beat’ core allies such as Mexico and Japan, while working with Vladimir Putin,” George Mason University’s Colin Dueck explains diplomatically. “On the contrary, the urgent need is to constrain aggressors such as Putin while supporting core U.S. allies like Mexico and Japan.” Less gently put, Trump would be a president who could not reliably tell America’s enemies from its friends. He contemplates actions like weakening American security assurances to South Korea that might invite war (recall the outcome in 1950 of Secretary of State Dean Acheson’s implication that South Korea was outside America’s “defensive perimeter”). Trump promises actions – like forcing the Mexican government to fund the great wall of Trump – that are, in the formal language of international relations, loony, unhinged, bonkers. His move to impose massive tariffs against China would earn derisive laughter at the World Trade Organization; if he persisted anyway, it might blow up the global trading order and dramatically increase tensions in Asia. A Jacksonian role for America is positively dangerous in a world where many threats – terrorism, pandemic disease, refugee flows, drug cartels – emerge in failed states and hopeless places. It has never been more evident that the success of America depends on an expanding system of free trade, free markets, democratic governance and strong alliances -- upheld, in

Asia, Europe and elsewhere, by American security guarantees. Trump’s version of American nationalism without reference

to American principles is Putinism by another name. And it is just one more way that Trump would sully the spirit of

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the nation he seeks to lead. (c) 2016, Washington Writers Group

Post


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Political Crossfire

While Obama Fiddles ... By Charles Krauthammer

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tate of the world, Year Eight of Barack Obama: (1) In the South China Sea, on a speck of land of disputed sovereignty far from its borders, China has just installed anti-aircraft batteries and stationed fighter jets. This after China landed planes on an artificial island it created on another disputed island chain (the Spratlys, claimed by the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam). These facilities now function as forward bases for Beijing to challenge seven decades of American naval dominance of the Pacific Rim. “China is clearly militarizing the South China Sea,” the commander of the U.S. Pacific Command told Congress on Tuesday. Its goal? “Hegemony in East Asia.” (2) Syria. Russian intervention has turned the tide of war. Having rescued the Bashar alAssad regime from collapse, relentless Russian bombing is destroying the rebel stronghold of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, creating a massive new wave of refugees and demonstrating to the entire Middle East what a Great Power can achieve when it acts seriously. The U.S. response? Repeated pathetic attempts by Secretary of State John

Kerry to propitiate Russia (and its ally, Iran) in one collapsed peace conference after another. On Sunday, he stepped out to announce yet another “provisional agreement in principle” on “a cessation of hostilities” that the CIA director, the defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs deem little more than a ruse. (3) Ukraine. Having swallowed Crimea so thoroughly that no one even talks about it anymore, Russia continues to trample with impunity on the Minsk cease-fire agreements. Vladimir Putin is now again stirring the pot, intensifying the fighting, advancing his remorseless campaign to fracture and subordinate the Ukrainian state. Meanwhile, Obama still refuses to send the Ukrainians even defensive weapons. (4) Iran. Last Thursday, Iran received its first shipment of S300- antiaircraft batteries from Russia, a major advance in developing immunity to any attack on its nuclear facilities. And it is negotiating an 8$ billion arms deal with Russia that includes sophisticated combat aircraft. Like its ballistic missile tests, this conventional weapons shopping spree is a blatant violation of U.N. Security Council prohibitions. It was also a predictable – and pre-

dicted – consequence of the Iran nuclear deal that granted Iran $100 billion and normalized its relations with the world. The U.S. response? Words. Unlike gravitational waves, today’s strategic situation is not hard to discern. Three major havenot powers are seeking to overturn the post-Cold War status quo: Russia in Eastern Europe, China in East Asia, Iran in the Middle East. All are on the march. To say nothing of the Islamic State, now extending its reach from Afghanistan to West Africa. The international order built over decades by the United States is crumbling. In the face of which, what does Obama do? Go to Cuba. Yes, Cuba. A supreme strategic irrelevance so dear to Obama’s anti-anticommunist heart. Is he at least going to celebrate progress in human rights and democracy – which Obama established last year as a precondition for any presidential visit? Of course not. When has Obama ever held to a red line? Indeed, since Obama began his “historic” normalization with Cuba, the repression has gotten worse. Last month, the regime arrested 1,414 political dissidents, the second-most ever

recorded. No matter. Amid global disarray and American decline, Obama sticks to his cherished concerns: Cuba, Guantanamo (about which he gave a rare televised address this week) and, of course, climate change. Obama could not bestir himself to go to Paris in response to the various jihadi atrocities – sending

genuinely believes that such advances don’t really matter – that these disruptors are so on the wrong side of history, that their reaches for territory, power, victory are so 20th century. Of course, it mattered greatly to the quarter-million slaughtered in Syria and the millions more exiled. It feels all quite real to a dissolving Europe, an expanding China,

Amid global disarray and American decline, Obama sticks to his cherished concerns: Cuba, Guantanamo (about which he gave a rare televised address this week) and, of course, climate change.

Kerry instead “to share a big hug with Paris” (as Kerry explained) with James Taylor singing “You’ve Got a Friend” – but he did make an ostentatious three-day visit there for climate change. So why not go to Havana? Sure, the barbarians are at the gates and pushing hard knowing they will enjoy but 11 more months of minimal American resistance. But our passive president

a rising Iran, a metastasizing jihadism. Not to the visionary Obama, however. He sees far beyond such ephemera. He knows what really matters: climate change, Gitmo and Cuba. With time running out, he wants these to be his legacy. Indeed, they will be. (c) 2016, The Washington Post Writers Group


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A Fulfilled L fe

Being Right Isn’t Always the Goal By Rabbi Naphtali Hoff

“The more we can get together and talk about various perspectives, feelings, beliefs, the better.” - William P. Leahy

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n his book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” author Steven Covey included an ambiguous optical illusion that is open to different interpretations. To some readers, the image is that of an old lady looking downward, wearing a shawl and a fur coat. To others, it is the portrait of a young, aristocratic woman with her head turned sideways. Covey uses the image to speak about paradigms and the way that our past thinking and inclinations can significantly alter how we look at things and respond to situations. I was reminded of this recently during a conversation with an old colleague from a school where I used to teach. Not only was she one of the

school’s teachers, she was also the activities director. She recalled that one winter weekend the school had gone on a retreat and faculty was able to attend with their families. I came along with my wife and three young children. As my colleague remembered it, the kids were having a blast during a ski outing and had managed to get themselves all full of snow, much to the chagrin of their father. My colleague had been pleased that the children were so wet; to her it meant that they were really enjoying themselves. I, on the other hand, chose to focus on the involved cleanup and clothes changing that awaited me. As we know, different viewpoints are based off of the unique approaches, biases and inclinations that we bring to situations. However, where we get ourselves into trouble, particularly in the workplace, is when we assume that our perspective is the only one that exists, let alone the only one that matters. Such narrow thinking can be even more damaging for leaders.

Not only does it prevent them from grasping opportunities and identifying challenges that only others are attuned to, but it can lead to discontent and frustration in others who do not feel heard or valued. How can we make sure to avoid such thinking and ensure that we not only become more mindful of other views but actively seek them out? First, we should understand where our resistance to such thinking comes from. Why are we so programmed to block out the possibility of other thoughts and perspectives and to defend our own stances with such vigor? One factor is our inherent desire to be right. Being right affirms and inflates our self-worth. It’s part of being human to want to have our way, to be correct and use that to control others. By necessity we come to believe that anyone who disagrees with us must be wrong because we assume that only one of us could be correct – and it definite-

ly isn’t him. Some argue (correctly, in my opinion,) that this craving is reinforced by our educational system. Historically, the focus in school has been about independent work and our ability as individuals to demonstrate mastery and correctness. (This has changed somewhat with a “21st century education” focus on collaboration and idea sharing, but we are far from a genuine paradigm shift in this regard.) Our schools reward correct answers with higher grades, which can impact subsequent schooling and employment opportunities. Another culprit is the talking heads of political debate. We regularly view debates over issues on talk shows and in political forums where the end goal is not to arrive at a mutually beneficial solution but rather to ram our views down each other’s throats and see who possesses better one-liners and debating tactics. But if we are honest with ourselves we know that being right is


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

not an absolute position. Particularly in today’s complex work environment, there can oftentimes be more than one correct position on how to approach something. And even if we were to argue that

The rank and file will often be more focused on or concerned with how decisions will affect them and their jobs and job security and leaders would be wise to keep those issues at the forefront of their minds. As

Why are we so programmed to block out the possibility of other thoughts and perspectives and to defend our own stances with such vigor?

only one perspective can stand in the end, why not create a culture in which dissention is valued as a means of fleshing out ideas and vetting options to help arrive at the very best solution? So how can we, as leaders, become better listeners and more open to others’ ideas? The following are some ideas to consider: Keep your mind open – One of the easiest ways to fall into the “I am right” trap is to determine the decision or direction before discussing things with others. Even if you then bring the issue to another person or the group, you will want to defend your position. Instead, remind yourself that there are likely multiple approaches and perspectives and there’s a good chance that someone else’s views will help you clarify and solidify your own or perhaps open you up to a whole new perspective. Create opportunities for conversation – Don’t wait for issues or concerns to arise before bringing folks together to discuss them. Establish regular meeting times to reflect upon and solve issues. If there are none, present hypothetical dilemmas for everyone to review and debate. This offers the added benefit of allowing people to consider solutions without having to defend past actions or positions, removing personal bias. Take on others’ perspectives – Think about issues from the perspective of those who are impacted.

they are speaking, be empathetic and seek to objectively consider their position. As Stephen Covey phrased it: “Seek to understand before being understood.” Do a role reversal – Clearly state your position, your point of view, while your “opponent” listens carefully for the details, taking notes, if needed. Then your partner explains his/her position, while you listen. No discussion or interrupting allowed. Then switch roles and pretend to be the other person presenting “your” argument. Take note of what it feels to be in that position, and see if the other’s point of view makes more sense, now that you are in his/her shoes. Ask yourself, “Do I want to be right or do I want to be happy?” – At the end of the day, you often will have to choose between the satisfaction that comes with being correct and being happy. As you relinquish self-centeredness and look to the needs of those around you, you develop intimacy and connectedness. As Robin Sharma once said, “The business of business is relationships; the business of life is human connection.”

Rabbi Naphtali Hoff is an executive coach and president of Impactful Coaching and Consulting (ImpactfulCoaching.com). He can be reached at 212.470.6139 or at nhoff@impactfulcoaching.com.

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Forgotten Her es

To Capture a General By Avi Heiligman

Patrick Leigh Fermor and Billy Moss pictured before the kidnapping of General Heinrich Kreipe in Crete

The Butcher of Crete

Members of Kreipe Abduction Team- Georgios Tyrakis, William Stanley Moss, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Emmanouil Paterakis, and Antonios Papaleonidas

I

ntelligence services during wartime are always on the lookout for top ranking officers among the prisoners of war. Throughout history only a relative handful of generals have been captured by the enemy with most of those going into captivity after a general surrender of beleaguered troops. One of the highest ranking German generals, Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus, capitulated to the Russians at the Battle of Stalingrad and later collaborated with his captors. A year later another Nazi general was taken captive by the Allies but under very different circumstances. In May 1941, German paratroopers landed on the island of Crete which was garrisoned by around 40,000 allied soldiers. At first the paratroopers had a very difficult

General Heinrich Ferdinand Kreipe

time and many Germans were killed. However, the Allies made a tactical error and let the Germans land more troops which helped secure the island in less than two weeks. Nazi brutality against the civilians – there were many Jewish refugees as well as 400 Cretan Jews living there – is well documented. In August 1942, Nazi General Friedrich-Wilhelm Muller took command of a division garrisoned on Crete. He was brutal and responsible for many atrocities and was called the Butcher of Crete. British underground forces under the SOE (Special Operations Executive) hatched a plan to kidnap Muller in a bloodless operation that would not inflict negative consequences against the Crete population. Two British SOE agents ran the show to kidnap Muller. Major Patrick

Leigh “Paddy” Fermor had an extensive knowledge of Greece and its language prior to the war. He had written about traveling through Greece in two published books. Once the war started he had fought in Greece and Crete and later was one of the few SOE agents posted to help the Cretan resistance movement. The other agent who was part of the operation was Captain William Stanley Moss. His war experience took him to North Africa to fight with the British Eighth Army and was in Cairo when he joined the SOE. Two Cretan SOE agents, Georgios Tyrakis and Emmanouil Paterakis, were to join them on the mission. SOE chief agent “Micky” Akoumianakis was already on the ground ready to help. Paddy Fermor was the first to jump into Crete in February 1944

while the others had to turn back due to bad weather. After several other attempts to reach Crete failed, the other three agents finally reached the island in April by boat. They were met by Fermor who had an important piece of information. Muller was no longer the target as he had been replaced two months earlier and was now the overall commander of Crete. General Heinrich Ferdinand Kreipe took over Muller’s 22nd Panzer Grenadier division and was now the target of the mission. Several other Cretan resistance members joined in the planning as well as another SOE agent who was already on the island. Planning for the kidnapping of the general went into high gear as they figured out the most vulnerable place where Kreipe would frequent. They ruled out


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

German headquarters and learned about Kreipe’s travel schedule. The locals helped them obtain the uniforms necessary to fool the Germans. All was in place for the abduction to take place on the evening of April 26, 1944. General Kreipe’s car was late in arriving at the junction where the agents had set up an ambush. The car, an Opel, stopped at the junction where Fermor and Paterakis pushed Kreipe into the backseat while Moss hit the driver with a baton. Moss took over the wheel while Fermor impersonated the general. The three Cretans on the mission held the actual general down in the backseat so as not to raise the alarm while they passed through 22 checkpoints. At all of the checkpoints the German sentries recognized the general’s pennant on the side of the car and they were waved through. Luckily they weren’t stopped as Moss and Fermor knew only a couple of Ger-

man words. An hour later they made it to a safe point where they split up. Moss, along with the Cretans, took the general to a point south on Crete to wait for a motor launch. Fermor took the car and abandoned it with papers stating that this was a British mission and no reprisals should be taken out on Crete. Finally, on May 14, the team along with Kreipe was taken off of Crete and to the British headquarters in Egypt. Back at German headquarters Kreipe’s soldiers actually celebrated the kidnapping as Kreipe was known as a tough as nails general and was disliked. Kreipe was interrogated and first taken to a POW camp in Canada before spending the rest of the war in Wales. The general’s driver who was hit by Moss was later found dead. Both Fermor and Moss were given medals for “outstanding display of courage and audacity.” General Muller, who was now the overall commander on Crete, did not directly retaliate for the kid-

napping but continued with brutal massacres of cities. At the end of the war he commanded the German 4th Army against the Russians. The army was already decimated and the Russians had no trouble pushing them back into Prussia. Muller was captured by the Soviets and in 1946 was sent to Athens, Greece, to face a war crimes trial. Along with the previous German commander on Crete, Bruno Brauer, he was executed by firing squad on May 20, 1947. Patrick Fermor and William Moss both wrote books recounting their experience on Crete. Moss’s book, Ill Met by Moonlight, was later made into a movie. Later in the war Moss led a resistance group which included several Russian escaped POWs in attacking an armored car and troops carrying truck. Over three dozen Germans were killed but Muller ordered a reprisal massacre on a nearby town. Moss then spent time in Macedonia and carried out several sabotage missions.

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He ended the war in Thailand and helped arrange the surrender of the Japanese forces. It was an audacious and extremely dangerous mission to even attempt to kidnap a German general. Yet the SOE pulled off the mission without causalities which makes it even more unbelievable. Since then there have been a few missions to kill an enemy general but the only ones captured alive are through a general surrender of troops. The mission to capture General Kreipe is largely forgotten to the public but intelligence services continue to study it today as a textbook example on how to carry out a mission deep behind enemy lines.

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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CEDARHURST Beautiful house for rent! New kitchen, granite counter tops, redone floors, recently painted, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath. Spacious basement and backyard Washer/ drier hook up. Asking $2,200 Call (516) 732-0111

Hamaspik is looking for a male worker to take care of a special needs child during the weekend in the Five Towns area. Please call 718-408-5401

Fast-paced office in the 5 Towns seeking talented, professional, highly-motivated individuals to join our Sales team. Must be detail oriented, and thrive in a collaborative environment. Experience in Travel industry a plus. Please submit qualified resume to admin@getpeyd.com

Are you tired of your present job or out of work and looking for a job where you can make good money and be your own boss? We are looking to hire a marketing/sales specialist. Job will require your own car and being computer/internet savy. If you consider yourself a marketing professional, this is the position for you. Opportunity to make unlimited income potential, Don’t delay. Give us a call at 917-612-2300

ON SEAGIRT AVENUE 2 & 3 bedroom. Newly renovated. Washer and dryer hook up. Granite countertops. More info call or text 917-602-2914

HELP WANTED SEEKING EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT/ SECRETARY for New Architecture Firm in Far Rockaway Experience in MS Word, Excel, QuickBooks Pro Edition and Adobe Acrobat required Must be self motivated, efficient, organized, detailed oriented and work well under pressure Please email resume to crf@sdf-a.com

NEW AND EXPANDING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL! Positions available for the 2016/2017 school year: Teachers and Rebbe - General and Special Ed, Speech Therapist, OT and COTA, Reading and Kriah Specialist, and Assistants. Please send resumes to: info.pathwaystudycenter@gmail.com and call 718-887-6030 MEDICAL OFFICE BILLER Insurance Authorizations/Benefit Checks. Patient Sceduling. Coordinate all paperwork & Billing Must be organized, team player, exp in medical software (preferably EClinicalworks). Location- Floral Park, NY Hours: 9-530 pm. Call (516)-775-4300 to schedule interview

PART TIME AND FULL TIME BOOKKEEPING POSITION Fast growing accounting and consulting firm seeks a qualified individual to assist our accounting staff in providing bookkeeping services for our clients. Qualified individuals will have the opportunity to join our employee friendly culture At least 2 years working experience Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, QuickBooks a MUST Email – info@smallbizoutsource.com EXPERIENCED REAL ESTATE SALES AGENT needed for a HIGH Producing real estate office who is seeking an opportunity to Earn & Learn more!!! Call Today (516) 295-3000 x 128. All calls kept confidential.

Immediate opening. JH math teacher, PM hours. 5 Towns vicinity teachersearch11@gmail.com DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL to work with men with autism and other disabilities in a residential setting in Cedarhurst. F/T positions include : 3pm-11pm, and Overnight. High pay rate, plus benefit package. Contact OHEL Bais Ezra 718-686-3102 or www. ohelfamily.org/careers

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Classifieds

classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com / text 443-929-4003

HELP WANTED

SITUATION WANTED

Full time preschool assistant and afternoon elementary assistant needed for a Bais Yaakov in Far Rockaway. Please email resume toteachingpositions1@gmail.com

LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE seeks position in homecare with the elderly or pediatric care. I am skilled, caring and dependable. Please call me at 631-759-0025

We are looking to hire a Marketing/Sales Specialist Job requirements: Your own car and internet savvy Hob has unlimited income potential Don’t delay, give us a call at 917-612-2300 Playgroup (children ages 2 ½ -4 years) looking for a warm loving assistant in a heimishe environment. Call 516-371-6848 General Studies teachers for Sept. ‘16 due to expansion. 5 Towns area boys’ school. Middle school teachers: M.-Th, 2-4:30 pm. JH male teachers: M.-Th., 2:45-5 pm. candidateteacher@gmail.com. PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANTS (PTA’S) & OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS ASSISTANTS (COTA’S) For 200+ bed Nursing Home in Queens. Must have Hospital or Nursing Home experience. Please email resume to promrehab@aol.com GREAT OPPORTUNITY Looking for class B CDL DRIVER with clutch for a heimishe lumber co. Great pay, Call: 718-369-3141 Ext. 348 Local F.T. Accounting Office Seeks P/T JR. ACCOUNTANT proficient in Q.B. knowledge of payroll tax, sales tax, business tax and individual taxes Qualified applicants should please e-mail resume to: 5towntaxoffice@gmail.com CATAPULT LEARNING Teachers for Title I in Boro Park andWilliamsburg Chassidic boys schools *College/Yeshiva Degree Required *Strong desire to help children learn *Excellent organizational skills *Small group instruction *Competitive salary Email resume: nyteachers@catapultlearning.com. Fax (718) 381-3493

MISC SPACE AVAILABLE FOR 3 YEAR OLD PLAYGROUP IN FAR ROCKAWAY. EXCELLENT MORAHS. PLEASE CALL (516) 406-2980

PURIM TIES GREAT ASSORTMENT 100 pcs minimum $2.50 a piece 718 497 3300 faragecreations@aol.com SPACE AVAILABLE for 3 year old playgroup in Far Rockaway. Excellent Morahs. Please call (516) 406-2980.

SHIDDUCH DATING? NEED PLACES TO GO? Check out Pegishaplace.com Tutors desperately needed for Zichron Etel, a gemach providing free tutoring to those who cannot afford it. Now in Brooklyn and the Five Towns! Kindly visit our website at www.zichronetel.com Yehalomim Shelanu Special Programming presents an after school program for the special children of our neighborhood! Every Monday afternoon from 4:45- 6:15 Fun & educational run by talented and experienced staff. Call 516-732-2949 for more info or to register

Reach Your Target Market

SITUATION WANTED Nice, kind, single 25 year old man looking to rent a room or share an apt with others. Willing to pay nicely Please call Eli 917-387-6570

Classifieds

• Leibedik One Man Band/Singer • DJ with DANCE MOTIVATORS • Projector/Screen Rentals • Full Orchestra • Karaoke • Shabbos Ruach A Capella Singers


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

Your

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Money

Men, Boys, Price, Toys By Allan Rolnick, CPA

H

ow much is a classic brightred Ferrari worth? Well, if it’s the 1957 335 S Spider

Scaglietti that the French Bardinon family auctioned earlier this month, the answer is €32 million, or around $35.8 million. But if there isn’t a convenient auction to establish how much someone will pay for something, and you need to set a price, how exactly do you go about establishing a number? Here’s where this week’s story starts. Pierre Bardinon was a French leather-goods heir whose family manufactured, among other items, bomber jackets for the U.S. Air Force. At a young age, he fell in love with car racing and Ferraris, eventually assembling a collection of over 70 of them. (No word on how many were candy-apple red.) He even dedicated the family’s chateau at Mas du Clos to the sport, adding a two-mile track and car museum. Bardinon sold some of those cars during his lifetime. But when he died in 2012, he still had 20 left. His family valued that remaining collection of 20 at €70 million for estate-tax purposes. But since then, prices for the exotic Italian cars have accelerated nearly as fast as the cars themselves, and today the

collection could be worth more like €200 million. Now French tax authorities may take another look.

Estate taxes are a whole different animal than income taxes. The rules themselves aren’t especially complicated. The tax doesn’t kick in until your taxable estate tops $5.45 million ($10.9 million for married couples). And the rate itself is a flat 40%. (French rates on Bardinon’s Ferraris are even higher at 45%.) The real issue is assigning values to assets. How much exactly is everything worth? If an estate consists of publicly-traded securities, that’s easy to determine. Throw in some real estate or a closely-held business, and it gets a little tougher. Bring on the appraisers! And if there are collectibles or other hard-to-value assets — like Bardinon’s Ferraris — that’s when things get really sticky. For 2013, the IRS got just 33,719 estate tax returns. However, they audited a hearty 8.5% of them (versus just 0.9% for individual income tax returns). 3,359 of those returns reported assets over $10 million — and the IRS audited a whopping 27% of those. In fact, experienced estate-tax preparers go into the job assuming their returns will be audited.

Naturally, most families want to lowball the value of their assets. And it’s not necessarily hard to find an appraiser to go along. But the IRS has their own resources to fight back. When it comes to art, for example, the Service keeps an in-house staff of appraisers and experts. When that’s not enough firepower, they also maintain an Art Advisory Panel, made up of two dozen scholars, curators, and dealers with expertise in a variety of areas. In 2014, the panel looked at 159 items and adjusted their values up by $27.8 million. That’s an extra $11 million or so in tax.

Some say that “he who dies with the most toys, wins.” And we realize you’ll probably consider yourself fortunate if you make it to the finish line with one Ferrari in your garage. (Can’t drive more than one at a time, anyway, right?) But if you do have that good fortune, remember that smart planning will be the key to helping your family keep as many of your toys as possible. Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 yea rs in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com.


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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home

Life C ach

Inspiration 101 By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

F

or those of you who know me, you may know I go on a yearly mission to Israel to learn and be inspired for a week. Well now, you all know! That wasn’t the secret anyway. The point I’m making is this. Did you ever travel to a different time zone? Especially Israel? Seven hours ahead. So you kind of can’t fall asleep till like 3 in the morning because for you it’s 8 o’clock at night. And even that’s kind of early to go to bed. Oh, sure, some of you come with the Ambien, Xanax, and Advil PM, etc. But still, I see it doesn’t help. Because I survey the classes and everyone seems to have that same bleary eyed look. We love the classes, the learning, the messages. But I think we are all hearing it in a deep sleep state. The usual touring, visiting and even shopping are pretty irrelevant. We are sucking in the inspiration. Great speaker after great speaker. So what’s the problem? It’s all a blur! Messages meld together. I can’t remember exactly who said what. By the time I get home I’ve gained the usual five pounds at least. Because nowhere did I write we miss out on eating! I said we are looking for food for the soul but no one said we give up the food for our body! I get so crazy trying to remember it all. We had a class on regressing to our past lives. I was so excited. I thought, great maybe I could split the burden of remembering some of this stuff with one of the other “me’s.” Unfortunately they were just as exhausted as I was. The speakers all read like a top 10 hits album. They’re giving us their very best and we’re blown away by what they say. But ask me what they said. I’ll have to watch the reruns! Fortunately, I’m a compulsive note taker and speech recorder, so

hopefully sometime in the next few weeks I’ll find out what in the world I learned in Israel. The bottom line is this: We can’t get enough of the information. We are class-going junkies. The auto pilot button is fully engaged. It’s a week of true clarification. We are the better versions of ourselves. But it’s obviously entering through our bloodstream not just our minds ‘cause they are on overload! Our bodies on the other hand keep expanding. So there’s plenty of room for it to enter through another channel! Just the experience of the lessons are elevating – whether we can repeat them or not. The women bonding is another amazing part of the trip. Imagine a bunch of women together, no chattering about others at all – I’m not saying no talking at all – I did say a bunch of women together! It’s just that it becomes a love fest. Corny, but true! Women come from every physical setting from Cleveland, Minnesota, Arizona, Maryland, New Jersey, to Monsey, Boro Park, and Russia. But they leave less a product of their physical home and more a product of their spiritual soul! So what can I say in summing up? The trip booklet, thankfully, has pictures of everyone right near their names. Because sleep is so not a part of the agenda it all may be one big fog in a week. But why is it worth the trip time and again anyway? Because “there’s no place like home” … and no gift as good as getting away from it … to remember what you have and how to appreciate it! Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and career and life coach. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com<mailto:rivki@ rosenwalds.com


The Jewish Home | MARCH 3, 2016

BNOS BAIS YAAKOV TWENTY SECOND ANNUAL DINNER H O N O R I N G MR. AND MRS.

Yosef and Fagie Lowinger GUESTS OF HONOR

Dinner Committee • DAVID AIDELSON • ELIE BECKER

• SHAYA BERGER • MOSHE BLOOM • JEREMY CHERNOFSKY • AVRUMI DAVID • CHESKY DERSHOWITZ • YOILY EDELSTEIN • NACHUM FEINTUCH • MOSHE FELDHAMER • AVI FELDMAN • ALON GOLDBERGER

RABBI AND MRS.

Mendy and Adina Edelstein PA R E N T S O F T H E Y E A R

• ADAM GOLLER • CARMI GRUENBAUM • MOSHE HAMEL • AZI HIRSCHFELD • YAIR KEILSON • DUVI KLEIN • YEHOSHUA MARCHUCK • MOSHE MENDLOWITZ • MICHAEL RICHMAN • BARUCH ROTHMAN • SHAYA RUBIN • NECHEMIA SALZMAN • ROBBIE SCHEININGER • ZALMY SCHIOWITZ • YITZY SCHUSS • MORDECHAI SHARIFIAN • RICHIE SINNREICH

RABBI AND MRS.

Simchie and Suri Weingot KESSER SHEM TOV

• DAVID SOLOMON • DOVI WISNICKI • YEHUDA ZACHTER • YAAKOV ZOLDAN

Dinner Co-Chairmen

mazdesign 718.471.6470

• SHABSE FUCHS • MOTI HELLMAN

SUNDAY, MARCH 20TH, 2016 •

‫ תשע״ו‬,‫י׳ אדר ב׳‬

THE SANDS ATLANTIC BEACH

RESERVATIONS: 718.337.6000 EXT. 129 • FAX: 718.650.6066 EMAIL: DINNER@BBYSCHOOL.ORG • WEB: WWW.BBYDINNER.ORG

CELEBR ATING

Board of Trustees

• MR. SAM BERGMAN • MR. MOISHE HIRTH • MR. MEL ZACHTER

a symphony of excellence

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MARCH 3, 2016 | The Jewish Home


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